Pressure

Up and moving at 5:30AM this morning - on a Sunday! A friend invited me to attend a cooking demonstration at Williams & Sonoma in Pleasanton...it was lots of fun! And of course, there was shopping. Got up early because I woke up and didn't want to go back to sleep and have the alarm wake me up just a short hour later....

Dinner tonight was a delicious pot roast - cooked in just under an hour in our new pressure cooker! It was fork tender and deliciously delicious!! Do you remember your mom having a pressure cooker? My mom did - it was huge and heavy and scary....rattling and 'spitting' and making a huge racket - and my mom cautioning us to 'stay away' whenever it was on the stove. Like it was determined to blow up at any minute. Now, they make an electric model - takes all the guesswork out of it getting to 'full pressure'....and all kinds of safety features. If there's any hint of pressure remaining, the lid will not open. And the 'quick release' works easily to release the pressure. It was a breeze to use and the roast came out perfectly! Being able to make things in 1/3 the time will make workday evening dinners so much easier -

It's starting to look like a family is going on vacation - 'packing areas' are springing up. Things I don't want to forget are going into a Sephora tote bag and I'm gathering as I see stuff. I've been saving the little samples and small pieces of Zum soap to take with us. The water is pretty hard there and having a good soap will make a difference. Also taking the Purell wash/dry sheets we took two years ago - they didn't clean perfectly but they sure are easier to pack than liquids. Sunscreen, aloe, sunburn cream, etc. In a perfect world, I'll be practically 'done' by the time Friday rolls around! I hope so -

I've loaded some books on my iPhone to read on the trip - but I already finished one book and am more than half way through another. It's great to have the 'joy' of good books again - and to really enjoy that break from busy days. Not sure why the electronic delivery method makes such a difference, but it really does.

I'm planning to pack incredibly lightly - learned last time that I will live in bathing suits and my cover ups, capri pants, t-shirts and one pair of jeans - which will be the pair of jeans I'll wear on the plane to/from. I can pack far less then I did last trip. United has changed their international luggage policy and we can only have one checked bag each. We're already resigned to paying the fee for one extra bag - the snorkels, fins, masks, etc. take one duffel on their own....

I work tomorrow and Tuesday. Having lunch with a friend in Tracy on Wednesday. Having lunch with Bug and her baby on Thursday. J. is off on Friday and we'll be madly busy getting everything nailed down around here. House sitter will come over Thursday evening to get the list and tour and pick up the key. She will come once a day and water the patio plants, pick vegetables (if there are any) and feed the bird and the cat. Chloe will go to the puppy spa on Friday. J.'s going to take her 'cuz my heart can't take it. Last time I took her, she sat down and wouldn't budge - made me worry the entire time we were gone that she was unhappy.....I'm sure she's well cared for but it's not home.

I know exactly how she feels.....I'm missing home too and we haven't even left yet....