Let There Be Light |
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Day 105
Friday, April 29, 2011
Day 104
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Day 103
The Infamous Doggie and the Fence |
As mentioned in an earlier post...we have an ugly fence around the hot tub. Well, here is the story:
We adopted Kona when she was 9 months old after she had been abandoned up at Clear Lake, tied to a tree, and then sent to a rescue for labs. A couple adopted her from that rescue but could not handle her, imagine that?!
Chris and I decided to adopt this female, sweet, quiet, black lab. We had just bought our house in Pleasanton and re-did most of the house. Chris' splurge was the hot tub...it was and still is a prized possession of his.
Kona was SO bad while we were at work that she had to be tied up. We hated to do it but she would tear everything and anything apart. During her tied up time (a few weeks), she would get bored and chew on the spa cover. This continued even through the non-tied up days.
A year went by, Kona had become a pretty good doggie. There were still destructive behaviors but she had had free run of the backyard for many months now. We decided to get a friend for Kona...Dixie, the basset hound moved in.
When Kona and Dixie would wrestle and argue for a chew, Kona had to escape. So, Kona would jump on the spa cover! The short legged basset hound could not get to Kona.
We did not realize this was happening for quite some time. One clue was the chew marks not just on the side of the cover but all over. Then, our cleaning people tattled on that mischievous lab.
We didn't really do anything about this issue but, as time progressed, the cover began to give in. The center was sagging!
The cover became so saggy and Kona had chewed up most of the cover so, Chris removed it and covered the hot tub with a tarp. I told him to keep some water in the hot tub, just in case someone thought to jump on it! Hee, hee, hee...our master plan worked!
One night, we came home to a tarp in the water and one, VERY WET, black lab!!!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Day 102
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STRIKE! |
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Day 101
Monday, April 25, 2011
Day 100
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Day 99
Happy Easter! |
Even the animals joined us at dinner tonight! No...she only wishes. The table was all set so beautifully and Lily, the cat, made her way to the head of the table. Too cute!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Day 98
Our First Giants Game for the 2011 Season |
Friday, April 22, 2011
Day 97
Ashley and Katie, In My Classroom |
Our Picnic Lunch |
Today I got the BEST treat...my mom and two nieces visited me with a picnic lunch!!!
Ashley and Katie were so cute meeting my big fifth graders and touring my classroom.
Then, we ate egg salad sandwiches (bologna for Ashley), veggies with dip, fruit salad, and cookies. Oh, and how could I forget the olives that I fought with Ashley for since she loves them too! :)
After lunch, I took everyone over to our Book Fair where they were spoiled by Mimi (my mom). Lastly, my mom took pictures of them in front of our murals on the playground (just like we did in the summer with my niece, Alex, and nephew, Peter).
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Day 96
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Day 95
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Day 94
Monday, April 18, 2011
Day 93
YES, I Love Spring |
From Our Front Door, The Porch |
Eight Year Old Cacti (Except the Rock One) |
Beautiful! |
The Vegetable Garden |
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Day 92
Smoked Turkey |
Chris' Smoker |
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Day 91
Frisbee Golf |
"Four!" Chris Throws |
Kristin's Turn...See How it JUST Missed the Basket |
Since my brother, Derek, had given Frisbee Golf discs to Chris a while back, we have been wanting to play! We found some courses in the area and had a great time. Today we went to the neighboring city of San Ramon and put our discs to work.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Day 90
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Day 89
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Day 88
Caught in the Act! |
Dixie is BAD! I had my camera out and what do I see...Dixie drinking my chocolate milk! This is not a first, unfortunately. But, in the past it has typically been beer or coffee that she has gotten into. We didn't mind the beer drinking, that mellowed her. The coffee, on the other hand, made Dixie into the most hyper dog ever!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Day 87
Monday, April 11, 2011
Day 86
Tiny Shrimp in a Tiny Aquarium |
No Food Needed- See It Swimming |
In the Rocks |
My mother-in-law sent me to the Harvest Festival last fall to pick up some shrimp. Huh???
Take a close look, they are there swimming around. So cool!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Day 85
Rugby: St. Mary's College vs. Cal |
We had a great day today. After we packed up the two dogs, we headed to Moraga for the rugby game. Dixie was a terror in the car ride over, as usual. Kona behaved.
Then we watched most of the game but left early since Cal was killing SMC. Dixie was very territorial and had to bark away any dogs that came near. Kona behaved.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Day 84
My Famous Chili |
Yum!
This recipe makes a HUGE pot of chili. We make a large pot and then freeze most of it to use for chili in a bread bowl, chili pasta, chili dogs, etc. You could definitely cut the recipe in half and vary it to your taste, because I sure have changed the original recipe.
Kristin's Chili
1. In a large pot bring the following ingredients to a boil and then cook on low.
2- 14 oz cans of:
black beans
pinquito beans
pinto beans
chili beans
white beans
white kidney beans (cannellini)
ranch style beans
red kidney beans
4- 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes (I do half with diced tomatoes and jalapenos)
1 red onion, chopped
Garlic (to taste)
2. While the beans and tomatoes boil and then simmer, cook the following meats and then add to the chili.
1- 16 oz package of:
ground beef
ground pork
ground turkey
(meats can be varied according to your taste)
3. Grill a package of round steak or top sirloin and add to the chili.
5. Top with green onions, cheese, and/or sour cream.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Day 83
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To Stop Violence Against Women |
My mom works at Tri-Valley Haven which helps women who have encountered domestic violence. The month of April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. During this month and as a fundraiser for Tri-Valley Haven, The Vagina Monologues is performed. The cast was made up of all volunteer actresses and some even work at Tri-Valley Haven.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Day 82
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Day 82
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Southwest Delivered Us Home Safely |
One of the worst things to hear while on vacation is how the flights have been grounded due to the top of the plane coming OFF! We don't want a convertible airplane!!!
Day 81
Day 80
Beginning Our Hike on the Teacup Trail |
Enjoying the Beauty! |
"An Entangled Romance," Said An Old Man on the Trail |
Woo, Hoo! Chris! |
One of the Many Views |
Gnarly Tree |
Day 79
Chris Fuming Over the Car Rental |
Booger Box |
Part 1: The Car
Chris pre-arranged everything for the car, called to set up a pick-up 24 hours in advance and...it all went very wrong. We were expecting someone at 11 a.m. That time rolled on by. At 11:02 Chris was on the phone trying to figure the situation out. The person at the car rental place clearly refused to answer the phone and the customer care agent felt that it was appropriate to blame Chris, the customer! Needless to say, there will be no rentals from Budget in our future!
But, we got the car and boy was it attractive. You can see the photo above. I named it "The Booger Box". And when this car was speeding up to pass someone, we yelled, "Ah, Choo!"
Sedona, AZ |
The Diamond Resorts |
The Kitchenette |
Part 2: Sedona
The drive from Scottsdale to Sedona is only about 1.5 hours and the drive is pretty. We had received a free 2 night stay at a Diamond Resorts after we sat through a timeshare presentation. The pictures show the place...it was very nice!The Happy, Vacationing Couple |
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Dinner at Relics |
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Do You Spot a Ghost Inside? |
Part 3: Dinner at Relics
Recommended by the Concierge at the hotel, we ventured onto Relics for dinner. This is where John Wayne would frequent at one point. It is rumored to have ghost sightings! No ghosts while we were there, but the dinner was mighty yummy!![]() |
Kona Watching TV |
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