Sorry so long

Mark and I are now proud home owners (as of Friday).
The big move is tomorrow, so we've been packing, packing, packing! I hope to post a lot more soon. Mark teases of a "house blog" on the way...we shall see, I suppose.

The House, The House, and more

Everything seems to be coming together for the house. Our closing date is this Friday (26th). We started packing this weekend. Boy are we (am I) excited!

I got to talk to my niece on the phone last night. She was very talkative--that was the first time I had heard her talk so much. I absolutely melted even though the only thing I could understand was "Ya!" in answer to each of my questions.
Her little brother is really growing up, too.

In other news...I'm being eaten alive by mosquitos this weekend. (As some of you know, I swell up like a watermelon with mosquito bites)
Friday: 3 bites--left forearm, right shoulder, right bottom eye lid!!! (that last one didn't look too hot)
Saturday AM: 2 bites--left shin, left ankle (less than a quarter of an inch from a small scab that was trying to heal, but split open when my freakin' ankle swelled up)
Saturday PM: 2 bite--left ankle again!, left hand--right between my thumb and forefinger.
Grrrr!

I guess I'm staying inside until winter from now on.

Weekend Wedding

Mark and I went to our friends' wedding in California this last weekend. It was a truly lovely and charming event. I even got to sit at the groomsmen's table :)

The Happy Couple 

Some old friends, some new

Check out this handsome guy! 

I'm Off...

I'm off to So. Cal. for another wedding. This time beautiful Santa Barbara awaits me :)

Here's a blueprint I made of our house-to-be. Dotted lines are closets or radiators, etc... 

Mark and I spent the afternoon in DC, visiting with Mom and Wood. We wandered around the National Museum of American Indians, which was (to my delight) more of a design/art show than a historical museum. 

Mark and Wood made fun of us because Mom kept taking pictures of flowers and buildings and I kept taking pictures of her. Mark said, "It must be a 'Davis' thing" :) 

I bought a bunch of canvases on sale yesterday

I painted in Mark's office yesterday, for a change of scenery/inspiration. I'm wearing my special painting apron--a gift made by Sarah. (Thanks, Sarah) :)

the painting (currently without a home) 

Tagged

I've been tagged by jill for my very first meme game. It's called "The Cook Next Door".

1) What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
I tried to make lemon cookies one summer while no one was home. Lemon cookies used to be one of my favorite treats--soft and lemony, with a sweet sugar coating. However, I mistook my mother's recipe and poured the 2 cups of powdered sugar (which was supposed to be reserved for rolling the cookies in) right into the cookie batter. My family laughed for days at the rock-hard "lemon candy" I had made instead.
2) Who had the most influence on your cooking?
Mark (with Mom as a close second). While I still rely on some basic favorites from my mother's repetoire of dishes, Mark has introduced me to all the more exotic flavors and dishes. Mark is a very good cook.
3) Do you have an old photo as "evidence" of an early exposure to the culinary world, and would you like to share it?
I don't have any of my baby or child-hood pictures and I can't particularly think of one that exists either. Oh well.
4) Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?
I wouldn't say I have any cooking phobias. However, I often completely lose my appetite after handling raw meat. The italian sausage, for instance, that I squeezed out of its skin to brown and then add to a pasta sauce, was difficult to eat.
5) What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown?
Coolest kitchen gadget--salad shooter (but because it's difficult to clean, I dont' bother with it that often). Biggest let down--ice cream maker, waffle iron, and all the many other crazy kitchen gadgets that we've used once or never while they crowd our cabinets.
6) Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else!
Some people seem to think my "Banana Boats" are weird: spread peanut butter on a slice of bread, wrap bread around a peeled banana, enjoy.
7) What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don't want to live without?
Ice cream, pasta (spaghetti w/ red sauce), bacon cheeseburgers, green beans (only three!?), corn, peanut butter!!!
8) Your favorite ice cream...
Mint and Chip (tried and true)
9) You will probably never eat...
a fish head (Mark did in southeast Asia!)
10) Your own signature dish...
Sandwiches--that may sound silly, but let me tell you, I can make a mean lunch :)
Unlike Jill, I very much enjoy prepping food (meaning cutting things up with a big knife) and a lot of times that is what lunch is all about.
11) You were tagged by...
jill
12) Three people you'd like to pass this meme on to...
Lisa, Mom, Inez

Started My New Job

I started my new job this past Monday. I get off work at 3pm! It's amazing what an extra couple of hours can do for you. Also-I actually get breaks. Can you imagine? Sitting down and eating my lunch? Wow!

I'm really enjoying the job, too. The business is well designed, supplied with ample resources, and very successful. That's quite nice for a change.

I can't believe I have a whole weekend now, to do with as I please.

House buying is still coming along. We've discovered termites :( Hopefully the seller will not be unreasonable about dealing with that issue as the inspector recommended.