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A few things you may or may not know....about Li'l ol me...

Over at My Sweet Savannah she was interviewed by another blogger and answered a few questions about herself. so I thought I would do that on this post about me.  I haven't done this in awhile, so here goes.  If you have any questions about me...go ahead and ask them in the comment section and I'll be glad to answer in a future post of Q and A's. Not that I'm all that exciting but you may be curious I see I get a lot of visitors from all over and this is your chance to delurk..I promise I don't bite.  :)

                                         1-what is my favorite season?

Summer, I must say I love all the seasons but I love sleeping in and going to the beach all day and not being on a schedule

{from Pinterest}

  

 

2-what is my favorite food?

Ice cream, without a doubt

Name 3 things on my bucket list.

Go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, drive up the Pacific Coast and stay in quaint Bed and Breakfast places with my husband, travel Europe.

4-my favorite quality about myself.

  

that I'm not shy

5-least favorite quality about myself.

That I don't always think before I talk

6-favorite thing to do on a lazy day.

Staying in my pajamas, putter in my cottage and watch movies with the family and play board games

7-my favorite brainless tv show.

Modern Family

8-favorite quality in a friend.

Being there when needed

9-What are three things I love about my spouse?

Hardworker, his love of his family, loving me still when I was hairless

10-What is the hardest part of parenting for me?

When others are mean to my girls and knowing that you have to let them fight their own battles 

 

 

 

Happy Father's Day { i know i'm a day late and a dollar short}

 
My father and I  in the front Canoe and my Uncle Johnny Mac and my cousin in the Back Bay of Newport, Calif.  My Aunt had a house on the beach and we would spend a lot of time there..I have fond memories of that house...in fact I distinctly remember the Dutch door looking out at the beach..still to this day...I WANT a Dutch Door {minus the ocean view}

 
Here is my Daddy at Cabrillo Beach.  He was the happiest camping and being around people.  He was such a "social butterfly".  We camped a lot growing up and I suppose that's where I get my love of camping from, but it didn't matter who you were, my DAD always invited the WHOLE campground to our site.  I can remember camping at Three Rivers and we had the "Hells Angels" over for a barbecue.  Another time some young Army men, more like boys really  where hanging out at our Campsite and my Dad was more than happy to play the host! 

 
He could make a mean Salsa and homemade chips. Many times he could be found in the kitchen making breakfast for his family. 

 
He had a heart of gold and I can remember people saying, "your dad would give the shirt off his back, if you needed it".  He was quite a character and I could write a book about his life.  He was  a bit crazy in a good way.  He loved his family and LOVED his dogs....I can remember one time when he picked me up at the airport when I flew in from Hawai'i and while we were waiting for my luggage, {I never travelled light} he struck up a conversation with another person waiting on luggage at the turnstile and he pulled out a flip-roll of pictures of his dogs out of his wallet..."oh yes, this is the father of my dog, he had a starring roll in the movie THE WHITE DOG."   I miss you Daddy very much and I wish you could be on this earth to see your Granddaughters you would be sooooo VERY proud of them!!   Happy Father's Day to all the Dads on this planet and to all the Dad that live on in our hearts!!  We LOVE you!

The Story of Us {con't}

Did I leave you hangin?  Well....let's see where did I leave you last?  Yes..this restlessness that was inside me.  When I got back to the Island of Kaua'i and started getting my classroom ready for the upcoming year I came to find out that I was pregnant.  Yep...and I really wanted a baby just wasn't sure if this was the right time.  I had such mixed emotions.  I called Troy back on the Mainland and told him the "news".  I didn't get a good read on his take on the whole matter.  I went on and started teaching, I was very excited about this growing life inside me but did not know what was going to happen with Troy in Calif and me in Hawai'i, how where we going to make this relationship work?  School started and that first week while teaching the Second Grade something dreadful happened............I miscarried our baby.  I was so heartbroken.  I immediately called Troy and told him what happened and said to him, "Your off the hook now".  He told me, "that he didn't want to be off the hook".  Wow!!   A few weeks later....he planned on coming for a visit.   He had a return ticket back to Calif and when I took him back to the airport to catch his flight while waiting in the parking lot, he said, "let's go home".  I was like "home?"..to the li'l Lime Sherbert house?", he said, Yep.....

 
We ended living on Kaua'i together for about a year. Troy spent his days fishing and crabbing.  He always had a cold glass of wine for me when I came home and dinner, usually Chef Salad.

 
It was a nice break for Troy living on the Island for a year.  We spent our weekends at friends barbecuing...or hanging out at the beach.

 
 
That year went by in a blink of an eye.  When June came and I closed up my classroom for the summer, we came back to California to visit family and friends.  It was then that we decided that we would try again to have a baby and low and behold...it didn't take much  time....BAM!!!  We were pregnant!

 
                 {here we are in Santa Barbara, pregnant with Madison}

We decided to move back to California because it is so expensive to live on Kaua'i and I wanted to be a stay at home Mom.  Troy could go back into the Ironworks and we would be able to live off of one income. 

We got married in March of 98 and then in May we had Madison.  It's amazing that it's been 13 years!!  We have never been happier and enjoy our life together, raising two daughters.  Happy Anniversary..Mr. Incredible, here's to another 13 years!

The Story of Us...

Today is OUR 13th Wedding Anniversary, Yes, Troy and Gabrielle {the High School Musical couple}.  I have known my husband since I was 19. We met at a party place we used to go to called the Fullerton Bowl.  It was a bowling alley but they had some back rooms you could rent and often our friends would have parties there. That is the first time I  layed eyes on my mysterious, lanky {Edward Cullenesque} blued eyed husband and he on his fiery, petite latina.  Yes we are opposites to the core if you look at us on the outside but not so much on the things that matter.  We dated a whole 9 months, we practically were living together, he rented a house with his brother and I was over there all the time. In the summer I walked to work from his house, at the time I worked at a park for the community and it was one block away.  In the short time we dated we did and went many places.  One memorable trip was to Mexico.  Just across the border to Tijuana.  I would make him take me into all kinds of "Raunchy Places".  I was very naive back then and was enthralled with the seedy side of life.  He was not at all comfortable and it was very strange that these women would come up to him and offer their "services" while it was obvious he already had his "hot Mexican Mamacita".  Anyways..he said, "let's get our of here".  We spend the day strolling down the main street shopping and eating the good food Mexico has to offer.  We stopped to take a picture on a burro, we thought it was so funny that the man called us "HoneyMooners", come get your picture with my Donkey who had painted on stripes to resemble a zebra.  It was a memorable trip to say the least. 

 
                        {edited to add Burro pic in Mexico} 

 I still have the silver bracelets that we bought on that trip. They are now in my jewelry box, all tarnished.  It was a short lived romance and we broke up within that year. I went on to live in San Diego, live by the beach and attend San Diego State University.   

Troy went on and got into the Ironworker trade and ended up marrying someone else.   

 

 Flash forward to 1996...I was living on Kaua'i and worked as an Elementary school teacher.....

 

but had come "back home" for the summer {I'd recently broke up with my boyfriend of 10 years}.  I was living in this cute Lime Sherbet House. I loved that it had this wrap around Lanai, I wanted a house like that forever, I still yearn for a small porch.  We used to eat our dinner out there by candlelight and you could hear the Luau music from the nearby hotel.

It needed some beautiful flowers and plants to bring it to life but at the time I did not feel like nesting at all.  I could see what it could of become..this cute little Island cottage. Even though we had a beautiful vegetable garden out behind the house.  Troy has always had a green thumb.  Yes..at one point he did come back to live with me in this cute little cottage but I'm getting ahead of myself in the story. 

Well I had been home for the summer of 1996 and visiting friends and we had gone to dinner at The Elephant Bar.  I was single and come to find out, Troy was newly single too.  He was in the process of getting a divorce.  I called him up from the pay phone {hey..cell phones were not the thing they are today}, he decided to meet me and the rest of my gang at a pool hall.  We reconnected that night.  The next day I went home to my Mother's Cottage in San Diego.  Now I wish I had a picture of that home..it is a true cottage in every sense of the word.  Troy called me every day at exactly the time he said he would.  He asked {pleaded} with me if I would postpone my trip back to Kaua'i.  So I did and I decided to fly out of Los Angeles instead of San Diego.  When I got to his house the night before my plane departed back to the islands we had a beautiful night together.  We drank wine and did spent the night in each other's arms for one last evening.  He drove me to the airport the next day...and their was this restlessness inside me the whole way flying home.  I could not pinpoint this feeling that was happening inside me.  In a short couple of months I would find out.

{to be continued}....
 

Lemon Chicken...and a Happy Little Flower

One of the things I found out about having Chemo, which I did not expect was that things would taste weird to me.  My taste buds are totally whacked out!  Well, the first time I had my infusion {that's what they call it when they "infuse" you with all that poison}...I guess it sounds better then "inject", everything tastes like metal.  I felt like I had a mouth full of nails when I ate. Some food are worse than others.  I googled why that was and sure enough that is one of the side effects of getting "infused". The site suggested eating things like Lemon amoung other things.  So I pulled out one of my MIL {she is a great cook, after all she is from the South and I use a ton of her recipes} recipe for Baked Lemon Chicken.  Not only is this recipe tasty it is also very healthy so that's a bonus. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Baked Lemon Chicken~~~~~~~~~~

3 1/2 pounds chicken, skinned and cut into pieces

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 of thinly sliced cloves of garlic or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

4 fresh thyme springs or teaspoon of dried thyme { I used mine from my Herb garden,,yea, go me!}

3 cups thinly sliced onions

1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1 lemon sliced into 10 slices, seeds removed

~~~~Directions~~~~~

Combine salt, pepper, garlic and thyme.  Lay chicken pieces into a 11x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle seasoning over chicken.  Combine onions, stock and lemon juice in a sauce pan.  Heat to a boil. Pour hot lemon mixture around chicken.  Top each piece with a lemon slice.  Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and juices are clear.  Easy Peasy....try it.  Perfect for summer...

I usually like Broccoli but with this "new tongue" of mine..not so much.  

 
On to the second part of my post title...Aren't Gerber Daisies..the happiest little flower.  They just seem to say to me in a very cheery voice, "hello there Gabrielle"....

And they look even cuter in an Aqua blue mason jar.......

I picked them up at Trader Joe's where I pick up my Steel Cut FROZEN oatmeal, that I love to eat with vanilla yogurt and blueberries.  Yum!  If you have not had the oatmeal from Trader Joes..you should get some..I love it and it fills you up and satisfies your tummy.   Well Happy Hump Day to you peeps....go out and pick up some flowers, you deserve it.
 

What a Weekend, full of rats, cake bombs and more...

You never heard of a cake bomb? Well do you live under a rock or somting? A cake bomb went off in my kitchen this weekend.  It started like this.  With all my success of Cake making these days I was feeling like "I was all that"!!  The birthday cake for Kenzie birthday got big raves from the guests, the Rainbow Cake  was hailed by the crowds.  So I tell my friend who is hosting a baby shower {for our fearless Girl Scout Leader} I can make the cake...I'm down with that.  Have you seen my cakes lately..."I'm the bomb Chickca" I tell her.  Well check out this mess.................

well it turns out "I" was not the bomb making cakes but the Cake was a bomb and not in a good way.  I have the book Hello, Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, which I love and has the greatest ideas in there for cute cupcakes. {you can see the cover in the top left hand corner of above picture}

 
I come across the Baby cupcakes I see inside the book and decide I can do that and then while I'm at the Cake Decor store I come across the Giant Cupcake from Wilton's {i know my neighbor has one I can borrow} and I decide to make a Giant baby instead of cupcakes.  I buy a fake bottle and a diaper pin so I don't have to make that and that will cut down on the time to make them/it. Plus making a giant baby cake is easier then frosting 15 to 30 cupcakes and decorating them.  While I'm there I see some Bavarian Creme...ahh yes..let's put Bavarian Creme in the middle...then I get another brainstorm, she is having a Safari Theme in her nursery so why don't I do a Giant Monkey..they look sort of like babies.  I can use some big wafer cookies for ears and brown frosting.for the fur and wa-la a Baby Monkey Cake.  On Friday I start making my 9 in cakes and my Giant Cupcake {for the monkey head} Everything is going good.  I wait for them to cool a good long time.  Pop the first layer out and put it on my cake stand. This is were the fun starts!   I add the Bavarian cream and then plop the second layer on top...it starts to crack and break apart into three pieces.  I yell at Mr. Incredible to come get the bamboo skewers to stab it.  It is no use, it starts to slide off the top. I scrap the top layer off and I decide to make another layer, maybe I did not cook it long enough and it's too soft.  I put that layer on top...it does the same exact thing. 

      here is the first layer

I feel like I'm in an I Love Lucy episode, where she is on the conveyor belt and eating all the candy because she can't wrap them fast enough.  I was trying to cover it up with butter cream frosting to stick it together, it just made it heavier, then I put the Giant cupcake on top and that did it...it slid off the top and on the counter..

I was now without a cake and I have a soccer game first thing in the morning and I hope...Cost-Co will save my butt and have a cake.  In the end, they do save my butt along with Martha Stewart.  I get a Chocolate Cake and add some Safari Stickers {Martha's line at Michael's} and call it "good".  A cake that I should of cost me about $20.00 to make, cost almost $70.00 bucks!!

Meanwhile....while I'm trying to "decorate" this cake my daughter comes in to tell me there is a rat climbing the wall....we have a brick wall in the back with and Orange tree so I assume she is talking about that wall behind the Orange Tree.  I go outside in my towel  {flashing the neighbors as this itty bitty towel doesn't cover all of me} and the bugger is not climbing the wall by the Orange Tree but climbing the wall of our house next to the back door.

"Mom, mom he is shaking!!" she is very upset. {the lover of all creatures great and small} The dog  and the cat, who by the way can't stand each other are at the bottom of the wall in cahoots in catching this creature.  Mr. Incredible finally comes home and rescues it and lets it go near the Orange Tree and we bring all the "killers" in the house.  The next day comes and I need to wash uniforms for the afternoon soccer games {since my daughter has pizza all over it from the night before from the Galaxy game we went to}I go to grab the tide and SCREAM!!  Mr. Incredible thought I was having a heart attack and walks to the garage.

 
I guess since It was my Birthday, Mudge {the cat} did not want me to feel left out and brought me a gift.  OH, ain't he thoughtful!   If you are still reading this Kudos to you.   What a crazy weekend.   Glad it is Monday so I can have some peace!! Want some cake?

thank you!!!

 The past several weeks when finding out my "situation" I have gotten the most heartfelt support from all my friends, colleagues and family.  From the bottom of my heart I want to say THANK YOU!!  I appreciate all of you in this very unsettling time of my life.  I would be lost with out you all my dear and wonderful friends....my heart is filled with happiness and love as I type this.  Friends are definitely the flowers in the garden of life!!  
  

I'm a talker...

That is kind of how I deal with things, when life gives me a bump in the road...I talk,  I talk to anyone who will listen.   So it's no surprise that I would want to talk to you my bloggy friends, it's comforting to be able to get things "off my chest".   I wish that I could sit with you in real life and have a cupcake or a glass of wine.   I believe there is a good reason why wine and cupcakes were invented, especially the wine.  It just seems to calm you down. The Monday before last I finally scheduled my mammogram, it was due in October, but I wasn't so concerned about it, there is no breast cancer on either side of my family that I'm aware of.  They called on Monday to schedule a second Mammogram which was done on Tuesday.  I went and thought I'd be in and out so I didn't have lunch before I went, {the appt. was at 11 :45.}  After the Mammogram they sent me to have an Ultrasound, they took pictures for over an hour.  Ok I'm thinking to myself that is weird, that seems to be a long time for ultrasound pictures.  Then the doctor came in and said, "We need to do a Biopsy".  That's when the brakes inside my head start screetching....that involves needles.  I can handle the smashing of my breasts into a plastic vice until my size F cup breasts look like a pancake...that doesn't bother me at all, BUT NEEDLES, not a big fan.  Seriously NOT a big fan!!  I remember when I was in grade school that they were giving the Polio vaccine and two nurses {one of the nurses looked like she played as a linebacker for the LA Rams} were dragging me down the school hallway as I was kicking and screaming, and I was about seven years old.  Thats kind of how I looked whent he did my biopsy, I know I know I'm 45...Another time I had to give blood and fainted as I watched the blood go in the syringe.  I even told my doctor in childbirth that I DID NOT want the epidural I would have the baby naturally.  Yep..just the vision of the needle stopped me dead in my tracks.  So the biopsy part...was the part that scared me, not the idea of having cancer, well that too.  But I told myself I 'll worry about that when I come to that bridge.  I kicked and squirmed like I was seven all over again.  I had to apologize to the TWO nurses that had to hold me down before I bolted out the door.  I'm a baby, I know.  I went home with a bandage on my boobs and was told they would know the results of the biopsy today.  My doctor called this afternoon with the news every women dreads to hear.  "Unfortunately, it's cancer".   Yes, I have breast cancer in my left breast.  So I'll call tomorrow and make arrangements to line up a surgeon to take the next step.  But as I take one step at a time I'll just remember to keep Calm and maybe once in awhile have a cupcake too!!  or a bottle glass of wine.

If anyone that has gone through this or knows of someone, I would love to hear about it either in the comment section or an email.  Thanks for letting me vent my concerns on this very open forum, you guys are the best, I wish I could have you over for some wine or a cupcake or two. 

In the shop....

 

My Li'l Ol puter caught a nasty virus...so it had to go to the clinic.  I learned a lot about computers and the nasty old internet.   I found my guy in the Pennysaver after getting a quote from Geek Squad..they wanted 300. 00 buck a roos to come work on my computer in the comfort of my home.  Well Yikes at that price I could of gotten a new computer.  So I called this other guy and I'm so glad I did.  I got a really good feeling about him over the phone.  After confirming what the Geek Squad said about the Anti Virus Fake posing as my computer software anti virus system I was able to shut it down and not do any further damage to my Computer.  He was able to save all of my programs and documents.  He couldn't believe how many pictures I had....5,100 to be exact, he said he has never worked on a computer with that many pictures.  He also said, "that when your computer slows down it does not matter how many pictures you have...it won't slow down it down, it a myth".  So if you happen upon a website and red boxes start popping up....click the Ctrl, Alt and delete button and back out and don't click on the red X...that's the worst..it starts scanning your computer for information.  He now has installed a great anti virus device and says he never wants to see me again. Me too that was too scary......more scary than the above picture of  The Computer Clinic..see the repair man he has and AX.....

Not such a Beautiful DAY!!

Friday Night I was browsing online for computer labels to organize the upteen wires that are located behind the computer and at the charging stations.  I wanted it to be easy to identify all the plug ins with stickers.  I got the idea from the Better homes and garden Organize issue.  So I thought I would find some cute clipart and make my own stickers .....well....BAM!!!!!I hit one link and all these RED pop ups kept flashing on my computer and it said that I needed to update my anti virus software and it scanned my computer and wanted my email address and registration key.  Meanwhile my friend calls me to invite my DD to the Soccer EXPO and I tell her what is happening and she informs me that its a hoax.  So it won't let me click out of the box and keeps popping up.  So I shut it down and let it reboot and run my anti virus software.  It says everything is OK...long story short..I call Geek Squad, they confirm that it is in fact a hoax()fake and yucky they didn't take me for my $$$, they usually do.  So I get the computer fix it man here today and it is true, these guys are out of Sweden and have made billions of dollars on this Rogue Virsus.  So beware .  My computer guy gave me a loaner so may be MIA for awhile.  Be careful out there..sometimes it's not such a beautiful day.....