Summer storms, time with friends, good eats, & awesome music

Okay, first I need to apologize for the photos. 

1. I am by no means a photographer. 

2. These photos are from my cheap cell phone...bare with me, haha!

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1 & 2. Storm that came through last week--these storms during the summer months help me to get through summertime in the Mojave desert. Seriously, if we had more of them, I would enjoy the summer months more. Heck, I may even look forward to them! I'm more of a Fall & Springtime type of person. Supposedly rain is not in this week's forecast but having lived in this area for quite some time now, I've come to the conclusion that weather is slightly unpredictable in these parts. So, there is still hope!

3-6. Mad Hatter tea party for Ms. Kandice Avila's 1st birthday. OMG, what a cute little girl! Made an awesome lemon cheesecake, however I failed to take any pics of it :/

7. Only the best pot roast ever. Usually this is a winter meal but the husband & I had a terrible craving.

8. My first attempt at potato pancakes. They were delicious--greasy but heck-a delicious. I'm surprised at how easy they are to make! 

9. If you are ever in the Morongo Basin & are looking for great food, live music and a little rowdiness, Pappy & Harriet's is the place to be. We LOVE Pappy's--they have the BEST pork chops & steak. They cook them outside over a pit of mesquite. Can't get a better pork chop or steak. Seriously. Also, they have the Shadow Mountain Band (pictured above). They play some awesome bluegrass! 

Have an awesome week!!

Life Lately

Because I am soooo bad at blogging about random, daily happenings and things that go on regulary--here is kind of a mix of life happenings lately.

1. Scout--my sister in law's doggie

2. A little lizard I made friends with on a hike

3. Windmills heading down Highway 62 in Desert Hot Springs, CA

4. Chicken--I couldn't decide on 1 seasoning so I made 2 with lemon pepper, 2 with chicken grill rub and 1 with just garlic salt, onion, salt and pepper. They were delicious!

5. My friend Randi and her daughter, Melody--such a stinker!

6. The crafting/coffee table Randi and I were painting. In this pic, we had just finished taping a design on it. We painted the table white so the wood would still show through the design.

7. Me cowgirlin' it up in Randi's backyard

8. Birds waiting for their birdseed in my boss' backyard

9. Me...with bangs that are too short, lol. I can't wait until they grow in a bit.

10. My nightstand that is piling up with books that I need to read--I just can't get motivated lately.

11. Orange, sparkly finger nails! I painted them orange and put glitter as a top coat. I normally dislike things with glitter on them--but I love wearing glitter on my nails!

12. This is the closest our bed EVER gets to being made...usually it's just a big pile of blankets and pillows.

Hope you had an amazing weekend! Any plans for next weekend? Me...uh, not too sure yet but I plan to do a little shopping soon--I must get ready for school and internship!

Catching Up...in Photos

Gorgeous Joshua Tree

 Feet...mine of course.

Creepy Tree... 

Bottlecap magnets and a pin that I've made recently 

Awesome cloudy sky 

Our little friend Beast passed away a few weekends ago. We loved him for about 4 years--we miss him dearly. 

Cute, funky statues at the Off-Road rental place in the lower desert. We stopped by to say hello--

Cory has done some work for the owner. 

Whitewater, CA--gorgeous place, right off the I-10.  

On the way to work...don't worry--I hadn't left the driveway yet. 

 A natural spring on the backway to Big Bear, CA

 A lovely quiche I made a few weekends ago--delish!!

artichoke hearts

squash

garlic

onion

sun-dried tomatoes

mushrooms

pepper jack

cheddar

bacon

eggs

cresent rolls for crust

**sometimes I add diced green chiles, but I completely forgot about that until just now. I guess I'll have to make another one!

Last Sunday....

Last Sunday consisted of:

1. Breakfast in bed...the beloved and easy fried egg sandwhich.

2. Trip to Newport Beach to see family and hang out for the day

3.Sand in my shirt, undies, hair...and everywhere else and I never even ventured into the water.

4. A starfish...sorry didn't have my camera on me when we let it go :( I'm still kicking myself.

5. A long and peaceful drive home.

It was a beautiful day in Newport.

There were so many people on the beach compared to the last time we had the chance to visit Newport.

The breeze was wonderfully cool.

Hope we get the chance to visit again soon.

Friday Photos

♥ Coffee, Greek Yogurt, & Fruit...a healthy snack for my new diet

♥ A Cactus (thought it was dead) in the front yard is blooming!

♥ Irwin was keeping me company while I ate my yogurt.

♥ My messy little craft corner

♥ New handmade postcard

How was your Friday?

New Diet

I say new because it's always something for me--there is always some new diet thing that I'm trying or at least I give myself a new goal every time I stuff my face. This time I'm determined to lose about 10 lbs. That's all--then I hope to be happy and then it's just maintaining my desired weight for the rest of my life, lol.

Easier said than done.

My friends Larissa & Walter came by on Sunday afternoon to show me how to make these shakes that they drink in place of 2 meals a day. Usually breakfast & dinner...

I know I'm going to have a hard time with this.

But the shakes actually taste pretty delish--they are "Herbalife" nutritional shakes and there are soooooo many flavors! I'm going to try the Cafe latte and cookies & cream shakes.

Walter has lost 45 lbs since last summer and Larissa is right behind him. He started the diet first then Larissa saw that it was working so she started. Now they sell the shake mix, lol. I'm always skeptical about these things but the difference it's making for them is quite dramatic. They are so happy with the results...

I just want to be a size 5 again!

So--I'll keep you updated on my weight loss endeavors. I think blogging about it will keep me on my toes and might actually deter me from straying from my size 5 goal.

It's not just about losing a few lbs., it's about getting healthy and getting the nutrition and vitamins that my body craves.

Has anyone else tried Herbalife? Any advice or experiences you care to share?

Mom's Birthday

I wanted to take my mom out to breakfast to celebrate her birthday and she chose to eat at a local family cafe called "C&S Coffee Shop" We ♥ this place! They are super sweet, the service is awesome and they are rather inexpensive.

Look at this face!

He was sunbathing in the middle of our dirt road. I nearly ran him over on my way home--I'm glad too! I would be devastated if I hurt him.

He's harmless.

I walked right up to him when I was trying to get him off the road and he didn't even move a muscle, lol.

It was a pretty good day ♥

Thanks Mom, for having a birthday!