Christmas 2009

I am almost sad to write this post as it means Christmas is over.  The month of December always goes too fast for me.  It is really the only time I seasonally decorate the house, and I love the lights, the tree, the red, the stocking hanging on the mantle, and I am so sad to see it all go so soon.  I haven't taken our decorations down yet, and I probably will not do so for a few more days, though the tree probably needs to come down soon since needles fall off every time I just look at it.  

We had a wonderful Christmas at my parents house in the mountains.  It is always so restful and quiet there.  It was a simple Christmas this year, and we loved every moment of it.  We were thrilled to finally see and talk with Scott's family via Skype at his sister's house.  We did a trial run on Christmas Eve to make sure it would work for Christmas morning.  Scott's mom especially was so happy to see us and be able to talk with us.  She even said that she wanted to go out at that moment (Christmas Eve) and buy a laptop so she could Skype with us from her own home.  What she didn't know what that we (Scott's sister and us) were giving her a laptop for Christmas the very next day.  We woke up at 4:45AM on Christmas morning to Skype with our Eastern Time Zone family in Michigan.  We were able to see the entire family open their gifts from us, including the new computer which made Scott's mom cry with surprise and joy!  It was really a wonderful blessing to spend that time with them since they are so far away.  

While visiting my parents for four nights we made sure to set aside plenty of time for recreational activities like shooting the potato gun off the deck, which is a favorite pastime on my side of the family.  Scott enjoyed time playing my Dad's Taylor guitar upstairs while I worked on finishing a crocheted blanket.    We attempted to "run off" all the rich and fattening foods by seeing how many times we could run up and down the steep hill on my parents property.    Kona too loved the vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's and he enjoyed playing with their dogs and running around the property. He is always so happy there.

And now Christmas is over, the Christmas tunes on the radio are finished, the lights are being taken down, and life goes back to normal.  But, something tells me it won't feel like very long before we get to celebrate the Christmas season again.

Taking off in the Kabota to deliver Christmas Cinnamon Rolls to the neighbors.

Kona was happy about his Christmas gifts.

Wondering if he will be getting anything more...

The Happy Guitarist

New Table!!!
Many of our readers have already heard the news about our new table through Facebook, but I wanted to share the table story in it's entirety here.
A little over a month ago we sold our beloved pub height dining table on craigslist.  The table was only able to hold six people comfortably,  and since it was pub height we never had enough tall chairs to add more seating.  The last time our family gathered for dinner, there were eight of us (including my parents, brothers, and their respective girlfriends) snuggled around the table using one stool, and one crate and bucket combination to provide two more seats.  It was a less then desirable set-up.   Since our family will not be shrinking anytime soon (in fact it will be getting larger with the new engagement of one brother), we decided we had good reason to look for a more suitable table.
After selling our former table we set up our old antique table for temporary use.  I began to search on Craigslist for the perfect replacement table, and I was willing to wait as long as it took to find the right one.  We also decided that we wanted to find a table that would cost us less than what we sold the other table for, so that we could use the remainder of the table money for our much needed lights in the kitchen.  It was a pretty tall order to find the perfect table for the amount we had settled on, but I knew that if I was patient, we would find just the right one at just the right time.
I happened to have a couple minutes to kill the other day, so I took a quick peek at Craigslist.  It had been a number of days since I had last looked.  I found a table that was the  fourth table listed for sale, and it had just been posted moments before.  It was the exact table I had dreamed about getting.  I immediately called, and we set up a time to drive down to San Leandro to see the table.  The owner even said she would take $50 off the asking price, making the total the exact price we had decided upon spending.  When we first saw the table, we immediately knew it was perfect.  While it did have a couple blemishes, it was even more striking in person than in the pictures we had seen.  Somehow we managed to get the table and four chairs into the 4Runner.  We got home, set up the table in the dining area, and were thrilled with how perfectly it looked.  We are also thrilled because the table expands to fit 10+ people, which will be perfect when Scott's family comes out to visit next Thanksgiving.
The wonderful thing about this story for us is how God has provided something very special to us during a very lean time in our lives.  We truly do not have the luxury of anything more than our basic needs at this point, and to get an extra special gift like this table is really exciting for us(even though it is not a necesity).  I see it as our little anniversary/Christmas gift from the Lord this Christmas season.  We can now use this table to do something we love to do, which is to share food and fellowship with friends and family.  

 

Four Year Anniversary
Yesterday, December 17th, was our 4th Wedding Anniversary.  These past four years have flown quickly by.  We have grown more in love with each other through joys and trials.  We have most definitely strengthened our relationship with the Lord and each other through the thick and the thin.  It has been a challenging four years as we have learned to wait patiently, love each other, and learn to grow.  But it has been a wonderful four years, and I wouldn't change it for anything.
We celebrated yesterday by traveling to San Leandro to pick up a new dining table.  (See the above post for the full story).  We stopped at 4th st in Berkeley on the way home to pick up a Christmas gift.  I worked for a few hours in the afternoon, and after work I came home to a dozen red roses, the most beautifully written card from Scott, and the announcement of dinner reservations in 45 minutes.  I got ready and we drove to the restaurant where we were to have dinner.  The location was a mystery to me until we arrived at a very charming little restaurant out in the country at a place called Mankas Corners.  This is an intersection on the country roads we often travel when taking the "back" way from Vacaville to Napa.  We walked in to the restaurant to find that we were not going to be able to dine in the formal dining room, since there were two large parties in there (something they did not inform Scott of when he made the reservation).  We decided we did not want to pay the formal dining prices to dine in the casual room with the plastic table cloths and little charm or pleasing atmosphere.  So we left.  Scott was pretty frustrated, and I was dissapointed that his wonderful surprise didn't work out.  We decided instead to check out a new Italian restaurant in downtown Vacaville. It was in the same location as an old Italian restaurant we really loved.  It proved to be just as fantastic as the old place.  We came home to enjoy the scrumptious cheesecake I made for Scott while sitting next to the fire.  It turned out to be a very perfect day.

Christmas Baking
I thought it would be fun for Scott and I to make Christmas cookies this year to give to friends.  Scott is always saying he wishes I would bake cookies more.  I normally let our friends do the baking, and since the best cookie maker I know moved across the country (yes the same one who makes cheesecake), I figured I need to pick up some of the slack.  (Thank you Alexis, you are my baking inspiration... cue the song "you're my inspiration...")
So last night we got all our ingrediants out on the counter in preparation for baking wonderful Christmas cookies.  As Scott was getting our antique 1930's kitchen aid mixer out (the one that was given to me as a gift from a dear friend who has since passed away...), the glass bowl fell and crashed to the floor shattering in a million little pieces.  I was too shocked to say anything.  So I left Scott to clean up the mess and took Kona for a walk around the block to "cool off".  Great start to our cookie baking right?  It was suppossed to be a wonderful evening filled with baking cookie smell and Christmas music.  By the time I returned, the kitchen floor was cleaned up, I wasn't upset anymore, and we were back on for some serious cookie baking.
We started off with Scott's favorite Peanut Butter cookies with a chocolate kiss in the middle.  The only problem was that I forgot to have Scott pick up the kisses from the store.  But, not to fret, Scott is always thinking and decided to use three chocolate chips on each cookie instead.  Next, we whipped up (really beat by hand, because our mixer is now toast), a batch of my favorites, Gingersnaps.  Finally we topped off the reprotaire with Shortbread drizzled with chocolate... yum!  The drizzling of the chocolate turned into being really more of a display of our artistic talent...almost Jackson Pollock like.
So some of our readers will be recieving these works of our labor, and we also hope to spread a little cheer around our neighborhood as well.  For those of you who will not be able to partake of the Persicke cookies, just know that we think of you, and wish you were here to taste them with us.

 

Cheesecake
About a year ago a good friend of mine shared her lovely cheesecake recipe with me and I surprised Scott with a Cheescake for Christmas.  He LOVES Cheesecake.  This same friend had a spring form pan which I borrowed for the special dessert.  Since last Christmas I have not made another cheesecake.  My wonderful cheesecake making  friend moved to the other side of the country, and hence I have not been able to borrow her pan to make another scrumptious dessert.  I don't often "splurge" to buy things for myself, so I have been putting off buying the spring form pan... until yesterday when I saw one for a price I could not pass up. 
Our anniversary is this Thursday, and so I thought in celebration of four years of marriage I would splurge on the pan, and on making the high calorie cheesecake as a surprise for Scott.  (don't worry, he won't be reading this between now and Thursday!)
I will be sure to post a picture of it when it is all complete.

A weekend Visitor

Scott's cousin, Bryan came to visit us from Washington DC this past weekend.  I enjoyed meeting him for the first time.  Scott and Bryan were the only boy cousins on the Matonek side of the family, and they had a lot of stories to share and reminisce about.

Scott and Bryan in front of a fire place in Yountville.  A man came out of the store next to us to inform Scott that he should not be drinking on the street.  Scott was actually drinking a Verners Gingerale in a bottle, but the man thought it was a Corona.

A Gingerbread house to beat all Gingerbread houses in the display window at Gillwoods in St. Helena.

What?  The mustards are out already?  These weeds are so beautiful, Napa Valley has a festival to celebrate them in the spring.

We went to Sutter Home once on Saturday and once on Sunday becuase Bryan saw something he wanted to go back and purchase. We didn't complain because they have free chocolate and wine tasting.

I also learned from Bryan that there are more people who read this blog than I thought.  So thank you for all you "silent" readers for reading about our journeys.  Feel free to leave a comment any time.  Thank you for reading!  Merry Christmas!

No Lights this week.

We started on the new lighting in the kitchen this week, but the project never really got off the ground.  My brother (the Journeyman Electrician) came over to help.  Long story short they realized that the recessed lights they purchased at Lowes were not the correct ones for the vaulted ceiling in the kitchen.  They had to special order slanted can lights from Lowes, so we are waiting for those to arrive.  When they arrive I am sure the guys will be eager to get the job done.  Until then... I continue to work in my dimly lighted kitchen while patiently waiting.

New Lights maybe
I might have new lights in the kitchen this week!!  I can hardly wait! 
More to come later...

Drift of Leaves

We came home from Thanksgiving weekend to find that a litteral drift of leaves had been blown up against our sliding door.  It had been extreemely windy while we were away, and all of the leaves in the backyard had been nealty blown up against the house. It doesn't look like much in the pictures, but the leaves were piled about 2-3 feet high.  I had to clear a path through the leaves so Kona could get out the doggy to to the back lawn.  So I guess this is California's version of snow...  if it can't snow, it might as well leave.  The good news is we wont be needing to rake or blow the backyard, the wind did all the hard work for us.  All we need to do now is pick them up and put them in the yard waste recyicling bin!

 

Thanksgiving Weekend

We spent a wonderful long Thanksgiving weekend at my parents house.  Our Thanksgiving meal was amazing with a perfectly cooked bird, tasty dressing and gravy, and the best yet homemade cranberry sauce (something I can't live without on Thanksgiving day).  Not only did we enjoy the feast, but we had time to relax and rest.  Scott slept in until after 10am one day, and spent the rest of the day cleaning his guns on the deck which overlooks the trees and mountains.  I spent one lovely rainy day doing nothing but quilting and reading.  It was the perfect weekend! Our camera battery died, so I didn't get many pictures...

Homemade pumpkin pies!! Yum Yum!!

 

So much to be thankful for!!

I was listening to K-love radio today as they were promoting "Hope for the Hungry".  $2 will provide a hot meal and hope for someone in need.  I read this on their link: "As many as 30 million people in the United States go hungry every day. Estimates are that 750,000 to 1 million people are now homeless on any given night" Check out the link for this promotion, and consider giving to help provide more meals for those in need : http://www.klove.com/promodetails.aspx?i=5437

I began to think about how amazingly blessed we are with all that God has provided.  We are able to put food on our table, heat our home, and drive our cars (both of them).  Our monetary struggles are nothing compared to what some people are facing.  And this year, with such a terrible economy, more people are finding that they have to go without.  Some of those suffering are people with college educations, who once were able to provide for their families, and now find themselves without basic necessities due to job loss and lack of employment.
I am very thankful this year because, even though we have struggled, God has provided for our needs.  We have not had to go without the basic necessities, and we have been blessed to be able to pay for what we need.  We are blessed to be able to travel to my parents for Thanksgiving to enjoy a full meal in a warm home.  We are surrounded by friends and family who love and care for us, and we are filled to the brim with love for one another.  We do have much to be thankful for indeed!

Goodbye Dear Dining Table
We purchased our dining table when we first moved into our house three years ago on Thanksgiving day!  We have loved the table until recently when we tried to fit more than six people around it for dinner.  With my parents, brothers, and girlfriends, eight people is just too many.  Good thing we are a close family, cause it is crowded!  Not to mention we only have six chairs that work for this counter height table.  So we have to resort to using one stool and one crate and bucket combination designed specially by Scott to reach the table....

So we put the table and chairs on Craigslist, and low and behold we found a buyer.  A wonderful family with four children.  They were thrilled with the table, and I know it will get a lot of great use.
For now we use our old antique table in its place.  I am on the hunt for a great deal on a larger table. (Stay tuned to see what I find!!)  In the meantime I also hope to use some of the proceeds from the selling of the table for the much needed lighting in the kitchen.  Goodbye lovely table, you have served us well...

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The Perfect Rainy Day!
Scott and I had been planning to spend the morning in Napa Valley today to enjoy the beautiful autumn colors and maybe take some picture for our Christmas card.  It was apparent when we woke up this morning that it would be a rainy day, but we decided to proceed with our plans despite the forboding weather. The drizzle at our first picture destination soon turned into a downpour before we could even get the camera set up.  Kona was not happy to be in the rain and wouldn't cooperate, and Scott and I were both becoming quite grumpy.  We ran back to the car to re-group, and decided that pictures or no pictures, we were determined to enjoy the fall colors and the day. 
The fall colors on the vines are especially beautiful this year with deep reds, orange, yelllow, and brown. The mist hung in the hills and the air was crisp and refreshing.  We ended up stopping for some cheese and bread and then we found a vineyard where we could park and pick-nick while enjoying the view.  As we finished lunch, the rain stopped.  We were able to capture a few pictures during the break in the rain.  It was truly one of the best ways to spend a rainy day!

Home, beautiful home.
Many of you know that I was blessed to grow up in the beautiful Napa Valley.  I was raised on two acres in the coutry, in a small country house with animals of all shapes and sizes.  Four years ago my parents sold my childhood home and moved to the mountains to get out of the busy Bay Area.  I supported their decision whole heartedly, but it doesn't mean I don't miss my home all the time.  Since we live close to Napa, and we visit friends there frequently, we often drive by my house.  The new owners have planted a vineyard in the front and back fields.  The house has been painted, and the yard re-landscaped.  It looks just beautiful.  I am so happy to know that they are taking good care of my home, and raising their young family there, just as my parents did so many years ago.  It was raining today, so I couldn't take any pictures, but the vineyard was geogeous, and colorful.  As we stood outside in the rain staring at my childhood home, the memories came flooding back. I could have stood there all day staring at my home, but the tears were about to fall, so I decided it was time to leave. Someday I hope that Scott and I can find a place in the country like where I grew up.

He is in control of All things!
Sometimes I feel like the only area I have any sense of control is in keeping my house clean. In the last few years God has slowly been challenging me to surrender every aspect of my life to Him.  And today, He taught me that even the smallest areas (like keeping your house clean) need to be surrendered to Him.
I was happily preparing lunch with Scott when I reached into the fridge to grab a glass bottle of sparkling juice.  When I turned to set it on the counter, I accidentally slammed the bottle right into the counter top.  The glass shattered and the juice splattered all over the kitchen counter and floor.  I quickly grabbed the dog to get him safely outside when I noticed I was bleeding from a few different minor cuts. As I stared down at the disaster, my first thought was "why does this need to happen?" We had been having such a great day, and this was most definitely getting in the way of our good day.  I began to get very upset because my clean kitchen was now very dirty and very sticky.  I felt out of control.  As we cleaned I thought about my "need" to keep my house clean in order to give myself some sense of control.  I very soon thereafter was aware of God's reminder that He wants my complete surrender in EVERY aspect of my life, including the seemingly minor things, like a clean house.  As He so graciously showed me today, I should not be seeking to control even the smallest things in my life.  I realized that God knows best, and there is no point in trying to control anything, even the little things, because really He is in control of it all!

The beginning of new lighting in the kitchen!!

As I mentioned a few posts ago, our kitchen is in desperate need of new lighting.  Since Scott removed the ugly box with the florescent lights so that he could use the lights in the garage, our kitchen has been rather dim.  I have been using other lighting alternatives such as the under the microwave lights, the stove-top lights, and lights from nearby rooms... but it is still rather dim.  So this weekend we started the process of relighting the kitchen by purchasing under-the-counter lighting.  Scott-the-handy-man spent a good portion of Sunday afternoon installing these new LED lights, and they are fabulous!  Now I wait patiently for the recessed lights in the ceiling...

Thanksgiving in October

A couple weeks ago our dear friends Jon and Jess came over to spend the morning with their three boys.  Jess prepared a spectacular meal of roast and potatoes.  And together we made miniature pumpkin pies in cupcake pans.  THE best pumpkin pies I have ever tasted (probably because you use cream cheese in the mix!).  We had such a special morning sipping on hot cider, making pies, and tasting a warm and hearty delicious meal!  Thank you Flowers for coming over!

        Praying for our meal

Mmm... pumpkin pies!!

The Weather Chanel

Does anyone else watch the weather chanel just for fun?  I often turn it on, and it is so comforting.  I feel more connected to the rest of the world.  I love the music.  Sometimes we leave it on for Kona as background noise?
Am I the only one who loves the weather chanel??

October please don't leave...
I love the fall, and I love the month of October.  Not just because it is my birthday month, but also because it is just the best month of the year!  I feel like it has flown by (like the rest of this year), and I haven't taken any moments to observe the changing of the season.  So, on Saturday, Scott had a rare day off.  We took a couple hours to drive over to Suisun Valley where we visited a cute little pumpkin patch.  We also took a little drive on some back roads to see the fall colors and get out of the busy city for a while.  It was a lovely day for a drive!

 

 

 Later Saturday afternoon we enjoyed napping and relaxing. Scott took a nap with his favorite Bubba.

And I applied my new Uppercase Living expression:

Lighting...
We have wanted to change out the lighting fixture in our kitchen for a while now, as it is one aspect of our kitchen that we both do not like.  I thought it would be a while yet before we could make a change, but Scott had a different time table in mind.  I walked in the other day to find him on a ladder removing the ugly box that surrounds the lights.  He decided that the lights in the kitchen would serve us (or him rather) better in the garage, and it was time that they were removed.  I was VERY pleased to see the box coming down, and the lights removed, but I had to question what his plan was for replacing the lights.... since we cannot exactly function very well without lights in the kitchen.  For now we do have a plan for replacing the lights, but we do not have a time-table.  So being the planning wife that I am, I suggested that we have the lights replaced no later than Thanksgiving... (and hopefully sooner!!)  For now Scott left one florescent light up, and it hangs below an ugly dirty looking rectangle shape on the ceiling. I cannot bear to turn it on since it emits a terrible glow, so I get by with other forms of lighting for now...

Goodbye ugly light box...

hello ugly patch on the ceiling...

An Encouraging Word...
This morning I was prompted to tell the man that leads our Sunday School class how much I enjoy the class and how I look forward to it every week.  He informed me how much what I had said blessed him, and how he very much needed that encouragement right at that moment.  It was a little thing for me to encourage him, but a huge thing for him to recieve that encouragement.   It is a good reminder to let others how what they do blesses you... it can go a long way!  Imagine if we all made it a point to try to encourage at least one person a day... oh what a wonderful world it would be!

Because Everything is Riding on Your Tires...

We have had the same tires on our 4Runner ever since I bought the vehicle in 2004!!  That is over 6 years with the same tires!!  With the terrible storm last weekend we realized we needed to replace the tires.  With the help from my amazing parents we were able to get a new set of Laredo's (I think that is the brand... and don't ask me for the specs... I have No clue).  Scott researched for hours the best tires and he found the best deal.  ( Have you ever looked for tires before.... I found it VERY boring... thankfully I have a husband who enjoyed the hunt very much.)  I was able to test these tires out on the highway yesterday, and I LOVE them.  Not only is the ride smoother and quieter, I feel safer and more in control.  You know when you are a kid and you get new runners (that is running shoes for all you who are wondering), you feel like you can actually run faster...  well that is how I feel about these new tires... like I can drive faster.  No, I am not actually driving faster, it just FEELS that way.  I LOVE my new tires... plus they do look pretty cool too.

Happy "Dirt-Day" to me!

It was my birthday on the 2nd, and I had a marvelous two day celebration.  It started on the morning of my real birthday, with a wonderful breakfast made by Scott which included coffee made in my grandparents glass percolator.  I love this little coffee making device and I love the smell of the coffee... it smells different somehow... just like my grandparents coffee.

I then had lunch with three friends... I think I will officially call us the Birthday club.  This is the second birthday celebration we have shared together at The Olive Garden this year.  It is a great time!  If you think you might like to be included in the Birthday Club, we would love to have you join us for the next celebration!  I will also say that the picture below was taken  by a lady wearing a "bump-it" (as seen on TV).  I have never seen someone wearing one of those in person...

On the evening of my birthday I went to a movie with a friend (as Scott was working).  We had a fun time and finished the night off with some pizza and ice-cream! Yum!

Saturday morning I awoke and prepared for my day of surprises that Scott had planned for me.  I was especially eager to find out what he had in store for the day because he had been so excited in planning it, and couldn't wait to reveal the surprises.  All I knew was that we were headed to the City (San Fransisco).  When we arrived I learned that we were walking across the Golden Gate Bridge!  I was thrilled.  The weather was perfect and warm, but with a refreshingly cool breeze.  A perfect day to take in all the views of the surrounding bay.

 

 

 

Scott holding up the bridge with one hand!

After the bridge we headed over to Baker beach, which is just west of the bridge.  It is a beautiful beach and you can see the bridge from there as well.  It was cold and windy there, so we backed the 4Runner up to the beach, crawled in the back, bundled up and had a picnic as we looked out onto the water.

After our picnic in the back of the 4Runner Scott pulled out the map and started to figure out how to navigate his way to the next few stops.  I still had no idea where we were headed, and I was very eager to learn what he had up his sleeve.  I helped him with directions and we made our way through the city.  We finally arrived at our first destination... A fabric store!  This wasn't just any fabric store... it was the mother of all discount fabric stores!!  Very cool!  After browsing through the store we journeyed on to locate a few other fabric stores.  We ended up only finding one other store that was open.  It was also overwhelmingly awesome!

For dinner Scott took me to a restraunt that he had seen on the Food Networks, Diners, Drive-In's and Dive's show.  This wonderful little place called Rocco's cafe. It was far from a dive, and more like a very nice diner.  I ended up ordering grilled polenta and vegetables with pesto.  Scott informed me after I ordered it, that it was one of the dishes that had been featured on the show!  It was a fantastic meal!

 

We ended our day by coming home and enjoying a lovely glass of wine and some cheese cake from Trader Joes!  I was thoroughly impressed with my husband's planning and the wonderful surprises throughout the day. (feel free to plan other surprises Scotty!!)  A day I will not soon forget. And a two-day birthday that I will not forget!!

In case you were wondering about "dirt-day", this is how niece would say birthday when she was about 2.  It stuck with our family, and now I can't help but use it!!

Updates for the Persickes

It's been a while since we have provided an update, and there have been a lot of changes in our busy lives.  Scott has been working to start up an Auto Detailing business.  He has gotten some training and acquired the necessary tools, and has been working hard to make cars shine. If you live in our local area and are interested in a car detailing please let us know. Scott is offering fabulous discounts for first time clients as well as for referrals.  Just take a look at some of his work:

Before and then After:

 

Hard at work!

Scott has also been working part-time at Trader Joe's grocery store.  He enjoys the employees and the work.  His is still looking for other part-time or full-time work, but we are thankful for what God has provided thus far.

I am still working as a Nanny part-time.  I am also working to develop my business, My Creative Threads.  If you haven't seen my Etsy site, or my blog, please check them out: www.mycreativethreads.etsy.com  and www.mycreativethreads.blogspot.com

I also just recently started working part time teaching English to Korean students online.  I learned about the job through the online job search, Monster. It is pretty interesting to teach by video chat online.  So far I have only taught one evening (my hours are 10pm-1am 4 days per week).  My first evening was a challenge, but I think I will get the hang of it soon enough.

If feels like we are both working all the time just to get by, but God has been faithful, and our needs have been met every month.   Despite our busyness we still manage to find time with each other and Kona.