It is only with the heart that one can see clearly

Sunsets in December.

It’s said that Pisces are dogmatic by Nature . . . . .

I once read this when I was young and It made sense then as it makes sense now.

The simple things in life is what makes one happy . . . like  the sound of  my dog drinking water from her bowl and how she likes listening to me humming myself to sleep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w-u9UcbAGc&feature=related

Life’s funny. When one is young time always drags and it seems like forever . . . .  Suddenly you’re 30 then 40 and all that’s left of your childhood are the distant memories.

A Time to Thank and Give . . . . .

This years Thanksgiving was a good one, besides getting a new job things are now falling into place.  I also got to indulge myself to a couple of cooking apparatus.  I have always wanted to make an awesome turkey dinner but I just never got the time nor the right cooking sets.  So I decided to go all out this year.  I searched for turkey cookers, turkey oven trays,  non-stick cookers for turkeys . . . . you name it I searched and searched.  Stores would tell me that they were completely out or that they had no idea what I was looking for. Ugh!  One would think that most retail stores would carry them in stock around the Holidays . . .but I was soooo wrong.  So I finally went online and found myself  a Calphalon Cookware Set, Yeih!!

This is similar to what I bought myself, it’s called the Calphalon Turkey Cookware Set.
I have been wanting a set from Calphalon for quite a while now, and I really liked the 5 piece  Calphalon cookware set. Plus it happened to be cyber Monday and it was 25% off plus free shipping!! It was a great deal.

My recipe this year was given to me by Bryan, a total genius!  Learned that when you mix pineapple juice, vodka and some very special spices the turkey becomes incredibly delicious.  I would have never thought of that creation because I was so stuck on the conventional way of cooking a turkey.  Thanks Bryan and hope you continue to inspire me. It opened the doors to so many other variations to using this mixture of spices and juices.

Like I mentioned earlier this Thanksgiving was a very special one for me.  Besides the food, the pies and all the great beer of course,  we had to opportunity to help out in cooking and distributing about 100 turkey dinners.  I have always thought that if you can help just a little bit the world and its human race will change for the better!  It brings happiness to your heart and hope for others . .  .  What else can one ask for? If anyone else feels the magic within we can all make a huge difference.

Once again I take this special little moment to thank all the good people around me and my cute little animals that are truly a blessing to me. We (Martha, Bubba, Kristy and I) wish you all a very good Holiday this year and the many, many to come. We pray for peace and joy and hope that we all can grow to see a better tomorrow.  Please send me a message if you would like to join (fill a belly) for Christmas,  I will admit we do need Volunteers.

Small Beer Glass for Better Beer Taste

I love brewing all kinds of mead’s, cider and just recently beer as you probably know by now. Something about taste of home brewed beer that makes it a lot more enjoyable than ordinary beers. And it even tastes better if I taste it in a smaller beer glass.

Since I have my friends coming over often to taste my beer, I decided that it would be a good idea to purchase a set of a small set of beer glasses. One of my friends gave me an a $25 gift certificate from an online cookware specialty store that also sells bar ware and drink ware  where I bought my  beer glass set of 12 made by Anchor Hocking. My purchase arrived today which I am very excited about. They are very delicate and cute,  and I am looking forward a better beer tasting experience and serving my friends my home brewed beer in these beer glasses.

Dr. Babushka and Bubbagump

Ever since I got Martha, everyone keeps on wondering, ” What is a Parotlett?”

Well these are the facts; Parrotlets are 13 to 17 centimeters in length and from 40 to 60 grams in weight. They are among the smallest parrots, characterized by a stocky build, a short blunt tail, and a relatively large, sharp beak.

(Really sharp beak)

Parotlets are mostly green with some colors on their lower body and have really crazy attitude!  Well at least mine does. . . .   Don’t get me wrong she is a sweetheart most of the time but she can be a real scary one sometimes.

Just thought I’d keep everyone updated that Dr. Babushka aka “Little Green Devil” and Bubba are doing fine! They are happy as can be and they currently reside with their two mommys in a wonderland called Neptune’s.  If you still dont have any idea who I am speaking about then I will introduce you to them. .. . .

Got Bottles?

Ok so we have now distributed some of our bottled Wildflower Pomegranate mead to a couple of friends locally and Internationally already and we have much more to give away-  The only problem is that we are out of bottles!! We need MORE BOTTLES . . . So if any of you fellow brewers are out there and have some extra bottles, please let me know

This all still seems surreal, this whole making of our mead and the fermentation process.  The actual waiting and checking up on it was actually the hardest part of this whole process but my gosh . . . .when we actually took the taste of our  lovely fruity mead, it made it all worth the wait!  All that we have to say is “WOW”!!  We are sooo pleased with our Mead that came out as sweet as a maiden’s kiss.  :0

As it turns out though I will be needing more bottles.  And for those that have not received their bottle yet, not to worry my friends, your bottles await you   This is just a little notice I am putting out to anyone and everyone who maybe has some extra bottles lying around.  I will return the favor with one of our “hope to be medal” mead!  That is if we get a ribbon this year.  We are hoping for the best,  so far we have heard nothing but outstanding feedback from everyone that has tasted our Pomegranate Mead . . .  so thanks Everyone and Cheers!

Our Wicked “Evil Dead” Mead . . . . . .

So just about a week ago we bottled our Wildflower Pomegranate Mead . . . . . Our final percentage was 11.5% scarrrrryyyy!!!  Well not so much since its wicked good too.  A very pleasant surprise to all of us-  We had been anxiously waiting for our 5 gal. of goodness to finish its bubbling and finally ferment.  A beautiful sight to see and smell all the yummy yeast and honey aromas.

11.5 % baby!!

We were encouraged to submit it to the Del Mar Home Brewing Competition With the help of Dean and Richard this is our first official Mead.  Kris and I would like to thank you guys for helping us brewing it and bottling it.  We will hope and see if we get any ribbons this year.

Even though this has been our first “official” mead that we have created and made with our own hands, we are still amazed at the beauty and the process of every element that came together for this creation to exist.  I know it sounds a little too much but seriously “the joy of home brewing” your own is so worth it. I think everyone should try it out just for fun!  I know that is how I started.  I still remember when Dean first came into my shop buying some soccer jerseys and next thing we know I am invited to the Barley Engineers  Home Brewing club-  That was the beginning for me.  From there I introduced my sister and next thing we know we are brewing with the “Dr. Demento Guys”!  Again we want to thank Dean, Richard, Darlene, Pat and Uncle Tom for sharing some good times

This is the beginning of a new world of magic and home brewing .. . . . . . . yours truly, the Arrizon sisters!

The AHA Rally at Stone Brewery

My sister and I just attended the AHA Rally at Stone for the first time and we had a blast!  We actually got to pour . . .  Yes, we were the official “pourer’s” the 23 samples of beer that Stone had in the competition that day.  At first we got introduced to the list and we were feeling a little overwhelmed but soon enough we were welcomed by some of the actual homebrewer’s themselves.  Pat Horton was one of the actually contestants with his Chipotle Style Beer which was insanely incredible. We also had Ken from Barley Engineer’s giving us a hand!

Excited that we are going to be brewing with Pat in the future so he can teach us the tiny “secrets of life” . . .  he introduced his Stumblefoot Southwestern Chipotle Stout . . .  And yes it was out of this world.  Zackary was also there with his dad who I need not to mention he made us laugh all day-  Thanks Zach!  Overall everyone was very patient and pleasant :)  This was our fist time serving beer in this type of atmosphere. I sometimes gave a bit too much than the average pour therefore I had the longest line, hehe-

We also want to thank the nice gentleman who left the rally to go get us some bacon chocolate! Thank You very much sorry we never got your name.

Our Wildflower Pomegranate Mead

Yesterday’s Brewing Session with the “Dr. Demento” Crew was awesome! Thank You guys! Had so much fun- Dean, Richard and Darlene, U guys Rock!! We finally have created our Honey Pomegranate Mead!! Woo-Hoo!!  Again thank you guys for your patience and your ability to make us laugh the whole process of this awesome experience. We had a great time and we loved every minute of it . . . .   We learned quite a bit and we did as you guys told us to; we went and bought our little beer journal to take notes on all that we did.  I think it will definitely refresh our memory next time. Here is another set of pics during our mead making Timing is Everything!

Early Morning Breakfast with a little extra Joy!

So this morning I woke up to the sound of the beautiful rain against my window. . .  .  I opened my eyes and there I saw my furry little angel starring at me-  As always waiting for her morning walk.  We cuddled a bit and her stare finally became so intense, I just grabbed my hair in a ponytail, put my running shoes and took her out.  For some reason I had an extra burst of energy  this morning almost like a new me!

On our way to Neptune’s I envisioned myself practicing some Tai Chi since I haven’t  done any in a while.  Sure enough the morning rain had the sand nice and mushy for good balance.  Letting Bubba run at the beach isn’t something I do on a regular basis but when it’s desolate like this she and I both enjoy it!

As I was meditating and stretching I was thinking how lucky I am to have all my functioning body parts and how lucky I was to have this beautiful scenery and peaceful morning.  And just thanking God for another beautiful day-

Bubba was anxious since she loves it after it rains, it make the grass fresh and the smell crispy clean for her.

We went down to Neptune’s and played around in the sand a while.  Bubba usually goes in the ocean but this time it was a bit too cold for her.

When we got back I remember I was craving a good breakfast, since the night before I saw someone eat a horrible and boring breakfast. It got me thinking I should make what should have been a good breakfast. So with that said, I know we had eggs and some good bacon in the frige. When I cook I tend to get a bit crazy. I put  my iPod on and listen to some of my favorites. One of the first songs that came on was “Far Away” from Cut Copy which is one of my favorite songs in the world!!  As I was twirling and dancing I had four eyeballs starring at me while I was cooking. One was Martha, “The Barefoot Contessa” who was on her usual spot.  Her favorite lamp from IKEA. The other pair of eyeballs were of those we call Bubba. Both were in the kitchen with me while I cooked.

As my sister headed down at the smell of bacon we (Bubba, Martha and I) were already eating and reading little passages from one of my favorite books, called “Life’s Little Instruction Book.” I came across this on page 347.  It just confirms I’ve been right.

I guess I should explain that the day before was a bit hectic for me-  I was pretty much overwhelmed with the little things that make life so crazy, great and exciting.  Starting early in the morning, my dear coffee machine breaking down then having to chase Bubba around the neighborhood . .    I think by this point I was just happy getting to work only 30 min.  late.

On the Road to a good Recovery . . . .

So continuing with my overdue ankle fracture from way back. .. .  I have now completed my full circle.   It has felt like forever though-  Almost wrote the tittle as “The old injury that didn’t want to go away.”  Luckily this year 2010 has come with many good surprises for me.  One of the most important is being able to do more activities than before.  To have better control of my ankle and also find my balance again.

Now if I am careful enough I can return to Capoeira too. . .  Who knows but I definitely will not try not to overdue it either.  Making the gym a daily routine I think has helped me much but the swimming I think has improved it overall.

Here are some pics of me-  My training buddy actually proposed the idea and I actually went for it!  Getting on the stair stepper which I could not do before was a big step-   I had never taken any pictures at the gym but there was nobody around at the moment and it felt like such an accomplishment I had to record it somehow-