A Trip to the Coast

We decided to hit the beach....in December! I love that we live in a place where we can walk on the beach in December and not freeze. Don't get me wrong, I definitely missed snow at Christmas time, especially this year.

We first stopped at Point Lobos State Reserve. It is a few miles south of Carmel on Rt. 1. The views from the walking paths are simply gorgeous. I still get very excited every time we go to the coast, see the ocean, and hear the waves crashing. It is part of God's creation that I am in awe of.

After a picnic lunch and some fun hiking we headed into downtown Carmel. We have fond memories of Carmel from Julie and Jamie's wedding, and we wanted to go back.

June 26, 2011

Greg's co-worker recommended a great Greek restaurant, Demitra's, where the restaurant owner even sang a song for the dinners!

 

We searched for the "Best Ever" cannolis, like we had after Julie's wedding, found the bakery....and it closed at 8:00 p.m., we got there at 8:20 p.m. Fortunately we were able to find another bakery that was open late, they had cannolis, and filled them fresh to order with a drizzle of chocolate. There were high hopes for this yummy dessert, but they weren't as delicious as the ones we had in June. Oh well, we will keep searching.

Our next stop up the coast, Monterrey Bay Aquarium. Thanks to some great foresight on Greg's part, we purchased tickets online ahead of time, skipped the long line to buy tickets and walked right in! The aquarium was full that day, and it was only 10:30 in the morning. A guide recommended us to the live feeding in The Open Sea exhibit and we were able to find a great seat in front of the tank.

We really enjoyed the museum and all of the exhibits. I was even able to touch a starfish! There were Sea Horses, Jelly Fish, Sharks, Octopuses, live kelp, penguins, etc. After we enjoyed some Indian food on the beach we headed up Rt. 1 to Half Moon Bay.

Greg and I absolutely LOVE visiting Half Moon Bay! We have stayed at an adorable B&B just 2 blocks from the beach. The B&B, The Victorian Pacific Inn,  has an outstanding breakfast and a very interesting set of innkeepers, check out what one of them does in his free time here.

Greg and I enjoying our first Cioppino and Dungenness Crab meal at the Miramar Beach Restaurant

The Miramar Beach Restaurant has become a favorite of ours, with an ocean view and delicious seafood, the cozy outdoor seating can't be beat! Part of the enjoyment of visiting Half Moon Bay for us is walking on the beaches and having great picnics as we search for seashells and sea glass. A favorite place of ours to go as a little town down Rt. 1, Pescadero. We buy a fresh loaf (still warm!) of garlic artichoke bread, and head to the beach to enjoy a picnic lunch. There may have been some disagreements about who was eating all of the parts of bread with fresh artichoke in it... 

Greg with our fresh loaf of garlic artichoke bread, YUM!

 Our trip ended with a drive up Rt. 1 to AT&T park. We attended the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl to watch Illinois beat UCLA. Bonus in attending this game was tasting all of the Kraft samples that were handed and and seeing the Wiener mobile!!

Some very creative fans made this sign with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese boxes (I only wish we would have thought of this, we just took a picture with the sign!)

We might live on the West coast, but will always be  Illinois fans at heart.

GO ILLINI!

Christmas

Christmas was quiet and simple for Greg and I. We had  a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner with our friends Ken and Cathleen. They made us these fabulous t-shirts ....(I really like them, Greg likes them because he likes me, therefore he likes them).

Front: Team Scheby Back: Gregory 01, Leslie 02

Does anyone else feel a sitcom coming on..?

On Christmas Day we helped with the Christmas service at church. Greg helped with the slide show illustrating the story of Christmas and I helped with the preschool children singing. We also enjoyed this great "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake. We even sang happy birthday in English and Spanish, Yes folks, I am learning some Spanish! Well...at least the verses of worship songs we sing in Spanish :).

We spent some time talking with our families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day via Skype. Isn't Skype a wonderful thing? We were able to show them some our Christmas presents.

(These pictures are not the best, but I received a new pair of Tom's

and Greg received a Keurig)

Since Greg wanted lasagna for Christmas dinner (He loves his mom's lasagna!), even after I reminded him of the terrible results of the "lasagna soup" for the first meal I made him, he insisted we make it together. So we forged ahead. 

Greg cooked the noodles (notice the "Team Scheby" t-shirt).

I prepared the other ingredients.

After much speculation and a good bunch of mozzarella on top of the lasagna, we had a wonderful Italian Christmas dinner.

We dearly missed spending time with our families to celebrate Christmas, but are thankful for the opportunity to "see" them through the Internet. Hoping everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In the Kitchen: Grandma Scott's Potato Soup

Eating potato soup at Grandma's is something I will remember fondly from my childhood because I love potatoes and love my Grandma! When I was old enough to learn how to cook, Grandma Scott showed me how to make some great dishes. Unfortunately she does not always follow a recipe (a sign of a good cook!). So this is  my first and meager attempt at writing a recipe!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter or margarine (divided)
1 cup chopped carrots
2 stalks of celery chopped (approximately 3/4 cup)
1 medium onion chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
4 tablespoons of cornstarch
9 cups of milk (divided)
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
5-6 medium potatoes
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Add 1/4 cup of butter, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to a large stock pot over low to medium heat. Saute until the onions and celery start to become translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

In the mean time, chop the potatoes (Make sure to clean them first. You may also peel the potatoes, I prefer to leave the skins on). I cut mine into 1 inch cubes, you could also cut them into smaller cubes, or shred the potatoes, depending on your preference.

Combine 1 cup of milk and 4 tablespoons of cornstarch until smooth. Add the salt and pepper, remaining butter, and milk/cornstarch mixture. Bring soup to a boil slowly, stirring frequently to prevent the soup from burning. About 5 minutes until the soup begins to boil and thicken.

Add the remaining milk and potatoes to the soup and return to a boil, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. When soup is at a low boil add the 2 cups of shredded cheese and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to a low and cover the soup. Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the desired thickness of soup* is reached and the potatoes are cooked thoroughly.

Serve soup with additional shredded cheese and bacon on top. Enjoy!

*If soup is not thick enough, combine more milk and cornstarch and add to the soup, until the desired thickness is reached. 

DIY: Snowflake Crayons

The snow in Livermore does not fall as abundently as it does in Illinois. If snow comes it usually sticks to the tops of the hills (1,000-2,000 feet up). To make up for my desire for snow at Christmas time, I decided to make snowflakes! I used old, broken crayons that were headed for the garbage, and turned them into some lovely Christmas gifts for the little ones in our family!

Here are the simple steps:

1. Collect old crayons and remove the paper. Greg and I used exacto knives to slice the paper and peel it off. It was difficult to peel the paper off of the really old crayons, so we just tossed those in the garbage. I would recommend using and old cutting board or mat as your work surface.

2. Sort the crayons into muffin tins or small containers by color.

3. Use an exacto knife and old cutting board to break the crayons in 1/2 inch pieces. The smaller and more uniform the crayon bits are, the better they will melt in the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees during this step.

Add the crayon bits to a silicone baking mold. I found mine in the dollar section at Target. You could also use a regular or mini muffin tin to make circular crayons.

You can add bits of crayon that are all the same color to create a solid color crayon, or vary the colors to create a swirl crayon. I liked the way the light green and dark green crayon pieces mixed to created a swirl crayon.

4. Place the mold on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes (200 degrees). The crayon bits should be completly melted when finished. Let cool on a cooling rack for several hours, or let the tray cool for 10 minutes and then place in the freezer for 30 minutes. When you peel the mold back you will get these beautiful crayons!

I had inspiration to make these from this blog post here. I have also read about similar ideas online that suggested using only Crayola crayons, due to the high quality of wax.

I know some little ones that will love these snowflake crayons! Here is what I did to package the crayons as gifts.

I used composition books to create personalized coloring books to wrap with the crayons!





We Are Thankful

It has been awhile since I have posted! We have been busy teaching the Alpha Course with the youth group at church and traveling to Illinois for Thanksgiving!
Since we often reflect on "Giving Thanks" during November I am listing some things that Greg and I are thankful for.

We are thankful for.....our church community and the opportunity to serve the youth group.

Greg is wearing the "Armor of God" that the youth group

made to illustrate Ephesians 6:10-19.

We are thankful for... job opportunities God has provided and the relationships formed as a result of those jobs. 

Staff members from Gymboree at the Pumpkin Patch Party. We are dressed as "Crayola Crayons", I of course choose pink!

Posing for a picture, with a student from my class, during the Pumpkin Patch Party.

I am passing out "bubble catcher" castanets and blowing the famous Gymboree "Bubble Oodles" to the 3 year olds' in my Level 6 class.

This is the view I have most days at Our Saviour Lutheran School when

the kids play on the playground after homework club :)

We are thankful for...family.

Our nephew Jaymes(18 mos.) enjoying his Cheerios.

 

Greg and Grandma Fortino

Dad, Greg, Jessica, and I enjoying delicious coffee and bagels

at The Java Hut in Danville!

Yes, we are wearing Tie-dyed Turkey T-shirts on Thanksgiving :)

(Jessica, Mom, Grandma, Leslie, Aunt Matilda)

We are thankful....for friends.

Greg outside our apartment at 5:30 a.m. as we wait for our dear friends to take us to the train station. (Thanks Ken and Cathleen!)

 

I am not as happy to be on the train so early in the morning...

but still very happy that we had good friends to take us!

Dinner with Bryan at the Italian Village in Chicago. 

We are thankful...for good food!

Enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving meal at Mom and Dad Schebler's.

(Julie, Jaymes, Jamie)

Couldn't resist the Chicago style stuffed pizza.

We order a bit much, but it was sooo good!

BOGO Free Holiday Starbucks, while waiting on our

baggage at O'Hare, love it!

I had to get a Chicago style hot dog before we flew back to

California, I am clearly enjoying it!

The grandparents even tried a Livermore wine with Thanksgiving dinner.

These are just a few things Greg and I are thankful for this year! As we move into Advent and look forward to Christmas, we will to continue to be thankful for our abundance of blessings.

Happy Birthday Jessica!

We were so happy to celebrate your 29th birthday

(not 84th as the candles indicate) with you this year!