Saturday, June 26, 2010

Anniversary Celebration

Today, Jeff and I celebrate 11 years together! Since we are getting married in October, we decided to keep it simple.  We went to Central Market to get hors d'oeuvres and dinner.  Now, we always tend to over do it when we go to Central Market. It is such a happy place with tons of fresh baked goods, wine, and produce!

To start things off, we had baked raspberry chipotle Brie, summer sausage with the various cheeses we picked up at Relleno Bros. and crackers, hummus and pita bread, tabbouleh, and falafel!  We also cracked open our Relleno Bros Dolcetto del Cielo to sip along with our fantastic spread! 





After we stuffed ourselves with our hors d'oeuvres we had baked ziti with sausage and peppers....




and asiago garlic bread, yum! 




Then to top things off for dessert we had creme brulee and key lime tartlets.  I gobbled that down and obviously did not get a picture.  While we were indulging ourselves in a Central Market food fest, we watched Shutter Island. It was good and Leonardo DiCaprio is awesome! 

Cheers! 

Monday, June 21, 2010

Third Time Is A Charm

Ha! I finally finished knitting the socks I have been working on forever! I lost the second pair I knitted. I still have the first horrible pair that I knitted. Now isn't it ironic that I would loose the cute little second pair and still have the jacked up first pair? Well, whatever, the first pair still served their purpose but the third pair turned out great and I love them! Too bad it is a blazing 100 degrees and I cannot enjoy them to their fullest! But, I guess I could crank the a/c down to 60 and sit in front of the fan for a while just to indulge. Or, I could just wait until Jeff and I are in Victoria in October.



It would be nice to curl up next to the fireplace in our honeymoon suite in my very own hand knitted socks while on my honeymoon! I am going to knit some stuff (Jeff if you are reading stop now!) for Jeff for his wedding present. He says he does not read this blog and I believe it. I don't even think he really even knows what the blog is called so I think I am in the clear. He is not really into blogging. He is more into growing fungus, bacteria, viruses, and science experiments.


So, for now, I am going to sit in my nice warm socks, in the 100 degree weather, relax, and watch some T.V!





Cheers!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Fathers Day!



I have spent the day trying to get back in the groove of reality. It is so darn hot here, so that has been hard to adjust to. I wish I were sitting on the deck sipping sangria! But no, I am sitting in my house with all the fans in the house on and the air conditioner going at full throttle. So, to help refresh myself and for a nice little pick me up, I made Sassy Water!

My sister, unfortunately, left her recipe behind after she visited. Well, unfortunate for her but lucky for me! It is super simple to make and is from the Flat Belly Diet.


Sassy Water:




2 liters water (8 1/2 c)
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
12 mint leaves


Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Chill in fridge and let flavors blend overnight.


Drink one entire recipe of refreshing Sassy Water every day!


I also made up a bit of Sangria
too! Tis the season!


So, after I had my Sangria in hand, I made cookies for my Daddy for Father's Day. It is awfully hard to get my Dad stuff because he has everything he needs and when he does actually need something, he just goes and gets it. So, I figured Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies would do the trick!




This was almost as easy to make as the Sassy Water. I just took a Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie mix, chopped up some walnuts, and added dried cranberries! My very own Semi-Homemade.


Cheers!



Friday, June 18, 2010

The End Of A Vacation Nears



Why must vacations always come to an end? This vacation has been so nice and very relaxing and this house...fantastic! It is nice not to have to take a vacation from your vacation, you know? I feel rested and ready, but reluctant, to return to the real world. My parents are always so sweet to take Jeff and I with them when they really do not have to. So, a very special thanks to my parents!


We had fun this morning watching the deer. We mainly had bucks that would come to the house but there was the sweetest doe that would come up to the house after all the bucks left. She liked to sit right at the bottom of the deck and would even hang out under the house with another doe.







Jeff fed her deer feed and bananas, even apples, and my dad tossed them all a head of lettuce! It was hilarious to watch them eat the lettuce!


When I was sitting on the deck this morning, the cutest little bird sat on the ledge and ate some of the birdseed I put out. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of him. I love his little legs!





The yarn I spun yesterday turned out great! I had such a great time spinning here because I was able to focus only on that. When I am home there are so many things that need to be done so it is hard for me to sit and spin for hours. But, on this vacation, I was able to spin for hours, and hours, and hours! It was great!






Later today Jeff and I went shopping, again! Well, actually, I wanted to go shopping and Jeff indulged me but I know he had fun too.



I found the greatest Big Buddha bag on Monday at Michelle's and did not get it. I went back again today and it was still there and still half price so it was meant to be! I have had my eye on this bag for a while. I got a Big Buddha bag not that long ago and saw this one on the website. So, finding it in Ruidoso, it was definitely meant to be.




Jeff says I have too many purses and shoes. But, what the heck does he know anyway?



Then, we stopped in to the cutest little dog store called No Bones About It. We have to board our dogs when we go on vacation so it is a must to get them a little treat to bring back to them!



The Cosmo and Pizza bones are my favorite!


Then we went back to the Relleno Bros and picked up some cheese and more pistachios. The Green Chile and Garlic pistachios are out of this world.





Their cheese is fantastic too. Call them up and place and order, I love this place! Jeff and I recommend the Green Chile Garlic and Chimayo Red Jack cheese. Hm, great for another fondue night!




After shopping we needed a drink! We went to Lucy's Mexicali Restaurant and Cantina for drinks and chips and salsa.




This place was very festive so stop in when you are visiting Ruidoso!




Ruidoso is a great mountain town, laid back, and peaceful. It is a shame that we must leave! I have really enjoyed myself. Hopefully Jeff and I can come back in the winter and ski!


Cheers!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Lazy Thursday

You know, vacations are all about being lazy, so that is exactly what Jeff and I did today. We had this fantastic house all to ourselves because my parents went out with a realtor to look at houses in this area. They want to retire in New Mexico so they wanted to get an idea of what the houses are like here in Ruidoso and the kind of life they will be able to live. I hear this is a great area to ski in and I have never been skiing so I would like to come back and do that sometime. The mountains are magnificent and there are some of the tallest trees I have ever seen here in Ruidoso! All of the animals that come up to the house are just incredible...deer, turkeys, humming birds, bobcats, and even bears!


So, anywhoo, what else is there to do on a lazy day with a fantastic house in the mountain forest? Spin some yarn and watch the World Cup!




I did not have my knitty noddy with me so I made one out of 2 chairs. This is about a yard's length so I went for it and it worked great. So, if you are ever on vacation with out a knitty noddy, 2 chairs is the way to do it, worked like a charm.




Then I found a litter box (it was clean, sometimes you just gotta make due with what you have) to make my yarn bath with, worked like a charm too!




Currently, my yarn is out hanging to dry. I really need to move to the mountains. Handspun yarn dries so much faster here, no humidity, I love it!



Do you like the grocery sacks I have hanging there? Mountain rocks are in them for weight. Again, worked like a charm!


Lazy Thursday got a little less lazy when we went to the Magic Forest for dinner. This is a really cool place and they have great pizza. My mom and I split the veggie pizza, it had broccoli on it, never had that on my pizza before but it was good!



Jeff had the Chicken Alfredo (he actually let me take a picture of it! Probably because my mom was there and she is an avid supporter of blogging) and….








My dad had the “Asian Hunan Somethin’ Or Other” (which he referred to it as). He did not like the red peppers so he gave them to Jeff to eat.




Then, we came back and chilled out on the deck, my most favorite part of this trip.





Cheers!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

They Let Us Loose!

So, today, my parents let me and Jeff loose on the town! Fortunatley, there is not much trouble to get into in this town. We did a bit of shopping on Sudderth, had lunch and drinks at the Dream Catcher CafĂ©, and went to Mario’s Market (give the video time to load) to pick up some things for dinner tonight. We have frequented Mario's. This is a great little market and Mario is so nice and helpful. Help Support Mario when you go to Ruidoso!



We came back to the house, I did a bit of spinning, and then started working on dinner.










We had chicken fajitas because I wanted to keep things festive!




Cheers!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Tuesday In Tularosa

This morning, I got up, made myself a little “great start” breakfast, and sat out on the deck. I think sitting on the deck has been my favorite part so far on this vacation. The weather is beautiful and you can’t beat this view!!




Jeff and I found a gas station and “cocktail lounge” called Club Gas, never heard of such a thing. But, you can also get vodka shots at the gas station and this is still all too new to me. In Texas, can’t buy liquor on Sunday or after 9pm on every other day.




They also have really neat flowers here called Red Hot Pokers. I want to go to the local nursery to pick up some to plant at home.




Later this afternoon we drove to Tularosa and went to the Tularosa Vineyards for a little wine tasting. Jeff and I picked up a bottle of Sangiovese.





They have a winery mascot. He was the biggest yet sweetest dog I have ever met. Apparently he is 6 years old and has grown up on the winery.




On Monday we also went to the Relleno Bros Winery for a tasting and Jeff and I picked up Dolcetto del Cielo. So, I guess you could say we are having really good luck with finding wineries. The unfortunate truth is that there are absolutely no knitting or fiber stores in this area of New Mexico! I am very disappointed. So, I took my disappointment and spun with it…..with a little roving I brought up here. Good darn thing I did!


Okay, back to the Tularosa trip…I am getting a little out of order here. After the wine tasting we went to the Three Rivers Petroglyph site. My dad kept calling them, Pyroglyphs, ha!



It was about a one mile hike up a rocky cliff and the view was amazing on the way up.




We saw some really interesting petroglyphs.













After our afternoon hike, we stopped in at the Three Rivers Trading Post. Jeff and I talked with a nice Native American who told us about his Grandpa Four Bears and the traditions of his tribe, which goes back to the leather birds.


After our little mini day trip, we all headed back to the house and I cooked red trout, asparagus, and roasted sweet potatoes. We also had a little of that wine we got from the winery!





Cheers!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Waking Up In Ruidoso

Wow, there were 5 deer outside my window when I woke up this morning. By the time I got up, put my glasses on, and grabbed my camera, there was only one left.




Tonight I am sleeping with my camera on the nightstand so I can get a better picture tomorrow. Now I am sitting on the deck, sipping on coffee, reading my Spin Off mag and enjoying the weather.





I also had a few humming birds come visit. One hummed right by my head for about 15 seconds!








Cheers!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Road To Ruidoso


Ruidoso is a bit shorter of a drive than our usual New Mexico destination, Santa Fe. But, I had to have all the same exact traveling stuff I normally would for a road trip…my Ipod and some good knitting! I worked on a pair of socks I have been knitting on and off for the past year. Time to finish this project up! Like I have always said, I have crafting ADD.










We stopped for lunch in Roswell at Tinnie’s. This place is great, reminded me of my old Coffee Haus days. I had the Santa Fe veggie sandwich with pasta salad. We are going to go back to Roswell for a mini day trip, I have got to see all the alien museums!




We finally pulled into Ruidoso around 3pm. This really is a cool little mountain town. There is a very long street called Sudderth on which you could shop for days! I can’t wait for that! I hope I can find a nice little fiber shop. The weather is really nice here. It is mildly warm with a nice breeze and it gets chilly at night. When we arrived there were deer waiting to greet us! Apparently they like to hang around because people feed them. I can’t believe how close they get and are very amazing to watch. When you throw the feed out they come over and eat it.



We chilled out for a bit at this fantastic house we are staying in. My mom’s friend owns it and she was gracious enough to let us stay here for the week. Her house has fantastic views of the Sierra Blanca mountain. The wind blowing through the trees is so peaceful and calming. So much of what I need after a stressful few weeks. I am going to get some great spinning time in here!





Later we went to Farley’s for dinner. This is a pretty popular hangout and the food is good. I had a Chile stew. Then after dinner we came back to the house and chilled out some more.

Cheers!



Going to New Mexico

It is the wee hours of the morning and we will have to wake up at the crack of dawn. My dad likes to get a freakishly early start. If I go to bed in the next 15 minutes, I will get a good solid 4 hours of sleep!

After many hours of cleaning, packing, taking the girls to the Vet's office for their vacation, and some yard work, I am beat. But, I do have to say, when I got home from work I had the most lovely surprise! Roving! A very sweet and thoughtful friend picked some up for me in Taos. It was such a fantastic surprise after a long week! Thank you!! I can't wait to start spinning. You know, I love roving, but I especially love roving from New Mexico. I think it carries the spirits with it.






So, what would any roving hoarder and spinner do? Pack it all up and take it to New Mexico!





My dad is going to have a coronary when he sees all of this.


I also thought my Mama and I would need a little pampering so I made a lavender sugar scrub to take along.





New Mexico, here I come!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Veggie Night


So, my sister, BIL, and niece have been in town for the past several days. We have just been kickin' it. It is always so nice to have them come visit! I wish there really were floo powder that way I could just poof to her house and she could poof to mine when we felt like it! Well, anyhoo, my sis made dinner tonight. It was a Vegan night! She made veggie hummus wraps with a side of stuffed grape leaves and fruit. I felt like I had my very own Spiral Diner in my kitchen! My sister and BIL are really amazing when it comes to cooking. They have recipes in their heads and never break out with a cook book like I do. They can just whip up something special with a blink of an eye. Yum.



Cheers to food!
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