Finally...

I finally got a visit from hummingbird Speedy Gonzalez. He was so fast my finger had to be on the shutter button the whole time. I did exactly what some of you wonderful bloggers advised. I got me a cheaper feeder,( like dollar store cheap) hung it from a tree limb, waited patiently with my weenie camera

and 

 Vwa -la~ hummingbirds!!

Thank you bloggers!!

So excited!!

Summer succulents...

I have been busy in the yard pulling weeds, watering like crazy ( trying to keep plants from dying with these HOT temperatures) and I have discovered the easy care of succulents... I love them! They basically take care of themselves literally....I just splash them with a little water here and there and forget about them..

Every time I'm shopping at Lowe's, Home Depot, or a nursery those little bitty sized pots they come in, sitting next to the cash register practically yell at me " Hey you look at me take me home with you"...

I just can't resist their beauty!! I love the rosette ones. Don't you? 

I love this....and simple to do.. I used the dish that comes with the pot, drilled some holes and listo...ready for planting! Easy,breezy beautiful...(From a Cover-girl commercial, I think)

Hummingbirds

Dear hummingbirds,

I don't know what I have done to alienate all of you

Please help me

understand.

I went out in search for the prettiest feeder, looked for the perfect spot to feed you,

bought the most expensive red nectar there was 

and when that got old, and full of ants

I made my own sweet concoction.

I changed the sugar water

once a week, and still  

no signs of you.

I have googled and binged my fingers off

and done just about everything

recommended.

I come by this window and take a peek

every

 morning, afternoon and evening and still I don't see

NOTHING

NADA

ZILCH

ZERO

No signs of you anywhere...

I am waiting anxiously for you to come take a sip

I know once you discover this cozy spot

you will love it!

So,

I am begging you to come fly by take a sip, flap your wings, and enjoy your new feeder

Pleazzzzzzzz

Rajas Poblanas

This is my new favorite side dish.

Don't you just love it 

when

you discover a new dish?

This dish is amazing!!

It goes well with

anything.

I love how the combinations come together.

its

smokey and creamy  

a little

charred and spicy

oh oh so good!

takes just a little work.

but, 

oh so worth it.

Rajas Poblanas

1. Blend the crema, cream cheese, and chicken bouillon in a blender until smooth; set aside.
2. Place the peppers on a large griddle over medium-high heat. Roast until the skin blisters and turns black. Remove peppers from griddle and place in a plastic bag, allowing them to sweat for 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Peel and discard the outer skin of the peppers; halve length-wise and remove the seeds and veins. Slice into thick strips. Set aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook the onion in the hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir the corn into the onions, reduce the heat to medium, and cook another 5 minutes. Add the poblano strips to the saucepan. Pour the cream mixture over the vegetables and bring to a simmer; cook at a simmer until hot, about 5 minutes more.

Migrating season...

Its migrating season. Do you have your bird feeder up?... My husband and I have really gotten into bird watching this year, and we are really enjoying watching and learning about all different types of birds. This one here is the summer tanager...

I know this is some type of warbler, but I am calling him the Amish warbler.... doesn't he look Amish?

These pictures were taken behind the South Padre Island convention center ..There were so many, many professional photographers there. I felt like a weenie with my camera . This is the rose breasted grosbeak.

 This is my very favorite!  I actually shook while taking this picture, I thought he would fly off. I was waiting and waiting for this Painted bunting to come fly by, and then BAM he just came and perched on this tree long enough for me to take his picture..

Then he turned... What a show off!!

I fell in love with this Indigo bunting! He is just a really patient kinda bird he let me take lots of shots of him. maybe he was tired after all he has had a long journey.

Here are more...

Hows that for just one day of bird watching?

Tree house doll up..

I had so much fun with this project this past spring break

I am still tweaking, but as you can see

I am about done. 

Those 

lanterns were moved up then down .. oh... about a dozen times 

no kidding.

A special thanks to my husband for painting it twice 

YES

twice!!

He has the patience of an angel

well

sometimes. 

Because,

well 

sometimes

I can get a tidbit bossy..

Chocolate dipped clementines

Nothing to it..

And so very delicious!!

I can't tell you how many batches of this we went through during spring break

MANY

Its the perfect snack...

dip the clementines in chocolate 

sprinkle some salt

and 

refrigerate 20 min.

Thanks Pinterest!!

Spring is here!!

Actually, It's been here since January...

That's how it is here in South Texas

We skip winter...

and go on to spring...

No heavy jackets..

No ice...

No melting snow..



And that's just fine with me...

A conversation with a photographer

I had a very interesting conversation with a really nice lady I met while patiently waiting for a bird to come fly by a feeding station at Estero Grande Birding Center. She mentioned that she was from a national magazine and was there trying to get a good shot of a Teal cinnamon duck. She had a camera and tripod suited for professional photography! She started showing me pictures she had taken earlier that morning.. I instantly fell in love with the clarity of her photos. Our conversation went like this..

" I love how clear your pictures look maybe I should convince my husband to buy me a camera like yours"... She quickly looks away from her camera and tells me ..."Honey do you know how much this camera and all these lenses cost?...

Me.. "Not sure" her.. "Well lets just say a price of a new car honey" I nearly passed out!!

HOLY SMOKES!!!   Me.. "A new car really?"

Her.."Oh yes dear a new car probably around in the same range of a Toyota corolla"

Me.." Uhh-I think I'll stick to my old faithful Cool pix Nikon

 I just need more photography practice"

  Her..."keep practicing honey"

There is no way I am spending that kind of money on a camera. (but then again she is a professional photographer, and I am not) I'll spend it on my home not on a camera.. What about you?.. Do you have an expensive camera that costs as much as a brand new Toyota?

Lobster bisque

Because I like my food delicious, and fast I take many short-cuts in my kitchen

Many!!

And its really not that uncommon that sometimes it's

semi homemade..

Now don't laugh!

I never claimed to be

Martha Stewart

yet

some in my family call me

Martha Sanchez

Okay, so I cheat!... but then again who doesn't?

I use about 3 of these soup-man boxes

I add  1/2  pound of
fresh
lobster...
or
crab meat.
whatever
is
cheaper..

Can you see where I am going with this?
This is where my 
magic begins.

I pull out my ramekins and pour my bisque
roll out my dough
wrap it around
my ramekin

bake at *350 for 20 min 

So incredibly delicious, and good for those Fridays during lent
when we 
Catholics can't have 
meat..

Pillow update.

I am happy to report that I have found "the pillow" I want to thank all of you bloggers for your wonderful suggestions. I went ahead and returned the pricey pillow and ordered this one. A water based pillow by Mediflow.

The pillow has a pouch you fill with water. You can adjust your choice of support by the amount of water you put in it. At first I listened to my husband and filled it to the limit, and guess what?.. It was too firm. I should of known better than to listen to him.. The next morning I took some water out, and got rid of the air bubbles and waited for night to come..

 I can honestly say that my neck pain is disappearing, I don't wake up like 15 times a night, and sometimes it sort of reminds me of my mothers 1980s water bed.
( only when I move and hear the water)

The only thing I am worried about is a weird accident where in the middle of the night this pillow bursts. That would seriously only happen to me..

So far so good!

The Liebster award

Kristy over at http://www.thankfulme.net/ awarded me the Liebster award.  WooHoo!!!!! Thank you so much Kristi!
                  
 At first, I thought this had something to do with Lobsters, turns out it doesn't, ( had to re-look at spelling ) but that wouldn't  be a bad idea since we are in midst of lenten season, and seafood is so darn expensive now would it?

 After doing a little research on the Liebster Award, it seems like a sort of  “Pay It Forward” kind of award.

Okay, so here are the rules....

Here are the rules for accepting the Liebster award:

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then
create 11 new questions for the chosen bloggers.
3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.
5. No tag backs.

I hope I am doing this right...

Okay, here we go....

Here are the random FACTS about me...

1. I have never ever eaten a Big Mac in my life. Not even a taste..Why?.. Well It just never has appealed to me simple as that.
2. I have been in the Oval office once during the Clinton administration and the Press room. A post I will do one day..
3. I hate Mayonnaise. Once my mom ordered me a Whopper with mayo and I refused to eat it!! she took it off with a butter knife,but I still knew it was there. Needless to say I did not eat dinner that day.
4. I speak Spanglish! What that means is I go from Spanish to English or English to Spanish without even a thought, and combine the two. Drives my husband crazy!!
5. Spanish was my first language.
6. I just recently learned how to ride a bike. I'm really getting good at riding, but stopping is a whole other story! Its never too late to learn!!
7. I can't really tell time with a watch that has lots of graphics on it.
8. I hardly ever turn left. I will turn right and go until there is no traffic and come back.There has to be a green arrow for me to turn left.
9. I am not very sentimental, I can part with things very easily especially if it creates clutter.
10. I don't know how to turn on our living room TV..  And that is because we have like 4 remotes. Each one serves a purpose, and I get really frustrated by that, so  I just don't turn it on .. my bedroom Tv  has one remote. ON and OFF.. love it!!
11. Sometimes I sneak in snacks into a movie theater in a big purse. The prices of soft drinks are ridiculous!!

Now, for the questions Kristi posed on me

Which would you rather have, 20 chickens or 1 goat? 
I think I would rather have 20 chickens.. If my family found out I had a goat they would want to kill it and have a fiesta (party) goat meat with blood is supposed to be really good. Don't worry I have never eaten a cabrito and don't plan too. 


Would you rather travel back in time or forward in time?
Oh that is easy I would love to go back in time!! I love the teenage time those were some fun times!!  80s were the best!!!

  If you had unlimited resources, where would you like to vacation, and what would you do?
 Good one! I think for me, It would be Greece after watching Mama Mia I don't know how many times Greece is where I'd go!

 Would you rather sleep in or stay up late?
I would rather sleep!!  I have not been getting sleep as I should, so sleep wins! 

 Which major would you choose if you were to attend college now?
  At this moment right this moment it would be Law School .. I guess I have been 
  watching way too much of the Jodi Arias trial..  

 If you could visit (or live in) any make-believe land from literature, which would you choose?
The wonderful world of Oz of course!!

It's nearly dinnertime, and you forgot to plan.  What do you have for dinner?
Lubys is 5 min away. Thank heavens!!

What makes you laugh?
My husband hands down.  No one I know is as funny as he is!! He can walk into any room and all of a sudden there is laughter.

 What is one character trait you admire?
 I would say my honesty..I love being honest with people!

 What are the biggest influences in your life?
 Oh my gosh...I hope you meant Who?.. and that would be God!!

 Do you still live in your hometown?  If not, how far away do you live?
  Yes and No... I live here in the Rio Grande Valley, so that is a yes, but live  
  different city of the valley than my hometown. I live in Weslaco which is a 20 min
   drive to my hometown of Mission in the valley...hope I didn't confuse you...

And now, without further ado, I pass along the awards to the following awesome worth reading blogs!!! 

Maria at  http://susiquetzalli.blogspot.com

Tete of http://tete-beyondthegardengate.blogspot.com/

 Ann, Heather, and Shiela at http://friendshiplifeandstyle.blogspot.com/

 Sylvia at http://mydaytolive.blogspot.com/

Dewena at http://awindow-lookacrosstheway.blogspot.com/

Kathy from http://kathystripthroughlife.blogspot.com/

Poppy from http://poppyview.blogspot.com/

Maddie at http://tingeofwhimsy.blogspot.com/ 

Gina at http://puravidanow.blogspot.com/ 

Marisa at http://mangiamangianotalk.blogspot.com/ 

Jan at http://thecomfortofasafeplace.blogspot.com/ 

And now for the fun part my questions to the nominees

1. How did you come up with your blog name?
2. Are you a realist or an idealist?
3. What is your biggest pet peeve?
4. Are you a saver or a spender?
5. Are you a touchy feely person?
6. What would you do with your life if nobody was watching, judging or commenting?
7. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
8. Are you superstitions? don't walk under a latter, black cat crossing you path, a rabbits foot will bring you luck etc..
9. Do you take morning or night showers?
10. You get an unexpected check from your insurance company for $1000 dollars what do you do with it?
11. What was the last perfume you bought? 

And there you have it. Congratulations to all and hope to get to read all your replys If you wish not to accept the award that is fine by me.. Thanks and have a blessed day!!