Farmers Market

Thursday nights there's a Farmers Market in town and last week we checked it out for the first time. Michael and I were late however, and most of the vendors were packing up by the time we got there, but we did manage to purchase some sweet and juicy oranges (the best I've had all year), broccoli, and some sugar snap peas. Tonight we'll be there earlier and we hope to bring home some beautiful organic produce.

We've been cooking dinner together most evenings and trying to eat healthy. A weekly trip to the Farmers Market this summer will be fun and help us continue to eat right. I just love all the summer fruits and vegetables. I need to get the Weber out of the garage and do some grilling. My sister grilled some pineapple for us on Monday and it was SO good. The barbeque just makes everything taste better, doesn't it?

Memorial Day 2007

It's a long-awaited three-day weekend.

The unofficial beginning of summer.

A time to get away, or start up the barbeque and spend time with friends and family.

It's also a time to remember and reflect.

You can let our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan know you remember them and wish them well by visiting Let's Say Thanks.

Lost Fans?

Okay, I'm a big LOST fan. When the critics were complaining earlier in the season about the show, I couldn't really understand their complaints. I enjoy the mystery of the plot and gleaning a little more new information each episode. It keeps me wanting to know more. In some ways, LOST reminds me of the X-Files, of which I was a huge fan. I'm still hoping for another X-Files movie!

I digress...

I stayed up way past my bedtime last night to watch the season finale. I usually wait and watch the episode on TiVo at my convenience, but I just had to watch it live last night. Knowing that Charlie was already doomed was awful, and it took me the entire episode to figure out that Jack's flashbacks were more likely flashforwards. I kept thinking, "When did he have a beard before?" Duh!

So, I've been combing some message boards out there looking for plausible ways next season might continue. It's hard to wait until next January or February to have the questions resolved. In the meantime, it will haunt me and keep me guessing.

If you're a LOST fan what are your thoughts on these questions the finale left us with? I've put my ideas in blue. But what do I know, really?

Who's in the casket? John Locke

Who (or what) is Jacob? An ancient god or spirit.

Is Ben good or evil? He gives me the willies, so I think he's bad to the bone.

Is Charlie really dead? Probably.

Who is on the boat? I really don't know...

Locke is (your description): Complex. He wouldn't kill his own father (who was a real b@stard), but he killed Naomi? I don't get it!

Is the Jack "flashback" really in the future? I think so.

How come the "monster" only seemed to kill people in the first few episodes. I mean, now they got them going on camping trips?? Come on! Yeah, I don't know what's up with the monster either.

What is up with the 4 toed statue? Huh? I guess I missed that one.

Where did Michael and his son go? I think they took the last submarine back to civilization, but they must have had to assume new identities. Otherwise, they would have a lot of explaining to do about the other survivors and their whereabouts.

How will the series end? I think Jack's flashforwards might give us a clue as to that.

Notice how many questions I really couldn't answer with any certainty? In real life, I hate uncertainty - for instance how long until my referral from the CCAA - I hate not knowing that! But I love all the uncertainties that LOST creates in my mind. I enjoy the journey of having the story slowly unfold without any help from me. I don't even care what happens - I just want to know when it does.

Now, LOST fans, tell me what you think!

Meme for May

This one's for RedMaryJanes.

FOODOLOGY

What is your salad dressing of choice? Balsamic Vinegrette

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Carl’s Jr. I love a Famous Star hamburger and fries there!
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Kabuki

On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 20%

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Sushi
What is your favorite type of gum? I really don’t like gum at all, so I don’t have a favorite.

TECHNOLOGY

What is your wallpaper on your computer? A picture of a bouquet of roses from my garden last summer.

How many televisions are in your house? Two
How do you listen to music? With my ears! ;-)

BIOLOGY

What’s your best feature? My elbows… ;-)
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? I just had a precancerous growth removed from the back of my arm. It looks worse now than it did before…
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Huh?
When was the last time you had a cavity? I’ve never had a filling. I see the dentist three times a year and they’ve yet to find a cavity. Am I missing out on something?
What is the heaviest item you lifted last? The vacuum cleaner and/or a bucket of water – I’m cleaning the patio room. Well, except for now. I need to get back out there.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No.



BULL____OLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No, thanks.
Is love for real? Yes. :-)
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Gertrude. I think that's real purty. ;-)
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? I don’t think so.
Have you ever saved someone’s life? Nope.
Has someone ever saved yours? Not that I’m aware of.

DAREOLOGY

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? I don’t do stupid things for money.
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? See above.
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? See above.
Would you never blog again for $50,000? Now, this one’s a possibility. I could do a lot with $50k. So long as I could keep reading blogs and commenting, I think I’d shut mine down for $50k.
Would you pose nude in a magazine for $250,000? I think I already mentioned that I don’t do stupid things for money.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000? See above.
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? This, too, is a possibility. So long as I could TiVo my favorites and catch up on them at the end of the year, yeah I think I could give it up for $25k.

DUMBOLOGY

What is in your left pocket? Lint.
Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie? I don’t know that I’d say it’s good, but it is funny.
Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house? Hardwood floors.
Do you sit or stand in the shower? That’s very personal information! Really!
Could you live with roommates? No, been there, done that.
How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? Probably seven pairs.
Last time you had a run-in with the cops? Never.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A wife and mother.
Last friend you talked to? Teresa
Last person you called? Michael

RANDOMOLOGY

First place you went this morning? I went to let the dogs out of the patio room before the crack of dawn.
What can you not wait to do? Finish this meme!!!
What’s the last movie you saw? Catch & Release was the last movie I saw in the theater, and boy was it a dumb one. Don’t bother renting it!

May Gray

Such is spring in Southern California. The sun doesn't shine until about 2 pm most days. It's awful. It's kind of chilly, too. I hate it. I really do. In a couple of weeks it will give way to June Gloom.

Nice...

Anyway, it really makes me feel sluggish and unmotivated. It feels like it's early morning all day.

This weekend I need to feel energized and motivated. I want to clean the patio room and prepare it for a new paint job. Michael helped me empty the room of most of its contents last night, so it will be easier to vacuum and mop the floors. The dogs have really been naughty out there lately. They have bad manners sometimes. Grr...

And my roses need to be deadheaded. They have put on quite a show in the last month. I'll try to get some pictures when the sun comes out and share their loveliness with you in another post.

Lastly, today is my sister's birthday. Happy birthday, Julie!

Have a good weekend everybody!

Shabu Shabu

Last night my sweetie and I tried Shabu Shabu for dinner at a new restaurant not too far from here. Shabu Shabu is prepared in a pot on a burner in front of the diner - by the diner! I ordered fish and vegetables. After the contents of the pot are boiled to perfection, you remove them and eat them with dipping sauces and white rice. It seemed like a very healthy way to prepare food and I thought it was delicious, too.

After reading Wendy's blog today, I realized that Shabu Shabu is very similar to the Chinese Hot Pot. I'm going to have to try that sometime, too. I am fortunate to live close to a very large Asian community in which there are many Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and Indian markets and restuarants. It makes for some good eating!

Happy Mother's Day

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine -
she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Adabella Radici

Double Digits

While I was out of town, my ten month LID anniversary passed. I have searched and searched for a picture of ten ladybugs to represent this momentous occasion, but have not been successful. It really feels more like this many months anyway, doesn't it?


I had a great time in Las Vegas. Stayed at the Hilton for the first time, and I've decided that it isn't my favorite place to stay. For such a big hotel, there's not a lot to do there. But we did manage to go see the new Wynn, which is absolutely beautiful! We also had a dinner at Paris (my personal favorite), a late afternoon snack and beverage on Cinco de Mayo over at the Border Grill in the Mandalay Bay hotel, and breakfast with friends at The Palms. It was insanely busy and crowded on The Strip as there was a huge fight in town and it was Cinco de Mayo weekend. I had hoped to spend a little time out by the pool reading my new book, but the weather wasn't great for that. It was really windy, and on Saturday it was quite chilly. I didn't win a thing, either! Dang it! ;-)

The highlight of the weekend for me was seeing my sweetie (yes, I have a sweetie), Michael, play with the P@ul Ank@ band in the Hilton showroom. Here's a picture of him onstage:


The show was a lot of fun. Those ladies in the audience really went wild for Paul! What a hoot!

And here we are, all gussied up before going out for the show and dinner:


Anyway, it was really good to get out of town and have some fun together. Now it's back to the daily grind for another six weeks until school gets out. Yahoo!

On My Way...

Have a great weekend everybody!

May Referrals

America World is pleased to announce that we received 25 healthy female referrals today! Families receiving referrals were logged into the China Center of Adoption Affairs on October 27 and 31 of 2005 (group 235-236). The little girls are currently located in the Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Hubei provinces and range in age from 7 to 15 months. Please join us in congratulating these families, and in praying for them as they prepare to travel.

I can hardly wait to see those referral pictures! Congratulations to all the new families!

A Visit With Miss Abbey

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting Abbey for the first time. What a charmer she is! We started our visit off with her opening the birthday present I brought for her. She's only two, but she's a pro at the whole gift opening routine.



After that, I put the camera away and just soaked in all her two year-old goodness. Abbey is very smart and busy. We played with her toys and read some books, and I visited just a little bit with her momma - Christi. ;-) It was a perfect afternoon.

Thank you for your hospitality, Christi. I hope we can get together again soon.

Secret Pal Does It Again!

This month's theme was picture frames, and my secret pal did not disappoint. I especially like the sweet, pink frame - can't wait to see a baby picture in that one! The little bunny and the giraffe photo clip are super cute, too.

Thanks so much, Secret Pal!