Another Birthday in the Books

So. I turned 32 on Wednesday.
My family celebrated me on Sunday afternoon.

Mylie isn't so good at sharing the spotlight. She likes to be right in the middle of all gift opening.
(It's blurry, but she's so cute!)

Like. RIGHT. IN. THE. MIDDLE.
She puts her ball in every single gift bag or on every present.
She wants to make sure that you know she's there.
We know Smiles, we know.

This is how I feel about sitting in the spotlight. Under a Dollar Tree balloon bouquet.
Also, blingy silver necklace is a Grandma gift. Came with an accompanying blingy bracelet.

 

American Idol the Untold Story, kitchen towels, a hand mirror, and a mustard yellow sweatshirt were also my Grandma Gifts.

I know it's blingy, but please don't mug me.

Also, mom made me come back and pick up my balloon bouqet.
Stay back there, fools.

 

And then my sweet friend Wendy & her two kiddos, who I have a standing weekly lunch date with,  made me a yummy cake. Both kids notified me of said cake upon my arrival. Surprises are not their strong suit. But being excited for birthdays definitely is!

And then on my real birthday, these ladies accompanied me to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

The second happiest place on earth.

Cindy gave me the coolest birthday card, it came with a "pocket hot dog" (yes.), which was a bit of a talker.

He got to come along too. 

After spending about 30 minutes taking the above jumping picture (there isn't much spring left in this chicken), we decided to head to the arcade to kill some time before the rides opened. We hit up the DDR, skeeball, and fun house mirrors.

And of course the photobooth. My favorite thing of life.

And then it was lunch time.
Corndogs. Underneath the Hurricane roller coaster.
Mandatory.
All other corndogs are imposters.

Followed by the carousel.

And then two times around on the Giant Dipper. Cue the whiplash. Cue the ibuprofen.

And the Sea Swings. Terrifying. Yet, the best photo op possible. Worth the defying of death just for this shot.

And no trip to Santa Cruz is complete with out a scoop (or two) of Marianne's.
I skipped my traditional 10-20 flavor and went for Burgundy Cherry. Which is more like purple-people-eater-cherry, but still delish.

And wrapped up the day celebrating with a few of my favorite little people, who made me the cutest cake (alongside their Mama), I'm pretty sure they were more excited about my birthday than I was. As they should be.

And one last outing with the pocket hot dog to my favorite local haunt, where I blew out one of those ding-dang-darn candles on purpose, for once.

Alright 32, let's do this thing.

A Simple 4th.

Some years the 4th of July is an all out patriotic festival of fun. 

Some years it is a day of fun, friends, and the good old red, white, and blue.

This year, it was simple fabulousness. 

I woke up early and caught some gorgeous light while taking Mylie out. 

There's something about being up while the rest of the world sleeps in.

Keeping the morning slow with a taste of summer and a hot cup of coffee.

The rest of the morning was spent cleaning my house, for houseguests arriving the next day. 

Mylie supervised.

And once my house was cleaner than it has been in years (thank you for the motivation, visitors), Mylie and I donned our Americana and headed out. 

My Grandma has hosted an annual 4th of July rager for as long as I can remember. Most years I try to make an appearance with at least a friend or two in tow. 

This year was no exception. After we picked up a cone (for America, of course) we headed up to Grandma's.

When it comes to America, Grandma does not mess around. Her house is decked out. And so is she. Also, the apple does not fall far from the tree. 

Well, except for when it comes to technology I guess. Here are Gram's attempts at taking a pic of us girls...

Grandmas, you gotta love them.

Thankfully she managed one clear one.

 

We grabbed some festive and pool safe drinkware and headed outside for some poolside activities.

Which mostly involved a few jumps off the diving board and floating with drink in hand.

The day ended early with a few front yard s'mores(with patriotic star mallows), which were really just lightly roasted marshmallows as I forgot the sterno and we had to sub in a very ineffective votive.

I was home by dark and in bed before fireworks and even caught the sight of a few illegal ones out my window. 

A good way to enjoy a mellow holiday celebrating the freedoms we enjoy here in the good old US of A.

Nuts & Bolts Party Mix: A Recipe from Grandma

Some of you have met my grandma.
Most of you have seen pictures, heard stories, and followed along as she gifts me with some of the most awesome stuff.

If you watch Downton Abbey you will know the Dowager Countess.
In the same way she is the Matriarch of the Granthams, my Grandma has been the Matriarch of our family. Her sass, spunk, and authority runs rampant through everything we do.
She is bossy with a heart of gold, particularly for her grandchildren.
And she will always surprise you with her rational and sensible "I get it" attitude amidst difficulties.
I can't help but think of my Grandma every time I watch it.

Doesn't she just look regal?

It makes me incredibly happy to receive comments about how much you guys all love my Grandma.
She is one of those kinds of ladies.
A school teacher in her town for 60 years. She has taught almost every kid in town at some point or another. Usually their parents. And quite often their grandparents.
Yes. Grandparents.

You can't take her anywhere without being recognized.
People love her.
I love her.
She makes you feel like you are her own grandchild, even if it's the first time you've met her.

She has a generous heart, and a lively spirit.
Summers were spent swimming in her pool, eating tuna sandwiches and jello.
Winters were spent dressing up in 49er gear, rooting on the Red & Gold.
Her house was always loud and crazy during the Superbowls of the 80's.

My grandma can throw a mean party.
She is known for her 4th of July and New Years Eve bashes.
And the party food, it is ALWAYS the same.
ALWAYS.

A cheeseball, salami, cheddar, and Triscuits, onion dip with Ruffles, and of course "Nuts & Bolts".
Which, you may otherwise know as Chex Mix.

But let me tell you, Nuts & Bolts is not the Chex Mix you will find in a bag at the grocery store.
Nope. It's way better.
Way tastier. Way saltier.
And almost as easy to make.

I have been collecting my grandma's recipes, and realized this one was missing.
So I gave her a jingle and she rattled it off to me like she was saying her A, B, C's.
I have probably consumed gallons of this stuff over the years.
Okay, that is for sure an understatement.

So, tomorrow is the big game, Grandma's team is on their Quest for Six, and Nuts & Bolts should be mandatory for Superbowl Parties everywhere.  You still have time to whip up a batch!

Here is what you'll need:

1 1/2 Sticks Margarine 

2 cups Wheat Chex

2 cups Rice Chex

2 cups Corn Chex

1-2 cups Cocktail Peanuts

1-2 cups Cheese-Its

1-2 cups Pretzels 

1-2 tsp Garlic Salt

1-2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

A few things: Grandma was adamant about the margarine. Also, the last batch of Nuts & Bolts that Grandma delivered tasted funny. I asked her about it, and she accidentally used Honey Chex. No. Do yourself a favor and stick to the wheat/rice/corn variety. It's the way it's supposed to be. And as for pretzels, I much prefer the stick vs the twist kind. But, usually I share these with the dog. And the Cheese-It's, they're my favorite part. So be generous with them. 

• Preheat the oven to 250*
• Combine the dry ingredients: Chex, Cheese-Its, Pretzels, & Peanuts.
• Melt the margarine in a roasting pan (I used the bottom of a broiler pan since I don't have one).
• Once melted, stir in the garlic salt and worcestershire sauce. 
• Toss with the the dry ingredients, and coat well. 
• Spread evenly in roasting/broiler pan, and bake for 1 hour, tossing every 20 minutes. 
• (I added a little more worcestershire sauce & garlic salt here, as I felt like it needed it)
• (You MUST toss or else the mix won't crisp up evenly, and will burn).
• Once the mix is a little darker than it started, crispy, and delicious, it is done. 
• My grandma's oven is fast, so you may need an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve to 49er Fans Everywhere!

(If there are any leftovers, store in an airtight container. Feel free to double the batch, I am pretty sure that is what Grandma does, it seems to not get stale too quickly!)

ROLL NINERS.