Well it has been awhile!!

Here is S. with her book bag that we talked about a few posts ago! We found the "car" fabric while we were on vacation. In Ashland Oregon... good times!

PHEOBE LOOK AT MAMA!!
PHEOBE LOOK AT MAMA!! I WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE!!
PHEOBE ARE YOU GOING TO LOOK......
I am thinking that answer is NO! We still love her though! She seems to be doing well even with her Cushings disease.

GAME WAS ON IN THE BIG HOUSE!!!!!
Cleaning was done!
And much CHEATING!!!
YES I am talking to you!! This is suppose to be an individual competion!! NO helping out the "GIRLFRIEND" D.!
OH and also T. got into the cheating with his use of the Halloween costume he wore to work!!
The power tools were also taken out.... S had quite a lot of help on her pumpkin!
OH! Carmen how I thought for sure we would win this year!! But it was not to be!
Even your gourd nose did not help!
D's masterpiece!
S's in all of its glory!
How cute are they??
This is the aftermath! Pumpkin guts everywhere!

Last Sunday was much better and I have gotten over my loss on the pumpkin front! T. received the most compliments on his so he won.... (CHEATER! with the use of costume) Here he is with his precious taking photo's of the vineyards in Napa. We had a great time the weather was a perfect 75! Ice cream and coffee were had at Oxbow marketplace in downtown Napa. It is right by were Copia used to be. Too bad it closed because they would have been a perfect mix! Rumor has it though that the Food Network might take over the locale and film shows there! What fun that would be!
A Vineyard... Love the Fall colors... Can I live there T????
Oh and here is Precious #2.. Yes that is me waiting while he is photo taking with #1
I say we cannot compete with this guy's Halloween decorations!! So I am not even going to try. Maybe we will have to cruise by around the holidays to see if he goes all out then! This was in St. Helena of all places.
Well that is it folks.. This weekend had nothing to write about.. We did finish putting up the crown molding in the den and kitchen. T did a great job! Especially around the radius corners! What a great guy to have around the house! Even though he cheats with the pumpkin carving! I swear I am not bitter.....

Butter Sunday

The morning started off with Fritatas - these were Halloween Fritatas with some purple potatoes. Okay - Fritatas is really Spanish for kitchen sink so they just happened to be in the fridge with all the other needed ingredients - butter, onion, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers from the garden, cheese, as well as some carnitas al pastor (mildly spicy pork).

Going with the halloween theme - there happened to be a potato that ended up looking like a heart. I gave that slice of the final product to Cathie with a kiss - which I guess is better than a vampire neck hickey. At least it didn't look like Nixon - I would not have known what to do with that!

We ended up going out on a bike ride at around noon, off to Whole Foods for some grocery items. (Having ended my 30 day protest against Whole Foods for the stupid comments from their president about health care. It never ceases to amaze me how the biggest asses seem to run companies - he had been investigated earlier by the SEC for making disparaging posts about a competitor (Wild Oats) under an assumed name while trying to drive a bargain with them. You have so much potential to do good - and instead - you choose to be a jerk. Rant Rant Rant - I'm done now - okay - just for now.)

While there we picked up some plantains for an afternoon snack - a little more butter, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla - to be combined with ice cream.

With all the wet weather the ponds and streams in the area had filled up bringing back the ducks. They are right along the bike path and seem to be very used to people riding or walking by. Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that they get feed regularly through out the day by "concerned citizens". I believe they shout "Let them eat bread" - as it gets closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas I'm certain it will be replaced with the more frequent "Off with their heads". (Hey it's better than the "Let them eat Quackers" joke I was going to tell.)

One of them tried to stare me down!

(Okay - he did win - he was big - and then he puffed up - I ran away screaming like a little girl. Or that's what C said - I thought it was more like a mature woman than a little girl. And not so much screaming.... okay - it was like a little girl - but he was puffy....)

Oddest moment of the day - when riding away from the pond C and I saw something in the corner. It was moving kind of funny and we couldn't tell what exactly it was - ended up being a little gardner snake swimming in the pond.

Well that's about all the excitement for this week.

Felted Fridays??? This thing seems to only be updated on Sunday!

What's up with that?!

Had a very nice weekend. Went out to Sutter Creek on Saturday to see Robin and Ardis. It was the annual Street Organ Rally with several unique organs from newly made to antique. We had lunch with them at the Twisted Fork. It was very nice.

Seemed everyone had some kind of stuffed or automated monkey at the Rally. Maybe next year they will do a Monkey and Organ Rally Extravaganza - or MORE. Hopefully people enjoy the music - wouldn't want it to become MORE Grinding. Just so long as they don't combine it with a debate festival - it might be called the Blow Harder Festival. Which would be better than DAMN MORE (Debate and Annual Musical Notes and Monkey Organ Rally Extravaganza).

All right - enough with the humor.

While there we visited the local glass blowing (there we go again with blowing - what is it with Sutter Creek) store. (Okay - honestly that was the last one.) We had purchased some glass flowers there several years prior. It was good to see that he was still at it - and that he had a very nice selection.

We also stopped at Amador City - where wonder of wonders - Yarn was discovered. Not only was the yarn appropriately nappy and crazy colored - but it was cheap! SSSSHHHHH!!!! Don't tell!! The store owner was the one that spun the yarn - but had no idea of how to knit. She showed us some very fun and colorful wool that she was going to spin up later in the week.

Spencer will be very excited that her handbag is now complete! But more on that next week.

Hopefully before Sunday!

T & C (T did the jokes)

Sunday - Sunday - Sunday

It's been several Sundays of not getting much done - despite the endless lists of things that need to get done.

Cathie and I had a bike ride to breakfast this morning. Rode up to Panera for Pink Ribbon Bagels (Cherry and Cranberry). Besides the fact that Cathie loves the bagels - the purchase does go toward a good cause of funding breast cancer research.

We actually did get a number of things done. I medicated the mouth of my koi with what the vet call "Neosporum for fish" - The antibiotic food wasn't there Saturday. They will get a shipment Wednesday. Cathie will have to pick it up.

Cathie and Spencer are trying to one up me and Devin on the pumpkin "contest" - which consisted of them getting two very large pumpkins last week - and then - waiting a few days until all the big ones were gone - and then announcing that "Game On" - we were in a contest.

Well - little do they know that I have a plan. And that plan is ... uhh.. cough... cough... I can't.... ugggghhhhhh....

T here -

Spent Saturday with Kate in Davis at the Farmers Market. She was a little pouty last week when she found that I had gone there with Spencer - LOL.

Kate picked up Sunday breakfast (the cinnamon rolls) as well as some fresh fruits and local honey. (She of course is "my local honey").

What day with Cathie would not include a little yarn.

Finished up our morning in Davis with a stop at BlackBear diner. Its a small chain that has started to open up in Northern California. Pancakes, Waffles - and of course the elixir of life coffee.

It was a pretty lazy day - Farmers Market, Antique shopping, some time at the mall (very sad that Red Mango yogurt came and went so fast - I don't even think it lasted a year in the mall). Spencer cooked dinner - marinated grilled chicken with a salad, very nice.

Very nice weekend - the way a weekend should be.

Berkeley Solano Street Stroll

Drizzly day - but I like the low temperatures versus the 90+ degree heat we've been having. The day turned out wonderful - with only a few drops at the end of the day.

We started off early in the morning, grabbing some coffee and bagels at Panera Bakery - then off to Berkeley. Well really off to get some more to eat and do a little shopping.

First stop was Article Pract for some yarn shopping and of course just a few steps away - Bake Sale Betty for some great baked goods and their famous chicken sandwich. It is very delicious with the slightly spicy cole slaw. Their ironing board tables are so much fun to eat at.

We then hopped on the Bart on our way to North Berkeley and the Solano Street Stroll. It was a classic Berkeley mix with a marching band playing B52's Love Shack to some Beach Boy wanna be's , every type of food from BBQ Oysters on the half shell to funnel cakes. It was a long, long street stroll - over a mile and a half of things to see and hear and taste. Naturally I was able to locate a local yarn shop where I found a new knitting book that I've been struggling to find. T says - the yarn minx has honed her yarn hunting skills to that of a fine tuned machine. LOL.

At the end of the day we had one more stop to make - 4th Street Berkeley. We had dinner at a little Mexican Restaurant and a stroll around 4th Street. I found this comfy chair at CB2 which passed my knitting trial - comfy - arm room - fun fabric - would look cute in my house, Check, Check, Check and CHECK! Only down side - delivery fee from Berkeley to Roseville ... : (

Nice Labor Day Weekend

We managed to do some yard work and house work this long weekend. T took me to breakfast on Sunday at Cafe Bernardo where I ate my favorite Eggs Benedict. Perfect amount of runny egg with crunchy toast. T had his Bernardo Breakfast Burrito and country potatoes.

While we were away on vacation Boundin opened in the Fountains (a lifestyle mall that has opened recently in Roseville). Still without a properly stocked pantry (it was Monday, it was hot, it was 10 am, the sky was blue, pick your excuse) we rode our bikes over to try their breakfast menu. I had their almond croissant - very yummy! T had their sausage breakfast sandwich.

For Monday night dinner T cooked steamed/BBQ mussels. A quick bath in boiling water with salt, parsley wine and a little butter - then off to the grill for a quick turn. Mixed with some pasta that I made - Dinner is served!

While there T whipped up some prosciutto wrapped figs on the BBQ as well (prior to putting the mussels on). The sweet and savory of the green and purple figs against the prosciutto was very yummy!

You are still my # 1

45 Years and one day - still - "Thank you" for a wonderful birthday - and all our years together. You are still my # 1!

Off to work.

Awwww... Thank you my wonderful spouse!!

You are not second - you are #1.

Thank you for a wonderful birthday - with all my gifts and my cake and special meal.

It's been a bit rough with all my work and security audit - and you have made it a wonderful day to end with.

Love you!!!

And thank you Spencer for being a wonderful daughter who made yummy whip cream to go on my cake and made a very special card by hand! You are very talented like your mother.

Love you too!!!!

Guess who is 45 today!!!!!

No Not me.... I have long past that!! But it is the love of my life's B-Day!!

Happy! Happy! Birthday Stud-Puppy!!

See he always has his "Precious" with him.. I am a close 2nd though!!