What I want in our next home (kitchen)

I like the look of dark kitchen cabinets, to me it feels warm and cozy. (also maybe I am just sick of my bright yellow ones). Stainless Steel Appliances are awesome too.

I want a big island, with plenty of storage space

I want a pantry, doesn't need to be huge, but I would love to have a pantry

I also really like the idea of drawers in the pantry

What I want in our next home

In our next home I'd really like to have a nice, big covered porch. I'd like to be able to sit outside on warm summer nights, or during a storm and enjoy the outdoors. Another plus would be I can get the dogs to go outside to potty with little hassle if part of the yard is covered.

Source

A great view would be spectacular, but not totally necessary.

(Click on pictures for larger image) I would also like to have cozy patio furniture to chill on when we have friends or family over.
A screened in porch would be cool too because then we could avoid buggies.

I love the chaise lounge style, So cozy looking

I love the colors on this one.

I also think these are super dooper coolio!

That concludes todays edition of what I want. Perhaps there will be more tomorrow.

Salmon Feta Pasta

Salmon Feta Pasta

This is an adaptation from a recipe out of my Dieters Cookbook.

I saw this recipe and it looked so good, and it's full of things I love, Salmon, Feta, Pasta, Tomato and Olive!

here is what you need:

some salmon, about a pound. more or less you could put as much in as you want I imagine

some tomatoes, I used 4 roma tomatoes

green onions (or scallions whatever you call them) about 5-6

half a block of feta cheese, about 4 oz

a small can of sliced olives ( I used the ones with jalapenos)

olive oil

1/2 a box (8oz dry) of rotini pastas

So you cook the pasta according to the box, drain and set aside, but try to keep it warm.

While it is cooking cut your salmon in to about 1 inch cubes and lightly sprinkle with salt, also cut up your tomatoes into bite size pieces. Chop the green peppers and cut the feta up. It may be easier to used pre-crumbled feta but that was more expensive for less, so I just cut it up.

Heat up a pan with a little olive oil and cook up the salmon until it is done, then add in your tomatoes, green onions and olives (drain the olive can first).

the recipe called for fresh basil, which I didn't have so I sprinkled some dry basil on at this point. Cover the mix and let warm throughly, until onions are wilted.

Stir everything together, with the feta and a little olive oil (about 1tbsp) and you have an amazing, low calorie, light dinner!

Beach with the Pups

Today was the first day we took Renji to the beach.

He took to the water like a fish.

He jumped, and hopped and plopped in the water.

Aiko showed him how to swim.

I even got them to pose for me.

Then we decided to leave because it was very hot.

and we went home.

I don't know what I want

Our City: (Gushikawa)

This impending doom of a move has really taken a hold of me, stressed me out, stretched me thin, and mostly made me think about how I will miss it here. Then Paul throws me a curve ball, he wants to put his extension paperwork in anyway, even though we have orders. So now there are three possible scenarios on the table. We have no say in any of them, it's all up to the Marine Corps and where they decide they want to put Paul.

1. Paul leaves in August, comes back in early November. In November we will pack up and ship out, to our destination in the states.

2. Paul gets his RD orders pushed back, he leaves in October, comes back in December-January. When he gets back we will pack up and ship out to our destination in the states.

3. His extension get approved, we stay here until The end of 2011 begining of 2012 and then we go wherever the MC wants him.

I have been planning on option 1 for several weeks, over a month. I have come to terms with it. I was content in the idea that I would be doing my Christmas shopping at Target, lounging in our new house for New Years, eating at our favorite restaurant On The Border for Valentines day.

Number 2 would be super, he would be here when my parents came to visit, though he may be in a class where he wouldn't be available much, he'd still be here. We could finish off the year in Okinawa but I'd be alone for Thanksgiving, Our anniversary and Christmas.

Now the curve ball, number 3. I love Okinawa. I really really do. Giving us another year would give us a chance to do all the things we have put off doing, Tokyo, China, Okuma, hiking, camping, scuba certification, snorkeling, hanging out with our dear friends we have made, and just making the most of what we would know for sure would be our last year here. We could also try to get Paul's family out here for a visit.

I really had gotten used to number 1, but number 3 is so alluring. If I were told to make a choice right now, I don't know what I would choose.

I would probably just implode.

Things I will miss

Cocoichiban curry house. It's not great, but they put crack in it and it is impossible to only have it once. After trying it once you will have weird cravings for it, even if you didnt like it. I feel high after eating it.

Pizza & Beer

Tonight Paul and I started our nightly vacation to by running to the shopette for wine, and we found Blue Moon! Finding beer other than the big brands (bud, bud light, coors, coors light, corona & michalob) are rare. Even Sam Adams is a welcome surprise here. So Blue Moon was exciting.

We were at the shopette getting drinks while waiting for the pizza dough in the bread machine.

The dough was created for a yummy pizza recipe I found last week at Smitten Kitchen, Smitten Kitchen is a very very good food blog that I have on my RSS feed. I have almost 90 of her recipes bookmarked. Tonight we had Shaved Asparagus Pizza

I had a hard time believing that someone could turn asparagus, one of my favorite veggies, into an incredible pizza. Seriously, I turned this:
Into this:

Amazingly delicious Asparagus Pizza!
Later this week I am going to try Breakfast Pizza (with sausage)!

Any dog owners out there can help?

Renji is about 7 months old, I feed him 3x a day a little more than 1/2 cup of dry food each time, exactly what the measurement on the bag says to feed him. yet when he eats he eats like he's never eaten before, like he is starving, famished, on the verge of death. he inhales his food in less than 30 seconds. I've tried feeding him less food, more often, but he still eats like it's his first meal in weeks. Is it okay to just let him eat like that? should i try to correct it? if so how? It's like he is always hungry.

just a little walk

On top of the rest of the exercise I am trying to get in, I'd like to start walking daily. This evening Paul and I walked down the big huge hill that nearly took my life last week while I pushed my bike up it.

sunset in one of the corner mirrors

looking towards Katsuren

looking into Gushikawa

neato little pot hole cover

looking up the monster hill, it doesn't look like much but trust me, it's terrible

how our pack of monsters has grown

For many years, more than I can remember right now, we have had one little monster:

He turned into a big monster:

Two years ago upon arrival to Okinawa we added another little monster:

And then we had the big monster

and the little monster

who got her monster love everywhere

for over a year we were a happy little monster family

Then, this year in a fit of madness we decided:

this monster

and this monster

needed this monster

and now we have a whole pack of monsters