Main Event in Tempe

Every year my employer hosts a "company picnic/event" for employees and their families.  This year we went to The Main Event in Tempe.  I took Katie, her boyfriend Steve, and Kimberly.  We had a great time.  Some of the highlights:

 Kate and Kim

 Steve and me

 The three of them are waiting to do laser tag.

 Kim and I are riding the Typhoon

 Steve and Kate and driving race cars - Steve is SO serious - really concentrating.

 My co-worker, Josie, and her youngest daughter, Sarah, playing skew ball.

 Kate and Steve on the Typhoon - really enjoying it.

Kimberly loves playing Doodle Jump and does it very well - even on the large screen!

We had a really nice lunch and and  fun afternoon.

Volleyball at its best!

Friday night, I went to Myah's volleyball scrimmage game, which was held pretty close to my home.  So, of course, I had to go.  A few photos...

 Little sister, Kylee, used her Kindle to video most of the games...

I was able to catch this video of the girls - really made me chuckle!
I think they loved the counting as much as playing the game.
Victory is sweet, right?

Nice job, Myah [and teammates]!

I really enjoyed the evening.

The weather here has been really nice...

if you are in the shade.  Maybe even if you're not in the shade.  I don't normally get away from my desk, but this past week the weather was so beautiful and I wanted to sit outside.  This is the view right outside our building...

So I sat on a rock and ate my sandwich - very relaxing.

Happy Birthday, Susan!

Susan is my sister and no, she doesn't normally wear a sombrero.  We went out for her birthday - to Serrano's - and of course, they sang to her and made her wear this hat.

We had a great time - Susan, her husband Jim, her daughter, Leslie and her family (Rick, Tristan, and Mikaela).  And our dinner at Serrano's was great.  

Happy Birthday, Susan - and MANY more!

What a GREAT weekend!

You might wonder why I would say that.  Well... it was the first weekend in a very long time that every minute was not accounted for.  I started off meeting a friend for dinner on Friday night, finished by 7:00 and stopped on my way home to buy dog food for Sophie and Jack.  I'm sure that made them happy.

On Friday night I received a text from my friend, Kathy, asking if I could stop by her garage sale on Saturday and since my calendar was open, I went.  Kathy is one of my "crafty" friends - she is always working on something and I just love to see what it is.  She showed me a photo book she was working on - a sisters' trip to Chicago.  And then she also showed me this quilt she made - evidently with a pattern from one of my books.  It is actually a combination of a rag quilt and a traditional quilt.  It is beautiful!  She said this is a great way to use up your scraps.

It is such a nice weight and the colors are some of my favorites.

It is always fun to catch up with Kathy.  The garage sale wasn't very busy, but that gave us time to visit.

Happy Easter!

I don't normally do Easter baskets for my girls anymore - they get a gift just not in a basket.  However, I decided this year to do things a little differently.

And I needed to include Kate's boyfriend.  Couldn't forget about him.  So the baskets were waiting for them this morning when they came over for brunch.  Kate invited a couple of friends, so we had a nice, small group for Easter.

Nope, that's not my birthday cake...

but today IS my birthday!  

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday, Dear Jeanie!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I started "celebrating" a few days ago by starting with a pedicure, a wonderful luxury.

It is also the birthday of Starbuck's Frappucino - it is 20 years old.

So they came up with a birthday cake Frap with raspberry whipped cream.  

I decided I deserved one and picked one up yesterday.

And guess what?  It was free since it was my birthday.  Even better.

It was very good and tasted just like a birthday cake.

FYI - if you want to try it, it is only available this weekend.

Tonight I am celebrating with my family.  

Saturday with my friend.

You would think I was a kid with all of this birthday hoopla.  

Still...

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had a large group of people over last weekend...

for a waffle bar!  Now I also had lots of other things, but the only picture I was able to take was this one...

I took a picture BEFORE I started cooking and preparing the breakfast.  My frog was really packed! I have two refrigerators - this is my favorite - and they were both full.

Sad to say, I was so busy in the kitchen I did not get pictures of my friends and family.  It was a fun day and I had great helpers, which made it all possible.

Kylee had a birthday this week...

A large group of family and friends gathered a Oregano's to celebrate Miss Kylee's birthday.  We sat outside and it was absolutely gorgeous weather to do just that.

 Big sister, Myah, is helping her coordinate her birthday cards.  She actually got some very nice gifts.

 And, of course, the birthday girls gets a pazookie - which she is thoroughly enjoying!

Happy Birthday, Kylee!  You are another year older and that much closer to being a teenager.

What's wrong with this picture?

Purse - Yep!

Lunch - Got it!

Book (for lunch break) - in hand!

 Shoes?  Whoops!

I pulled out of the driveway and was half a block away when I realized I still had my slippers on!

They are just so comfortable - I couldn't help it.

Good thing I figured it out before I got to work.

I would have had some explaining to do.

Quinoa is the thing to eat, right?

So, I decided to cook some quinoa and make a vegetable/chicken stir fry this last weekend.

I have done many stir fry dishes over the years, however, this was my first time for cooking - and eating - quinoa.  A picture of the finished dish is above.  I used chopped brussel sprouts, garlic, yellow squash, and chicken.  I previously cooked and chopped the chicken ahead of time (and stuck it in the freezer), so this was a very quick dinner.  I thought I had zucchini squash to add, but sadly I was wrong.

This is the quinoa cooked and ready to go.   We spooned the vegetables over the quinoa, instead of using rice, like I would have normally done.

... and the final dish - a little cheese on top always makes it better.  Surprisingly, my daughter, Kimberly, really liked this dish.  She especially loved the brussel sprouts.  Who would have known?

Okay - I would have to say we are on the home stretch...

The flooring is in - FINALLY!  Here are a few photos of the process of putting the laminate in on Saturday...

 I am pretty excited about this because it has a 20-year guarantee.

The floors are done - I also got new carpet.  Sophie is resting her head on the step into my living room.  There is one area that needs to be tweaked, but all-in-all, it is in.  AND BEAUTIFUL!

 and... my dining room...

I am loving it!

If it weren't for bad luck....

I'd have no luck at all.  Gloom.  Despair, and agony on me.

Isn't that how that song goes?  That's how I felt on Friday.  My tire was low on Thursday night, and I filled it with air.  When I got up Friday morning and headed out the door, I noticed it was completely flat!  I called Allstate and they got someone out there within ten minutes.  They were to put my spare tire on, but since I have never used it, it had lost all of its air.  So...

They had to tow it to Discount Tire.  And sure enough, I had a nail in it and got a whole new tire.  Luckily, I have the warranty so it cost me absolutely nothing.
Now we are focusing on finishing the flooring today.

This is what the cement looks like after the asbestos abatement.  They are really smooth and pretty clean.  

I think Jack wanted to be in the photo.

Or maybe not.  You can see in this picture where the old linoleum tiles were glued down.  Can't wait to get my flooring done!  Wish me luck.

I have some really creative, "crafty" friends...

one of those is Cindy.  She recently made some decorations - french fry boxes - for a baby shower of a family member.  These are so stinkin' cute!

The boxes are a die cut and the "critters" are made from punches.  So very, very creative!  And she has to be pretty patient to put all of these together. 

Well, I did get the results back from the asbestos testing...

and yes, the linoleum tiles and glue both contain asbestos.  Darn!  Right?  Right!  However, there is a bright spot - if you can call it that.
The flooring company realized the mistake of their employee and they are paying for the ENTIRE cleanup (technically known as the "abatement.")  I didn't have to negotiate, scream, or anything... I just calmly talked to them about it.  This company has been so extremely professional and so incredibly supportive.  Once they let me know, they jumped right on it, got a company to call me.  They came out that day and scheduled the "Abatement Day" right on the spot.  So...

LIFE IS GOOD!!!!

Some beautiful sights of Phoenix

Sometimes when I am sitting in my car,, maybe at a stoplight, I see something that catches my eye - thank goodness for cell phones:

This is something I see every Monday thru Friday, just before I hop on the freeway to head home.  The bougainvillias are absolutely beautiful right now!  What a shock of red!

And this caught my eye - not the red light - but the sun coming through the clouds on a cloudy day.  

I thought we were on a roll...

to getting my floors done - thought we would be done in two days... and Monday I'd go to work with that renovation completely done.  But, no so...

Yesterday, they ripped up the old carpet and pad in three rooms.

Here they are on the driveway cutting the new carpet to fit the rooms.

This is a close up of my NEW carpet.  LOVE it!  And it is so very cushiony!

This is part of my house and furniture in total disarray - feels like I am moving again - and I HATE that feeling.  So the carpet is in, but I am waiting to show you new photos until the new baseboards have been put down.

This morning, bright and early, they started tearing up the tile in order to put the laminate down, which has to go directly on cement.

Today, it came to a screeching halt because they suspect there might be asbestos in the glue used to put down the old linoleum square tiles.  So now, in order to keep everyone safe, we have to get it tested tomorrow.  Not what I wanted to hear, but I truly understand.  Asbestos can be some nasty stuff.  So... I would really appreciate positive thoughts, crossing your fingers, some prayers and let's hope that this is not asbestos.

Book Club Tonight!

This month we read "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern.  My choice.  I LOVED it!  It was different, mysterious, magical, evil, love story - all of that wrapped into one book. 

That means it was also my turn to bring treats.  So I decided to make Party Popcorn!  Such a festive idea.

Pop your favorite microwave popcorn and then you melt almond bark and drizzle it over the popped corn.  Before the almond bark sets, sprinkle the popcorn with rainbow non pareils.  And be generous. It is so good - everyone loved it.  You can use chocolate if you prefer.

 Trying to keep with the circus theme, I decided to make a caramel apple pie.

The picture above is the pie before the top goes on. 

I used caramel topping which made it extra juicy. 

The top crust is on and ready to be in the oven.  

My daughter got up this morning, saw the pie on the counter and sent me the following text:  

"Mom, that pie looks perfect."  

Made my day!