It's almost July! Really?!?!

So once again life has gone crazy! Literally this is the first weekend since April that we're doing absolutely nothing! Well I say absolutely nothing but that's not quite right we are celebrating our anniversary! This past weekend June 20th was the official date, but we decided with all the craziness it was best to celebrate it this weekend. So on Saturday we're going to see Toy Story 3 and eat at St. Clair Winery and Bistro. Pictures to come! :-)

So here's a few of the happenings for this past month:

June 3-6: Mom/Grandmother visit

- My Mom and Grandmother decided to come in town to visit for a few days and they just so happened to pick one of the hottest weekends of the month! We hit 100 degrees plus every day so it was difficult to do anything outside but we still had a blast though. We went up to the Sandia Mountain twice once at sunset which was really pretty. The second time we took the tram because my Grandmother wanted to eat at a restaurant at the top called High Finance. Wonderful food all around and a great view. And of course we couldn't pass up going shopping! ;-)

June 11-13: Young adult retreat

- Our young adult group through St. Thomas Aquinas Parish had a retreat up at the Glorieta Conference Center in Glorieta, NM. It was great to get away from life for a few days and just focus on becoming better followers of Christ. The weekend was about rejuvenation, forgiving others, forgiving ourselves, and making a better examination of conscious. The conference area was lovely. They have houses that people live in year around and I kept telling Paul it would be wonderful to live there. Then I remembered they're in the mountains that means they'd have really cold winters (with lots of snow!) and you have to drive one hour to get to Santa Fe, which is smaller than Abilene! So no we will not be moving to Glorietta it is off our list of places to live! lol

June 17-20: July's wedding shower/Mary's visit

- Mary, Paul's mother, came into town for July's wedding shower on June 19th and we had a lot of fun. We spent several evenings just sitting out in the backyard talking. I do enjoy having a backyard to enjoy summer nights in. That Saturday was July's shower and as usual her family knows how to throw a nice party. Plenty of fun meeting new people. Sunday was our anniversary so we decided to dig into our one year old wedding cake. Whoever packaged it at the reception must have thought the flowers were fake because they didn't remove them from the cake. So we opened up the box to discover a half frozen molded flower topper. Needless to say we only took two small bites each before determining it was more fun to slam cake into each other's faces. The cake tasted like frosting, amaretto, and dead flowers. Not a good combination so we went out afterwards for ice cream at McDonald's with Jeff and Skye. We were going to drink some champange we received a year ago but it was chilled in the freezer a little too long and became a popsicle!

Other events of significances:

- We bought a new car! Zoom Zoom 1.0 (my 2000 Ford Contour which had its transmission replaced 2 years ago) needed its transmission replaced AGAIN so we decided it wasn't worth fixing. For Zoom Zoom 2.0 we decided upon a 2010 Honda Fit 1) Because of the gas milage rocked, 2) Because of the cargo room and easy, one-handed fold down seats, 3) Because of the consumer report ratings, and 4) Because the sales associate didn't try to hassle us like all the others (a sales tactic I know). Paul says I could be their spokesperson but it's true we love our new car! Just this weekend I was able to fit all of July's wedding gifts into the car with no problems!

Note: Hair will not be this long after Saturday because I finally decided to get a hair cut!

- We went to a Isotopes Baseball game with Jeff, July, and her family. I got a mega big margarita after being Paul's foot model for a good portion of the game. It was yummy!!!

So that was June in a very big nutshell! Hopefully July will calm down a bit...but I'm doubting it!

Adventures with hair!

So this last weekend was semi-productive. I say semi because although we did clean our kitchen to where it looks A LOT better, we still have a lot of cleaning to do. I didn't do laundry and we didn't go grocery shopping until Tuesday when we realized the only meal we had left was egg burritos. We did do taxes finally Sunday night and we're getting screwed. I have to pay income tax on income I earned in Texas!!! We read the booklet over and over to find a way out with no success. I know we're paying a relative small amount of taxes compared to some people, but it still bites none the less.

Friday night we went to a wonderful restuarant called St. Clair with my co-workers for our belated Christmas party. The restuarant is actually a branch of the St. Clair Winery in New Mexico so as you can imagine they have a lot of good wines. Paul and I had a lovely Merlot that wasn't too tangy for my taste. It's All around it was good food and good company. Defintely some place we want to visit again.
Saturday night July and Jeff came over to eat with us. July made the wonderful Samon below and the brown rice mixed with garlic, onion, celery, and carrot. My veggies, well, were frozen! :-P

Then July and I proceeded to watch Twilight and New Moon together. July came up with the great idea to do rag curlers. We tore up two old t-shirts I was planning on donating to Goodwill anyways and began on the quest. July has so much patience because with my hair it took 2 HOURS to put in the rag curlers and all of the strips from both t-shirts. After yummy smoothies and watching New Moon I went off to bed with rag curls still in my head.

The next morning we woke up around 8:00 for mass and discovered the curls had done this:

So we decided with 45 minutes till Mass maybe if we try combing the curls out it would make them less like Shirley Temple. Yeah...that didn't work.

Finally after decide like my hair looked like a perm gone wrong we decided we weren't making it to 9:00 AM Mass. So I took a shower and sweet Pepe decided to help me use a curling iron to my hair.

The curls surprisingly stayed in my hair until Tuesday! Yay for no humidity!

So to sum it all up: 1) July is super patient for putting rag curls in my hair for 2 HOURS, 2) Paul is obsessed with his camera, and 3) We're lazy for not having done our taxes until this weekend! :-P

Food glorious food!

So yeah blogging more often hasn't happened....so here is my "Let's catch up on 2 months of fun" blog!

Chef Pepe at work! :-)

Paul and I (well mainly Paul, I just supervise and think of ideas of what to cook! lol) have been busy cooking up a storm of new food creations. Our young adult group with Deacon Dave may think it's strange I don't cook, but since Paul loves to cook why get in the way of a good thing? He cooks, I clean, and everyone goes home happy at the end of the day. We have a crock pot, but (shhh don't tell Becca lol jk) we haven't used it yet. I think apart of me is afraid of coming home to some charred, black piece of meat because it wasn't supervised enough.

Since getting our blender we've made homemade marinara sauce which is fabulous and not too complicated either. Others may snuff at it saying it's not authentic or needs more ingredients, but I enjoy the sauce just the same. It makes about four servings which is perfect for us cause you can only eat leftovers for a few days before going nuts!

Here's the ingredients for a successful Marinara sauce:

- 1 can stewed tomatoes (16 oz.)
- ½ to 1 can tomato paste (8 oz)
- 2 – 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- ½ cup riesling or white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
Empty the stewed tomatoes and tomato paste into a food processor or a blender and blend until combined. Add the garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper and blend again. This does not need to be exact and is really up to personal preference. Keep in mind that once it cooks the ingredients with the wine will taste different. Transfer the mixture into a pot and add the white wine. This should cook on low for at least 30 minutes minimum if not longer.

By the way, if you're like us and don't like Riesling very much as a drinking wine you may be wondering what to do with the rest of the wine. We found freezing it in an ice cube tray works nicely. After freezing overnight they store easily in a plastic bag. Then if you every want to make the sauce again (or any other recipe that calls for wine) you don't have to buy another bottle but instead just plop 2 cubes into the pot!

We've also made our own rendition of Baked Ziti with chicken and zucchini in the mix. I've never really cared for zucchini but recently I've grown a liking for it. Fried zucchini with marinara sauce is yummy (haven't made it from scratch yet but we will someday). Zucchini by itself dipped in ranch is awesome too. Who knew this unassuming member of the squash family could be delicious in so many different ways? As a kid I never ate squash. I think I may have even hated it. Now I kind of want to try eggplant...crazy I know!

But by far from all of these dishes my new favorite meal is Cuban Steaks. I don't know if they're authentically Cuban, but it sparks me to want to try more Cuban dishes. On the side of this creation we have Calabacita, a New Mexico creation marrying zucchini, corn, onion, garlic, Queso Fresco (a yummy Mexican cheese that reminds me of Mozzarella only it can crumble), and of course Green Chile.

I mean really what dish doesn't need Green Chile? I even had Green Chile on Cheese Fries on Friday...amazing! I would have eaten the huge plate of them all by myself if Paul hadn't stopped me! LOL It's strange eating Green Chile though. You can start eating a dish very unaware of the Green Chiles and without the gradual warning that jalapenos typically give, a once innocent dish can into a heat packed, mouth burning creation with the snap of your fingers. At the same time it can be a very neutral taste. So beware of Green Chile it can be a very deceptive ingredient. The longer they are cooked in a dish the more heat they bring. So add them at the very last minute just enough to get them warm if you don't want to burn your tougue.

But back to the Calabacita. It's a very yummy side dish that isn't too bad for you. Plus it's super easy. Here's our recipe:

- 1 Zucchini in cubes
- 1/2 Onion chopped
- 1 Cup Frozen Corn (adjust portion to your taste)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Green Chile (adjust to your taste, but be warned...it can get spicy!!!)
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- Queso Fresco to taste

First put a skillet on medium heat and add the olive oil to the pan. Use more Olive Oil if it is not coating the bottom efficiently. Cook the onions till they are close to golden brown and add the garlic to let it cook for about 30 seconds before adding the zucchini Continue stirring the mixture for about 2 minutes or until the zucchini is tender before adding the corn. Once the corn has been introduced add the Green Chile. Keep in mind the longer the Green Chile cooks with the mixture the spicier it gets so this needs to be the last step (or the first if you want to burn your mouth while you're eating it). Sprinkle Queso Fresco crumbles on top to your desire and serve!


Here's the marinade for the Cuban Steaks in case you're curious. You can use pretty much any type of steak with this. Paul and I prefer Flank Steak because it holds the flavor well.

- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil (we use olive oil)
- 1 ½ teaspoons oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cumin
- 1 ½ pounds steak
Combine all the ingredient above in bowl or zip-lock bag. Put steak in the marinade for at least 30 minutes turning it over after 15 minutes to expose the other side to the seasonings. Grill to your heart's desire for however long makes you happy.

Bon appetit! Hope these recipes give y'all some ideas. ;-)

Top 5 things learned in January

So I've been slacking off lately on blogging not because I'm lazy (okay partially because I'm lazy), but mainly because there hasn't been much to report. So to keep everyone up to speed here's a few events of January.


1) Paul makes a really really yummy teriyaki sauce. He uses soy sauce, pinapple juice, brown sugar, and a little garlic to make his creation. It's really yummy as a steak maranaide. I know technically you're supposed to use ginger in it, but I still like it regarldess.

2) Bridesmaid dress shopping is so much more fun than wedding dress shopping. I love being a bridesmaid much more than I enjoyed being a bride because there's so much less drama! The wedding industry in general scares me a little. July (Jeff's fiancee) and I went browsing at David's Bridal on Saturday to get dress ideas for her sister Carolyn and me. We found some very promising ideas, but I'm so glad we didn't have to go wedding dress shopping too. She has a beautiful dress that has been in the family through six marriages and counting. It's beautiful in person!

3) I've finally started scrapbooking wedding pictures. I'm making very slow progress because I can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the pages, but it's coming together. So far I have wedding party pictures from the church, a picture of Paul and I near the lake a the country club, and pictures of Daniel and David doing the YMCA in the scrapbook. There's A LOT more to do. The cards everyone gave us have come in really handy. I've cut up a few of them to put on the pages for decorations. I'll post pictures when I have more to show of the scrapbook! ;-)

4) Word for the wise: always walk on paths where you can see the ice! I made the mistake Monday of walking on a curb at CVS because the sidewalk had ice on it. I thought "Surely I'll be better off!". Wrong, of course. Monday and Tuesday I was sore from the fall, but thankfully it doesn't hurt anymore. Now I have a lovely bruise on the right side of my back where I hit it on the curb.

5) Twilight is in the top ten of my favorite books! I started reading them two weeks ago because I had to get my oil changed and figured I should see what all the hype is about. In the first week alone I read the first two books and started on the 3rd book if that gives you any indication as to how obsessed I was. I finally finished the 4th book Friday night and I think it was a very fitting end to the series. I like how she tied up all loose ends. There's nothing worse than a series that ends badly. I absolutely hated Bella in books 2 & 3 because she was being an emo, let's-lead-the-guy-on girl! Edward I like through the entire book, but I really started liking Jacob during the 3rd and 4th books. I convinced (or drug) Paul to rent the 1st movie last weekend only to be disappointed. I've heard the 2nd movie is much better, but I'm going to wait till March when it comes out on DVD.

So that's the month in a nutshell. Till we meet again (hopefully I'll have more to say)!