Where is everybody?

iPhone has a sweet e-blogger app, so if that has been holding everyone back like it has me, the hold no more!

Rice-a-Roni.....

The San Francisco Treat!   Ok...for those who have not been on FB .....yea, i know...who hasn't? :-) I am  moving to the Bay area in August. Yippy! I was there last week to do a bit of apartment hunting. Yikes! It is EXPENSIVE out there! But the weather is BEAUTIFUL! and not to mention the diversity......food...food..food...a foodie dream! love it ...love it...I've been to SF twice...both on business. I actually got to explore the area a bit from a future resident point of view. I think I can get use to being there for awhile.....at least 4 years.

                                           It was a bit foggy but still a beautiful sight!

view from the park

                                              the water was actually warmer than expected

                     Santa Monica beach...I drove down to LA on Sat. for a conference.
                                          

      A view from the top of the famous Lombard Street. The walking tour would
                          be much better than doing this in a car.

   Of course I couldn't go to SF and not visit Ghiradelli and then not have
                    this sinfully delicious treat!
Please come out to visit when you can. Amy L...you said SF is your favorite city...I'll be waiting for you :-)

And remember, "if you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair..." S.McKenzie

The cabinet that Ralph built...

So Brad and I (mostly I) have FINALLY started on the cabinet that Ralph built for us a few years ago. For those of you that are not aware, Ralph started building this for us about five years ago while he was fighting his cancer. He had made us some adirondack chairs, a jewelry box and a cradle a few years before and really seemed to enjoy woodworking. I think it helped him have a purpose and something else to focus on while he was being treated. Needless to say, it didn't surprise me when he offered to build this cabinet after I saw it in a catalog and fell in love with it.

Ralph, Brad and I teamed up inorder to make this build a success. I drew out any modifications that needed done and picked out the handles, Ralph did the math and the majority of the labor and Brad drove Ralph back and forth to the hardware store for parts and supplies and helped with the build when he could. Many hours of labor and love went into this cabinet. Unfortuately Ralph never got to finish it. He didn't have much left to do, but after having his stroke he was no longer able to work with the power tools. Knowing that Ralph worked so hard on this, Brad and I came up with a plan to get the cabinet finished.

We were fortunate to have access to a trailer and a driver that could get the cabinet to Indiana. It's first stop...my grandfather's house! I'm not sure if my grandfather and Ralph had ever met, but it didn't matter. My grandfather likes woodworking and hates leaving anything unfinished. When we explained the situation to him and asked if he could help, he jumped on board! It didn't take him long to finish up what was left. Within a few days, the cabinet was making a second trip to our house. It was done and it looked awesome!

My grandfather is always asking about that cabinet. Everytime we see him, he asks if we had stained it yet. When we say 'no', he asks 'why not'? If it was up to him, it would have been done a long, long time ago. Unfortunately we have little kids and not a lot of time. That poor cabinet sat in our garage waiting on us to find some free time. Then, it got the chance to travel again...this time across the country! It sat in a storage unit for a while and once we bought the house, it moved into the garage. It has sat there for almost a year now, while we have unpacked and settled in. Now it is FINALLY getting the attention it deserves!

So far, I have sanded the whole thing twice. This picture was taken after the final sanding. Now it just needs to be cleaned of all the dust so the staining process can begin. I'm hoping to have that all done by the end of this weekend. We shall see...and I will keep you all posted. :)

Hello

Hello everyone,

Jorge finally got his transfer. He will be at the Falfurrius Station in South Texas. We are now trying to both sell and buy a home. No luck yet.

Had an open house Sunday so we went to Phoenix to see a DBacks game. Lots of fun. No luck on the open house.

Love,

Renee

Chocolates...anyone? :-) Or how about a calamari canoe?

Red velvet cake cover with dark chocolate ganache. It's a cake pop! Go ahead, take a bite.

More cake pops. The white ones were not that great. They were too sweet.

 Roasted coconut flakes dark chocolate truffles. mmmm...delish :-)

Roasted peanuts and Godiva cocoa coated truffles. These were good too.

Banana blossoms salad with grilled calamari in a tangy, sweet, spicy tamarind dressing. Yum!

Grab a canoe...or two.

Sorry pics aren't that great with colors. These were taken with my camera phone.

I have a little time so I decided to play a bit in the kitchen. These are my latest creations. If you want to make cake pops you can find recipes and ideas at Bakerella.com. I would be happy to post any recipes upon request should any one be curious to try what I've posted so far.

Hope you all had a lovely Easter celebration with families and spouses! I went to a friend's house for Easter and I brought the above goodies. All was a big hit. :-)

It sucks BIG time not having my sweetie around. We've celebrated Christmas, NY, his bday, and Easter apart. UGH!!

Love ya'll!
~Steph

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone has had a great day!

Love Shell