Scorching Sunday - Heat Wave

Last day of June and we are experiencing major heat wave.  We must have picked the two hottest day to take our two day trip to Napa Wine Country.  You are probably wondering how hot it was.  We left on Friday around noon and arrive at our destination mid afternoon and it was 100 F.   It was nice and cool inside the Twin Pine Casino and Hotel which we enjoyed a little gambling.  The next day after checking out, the temperature outside was 113F.  Here's my proof.

Our two day get away during the hottest days in both Napa and our home area, it was still a fun break for us.  I will have to do another post about the Korbel Winery and complete my report.  For now, I have to chill in our living room with my feet in a small bucket of ice water.

Sincere Saturday - Not a day I'd like to remember

When I was around five or six years old, I was so disappointed about having my birthday party cancelled, I cut out all the number 28 for each month of the calendar.  Today is one of those days, I feel like I should cut out this day from the calendar.  Maybe it's a bit extreme but my daughter tell it like it is, she says "it's not a day I like to remember and there's nothing to celebrate".  Each year after my son died, I would write a poem because it was a way that I could express how I truly feels.  This year is different because I have been trying to write a poem for day and it's not getting done.  I started asking myself the question "am I not in pain, am I finally accepting what happened to my son, does time really heals?

My son Gino and I used to sing this together on the PS2 game "Sing Star".  I cannot help but think of him every time this song is played on the radio.  

 

Fall Friday - It's autumn but it's about losing

How can all my favorites lose during the first and second round of Wimbledon? Is there a bad karma going around?  I was watching the last couple of days of the coverage and it was getting so sad.  And how many times can one slide, fall and hurt themselves?  If you have not followed any of the matches, here's why I am calling this fall Friday.

• Rafa Nadal lost on the first round to some unranked player.
• Roger Federer lost on the second round to a player I've never heard off.
• Maria fell so many times and it hurts and lost too.
• John Isner hurt his knee.
• Victoria Azarenka fell and had to retire.

The list can go on because there were so many upsets I am not sure if I am even going to watch the quarterfinals nor the finals.  But there's one important thing that I learned from Roger during his press conference after his loss.  It's called the 24 hour Rule.  It's simple but I believe it will be a great rule to follow on how you deal with life's disappointments or success.  

 

 “Well, what do you do after something like this? What do you do?” Federer said. “Do you do the 24‑hour rule? You don’t panic at this point, that’s clear. Just go back to work and come back stronger. Somewhat simple. Hard to do sometimes. But usually I do turnarounds pretty good.”

 

Truthful Thursday - Golf Shoes Wrap

One of our golfer on Thursday told me that I could probably make these special golf shoes wrap or accessories since she hear that I am very creative with my sewing.  So here is how it started and how it ends.

This is my Nike Golf Shoes with the new wrap I made which I wear with my pink golf outfits.

This is the extra one I made for my other white golf shoes and will use a matching green laces.

This is the original one that my friend lent in order for me to make a pattern.

This is how it looks once you lace it up.  They are reversible and so are the ones I made

Now that I have the pattern, I can create as many wraps as I need because I can just use some of my left over fabrics.  Truthfully, I am just too cheap to buy them but then again, the ones I made will be all original and I will be the only one who has those patterns and colors.

Win Win Wednesday - Golf treats

Remember the expression it's better to give than to receive.  When you do a lot of giving at some point something does happen and you end up as the receiver.  Since I started golfing with different friends during the week, I always try to bring a small snack for everyone.  I have to pack my lunch and a little treat for my self, so it's not a big deal to do some extras.

Today, my golf buddy Bruce brought me something special that he made.  At first I thought that he was just bragging about it and would not come through with his promise.  On the 13th hole, we stopped to have a little snack that he made specially for me.  Check it out.

Musubi (spam, nori, rice and special seasoning on top)

In return, I brought him the freshly made Brownies by Jeff which became our dessert after a couple of these awesome Musubi.  I will definitely start making these and creating several varieties in preparation for my daughter and SIL next visit.  For some reason I have a feeling that they will love it.

Terrific Tuesday - Mr. Fix It

What is terrific about Tuesday?  My Nintendo DS is fixed.  My terrific husband Jeff aka Mr. Fix it, repaired the DS and last night he showed it to me and it is definitely working again.  Although I have to be careful when opening and closing it, the good news is that I can actually play with it.  This is one of Jeff's many talents.  When something is not working in the house whether it is an electronic item or anything inside or outside the home, he would try and check it out. He would also do some research if he is unsure how to fix it.  Recently he has fixed the following:

• My broken Nintendo DS
• The air matress in our guest bedroom
• The living room light/switch
• Changed oil on my car
• He is currently working on the bannister for our stairs

I am truly very lucky to have a very handy man around the house.  By the way, did I mention that he makes the most moist and fudgy brownie.  He can also make some awesome chocolate chip cookies which he learned from my MIL.  
 

Mishaps Monday - Wimbledon Opens

It's that time of the year again, the Wimbledon 2013 began today.  The first round coverage started at four in the morning and I forgot to record it.  No big deal because the total hours of coverage is usually between 6 to 8 hours.  When I got up and turn the TV, flip through the channels, that's when I realized that it had began.  I decided to record as many days as I can so I won't miss any of the matches.  Unfortunately one of my favorites has been eliminated during the first round.  Rafa aka Rafael Nadal lost to Darci - have not heard of this player.  The good news is that my top favorites Roger and Maria have moved on to the second round.  I will be watching a lot of tennis for the next two weeks.  The house chores will be done during commercials.  Another benefit is the timing of the coverage due to London time.  Being really early does not conflict with any of the shows that Jeff records.  One more excitement tonight is the Stanley Cup #6 game.  I am cheering for the Bruins as it was the first hockey team that I liked when I first learned about hockey in 1974.  Good luck to Boston tonight and hope they will at least get a chance to play the seventh game.  

Sorry Sunday - My Nintendo DS is broken

How can I get mad at Gamble (Jeff's grandson who is 6 yrs old) who broke my DS this morning?  For years I have never shown him or let him play with this game.  Last night he was getting bored so I introduced him to my DS and he was very happy because there were a lot of games to choose from.  This morning after breakfast he wanted to play with it again.  It was time for him to change from PJ's to day clothes so I asked him to give the DS to his Grampa.  Instead of handing it to him, he threw it while it was open and landed on the couch.

I didn't think of it then but I specifically said don't throw it and he did.  When he came back to play with it again, he noticed that a piece was falling off.  My heart just stopped as I knew that my favorite toy is now broken.  I wanted to cry but I couldn't let him see me so I went to our room and called my daughter.  Of course she had some perfect solution and was so adult about it and advised me to talk to Gamble about what he did and explain the importance of taking care of someone else's toy.  Gamble said "Sorry Ola".  "Are you mad or just a little mad" then he said "Are you disappointed?".  I told him that he had to save up his allowance if any to buy me a new one.  He then said that he has been saving for a PS3 which cost a lot of money and so far he has only $30 saved up.  Jeff says he will try to fix it but I believe it is not fixable.  I told him to buy a new one which I will give to my daughter in exchange for her old one that she will give me so that my memory card full of games (which my son gave me) will still work.  I am still sad of what has transpired this morning.  In a way I blame myself for sharing something that I treasure so much.  I know that it can be replaced by it's never going to be the same.  Oh bother.  I guess I just have to suck it up and find a replacement.  What would you do if you were in my position?  

 

 

 

Sensational Saturday - The RANCH

Our very good friends Jean and Gil gave me a very special gift for my 60th birthday - A gift certificate to play at the famous golf course in the bay area called The RANCH.  Although it is a very difficult course for me to play because of the contour and the distance, the spectacular view is an awesome experience therefore still one of my favorites.  Since Jeff is really not one to golf the regular course (takes too long), I have decided to take my favorites.  Chris and Gil works with Jeff and I've had several opportunity to golf with them in other courses in the bay area (Sunnyvale GC, San Jose Muni, and Los Lagos).  They are such nice guys who are very easy going, even keel and of course fun.  Our fourth is Ethan who I play on our Thursday group and works at the golf course where I volunteer.  He currently runs the youth summer golf camp, therefore he has all the patience in the world to take care of those eager young golfers.  My golf instruction Matt advised me to just have fun, don't bother scoring and bring lots of balls.  He is probably right and I plan to do just that.  The last time I played there was last September with my girlfriend from Canada.  She was a little wild when driving the cart so I am hoping that whoever I am riding with this time be a little more subdued.

#1 HOLE

#10 HOLE

Feline Friday - Only for Cat lovers

Today is the first day of summer or you can also say the longest day of the year.  I really don't have a lot to talk about except for one life experience that I always remember every time June 21 comes along.  When I was living in Yellowknife, I had a chance to go with the local high school theatre group who took the everyone who participated in the Fiddler on the Roof play.  We performed in a small town called INUVIK.  After one of the performance everyone was out watching the sunset and sunrise which was amazing.  Not really sure how long it took but that something you cannot see unless you are up there, way up there.

Now for my main feature, meet my friend's cat.  I took their photo and Jean told me that they really cute and so I am sharing them to all my friends who are cat lovers.  Unfortunately I had to warn my daughter not to read my blog today.  

Buster always hides when visitors arrive, except yesterday, he actually came and sat in his bed.

Herc (Hercules) is the friendly one, likes to be brushed and sits patiently waiting for her food.

Wonderful Wednesday - Beauty regimen

When I missed the bonus special from Clinique this spring and product change, I decided to find a new moisturizer for my face.  It was a truly easy process.  While watching the new Aveeno commercial by Jennifer Aniston, I decided to try it out and bought it at Target.  As for the the rest of the daily make up regimen, I kept the same powder from Sephora #35.  I stopped by their store to pick up my birthday surprise and end up buying this new blush which was a great deal.  Last night I realized that I used my last daily facial cleanser wipe.  Now I need to get a couple of packages which I get at my secret store because it's inexpensive.  Honestly, I don't spend a lot of money for beauty products and I am very lucky because at my age, I still don't have a lot of wrinkles (maybe a couple).  Every now and again I get some nice products from my daughter which I love using.

Available at any pharmacy but Target has the better price.

Today is the first day I am trying this and it's amazingly simple

This has been my favorite for a couple of years. It's easy to remember the number.

 

Tasty Tuesday - Trying out new recipes

What do you do when you have no idea on what you will make for dinner? Most of the time I will take out some type of meat, either chicken, pork or beef from the freezer.  Then I would be checking out what is in our vegetable crisper.  That's when I discovered that I had a bunch of parsley.  What am I going to do with that?  Then I recall watching one food network show while they make chimichurri sauce.  I am sure you already know what happens next.  When Jeff got home he asked what's for dinner so I showed him.  He's reaction - ooh that's really green!  Dinner that night was great and I mixed some more green salad.  It was a very hot day so I thought it would be nice to have really cool drinks.

Spicy Caesar for me and Margarita for Jeff

Chimichurri chiken

My daughter recently ask me to check out something new that she wants to try out.  It's apparently being sold at Safeway.  It was called Justin Butter and it comes in 4 different style.  At first I thought it was another Justin Bieber product.  Unfortunately I have not found them instead I found this kind sold at a local store called Lunardi's.  I hope that she will love them when she tries all four of them.

These packages are small and great for work - that is if you have breakfast at work.

 

Manipedi Monday - It's back

There's nothing special today so I will just share the nail art design I did last night for my fingers and toes.  I have been getting back to nail art again because I have not been happy the last time I had it done.  If I have to pay for it, I would think it should be better than my own. Unfortunately, my photos did not come out perfect as I was in a hurry.  Happy Monday!

 

Soulful Sunday - Happy Father's Day

One day a year we all celebrate honoring all the fathers we have in our lives.  I say it in plural because of the extended family that some may have which includes step dad, father figure and sometimes even your best friend's dad that you consider your own.  But what is important is to remember them not just today but each and every day they are there for you.  Don't forget to thank them, to acknowledge what they have done for you, big or small, short and long time support.  To all the father's out there, this is your day, enjoy it, relax and remember you are loved.  There's not a lot of songs about fathers but this one is definitely my favorite.

Sleepy Saturday - Not enough sleep

Do you get really cranky when you only have four hours of sleep?  Do you get up anyway and take a nap when you feel tired?  Do you just stay up and play games on the Kindle Fire to tire your eyes?  My answer is yes to two since I don't get cranky, instead I take advantage and take it easy and watch the third round of the US Open 2013.

I am not really sure why I couldn't sleep last night.  Things were just popping in my head that happened five years ago.  It went from one incident to the next and more stories revolved around the same topic.  I couldn't get it out of my mind and therefore no sleep.

Since we are not babysitting this weekend Jeff and I were able to do a lot of our chores.  He started with oil change for my car only. I say this because he has an electric car which does not need those type of maintenance.  After that he washed both cars while I do the laundry, dishes, dusting and other tidying of the rooms.  We needed to get some groceries as well.  

Who are you routing to win the US Open?  In no particular order, here's a few names that I would like to see as my top ten to finish.

• Tiger Woods
• Ricky Fowler
• Phil Michelson
• Steve Stricker
• Rory McIlroy
• Luke Donald
• Bubba Watson
• John Senden
• Justin Rose
• Adam Sott

Wicker Basket instead of Flag - very interesting history

Tricky Thursday - How to kill a lizard

If it's outdoors, I just shoo them away, but when it is inside our home specially in the kitchen,

then it's a no brainer.  It just has to go.  Today after golf, I noticed that the floors were clean which means Consuelo did a great job.  Then I saw something on the floor that shouldn't be and as I look closer, it was a lizard.  At first I was a little scared and my heavy foot steps scared it and ran under the fridge.  Now I am a little freaked out because I know that it's there.  I did not want to take my nap thinking it will come out and go to the living room and soon it will land on my arms or feet.  I immediately called Jeff to ask what I should do and he mentioned a couple of things but the end result - he will deal with it when he gets home.  I decided to watch a bit of the recorded golf and thought about a snack.  This time I was quiet and there it was just in front of the fridge.  I took the swifter stick and aimed at the lizard.  First time,  I got it but not completely, so I took another swing and this time I got it.  I took a paper towel to cover it and just to make sure, I hit it again.  Oh bother, I think I over did it.  I called Jeff again to report what I did.  He was pretty impressed because he thought I would be really freaked out by it.  Actually, I was very proud of what I did since Jeff was not found of having them inside the house.  I took care of it for him in my own way.  For those of you who might be lizard lovers, my apologies.  I just cannot go to sleep at night thinking this critter could be anywhere. 

 

Whurry Wednesday - Baby Shower Gifts

Finally completed the order from one of my co worker at my volunteer place.  We shopped for the fabrics on May 31 and I did not start cutting fabrics or designing until this past weekend.  Today I can showcase all the different items that I made.  I am sure that she will love it as well as her niece who lives in Alberta, Canada.  If you were having a baby or know someone who is pregnant, would you like to have this complete set?  How much would you pay for it?

Reversible and washable bibs

Baby wipes case for travel

Reversible warm and fluffy soft blanket

Burp pads for Mommy and Daddy

Washable change pad

Reversible pillow and case

Change pad roll ready for travel

Diaper holder for day trips

Tiger Tuesday - Is it his turn again?

Most of my readers are probably not into golf, but I know there's a few out there who will be following the US Open this week.  While trying to finish up the sewing project that I started during the weekend, I decided to turn the TV on and see what's new.  The coverage was from the Golf Channel and it's pretty much all interviews of the top players.  Some of them were just going through the motion of media day but I was very interested in one particular player - Sergio Garcia.  If you follow golf, you know why.  The incident that happened between him and Tiger.  It has been a couple of weeks and it's still haunting him.  Poor guy.

He's apologized and has explained and has answered each and every question.  What I don't understand is that the reporters keep asking the same question, maybe just changing a couple of words.  If Tiger can tell Sergio that it's in the past and we can move on, why can't these reporters let it go.  I am really surprised how some of these reporters are just plain stupid.  They can't seem to think of other question to ask or they are not just prepared.  I am not a reporter but I sure can think of ten different questions to ask Sergio without ever going back to that so called incident with Tiger.  I am so proud of him with his responses and patient with the stupid and terrible reporters.  I believe they shouldn't be allowed next time in the media room unless they have come prepared with important questions or at least up to date information.  I wish Sergio the best during his round and of course I am routing for Tiger again to win this 2013 US open.  I still believe that he is one of the greatest golfer ever.

Mystery Monday - What's happening!

Before I start on my list of excuses, I would like to wish my dear friend Lorna who is celebrating her birthday today.  She's a BFF and I'm like her older sister, not by much.  I wish her all the best and many more years of happiness, health and of course wealth.

There is really no mystery why I've been missing my daily post/blog.  It's just because

• I have been watching two weeks of tennis - the French Open
• There's a new sewing project for one of the ladies from my volunteer work and there's a lot of pieces (blanket, pillow, bibs, burp pads, changing pad, booties, and maybe a diaper and wipes case)
• After our babysitting weekend, it takes a couple of days to recover. Am I getting really old?  It is exhausting to take care of two kids for 24 hours.
• We've had a few days of scorching weather and it does take out some of my reserve energy.  I've also noticed that my some form of allergies is back and so is my asthma.
• A lot of catching up with housechores after my sister left and there's still more to do.

Flower always make my day and I hope it works for you too.

Finals Friday - French Open 2013

Only three more days of recording tennis matches and that's it until Wimbledon which will begin in three weeks (June 24 to July 7).  Some of my favorites have gone home but there's still a few more that will hopefully be in the finals.  Maria Sharapova for the women's and David Ferrer for the men's.  Since the beginning of the open, I have been recording every coverage as they start so very early in the morning.  Most days I would be having my breakfast watching the completed matches.  I love watching them without the commercials and I don't feel bad watching them because it's less time.  Some days when I have chores to do, I will watch the match of the day and when they go on commercial, I will quickly do my chores.  If it's ironing, then I could watch everything as I do them in our living room in front of the TV.  When it's a great and important match, I would usually wait for Jeff to get home and we can watch it together.  It's so great to have the DVR that can record a lot of shows which includes the PGA or LPGA tournaments.  Most of the shows that we were following are all done for the summer so therefore, no conflicts.  Only two shows at the same time can be recorded.  Lucky me, most of the tennis and golf are early in the day and not prime time.

She will be playing against Victoria Azarenka - this will be one loud match.

David Ferrer will be playing against Tsonga who I hope loses because he defeated my Federer,

Truthful Thursday - I love my new clubs

If you remember my post last month about my new set of golf clubs, well now I can say that I love love it.  Not only that it's lighter to take in and out of the trunk of my car, it is also light to push on my cart.  When I switched to this new set, I did some cleaning and organizing.  The many pockets made it easier to keep certain items like the golf balls, golf tees, my first aid kit, socks, jacket and of course my snacks.  I almost forgot that all the clubs are lighter and they actually work even my new putter.  During my last lesson with Matt, my instructor, he gave me some great tips on making use of certain clubs and how I need to align them.  It has been at least three weeks since I bought the clubs but only have used it three times and I've already seen the difference as it shows on my score.  At our last ladies afternoon league, I had the lowest score within our foresome and hopefully win the closest to the pin on hole #2.  Living in our area is so great if you like outdoor sports.  Tennis and golf is what I love to do and I could enjoy playing almost 365 days as long as it's not raining.  My tennis practice partner is back and we have been out in the court at least twice a week.  Bob is retired but like me as other interest and is very busy too but we manage to make time to play tennis.  Here's some of the things that I would like to get soon for golf.

This would really match my golf set

Perfect for late afternoon/dusk golf

One of the ladies bought one from the PGA store and it's so cute

Weeping Wednesday - My favorite

Just a little sad today because Roger Federer, my favorite tennis player of all time lost yesterday.  I was a little teary eyed when he was doing the interview after his game.  Now the finals at the French Open will not be the same.  I wish it was the other player who I am not fond of lost so the Women's final will be more exciting.  Oh bother.  This post will be short because I am still in shock.  Truly a sad day in my sports world.

An unusual look from Roger.

Tuning Tuesday - Slack Key Guitar

Have you heard of the style of playing guitar called Slack Key?  Last week I was chatting with one of the guys from Jeff's work and he mentioned this.  When I got home I decided to google it and found some really cool information and sample lessons.  Although I can play the guitar just for myself, I have not played for over a couple of years.  When I move here I left my guitar to my X because Jeff had bought me a 12 string guitar for Christmas of 2009.  After learning about the Slack Key I am really interested to find out how they are played.  This week I plan to take out my guitar and start practicing again just to get my fingers trained.  Many many years ago, I use to play at our local church and even belong to a really great choir.  I love playing some of the songs from the 60's and 70's but as the saying goes "if you don't use, you'll lose it".  Although I still remember a lot of the chords, I have forgotten how to play some of the songs that I use to know very well.  Like any musical instrument, it's all about practice, practice, practice.  With all the other hobbies that I have, I am not sure if I can keep it up but I'd like to try again. Apparently the instruction is free and they meet once a month at a Hawaiian cafe.  It seems difficult as there are a lot of picking.  Here's a clipping that I found about slack key guitar.

 

Miserable Monday - Lack of sleep

Why would I be miserable specially after a weekend?  Because we had to babysit again the grandkids.  For whatever reason the little one has a bit of a cold and stuffy nose and I believe that is why she was uncomfortable sleeping.  We tried to keep her up a little longer than her normal bedtime so she will be really tired.  During the night she must have cried almost every couple of hours.  Poor Jeff who had to get up to give her a bottle or change diapers.  Even though I did not get up, I would wake up too and we would both have a difficult time going back to sleep.  Just as we are in our deep sleep, the little one with start crying again.  I don't know how other grandparents do it but we are exhausted by the time their parents pick them up.  My patience was being tested and I was happy to leave early on Sunday to go my volunteer.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing with both kids but they do need constant attention.  Before they arrived, I manage to make a dress and a skirt for the little girl.  This material was originally my skirt and then my sister used it last time she was here.  The fabric seem to have lost its elasticity so I thought why not make something out of it. Check it out.

Left one is a sundress and the right one is a skirt.

She wore the sundress on Saturday and the skirt on Sunday - forgot to take a photo