My resident Chef

For those that don't already know...I'm married to a trained, professional, full-time chef. Yes, it certainly has its perks so I certainly don't expect anyone to fully relate to the following comment but...here goes...it can be a real pain in the (expletive) arse! I know...wah-wah, cry me a river! So in his defense and to help justify his 24/7 chef-like mentality here are the 'perks'

1. He does, in fact cook just about every meal (98% of them)
2. We have amazing culinary concoctions that most people would pay a great deal of money for.
3. Dinner is on the table or completely prepared when I get home from work.
4. Does the shopping (98% at least. Hey, he's trained to shop efficiently and effectively, something I supposedly interfere with when attending any grocery store outings).

Okay really the list could go on so I've probably already negated my upcoming complaint but that's what we women do best. I like to consider it more of an observation than a complaint anyway. Bear with me as you follow me through my 'observation'.

Over the weekend we decided to have a quiet, low-key little family outing. The location of choice...Charlottesville. Of course! It is one of our favorite places to explore. What's not to love about the beautiful scenic drive, the lovely mountain setting, the history, the....okay, sorry got off topic. Back on track. We had 2 main goals. 1. Get yummy food. 2. Antique-ing (Junk-tique-ing) and explore something/somewhere new. Needless to say, food ALWAYS comes first in this family.

After arriving to the downtown walking mall (practicing my greatest restraint from shopping) we began walking down the mall, reading menu's...and back up the mall...and back down...and back up. No menu was suitable, no location sufficed and when both of those checked out...there were too many people so the quality would probably suffer. AHHH! I was losing patience but also thoroughly entertained. I could have easily settled for the 1st, 2nd...5th choice but what do I know?

It's times like these that having a resident chef isn't always as grandiose as it may seem. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have it any other way but PICK A RESTAURANT ALREADY, sweetie!

The decision was made (on our drive out of the city). The lucky winner? Guadalajara. A very good, authentic Mexican restaurant. It didn't take me long to discover that my chef's weakness lied within the food he couldn't easily prepare himself. This pretty much ruled out Italian (to my own dismay) and the obvious "chain restaurants". Both of which I am totally fine with as his Italian cuisine is more than a sufficient replacement for the (now lacking) Italian dinner outing. Chain restaurants tend to bore me and rarely impress me so eliminating them is quite fine with me too (although the basic, simplicity of a cheap quick meal is tempting from time to time). We are now left with Asian inspired cuisine, a good quality, authentic Mexican/Spanish menu and a unique, homemade food, special recipes, hole in the wall kind of dive/diner/pub/cafe.

Charlottesville has all of these but something about that day had my resident chef's taste buds being particularly picky. Why then, did he so easily settle for Guadalajara? Well a number of reasons. 1. He told himself he would agree with the next restaurant I named (as a joke I said, Taco Bell so my opinions became quickly eliminated) 2. After saying that he thought of Mexican food and seeing as we were heading OUT of town Guadalajara was next on the map. Done!

((Side note on: The mention of Taco Bell, reminded him of Mexican food so we had to go to a Mexican restaurant. This is a prime example of how the children's book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" relates to our daily life. If you haven't read it, I recommend you do so!))

Welcome to my world! All the gripes aside, my resident chef makes my world go round. I don't know where I'd be without him! (Yuck, wipe the sappy-sap off)

There are still so many stories to be shared on the topic of my resident chef so please stayed tuned, we've only just 'braised' the surface. We haven't even touched menu critiquing, ordering etiquette, restaurant performance and so many more topics to cover.

Thanks for visiting,
Cheers!

Megan

Nothing but Blue Skies, do I see

Today, like most days, I've become inspired by a friend and her lovely little narrative of the beach. (http://petalsinprose.blogspot.com/2012_03_01_archive.html)
This particular article is not just about the warm glow of the beach but the immense beauty and illustrious charm of the sky.

It seems like a lifetime since I've visited the salty waters, gritty sand and endless horizon's of the beach. For a moment, while reading the article, I was taken to that peaceful place where worries wash away with the tide and each day brings anew with the warm setting sun and the glistening silver moon. Thank you, Cammie, for transporting me from my stark cubicle walls to that wonderful, tranquil place. As I reflected on her words I was reminded of days gone by with equally beautiful skies. Unable to leave cube-world for the flat sandy beaches, I can bask in the glow of beautiful skies through pictures. (There's certainly no shortage of pictures on this hard drive) Join me, as I frolic (pictorially) through beautiful days and skies gone by...



These tress look so wild and crazy in the setting sunlight.



I love the contrast in the corn stalk and the sky.



Yellow, green and blue...great color palette.



The suns warmth rising on the mountains (view from our driveway).



Oh hi Keira...that sure is a beautiful sky and pasture behind you.

 

Trees sure do have a way of complimenting the sky, don't they?

I ♥ having fun too, especially on bright blue sunny days!



No matter the season, this view never looks bad.



Clouds so fluffy I could sleep on them.



A cows paradise.

 

Do you have a favorite tree? I have a few.

A sky blog wouldn't be complete without our little piece of heaven. Siesta Key, FL



High on a mountain top. (Please excuse the poor panoramic stitching)



The most natural spotlight ever made.

 

Sail away with me honey...



Can you feel the sun's warmth?

 

First one to find the moon gets a cookie...A little game we Burrows' play.



Again, I just love this color palette. Nature's palette.

 

Cozumel, thank you for the gorgeous weather!



Even on the foggiest of days, nature's bounty and the skies glory are marvelous.

 

Good night moon!



No wonder they call it the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

This tiny barn is one of my FAVORITE barns! (Review, I have favorite
barns, trees...believe me there will be more)



Rolling green pastures and majestic blue mountains, is what I call home.



What's a mountain view without a little snow capped action?


Thanks for joining me. I hope you enjoyed your 'Sky Tours' with me today.

A special thanks to Cammie at Petals In Prose for my blog-spiration today!

Megan

Low Key, High Quality Weekend

Feeling a little under-the-weather, my family and I decided to take it easy this weekend. But if your family is anything like mine. Taking it easy isn't always as 'easy' as you'd thought it would be. Nonetheless, it was a fine weekend.

How many of you can say, you went to a jewelry party where you caught up with old friends over bubbly and shrimp cocktails, knit a cutey little striped baby hat, designed 6 different label templates for a small business (business plug: http://www.shenandoahspicecompany.com/) and enjoyed a 'secco storm' (as in Prosecco brainstorming, duh!) with 4 beautiful, entertaining and inspiring women? Don't think the kids were neglected during any of this...somehow I managed to squeeze quality kid time in between it all. Sorry, Josh (the husband), you were a bit on the back burner. By no fault of my own though. He was busy working away on his spices for the upcoming farmers market season. Can't wait!

Sometimes, in life, it seems that nothing is working in your favor but despite all the things that could be going wrong or have gone wrong, life takes a turn in the right direction and you feel the wind on your face, the sun on your nose and hear opportunity at your door step. In light of my current under-the-weather kind of feeling; I have an overall good feeling about the ventures and experiences in store for me this year and many years to come.

So today, I have nothing more to say than this...enjoy all of life's simplest pleasures, today and everyday. You never know when an opportunity is knocking on your door or an experience is waiting around the corner!

I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous week and many more to follow!

Megan

Peaces by Vic Cagan

I love a great handmade item and the jewels I got this weekend were just that! A good friend of mine hosted a jewelry party quite a few years ago and the greatest part about it was that the jewelry was made with love, peace and healing vibes by a dear friend of hers, Vic Cagan, "Peaces". Having gotten a gorgeous necklace and pair of earrings from the last party I was anxious to see what this party had in store.

Victoria (Vic) Cagan, is a licensed psychotherapist in Lawrence, Kansas. Her practice involves eclectic modalities of treatment such as; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychodynamic theory and music centered therapy through guided imagery with music. So needless to say, she has plenty happening on the forefront and can't devote her life to her secondary hobbies and entrepreneurial endeavors. (Though if you ask me, she could have a GREAT thing going)


Vic Cagan. Psychotherapist by day, jewelry designer and artist by night.

You can't find her website because there isn't one. She just finds peace and enjoyment in creating these dazzling little pieces of jewelry and I thank her for it! She has unbelieveable talent and creativity when it comes to designing and envisioning the latest trends while also being true to herself and her own style. What I find to be the neatest part of all, is that through her training and knowledge in the field of therapy, she believes that each piece of jewelry created holds a therapeutic value and she strives to incorporate these qualities into each one . It is no secret that certain gemstones are said to have healing and therapeutic properties but people tend to take them for granted (I being one of them).

At this particular jewelry party it's not just about trying on a piece and wondering if the style or color fits your wardrobe, if the length is good for your neckline, if the earrings are too big and flashy and so forth. It's more about putting the piece on and deciding whether it fits your life, your energy and your being. By doing so, you will find that everything else about it, aesthetically, falls right into place. Vic provides the healing and therapeutic value of her pieces on the tag so you understand the underlying properties in each one. For me, this makes the choosing process even more fun!

All that said, my particular "peaces" found me...you could say.

I went into the party with NO intentions of buying a single thing, but let's be real...A female, drinking bubbly and oogling over handmade healing jewels. The odds were against me. I've found that I am a very simple and practical (most of the time) kind of person. My sister on the other hand, is not so simple. While she was paroozing the goodies I acted as her personal stylist offering up my opinion on what looked good and suited her and what didn't; when low and behold, there they were...MY necklaces. I put the first one on (the little black onyx number) and felt the love for it immediately. The second one, however, I was unsure of. I was drawn to it all night but it wasn't until the end of the night that I finally put it on. I was alone and kind of sneakingly trying it on (to easily persuade myself not to buy it) when all of a sudden it was as if the room went dark and someone dropped the spotlight right one me. Everyone stared in my direction. It was one of those moments of awe. Not the typical "oh, that looks nice on you" but the wow factor. With a reaction like that, I had to go to a mirror and see what all the fuss was about.

It was more bold then my usual liking. It was daring and eye catching and I tend to like a more subdued, understated look but something about it held my interest.

Red Coral is said to have cleansing, strengthening and repairing qualities for immune system health. I could certainly use that right now! My family has been passing around viral, cold and allergy related sicknesses for quite some time now and I'm so over it! Well, can you guess what happened next? I bought both and called it an evening. Thanks, Vic and Raven, for a lovely evening. I look forward to the next one!


Peaces by Vic Cagan



My new bold and daring red coral "peace"



Black onyx..negativity not welcome here!



There's so much more than what meets the eye. I challenge you to discover it!

Thank you all for stopping by.

à bientôt (until we meet again/see you soon)

Megan

Part Toddler, Part Monster, Part...Dog?

I'm convinced that my child is a rare breed of 13 month old little girls. She's very "normal" in terms of the obvious and assumed destructive nature of a 13 month old (the part monster). She also has that unbearable cuteness about her that every mother loves and adores, from the innocent smile to the pathetic (yet cute) cry when she doesn't get her way. The ever changing and evolving knowledge and understanding for life (the part toddler). The part that doesn't seem to fit the "norm" but the feature that I love SO much about her is the part...dog?!

We can all tell when Lily has had her fill of indoor entertainment. Believe me, you don't have to live with her long to figure out the signs. It begins with a general frustration towards all attempts at distraction and preoccupying. It's the part that follows the typical irritated, temperamental toddler that I love. She begins to frantically flounce about on an unwavering and slightly compulsive journey to find her jacket and hat. Once these items have been found (and believe me she'll go to any length to find them) she brings them to us and goes to the door. She'll then sit down, wait and point at the door.

Its become a bit of a routine for our weekday mornings. When we finally make it to the living room area of the house that usually means it is time for the jacket and hat and then its OUTSIDE! She becomes completely elated and overcome with enthusiasm. It speaks volumes for her love of the outdoors that, 1. She has a limited vocabulary (why talk when there's an older sister to do it for you) but she has mastered the complex word outside and 2. The weather is irrelevant to her. I am not exaggerating in the slightest (if anything I'm not even descriptive enough to express how serious this kid is about her outside time). We have suffered through harsh conditions, wind, freezing temperatures, rain and yes even sleet/snow (the little bit we got around here). All the while she has been minutely phased by such conditions. Much like a dog (and I say that in the most endearing and sincere way). No weather is so extreme for a dog or my daughter, that they don't still yearn for their outdoor enjoyment.

So to call her a toddler is an understatement...but that's what makes us love her even more. She helps encourage me to appreciate everyday, regardless of the weather.

This is her "haha, suckers" face (or at least that's what I think).

Who wouldn't love going outside when you ride in style like this kid?

Happiness!