Our Saturday Jaunts

We use to do things as a family every Saturday afternoon. First stop was the bakery in Steveston Village. We would each get a donut and a pop and ruin our appetite for the rest of the day. Next, we would go down to another bakery in Vancouver and get baklava for each of us. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water! All that ooey, gooey goodness with nuts throughout. Oh, yum! (Maybe that's why I gained weight!) Sadly, both bakeries closed. That's what happens when you live in a city more than a few years. You see stores come and go and it's surprising. Not having lived anywhere more than a few years at one go I was shocked when this happened. But now I've seen change in the metropolitan area of Vancouver that I know it's just part of life. After all, things must change in 34 years! Including said family. This is what we looked like back in the donut and baklava days.

Circa 1992 in the summer in Walla Walla - the days of pigtails, dark hair and puffed sleeves.

Now, B and I go by ourselves as the kids are all grown and do their own thing on Saturdays. We still go in to Vancouver but bypass the bakery for a healthier option. Often we stop at Choices where there are, well, choices. Healthy choices. Last time we were there we picked up jalapenos to make poppers. Now, that's something I could eat a lot of!

 Just for your information this is how we start:

This is how we end:

Circa 1990

A Visit From South Korea

When some brethren from South Korea came to visit last year we were privileged to go out to dinner with them. We were persuaded to order this after much cajoling from our host and Mr. Shin. One whole lobster, complete with "nut crackers" and pics. Bruce and I shared this meal, for your information. And it was delish!

Mr. Shin and his wife also got the lobster.

Hannah and Mr. J were a little more conservative with steak and fish.  

Rob, Peter and Walter flabbergasted by their meals. 

Kasia, Wayne and Jan digging in.

Some of us got dessert. Certainly not me!

I can't remember, but I think we rolled out of the restaurant.

Tea at Susan's

A Little Progress

We had Korean Beef for dinner tonight. At least, it's my variation of it. I dumped a splash of soy sauce in a non-stick pan and added about 1/2 cup of brown sugar on top. Then I mixed it around til the brown sugar was dissolved. Added sliced up inside blade steak (?), placed it on a burner and while it was cooking away I made some oven roasted veggies - broccoli, onions, carrots and green pepper. I was too lazy to put rice in the rice cooker so I popped a couple of potatoes in the microwave and nuked them. Add to the whole thing -potato fixings, a side salad and sliced avocadoes and I was done. I would serve it to company.

I finished another "One Day Beret"! This is in "Amazing" yarn in the Glacier colorway. I think this is the best yarn that Micheal's sells. At first I refused to buy it because it was/is so expensive but finally, I clued in to their 50% off coupons. Makes it reasonable. Where else can you get a beret for $4.99?

Laura's fingerless mitts are coming along nicely. Things come along nicely when you stay home all day when you're sick and can't really do much of anything besides knit or read.

Hopefully, I'll have them done tonight!

Finally, some progress on the sweater-scarf. Heidi's scarf is kinda so-so for me. I've enjoyed thinking up new stitches to add to the mix but the yarn is not fun to work with. I guess I'm using a needle that is too small for the thickness of the yarn. But I usually err on the side of small when it comes to needles because I like how firm it makes things. But it sure cramps the fingers!

Don't You love the Crock Pot?

S'more Cups

It's All Day Meeting tomorrow and I'm probably not going to be there. I have a wicked cold and just don't feel good. Not to mention that I hate sniffling at the meeting room. But since I usually bring food and Bruce and the girls will be there I will be sending my usual barbecue chicken (cooked at 350 degrees for 2 hours) and some kind of salad (feta coleslaw probably). I found a new dessert on-line that looked pretty good so I'm having Heidi help me with it. It sure looks good...and easy.  (Photo courtesy of texas cottage blog -
texascottage.blogspot.com)

Helpers

Just thought you might like to see what happens when you have helpers in the kitchen for Thanksgiving dinner.

There's even a little coleslaw under the red peppers. This might be a new favorite since it's not sweet and is made with feta cheese. Certainly not a traditional Thanksgiving dish.

Family and friends

The best part of Thanksgiving. 

(Having good food helps).

The end. 

No pies to show even though we had lots.

At the Driving Range and Ubiquitous Knitting

Sometimes after work Bruce and I go to the driving range.

No, I don't hit golf balls. But I usually grab a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. (I know, I really shouldn't. Starting tomorrow.)

So there I sit.
I can wait. I can wait for anybody. And I can wait for a long time.
But only if I have my knitting with me.

Now, to find someone to fit this...

Coffee Slide Show for Chuggy

Let's have coffee.

Memory Lane

Remember Cessy's in downtown San Leandro? They had the most delicious (and most expensive) sandwiches. What a treat to take a lunch break and splurge...on a sandwich? Yep, they were worth it. Because I'm remembering 30 years ago my recollections may not be accurate. But I do try to replicate one of their sandwiches in my own kitchen. It's a variation on my personal all time favorite-tomato with mayonaise, salt and pepper. Cessy's had all kinds of add on's to their vegetarian. I remember them slicing the beautifully ripe (only in California!) avocado right on a slice of whole wheat bread. They would add cheese, maybe, and then top the whole thing with a wig of alfalfa sprouts.

Fresh spinach does it for me. Now I feel healthy.

Horses, beads, food and knitting

My life these days revolves around knitting, food, beads and horses. Or so it seems from all the pictures on the camera. It probably is a pretty accurate "picture" of my life. But my kids play a huge part in what's going on too. It's just that they don't want me to blog about them ... too much. So I don't and then you get horses, beads, food and knitting.

This is the food part.
Our favorite Mexican restuarant.

This is the horses and knitting part.

And these are part of the beads. (Red Jasper Round Faceted 8mm)

A Scarf and Some Beans

We were in W2 a week or so ago. While traveling I was able to work on my Irish Hiking Scarf and actually finished it while there. It sort of matches the coronet hat . The yarn is the same anyway. You wouldn't be able to tell that the difference between the patterns unless you really looked carefully. So don't.

The reason I was able to make so much progress on the scarf is because Tami and I were able to knit all Saturday afternoon. She wasn't planning on making dinner (we went to Homestead) but in between making pastries and muffins she got a few rows in too. She's more adventurous than I am because her latest project is an intricate sweater pattern that involves lots of color change. My mind can't get around that just yet. I need huge blocks of time just to figure out where I am in that kind of pattern. And she's raising four boys.

The oldest made breakfast for us on Lord's Day and helped his mom make the beans for supper that night. "More garlic, Mom?"

No double dipping, E.

mexican dinner slideshow

We looked thrilled to be here, don't we? We really are. You see, it's just that in Canada a Mexican meal costs an arm and a leg. It tastes good but the price is a way too high. I think the mind-set is that of an upscale restuarant or that of an "experience" and thus you're charged accordingly. We're in a store on Granville Street in Vancouver and this is as authentic as it gets here in the NorthWest. This is better than we experienced in Kelona where they charged for chips and salsa, gave you white linen napkins and had candles on the table. Actually, we can't get enough of Mexican food and can't wait to get to CA again for a real treat.