Louie!!

We now have a few new editions to our decor...

a dog bed

dog dishes

and Louie!!!

Our 80s Rock Star dog. Doesn't it look like he is sporting a mullet? We saw Louie at the PetSmart adoption one Sunday afternoon and couldn't stop thinking about him! We has been such a great addition to our family and we can't wait for you to meet him. I'll post Louie stories as they happen - but for now you will find this amusing. I don't think he likes when his feet get dirty! Definitely made for us.

Emerald Cove Pizza Parlor

Welcome! To the Emerald Cove Pizza Parlor!

This has definitely been a home away from home for the last month or so. We are in the middle of the last session and I have to say I have been blessed by this camp. The staff is fabulous and the kids are sweet.

A few photos for ya and a recipe at the bottom if you want to try it for yourself!

All of the staff made pizzas with their favorite toppings and then I put them all up with their names. Took me right back to ROES and my old classroom days of bulletin board making. My Pizza (on top) is of course - CHEESELESS!!!

sample toppings

a camper creation - also cheeseless!

Don't they look yummy!! Don't be fooled - you wouldn't want to eat this...unless of course you want your sodium level to skyrocket!

Here is how we did it:

1. To make enough dough for one pizza mix together (with your hands of course):

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

1 tbsp cream of tartar

(Note: you may need to add more flour or water to get desired consistency - should be pretty moldable but not too wet.)

2. Go to the local pizza store and ask for the small size pizza box

3. paint it white (we used primer) and when dry create your own box top

4. mold dough into pizza and add favorite toppings (see samples above!)

5. PAINT! We used washable tempera for the box and the pizza.

Come on Over!

Our table is almost finished! Matt is out there putting the benches on as I post this! What a fun process this was. We first painted the table with a gray primer, so it wouldn't turn pink when we added the red. Then came the red and now it is ready. We love our red picnic table. Please be our guest!

Coming Up for Air...well sort of...

Sunday, June 13th: Matt graduates! So fun to be the proud wife of a graduate!

Monday, June 14th: Matt hits the ground running at Beckman Coulter. He loves it! We praise God often for such a great job and a wonderful group of people for him to work with. He is drinking from a fire hose with all of the ins and outs of HR to learn, but doing it with his usual grace and style.

Friday, June 18th: Move to our new home in Orange! We love it here. We have closets, washer and dryer, dishwasher, garage and a backyard! We are definitely living the high life and couldn't be happier. I'll post finished pictures soon - still have decorating left to do and a half painted red picnic table in the garage.

4th of July: Matt visited his brother who is working up at Hume Lake! So fun for the family to get together. I was bummed to not be able to go, but I have been loving my summer job! I have been working as the arts and crafts gal at Emerald Cove Day Camp. There I am better know as Zuma and have been leading the kids through making dough and using it to create a tasty-looking though non-edible pizza, balloon bean balls and lanyards. These kids are a treat to spend the day with and I have been reminded about having some good old fashioned fun through songs, games, giant water slides and more.

So there you have it! We have been keeping busy and enjoying life post-grad school for Matt. I love that we don't have to consider homework when planning our weekend. God is so great to us. We are abundantly blessed with the fullness of our lives.

This is how you know you are moving!

We move this weekend and boy has it been quite a week! Graduation, full time work for the first time in 2 years (for Matt) and now packing boxes. We are almost ready for the movers....

Looking forward to hosting you at our new place in Orange!!

They have him pegged!

For the past two years Matt has worked as an Ambassador for the Business School. He read hundreds of applications, hosted a multitude of students interested in the Paul Merage School of Business and planned events for admitted and interested student. I'm pretty sure he did more than that, but that is all I know about. At the end of each year they have a dinner to celebrate another year on the job and they give these awards to the graduates. Each award has to do with character and personality. I'd say they know my guy pretty well! What I know and what makes me love him all the more is that his motivation comes from the Lord!

Lemons, Lemons and More Lemons!

A few weeks back my church had its annual Spring Tea! It was such a fun day and totally fun to get ready for. My great friend Stacy and I put together the "Backyard" Theme table you see below. We used burlap and flowers found in the yard. We used twine and sticks. We gave honey and drank from mason jars. We had a jar of Meyer Lemons - straight from the Farmer's Market! Better than the table was the message. Our pastor's wife taught us about Perfect Peace. Peace that comes from the Father, a good and perfect gift. I have benefited from this gift many times over. If left to my own devices I worry and become anxious. Bu,t if I go to the Lord and hand over my worries He promises PEACE! Not just peace, but perfect peace...you know...the kind that surpasses understanding as promised in Phil 4:6-7.

Well...after the Tea I still had all those LEMONS! So Matt and I decided to challenge ourselves and see how many recipes we could come up with that use lemons or rind or juice. Here are our results. We had a fabulous lemony dinner and I recommend every recipe we made!

First up: Lemon Herb Muffins - Betty Crocker

These were delicious! They would be great with a quiche or egg dish for brunch or grilled chicken for dinner.

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups Bisquick mix (we used Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking mix)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or basil leaves, crumbled (we used rosemary)
• 1/4 cup white coarse sugar crystals, if desired (we used brown sugar)

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Place paper baking cup in each of the 12 regular sized muffin cups

2. Beat eggs slightly in medium bowl; stir in remaining ingredients except sugar crystals, just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among cups, sprinkle with sugar

3. Bake 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown

Next: Lemonade - of course!

6 lemons
1 cup white sugar
6 cups cold water

Juice the lemons to made 1 cup lemon juice. Combine with 6 cups water and white sugar.

We did it this way, but I recommend making a simple syrup with the sugar and water. You boil 1 cup water and then add 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool and add the rest of the water. Then combine with the lemon juice. I think this will work better!


Third: Lemon Blackberry Scones

I saw this recipe on my friend Michelle's Blog. You must try it! They were delicious. Click here to go to the recipe. She used blueberries for her recipe, but the grocery store here in the OC just had a small carton for like $50 dollars - so I went with the Blackberries. Came out great!


Last: I saved the best for last! These were amazing Crab Cakes!

I have such a thing for crab cakes and have been wanting to try my hand at them. This was my chance and boy am I glad we did! I savored every bite and can't wait to make them again! We didn't make the remoulade because we didn't have all of those ingredients, but I would next time. I think it would definitely add to it. We served it with mixed greens tossed with a balsamic vinegarette and avacado slices.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Crab cakes:

• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. mayo
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 lb. lump crab meat
• 1 tsp. olive oil

Remoulade (best made one day ahead to allow flavors to marry):

• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 Tbsp. chopped shallots
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. capers, drained and chopped
• 2 tsp. creole mustard
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt

1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 8 ingredients. Add panko and crab, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Fill a 1/3 dry measuring cup with crab mixture. Invert onto work surface and gently pat into a 3/4-in thick patty. Repeat, forming 8 cakes.
3. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add 4 crab cakes to pan. Cook 4 minutes, or until bottoms are golden. Turn cakes. Cook another 4 minutes. Remove cakes and keep warm.
4. To prepare remoulade, combine 1/4 cup mayo and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Stir with whisk.

Bon Apetite!