October Potpourri

No, not actual fall-scented October potpourri, but a little this and that news going on around here and how we’ve kicked off the month in our house.

New Office

Now that I no longer have a real job, but just have this job I love chatting with you a couple times a week, I felt I no longer needed the privacy and seclusion of my old office.  It’s a room in the back of the house that has been increasingly getting used for storage.  Which is fine, but I don’t need to be back there hours a day.

So we’re removing the desk from the room, storing it and using that space differently.

Hub still uses his office quite a bit and I call it his man cave.  I don’t think he wants me to share with him like we did in the old days.

So I moved my few office supplies into baskets that already live under the sofa console in our living room and I’m using that area, the dining table, the kitchen table and wherever else I end up as my office.

So freeing.

Not really news, but it’s kind of a big step for me.  One more thing in my life I get to let go of.  Like pantyhose.  And alarm clocks.

Garden

Guess what I’m having for lunch today?  Arugula salad.  With lettuce from our own yard.  Wow, it’s just gorgeous and grew in just a few weeks. 

Some of hub’s radishes are doing better than others, but he gets to pick these while they’re young and tender.

Theater

With DFs Cindy and Kevin we went to the Broadway at Gammage play Six.  It was a lot of fun all around. At the expense of the six wives of Henry VIII, that is. There were cute costumes, songs and dances.  What more could you ask for?

Oh, you’d like a cocktail to go with that?  Well, here you are.  Gammage always changes their cocktail menu to match their current play and it’s so fun to see what will be featured.  Our party had just about one of each selection and everyone gave theirs a thumbs-up.

What I’m Eating

All on his own, with no planning or thawing out by me, John decided to make Chicken Parmesan this weekend.  He used cornflakes as the breading to keep it gluten free.

Skinnytaste’s baked version was perfect. I think I’ve shared this recipe before, but I’ll link it again because it’s easy and delish.

He used jarred marinara from Costco and our trusty countertop convection oven.  Very little muss and fuss.

He used gluten-free linguine as his pasta side.  I had some alphabet pasta I needed to use up, so mine looks a little different.  You can see from this close-up shot, I added a lot of pepper flakes to mine.

City North

City North is a little mixed-use area bordering north Phoenix and Scottsdale.  It’s a really nice location, but unfortunately was built right at the beginning of the last recession.  So for ten years, the restaurants and businesses really struggled.

But now. 

It looks like a hip, fun place to be.  We took a drive over to check it out. And the best part, absolutely, hands down?  Want to guess? 

Not the trendy bar, restaurant, soda fountain or barber.

Nope. 

The pediatric dentists’ office. 

It’s like the interior of a space ship with command stations. And right outside?

An astronaut and his new friend.  Adorable.

Wrap Up

This whole post was a wrap up, I guess, so I’ll just wish you a wonderful week and ask what is going on with you and see if you have big plans to share.

God bless.