Bird Bird Biter

This bird came to me in August 2017, near death from heat exhaustion and dehydration. It was mid-heat wave when one of our maintenance guys at work found her sitting on his truck. He wasn’t sure what to do, Oslo I jumped in and, using a gas-stained towel, nabbed her. She brought in no fight, but happily drank from a bottle cap. I only had a small reptile habitat to keep her until I could borrow a cage. A friend quickly heeded my call and loaned me one in a heartbeat.

Surprised she made it through the night, she recouped pretty quickly afterwards. We learned she had no socialization and was downright mean. Cockatiels are either the sweetest things, or will willingly chew your finger to a bloody pulp. She was incredibly fearful of us and would thrash in her cage until we walked away.

Fast forward a year and 5 months later.  We’ve worked with her to earn our trust. She no longer thrashes, but still doesn’t like her space “invaded” by us. She won’t step into our hands, but She will now eat out of them, and we learned she really loves safflower seeds and parsley.

I had a huge breakthrough yesterday, as I tricked her into thinking my finger was part of her bell (that she really likes to hide under), and I was able to give her scritches for a few seconds. Once she figured out it was my finger, she went for blood. Still...progress. Lots to still do, but she’s coming along.

I’m back....

Well, it appears that it’s been about 2 years since I blogged last. Have I been busy!!!  Busy raising big two incredibly active teenagers. They still keep me busy, but I have found that I have a lot to say lastly. Nothing too strongly opinionated, but just jabber. And sometimes jabber is good. 

So, I find myself at the moment sitting outside my hotel in Arizona. It’s 94 degrees, and I’m sweating. I’ve been spitting water at a thirsty cricket who seems to be enjoying my backwash. The sound of his friends all around me is quite melodic and peaceful. Hence, the sacrifice of sitting out I. The heat. Oh, and it’s 9pm. 

It was an interesting day. Went to work, taught my 30 4th graders fun ways to do multiplication, for them setup with the art Teacher,  then jammed out of there before our fire drill, and headed for the airport. I was able to get an earlier flight, so I didn’t have to sit around for 4 hours. I was also rushing to try to make it to the Diamondbacks game with my Principal, but traffic ruined those plans. 

The flight was not my favorite. See, I have anxiety when it comes to flying. I had an 8-minute meditation I was going to listen to, and replay, and replay again, for the hour and a half flight. But that got boring real quick. I ordered a Bourbon and Ginger, which was so strong, I basically had to take it like a shot. The stewardess felt bad, so she kindly told me to put my credit card away since I didn’t get to “enjoy” my drink. Well, the drink did it’s job. I found myself jamming loudly in my earbuds and rocking and swaying, and tapping my feet for the entire descent. The turbulence was manageable, unlike the last time I flew into Las Vegas and scared half the passengers with my screams and tears. 

J made it safely to the terminal, found my luggage, and called for an Uber for the first time ever. Sheesh, have I been missing out! My driver was Enrico, and Arizona transplant from North Carolina. (Totally picked up on the accent).  He was super cool and I asked lots of questions. He showed me the new football stadium and where to go eat, Promising me it was a safe area to walk alone. 

So I did.  I walked across the way to the hotel where my conference is tomorrow, to get registered. Then I walked around to a local little mall that interestingly had outdoor Zumba on the Esplanade. There were a couple hundred people out in the upper 90° heat dancing away. It look like fun, but I was one a mission to find food. 

 I found a little sushi place that got decent reviews on yelp, so I sat alone at the sushi bar. The place was pretty kitchy, but the sushi was decent. I enjoyed my meal, and when I was all done, I walked outside, and there were all the Zumbaers still going.

While riding up today’s blog, I now find myself strewn across the hotel bed staring out the window at the blackness of the desert. It’s actually quite peaceful being by yourself. I thought I’d be bored, but I have yet to get there.

Yesterday, the kids and I spent a fabulous day with a friend and her son at Point Lobos State Reserve. I always see it while driving past it on the way to Boy Scout Camp, and it's been so many years since I've been, I honestly couldn't remember what it was like. I'm saddened that it's taken me this long to get back there. What a beautiful place to hike! From the array of wildlife we saw (seagulls, cormorants, bunnies, deer, harbor seals, sea otters lizzards) to the beautiful flowers blooming and the variety of mosses and lichens. We hung out on Hidden Beach and hiked through a pine meadow to various ocean coves. I was shocked at how blue to water was, and the kids were excited to see some sea foam (we had just watched a "weird natural events" episode on an abundance of sea foam at one beach). It had rained the night before and into the morning while we were there, but once the clouds passed, it turned out to be the most beautiful day. We then headed over the Carmel City Beach to watch the sunset and the dogs run all over the beach. We finished out the day with dinner at Phil's Fish Market.

Hello muffin pan.....

It's the little things... Like pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese frosting. The little things. Not a full loaf... At least not in this picture. 

It's been 3+ years since I've baked a cupcake. Sure, I got into the sugar cookie craze, but hung up my muffin pan. Until a few days ago. We had a baby shower at work for a coworker, and I was tired of the Costco cake. So I decided to make cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes. With real buttercream frosting. So, so good. Tonight, I whipped up these guys.  Again, for some coworkers. If they stayed home, I might eat them all. But, that's what the loaf and extra frosting are for. 

"He died that day because his body had served its purpose. His soul had done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was free to leave."
—Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

Dog wash...

For a dog who loves water, bath time cracks me up. You would think he'd be in heaven... nice warm water, warm bubbly suds being massaged throughout his coat, towel service. Sheesh, this guy's got it made. But no, you'd think I was threatening a slow painful death.

basketball....

Yesterday was game day, as is every Sunday. Just about every day is about basketball. The boy lives, breathes, eats, sleeps basketball. He's currently playing in 2 leagues and loves every minute of it. His game yesterday was probably his best game yet. He ended the game with 14 rebounds and 11 points. I look forward to seeing his passion for the game continue to grow.

Echosmith "Cool Kids" Parody - "Cool Moms"

I recently stumbled across this video that sums up most of us moms. The insecurities we struggle with and wanting to fit it with all those other "cool moms."  Being a full-time working mom, I definitely don't have the same friendships (or what I thought were friendships) as when I worked part-time and spent more time at my kids' school.  I've had to learn to thicken my skin, and not be so hyper-focused on all the stuff those other "cool moms" do together. I've had to find solace in the family I adore, and the friends who show time and time again that they are real friends. I try not to dwell on the what I don't have, but appreciate the things, and people, that I do.  Aside from the seriousness, this video made me laugh, and is so, so true!  In the end, I am one of the cool moms.

Cookies...

Best find at farmer's market this morning. It couldn't be more fitting, and synonymous with my morning. I purchased one of my favorite cookies from a stand; a coconut macaroon.  After chatting it up for a bit with the lady, she gave me another cookie "just because." I appreciated her kind gesture, and remembered this sign that I had seen earlier. I suppose I had better get those cookies in my hands!

Never Leave the Playground interview with Stephen Jepson

Saw this on Facebook this morning. What an inspiration! I better start planning out my new backyard!

whole30 denial....

Alright people...we know the drill. It's a new year, filled with resolutions (or failed ones), making it the "Year of Me." We've heard this story time and time again. Recently, I've sort of fallen off the wagon. With a recent back injury, I've really fallen off. At a recent trip to the doctor and stepping on the platform of death (the scale), I've realized how far I've fallen off. I follow blogs, Instagram posts, Facebook feeds to see what everyone's cooking. Whole 30, Paleo, Clean Eating, Low carb, blah, blah, blah. I just want to eat, but I don't want to diet. Being that I love to cook, seeing all these photos of the various "trends" in cooking, I get inspired.

So, I threw together this little concoction after seeing several variations. This one in particular came from a Whole30 Recipes site that I follow on Instagram. All it is is 4 brussel sprouts, a 1/4 of a fennel bulb sauteed in this ghee stuff (Clarified butter), which I'm so happy Trader Joe's now carries. In another pan, I fried a couple eggs coconut oil (Trader Joe's Coconut oil spray can). I cut up an avocado and threw that on a plate. It would have been much lower calorie had I not eaten the entire avocado, but it was starting to go bad, and it wouldn't last. The whole plate came out to 657 calories (much higher than I usually like). There ended up being way too much food. I think next time, I'll stick to the 1/2 avocado and only 1 egg, which will cut out about 225 calories. With the 3 pounds of salt I added, it was delicious!

I suppose this is a #whole30 meal, although that whole program is a bit scary (I love my wine and cheese a little too much). Here's to eating healthier, and taking better care of myself!

boy...

These are the moments that I realize that although he'll be a teenager soon, he's still my little boy. He still gives me hugs, still loves his back scratched, still loves his little stuffed animals. The 2 on the right were new ones he got for Christmas. He specifically asked for a new "Fur Ball," "Kitty," and "Birdie."  Birdie didn't quite make the cut, but Grumpy Cat and new Fur Ball did.

The original Fur Ball was from a trip we took 3 summers ago to Seattle...just the kids and me. We purchased them at the Oregon Zoo in Portland. Birdie (on the left) was an Easter gift many years ago. I'm sure you can tell from the condition that's he's been around a while. :)

I use to worry that he'd be teased about them as he got older, but he's a smart kid. He keeps them to himself, along with his favorite "B's" (blankets), and plays it cool outside the house. But once home, he turns back into my baby boy and my heart fills up. 

2014 sugar cookies...

Holiday sugar cookies are almost complete. My relationship with royal icing is definitely a love/hate one, but in the end, I'm usually pleased. People always ask about the icing. I refer them to my favorite blog, Sweet Sugar Belle. There are online tutorials and ideas galore. I also get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and just Googling, "<topic> sugar cookies", in images. The ideas are endless. I hope these inspire you to bake, decorate, and enjoy! Happy Holidays!

love....

Halloween Joe Joe's + Fall camping = Love. 

happy national coffee day...

Happy National Coffee Fay!  So as it fell on Monday, because I needed that extra special treat this morning. I celebrated with my favorite K-cup from Peet's. To make it even more special, I added a scoop of Trader Joe's cookie butter. Yum! To top off the celebration, I enjoyed a pumpkin biscotti that I picked up from Roxanne's Biscotti. If you haven't tried Roxannes biscotti you really must. She makes an anise biscotti, a butterscotch biscotti, a traditional almond biscotti, chocolate chip, and during the holidays she has her pumpkin biscotti. She can be found at the Morgan Hill farmer's market Saturday mornings, as well as hilltop market up in Jackson Oaks.

I hope you all got to celebrate national coffee day with your favorite coffee and a yummy treat

bark box...

Since I'm getting so good at this on-line shopping business and since I started my farm box delivery, I thought I'd treat Charlie. The poor guy is always getting left out of the fun (unless he's cleaning up after the kids, getting into bags of marshmallows, chips, or loaves of bread). I found this company, Bark Box, that sends a box to Charlie once a month with goodies inside.  This month's came with several bags of treats, a frozen pina colada treat, a duck chewy stick, and a super cute plush toy. He enjoyed investigating the box, but honestly, I was way more excited than he was...well, until I opened a treat bag.  I'd say he's a happy pooch. 

day of the dead virtual run...

Saturday was the opening of the Agent Outerwear Day of the Dead Virtual run. My running buddy, along with new recruit, met out on the trail to get our 5K done and celebrated with a Sugar Skull cookie.  :)  This was my first virtual run, and it was great running with friends. I can't wait to get my medal in the mail. I'll post that once it arrives!

baking time....

Love this pumpkin load pan from Williams Sonoma.  I purchased this three or four years ago, but they still carry it.

I can't even begin to express the excitement that I'm feeling because Fall is finally here.  I spent today mainly in the kitchen. Okay, okay...there was a little t.v.-time and possibly even a nap squeezed in, but hey, it's Sunday and my day off. I wanted something quick, so I just used Trader Joe's Pumpkin Loaf mix. I did add a little extra vanilla extract, but I don't think it needed it. Sometimes I like to add extra stuff to cut that "box" taste, but this mix is yummy all on its own. I'm looking forward to baking more and spending more time in the kitchen, in between work, Scouts, workouts, swim practice, dance, and being my kids' personal chauffeur.  Who says we moms can't do it all. 

I didn't even get a chance to add a glaze or even a sprinkling of powdered sugar before the family dug in.

Dia de los muertos...

The basket that was donated. I'm not even sure who went home with them that night, but I hope they enjoyed them.

For the kids' Family Fun Night, I donated some sugar cookies for the Cake Walk. I threw together these Day of the Dead cookies, because I am obsessed with Sugar Skulls.  I definitely need to add some to my Halloween decor this year! I underestimated the time involved. I'm not sure why because creating any sugar cookie takes me hours, so I gave myself two days to complete these.  Each cookie took me about 30 minutes to decorate, but they were so worth it. I love the detail on each one. I learned my mistakes, and I'm excited to try these again with improvements!

The best part was getting to be creative and just throw on dots and swirls, along with choosing color combinations.

I liked the white on white, along with some of the swirls.

As they dried. I threw them in a container because I didn't want anything airborne to land on them (dust, grubby little kid fingers (haha), etc.)

national drink beer day...

Happy National Drink Beer Day!  Among the many other national days it was today, I chose this one to celebrate. Lucky for me, it's Sunday!  I don't watch football, although I did force myself to watch a little of the Niners game....until I fell asleep.  So, instead I went through the fridge and found a container of shishito peppers.  I got these in my Farm Box, which I am in LOVE with, by the way. However, I'm not great with different foods. I do what I do best...turn to the Internet. I found a super simple, tasty recipe for these little guys, so I gave it a whirl.  4 simple ingredients: shishito peppers, olive oil, lemon, and sea salt.  I found a great new little sea salt at Trader Joe's called Cypriot Pyramid Salt. It's chunky sea salt flakes. 

I heated up a pan on medium heat, drizzled in olive oil, tossed in the peppers. Tossed them around every few minutes for about 15 minutes until they started to brown and blister. I threw them in a bowl, squeezed half a lemon right over the top, and sprinkled on the sea salt.  

Served it up with a beer. They are a nice mild pepper and the salt and lemon add a nice flavor. The beer was pretty fantastic, too!