Sushi Gone Wrong

Writing along with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop using the prompt:  Describe a food you abhor.

The evening began with a food I love.  A delish sushi meal had just been consumed.  And even though the person sitting across from me was unwilling to try sushi, not even a bite of a California Roll, as innocuous as they come, I enjoyed my favorite pieces of nigiri and sashimi.  And then it happened.

We had paid our bill and were just about to leave when the two gals at the sushi bar, who seemed to be trying one of everything on the menu, turned to me and said, "You have to try this!"

I wasn't really listening to them before that, but the looks on their faces screamed that I might be in trouble on this one. 

I had just given the 'how do you know you don't like sushi, if you don't even try it' lecture, so I knew there was no way I was getting out of it.  And since I'm not overly fond of hypocrites and didn't want to blatantly be one, I knew I had to eat it, even though there was every bit of evidence that I wasn't going to like it.

I picked up the yellow piece of nigiri sushi.  And then just as I was about to pop it into my mouth, the gal who had insisted I try it ever so kindly informed me, "It tastes like the smell of the Monterrey Bay Aquarium or the smell of a cat litter box."

Joy.  Though I was completely not thrilled at the prospect of trying it, I was more aware of that Hypocrite label I'd be wearing brightly if I didn't go through with it.

And into my mouth went the sea urchin.

And yes, it did taste like the smell of a cat litter box.  And no, I've never had it since.  And no, the Hypocrite label wasn't sewn on me that night.  Mission accomplished.

Pinterest Inspiration

I've been a little MIA, haven't I?  Are you still here?  I hope so.  I've had a major mojo drain the last month.  But, it's time to get it back!

And what better way to get my mojo flowing again than pinning fabby online finds with the hottest new site, overflowing with inspiration!!  I've been getting lost, in the absolutely best kind of way, at Pinterest.

See?!  I wake up to oodles of inspiration and go to bed dreaming about what I find here!

All the images that are on this visual inspiration pin board are linked back to the site or blog they originally came from. So, the owners and creators get credit for their photos. And when you follow an image through, you can find great new sites and blogs to check out. I know I have!

You've heard of it, right?  Are you on it already?  If you are, come find me so I can see what inspires you!  And if you're not, head on over to Pinterest, check it out, request an invite (it only takes a couple days and is soooo worth the click!).  And then, don't forget to come find me, so we can share our great finds.

A Million Grains of Sand

Carrying blankets, towels, and a cooler loaded with sandwiches, soda and water, we hiked down the steep switch backed hill to our treasured spot.  Almost there.

Huge steel colored boulders were the last obstacle for us to climb over.  Reaching our hands out for one another, we steadied each other.  Truthfully, more often than not, it was me reaching out for his steady hand as I worked my way from one boulder to the next.  Almost there.

Moving from firm footing onto a million tiny grains, each step sinking a bit before pushing off, we propelled ourselves forward.  Giddiness would start to spill over as we approached the wave churned, smooth as silk driftwood in our path.  So many shapes, so many possibilities could be seen in those twisted pieces of wood.  Almost there.

A million warm grains crunching under each step as we approached our spot.  Laying out a blanket, we sprawled across it, kicked off our shoes and plunged our toes into the sun baked granules.  The warmth slowly travelled up through our covered feet, through our bodies, bit by bit, until the sun’s rays could be felt on our faces.  It was as if we were melting;  melting into each other, melting into the sun, melting into the golden, glittering sand beneath us.

The ocean pounded its waves past the rocky cliffs, into our cove.  Its rhythmic washing of the shore swelled in our ears.  An occasional seagull pierced through.  We were there.  We were in our cove, on our spot, filling ourselves with a peace we found each time we went.

This week, The Red Dress Club, prompted us to write a memory of sand.  I instantly thought of the cove that my husband & I frequented when we were dating.  It was like a little piece of heaven.  It's a hike to get down to it and between that and the fact that there are strong rip tides there, we don't take the kidlets there and consequently, haven't been in quite awhile.  Thankfully though, the memories of it have not dimmed.




This post suffered from the Great Blogger Debacle 2011 and lost all of its lovely comments, which makes me sad.  But, I cannot think of a better way to happy up this post and myself than to link up with super sweet Bruna of Bees With Honey!  Let's Bee Friends! :>

And wouldn't you know it, but looks like Blogger has returned the comments a week later!  Happy to have the comments back and even happier to connect with some of Bruna's readers! Thanks for stopping in! :>

Mama Kat's Prompted a Confession

Prompt: 10 reasons why you could not be a real housewife from any county.

Okay, I know this is sooo not my usual kind of post.  Yes, I like to write along with Mama Kat, but I wouldn't usually choose this kind of prompt.....but, I had to.  Will ya roll with me?  Hope so!

Confession:  Yes, I watch the Real Housewives of insert city/county name on Bravo.  Yes, I admit it.  I watch.  And yes, I enjoy it too.  It's a total guilty pleasure.  I laugh out loud.  I gasp so many times at shocking behavior that my husband often just goes to bed because he's sick of seeing if something is wrong with me.  New York was my favorite, but oh how I miss Bethenny...thank goodness she has her own show on Bravo now, Bethenny Ever After.  Yup, guilty pleasures.

And while I'm technically a housewife (can't stand that word...just not a label I use for myself), I oh so could not be a 'Real' housewife of New York, New Jersey, or Orange County.  (I haven't seen Beverly Hills, Atlanta, or Miami.)

1)  I have not had any plastic surgery in the augmentation category (I have had surgeries by plastic surgeons on my face after the accident, but that was sewing me back together again and later, removing large dense hunks of scar tissue so my face would move!).

2)  I've never had work done on my face and then claimed it was a result of the product I'm hawking. (See the italics in #1).

3)  I do not have three nannies.  I do not have two nannies.  I do not have one nanny.  And other than my Mom taking the kidlets a handful of times, I've never even had a babysitter.

4)  My clothing budget is far closer to the bill for their lunch and I've never been into name brands for anything other than quality or a particular design.  I don't like things because somebody told me I should like it. (I'm an Aquarius, we like to champion underdogs.)

5)  I don't have a housekeeper, though I'm on a global search for Mary Poppins to come sing a song and whisk everything away to where it belongs!  If you see her, please do send her this way.  I'm nice and willing to share.

6)  I think bling is the metal studs on my daughter's Hello Kitty t-shirt and gems on a fabulous papercraft.

7)  I don't need or get a new car every season.  I drive a nice, not inexpensive car, it's ten years old, and that's okay with me.  I like Lizzy!

8)  I don't have a dog.  I have a cat.  She's old.  Her name is Bonnie.

9)  I don't live in a major city where a Real Housewives show would be filmed.  I can go visit those places though.  And all of that is just fine with me!

10)  I don't trash my friends.  Period.

Do you watch Real Housewives?  Do you have a guilty pleasure?  Oh come on, share....I promise I won't say a word!

Got Artichoke?

We do!  Wee girl & I picked up a 2 1/2" artichoke starter plant from a local organic farm (well, the plant was started at a local organic farm, which we bought at Whole Foods) last year and planted it in our veggie garden.  And apparently, that little arti plant really liked its new home!

It started so small and now, it's almost up to the top of the fence with a half dozen artichokes growing on it.  The initial plant was $2.50 and with the price of artichokes today (saw some on sale at Safeway for $3 each the other day), if we even get one good one off of it (though it looks like we'll have many more than that), it will have paid for itself in full.

Pretty cool, huh?!  We think so.  We're also nurturing our boy's strawberry plant, in hopes it produces more yummy fruit for the third year in a row now.  And our graphed apple tree blossomed for the first time this year and already has little mini apples growing on it.  All of this and we haven't even planted any new vegetables yet.  Yup, pretty cool.

What's growing in your garden right now?  Anything new you plan to get into the ground or a pot this month?