Dear Loser Letters - "I Can't Believe You Just Said (Did) That" Edition

Dear Close Friend,

Thank you so much to you and your family for gracing us with your presence at our humble abode for like the twentieth or something time as our guests.
It just warms the cockles of my heart when you tell me, that you and your hubby don't ever like to have people over, (don't I know it!!), and, that you prefer to sit in your backyard, just you two! That sounds like a great idea, as I'm sure you have a lovely backyard which I haven't seen in several years. Enjoy.

Signed,

I Finally Get It


Dear Friend and Neighbor,

I am so delighted to help you with your worthy charity and I enjoy spending time together. However, it does get quite tiresome, that whenever I make a comment about having to drive the boys to sports or school, or something else required of raising children, that you say, "I am so glad I don't have to bother with that". Every single time. I finally agreed with you, I am so glad that you don't have to bother with the culmination of my life long dream either. I hope you enjoy your sweet lemons, and no, my grapes are not sour, thank you very much.

Signed,

Never Ever Criticized the Childfree by Choice so WTF??


Dear Clothing Store Checkout Lady,

Thank you so much for processing my return without the holy grail of retail, the receipt. Thank you also for explaining I now have a "one mark against me in the computer" for returning something sans receipt. I also completely understand why you need to see my driver's license to complete the transaction. What I Do Not Understand is why you felt it necessary to use my driver's license to scratch the dry, flaky skin on your arm during this process. I gotta tell you, not too many things catch me off my guard where I don't say anything, but this one got me good. I am not a germaphobe, but I was seriously grossed out and stunned into silence. Well, at least until I got home and called the Manager about your ahem, "personal grooming habits".

Signed,

Sanitized my I.D. for My Protection and Sanity

Mediterranean Pot Luck

Here are some photos from the Mediterranean themed pot luck dinner we hosted over the Labor Day weekend. My husband put up these bright fabric banners with dowels to hang from our porch ceiling. They really lend a festive air as do the lights and lanterns.
As is our usual fashion, we had lots of food, great food- spanakopita, lasagna, Greek salad, home made pizza, roast peppers, lemon chicken, grilled duck breast with lavender sauce, lamb lollipops, bruschetta, among many other yummies.

I made a white nectarine tart with an easy recipe from Food and Wine Magazine. It turned out delish with the most basic and fresh ingredients. I also scored by finding this tart pan for a buck at our local thrift store.
Luckily, I've been burning off a few calories gardening, including lots of flowering plants in containers. (I feel a lot of responsibility when I garden in planters, like I am adopting a plant "pet" that is completely dependent on me for all its needs- soil, sun, water, pruning, feeding, drainage. It's different then when I transplant plants into the soil, it's like they are more independent.)

Thank you so much for your visit and please let me know what you've been up to, foodwise, gardenwise, or any wonderful (or not so wonderful) thing. (I am an equal opportunity blogger with broad shoulders and decent listening skills).

I also wanted to sincerely thank, acknowledge, and show abundant appreciation to my fellow teammates at The Motivation Station blog. They, along with all my other dear, dear bloggy friends, have been a major source of inspiration, perspiration, and Motivation this past year. Happy One Year Birthday, TMS!!! High 5 and a Booty bump!! Please stop by The Motivation Station and consider becoming a follower, we are trying to reach 100 followers. And we are thisclose to 100, so thank you!

Dirty Jobs' Guy Doubles as School Mascot for Almost Wordless Wednesday

Mike Rowe, the host of the TV shows, Dirty Jobs, and The Deadliest Catch, apparently also served as the model for our son's school mascot, The Miners. Way to Go, Mike! No wonder you are one of my favorite TV Hosts, Ever!!

Speaking of dirty jobs, including baking and gardening, please stop by my post today at The Motivation Station. Thank you so much!

Welcome to The Hotel Del Coronado- Such a Lovely Place

Finally, some photos from our stay at the Hotel del Coronado-


View from the second floor lobby.

Here's the courtyard of the Victorian building which is rumored to be haunted with a guest of 120 years ago, a Katie Morgan who died on the premises. Now according to our amateur ghost whisperers aka our boys, poor Katie Morgan wanders the halls, moaning, "Oh, why can't I check out? Oh why??"
View from our room, no, Life doesn't suck.

There was perfect surf for the boys' first surf lesson. Unfortunately, our youngest sons's lesson ended when he got stung by a stingray, Ouch!
Gratuituous cute picture of our dog, Charley who misses us so whenever we go away. He's a living teddy bear who looks like a little golden lamb in this photo.

Coffee Makes the World Go Around - Motivation Station Show and Tell

When I first became a nurse almost thirty years ago, I went to work in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit for surgical patients. A strong cup of coffee is as essential as scalpels, sutures, and bandages in the surgical theater and environs, and I soon became experienced at "making the coffee", and even improvising when we ran out of coffee filters, by using an always available present paper towel. An essential work skill btw.

Even though I now telecommute, I still relish a good cup of coffee first thing in the AM. The essential ingredients to brewing a good cup of coffee are high quality coffee, (Kona, Sumatra, and Jamaican Blue Mountain are some of my favorites), cold filtered water, a generous measuring spoon, and the Right Tools. In this case, a Krups electric kettle for boiling water, my insulated non breakable French Press (made for camping, yields 4 cups), and, for entertaining, the Mr.Coffee Thermal Carafe coffee maker for up to 8 cups.
Mr.Coffee makes a fine pot of coffee, but to get the best tasting coffee Ever, a French Press can't be beat!

What tools and tips do you have to brew your beverage of choice? Thank you so much, and for more fun and inspiration around the kitchen, please visit The Motivation Station Show and Tell.

Midweek Mashup Plus*

I am recovering from a "week off" from work that I spent with my extended family for my parent's 60th Wedding Anniversary. Trying to fit two years of relationships into 5 days with family can be a bit much. In addition to the anniversary party in San Diego, we went to the beach, hung out at the pool, and ate like Kings and Queens. Some of the meals I prepared included: Roast Pork Loin with whole cranberry/balsamic vinegar/rosemary glaze with roast potatoes and vegetables, Alaskan crab legs with fresh summer corn and drawn butter, Grilled steaks with asparagus at the pool for a neighborhood potluck, and, Carnitas, tortillas, spanish rice, and refried beans from our local Cocina. Still, it's great to be getting back to the normal routine of work, chores, and family.

Our parents' 60th Wedding Anniversary party was truly delightful and joyous. My dad played with his band and my brother, sons, nephew, mom, and sister also performed. I had a great time dancing.
This is a photo of one of the two bouquets my sister and I got our parents. There are six different types of flowers, one for each decade of marriage, including blue delphiniums to represent the March birthstone color of their late son, our brother, Jim.

We've done a lot of traveling this Spring and Summer with visits to Mammoth, Coronado, and San Diego. I've learned that as much as I dislike packing and preparing to go out of town, that I don't mind unpacking, which I do almost immediately upon our return.

I also learned something else from my travels, specifically from the breakfast buffet at the hotel where we stayed, that you can use a slice of bread to drain and absorb the oil from fried and fatty foods, like bacon and sausage. Very impressive.

This week the boys start school, 10th grade for our oldest, 7th grade and a new school, (Junior High School!!) for our youngest. I have been shopping the sales for both school supplies and clothes, and have saved an average of 40% overall. Using select coupons and buying the loss leaders of 1 cent pencils and notebooks really helps. I also told the boys that they would have to make these supplies last the year and no poaching from my supply stash!

Please, how about you? What is new with you? What have you learned about yourself or the world this week?

*Also posted over at The Motivation Station (except for the cool photo of the boys getting silly on the cannon).

The Midway Museum in San Diego

Last month, we visited the San Diego area and paid a visit to the Aircraft carrier museum, The Midway.

This carrier had a crew of approximately 4,500.




The control tower as seen from the flight deck/runway area.

The engine control room complete with mannequin sailors.

This plane is one of the "Shamrocks", part of the Fleet Replacement Squadron.

My visit left me awed and humbled, and appreciative of the sacrifices of those in uniform, both past and present.

Thank you for stopping by,
and to see what else I've been up to, please visit me at