Another Sunday

Another Sunday goes by...we bought new plates at Crate and Barrel, thanks to a very generous housewarming present, and are so excited to use them. We host the next "Mira Monte Originals" dinner, which consists of current and old (us included now) members of the neighborhood. It's always a fun event. Ours will be an Oktoberfest theme (go figure!) so now we have 10 new dinner plates, low bowls, and coffee service for four. We have plenty of other cups for espresso service, etc. so we should be just fine. And won't everyone be drinking beer anyways??

I have been savoring a fantastic German wine that Central Market (an Austin central market chain) has been importing...it's a red wine, which isn't the normal German wine you see...mostly you'll find Riesling or Gewürztraminer...but there are some fantastic Pinot Noir grapes from the Baden region.

The wine I've been liking is called Spätburgunder (which translated could be "late burgundy" as in a late harvest of Burgundy grapes but really does mean Pinot Noir). I want to buy a case and I know they have 2 1/2 cases left...perhaps I will have to splurge a bit and do so.

Time to prepare for Monday...

Tschüss!

New Site Note

I am undertaking a project to start converting older posts to this new page -- this will make life much easier for me to post. iWeb is great and all...but sucks if you don't use .MAC.

Google rules!

Westfälischer Pffeffer-Potthast

This was an interesting experience because...sadly we hated this dish. The cookbook touted it as “piquant” and “a favorite” but...it tasted like paper. I followed everything perfectly. Oh well, you can’t like them all.

It started off pretty innocently. Bunch of onions and short ribs. We’re not short ribs people, but I wanted to try something different.

As you can see from the recipe, this is a very simple dish. Did I use too much water? Should I have done beef broth?




Oh, well -- it was a bomb. It looks good, though! Check out the mashers in the background!

Tschüss!

Lights and Buses

Phew, I survived the week. Work was full of re-organizations, work on structuring the new team, building curriculum, etc. Home was closing the house, trying to find time to relax (I didn’t find much of that), and starting some little improvements.

On Wednesday, we arranged a dinner with our friends Melissa and Spencer, old neighbors from Mira Monte who moved a few months ago, at planned to meet them downtown at The Belmont. Ryan doesn’t get off work until 7:00 and I didn’t really want to drive from home 2 miles and then have to BOTH drive home.

So, I took the bus. My first ride in Austin and it wasn’t bad for 50 cents. I was only on there for five minutes and it picked me up 1/2 block from our house. It dropped me off about 2 1/2 blocks from Ryan’s work. I loved it! And I’m going to do it again in a few minutes...going to a b-day happy hour at the Gingerman downtown. I heard it’s closing, which makes me sad. It has about 75 beers on tap.

Ryan also worked on a lighting improvement project for the driveway -- it’s quite long and very dark at night...so he found a contractor, met him, and it’s done! It’s beautiful...absolutely stunning!




Better get ready for the evening...and the bus ride. Kind of lame but oh-so-very German.

Tschüss!

p.s. Happy Oktoberfest!!!

So this is goodbye

It’s over. Phew. It’s funded, closed, paid, done, moved out of, missed, exhausted, finished. The house is sold. Not like it was a big ordeal -- we had a horrible time selling our Utah condo -- but it feels so good to be done with this one.

We went and said “goodbye” last night -- I brought SaraCat’s spirit with me back to the new house. It was hard leaving the room that we had her put down in -- but that was just a thing and I know she’s with me.

Ahhhh...so I am enjoying sitting in the new house, having a celebratory beer, and looking forward.

Tschüss!

We are just two geeks

Early in our relationship, I thought I was the “geek” of the family. I love Star Trek, fantasy books, computers, Lord of the Rings, new and old David Bowie, etc. Then, we started to discover Ryan’s affinity toward cars, hair product, and electronics. We both eventually settled on the wonderful fact that we are both deep, life-long geeks.

Which means we are perfectly suited for each other. I make sure our wireless network is up (just bought a new Apple base station -- fast!), computers are updated, and that we see the newest Star Trek movie. Ryan makes sure the cars are cool, our hair is rocking, and the music sounds good.


Along the lines of the last comment, we did invest in our first set of speakers -- they are amazing! Also, a new Rotel receiver...all in preparation for the TV stand and TV that we have yet to buy -- waiting for our other house to close before we commit to it.

Craigslist update -- I put 6 things up last night and so far 5 are claimed! Hopefully they all pan out and I get can rid of things this afternoon. I love craigslist because you’re not just selling it...you’re “passing it on” to another family. I sold our fake ficus tree for $2 -- we’ve had it for 8 years and it has been in every single apartment/condo/house of ours...but I wanted to give it to someone who would enjoy and appreciate that.

Tschüss!

Deutsches Beefsteak

My “German Cookbook” has turned into quite the gem. We’ve now tried a dozen recipes and each one has been fantastic. I’ve compared notes with my German co-worker and she nods her head each time I walk her through my cooking experience -- authentic, yes.

This week I was a culinary nut -- some fantastic meals. Chicken Madeira (of Cheesecake Factory fame) with real mashed potatoes and roasted red bell peppers, Balsamic Beef Tenderloin with roasted carrots and leeks, Deutsches Beefsteak with Serviette Knoedel, Spargel (asparagus), und drei Pfeffer sosse.

The Deutsches Beefsteak, aka German Hamburger, was very similar to something my mom makes -- Navigator Burgers -- but without the sour cream. You don’t put a bun on these, simply serve them with onions on top.

Today I have to go and finalize what we’re doing with what’s left at the old house. There is an entertainment center, a desk, a fake tree, and a bunch of little things. At this point, I don’t really want to do a garage sale and would rather truck it all to Goodwill...except I don’t have a truck. I’ll try to craigslist some of it, but don’t know if it’ll move fast enough.

Tschüss!

"Moving in" Photo Album

Here is our "moving in" photo album...



Or, click here to watch it in full screen.

Tschüss!

Settling In

This move has been fairly smooth in some aspects (the movers, packing, the kids) but rough in others (the builder, the sub-contractors) and it’s still not over because we don’t close until later this month. Although we’re about ready to let out a scream of “phew” I won’t and can’t until it’s truly done.

Isaac and Grete have settled in perfectly -- it took Grete a few days to find her groove, but this morning the “shredder” was back at my Saturday newspaper inspiring me to clean by throwing bits of newspaper throughout the house. Last I saw, she was vigorously reading the Sports section downstairs.


Isaac loves the windows and talks every moment of the day! He’s even learning some more sounds, though, a by-product of practicing. We’ve started making him a weekly “Layered Salad” with green goodness and that’s really showing in his feathers and demeanor. I think his internal bio-systems are happy. I also love the fact that each morning he can wake with the sun, roost as it goes down, and just watch birds, squirrels, and airplanes from the big windows. The Saturday morning shower has come and gone.



I went to Norfolk for work last week, and it was a great trip -- met some of the newer trainers on the team and reconnected with everyone else. All good news. When I went to my favorite restaurant there, Havana, the bartender immediately poured a glass of the Montepulciano without me asking. I go there too often and will be going there more through the end of the year.

Oh, Ryan had his birthday and I bought him a new wallet and lots of clothing. I wrapped everything and made a “Present Skyscraper.” He wears the same stuff over and over and frankly isn’t as messy with color/bleach as he used to be -- so it was time for more clothes. Unfortunately, one of the best shirts was too small and since I got it on sale I can’t take it back...it fits me...how big of a loser do I feel that I buy him something that only I can wear. Ugh.



I love the kitchen in this house -- I’ve already cooked a few meals, including a German one with Wienerschnitzel (Ryan said it was the best I’ve made) and Gemüse au Gratin.


Time to do chores around here. I really love this house. Listening to Caribou and ready to take on the day.

Tschüss!