because we didn't mean to go to the sea!








(sorry for the lack of blog love!)

we've been wanting a backyard for so long that we've finally decided to forget waiting to contract the job out and pick up the shovel ourselves. aside from tinkerin' here and there, we have to admit, we are not DIYers (sure, we laid down our flooring ourselves, but that took us a month). suffice to say, it is a very intimidating task, especially since we have been growing a jungle for the past 2 years. that, and the fact that we don't know a thing or two about landscaping! but what better way to learn than to dig right in!

along the way we met a couple of little friends and tried to save their lives as much as we could:

we also didn't realize that we were growing onions!

so here is the backyard halfway done. it may not look like much but we did a lot and we are sore for it!

we don't exactly have a plan drawn out on how we want the yard to look. i do know that i want a place for eating, relaxing, growing out edible plants, and most importantly, a place for nixon and jackson to run around to their hearts content.

nixon and jackson woke me up to greet me a happy mother's day with this:


i'm not exactly sure how they were able to get and wrap this present since they both suffer from a condition called "all paws." nonetheless, they know their mama's music taste very well.


for the most important women in dave's life and mine, i busted out the crafting supplies (that i really haven't seen or touched in 2 years since we've moved back) and created these:


be kind to your mothers, folks, not just today but everyday.

there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of arroz caldo ("rice soup," literally) when sick with the flu. after 3 days of just sleeping in and laying in bed, i have finally found the strength to make homemade chicken soup instead of popping open the canned variety. i always prepare this when my husband or i am sick, just like my mom did when i was growing up.

how i make arroz caldo**:

ingredients:
1 pound of chicken (i prefer thigh meat for more flavor)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (canola)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon crushed ginger
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked white rice (i use jasmine)
a pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons fish sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

in a large pot, boil chicken until cooked. remove chicken from broth and let cool. shred.

in a large saute pan, saute garlic in oil until golden brown. add onions and ginger. saute until onions are transluscent. add rice, shredded chicken, salt, pepper and fish sauce and saute for about 3 more minutes. throw everything into the broth, add saffron and let simmer until rice is cooked. if soup is a little thick, add more water until the desired consistency.

serve in a bowl and garnish with chopped green onions, fried minced garlic and lemon.

**if you have the basic ingredients, there really is no right or wrong way to prepare arroz caldo. it's just a matter of preference. i prefer crushed ginger over the traditional sliced, i prefer long grain rice to sticky, i prefer shredding my chicken instead of putting in whole pieces, soupy rather than thick (like risotto or porridge)... you get the idea! my mom even likes it with hard-boiled eggs, while i have tried it elsewhere with quail eggs. yum!

our babies turned one last week!

for orla kiely fans, the arrival of february 15th was highly anticipated (valentine's? what valentine's?). needless to say, i made the trek to my local pocket-hole-burner and took home the ceramic pitcher in olive, apple and pear mug, brown abacus tablecloth (to be used as curtains) and laundry bag. neither the tray nor the coasters were available and i have yet to believe that the reusable bag actually exists. oh but the hunt continues!

happy new year!

so much has happened since my absence. first of all, we have a new member of our family. his name is jackson and we adopted him back in october from a rescue. he is about 9 months old and he is a rat terrier/chihuahua mix. he weighed six pounds and had a terrible skin condition when we took him in. he was neglected by his previous owners and was a very scared little pup. he is doing well now at a healthy 9 pounds, gets along great with nixon and loves his daddy most of all.

i also have a new camera! which, the lack of, was the reason for my forced blog sabbatical. i am excited to document again. and excited for what the new year has in store.

so, here we go.