This weekend was a very fun one. I have no pictures from the best part, but we had a lovely little pool party grill out with my fam as well as a visit from K's. The new place has a community pool and grills so we had tons of fun with everyone swimming and eating. I even made some fresh mango salsa that turned out pretty well. 

Unfortunately, everyone forgot cameras. For now, we must harken back to the pre-digital days and feel content with the words. Nithi and her Aji and Grandpa-Grandpa were having a blast. LP got to enjoy the extra hands without pining for her baby and K was a manly man at the grill and a kid at heart coloring with little Miss. It felt fun to finally be an adult in the family, with a place that is well put together enough to host a soiree. As the youngest child I have been waiting a long time to be able to be the one that has everyone over. I went to bed feeling my near 23 years finally haha. 

Also, we tried out one of our many local farmer's markets. Upon prompting K to swear up and down that this was not one of those things that would prompt him to want to complain to his friends later on with a sentiment reminiscent of "Women be draggin you to the Farmer's market", we got up bright and early, budgeted a few dollars of cash and went a shoppin. Good stuff, we only bought the stuff that was actually a deal and it has been very delicious so far. 

Also, updates on our apartment. We felt the sting of loss this week as my bright and happy fish Rudy Sprinkles Cluck Cluck already passed. I have never killed a fish, they have always lived to a happy old age. I have deduced it is probably due to the new bowl and thus, no more column fishy. Sigh. 

I haven't killed everything in the place though, look at our thriving plants! 

We've been making living progress as well, and after a too good to pass up sale on our futon that we've been waiting for, it came home with us and completed our apartment furniture. This is the only piece we bought, thank you to everyone who helped supply us:) 

Hi futon:) It nearly killed me with its behemoth weight, but now it lives with us quite happily. 

Our sunny room. 

Thanks Mom and Pop for the awesome barstools and Daddy-o for his old chair, it's the best! 

Thanks Lawrence friends for our table! 

Thanks roommate A for our bookshelf (yes, Alcatraz is still alive).

I am not longer in the throws of happiness over the weather, as the summer heat has rolled in like a down blanket in the desert. However, Spring is delightful but Summer is the real bounty and I am beginning to cook, not just bake. I always knew the basics from my Mom, the best in my opinion, but I was generally lazy and preferred raw simple foods anyway. But as my restaurant budget gets cut to nearly nill (thank goodness), I am finding it is fun to cook and make things up with what I've got (a trait my sister's wear much better). Who knows, there might be updates on my trials. 

Clearance bags of sea glass (2.99 X 2), a little fishing line and a hot glue gun. Ta da. We have vaulted ceilings that make our living room walls huge, and while I salivate over large, interesting, actual art pieces I am pretty happy with my modest effort for now:) 

Also, I love apartment therapy and I often enter in their contests for cool stuff. I won a gift certificate to canvaspop where they will print photos for you on canvas. 

We orded these 

They will make me pretty darn happy and with a gift certificate and cheap, DIY framing planned they did not cause us any financial hardship:) 

That is all from this happy home right now. 

He loved it a lot and I laughed quite a bit myself. He and B had a special bond during the viewing as they said goodbye to their tiny fictional plastic/polymer friends. 

My beautiful sister and I. 

"I send my Aji and Aunts into fits when I wear a sailor suit dress....Power people" 

Anybody want an Animal cracker? 

Once upon a time there was the cutest little ray of sunshine. 

She delighted in gadgets and gidgets. 

And sweet things 

And FUN 

She was smart and thoughtful and ready to try. 

She started out small, but grew quite tall. And everyone loved her the best. 

So they thanked their lucky stars that she shown each day. 

Ok, so that isn't really his name, mainly it is just Rudy, but those were all possibilities. He is pretty much the cutest fish alive though. 

He is a Red Ryukin (basically a type of fantail goldfish). He makes me really happy and loves his older brother (maybe) 

This is Alcatraz and he is six years old. He is a Cichlid and scares me a little. He is really fast, hence the blurry picture and has made a lot of jumps to freedom/death. He is a little snooty and prone to anger, but...we have things in common and are slowly bonding. 

There are no shortage of antics going on at the new place as well. Getting a grown up kid place does not somehow negate all our natural goofiness. Witness the scene when one night K comes home from work and as usual needs a drink of milk (we buy it two gallons at a time at this point). 

Here he is hiding in the corner because he couldn't take a drink near me as I kept making him laugh. 

Sometimes, we drink from the carton. 

Trips to K-ville to visit A&B this week, and hopefully some job news to come. 

In culinary news, K has some days off now (as opposed to the three job days) and he has been joining in to cook with/for me. It is awesome. I like to be able to cook for other people and have already fully broken in the new kitchen, but it is much more fun when someone helps. It makes it an experiment....and the dirty dishes disappear more quickly. 

This man made me chocolate chip banana pancakes in the morning. 

Then we made "The Kielbasi Shakedown" Adapted from a camping recipe, I told him that my brother-in-law always comes up with clever and inventive names for his dishes, and so the shakedown began. While this man may still be learning some differences between a kitchen and a campfire, it was superb. I made fresh basil and garlic parmesan bread to go with and it was a delicious little feast. 

It was every bit as fun as going out to eat. 

Speaking of which, updates to come include hopefully good news from the two job interviews I had this week

 progress on living things 

and one fish,TWO fish, the fish that live with us. 

[A taste of the moving menu, gratis from our rental insurance agent] 

There was also a great cook-off. Once my fun-loving mom and sis LP got wind of K's love of chicken fried steak, they whole-heartedly decided to join in the American fun. Neither of them having ever made this classic dish, they decided to take on the challenge equally handicapped and went head to head in a cook-off. The results were delectable and the men had fun scoring up the results. They were both excellent, especially given they had never tried their hands at this sort of steak (I finally figured out whether it was steak or chicken, it is cow people) 

Another plus of our move is that we've enjoyed our new location and thus have gotten in some more quality family time. Swimming with the vivacious Nithi was my recent treat and trial, given her nerves of steel as she attempts to leap right in and get to paddlin. She has no fear and loves every second of it, making her squirmy delight an adventure of the best sort. LP's neighborhood saltwater pool was fun and we can't wait to have them over to our new pool in turn. 

And last but not least I must reiterate my love of the warm weather. We took a day out of packing to make the trek for gardening supplies. Given our modest budget, you'd be surprised how giddy we got over the teensy seedlings now in our charge. I love having living things around, and given our new forest surroundings, there is no end in sight. For now, pictures of our new little cuties that lay in danger of ardent over-watering at the moment from our furtive efforts. 

Topsy Turvy Tomatoes! 

Impatients (pretty apt given my nature...get it?) 

The future home of our strawberry plants

Window herbs are all the rage

Geranium in a cracked fishbowl, reuse and recycle everybody 

That does it. The weekend update stands thusly: pretty darn happy as usual. Ever since I struck out on my own and K came into my life, things are pretty peachy no matter the obstacle. While I am bracing myself for the stress that comes with two new interviews next week, I also get to delight over the ability to bake bread in the awesomeness of what, after only about a week, has already become home.