Tag Archives: Happy Hour

Looking Back…

… to a time and place where we were able to head out at the last minute to a nearby “Happy Hour” with lots of good choices (2012 at the Beach House). Sigh.

Also looking back at early morning walks at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura (2009).

We are wondering what we can substitute for our cancelled trip to Great Britain. Time will tell. Maybe a new recliner. Haha!

We are getting summer heat this week getting hotter everyday with the highest temps expected on Thursday and Friday, 101 degrees. We’ll head south to do our Spokane shopping on thursday since it doesn’t make sense to work outside on the shop or in the yard in that heat.

Cooling off just looking at these beach scenes.

Looking back, living today and looking forward to the future I will rejoice.

Came across this quote from R.C. Sproul:

“Our calling isn’t to follow our hearts. Our calling is to have our hearts informed and directed by the clear and plain teaching of the Word of God.”

Tuesday Tips!

GrazieWe enjoy eating earlier these days so when we decide to eat out we try different Happy Hours around the area. Some Happy Hours are happier than others.  Last Friday we re-visited an old favorite from a few years ago and were very pleased. All of these dishes were half priced and each selection was plenty for the three of us to enjoy. Yes, three, as our daughter Katie is still with us while our Son-in-law Andrew is serving in Afghanistan. There were three meatballs on that plate before I took the photo. We were pleased with the selections that Grazie in Canyon Park offered.

P1040819This Bruschetta appetizer was great with the added ricotta and herb spread and olive tapenade. I’ll be trying to duplicate it and will post it on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook webpage. I’m thinking it will be a great dish for Super Bowl Sunday.

Speaking of Andrew if you are a praying friend of mine could you please pray that Andrew’s time in Afghanistan will not be extended? We all would appreciate it here at this old house. Originally he would be returning before April. Now we are praying he’ll be home before May.

Monday was an amazingly non-productive day at his old house. I did manage to make dinner. Can I have some applause please? Thank you. I hear our Midwest and Eastern friends will be experiencing some more nasty winter weather this week. Stay safe please! All we have in the forecast here is rain…

Renovations…

…are a great excuse for eating out. Thankfully we can take advantage of the lower priced Happy Hours around town since Dear starts work early and gets home earlier than most. Remember if you don’t drink alcohol you can still enjoy Happy Hours. Usually they just require you to order some type of drink including soft drinks or iced tea, etc.

We have found a new place to us in town that we have enjoyed a few times now.

Main Street Ale House1Main Street Ale House in Bothell. I didn’t take a photo of the jalapeno poppers we had last Wednesday night. They were delicious stuffed with cheese and wrapped in thick bacon. They came with a dipping sauce that was sweet (maple syrup and brown sugary). A great sweet and savory combo.

We actually had a meal in from items I purchased at Costco last Thursday. They had their rotisserie chicken packaged in leg quarters in the fresh refrigerated section 8 quarters for $4.99. I bought those a container of Coconut Curry Sauce, some Naan bread, rice and a Caesar salad. I simmered 4 of the chicken quarters in the sauce to serve with the rest of the sides that I bought. Easy peasy in a kitchen that is not totally back to normal.

What is your go to restaurant or bring in meal when things are topsy turvy at home?

My mom continues to be cared for at home and she has her major ups and downs. My family is continuing to make adjustments to make her as comfortable as we can. Thank you so much for all your prayers and kind encouragement during this time. My family is blessed by it all.

mom coloringHere’s my mom from Monday night having some ice cream and coloring with my niece Melissa. She really enjoyed this and I love seeing these photos.

Downtown Seattle

On Wednesday afternoon we met Terry and Lovella at Boka in downtown Seattle for Happy Hour.

The food was all delicious but the company was better.

If you find yourself in downtown Seattle to shop let us know and we’ll meet you for Happy Hour.

Today Dear and I are headed north across the line to meet up with 6 of the MGCC girls and their husbands for dinner at Bev and Harv’s. Looking forward to this get-together. We’ll head north after Dear gets home from work. We will spend Saturday to recoup! What are your plans this weekend before U.S. Thanksgiving?

Happy Hours While We May…

Dear and I are enjoying many happy hours of different types while Katie is still under our roof.

On Friday we went to a restaurant Happy Hour at a new place for us in Kirkland, Washington at Carillon Point. Le Grand Bistro Americain served up some good eats for us.

The views were lovely filled with boats, water and dramatic sky.

I’m linking up with Mary at Little Red House since she has her power back now for Mosaic Monday. Glad you are out of the dark Mary!

Another busy week ahead for me. Tomorrow I have to go to the dentist for my first crown experience…ugh! I will not be pleased if it interferes with my joy of eating experience! We are in count down mode here…22 days till Katie moves to North Carolina. This Saturday there’s a Northwest bridal shower for her at my sister Lana’s house. Looking forward to having a time of celebration with friends who have touched Katie’s life. We’re choosing joy each day and being thankful for all we have.

Pampering Myself ~ How to Eat Out Alone

 

I have learned over the years to pamper myself when the time is right. I also can rationalize a dinner out any day of the week. So…because Dear has been in Seattle at a Pharmacy conference since Friday and I’ve been home alone I decided to have a treat and go out to dinner on my last night alone. I started the eating out alone experience when I was out of town at sports tournaments, etc. I learned that it’s OK to eat out alone. The first couple times it was awkward but I’m “way over it”. I like to eat early so Happy Hours are ideal for me. You can eat at a nice restaurant instead of a Fast Food Joint!

Tonight I hopped into my car and drove a short distance to the Safire American Bistro in Camarillo. The bar has great tables for two for a single person to feel comfortable at. These tables were out of the main hub bub and not real conspicuous. They have what they think are deals on their happy hour menu. I’ve had better deals elsewhere but this was nice never-the-less. (Is that one word?) I ordered their Safire Salad which was wonderful $5.00. I love that it had garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in the salad and Parmesan shavings. The tomatoes were grape tomatoes and not the scary salmonella tomatoes that are causing havoc across the US right now. Sheesh the $7.00 gourmet pizza was a medium size not a personal size so I brought 3/4 of it home. I suppose $7.00 for a medium gourmet pizza at a nice restaurant is a good Happy Hour price…

Ummm, I wasn’t going to mention it but since it’s in the photo collage the gin martini was $6.00.  And since you are eating out alone, only have one drink please. 🙂 Now how do I rationalize this meal that cost me $23.00 with tip you ask, yes I generally tip 20%. I figure since Dear’s company is paying for all his meals the last 5 days we’re way ahead even though I splurged. Do you see my reasoning?

The pampering didn’t stop with dinner. When I got home I brewed myself a cup of tea and had a slice of Amish Friendship Bread that Willow sent home with me yesterday. Very yummy, Willow!

 

This is a new brand of tea I’m trying from St. Petersbourg, actually made in France. A Russian blend of China, Ceylon and India teas with natural scents of bergamot, lemon, lime, orange, mandarin, and flowers. (Earl Grey, citrus fruits and flowers). I love the little muslin tea bags.

Dear comes home tomorrow, yippee!

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.