BBQ Pizza

This is the view from our backyard patio.
This is our 'lil smokey.
And this! is grilled pizza. YUMCheck it here for recipe.

Love and Joy: Another Book Post

I'm taking a break from prepping for our grilled pizza party tonight. I should be swiffering so our guests don't judge me for the crumbs all over, instead I'm doing this. (p.s. our friends won't really judge us, at least I hope they won't....)

Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith

I happened to see this book for sale on Amazon when I was perusing for books to get with my gift card. (By the way, I got 7 books for $25.00 from a gift card. AWESOME). It's by Betty Smith the author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It is the story of a newly married couple in their first year of marriage in the 1920s. I felt the story was trite, but the writing is excellent and I ended up being drawn into the story. There is something in me that desires for the simplicity of their lives (i.e. they live in a boarding house and don't even own a blanket of their own). We're so bogged down in having lots of stuff and my list of stuff I want still grows. Alas, that's another issue in itself

The Love List by the Parrots

I may be slightly behind on my goal of reading 12 nonfiction books for the year (NOTE: I had the hardest time distinguishing between fiction and nonfiction probably until college. Honestly, it seems so backward to me that the "non" means it's true...) Anyways, I "borrowed" (read: stole) this book from my parents when we were home last. It was already on my "to read" list because I want to consistently be working on improving my marriage and I love lists. It fulfilled both of those. Les and Leslie outline 2 things you can do each day/week/month/year to improve your marriage, all of which are pretty basic, but great to review. I put it on my husband's "to read" list so we can work on these things together.

Next up: Marry Poppins and Love Wins

Observation Tuesday: Volume 14 (On Monday)

If you see me in the next two weeks please don't judge my eyebrows. I realized yesterday I needed to get them waxed, while I was in the middle of plucking them. Needless to say now I'm waiting til those two hairs I plucked grow back in to get them waxed, so they're terrifying.

Jude's haircut in Across the Universe is so hipster.

Also, the bowling scene is one of my favorite movie scenes ever.

I'm getting really excited about all the fall paraphernalia out, but lets be honest, its still 88 degrees here, so I'm not feeling it.

Nectar of the Angels

If you know my dad, you know what I'm talking about.

Coffee.
Finally, after 3 months of owning it, I finally figured out how to use my espresso machine. I had psyched myself out with the thought of it being super complicated despite having been taught by my dad to use his multiple times. (Lets be honest, I may have "forgotten" just so he would keep making me caramel lattes...) but I DID IT. hooray. Cappuccinos for everyone!

Food!

My bff recently posted a blog about food. I told her that was part of the reason we were best friends because honestly, I spend a lot of time thinking about food. I finish a breakfast of fresh mango, kuchen and coffee and I'm already planning my lunch. My sister, a few of my cousins and I have a recipe email exchange. And my cooking bookmark folder never gets any smaller since I add about 10 recipes a week. I have also started taking pictures of my food to remember, so for your enjoyment here are a few meals my husband and I have made, with links.

#1 Parmesan Baked Tilapia, sauteed asparagus and cous cous
Really easy and you're getting your omega 3s!#2 Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
These are DELICIOUS. Thank you Joy the Baker for the good you have brought in my life

#3 French Bread (recipe in my Better Homes and Garden cookbook)
I made these the day my husband got his wisdom teeth out (if you have a few minutes watch Seth after dentist), which was kind of mean considering he couldn't eat the crust. It's best right after you cook it, and my technique could be better, but at least it looks good.

#4 Grilled Chicken Breasts with Peaches and Coriander and Lemon dressing
This was made by my fantastic husband. Pretty phenomenal. Unfortunately the recipe can't be shared. And by can't I mean its in our Canadian Living Barbeque cookbook and I'm too lazy to type it up. If you really want it, email me.

There you have it, a glimpse in to our lives via what we eat for dinner/breakfast.

The best decision I ever made

Okay, it may not be the very best, but definitely in the top 10. That decision is keeping a toothbrush in my shower. Very few things are better than totally feeling clean after hopping of the shower.

The real purpose of this book was to write more about books I've read. These two were gems. First, Pigs In Heaven. Yet another winner by Barbara Kingsolver. I may be slightly obsessed with her. This book, as a sequel to The Bean Trees, follows Taylor and Turtle through another journey into Turtle's past. I give it two thumbs way up, so I highly recommend it. And to quote Washington Post Book World, “There is no one quite like Barbara Kingsolver in contemporary literature. Her dialogue sparkles with sassy wit and the earthy poetry of ordinary folks’ talk; her descriptions have a magical lyricism rooted in daily life but also on familiar terms with the eternal.”

My mom had recommended this book to me several months ago. Muriel Barbery has written a book about Renee Michel, a concierge who conceals her true interests to seem less intelligent and more typical to the wealthy tenants of the building she lives in. The books also involves an elderly Japanese man who moves in to the building and a genius 12 year old who plans to commit suicide the day she turns 13. Aren't you intrigued? This made me wish I spoke French so I could have read it in the original book. But, even in English it was still an interesting read.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

God has blessed me with some pretty fantastic men in my life. Today happens to be the day we celebrate one of them. Clearly, he deserves a lot of celebrating. Because if you look that cool backpacking in the 70's then you must be even cooler now. He is. Here's why:

He loves to party. He will always be up for dinner with friends, games after dinner or an afternoon swim.

He is adventurous. He's been all over the world, still does backpacking trips in Glacier and does crazy things like summersaults across the finish lines for half marathons.

The man really appreciates good meals and coffee. I'll never forget the time we splurged on dinner at The Tavern on the Green simply because "we eat our memories."

He loves my mom. I have never seen a man more dedicated to loving his wife. He brings her cake at work on her birthday, washes the windows and can throw together a wonderful meal in no time.

He loves Jesus. A lot. He seeks to serve him through loving his family, reaching the unreached and spending time with him. This has impacted me more than any other awesome factor about my dad and for that I am so grateful.


So Dad, here's to you on your day. Wish I was with you to buy you an iced Americano with real caramel sauce, not syrup, go on a hike through the park and then make you something delicious. But, since I'm not, the promise of doing that next year at the cabin will have to be enough. I love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY