Insta Friday: What I've Been Up to This Week

Happy Friday,
Linking up with the InstaFriday linky party today...
I've got a random smattering of Instagram shots from my week...enjoy.

First we have Easter Sunday. We had the family over to my parents' house. I took Mylie for a little stroll around the neighborhood to get some of her energy out, and allow the guests to settle in without a Schnoodle on their lap (yeah, it happens). We spent a few minutes sitting on the porch. One of us was a little more than anxious to get back inside. 

 When we went back in, I opened my Easter "basket" from my mom. Starbucks gift card, hair brush, candy, note cards, and a squeaky toy.
I was nice and shared with the little furry girl on my lap. I think she appreciated it more than me.

 

I wasn't feeling too great, so me and the snuggle pups hung out downstairs and ate our brunch. I'm kinda mean. And I didn't share my bacon. 

On Monday, I got play off tickets for the Shark's Game 7. I texted my dad and sister. My sister was excited. My dad did not reply. I called him that night to tell him the news and he said "if there is a game 7". Um, whut? They had to LOSE on Monday night to have a Game 7. They won. Boo. Hiss. Yay.  I still have the tickets...I'll sell them to you for fifty bucks. ;)

Monday evening (before the Sharks won) I met up with my Grandma at her favorite haunt, iHop. This lady loves herself some iHop. But only if there are coupons. She even gave me a few out of her surplus.

She also made me go into the bathroom AT iHop and try on some dresses she bought me. I didn't really get a choice. And my Grandma is a very persuasive lady (...it might run in the family...), so I did as I was told. SO AWKWARD. Thankfully, no one came in. Also thankfully, they have a full length mirror.

After our dinner, Grandma had to head over to Dollar Tree next door. It's like peas and carrots. iHop and the Dollar Tree. They go together.

Tuesday was this cutie pie's birthday. Are you sick of me posting about my dog yet? Mylie got a lot of screen time this week. I promise I'll cut back in the future.

B ut for now, more Mylie.
Watched Survivor with my dad on Wednesday night. As soon as the sun starts to set, somebody is ready for bed. She becomes quite lumpy. And super cute. If I could only get her to snuggle on my lap. But for now, she sits on the opposite side of the sofa. Ear flopped up on the pillow. Too cute.

Thursday, Betsy and I met up at the mall and hit up our favorite store, Cost Plus (aka World Market). I love this store. I could spend my entire paycheck here. They have so much fun stuff that I want to try.

And other stuff, I most definitely DO NOT want to try.

Weird. Gross. All of the above.

Linking up at Life Rearranged! Happy Friday - I hope everyone has a great weekend! :) <3 <3 <3

Coworker Cary's Baked Brie

Everybody needs a simple, go-to party food.

A few years ago, Co-worker Cary introduced me to her now famous Baked Brie.

Or as my brother-in-law calls it, "Brie Pie".

It will change your life.

For the better.

She gave me the recipe (if you could call it that, it is seriously, SO SIMPLE) to use for a party one time, and it has been such a hit that I often receive requests to bring it to the next party.

My mother requested it for Easter Sunday.

I also get occasional texts and emails for the directions so friends can share the brie goodness with others.

It is ooey, and gooey, and sweet, and tangy, and cheesey, and warm. 

Basically, YUM.

I am only bragging, because it is all Co-worker Cary. 

*snaps for Cary*

Here is what you are looking for:

What you need: 

• 1 Puff Pastry Sheet, thawed (they come two per box, throw the other one in the freezer and save for the next party!)
• 1 Brie Wheel (you want the wheel, approximately 6", a little smaller works as well
• Honey
• Dried Cranberries/Craisins
• 1 Egg (optional)
• Anything else your little heart desires.
• Assorted Crackers

Also, you can make this ahead of time and keep refrigerated until about 20 minutes before you need it. 

1. If you are ready to make and bake, preheat your oven to 450*
2. Lay out the thawed puff pastry sheet over a pie dish (or any other kind of pan - doesn't matter too much).
3. Slice the brie round in half, the flat way.
4. Place the bottom half of the brie on the pastry.
5. Drizzle with honey.
6. Sprinkle (generously, seriously, go big here) with Craisins.
7. Drizzle with a little more honey if you are feeling saucy.
8. (Optional) You can use any other filling goodies you can think of, jelly, jam, nuts, etc.
9. Place the other half of the brie round on top.
10. Drizzle with a bit more honey, and sprinkle more Craisins (trust me, you want more.)
11. Fold the four corners of the puff pastry into the center.
12. This makes four more corners, fold/tuck those over to the center as well. Smooth the pastry together so the pastry is closed. (You can fold the pastry however works, this is my decorative "technique")
13. (Optional) Whisk up an egg, and brush an "egg wash" over the exterior of the pastry. This will give it a shiny finish. (I didn't have time to do it this time, but usually I do!)
14. Bake at 450* for 20+ minutes, or until the exterior is golden brown.
15. Let cool for 5-10 minutes to set, slice a small piece and serve with crackers.

Linking this up over here:

Life In Grace Appetizer Party!

Somebody is SIX today!!!*

Believe it or not, this little doggie has been a girl's best friend for SIX YEARS.

Happy Birthday Smiley Girl!!!

*I definitely think this post makes me a crazy dog lady! But oh well!!

Hope San Mateo: Easter Sunday 2011

A few weeks ago, I was going through the book of James. Slowly. Repetitively. Meditating on just one passage a week.

God was teaching me about days like today.

Easter Sunday, 2011.

A day that did not go as planned.

As I lay in bed this morning, I could hear the whooshing of the cars on the street.
I only hear the whooshing when the roads are wet.
Like on rainy days. Today was not supposed to be a rainy day.

Despite checking the weather app on my iPhone and seeing a cloudy day (but no rain) in the forecast before bed, I woke up to raindrops on my window. And on the weather app.

[13] Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—[14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. [15] Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” [16] As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. [17] So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

(James 4:13-17 ESV)

Despite our best efforts, we never know what tomorrow holds. Yesterday, we had no clue that today held rain. Whoops!

Anyway, rain or shine, we worship our Risen Lord! Unsure of what the rest of the day would hold, I met up with the set up peeps at Starbucks at 7:45am. And it was decided that we would relocate from the very scenic, yet very outdoors "Hinky Delinky" to the very INDOOR, very cozy, Grandmum's House.

God provides.

We have been back a few times since the official "launch" on 10.10.10, and it is always nice, and grounding, to get back to our roots.

We set up 37 chairs. (Cause that's all we had).

At around 9:05, people started filing in.

While sitting around waiting for service to start, I heard Kimo whoop with joy, and saw out the window as Jesse came up the walk. A total surprise for her parents and sisters was that she was going to be joining us this Easter Sunday! (I got to be in on the secret, and kept her updated on the location and time change, phew!). She even brought two friends (love meeting more Masters kids!).

By the time 9:30 rolled around Grandmum's house was packed. And people were still trickling in.

S.R.O.

Sitting Room Only.

All 37 seats were full. So was the floor. And I think there may have been a few stragglers standing in back.

Camilla and I had the priveledge of hanging with the kidlets in the back room.

Before I headed out to be with them, I shared a devotional that I read last night in Spurgeon's Evening by Evening.

Easter changes dates ever year, but this year, last night's devotional lined up perfectly with celebrating the risen Lord - honestly, I love this. Jesus' wounds aren't gross, or shameful, they are beauty. They are his rewards, his badges of honor, and love.

April 23 - Evening

"Lo, in the midst of the throne . . . stood a Lamb as it had been slain." Revelation 5:6

Why should our exalted Lord appear in His wounds in glory? The wounds of Jesus are His glories, His jewels, His sacred ornaments. To the eye of the believer, Jesus is passing fair because He is 'white and ruddy' white with innocence, and ruddy with His own blood. We see Him as the lily of matchless purity, and as the rose crimsoned with His own gore.

Christ is lovely upon Olivet and Tabor, and by the sea, but oh! there never was such a matchless Christ as He that did hang upon the cross. There we beheld all His beauties in perfection, all His attributes developed, all His love drawn out, all His character expressed. Beloved, the wounds of Jesus are far more fair in our eyes than all the splendour and pomp of kings.

The thorny crown is more than an imperial diadem. It is true that He bears not now the sceptre of reed, but there was a glory in it that never flashed from sceptre of gold. Jesus wears the appearance of a slain Lamb as His court dress in which He wooed our souls, and redeemed them by His complete atonement. Nor are these only the ornaments of Christ: they are the trophies of His love and of His victory.

He has divided the spoil with the strong. He has redeemed for Himself a great multitude whom no man can number, and these scars are the memorials of the fight. Ah! if Christ thus loves to retain the thought of His sufferings for His people, how precious should his wounds be to us!

'Behold how every wound of His

A precious balm distils,

Which heals the scars that sin had made,

And cures all mortal ills.

'Those wounds are mouths that preach His grace;

The ensigns of His love;

The seals of our expected bliss

In paradise above.'

In the back room, Camilla taught the (very well behaved) kids the story of Thomas (while they sat on the giant polar bear of course). How he was so sad to see Jesus die on the cross. But, three days later, Thomas was hearing rumors that Jesus had risen. But he could not believe until he saw with his own eyes, and felt with his own hands, those precious wounds in Jesus' hands and side.


[29] Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
(John 20:29 ESV)

I love this. I love that God reminded me over and over today of the beauty in Jesus' pain, his wounds,
his SCARS.

He is risen.
He is risen, indeed!

< 
& Fingerprint Friday

Furry Friend Friday: A Girl's Best Friends

Earlier this week, I posted on the loss of my dear friend Morgan.

One of the first things we bonded over was our love for our dogs!

When we met she had two schnauzers, Phoebe and Ashley, and we even snuck them into our dorms for an entire weekend in college. They were total loves!

So when I was on the hunt for a dog of my own, I knew a Schnauzer-Poodle mix was going to be awesome.(And she is!)

Morgan is actually the one who helped me name Mylie! She called me one day and said, "How about Mylie? Like Smiley Mylie." I loved it instantly, and it stuck!

And yes, this was in the days before anyone had even heard of Miley Cyrus - so there is no connection.

Anyway, one of my favorite pictures was when Morgan and John came to visit when I had first gotten my condo, and Mylie was only a few months old - look at this cuteness. She was still tiny and hadn't even had her first haircut yet (look at all those fringies).

Happy Friday! Give your your furry, and not so furry friends an extra squeeze today!

April 20, 2007: He Gives & Takes Away

On June 6, 1981, Morgan Meredith Rohde breathed her first.

On August 21, 1999, Morgan and I became forever friends.

On December 26, 2005, she asked me to stand beside her as her Maid of Honor at her September 22, 2007 wedding.

On April 13, 2007, she and I exchanged our last emails and voicemails, discussing plans for her upcoming wedding and other fun stuff friends talk about.

On April 14, 2007, her life was forever changed.

On April 15, 2007, I flew to her bedside and held her swollen hand, smoothed her matted hair, prayed for her, and cried over her.

On April 16, 2007, I did stand beside her, and I said one last goodbye, which I hoped wouldn't be.

But it was.

On April 20, 2007, Morgan Meredith Rohde breathed her last.

I loved this girl so much.
I am blessed with eight years of crazy wonderful memories.
Sometimes its hard to believe that season of life even happened.
But going through these pictures, and putting together these collages reminds me of what was once real.
Losing a friend when you are 25 is something you never expect to happen.
You don't expect to talk to somebody one day, and the very next know you never will be able to again.
Living the days that were planned, without those plans coming to fruition may be one of the most difficult things I have experienced.

But Glory to God. He was faithful. He was there the whole time. His Spirit comforted. He carried me through that dark season of grief, and loss, and utter sadness. He provided loving friends and caring family who always pointed to Him. He perfectly orchestrated the birth of a sweet little girl, precious new life, during the same week that I awaited news of Morgan's death. He used his people to encourage, and love, and care. When I look back on the months before Morgan's death, I see how He prepared me for that day, that week, and for the strange season of adjusting that followed. He showed me others experiencing loss. He showed me that He is the one who truly gives and takes away.

My heart will choose to say, Lord, Blessed Be Your Name.

I Bruise Black and Bleed Orange*

*True story. Phrase courtesy of Margaret.



Tuesday night a few 16 of us headed out to AT&T Park to watch the

WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS

the

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

take on

the uber lame, uber violent, Los Angeles Dodgers.

Or as my grandma calls them, the "Dirty Dodgers".


(boo. hiss.)

We arrived at the park as the sun started to go down. And bundled up with our scarves, hats, and jackets. 
It was gonna be a COLD night. 

We joined the crowds and walked through the Prop 19 Demonstrations smoke filled haze into the stadium.

We climbed the million stairs up to the upper level, where we had a gorgeous view of the entire park, and the Bay Bridge.

Oh, and World Series Champs banners. 
Obviously.


It was a good night at PacBell AT&T Park.

Our man Timmy (TIMMAYYY!!) was pitching.

Have you seen this kid pitch?


He gets a lot of press for his hair.

And smoking habits.



But this is the real reason they call him The Freak.

He is our freak. 
Our 155lb 180lb powerhouse.
He defines beastly.
Don't be jeal.
Okay, you totally can be. We are the champions after all.

So, despite my love for Timmy (TIMMAYY), my true baseball love is the Hot Dog.
Nothing better than a baseball hot dog.

Well, except a World Series Championship ring.
Which the guys on the field already have covered.


And see that guy sitting next to me?
That's my dad!
He came too!
HOLLA!!!

Anyway, the game was FAB. U. LOUS.
The headwear?
OUT OF CONTROL.
Cindy, Ellen and Ang went for the multicultural look.


And Dave, got some Gold Logo BLING.

So, like, back to the game?

Dodgers scored first. Then we got on the board.
Then we tied it.
And then took the lead.
But then the Dodgers led again.
And the pack of Dodgers fans behind us started cheering louder than the Giants fans.
But that's because we're classy. 
And subtle.
And then we took the lead again.
And Giants fans let loose.

BEAT LA.

BEAT LA.

BEAT LA.

And then it was the 9th inning.
And our other little gem came out.

Maybe you have heard of him?
Brian "Fear the Beard" Wilson.

He is known for his beard.


But I love him for his cleats.


They are pretty sweet.


And certified ONLY 50% orange.


Would not want any MLB fines for going over the 50% mark.

So now, we are only 3 outs away from sending the Dodgers packing.

The chant of BEAT LA was getting louder and louder.

And those Dodger fans? Sitting down. And shutting up.
Their silence was sweet.

 And if you can't tell by the look on Ellen's face, we got the W!!!!!


No, not a blow out.
Not total domination.

Slow.
Steady.
Torturous.


That is how our World Series Champions like to roll.


And we love coming along for the ride.

<

Sometimes things don't go as planned...

For example:


You dream of making something fabulous.


A recipe you have filed away for several months.


And you do your best.


But it just doesn't turn out right.

The good news is...


despite a few (literal) faults and cracks...


it still tastes as delicious as it should.


And, since it's ugly,


you end up with more for yourself.

Garage Saling or is it Garage Sailing...?

Anything Nautical is super trendy right now...so Garage Sailing. Why not?

Anyway, the Johnson's might live at the best Garage Sale house of all time. 

Two falls ago, we were cleaning out their garage - and next thing I knew, Ellen and I were selling all of their stuff. 

Last Spring, along with a few others, I had a sale in their front yard - and they weren't even home.

Their girls were though. And they almost didn't come out alive. 

Seriously. While I was out selling stuff to the early crowd, Ashy was busy doing this:

Once I got her on solid ground, I set her up with some Dora. She came to find me to tell me she wanted "waaaawaaaa" - while wiggling a sign language W. 

It was the beginning of the Sign Language days.  For everybody. I wasn't fluent in A.S.L., S.E.E. or A.S.H.L.Y.N.

I got the girl some water.

But that wasn't what she wanted.

So I hit replay on "dora" - since it kinda sounded similar.

No. She came and found me, practically BEGGING me for "waaawaaa".

"IIIIIIIIIII."

"WANNNNNNNN"

"MOOOOO-AAAHHHH"

"WAAAAA-FUUUUHHHHHH."

Then I realized I hadn't fed her.

She wanted a WAF-FLE. Got it. Whoops. 

W.B.E. 

Worst babysitter ever.

This is why I don't let them pay me.

And then I made the girls sell my stuff.

They are pretty cute, I got a few offers on them as well - and the money was very tempting.

(Okay, only kidding!)

And then, I did this to Ashy. 

Poor baby. Seriously. Hide yo' kids.

This year Jess was there. So, thankfully I was able to NOT injure her children while I pawned my stuff on driveway.

My house has been collecting clutter for almost a year - since our last sale.
The loft basically became a storage unit. Totally forgot to take a before picture.
But, just imagine PILES of stuff.
The staircase was also FULL of garage sale stuff I had been collecting just the last couple of weeks.
So, on Friday, I hauled it all out of the loft, and off the stairs.
And made it to my car in three grocery carts.
Which I considered a major success.
Also a success, is not having piles on the stairs.
So good. So freeing.

Which is not to say there weren't a few casualties.
I piled that last cart a little too high.
And lost a bag.
Full of mugs.

I swept it up. And went down to the first floor where some glass had even gone over the edge.
I highly recommend shoes if walking around my complex in the next few weeks.


Anyway, car was loaded for Saturday.

The sale was great! Even better, people around the corner having their own sale, and marketing it. Right in front of ours. Which totally benefitted us.

Even KK and her friend made a killing! Which she later informed me they ended up giving up to purchase a book on Shells from Hannah.

Jon manned the couch. Literally. Only man. Never left the couch.
But it was convenient because he could also man my "store" while I ate lunch. And hacked online.

The rest of us rotated through the seats.
Claire and Hannah were on the opposite side of the yard, but they were making some killer sales.
Jess and EMJ covered the middle.

As Jess and Dave move to a new house in a new neighborhood, I think we are all really sad. 

I mean, we are losing our "store."

Okay, it's more than that.

They are only about 2 more minutes away, but there are so many awesome memories at this house. Around their table (sold!). On their couch (sold!) And in their yard. Seriously. PERFECT. GARAGE SALE. LOCATION.

It's probably a good selling point to put on the MLS Listing.

I think whoever lives here next may be a little surprised when we show up next spring to sell our junk! 

Because I totally will.