2/4/11 - Poker With Mom

About a year ago I was playing a lot of Facebook poker.  I frequently played with friends....it's a good time, you play, you chat, you bankrupt all the other players. I got really busy with all the million of other things I really should have been doing with my time and stopped playing poker regularly.  BUT, tonight, I was catching up on my Facebook and noticed that my mom had sent some poker chips my way.  COOL! Mom's in poker.

For those of you who don't know, my mother, who was most recently living with us for a spell, has now moved several thousand miles away.

So, tonight, I was able to play poker with my Mother across 3 time zones.  We played and chatted a little....I'm always just amazed at the technology that allows us to do that.  We skype, we chat, we text photos back and forth.  She can see video of Nathan moments after the video is captured. It's just amazing, and wonderful.

So, the photo.  Isn't a beauty?  On the lower left hand side you can see my mother, Becky.  I'm upper right.  In the text box you can see that I had just said to my mother that I have no ideas for tonight's photo.  You can't see that she responded "It doesn't have to be a work of art you know."  You're right Mom...I immediately grabbed the camera and snapped a photo of the screen. Done!  Thanks Mom.

2/3/11 - NJC Airport

It only took Nathan 3 days to close down the parking lot business and re-invest in the airline.  I think it was a good move. He is using our computer room as a landing strip.  You wouldn't believe the deal he got on the property.  He was able to deal in trade. Unlimited use of the office room floor in exchange for 20 minutes of uninterrupted Mommy computer time. Everyone wins!

2/2/11 - Yellow Poms

I finally got to pick out the flowers this time, but don't tell Nathan 'cause he thinks he picked them out.  Nathan really wanted the red carnations...but I pointed out that he was wearing a yellow shirt, and wouldn't the little yellow flowers go so nicely with it.  He agreed...Mommy 1, Nathan 586,993.

I've started to change my kitchen colors to yellow, and have been in a very yellow mood lately. These cute little poms fit the bill perfectly. 

I'm sorry for the picture overload...just couldn't pick a favorite.

2/1/11 - Story Time

We have started a fun little activity where we all take turns making up stories.  Nathan gets to pick the names and some of the details of our stories, and he lets us do the same when it's his turn to tell a story.  Daddy is the best story teller.  Here are a few snaps I took during Rich's turn last night.


He's very animated....

and Nathan loves that!

My boys, enjoying each other.

1/31/11 - Creative Parking Lot

I was doing some work at our desktop computer yesterday, and Nathan was playing quietly with his cars next to me.  He left and started playing on the dining room table, and when I got up to make his lunch I saw this.

Such a cute little parking lot he made out of the keyboard. I love the creative ideas that come out of his little brain.

Another view.

Tee hee. 

1/29/11 and 1/30/11 - Miracle Fruit

Two days..one post.  I firmly believe this topic deserves two days.  Last night, Rich and I hosted a Miracle Fruit party in our home.  It was quite the experiment for all involved.  The Miracle Fruit is this amazing berry that, once you chew it, makes all things that are normally sour taste sweet.  Now...if you know anything about me, you know I have a major sweet tooth.  For me, this is the find of a lifetime.  We found ours at the Papaya Tree Nursery in Granada Hills.

We prepared a variety of ordinary foods to taste: lemons, limes, grapefruit, bell peppers, garlic, sour cream, strawberries, pickles, vinegar etc...and invited guests to bring foods to test out as well.  My husband had chosen these little plastic containers to house the berries and this is the only photo I snapped that evening.  Once I tasted my first altered food, I knew I was not going to make it back to the camera for any more photos.

 

We opened our little boxes, and popped the dried berries in our mouths and chewed them up for about 30 seconds The berry itself tasted sort of like a dried cranberry. I enjoyed it, but some people tasted nothing and one person really seemed to dislike the flavor of the berry itself.  Immediately after chewing the berry, I noticed...nothing. I don't know what I expected, but my mouth felt and tasted the same as it always did.  

Then to the food.  I figured I'd start gently...a strawberry seemed like the safest bet. WORLD'S BEST STRAWBERRY! I'm telling you, this is what strawberries are supposed to taste like, I'm sure of it.  I was instantly hooked.  Lemons...intense lemon candy, Limes...the same.  Pickles...sweet?  Balsamic vinegar...amazing. Tomato Juice....koolaid?  It was just the most amazing thing. Forget the camera...I had to eat.  

I'm now pricing miracle fruit plants.  Seriously.  I think it may just make one heck of a birthday Valentines present to the girl with the sweet tooth.

Took a macro of the left over berries this morning. Powerful little suckers.

1/28/11 - Sous Chef

I love that Nathan is at the age when he can start helping with food preparation.  I'm really going to have to try and have him help more often.  My hope is that if he helps make dinner, he might be more willing to eat it. 

For tonight's meal, he helped grate the cheese, crack and open the eggs, stir the eggs, put the pre-measured spices in the mix, and sprinkle cheese on the casserole.

This was his first time grating cheese....and boy did he love it.  He especially enjoyed sampling the cheese while he worked.

 

The delicious final product.