Mosaic Monday - Photo Shoot

I've been dying to put together a mosaic of a photo shoot my daughter April scheduled for her Shih-Poo puppy Chorizo. This was in May of this year but I've just now gotten all the photos downloaded and the mosaics put together.

Chorizo is hard to photograph as she tends to always look away from the camera at the precise time you hit the button to take the picture. Not sure how this photographer did it, but he took some really beautiful pictures.

I was amazed at how well behaved she is, the secret is that while the photographer was taking the pictures, my daughter was holding up treats. That's what Chorizo is staring at so intently!

But hours and hours of posing and smiling for the camera can bring out the bad side of even someone as adorable as dear little Chorizo, as witnessed by these photos taken by the paparazzi!

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies."

Gene Hill 

Linking up to Mosaic Monday hosted by Mary of Little Red House, please click here to see what other mosaics people have done. Have a great week!

Sunday Favorites - Thrift Store Shopping is like Disneyland

I mentioned in my previous post how busy my life has been this past week and also how my thrifting buddy, my mom Tomasa is sick so we wouldn't be going thrifting this week. And sure enough we didn't and she's in bed resting right now as we speak. So I did the next best thing. I found an old post about thrifting and once you read it you will understand how hard it was for me (and I'm sure for my mom) to stay home today and not hit our favorite thrift stores.

I hope you enjoy it and that you head over to visit the host for Sunday Favorites, Chari with Happy to Design.

One of my favorite posts from

March 5, 2009

My sister hates shopping.
HATES it!
Once in a while though, when she feels I need or deserve a special treat (like I'm her little pet dog) she will allow me the privilege of going thrift store shopping with her.
Did I mention she hates shopping? Well she especially hates thrift store shopping. She doesn't mind so much going into a store like JC Penneys or Walmart and going right to a certain department and getting the exact items she has on her list...but she doesn't have that "Thrill of the Hunt" that is inbred in me from the Tarango side of the family!

My Tia Leonor was the Queen of Thriftshopping the Queen of Yardsaling and the Queen of Antique Stores. You could not drive past a yard sale with Tia Nor and not know that you HAD to stop. And she could find treasures like no one else could. Her home was filled with her treasures and we all know about her "cuartito" that was filled with...um, well I don't know what it was filled with cause no one ever let us kids in there, but I'm sure it was filled with treasures.

Later as we all grew up Tia Nor filled the buses that Tio Tino and Tio Jesus had parked on her property with more treasures. And she knew what was in each of those buses and in the cuartito and if people needed something she knew just where to go and get it. She also had a pretty lucrative business selling clothing she picked up at yard sales for a song and selling it for a profit to migrant farm workers. She was my hero! heroine?...well you get the point.

I especially remember a plate that she had hanging in the kichen. The plate had John F. Kennedy on it. I loved that plate and always wished she would give it to me. I guess I should have asked, but I never did and I never knew what became of that plate. I hunt for it online, but although I've found others similar, it's not the plate I remember.

So thrifting is in my blood and I remember a few weeks ago for some reason on the way home Lisa suggested that we stop at one of my very favorite thrift stores, Goodwill on Rosedale Highway. I was thrilled and the closer we got the more excited I got. And when we were in the middle lane waiting for a pause in the traffic so I could turn left into the parking lot Lisa was laughing at me about how excited I was. And I told her that to me, going thrift store shopping is like a little kid going to Disneyland, you just get all excited and you can't wait and dad can't drive that car fast enough into the parking lot for you. Remember that feeling from being a kid whether it was going to Disneyland or to a County Fair or Circus? That's the feeling I get about thrift shopping, and I thought I was the only one until today when I read the blog Manic Thrift Store Shopper.

This guy Brian, is my spiritual Tarango twin and he speaks in a language that only true thrift store connoisseurs understand, just listen to him write about how he feels...

"When I drive past a thrift store, I often imagine that I feel a little pull to go inside. I think that something, some object, is calling out to me to be found and rescued from the shelves piled high with junk. I believe that if I look long enough and hard enough, that amazing object will be revealed and I will be rewarded for following my instinct, for turning from the street into the parking lot and getting out of my car."

Please go check out his site, he has so many "pretties" for you to see and he's one heck of a writer as well.

To Busy to Blog and I'm not Happy About It!

Blogging is my favorite hobby and I've been so busy I haven't had time for it. That makes me sad!

Sunday I had dinner with old friends that I hadn't seen in almost five years. Food was great but when did everyone get old and have nothing to talk about besides grandchildren, politics and retirement? Good thing the food was yummy. I'm eating there again tonight with my daughter and her friend Mary!

Monday night I met up with my sister and my mom to do our Walmart run since I was busy all weekend. We had dinner at Dennys first cause mom loves her some Dennys! My sisters two boys Sean and Isaac came with them, they're both so handsome and such good eaters!

Tuesday night I went to the Grocery Outlet store to see what kind of Fall Decorations and Candles they had because you can usually find them pretty cheap. I had planned to make it a quick stop and shop but my daughter met me and then she came home with me along with the precious puppy Chorizo and we had Pizza and Breadsticks at my house and played with the puppy.

Wednesday night my sister Lisa made dinner for our dad at her house and I joined them. She made tostadas and they were delicious. She also put some jalapeno poppers and beef taquitos in the oven which were nice little side dishes. We visited with my dad and caught up on what's going on with him. Sean and Isaac joined us for dinner as well.

Tonight I'm going to go get my hair cut and then heading over to have dinner with April and her friend Mary, so I'm sure I won't have time for blogging again tonight, but I will have good food and a cute hairstyle and get to visit with Mary.

Tomorrow night and this weekend I'm going to be taking it easy as my thrifting buddy, my mom is super sick with a summer cold and she's probably not going to feel like getting out at all.

Dear little blogger...please be patient. Wait for me. I miss you!!!

Love,

Letter to the Mayor

I live on Walnut Street. A very Mayberry’ily named street isn’t it? And while I love living on Walnut Street I have now decided that I would prefer to live on Pomegranate Lane. However we know the whole housing market has tanked so now I’m upside down on my mortgage and can’t afford to move to Pomegranate Lane, therefore I think the next best thing is for the City of Shafter to change the name of my street. So I am considering sending the City of Shafter the following letter:

Dear Mayor of the Town of Shafter: (doesn’t that sound like that line from the Munchkin in the Wizard of Oz who is making a huge proclamation? “As Mayor of the City of Munchkin”…or something like that. Please feel free to correct me if you are a Wizard of Oz trivia expert.)

     As you are aware, our city, nay our state, nay our whole country is in the midst of a recession of gargantuan terms! Due to this I find myself in a position where my home in your lovely city is now worth far less than I owe for it. That in itself is not the problem as I am comforted by the fact that I am not alone in the “mortgage debacle boat”. The problem is the name of my street.

     When I bought my home I thought the name Walnut Street was beautiful…and so it is. It’s not as quaint as the street my niece Alle lives on which is Elm Street, making her Alle of Elm Street. It’s not as California sounding as the street where my parents house is, Golden West (bringing to mind the Golden Coast and Katy Perry’s lovely song, California Girls, not to be mistaken for the Beach Boys song, California Girls…but I digress).

     Lovely as Walnut Street is, I would like to live on Pomegranate Lane. It just has a lovelier ring to it and I do so love Pomegranates and we grow a lot of pomegranates in Kern County and we grow no walnuts that I know of so it just makes sense to promote those commodities that are available in Kern County by renaming my street to Pomegranate Lane. (Please see the first paragraph of my letter as to why I can't just move to a street named Pomegranate Lane.)

     Please bring this matter before the City Council at your following meeting in October. I would be happy to attend and to bring the council members a bushel basket bunch of pomegranates since October is the beginning of Pomegranate season.

     I highly urge this matter to be considered and a decision made in October so that I can order my Christmas cards with the return address on Pomegranate Lane, in time to be mailed for Christmas.

Respectfully yours,
Alicia of Pomegranate Lane

So there we go! Don’t you all agree that the title, Alicia of Pomegranate Lane, has a lovely ring to it. Maybe it could even be the title of my book which is what my blog will be turned into once I expire and my children realize I’ve left all my worldly possessions to a book publisher in return for having my book deal go through.) I’ll let you all know what the council decides!

The Most Beautiful Puppy Ever!

Today was a beautiful day here in Bakersfield. It was cool and the sun was shining but it was also cloudy...a perfect day for taking the perfect picture.

Voila!!

It's been a while since I've posted pictures of my daughters Shih Poo, Chorizo. Isn't she precious? My sweet little puppy-wuppy!

Thanks for sending the picture April....See you tomorrow!

Iwanna Wednesday - Candles to Light Your Way

Almost...just barely...I feel Autumn coming. It's just a little bit cooler in the mornings and there's a touch of dew on the grass. Yes, maybe it's still 95 degrees by lunchtime, but Iwanna pretend that Autumn is here, that the leaves are turning from green to beautiful shades of orange and gold, brown and red.

Iwanna use my oven again to bake Pumpkin Bread, Meatloaf Pie, Scalloped Potatoes and Ham and Baked Chicken with Baby Red Potatoes lovingly coated with sweet, nutty Olive Oil and a touch of Salt and Pepper! Iwanna wear sweaters and jackets and boots to work. Iwanna cuddle up on the couch with my warm, furry blanket and watch movies. Iwanna get back into the new season of my favorite shows, Greys Anatomy, House and the Big Bang Theory. Most of all Iwanna light candles. Beautiful, richly scented candles from Yankee Candles...my favorite kind.

I can't believe that the Yankee Candle Company has been around since 1969 when a young man named Mike Kittredge wanted to give his mother a Christmas gift. He melted some crayons and made a candle for her. A neighbor saw the candle and persuaded Mike to sell it to her. He then took the money, bought some wax and made two candles; one for his mother and one to sell. The rest is history!

I only found out about Yankee Candles around 2003 when a friend gave me one for absolutely no reason! I was thrilled (aren't we always when we get a gift for no reason). When she gave it to me she said it was a Damn Yankee Candle, the scent was Home Sweet Home. I fell in love with the scent and it still is my absolute favorite scent. I didn't know that the Damn wasn't part of the name until I used up the candle and went to go find another one and realized it's just Yankee Candles! True Story...silly as it is.

So what Iwanna this Iwanna Wednesday is to share with you the joy that is Yankee Candles!

"Light the candles and pour the red wine into your glass. Before you begin to eat, raise your glass in honor of yourself. The company is the best you'll ever have." Daniel Halpern

Home Sweet Home...my favorite. This candles smell like love and warmth and family. Slightly cinnamony, sweet and spicy. Even though it doesn't smell like Christmas it gives you that same feeling of expectation and joy in knowing that you'll be sharing love and joy with your family.

And Yankee Candles doesn't just offer this candle in a large jar like the one pictured, nooooo. You can also purchase smaller jars, tumblers, tea lights, votives and even car air fresheners!

Oh and tarts, which are cool little flat pancake-like scented pieces of wax that you place in a container that you can light an unscented tealight under, like these.

See, you place the scented tart in the little glass dish on the top and then light a tea light underneath. As the tea light melts the tart it releases a heavenly scent! And it's reusable too!

So thats what Iwanna for this Wednesday. Iwanna Autumn to get here a lot quicker and I wanna enjoy some Damn Yankee Candles.

What do you wanna? Have you heard of Yankee Candles? Which are your favorite?

The Backbone of America - Truckers

When I was about 18 or 19 years old my dad would talk about how he wanted to start his own trucking company with my brothers once they graduated from high school. I'm the oldest in a family of four kids and my brother Fred is six years younger than I am and I didn't see why we had to wait for him to grow up before we could start our trucking company.

So I remember the day that I told my dad that I wanted to be a truckdriver and help him and my brothers with the trucking company. My dad just laughed at me and said, "Estas loca enanita? Estas muy chapara para subir y amarar los viajes, mejor estudia papar poder hacer los libros de la compania".

I know right? How dare he dismiss me like that! What? Oh...you don't read espanol? Ok, let me translate. What my dad said is, "Are you crazy little midget?" (this is what he called me cause I'm only 5'2" and he's 6 foot.) "You are too short to climb up and tie down the loads. Why don't you study to be the company bookkeeper instead?"

He burst my bubble, let me tell you. But being the ever dutiful daughter I went to Bakersfield College and got my Associates Degree in Accounting. I did my share but by then both my brothers had decided they didn't even want to be truckers!!! I can't blame my dad though, he was old school and women just didn't drive trucks in those days.

But things have really changed. Now I work as an insurance agent specializing in policies for trucking and transportation; so I get to speak daily to a lot of truckers, even women truckers. While I love my job, I really feel a little twinge of jealousy when I speak with truckers and they're driving through snow in North Carolina or rain storms in Washington and I'm just sitting there, day after day behind my little desk living vicariously through their stories on the road! But I look awful cheerful while I sit there don't I?

Truck drivers are some of the hardest workers I know. My brother Fred actually did eventually become a truck driver and he's up sometimes at 2 or 3am in order to get a load to where it needs to go on time. While I dread my small 25 minute commute to and from work, Fred has to drive through Los Angeles and San Francisco traffic on a daily basis. He was to deal with flat tires, crazy suicidal drivers and long, lonely roads. I can't imagine myself on the road as a truck driver now...I don't even like getting my hands dirty while I gas up my personal vehicle!

Lately though, I've gotten hooked on watching a great show on the History Channel called Ice Road Truckers. Have you ever watched this show? It's so exciting. There's a woman truck driver on the show right now named Lisa Kelly and I want to be her! I would never have the courage now, but I would like to think that way back when I would have done what she is doing!

Lisa has to fight the big boys daily to keep her job. She has to work harder than they do just to prove herself worthy to be there. She's just a little bitty thing but she has the experience and she's showing them that she has what it takes. I love watching her tie down the loads and putting chains on the tires in the snow.

The next season of Ice Road Truckers is going to be even more exciting to watch because of this woman! Not only can she keep up with the big boys...she's looks gorgeous doing it! Go Lisa!!...do us women who wanted to be truckers and woman who are truckers PROUD!

A Book Report - Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

I've just finished reading the book Handle with Care written by one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult. First let me sing the praises of Jodi Picoult. I've read eight of her books and I've loved each one. The most unique thing about Jodi is that each chapter in her books is from the viewpoint of one of the characters. So it's like you and you alone are in the mind of each character; you know what they are thinking when the other characters in the book don't.


Handle with Care is the story of a little girl born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which means that she was born with super brittle bones and has broken bones while in the womb and had several more broken during delivery.

Her parents are devastated, but they love their little daughter, broken bones and all and bring her home and learn how to live their lives handling the little girl like she's fine china. Charlotte, the mother, quits working to care for Willow. Sean, the father is on the local police force and he works as many shifts as possible to pay for all the mounting medical bills.

Charlotte had another child prior to marrying Sean and giving birth to Willow. Amelia now has to learn how to survive her pre-teen years in the shadow of her sick sibling. How to lose all the attention of her mother; attention she never had to share with anyone before.

The main point of the story begins when Charlotte has an opportunity to file a "wrongful suit" case against her obstetrician who was not only her doctor but her best friend and Godmother to Willow. Charlotte doesn't regret having given life to Willow and she wouldn't trade her for the world but she realizes that she wasn't given the choice ahead of time to terminate the pregnancy. Although as a devout Catholic she thinks to herself that she would never have terminated the pregnancy she realizes that she never counted of having a disabled child that would require so much attention and medical care.

The matter becomes even more difficult for Charlotte to bear when she loses the friendship of her best friend and doctor Piper. Her husband Sean is against the law suit and agrees to testify for the other side which causes strain in the marriage. Amelia has such a difficult time handling the way adults are ripping her life apart that she goes to extremes to ease the pain in her poor, young heart. And Willow herself has to come to terms with a mother that tells her she loves her unconditionally yet tells the world she should have been given the choice to terminate the pregnancy.

Handle with Care is a great book that makes you think. How disabled is too disabled. When is it a doctors responsibility to counsel termination of a pregnancy. How far would you go to care and provide for a disabled child. Obviously unless you happen to be in those shoes you never really know how you would handle it; but at least it makes you realize what strength parents with disabled children have.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly. You won't want to put it down once you start it. And that's how every single Jodi Picoult book is.

Sunday Favorites - One Year Ago

Today was such a busy fun day. I finally finished cleaning up after dinner. I made my kids favorite TacoBell Teriyaki Hamburgers. I take a packet of Taco Bell seasoning and mix it with the raw hamburger, shape the patties and then when they are almost done I brush on Kikoman Teriyaki Glaze. YUM! But one year ago, almost to the day I was visiting my daughter April in Turlock and we ate at a restaurant that became a favorite to all of us. So I'm going to share this past post because it's Sunday Favorites hosted by Chari over at Happy To Design. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoyed living it!

Sunday Favorite 

from 

August 25, 2009

This weekend my mom, my sister and I went to go visit my daughter up in Turlock. We had a great time. We did a lot of thrifting and found some wonderful treasures which I will share with you later.

We found a wonderful restaurant called Mi Casa (My Home) and I want to share pictures of one of their specialties called a Molcajete. A Molcajete is a stone tool, the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle tool. It looks like this. . .


I remember my mom and my aunts all having one of these and using it to grind up spices. I know my mom used to have one, not sure what happened to it.

In the picture above you can see that a Molcajete is made out of stone. At this restaurant we went to they take this stone and place it over an open flame and heat it up until it's red hot and they place whatever meat you've chosen along with broth and salsa in the molcajete and heat it up. When they are ready to bring it to your table they pile on shredded cheese. The molcajete arrives at the table still bubbling. It is pure ambrosia. It is served with beans, rice, pico de gallo, tortillas and guacamole. It's the most unique dish I've ever seen in a restaurant.

My daughter ordered one and I'm glad she did. I hope to try one next time! I took some photos, but they don't do it justice, but hopefully you get an idea. . .

The green stuff hanging out are green onions that have wilted due to the heat of the dish. When they place this in front of you - you feel it! It is boiling, sizzling hot!

The cheese gets all melty and gooey as it sits in front of you and it's a dish that doesn't get cold quickly. Here's the empty finished Molcajete. Looks like lava doesn't it? Well that's basically what it is, stone hot lava in a Molcajete. If you ever make it to Turlock you have to try it!!

Here's some photos of what the rest of us had, but trust me...after seeing and tasting the Molcajete we wished we had ordered one.

I had these Sopes, which actually were very delicious. I got them with carnitas...shredded pork.

My sister had these tacos, which I believe were Carne Asada, or maybe Carnitas, don't remember and a Mango & Jicama salad with Mango Dressing.

My mom ordered this humongous burrito filled with carnitas. She could barely eat 1/4th of this dish.


So if you ever get a chance to make it to this restaurant, don't be chicken like me...order this dish, it's wonderful!

And the winnings keep on coming!

A few weeks ago, Kathryn with From the Inside...Out was contacted to review a book. Not just any book, a very special book written by a very special lady, Lucille O'Neal. Lucille O'Neal is the mother of none other than...the Shaq! Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA superstar!

Kathryn not only received an autographed copy of the book, she also received four more autographed copies to share with her blog buds! And since she has more than four blog buds she had to have a drawing and her boys got to draw names out of a hat. And the best part? I won one of the books!

Last week I came home and found a package from Kathryn, all the way from New York!

I started to read the book this weekend but because it was such a busy weekend I only got through the first chapter. But so far it's very interesting and easy to read (and by easy to read I don't mean the words are small, but rather that it grabs your attention right away). I'll do another book review once I get through the book.

Thanks Kathryn for having friends in high places! I meant it when I said that I hope you get many, many more requests to endorse products, especially as you mentioned from wineries and breweries. We truly are kindred spirits!