Back from the beach!

After we got back from Japan, both T and I needed about a week to get back into East Coast time and routine.  Slowly, the jet lag wore off.  Throughout the week, I took my time unpacking and sluggishly went through all of our many omiyage and personal souvenirs.  We brought home a ton of stuff!

This photo is just the stuff we brought home to give away!

By the weekend through, I managed to make it to (and through) my Saturday morning ballet class and the next morning, we picked 10 lbs of blueberries at our favourite local pick your own orchard.

Look at those giant, sweet blueberries!

Since then, we've spent three consecutive weekends at the beach.  I spent a whole week there with my friend Feder and I turned 28!  it's been a comfortable and relaxing mid summer.  Now we're back home.  T's back at work and I'm busy trying to tackle all those "I'll do it later" projects accumulated throughout the year so that I can have a nice, clean slate of a to do list by the time Fall classes begin.

My youngest sister, Sneetch has been helping me get all my inventory photographed so I can stock my Etsy store and I've listed books on Amazon to try to decrease our book collection a little.  So far, so good!

In other news, today Sneetch and I made a variation of a veggie stir-fry type dish Feder taught me to make while we were at the beach.  I've never been a fan of squash/zucchini type veggies, but this dish has made me change my mind!  It's super simple to cook up and nearly zero points on the Weight Watchers program!  Here's the recipe, as I made it, if you can call it a recipe; it's super simple!

Summer veggie stir fry!

Delicious Summer Veggie Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1/2 t olive oil
1/2 t butter
1 yellow squash (long and not too bulbous at the bottom = fewer seeds = better)
1 zucchini squash
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 cob of cooked, fresh, sweet corn

To Make:

1. Wash the squashes and cut off the ends (I cut off about 1/2 an inch from each end).  Cut in half lengthwise and then slice, making half circles about 1/4" thick.
2. Wash and cut up the peppers, removing all the insides and seeds.  Pieces should be bite size.
3. Break the corn cob in half and pick off all the corn  kernels.  If the corn is cooked right, you should be able to easily pick off a row or two of kernels one at a time and then remove entire rows at one go.
4. Time to cook!  In a large frying pan, heat the oil and butter together over med-high heat.  Toss in the squash half circles and allow to cook until slightly soft; but not translucent!  Stir infrequently so that some pieces get a nice golden brown colour.
5. Add in the pepper pieces and cook until slightly soft.  The peppers should add a nice, light crunch.
6. When squashes and peppers are just about done, toss in the corn kernels and turn off heat, leaving the pan on the burner.
7. Enjoy warm or at room temperature!

For the week while I was at the beach, I prepped a pork shoulder for T to make himself some pulled pork.  A concoction of my own imagination, the pork came out pretty well, but there was a whole lot of it and we returned to at least 6 servings of it in the fridge.  So Sneetch and I enjoyed our veggies with a serving of pulled pork on top; yum!

Bethany under water

Puddles!
Originally uploaded by Gwen @ Silver Lining

T and I are spending a long weekend in Bethany thanks to Parent Teacher conferences happening at school. Being on the coast, we are getting an exciting first hand view of tropical storm Ida. Many roads are closed due to flooding, including the major highway, Route 1. Many shops are not open, but there were still quite a few people driving around taking pictures. I couldn't resist the massive lake-like puddles, so we joined in the fun. We attempted to drive to Rehoboth, but found we couldn't due to high water. We observed a man trying to fix a "road closed" sign, nearly up to his waist in water; on the highway!

Finally recovering

After being sick for over a month with cold/sinus infection/ear infection/bronchitis, I am finally recovering. My doctor insisted I take almost a week off of work and sent me home with a note and instructions: Fluids. Rest. This time, I did actually listen and "rested" at home, spending a lot of time in my crafting room. Fortunately, my sickness backed up against the beautiful Columbus Day weekend!

We spent the weekend in Bethany Beach, where we enjoyed beautiful weather and off-season shopping and exploring in Rehoboth. Who knew there were so many delicious places to eat and interesting little shops! Right on the main entrance to the Rehoboth boardwalk, we found an ice cream shop with what seemed like hundreds of flavors, and a pick and apply your own sprinkles bar!


We biked, walked, ate, I crafted and T worked. All in all a very relaxing and wonderful vacation. Just what the doctor (should have) ordered.