Fruit on the Vine

 There are half a dozen little fruit trees squeezed into the aisle along the side of the house. We also have a lemon and a lime in the back yard. I am hoping to add an apricot as well as we do our planting. But for now, the promise of the fruit on the vine, er, in the branches, is wonderful - lemons, limes, oranges, apples, kumquats, pomegranites, and even green figs!

Unsafe Speeds

One of my favorite quotes from Star Trek is, "I will never understand the proclivity of humans to pilot vehicles at unsafe speeds." Abi and Eli's new favoite game involves exactly that: Shaun, a wheelbarrow, and unsafe speeds...

Now that everything is finally moved over (as of exactly 11:30 pm on the 27th), Shaun is very happy to have a chance to use his BBQ.

Return to Angelus' Cafe

It was pretty cool to walk back into Angelus' and get instant recognition and service! They even remembered what Eli had before. Aunt Pat and Carlean split the salad and Kobe burger, and I ventured to try something new, a wilted arugula salad with seared beef. It was just as delicious as the first time. This is definitely one of OUR places.

Tree, No More

 The big old Chinese Elm in the backyard had to be taken out. John, the Tree Guy - as he is called - said that it had gotten root damage and that's why it had died... probably from installing the concrete pad right next to it. Now that it's down, the backyard looks pretty baren. But Uncle Bear will have really nice firewood come December!

Happy Birthday!

 Abi turned 12 this year, and Eli turned 13! I can't believe how the time has flown. Uncle Bear indulged Abi and let her get one of the "big" Costco cakes. She was actually able to manage blowing out all the candles!

For Eli, Aunt Pat found a bakery called Breakaway Bakery that specialized in Gluten-Free cakes and pastries. The lady recommended a spice cake with 'chocolate' frosting, and it was in fact pretty good! Eli really liked the fact that he got a cake from a bakery, just like Abi.

Shiny

The granite countertops were installed today. It took several hours, but the guys got them in without scratching the very tightly squeezed-in stove or anything else. The name of the Granite is "Ubatuba" (kinda like Uber Tuba! hehe). It's so shiny you can see the reflection of the wall cabinets like water..... Shiny!

But before they got the countertop in, Uncle Bear had a few last minute adjustments to make...

Week 4... Extended

Well, with our plumber, Ron, and our electrician, Scott, BOTH getting sick and having other jobs, our original final work week will be extended into next week. What this means is that we will be moving at the very last minute. Hopefully there will still be a day or two next week before the final date on the lease for us to clean the house in Fontana so that the deposit isn't held. On top of that, we are looking at moving only a few days before I go back to work and the kids go to school. If only we all started the same day (or I started a couple of days later) life would be so much easier....

As it is, you can see the house is still packed with tools, plastic draping, materials, and busy bees working. Uncle Bear and Michael have been there every day for hours getting items checked off the to-do list. The countertop should be installed tomorrow, and then the light boxes should be ready for fixtures and the plumbing should be done by the end of this weekend. After that, it's a matter of patching and finishing the painting. Things like molding on floors and ceilings, leveling the yard and fixing the sprinklers, and repairing the eaves and roof shingles will have to come after we move in. Let's just hope there's no rain for another month!

On the plus side, Uncle Bear got all the kitchen flooring in today - we went with the same type of vinyl tile they used in their house - and it looks amazing. I started grouting it in last night, and Shaun put in a couple more hours after that.

Work Week 4

We are beginning week 4 which is the last week and, more importantly, the last weekend for work before we try to start moving over furniture and everything else. Aunt Pat and I got some more shopping done. We finally got the lights squared away, so I can return the rest of the order to the online store we had tried first. Uncle Bear picked up tile samples for me, so I could pick a nice one to go with the cabinets. The guys got the old deck completely torn out and removed and the top cabinets in today.

Also Shaun fixed the doors in the bedrooms so now they actually have knobs that fit and even work! Now if only we could fix the front door handle... Ah well, all things in time. Also on the list for next week will be mending shingles in the roof valley and repairing the eaves, laying the kitchen tile, and installing the bathroom window (if it comes in time). The new counter top should be installed this week by the granite company, as well.

This last week was busy with errands and doctor appointments for the kids, but next week we will be doing the initial registration for Abi at Blair, getting Eli's intake meeting and assessment with the Special Ed department taken care of, getting Router to the vet and turning in the paperwork for her license, and packing up the house. I will be gettign the kids some projects to do to keep them occupied for when they get bored of helping me with the packing.

Progress at the New House

We are now in work week 3 officially. Uncle Bear, Shaun, Phil and Michael have installed subflooring and been painting. They even got in the base cabinets in the kitchen so that the counter-top company could measure for the granite going in.

It doesn't look like some of the lights I ordered are going to work out, mostly because of the construction on the house. At least I did manage to get some more needed shopping done, though we will still be needing rugs, more curtains, and I will have to figure out what kind of vinyl tile will go in the kitchen. Now if only the kids would cooperate enough so that we could run errands and I could actually get out to the new house to help in the process...

Feasting with the Family

Our big family dinner this trip was Moroccan style again. It's just so tasty, I never get tired of it. We had lemon olive chicken (with the olives on the side for Abi and dad), couscous with veggies, and b'stilla. Jami and I were cooking for 3 hours, but it was so worth it.

For dessert, we made baklava with toasted pecans and a thin honey syrup. Served with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh figs drizzled with honey, it was a perfectly refreshing summer dessert.




Baklava

2 cups pecan bits, toasted
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 roll of phylodough, thawed
1/4 cup butter, melted

Toast the pecans in the oven at 350F for about 6 minutes, or till fragrant. Cool completely, then process with sugar and cinnamon but only to a coarse grind. Meanwhile, stir the 3/4 cup sugar and water together and set over low heat till bubbly to make a thin sugar syrup. Stir in the honey, cinnamon and allspice. Let this cool.

Melt the butter. With a brush and working quickly, brush the bottom and sides of the baking dish. Lay in 3-5 sheets of phylodough and brush generously with butter again. Sprinkle in 1/3 of the pecans. Repeat till the phyllo and pecans are used up. Brush the top layer with butter, and score completely through into lozenge shapes with a very sharp knife.

 Bake at 350F for 25 min with tinfoil laid losely over it, then 15 without the foil. Remove from the oven when golden and allow to sit for just a moment before pouring the sugar-honey syrup slowly over it. Allow to cool for atleast 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

We had coconut prawns and take-out spring rolls from Thai Cuisine one of the last nights before the kids and I returned to California. They were pretty easy, and very tasty.

Coconut Prawns

20 prawns, cleaned and tail on
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs, beaten well
1 cup unsweetened coconut shavings
Oil for frying - about 1/2 inch deep in the pan works well

Mix the corn starch and spices and put in one bowl. Beat the eggs in another. Put the coconut shavings in a third bowl. Drege the shrimp then dip in the beaten egg. Finally roll them in the coconut and fry till golden. Serve hot with sweet chili sauce.

More of Southern Idaho

These photos were so pretty, I had to share...

Owyhee Hills

The drive up for the last visit of the summer was uneventful except for the delays due to road construction. We had barely a smattering of rain just this side of the Idaho boarder. The hills were sooo green though - beautiful! I am going to have to dye some wool and yarn in these colors at our next workshop!

Workdays 5, 6, and Beyond

Uncle Bear has been over every day working on painting, taping, cleaning up and many other jobs. Phil and Michael helped him remove the old kitchen floor this weekend. After several layers - about 2 1/4 inches of layers - they found the original planking under the kitchen and hardwood floor (!) under what must have been a 8x6 ft breakfast nook. Now the kitchen is ready for Scott, the electrician, and Ron, the plumber to go to work. In about a week the cabinets will be here, and then we will have an assembly party! The stone company will measure for the granite countertop as soon as they are, and hopefully the kitchen will be all done before we start moving in.... hopefully!

Shaun worked on floors this weekend. Even his brother, the elusive and nigh-mythological Will, popped in to lend a hand. They are sanded and stained and will be finished before next weekend!