Counting the minutes...

Until the start of Wicked. Pic taken from our seats. :-)

Red Velvet Heaven

Cheesecake Factory's newest creation mixing two of my favorite things, red velvet cake and cheesecake.

Oh so yummy!

Thursday Funny - Kate is Enough

Quizzical Wednesday - Rain or Snow?

You Are Rain

You are dark and dramatic. You tend to be a bit over the top. You have strong emotions and they can change quickly. You are tempestuous. You are wild and unpredictable. You tend to overwhelm and surprise people. While you are aggressive, you are also a homebody. You don't really care for physical activities.

Are You Rain or Snow?

Weekend Wrap-Up: 9/4 - 9/7 and 9/11 - 9/13

It's a 2-for-1 bonus edition of the Weekend Wrap-Up. Enjoy!

Labor Day weekend was a 4-day weekend for me! Here are the highlights:

• Picked up some fresh veggies at the Queen Anne Farmers Market on Thursday after work.
• Enjoyed a quiet morning at home on Friday.
• Met Suz for lunch at Buckley's.
• Got a manicure and pedicure.
• Quizzed Kat in preparation for her Cisco certification test.
• Enjoyed hamburgers, tater tots and corn on the cob prepped by Don.
• Packed up the ingredients, tools needed for our overnight Cooking Club adventure at Kipp's cabin on Lake Wenatchee.
• Had my first Pumpkin Spice latte of the season!
• Enjoyed the ride to the cabin catching up with friends, Jana and Neil, thanks to Don's driving. :-)
• Had a relaxing afternoon settling in at the cabin and enjoying the outdoors when it wasn't raining.
• Prepped and cooking and laughed and sipped at wine until the feast was ready.
• Enjoyed a wonderful dinner, one for the cooking club hall of fame, for sure!
• Played a men vs. women game of Trivial Pursuit (80's, 90's and Pop Culture edition) and the women won!
• Had a leisurely morning with coffee, breakfast and good friends.
• Stopped by Plain Hardware so Kipp could get his propane tank refilled.
• Sipped some wine at the Eagle Creek Winery.
• Had lunch at South in Leavenworth, WA.
• Picked up some squash (approx. 40 pounds) at Smallwood's Harvest.
• Arrived back in Seattle just before nightfall.
• Had breakfast with Kat and Don at The Bay Cafe.
• Attempted to shop at Fred Meyer among the chaos their remodeling project.
• More quizzing of Kat on the Cisco flashcards.
• Dined on Tamale Dish that Don had prepared. YUM!
• Retired early in prep for the week ahead amazed that 4 days had whizzed by.

It was a really busy and very fast weekend, here are the highlights:

• Made and GIANT pot of spaghetti sauce with tomatoes from my garden on Thursday night.
• Worked from home on Friday.
• Waited for the DirecTV repair guy who never showed up.
• Called and yelled at DirecTV and rescheduled for Sunday afternoon.
• Made a big pan Lasagna.
• Packaged up 12 quarts of spaghetti sauce for the freezer.
• Quizzed Kat in prep for her Cisco certification test while Don a salad and garlic bread to go with the lasagna.
• Woke WAY too early on a Saturday morning to attend a local trade show.
• Enjoyed connecting with some of my favorite customer and vendor friends.
• Laundry.
• Did the grocery shopping for the week.
• Walked down to the neighborhood McMenamins and enjoyed some beer and dinner with Don.
• Slept in until 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, which in my world is rare occurrence.
• Enjoyed a cup of coffee from my new french press which I've finally mastered.
• Made some eggs and had a lazy morning.
• Spent the afternoon in the kitchen making 24 stuffed peppers for the freezer while waiting for the DirecTV guy only to discover that they had come on Saturday, a mistake by DirecTV in the scheduling.
• Talked to 5 people at DirecTV until I got a discount on my bill for the next six months and scheduled yet another appointment for the technician to repairs.
• Baked Banana Bread to bring to the office.
• Cleaned up the kitchen which was a disaster following the major cooking projects of the weekend.

What a whirlwind! How was your weekend?

From the vine to the pot

Just finishing making a GIANT pot of spaghetti sauce with tomatoes that I grew in my garden.

Thursday Funny - Lizard Attack

Quizzical Wednesday - The Address Quiz

Your Address Says You're Energetic

Right now, life seems to be brimming with opportunities... and you're excited for all of them. You are productive and creative. It makes you feel good to stay busy. At your best, you have a full schedule and lots to do. At your worst, you feel bored and aimless. Idle hands make you a bit crazy!

What Does Your Address Say About You?

Thursday Funny - Mighty Putty Parody

Primary Color Test

You Are Red

You are lively and fiery. You embrace the world and live passionately. You are moody but generally enthusiastic. You love so many things. You are able to have a lot of drive and focus. Some people would call this obsession. You are aggressive about getting what you want in life. You look out for yourself first.

What Primary Color Are You?