Storm Watch

This is 1 of the wettest storms we have had in years.. we need rain but is causing havoc everywhere. We have had unbelievable wind and non- stop rain.

Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 2:40 PM
Subject: Storm Watch 2010


The picture below is not for the faint hearted!
With all the news on TV lately about the sub zero weather and snow that the mid-west and east coast areas are experiencing, we shouldn't forget that Southern California has its share of crazy weather also.

I've attached a photo illustrating the damage caused to a home from a west coast storm that passed through the San Diego area a couple of hours ago. It really makes you cherish what you have, and reminds us not to take life for granted!!!

52 Blessing Project - Week 2

This week I am grateful for Relief Society. I don't think there is a better influence in the lives of women than Relief Society. We had been working for a couple of weeks for our theme and we decided it would be, "Expand Your Horizons". Mainly in 3 key areas: Increased Knowledge, Service to Others and Yourself and Spiritual Growth. If you think about it, that just about covers most of the key areas of a persons life. This is the presentation we started the lesson with. Angela made it. Turn up your speakers and enjoy!

52 Blessings Project - Week 1

Once again I am going to try to stay on top of the 52 Blessings Project. I love the idea of finding something that I am grateful for each and every week. It really is not hard since there is so many blessings in my life. I just get lazy and don't take the time to write them down. So for my first blessing - I am grateful for new beginings. I love the new year, love to put the old year behind me and start over again. I think it is extra special starting a new decade as well.

I am setting new goals, in both my business as well as my personal life. I am really excited about 2010 and think it can be a great year. I want to make it as outstanding as possible. Attitude is supose to make all the difference, if I can just maintain my attitude throughout the year it should be an exceptional year. I can hardly wait to see what it brings.

Fridays with Jim and Ginger

Friday we decided to do something we haven't taken time to do in a long time, spend a part of Friday getting away and just enjoying what San Diego has to offer. We really didn't plan on it, but we were talking about the big waves and decided to forget everything else and just go. It was a little after high tide but we went anyway. It was so much fun. A perfect beach day, overcast and foggy. It was almost like being in a cloud. The waves were still magnificant. We started at resturant row and went south all the way to Sunset Cliffs, stopping at every good spot along the way.
We had such a good time we decided to do it again at the end of the month. The last Friday in January there is a really high tide and a minus low tide, so we are going to spend the entire day at the beach. I think it will be neat to see the two extremes. I will post the photos.

Ditch Your New Years Resolution Day

Ohhhh my! Yes there is a Holiday set a side for us called
"Ditch Your New Years Resolution Day." This Holiday is always on January 17th. The reason for this holiday is so you can ditch all those resolutions that you made on New Years Eve because by now your going to know if there going to fly or not. You know.... all the ones you've already broken.

Weight Loss Blues!

We now have a family and friends biggest loser contest going. Anyone who wants can join us for the entry fee of $25.00. So Jim and I are going to be participants. We both started back on our diets on Monday. I am losing at my snails pace, but Jim is going like crazy. He is dropping so much weight it is amazing. His stomach is already flatter. How can that be? My butt is the same size. I do not think this is fair. There must be a product on the market that lets girls lose as easily as boys, but I don't want to get a hairy chest in the process.

The good news is he bought a George Foreman grill which makes really good chicken and even fish. It also doesn't mess up the stove. Send me any great recipes for dieting. But I only want them if they are great! Nothing mediocre. I get no carbs, no sugar and no dairy. I'm not sure anything good tasting exists without butter. But I am staying with it. At least until we go to Hawaii, then we'll see.

Welcome California January!

Oh, it is so gorgeous today. It is just amazing, blue skies, temperature around 76, just feels good. This is a picture my friend and old neighbor sent from Wyoming. Beautiful as it is I think I'm staying in Escondido!

Classic French Chicken in White Grape Sauce

2 TBS butter
3 or 4 bone in chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1/2 rib celery, finely chopped
2 oz prosciutto or country ham finely chopped
3/4 cup white grape juice
3/4 cup low salt chicken stock
3 TBSP heavy cream (at room temperature)
Chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook it in the skillet on the skin side to brown it and render the fat from the skin about 15 min. Turn chicken over and cook on the bone side for about 5 min. Remove and save the chicken. Pour off all but 2 TBSP of the fat from the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, prosciutto or ham and saute until the onion is browned and the vegetables are softened, 8-10 min. Add the juice and chicken stock to the pan and stir to combine with vegetables. Put the chicken back into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the skillet with a lid and simmer the chicken in the sauce until cooked through 20 to 25 min. Remove the chicken from the pan, turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the volume of liquid by half, about 5 min. (6-7 min. for a thicker sauce). Add the cream, stir to combin and remove the pan from the heat. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Great served with mashed potatoes.

Going Back to the Place We Love!!

Jim and I are beginning to get excited! At the end of February, we are going to Hawaii for couple of weeks. We are going to stay at Turtle Bay on Oahu, one of our favorite places. I plan to spend most of my time laying by the beach and reading, drinking virgin pina coladas, and sleeping. However we are going to try something a little different this time. Check out this video to see what we are going to be doing. We're super excited!

Very funny!

I love this.

Cookie Exchange

Here are some of the pictures from the cookie exchange. The crazy part is I didn't get one photo of the cookies! They were just beautiful and it was so much fun.
My boxes turned out very cute although they were flimsy. So next year I will have to do something different. I did a salad luncheon and it was a hit. I also learned a new secret for making the rolls. I made the dough two days before, shaped them the next day and left them in the refrigerator until the day of the exchange. It took about an extra hour to an hour and a half longer to rise, but it worked perfectly. Made the preparation much easier. The only bad part was we only made 5 dozen each and that wasn't enough to last the entire month so I still need to make more cookies. It is hard not sampling them and keep to my diet. I am doing good but very tempted.

Christmas is in the air!

I have decided to do a cookie exchange! Yes, I am crazy and I should have planned this weeks ago, but who knew I'd still feel like doing it. So the first item on the agenda is to decorate the house. Normally that is a week long project if I am not doing Real Estate. But I am really busy at work so it is going to take longer. All I have left is the Christmas Village and the Garland, both major projects. I hope to get them done today.

Today I am going to bake my cookies. I think I found a fantastic recipe. It is a flaky shortbread with a apricot filling. I had to buy some special Grand Mariner stuff that cost a fortune so it better be good. I am just hoping everyone who said they are coming does.

This is going to be a crazy weekend. My cookie exchange is Friday, the High Priests party is Saturday and the neighborhood party is Sunday. In addition to that I am teaching Relief Society on Sunday and have a listing appointment on Saturday and showing two buyers houses on Friday and Saturday. December is suppose to slow down. Not fair! But lots of fun.

Trip to Washington

At last I am posting our trip to Jim and Janeal's. It was just breathtaking beautiful. They live right by this beautiful lake, up in the mountains. Some of the photos are the surrounding area and the Puget Sound. Their house is like a vacation retreat. We had a wonderful time visiting them and can't wait to go back

Heart full of thanks.

It's the end of the day. Of course, I ate way too much, but it was so yummy! The turkey was a little too dry, but the dressing was outstanding. The pumpkin pies and cheesecake were so good, but the rolls not as good as usual. I froze the rolls and then let them thaw before I baked them. Guess I need some work on perfecting it. Overall, it was a great feast. Shelli had to go to the Howells and Mike had to work so it was just Suzann and kids, Jim and me. But it was really fun. The kids were very funny today. We still did everything like usual. It wouldn't be the same if we didn't. It seems like so much work to be gobbled up so quickly, but it really feels like Thanksgiving.

I am so grateful for my wonderful family. I love each and every one of them so much. It is amazing that it is possible to love so many so deeply. I have learned from personal experience that love multiplies. I also love to see the family traditions being passed on to the next generation. All day, different ones called for cooking tips. Hope everyone had a great day.

Tomorrow will begin the house decorating. I hope to have it completed before Sunday. I would love to have everything done before December even begins. I am going to try to have a cookie exchange next week so I have to get organized!

WARNING: 2010 Census Cautions from the Better Business Bureau

With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don't know into your home.

Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.

REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.

AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION.. No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit bbb.org



verified at http://www.snopes.com/fraud/identity

Home again

We are now home and wishing we weren't. We had a fun trip to Lauri's in AZ. We left on Thursday and drove. It was a pleasant trip, very ugly, but nice and slow. Best of all - my phone wasn't working most of the trip.

Friday we went to Zach's football game. They lost but Zach did great. He is one of the biggest boys on the team. How did he grow up so fast? After the game we went to dinner with everyone including Zach's girlfriend Lauren. She was a delight. Sweet, kind and beautiful. Also a cheerleader, but we won't hold that against her. I think Zach will hold on to her as long as he can. She says she will wait until after his mission. It will be interesting to see. She would be a good addition to the family, but since he is only 17 a lot of things can change.

Saturday we went to Cracker Barrel for their fantastic breakfast. I wish we had one here, but I would weigh 300 lbs if we did. Afterward I went shopping first with Rachelle and then Lauri. It was fun and we found some cute things. Lauri needed a dress for Eric's wedding and she found a perfect one. She looks fabulous in it.

Lazy Sunday

Yeah! Today is conference Sunday. That means I get to watch TV in my PJ's! Actually I have on sweats, but you get the idea. The one Sunday I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn and what do I do? I wake up anyway. So I got dressed and went down to the pool to get it ready for winter. It took four trips up and down the stairs to get all the chaise pads, umbrellas and other stuff to the garage. Everything is put away and the rains can now come. It is kind of sad to see summer end. I still have to clean up the patio area and put stuff away. It looks bare with everything put away. It will be my luck we will have a heat wave in two weeks and I will wish it was all back.

Jim is fixing breakfast, pancakes and bacon, not on my diet. Hope I don't gain too much this weekend. I will be back on track on Monday. Jim is looking really good, I am not as good as he is even though I cheat less. Not fair. My mouth is watering at the pancakes! Hmmmm!

I am looking forward to the conference talks. My heart is heavy worrying about my family. It is so hard to be so far away from everyone when things go wrong. I am grateful for prayer. It seems it is the only weapon I have. I hope it brings comfort to those I love so much. I am so mindful of what Austin is going through. Such a hard thing. And Rommers, looking horrible but at least going to be allright and then today Zoe. Poor little baby. It scares me to death. I understand that everyone goes through trials and difficulities but I wish I could do something to make it easier. So I worry and I pray.

New Carpet

Yeah! We just put new carpet in the living room and dining room. It looks almost the same (without all the stains and smell) so you probably can't tell the difference. But it came with a 10 year warranty against stains, so how can you go wrong? I also bought the invisable fence to keep Betty Boop out of that room. She has a special collar that gives her a little shock if she steps on the carpet. She seems to think it is the carpet that is bad. Just wondering if when she is trained anyone wants to borrow it for the kids? :)

Baby Shower

I had a fun baby shower for Nicole Dunn last night. She just adopted a little girl and so I offered my house to host it. No problem. Unfortunately the person who was going to do games, couldn't come. Only one person who was to bring refreshments sent them. Lucky for me I always worry about these things and sent Jim to Costco for a big cake. I thought it would be for backup, but thank heavens it was here or we would have had no games and no refreshments. Crazy. It was a good turnout, about 35 people showed up and she was very appreciative. I was glad to do it, but hate it when someone says they will do something and then blows you off. I would rather just do it all myself and know I won't have any last minute surprises.

I did buy a really cute water dispenser for it that I will get lots of use out of. Unfortunately, I called Pier One and asked if they had any water dispensers and was told they one had a ceramic lemonade one. Sounded like it would work, asked how much. She said $15.00 so I told the girl to put it by the cash register and I would send Jim down. He went and it was cute, very happy, until he said, "Do you know how much this thing cost?" I told him $15.00. No the girl lied....it was $50.00!!!! I would never have bought it if I had a clue. But too late now, they don't do returns and it is really cute. What a pity.