I can't stop posting!

 

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? Very well, Thank you.

I'd like to introduce you to, Onion stalks and Peas. Peas are very sweet and well mannered. Onion stalks still have a bit of growing up to do.

And this is String Beans. String Beans are growing fast and taste delicious with some butter and garlic. But then, what doesn't?

Here is Lavender, Chives, Basil and Cilantro. Chives is a little behind the rest, but is growing fast. Cilantro is growing too fast. It's already gone to seed! It's so tasty though.

Behind Lavender you can see Mint.

And over here you can see Carrots, and Strawberries. Strawberries grew up too fast, and all the ants ate away her delicious fruit.

You can't see them in these photos but Pumpkin is growing SO FAST! Lauren is against it, but I'm going to milk feed one of my pumpkins this year. Isn't that a funny idea? I read about it in Little House on the Prairie. I'm going to do it and that Pumpkin is going to be huge! You also can't see Spinach, Jalapeno, Butternut and Lettuce.

I love Summer and I love gardening and I love eating the fresh veggies and herbs. Yum.

No food? No Problem.

Since I've been hired to work for Marvellous Catering, I have not been grocery shopping. I was hired in April. That's nearly 2 1/2 months of no food shopping. I get fed so well there and I get so many leftovers (plus I practically live there) that I really don't ever need to buy food -which is great for me, and my bank account.
But it happens sometimes that I didn't work all day. So I'm not fed a huge meal. So I'm at home with no food -and hungry.
The last week or so I've been in this position a few times and I've had to improvise. I'm happy to say that I've done quite well. Not on my own, of course, it helps when people move out and leave leftovers.Though I would much rather they all hadn't left for Africa and Canada.

 

Yesterday's lunch: Quinoa spiced with ground ginger, garlic salt, fresh cilantro from my garden, soy sauce, and a drop of sesame oil ( sorry Lauren :) ). 

Salad made from Lettuce from my garden and a bit of Romaine that had frostbite, some frozen raspberries from work, some craisins, some leftover steak from work, topped with a homemade dressing : Olive Oil, Garlic Rice Wine Vinegar, Salt and Pepper. 

Cucumber Balls from work and Kiwi slices from work. I don't know how filling it was for Matt. But I really liked it. He loved the Quinoa.

Lunch for me today: Penne with a handful of freezer burnt broccoli, cucumber balls, an infinitesimal amount of steak, a bit of feta (that's been in the fridge forever) and the same dressing as yesterday but with oregano. Kind of like a Greek Pasta Salad thing. Whatever it was, it was delicious.

What to make for dinner now?

There's a lot of Posting going on around here

 

This is what Matt has been driving around for the last week while his car has been in the shop. Remember?

A few days ago the three of us (Lauren, Matt and myself) decided we wanted to get out of the house. We hiked around Bridal Veil Falls. 

 

He always makes this face when I kiss him. Secretly, he likes it.

 

Catholic Priests in their natural habitat. We saw the pair of them climbing up the falls as if there was nothing a bit strange for two Fathers to be hiking up a waterfall.

 

 Hello down there Lauren!

 

Look, a Rainbow!

I spy Lana and Lauren. Can you?

(Don't tell Matt, I just scratched my hives again.)

Halfway There!

Today I added another chunk to my tuition fund. And after only one month of saving I have managed somehow to put away half of the money I need for Fall Tuition -which has increased by $100, again.

Two more months like this and I'll be set for tuition and extras!

What will I spend it on? Books? Rent? Housing? Clothes? Something maybe bigger that will only (hopefully) happen once in my life? ;) 

The best parts of Summer

sitting in my cool basement apartment reading a book -for hours.

the second (other) best part of summer?

being in love. 

wimpy

This past winter of extreme cold made me soft. Since when in my life has 90 degrees been unbearable? Never! But today, I can't take it. Today it's too hot.

I scorched my feet on the pavement watering my poor plants -withering in the direct sun (poor lettuce and basil).

I'll read a book about extreme cold for the rest of the hot afternoon and water my plants again later to save them.

Thank goodness I thought to close the windows this morning or my nice, cool, little hobbit hole basement would be a boiling cave.

Provo Sourdough

I'm up at 3a. Why? Baking bread. I somehow miscalculated when I started my tempermental loaf of sourdough yesterday. So now, I'm sitting half asleep waiting for my bread to finish up so I can go back to sleep. The things I do for baked goods!

Last Tuesday's Special

                                                                                  

By the way... On our way to Salt Lake last Tuesday, stopped innocently at a stoplight, a woman in a huge Trailblazer backed into the passenger side door -where I was sitting. It's been a big to do. We were hit outside the police station but it took them 30 minutes to come outside to help us... The whole situation seems to be taking the same sort of feel. Nothing has happened so far with the claim and the perpetrator wont answer the insurance calls, so we're stuck, until at least Friday, sharing Monty.

 Something great happened Tuesday morning, however. I made this skirt. I took an old dress that was really too short to be allowed and I transformed it into a great high-waisted skirt that I LOVE! I was wearing this dress the first time Matt talked to me. <3

Popsicles

Happy Official First Day of Summer!

The solstices and equinoxes are my favorite times of the year. I love the change to a new season. I love each of them for a different reason. I love the summer solstice because I am warm from head to toe and I can live off of popsicles until September!

Fried Apples and Onions

I had NO idea that this existed! I want this so badly! 

Most of you who know me well know that I ADORE Little House on the Prairie books. They make me so nostalgic and cozy inside. I've read them so many times and I want to read them again and again. I've learned so much from these books about how to embroider, make a braided rug, knit, gardening tips and even some recipes. But there is an actual Recipe BOOK!? 

I must have this.

It does the job

Tonight:


"How's your pork, Matt?"

"Uhm, it does the job I guess."

"What?!"

"It's just a fork."

miscommunication disorders are already setting in

But mostly I'm happy

Today I'm really happy. I don't have a lot of food (and when I'm not at work and can't eat there) I have to be creative. Because, lets face it I could afford more food, but I've been in a really cheap mood since I paid off my credit card! Today I made fried apples and onions. It sounds super weird, I know. I read about it in Laura Ingalls Wilder's book Farmer Boy. It was Almanzo's favorite dish. And it was really tasty. I just thinly sliced an apple and a red onion, fried it in butter until the apples were soft and toasted and the onions were nearly translucent. It was really delicious. I'm in love.

Sometimes I get scared

Sometimes I just "think myself into a hole" as Rudy would say. I take things I know are true and I think about them way too much until I can't separate verite from faux.

Luckily, I have a guy who will take me to In-N-Out after I've been throwing up and sleeping all day. A guy who tells me it's ok that I'm insane. A guy who is sure and who knows and yet has been patient with me from the very start. A guy who tells me he will wait for me.

I don't know that I'll ever stop being insane, but someday I'll stop being scared.

Why am I sick?

I'm sick. It started on Sunday. I have a persistent headache and nausea almost all the time. I barely eat and when I do it usually gives me a headache. I can't move too quickly or, headache. I can't look at something quickly or, headache. Today my sense of smell seemed heightened to an unearthly degree. I walked into work and smelled raw eggs. I could smell them on the counter. There wasn't a spill of them. Maybe someone dropped a bit of egg on the counter yesterday. I could smell everything. And it was awful. It made me really nauseous and I threw up a few minutes later -good thing there was nothing to throw up but BILE! ugh.

Is it the stupid birth control I started taking to help regulate my delicate stuff? Is it that stupid car ride that made me so sick? Did that somehow throw off my inner ear balance thing and now I'm sick? Is it because the Vijgebooms and LaVelles all had the flu the week before I visited them? Is it some monstrous combination of the three?

All I know is that I'm sick. And I can't even work. I tried. I stayed at work 2 hours after throwing up before I thought I would pass out. But I need these hours, which means I need to get better quickly.

I'm going to curb stomp this birth control if I don't start feeling better soon.

California

This weekend Matt and I roadtripped out to my hometown of Redding, California. Driving out there isn't bad, unless the rental car you secured doesn't have cruise control!

The Sundial Bridge

When we were walking on the river trail with one of my oldest friends, Adrienne, we found a mulberry tree. Some of the berries were too high for us so Matt had to take his shirt off (the berries stain EVERYTHING) and pull down branches for us. Mulberries are so tasty.

Skipping rocks at Brandy Creek.

The area around Whiskeytown Lake is so beautiful. It was especially green from all the rain. I shot so many photos, while we were eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Nor Cal...

My little brother graduated from High School, so some old family friends came to help us celebrate. We had a lot of really delicious foods. Matt couldn't stay away from all the berries. My mom supplied us with a refilling cache of berries. Matt was in heaven.

The day of the graduation it poured all day. We weren't sure how that would go for the walk. But by the time it started the sky was dry and beautiful.

When I'm in Utah, I miss my cat Noni. Matt loves her now too. Especially since she slept with him every night.

Saturday we went to Lake Shasta Caverns with Adrienne and Evan.

The caves were so cool. Photos from my little Cannon just don't do it justice.

Cave Bacon.

Sunday we drove back to Utah. I was unbelievably carsick almost the entire time and poor Matt had to drive a lot. We saw this lovely little gem of an election poster in Lovelock:

She needs a better photographer.


When we arrived in Utah Valley there was the most beautiful lightning storm overhead. I was still too sick to take many shots but I got this one over the Jordan Temple. I couldn't believe how colorful the sky was. I was in awe. And I am very thankful to be home and not in a car anymore.