First Photos

About a month ago, I knew next to nothing about photography. When Dryw suggested we invest in DSLR, I started doing a little research so I now know a tidbit more than before! Anyway, our new Canon 60D arrived on our doorstep less than a week ago and I'm taking every opportunity to learn about the settings. I wanted to share a few of my first photos (without any post-production processing). I'm hoping you'll watch my photos improve more and more over the next months and years. Let me know what you think!

Oh... the wonderful things about Fall!

I’ve been waiting for this season for months! I’m so excited that the weather is turning and my boots got to come out of the closet. It seems that this summer has lasted so long that we might skip right over Fall and land in winter. For now, we will enjoy the crisp air and first rains.

Dryw and I spent one of our date-days visiting different Apple Hill orchards. I picked up one of the official Apple Hill maps and started marking where we went last year and this year. I hope to add to it each year with new spots we visit. We lunched German-style at Bavarian Hills... and it was German! The lady that took our order for sandwiches looked and smelled German (they take fewer showers and may or may not believe in deodorant). I got a roast beef sandwich on a french roll and Dryw ordered the tri-tip sandwich, which turned out to be a better pick because it was so juicy. It definitely tasted European due to the simple white roll and mayonnaise spread.

Next, we stopped at Jack Russell Brewery. You would think, because of its name, that they would allow cute little doggies, but they made us leave Hans in the car. We sampled the apple beer and their brand new honey wine (mead). We decided that they needed to keep working on the mead since it tasted like cough syrup... It’s a good thing that the samples are only an ounce! The apple beer wasn’t bad at all, though.

We moved on to pick apples at Denver Dan’s U-Pick orchard. We trekked out to the orchard and searched for some good apples on the picked-over trees. We found some decent-sized Granny Smiths and a few miniature red apples. Hans had to stay in the car there, too, because it was so dusty that he would have created a quite a mess in the car.

Finally, Hans got to roam around at our last stop: Rainbow Orchards. We toured around the grassy hill then snacked on apple cider donuts! They were yummy but I think I preferred that cakey donuts from High Hill that we got last year. Before we left to head home, I picked out some funny-shaped gourds for our front door-step.

We stopped in Placerville to check out the antiques street fair and then in downtown Folsom where we ate dinner at a Pizzeria Classico. What a great hubby I have to take me on such a fun date!

I must report that Stephanie’s baby shower went off without a hitch. Each of the hosts took care of all her responsibilities and made it happen stress-free. Now we are counting the days until baby girl Johnstone gets here! I can’t wait to meet her!

                           

Before Fall arrived, I was thinking about what kind of decorations I could put up. The first thing that came to mind was a wreath for our front door. Our condo definitely puts limits on the amount of seasonal items we can store, so I can’t go overboard with the festive decor. But I decided one wreath and some gourds (and pumpkins soon) would be reasonable. I saw some wreaths at Marshall’s and TJ Maxx, but I noticed that they were already falling apart and wouldn’t even last through the year. I found a simple twig wreath at Michael’s and picked out some silk leaves and flowers to add to it. I ended up wrapping a leaf garland around the wreath and adding a red bow to complement the colors in the leaves. I’m happy with the result of this simple and inexpensive wreath! 

                                       

  
My latest baking venture: zucchini pumpkin bread and pumpkin oatmeal cookies! And the taste-testers loved it! I based the bread recipe off one I found on allrecipes.com. It turned out moist and not too sweet... I made the cookies for our small group using a recipe from the same site. I like the combination of pumpkin, oats and chocolate chips. It almost tastes healthy, although I know it can't be with all that butter and sugar. I stacked some of the cookies in fall containers for a neighboring family, my main client contact and our family. We have a an ongoing exchange with our neighbors Luci and Steven. We started by taking them 'smores cookie bars then they returned the favor with carrot cake and we've been sharing baked goods ever since! I know we do it out of good will, but part of me wonders if we are unconsciously trying to pawn off the temptation of having those baked delights in the kitchen all the time. Well, it doesn't make much of a difference because the other most often sends some buttery, sugary, calorie-filled goodness in the other direction. Anyway, it is a fun tradition to have with friends and it's perfect for this season.

Happy Fall!

Catch-Up!

It’s been 105 days since I last posted a blog. Wow. 

To get you up to speed...

We had a wonderful anniversary weekend following my last post. We took Hans and our bikes to the Napa Valley where we enjoyed the scenery, wine, food and each other.

Anniversary in Downtown Napa

Dryw at Ca' Momi in Oxbow Market
We liked it so much we went twice in one weekend!

Hans in Dryw's messenger bag for our bike ride 

In early July, we had the opportunity to go to Pacific Grove with my father-in-law Bill, brother-in-law Daniel and other family members. We rode our bikes through part of the swanky 17-Mile Drive and took in as much ocean breeze as our lungs could hold.

In mid-July, I finished a painting project that was preceded by months of sampling paint colors on our bedroom walls. Light gray was the final pick for our master suite!

Before: too many samples!

After

The last couple months have been spent with family and friends, celebrating mothers-to-be and their babies inside, showering the soon-to-be Mrs. Engle, vacationing with the Owens in Tahoe, and lots of working in between.

Melanie and I went kayaking to Emerald Bay

I have been involved in planning showers, for Stephanie & Baby Girl Johnstone and the future Mrs. Tara Engle, and a fun run for Nevaeh’s Hope. Tara’s bridal shower #2 went off without a hitch and we had a blast at the bachelorette party that followed. My last baby shower of this season (3 in the last couple months!) is for my good friend Stephanie this coming Saturday. I’m finishing up a couple details as are the other ladies that are all pitching in to plan her a real shindig! (photos to follow) I’m in charge of making brightly colored poms, bingo cards, scones, spinach dip, and “spa” water (I chose cucumber and mint).

Miss Tara Klein (soon Mrs. Engle)

My Grandma Penny's China that she gave me

Peach Champagne with Raspberries

Party People

The planning for the 5K fun run was starting to heat up with stress as we searched for sponsors and tried to get some details nailed down. Last month, however, we were faced with a slight problem: the city of Roseville planned to start construction at the venue we chose on the date of our event! We had to postpone the run to early next year. Fortunately, we will have more time to prepare and kick off NH’s first run with more success.

Dryw has been busy working, studying and applying for Sac State’s English program for Spring 2012. He finished an album for The Thomas Confession last week and started working with From Indian Lakes on their second album.

Last weekend, we joined family at the Race to Break the Silence for ovarian cancer. We walked in memory of Dryw’s mom Shalita. One of my favorite things that happened there was that Dryw’s Uncle John pushed his and Shalita’s mom in a wheelchair 3.1 miles. We miss Shalita lots and this was a good way for us to honor her.

Team Shalita

Kim, Ashley, me and Dryw

Needless to say, I have not made any progress on my couch cover project... but I hope to soon. In the meantime, I’ve added another task to my “To Do’s”: apply to Spanish Masters programs at Sac State and UC Davis for Fall 2012. These are two fairly different programs, with two different price tags and time-frames. Dryw and I are weighing the pros and cons, but likely won’t decide until well into next year.

Dryw and I are really looking forward to this Fall and the beauty it always brings! I’m hoping the weather cools off soon (not only because our air conditioner broke) so we can enjoy a day at Apple Hill with a true Fall climate. The holiday season is upon us, and we don’t expect life to slow down any time soon.

The Paper Anniversary

This weekend, Dryw and I are celebrating our first anniversary of marriage. Just one year ago, we were frantically finishing the details of our wedding and waiting for escrow to close on our condo. My bridesmaids and I picked up our keys after the rehearsal dinner, the night before the wedding. Not everything went as planned or as we had hoped, but I think we really did enjoy our wedding day and tried to take in the beauty of each moment. Within moments of the ceremony’s closing, I could see how exhausted Dryw felt and I soon felt the same. He whisked me away to a B & B in Lotus for two nights then we retreated to his grandmother’s cabin in South Lake Tahoe. Ahh, finally. We could just be together without “to do” lists or distractions. It was so wonderful to no longer have to say “goodnight” and part ways. There would be no more goodbyes like the painful one we experienced as I left for Bolivia a year earlier. We were so blessed to spend 10 days and nights exploring the lake and its culinary offerings. We cruised the lake during sunset, sunbathed at Sand Harbor, feasted at Stateline and Fresh Ketch, watched scary movies in the forest-surrounded cabin, and enjoyed Squaw Valley’s mountain-top spa.

By the end of our time at the lake, we were ready to head home and start nesting. We came home to a pile of generous gifts from friends and family and a clean slate to make our own. Dryw and I spent the next few days moving boxes, shopping for household items, completing my name change and unpacking. It really felt like home as we put everything in place and settled in. Dryw would say that the nesting never stops, as I keep roping him into painting projects and home improvement tasks. I can’t deny that he’s right on that one.

One year: the paper anniversary. There are many uses for paper, especially for creative minds and hands, and one of the best uses must be writing, journaling, and reflecting. Our first year has been full of great memories as we took advantage of free weekends and birthday surprises. We were told by many that this year would be one of the hardest. I asked Dryw what his thoughts were on that statement just the other day. It seems that we both agree that was not our experience. We mainly attribute that to the grace of God and our situation, in which we have not spent years of independence becoming set in our ways. We have always lived with others, sharing homes and rooms for the most part. It is actually quite gracious of Dryw to say that WE are not set in our ways. We may not be, but I definitely can be. I know that I can be very particular about how our things are organized and how our home is kept. Despite my occasional outbursts of obsessive compulsive frustration, this year has seen few sad tears and arguments. We could stand to improve our communication and are cognisant that our logic and assumptions don’t always match up. I desire to learn better how to speak in Dryw’s love language and hope that he aspires to do the same for me. As this first year together comes to a close and our second begins, I am confident that God is faithful and thus will mold me into a better, more loving wife. I know that God is good because he gave me Dryw, whom I do not deserve, and he is a gift that I will learn to steward better with each year God gives us.

So, I toast to my love, mi vida, my best friend and lifelong trailblazing partner. I cannot wait to see the places we’ll go together. I love you!

Couch Update

Baby Hans with the Arm Rest in Progress

Pinned Corner Piece

My mother so graciously volunteered some of her prized Mothers' Day time to help me with our ongoing couch project. It was short, but productive and, as always, a great time to chat during her last few days on the Mainland. We shaped the second cover for the smaller seat cushion. As with the larger seat cushion, we needed to shape the upholstery fabric around a notch in the cushion. It worked best for us to cut a diagonal line and add a triangular piece to fill in the corner that conveniently hides underneath the cushion. That will keep the fabric from bunching too much around the notch and look better from the top. My task this week is to sew it where we pinned the fabric. 

After tackling the seat cushions, the other main hurdle that remained was the oddly-shaped arm rests. "This is not your conventional sewing project... not by the book, per se," Mom reminded me. "Next time I'll teach you to sew from a pattern." Well, I'm glad we can figure these not-so-normal projects out anyway! We flung our cut piece of fabric over the first arm rest and decided to try successive folds. And it worked on the first run! Mom showed me how to stich the gathers where they come together to hold all of them in place. Then, she taught me to do running stitches by hand to keep each pleat folded nicely until it hits the sewing machine. We did the same for the other arm rest, but folded it in the opposite direction. 

The Arm Rests with Running Stitches

It looks like we covered the most difficult parts of this homemade couch cover. Phew. That means I can probably do the final touches on my own if we don't finish before my mom leaves (in less then 2 weeks!). I couldn't have done it without her! Thanks, Mom, for letting me glean from your sewing knowledge for this unconventional project! 

To Do: 

1. Finish sewing the seat cushion pieces

2. Order sheet clips for underneath the seat cushions 

3. Sew over running stitches on arm rests

4. Start working on the bottom panels

5. Finish all the pillow covers (2 down, 6 to go)

Couch Makeover

With the help of my mom, I am endeavoring to makeover our couch. Our friends Hannah and Steven gave us this couch, which was a hand-me-down to them, when they no longer needed it for their home. It happened to fit perfectly in our space and is still really comfy. It would be a lot easier to just get a new couch, but Dryw and I like it so much, especially how much seating it provides, that I decided to make my own cover for it.

Luckily, my mom knows how to sew and with our two creative minds put together we can problem solve this old couch into an custom piece. We started out a couple months ago by measuring all the different parts and figuring out how much fabric we need to get the job done. Once we got to Joann’s Fabric for the shopping phase, we realized that upholstery fabric can treat your budget like a runaway train! So we scoured the clearance and sale racks. We couldn’t find anything in our price range that would cover the entire couch, so we got creative. We found two awesome pieces

My First Pillow Cover

of fabric that would almost get the job done.... but not quite. After many pages of arithmetic, we discovered that we would need just one more piece of fabric to cover half of the eight back pillows. Joann’s didn’t have anything that we fell in love with as a third fabric but we got a tip from one of their employees: Triad Fabrics! We found ourselves in a warehouse full of bulk fabric. Everything you can imagine!

We finally found the threesome that will soon be the Owens couch: an off-white textured fabric, a gold-tan piece and a brown and golden-yellow paisley pattern. The trick was picking cost-effective fabrics that would coordinate with and not take away from our Tree of Life painting by Klimt, my birthday gift from Dryw. I am so excited for how this will turn out!

Our Couch As-Is

Like I noted, this was a couple months ago. Now my mom is moving to Hawaii in only about two weeks, so the clock is ticking. Just a couple weeks ago, she taught me the basics of the sewing machine, kindly lent to us by Melanie. I was able to make my first pillow cover (after two tries) but the difficult pieces remain! I’m hoping we get this done before she goes because I’m not as confident in my innovation alone- we work so well as a team.

Here goes nothing! Less than 18 days till Mom is off to the islands. Let’s see what we can get done!

Whipped Potatoes! thanks to NPR

Last Thanksgiving, Dad #4 (Dryw’s step-dad Bill) asked us to bring mashed potatoes to our holiday gathering. I had never made mashed potatoes before, but I always like a new challenge in the kitchen! I was listening to NPR’s Morning Edition on the way to work, as I most often do, and just barely caught the piece on giving that holiday meal a twist: whipped potatoes.

I realize that it’s not even close to Thanksgiving, but you don’t have to wait until then to try this!

I’m posting this now because I made it again on Easter to go with a beef roast. This time, I added garlic to the milk and butter mixture, which was delicious! Just make sure to whip these potatoes till they are smooth and fluffy (probably longer than the suggested 2 minutes)! I mistakenly left them a little lumpy the second time. If you don’t have a stand-up mixer, get one! I’m sure your electric mixer will do the trick, as well. The beauty of this recipe is that it takes a lot less elbow grease than your classic mashed taters. So, give it a chance.    

“If you're tired of that dry, bland potato-y lump, get a weightless potato texture by whipping -- rather than mashing. According to Kimball, one of the settings on the 1930s Sunbeam Mixmaster was whipped potatoes, which has become a lost recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Serves 8 to 10

Instructions

1. Cook Potatoes: Place cut potatoes in colander. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear, about 1 minute. Drain potatoes. Fill Dutch oven with 1 inch water. Bring water to boil. Place steamer basket in Dutch oven and fill with potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Warm Dairy: Heat milk, butter, salt, and pepper in small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking until smooth, about 3 minutes; cover and keep warm.
3. Whip Potatoes: Pour contents of Dutch oven into colander and return potatoes to dry pot. Stir over low heat until potatoes are thoroughly dried, about 1 minute. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, break potatoes into small pieces on low speed, about 30 seconds. Add milk mixture in steady stream until incorporated. Increase speed to high and whip until potatoes are light and fluffy and no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Serve.”

This recipe and other twists on Thanksgiving classics can be found at NPR.org

Royal Nuptials

I had no idea I would get so excited about William and Kate’s wedding! I have been hearing about it on NPR and reading articles on BBC (no cable in the Owens home). From what I have read and heard, I have become more and more impressed with this couple. They have every opportunity to be snobbish and extravagant, but have done nothing of the sort. Will & Kate asked their guests to donate to charities in lieu of giving them gifts. Kate planned to bring in trees, along with flowers, to Westminster Abbey to avoid the pretentious feel it can lend. I just read that Prince William was outside Buckingham Palace on the eve of his wedding (tonight has already come and gone in England) greeting the many fans that are camped outside, awaiting the ceremonies.

You can see that they just want to be a normal young couple. All in all, they seem to be handling the media and fanfare quite well. Cheers to the royal couple!

It looks like I would have to get up at about 3AM to watch the big events live. I’m not sure if I’m game... if only I could call in sick! I would at least like to see her dress - a true princess’ gown, I’m sure. NPR had some lovely suggestions for those that choose to enjoy the shindig live: Royal Recipes

I am very happy for this sweet couple and new princess of the United Kingdom! I hope that they can enjoy their day as much as Dryw and I did. XOXO

This Easter

Our First Easter Together in 2009

Easter is so wonderful! And not for the chance to pretty-up, wear my pink vintage dress, or watch my hubbies rock out on stage at church. It is great for reasons so beyond me that it is difficult for me to even understand what it fully means and what I am supposed to do with that understanding... or lack thereof.

My co-worker mentioned that she would be working today and I responded, “that’s too bad.” I was taken aback by her response: “It’s OK. I don’t have kids, so Easter doesn’t really matter to me.” I wanted to say everything that came to mind, but I didn’t, either because I couldn’t articulate it or was afraid to try (probably the latter).

I guess I wanted to scream that Easter is not about playing hide-and-go-seek with plastic eggs, or an imaginary bunny, or even celebrating Springtime (although, it does well to illustrate rebirth and new life). Easter is about Salvation. It’s about getting rescued from this world and even from myself. (Dryw: “I’m tired of all this bad stuff.”) It’s about my God getting so personal that he lived through the daily grind, the relationships, and the betrayal that can so easily consume us. “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8b) And he is offering us new life through raising from the dead himself. He suffered the consequences of our badness, so that we could be with him.  

Please listen to Sufjan Steven’s song To Be Alone With You (listen.grooveshark.com). It is so appropriate for reflecting on what Good Friday and Easter mean. Has anyone else loved you like that? You may get a glimpse of God’s love through another human being’s love for you, but no other love is perfect.

When Dryw and I were talking about Holy Week, we both agreed that it is easier for us to connect with Christ’s suffering than his resurrection. We get Good Friday. Maybe that explains why I feel that Sufjan’s song would be such a great theme for the holiday. For some reason, we get what it meant for him to suffer and die for our sake. Perhaps it is because we all suffer to some extent. It is so much more difficult to grasp Christ’s resurrection and what is specifically means for us. Paul... help!

“3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve...
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised...
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 

1 Corinthians 15: 3-5,14,15,17-19 (biblegateway.com) 

This is something for me to reflect on this Easter. This might not be the year that it truly clicks with me, but I know that God is faithful and my salvation doesn’t rely on me. It relies on HIM. Thank God!

Please celebrate Christ’s resurrection and your new life this Easter! If you don’t have new life in Christ, I hope you will find it in Him alone.

Owens Economy #1

As you can very well see, I have started a blog. I am fully aware of the copious amounts of blogs floating in cyberspace, so I would not be so naive as to think that you may actually be genuinely interested in what I have to say. Nonetheless, I am going to try this blog thing once again. My former blogs were about my travels, one semester in Europe and Israel, and then the 5 months I spent as a YWAM student and missionary in Bolivia and Peru. Now, I am settled in at home, for the first time in about 5 years,  with my new husband Dryw in our suburban condo. We’re not living in a foreign land, rather we’re living right where we grew up, just a few miles from where we were born; I in Auburn and Dryw in Sacramento. We do dream about traveling around the world, moving somewhere we’ve never been, & living in a world-class city. But, where we are, we are really content (for now). How could I not be with content when I have the love of my life, a place to call home, a cuddly dog, family and friends close by, employment, and all the little things I need? God has blessed us in the big and small. Thus, this blog will help to count those blessings, and maybe share sorrows. I hope that this will be a venue for getting creative, expressing ideas and frustrations, talking about what’s going on in the world, giving thanks to God (for all things), developing passions, and building character. If you’d like to join me, you can "follow by email" to the right. But if you’re not sure yet, then check back in every so often. At least you got this far!