fast

hope your weekend doesn't go by to fast.
I will be subbing for a prenatal yoga class, attending a first birthday party, maybe attending a 'welcome summer party', crafting with new friends, bisseling my carpets, snuggling with my boys, and hopefully catching a nap or two somewhere in between.

Be well friends,
V

Corner View, Cityscape

looking west from 2nd and west street downtown Reno, NV

This is what I have today peeps- the long weekend paired with a few other things have left me empty handed for this week's corner view shot. So a photo I took about a year and half ago (title, 730am December 7th) will have to do the trick. We by no means have snow on the ground now- up in the mountains there is still snow in spots but not down here in the valley. It has been hot and thunder-stormy the past few days. Gearing up for the summer and all that goes with it. This photo actually makes me cold just looking at it!

Hope you are having a lovely day now matter where you are in the world. For more Corner Views head on over to Jane's blog, Spain Daily.

Be Well!!

the weekend,

it was pretty awesome.

there were a few adventures that included:

the dog falling out the car window before we even got out of town (he's okay just a little road rash- as you can see in the pictures he is running around just fine)
thunder and lightening on a playa
land sailing
getting totally lost but enjoying the beautiful ride just the same
balancing setting up and taking down camp with an almost 9month old strapped to your back
singing with one of my favorite 1 1/2 year olds
the baby falling asleep in the backpack on a short hike (mr smiley down there was out like a light seconds after I snapped this shot)
rock hounding
hot springs, ahh hot springs you made four days in a dusty desert so much more tolerable



hope yours was just as sweet.

four days of this:

I can hardly wait.

Corner View: Coffee

How do you say, "two coffees with milk"?

If you are ordering at a coffee house, "Two coffees with room". I you are at a cafe for breakfast just "two coffees and can we get some milk instead of cream?" (because those little plastic containers of cream that sit out all morning are kinda creepy don'tcha think?)

What are the most popular ways to drink coffee?

Probably just as a regular cup of coffee or some sort of latte/mocha.

How do you take your coffee?

As a latte, extra hot, with honey. If I can't get a latte I take it with milk and honey. Usually it is decaf. I kinda get a little crazed when I have fully loaded coffee!

French press, percolator, espresso, or other?

I love, love, love my mukkha.

Are you a dunker?

mmm, not usually, but there are dunkers in the family. I kinda don't like the soggy texture of it all.

What is the funniest topic of conversation over a recent cup of coffee?

Daddy-O and I met for a morning cuppa after dropping off the boy at daycare sometime last week. The day care and our. While we were there we ran into our neighbor from across the street. She told us her son (16 yrs old) was in awe of how green our lawn is (I am too) and that his goal is to get their lawn just as green. Guess this isn't really funny, "ha-ha" but more just funny because what 16 year old is really concerned about their parent's yard and how green teh grass is? We have good kids in the 'hood. Yep, we do.

As always, thanks to Jane for hosting "Corner View". Please hop on over to her neck of the woods
Cheers!

tamale pie

or you could also call it cornbread casserole.

Either way it is tasty and I have decided it is a keeper- simple, easy to adapt and quick. I think it is more of a fall/winter dish since you have to turn on the oven. Good thing I made this last week because today I wouldn't want to turn on the oven, it was 70 degrees out by 9:30this morning. Part of why I like this dish so much is it is one of those where you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry. So if you are looking into an empty fridge tonight this might just fit the bill for dinner.

I found this recipe while I was out on the Better Homes website while scourging for vegetarian options last month. If you aren't a veg head you could easily add in previously cooked ground turkey/beef or shred up chicken or pork and mix it in to the batch. I adapted the ingredients a little from the original, mostly because I don't usually keep V8 in the house and so I swapped it out for a can of diced tomatoes in onions and bell peppers. I have made this twice the first time with pinto and black beans the second with kidney and black beans- both times it came out great- so really what ever you like/have on hand will work I think.

One more thing- I used a box of the Jiffy Cornbread Mix. After reading the ingredients I am on the hunt for something a little less, um, hydrogenated to use. If any of you have a brand you like or a recipe of your own will you share it?



Tamale Pie

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots (optional, but adds a little something if you have them on hand)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 15-ounce can kidney beans or black beans, rinsed, drained, and slightly mashed
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed, drained, and slightly mashed
1 15 once can diced tomatoes with onions and bell peppers
1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers, undrained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 8-1/2-ounce package corn muffin mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Grease a 2-quart square baking dish or 10-inch quiche dish; set aside.

2. In a medium skillet cook carrot, onion, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in kidney beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, chile peppers, chili powder, and cumin; heat through. Spoon bean mixture into the prepared dish. (if you are adding in meat, this is wehre you would mix it in.)

3. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions. Add cheese and cilantro to muffin mix, stirring just until combined. Spoon cornbread mixture evenly over top of bean mixture. Bake, uncovered, in a 400 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until golden. If desired, serve with salsa and sour cream.

4. Makes 6 main-dish servings



Enjoy!

at the speed of light

This Sunday is our 6th year anniversary.

That went by fast...



xoxo

Corner View: The Great Outdoors, Reno

Santa Cruz, CA just a 6 hr drive west from Reno

Reno has so much to offer when it comes to the outdoors. Where do I even begin?
How about my backyard, actually more like my front yard. Just north of our house is a really great regional park. There is the best dog park in town with acres of off leash running for the doggers.

Zucco living it up this summer
There is the arboretum for the tree lovers, the adventure park and playground for the kiddos, the duck pond where you can supposedly fish and the walking path that loops the whole shebang.
In my Mother's Day post you saw all the hub-ub around the Truckee River. Another fantastic natural resource that is in the heart of the city. A little bit further from home we the world famous Lake Tahoe.

One of the prettiest places I know.

"Chimney Beach" Lake Tahoe
There is skiing (downhill or Nordic) or snowboarding at any one of the resorts near Tahoe.

Snowshoeing near Markleeville, CA.
As well as camping, hiking, rock climbing, and biking to boot.

Sand Mountian, just outside of Fallon, NV. Photo courtesy of Daddy-O
We are really blessed to be in a hub of sorts here in Reno- 40 minutes will get you to the snow, the lake, the desert, the middle of nowhere.

Daddy-O, Cloe Girl and Gramps, Black Rock Desert, NV
I love this place.

For more Corner Views, head on over to Jan'es "Spain Daily" for a complete list of links!

Mom's Day 09

I can hear my boys downstairs- there is giggling, dogs barking and funny noises coming from Daddy-O.
A pretty sweet way to wrap up my first mother's day if you ask me.



We spent most of the late morning and early afternoon outside. The Riverfest is this weekend so there was plenty to see, do and eat downtown. We missed the kayak rodeo, that was yesterday. But there were plenty of people in the water (it was down right warm out) and there were defenitly paddlers and races happening in the 'south fork' of the kayak park today.




Yesterday I had breakfast with my mom and family friends. Daddy-O grilled me dinner and got me roses. The best mother's day gift though was that MrO started to wave when you say hello to him- it is the cutest darn thing in the world. He throws his little arm in the air and then if you are lucky he will bob his wrist up and down and smile the biggest smile, all proud like. How can something so simple just about melt you into a puddle of mush?


Oh and look where we went.


yeah! (I'll share more later, but these were a couple of my favorites)


Happy Mom's Day to all you amazing woman out there.
xo

photobooth friday- keeping it loco(al)

it was only a matter of time.
one of the new, hip bars downtown was bound to do it sooner or later.
thank goodness I have friends on the "outside" who can fill me in on the haps around town.
There is a real-deal, black and white, film photo booth in Reno.


yep. pretty cool if you ask me.
Start saving your ones if you are coming to visit because I might just have to drag you down there for a sitting.
~~
I hit up St. James Infirmary on Cinco de Mayo with two of my girls (also photo booth lovers. we have a history) for margaritas and a visit.
(can't find a website, but they are located on California Ave just east of Arlington Ave, 445 California Ave if you want to get technical)

The booth was calling our names and it was only a matter of time before the margaritas were nothing but ice and a squeezed lime and the dollar bills were burning a hole in our pockets.
So there we were, all three squishing into the box- just like old times.
(some how I managed to totally take over this strip... sorry chicas!)



I have made a request to go back this weekend with the kid in tow (yeah, he's going into a bar, what?) for a little Mother's Day session.

Hurray for the booth!

PS if you are looking for a photobooth (photochemical kind, not the digital type) there is a great resource over at photobooth.net to help you locate one near you.

Eight is great

MrO is 8 months old today. I debated if I wanted to take and post his monthly chair picture today or wait- He has pink eye, so his left eye is swollen and red. Despite his crabbiness this morning when I stuck him in the glider chair, I managed to get one smile shot- so here it is, 8 months of the O-ster all lined up.



So what's new with the kid you ask?
Another tooth! the other bottom middle tooth has come in. When I come to see him at lunch or see him after work he gives me the biggest open mouth kiss - going right for my chin. Those teeth are a little dangerous when he does this, but we are working on being gentle.



He has mastered the art of sitting up and can gracefully find his way to the floor by folding all the way forward or shifting off to the side. This kid's flexibility would make a seasoned yogi(ni) jealous- he is quite the noodle. Despite all the movement from sitting to going to the floor he isn't crawling yet (truth be told I'm not in any hurry for this milestone). I give him till the end of this month before we are chasing him all over the house. He can definitely roll around and spin to get to things if he really wants them. The other evening as I was drawing his bath, I left him in the middle of the bedroom and when I came back in he had scooted almost completely under the crib! backwards scoot, but a scooted non the less.

One of the funniest things he is doing (and I am sure this won't be funny once he realizes what he is actually saying and uses it against us) is shaking his head "no". I keep asking him if he is "dancing". And if I say, "O can you dance?" and I start to wiggle and shake my head he will do it right back. It is pretty funny. (can you tell I am in "no" denial??)
The other fun thing he is into right now is taking his toys in and out of a box-
it keeps him busy for a crazy amount of time. It is great to see what toys he always goes for - the apple mirror, the 'noisy baby book', and one of the chew toys are a usual grab.



We are working on night weaning. I still get up with him when he wakes up in the middle of the night but I have been offering the binky first instead of the breast, it has been working pretty well so far. My theory is that if O's little tummy stops thinking it's hungry in the middle of the night the sleeping will follow. He is only waking up about once or twice a night. I attribute this to the fact that he is teething, part to the cold he had last week and part to the fact that we stopped swaddling-so he wakes himself up and moves around a lot more then before. We'll get there, sleep is for sissies right? (update: last night he slept for 9hrs straight- down at 7:30 up at 4:30, I so can handle that!)

We have had lots of family time with Easter and a pre-mother's day dinner last weekend. It is so stinking fun to see all four of the cousins lined up in the tub together. I can only imagine what we are in for when they get older!



Here's to a fantastic 8th month my sweet, its gonna be a fun one I for sure. I love you!!

Corner View: Shopping, Reno

When people think of Reno they usually think of casinos, gambling, divorce, and a silly show on Comedy Central. However, there is a lot more to the Biggest Little City these days. In the past decade there has been a huge push to redefine downtown and as a result a few little 'districts' have sprouted. There is the CalAve area and then there is the 1st and Arlington area around Wingfield Park and the Truckee River. Both of these that have some great little shops, eateries, a movie theater and a few sweet little watering holes. Not to mention what the outdoors have to offer like the river and kayak park. Check out this site for more details about the area.
One of my favorite spots to stop and drool is at Shoe.




I stopped in last night and visited with the gals that run the shop and the one next to it (I.Me.Mine)- super nice and friendly. They didn't mind that I pulled out my camera.
oh man are there ever some drool worthy pieces of footwear in that shop!
I found this link this morning, all about shopping in the Biggest Little City. Pretty cool.

For a complete list of the other "Corner Viewers" head on over to Jane's blog.

PS today is MrO's 8th month 'birthday' update is on its way tomorrow complete with chair picture and milestones. I know, you all can hardly wait right?

sticking with the farm theme..

I took MrO. to check out real live cows, pigs and goats for the first time on Saturday.


Up close and personal at a local Four-H even that JoJo was catering at.





He was pretty interested in the cows and all the mooing.

But wasn't really fazed by the piggies.



(this one was obviously not too fazed by us either)

I just like the people watching.

Chicken...

This might have just made my week.

'

Mr.O made the Flickr Blog in all his chicken-polaroid goodness.

tee hee.