Something different

I was in the mood to try something different today. I think I like this elegant look, although elegant is the last word that anybody would use to describe me! Oh well...I can dream. I must admit that the country bumpkin in me will never go away.

I'm having a rough start this morning. There are so many things I need to get done today, but I'm not feeling well. My glands are sore, my head is thumping, and I'm tired (though I slept for about 10 hours last night)! Maybe if I run my errand to Costco and get out in the beautiful sunshine, I'll feel better.

I started some Portuguese soup last night and I've got it cooking again today. It's so yummy. It was a little overcast yesterday and I was a little chilly, so I thought it would be perfect for dinner, only I got home too late from the grocery store to actually have it, so we scrounged. This recipe is from my MIL, who is a gourmet chef...too big of shoes for me to fill! Thankfully, I have an understanding husband. Anyway, she always served this soup at the restaurant and it's delicious. It's got Elgin garlic sausage, cabbage, ketchup, white vinegar, diced potatoes, kidney beans, onion, garlic, and olive oil. It's also very easy, which I love. I had to settle for Portuguese sausage since we don't have Elgin sausage up here, but I think it goes well, since it's Portuguese! Hubby loves it so much, he had a bowl for breakfast! I neglected to tell him that I was waiting to finish it today. Oh well, he finished the bowl. Here's a picture to entice you. (Sourdough goes great with it!)

Back to Reality

Back to life...BA left yesterday afternoon and I vegged the rest of the day. For some reason, I was wiped out! We had a great time together and I hated to see her go, but we both must go back to real life. I've got quite a bit of cleaning to do and about 5 boxes to unpack in the garage, so I've got to get to it. Have a great day!

A fun Labor Day

Labor Day was packed full of fun. We slept in and took our time getting out the door. Once we got dressed and got our backpacks ready, we headed off to the Olympics. We thought it would be fun for Beth Ann to ride the ferry while she was here, so we took the Kingston ferry to Edmonds for a hike in the Olympics. It turned out that it was Nathan's and Bexar's first times to ride the ferry also, so that was fun. :) By the time we got over there, it was lunch time so we found a diner and grabbed some burgers to go. We had originally planned to go on the Tubal Cain hike that would have taken us through an old mining town (now remnants) and by some WW II airplane wreckage, but the forest service road was narrow and littered with potholes, so we stopped just 3 miles short of the trailhead and opted for the Upper Dungeness trail. We had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be the perfect hike for us. :) We hiked 7 miles through old growth and along a clear, rushing river and wound up at a shelter in a wildflower meadow. The hike was very easy and it was nice to be back in the woods again. The only "wildlife" we saw while on the trail was a chipmunk and field mouse but we were also intrigued by the number of different and brightly-colored fungi. We had a great time and even scouted out some nice camping spots. :) We finished up the day with some crappy crepes, some yummy clam chowder, and a long ride home. The hot tub felt great after that long hike on our sore legs. Although it wasn't tough, BA and I were both a little sore just from being on them for so long, but it was well worth it and a lovely day.

I hope yours was wonderful, too!

Peacocks?

Imagine our surprise to wake-up to peacocks running back and forth on the roof this morning. We wouldn't have even known they were there if BA hadn't seen them. There were actually 3 but I couldn't get pictures of them all.



Happy Labor Day!

Relaxing Sunday

We had a relaxing day of church, chicken tarragon croissant sandwiches, jewelry making, new home area exploration, and yummy Indian food!

I've had the turquoise beads since our Colorado visit in April and finally got the nerve to try something with them tonight. I think the necklace turned out cute. BA and I also made lanyards for her to wear at TCB. She's thinking of making them and selling them. I think I may have her hooked on a new hobby...we'll see after she completes the project! :)

Enjoy!

Hog Wild

Beth Ann and I had a lot of fun down at the market and walking all over downtown. Our feet are a little sore from walking so much. We had a nice lunch of fish n' chips and then walked the pier to Pike Place, where we saw the fish being tossed about. We also made our way over to the original Starbucks & the new "industrial" library. They still had the decorated pigs scattered about the city, so we got a few pics of those.


BA in front of the Sound; "Green eggs & ham" pig; and "Disco" pig



"Picture Me Perfect" Pig; Don't remember this name but funny; Pirate Pig

Beth Ann is coming!!

Today is the long-awaited Saturday when BA arrives. I can't wait. I need to leave soon, but just wanted to apologize for the lack of inside house pics. I took a few but it was dark and they didn't come out too well. I'll try to take some in the next few days when the sun is out. For now, here's something to drool over....my new washing machine. :)




Last night, N and I went on a date night. We tried a new restaurant called "Cosi" which is basically Italian fast-food. It was actually pretty good. I had a chicken bake (chicken with lots of cheese) and a tasty salad. In fact, it was just like the Greek salad I made earlier this week. :) Apparently they're known for their flatbread, and it was pretty good. All in all, not GREAT or FANTASTIC but I would stop in again. The service was great; I think they were really bored, as there were few people there. :)

The movie we saw was "Becoming Jane." It's about the life of Jane Austen and I had wanted to see it since it came out. Finally, after we had watched everything else, N gave in the chick flick. LOL It was a great movie, except the ending was sad. But I guess in life, things don't always have a happy ending. I can't speak for N, but I enjoyed it.

TTFN - Off to pick-up BA and head downtown.