Sweet and Sour Sunday - Trying new recipes

Our house chores are usually divided by outdoor and indoor.  Outdoor is Jeff's section and indoor is mine.  Although we do try and help out each other for what ever job needs to get done. As for day to day stuff, I cook and he cleans.  He vacuums and I mop.  We can both say that it's pretty even when it comes to chores.  I am getting a little side track because this post is about something sweet and something sour or tart.  A few days ago I open a container in the fridge and it had pineapple chunks that Jeff had done.  I guess I completely forgot about it and some of the pieces are getting a little brown.  So I took out what was bad, place the good ones in a pot and added some sugar, juice, jalapeno, red peppers, cinnamon, olive oil, ginger and finally salt and pepper.  The result is what I am calling, Pineapple red pepper chutney.  Shortly after I checked the fridge again and found some tomatillos but one was dead.  I decided to cut them in half, add a little salt and olive oil and baked at 400 F for a few minutes.  Once it was done, I place them in my mini kitchen aid chopper and added jalapeno and a bunch of cilantro.  The result is one jar of chili verde sauce for later.  Last weekend, we were invited to one of the neighbors home as they had a few people over to begin our summer get together.  The host asked if I don't mind making a salad.  Of course I quickly checked my Pinterest pins and sure enough I found the Herb Lemon Orzo Spinach Salad.  It was very simple, very refreshing (basil and mint) and with a lemon and olive oil dressing. 

My Victoria day breakfast last week.  Waffles with strawberries and whip cream plus bacon.

Herb Lemon Orzo Salad

Home made chili verde sauce (tomatillos, jalapenos and cilantro)

Pineapple red peppers chutney

Spiritual Saturday - Inspirational Daybrightener

Last month I had a chance to shop at Hobby Lobby in Morgan Hill, California.  If you have not been to one, check out their website or the store.  It's too bad they do not have one in Canada. It is a huge store filled with arts and crafts and many more.  I bought some fabrics that were on sale, a few packages of gromets for some of the sewing projects, a special lemon drops candy, a couple of cute headband and finally a flip calendar (The Broken Way).  I did not have my glasses so I couldn't read what type it was.  When I got home, I finally got a chance to read it and it was in fact an Inspirational Dayspring "day brightener".  So basically they are inspirational words but some are more religious than others.  I thought of sharing a few that I had just read from the past week.  Did they make my day brighter?  Not really, but it made me think and said, hmmm. Here's a few that I thought was something to think about.

• Before you blink and your one life's a tendril of smoke, a memory, a vapor, gone, know this: you are where you are for such a time as this -- not make an impression but to make a difference.
• We aren't here to one-up one another, but to help one another up.
• No chance in circumstances can change your life like meaning and purpose can.  No certain place can give you an abundant life like a certain purpose can.  Like purpose and meaning and connection can.
• The greatest living always happens through the givenness.
• Empty, poured-out buckets are actually the fullest buckets.

Trailing Thursday - Rail Trail and Kekuli Bay

When we came back from San Jose, Jeff brought back a used expensive bike that his buddy from his former work place.  He was going to try and find a used mountain bike and for some reason, his buddy had an old one that he thought maybe Jeff might want to get back into mountain biking.  And now he is definitely enjoying the beautiful rail trail and other bike trails in our area.  All I can say is that the photos that he has taken looks so peaceful and serene.  It's too bad I am not into biking.  But then again, Jeff is not into golf.  I guess we just have different sports that we prefer.  We still go out and play tennis when we can and during the winter we try to play squash where there's nothing else to do.  So here are some of the photos Jeff shared during some of his escapades.

Majestic Monday - Happy Victoria Day

Victoria Day is celebrated in Canada in honor of Queen Victoria's birthday and it was declared as a Canadian holiday by the Government in 1845.  The Queen's birthday is actually May 24, but the holiday is celebrated on the 3rd Monday of May.  And since today is the 21 of the month, for some it is the sign of the beginning of summer.  Although it is still a month for summer to really kick off, others take advantage of this long weekend to go on a short trip somewhere maybe adding an extra day before and after this weekend.  Some of our friends have already taken their trailer, RV or camper to take advantage of the warm weather of May.  Some smaller cities have organized outdoor activities to celebrate this day.  For us, we have chores inside our home that needs to be finished as well as some weeding in the garden for Jeff.  It has rained for a couple of days and so outdoor chores have been postponed.  While I stay inside to do the chores, I have some sewing project that needs to be completed before the end of the month.  Whatever you plan to do this long weekend, have fun, safe travels and enjoy the time off.  

Secret Saturday - Amazing scene at the course

As much as I don't want to take out my phone and take photos during my round of golf, there are moments where it's a must.  My golf buddy says I am addicted to my phone because I will take it out to take a photo of anything interesting that I notice at the golf course.  Not only flowers but I have been taking whatever strikes me as something shareable to the followers of my blog.  So here's the latest take just from this week but I added some that was shared and other ones that I probably took a week or two ago.  Some are so cute and maybe one a little scary.  Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did when I saw it.

The family trying to get in the creek near the bowling alley.

On # 15 hole, the duck sitting so patiently on her nest.

This is a little scary, like that movie the Birds.

Friday morning on hole # 9, a wet and cold morning, baby ducks huddled.

Sylvia, the neighbor of my MIL, she's 94 years old, she just loves to weed.

Hopefully the family was able to restore this fig tree,

Tuneful Thursday - Gary Cable Project

It has been a very long time since we have seen a live performance of some sort of a band.  After my golf buddy mentioned about this group that will be in town, we thought we could check it out.  The place is called the Vernon Performing Arts Theater.  The 8 piece band members are a combination of great musicians from all over Canada/USA.  They covered songs of Chicago, Lighthouse, Toto, Steely Dan, Santana, Earth Wind and Fire, Supertramp, Blood Sweat and Tears and finally Elton John.  These musicians have performed with so many different legends through the years.  They also have recorded with some of the great stars like Joe Cocker, Bryan Adams, Michael Bublé, The Pointer Sisters, David Foster, Natalie Cole, Chris de Burgh, Chilliwack, Powder Blues, Nickelback, Ian Tyson, Sarah McLachlan.  For the first set they covered the following songs and there were more but I didn't know a couple of songs and one I couldn't remember. LOL

• Does anybody really know what time it is - Chicago
• 25 or 624 - Chicago
• Jump - Jive
• Reelin' in the years - Steely Dan
• Ricky don't lose my number - Steely Dan
• Lady in Red - Chris de Burgh
• Smooth - Santana
• Brandy you're a fine girl - Looking glass
• Power of love - Huey Lewis

For the second set, their guest singer was Alfie Zappacosta (don't really remember him nor his songs).  Although it was a shorter set, they covered some really great favorites of the 70's.

• Piano Man - Billy Joel
• Saturday in the Park - Chicago
• Ride like the wind - Christopher Cross
• Spinning Wheel - Blood, sweat and tears
• You've made me so very happy - Blood, sweat and tears
• Africa - Toto
• Rosanna - Toto

As for the encore, they sang a couple of tunes, first for the Stray Cats and the final song was a good one but this morning, I couldn't remember. I was trying to write the names of the song but it was too difficult to write in the dark.  Surprisingly enough I remember all the other ones.  Not sure if Jeff enjoyed it even after a bought him a chocolate chip cookies.  He was yawning each time I turn to him.  I truly believe he was bored as it was not hard rock.  Almost forgot, the total proceeds of this event is to support BC Cancer Foundation.  Actually not just the Vernon event, event the Kelowna and the North Vancouver ones are all going to a couple of charities.  I would definitely watch out for their next event in our city but maybe take my girlfriend instead of Jeff.  He will probably won't mind just staying home watching something like Game of Thrones or Killing Eve.

Wooden Wednesday - A new sewing table

Every year I always say that on mother's day, I won't do anything that involves working around house like cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.  But it seems like every year, I end up doing something because I got excited about something.  This year we decided to check a big garage sale at a high end community near the golf course in Kelowna.  Although we did not get there that early, I was able to buy a really nice table (computer desk) with a matching chair.  I bargained a little bit and since the lady who was selling it knew my friend who is their next door, she gave me a deal.  Jeff had to disassemble the desk, removing the legs in order to fit in the car.  I waited for a day and on Sunday which is mother's day, Jeff ask me if I wanted my new desk set up.  Of course I jumped on the offer.  Well, it was like a domino effect.  First the desk, then I reorganized all the bins and all the notions that was on top of my previous sewing table.  I took my time to get everything in it's proper place. For now I can start sewing and doing some of my crafts but I know that it will need another reorganizing for me to be truly satisfied with the layout.  I like everything to be practical and easy to access.  At some point I need to reorganize my fabrics, etc since I bought additional fabrics that were on sale while visiting the US.  Another project that needs to be done is a couple of dry flower arrangements for our backyard.  I was able to buy some really nice autumn colors also at the garage sale in addition to the nice vases which was also cheap but expensive looking.  It was well worth checking garage sales in expensive areas of the city.