A Long Time Coming...

Holy smokes...where did summer (and fall for that matter) go?! It was a time of change for me. My Starbucks store lost a beloved manager when they transferred her to Cardiff-by-the-Sea. We got a new one who it took some time to adjust to. My lovely tomato plant got attacked by birds (and rats, gross) and I only got one or two tomatoes off of it all summer :( I also miraculously (sp?) lost some weight. Yay ME! Let's see what else happened? Hmmm...didn't make it to the beach very much all summer. But I did get my 1st tattoo for my 29th birthday. I had to put a new starter in my car. Blah! Spending money on car maintenance is NO fun. The mechanic did say that my car could have caught fire if I didn't fix it when I did. I wish I could say I got to go see family in WA, but that will have to wait for next summer I think. It still feels like summer here in San Diego. We have had a couple straight days of 75* weather :) Something I can DEFINITELY get used to.
That's all for now! I will try to be better about posting.

This still makes me laugh!

Saturday Night Live - Arlene - Video - http://www.nbc.com

This clip may be a little silly..but Melissa McCarthy is one of the BEST and funniest actresses on TV.

What I've been doing

Yep, I do still post (occasionally) on here. This one's for you Kayali :) Work has been keeping me busy. I am coming up on my 1 year anniversary at Starbucks! And hopefully will be getting a promotion to Shift Supervisor (and a pay increase) soon.
I've been visiting the library alot this year...some books I've read and loved are :
The Help
Room (sad, but good)
John Grisham's newest novel, the title is escaping me at the moment
The Crowing Glory of Cally Lily Ponder
The Violets of March (set on Bainbride Island, WA)--i actually bought this one at Costco
and I am currently reading Bossypants by Tina Fey.
Summer is here, my tomatoes are almost ready! Can't wait to have some homegrown goodness. I'll post pictures soon.

Project Blog is Back!!

I think I might be late on this question...but I am so excited for project blog to be back! It's a great way to get new ideas and there is a link on my blog page in the top corner if you want to learn more about it.
This week the question was:: Are you already making plans for summer? Any trips planned or special events to attend?
Bummer on both counts. Since moving to CA last year, money has been tight. I really would loooooove to say I get to go on a vacation, but NO VACAY for me this year :( I'm okay with it because the beaches here in San Diego are quite nice and close! La Jolla is my favorite..and only about a 20-30 minute drive away. I am planning on visiting Torrey Pines too...still haven't been there. So, yes to making summer plans. And no to planning a vacation away. Although, I do want to visit Vegas soon :)

Planting

Spring is upon us in California. I figured it was time to plant something! A friend at work was nice enough to give me a Heirloom Mortgage Lifter tomato plant today. Sounds great! Bonus was that Randi had just picked up a basil plant the other day. The two went in to the giant planter we got from the neighbor...and here they are!!!

The tomatoes should be ready to pick in 7 to 9 weeks!! I'll definitely keep you updated :) Happy Spring Everyone!!

Making Muffins

I love to bake! We had some mushy bananas on the counter (and who really likes those?!) so I stayed behind tonight and decided to make banana bread muffins! I substituted the butter for applesauce and they turned out so good!

So far tonight I have resisted the urge to eat one...don't know how much longer I can though :)
Here's the recipe:
Banana Bread Muffins
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter (or substitute unsweetened applesauce)
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped (optional, i don't add these because i'm not a fan!)
1 tsp. baking soda
3 soft, ripe bananas; mashed

Cream together sugar & shortening/applesauce. Add eggs, flour, baking soda, bananas & nuts. Use small cookie scoop and place batter in mini-muffin pan. Bake at 325* for 12-14 mins.
**Update: tried the muffins, they're delicious!

A trip outside the 'hood...

I had last Tuesday off work (yay!) and had the best time with Randi and the girls. We left the house about 9am and headed up to Carlsbad to visit the Flower Fields. It was a perfect day, not too hot and lots of photo opportunities! Randi even got her Easter pictures taken too :) Here's just a sampling of the pictures...

Audrie...loves to have her pictures taken!

Hailey was checkin' out the birds in this cage...she absolutely LOVES animals!

Chloe...what a smile!

Ella--she's lost four teeth and counting...

It's raining, it's pouring...

I'll take sunshine instead!

I'm Still Here

In case ya'll were wondering...I am still here :) I've just been busy with work, life, and everything else. It's been a whirlwind couple months here in SoCal. Settling in, working ALOT, and exploring the 'hood. More to follow but that's all for now. My little niece, Hailey, is calling my name downstairs. "Robyn, Robyn, ROOOOOOBYYYYN!" and alas, who can resist?!