I was saying...

Tyler Bear's Day Off

2012-01-31T16:41:00.000-08:00

Tyler's had so many days off from school this month, either because of holidays, snow days, or legislative cuts, that I don't think he's had a full week all month long. Yesterday was another one of those days, so I decided to take him out of the house and have some fun.

First we stopped and the bowling alley and played two games.

I wish their hours for open lanes started a little earlier so that our outing didn't land smack dab in the middle of Mr. Fussy Pants' nap time. I was hoping he'd fall asleep on the way over there or while we were there, but no such luck.

I think Tyler's arm was starting to fall off by the second game so his score went down a little bit. Meanwhile my score actually improved. A strike and a spare in the 10th frame. Woot!

After we finished up at the bowling alley, we headed over to the park to feed the ducks.

They usually hang out by the frozen pond, but when they saw our car pull up, they literally all flew over to the parking lot. We almost didn't need to get out of the car to feed them.

Then we went for a walk around the perimeter of the park, which was free of snow and easy to navigate with the baby stroller.

When we got back to the car the ducks were still waiting around in hopes of more food. And this guy even hopped on top of the hood. Excuse me!?

Not a Fan

2012-01-30T10:16:00.000-08:00

Kyle's first two baby teeth are breaking through the skin. That means he's getting ready to eat more solid food. And the doctor told us that he should be eating his baby food multiple times a day. We're past the introduction stage and moving into the 'make a meal out of it' stage. Since he'll be joining us at the dinner table more frequently now, Rick and I decided it was time to break out the high chair.

We got one of those seats that you place right into your existing dining room chair. It comes with it's own tray still, but it saves a little space not having an additional free standing chair at the table. For now though, we're just pulling the seat right up to the table and doing without the tray. We'll save that for when Kyle can start feeding himself.

We had started him out with fruits, because those are yummier of course. He enjoys the bananas, pears, apples....all of it. He even likes sweet potatoes and carrots. I did buy peas, but we'd never given them to him yet. Until yesterday, that is.

Turns out he's not a fan. At all.

Look at that poor devastated face! We took the peas away and tried him on something else, but he was over the whole meal at that point. We'll have to try again another day...he's not getting away from eating vegetables that easily!

Kyle at 6 Months

2012-01-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

Kyle turned 6 months old earlier this week and today I took him in for his 6 month check-up. His height and head size were average, but his weight was a little low....at 15 lbs, he's only in the 13th percentile. He's been eating solid food for a few months now, but I guess I need to up his serving size or offer it to him more frequently. He loves rice cereal, bananas, and sweet potatoes, so it'll be no problem getting him to eat more of those.

He's almost sleeping through the night, getting up anywhere between 4:00 and 6:00 in the morning for a feeding. The doctor says he's perfectly old enough to go the entire night without eating, so instead of feeding him in the twilight hours, which is what he expects, I can just give him a pat and tell him, "nice try mister, but it's back to sleep you go". If only it were that easy.

Right now he tries to grab everything he can reach and put it right in his mouth. He especially loves the spider out of his bug jug (so many legs to grab and chew on) and anything that rattles when he shakes it.

He loves pulling off his socks and....you guessed it...stuffing them in his mouth. It's nearly pointless to even put socks on him, except for the fact that's it's the middle of winter.

He's also been making this face a lot. He scrunches up his nose, clenches his gums and breathes forcefully in and out of his mouth. I'm not sure if he's just experimenting with sounds or if he's trying to copy some of the silly sounds his brother makes. It's funny either way.

He's generally a happy baby and is very ticklish, unless he's tired and then it's another story.

Recently he discovered that he has a tongue and that it's fun to stick it out of his mouth, so he's been doing that trick....oh, about a million times a day.

He's getting stronger and can hold himself up longer with each try. It won't be long before he's sitting up on his own and crawling all over the place, but for now he's more of a roller.

So we have a few things to work on, but overall he's doing just fine.

Boys at Play

2012-01-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

Tyler was so excited when he first found out that he'd be getting a brand new little brother. He couldn't wait to play with him, read books to him and all that sort of stuff. Then Kyle was born and he literally did nothing but sleep all day long for months at a time. Let's just say...Tyler was quick to realize just how 'boring' little babies could be.

But now Kyle is 6 months old and he loves his big brother. He loves it when he does the running man. He loves it when he gives him rib kisses. He loves watching him play Mario on the Wii and best of all, he loves it when his big brother plays with him.

And I love it too.

Better than a Snowman

2012-01-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

After 3 days of snow, we now have close to 11 inches piled up in the yard. I went out in the morning yesterday with a ruler to measure how deep it was and it was almost 10 inches, but it's snowed a little more since then.

That's the most snow we've seen since living here. I think 6 inches is probably the norm.

Anyway, it was enough to cancel school on Friday, so Tyler was able to get out there and start working on his snow fort, which apparently is much cooler than building a snowman. Rick bought him some brick molds at the hardware store a few months ago and he's been dying to try them out.

But there must be a slight learning curve with them or else we just have powdery snow because it was hard to get the bricks to stack onto each other without them crumbling apart. We'll just call that our practice day.

Today, however, the boys meant business.

And you'd better look out because you know a snowball fight is right around the corner.

First Snow

2012-01-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

Just when I was getting used to our unusually mild and snow-free winter, along comes a storm to put me right back in my place.

Oh yeah, we live in Yakima.....

And this is what it looks like.

8 inches so far and it's still coming down. Kyle and I bundled up and went out to take a look, but it's too cold to stay out there for long. I'd like to say that we can just run in the house and warm up, but guess what....our heater is broken. But wait, there's more. The replacement part we need is in Seattle, which would normally take 1 day to get here, but with the pass being closed due to the snow, we continue to wait. And try not to freeze to death. Well we do have the gas fireplace, but that isn't designed to heat up the entire house, especially when it's only 24 degrees outside. We also have a space heater, but that really only heats up one room. Oh well. we'll just throw on some layers, grab some blankets and hope that darn part can make it here by tomorrow.

New Photos

2012-01-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

We tried to go to a fancy-schmancy photography place to get newborn pictures of Kyle....but that didn't end up working out. They never returned my phone calls. So we kind of put that on the back burner for awhile, but with Kyle getting bigger by the minute, we finally made it a priority, went somewhere else and got it done. Well he isn't really a newborn anymore, so I guess these qualify as updated family portraits and Kyle's 'baby' picture.

The baby is usually all smiles in the morning, so we made our appointment first thing in the day. Funny thing is, we couldn't squeeze a single smile out of him.

Not bad. We clean up kind of nice.

I think we'll wait a few months and then go back in for another try. Maybe then we can get a smile out of that stubborn boy.

The Fish Shack

2012-01-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Tyler got this neat 3-in-1 Lego set that you can use to build a lighthouse, a boathouse or a seafood restaurant. Right now he has it set up as the restaurant, which we've named The Fish Shack.

I love all the cool little details, like the binoculars and the menu board right outside the restaurant door.

Of course there's the fisherman and his boat.

And inside the restaurant kitchen there's a grill that actually lights up. That's probably my favorite part of all...the lighted brick.

Outside, as with any good seafood restaurant, the birds are waiting around for any stray pieces of food.

The restaurant has been up and running for a few weeks now and I can see that business is really booming. I walked by the other day and noticed that the entire outdoor seating area was packed with customers. Hmmm, they really must know how to serve up some good fish over there at The Fish Shack.

Indoor Picnic

2012-01-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

One of Kyle's newest toys is this picnic basket filled with a sandwich, ice cream cone, watermelon slice and a grape juice bottle. And like most soft baby toys, they are easy to grasp and all of the pieces either crinkle, jingle, or squeak.

Tyler was instantly inspired by the new toy. He thought it would be cool if we had an indoor picnic. He thought the baby could play with his basket while the rest of us ate a lunch of PB&J sandwiches and cheetos.

Sounded like a good enough plan, but it had to wait until this weekend so Rick could be home to join in on the fun. So in the meantime, Tyler found other ways to pass the time while playing with the picnic basket.....like stuffing the grape juice bottle into Kyle's ball popper to - I don't know, see if it would fit.

So we spent a good chunk of time this morning a) finding the grape juice bottle and then b) trying to get it out of the ball popper. Rick and I both tried to reach it, but ended up just pushing it farther down the chute. That's when Tyler and his obnoxiously skinny arms reached right on in and grabbed the bottle out like it was no big deal.

Then it was on with the picnic.

A variety of sandwiches, fruit kabobs, and cheetos.

It was nice having lunch together as a family. Maybe next time we can have a picnic at the park...once the weather warms up and the baby get a little bigger.

Getting Back to Project Life

2012-01-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

I decided to do another year of Project Life, but went ahead and waited until January to start it back up instead of going from August to August like I did with my previous kit. In addition, I made a resolution this year to get caught up on some of my craft and scrap projects, so I've been keeping busy with those this week.

First I made a few scrapbook pages using a Basic Grey kit.

This was pretty easy to do without much thinking involved. You just have to follow the instructions to recreate the design...slap on a few photos and you're done!

Here's another page using that same kit, which is obviously pet themed, but I used it to scrap the See Spot Run 5K we did last year. And over on the right are a few cards I made using a different kit.

Back to Project Life, I took way more photos this week than I usually do or that I'll even need, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It just means I'm back to documenting every silly little thing, which actually, I'll probably appreciate later.

Some of these photos will make the cut....others are just for fun.

Kyle on his belly, of course. You can't keep him on his back. I'm sure he'll be crawling around in no time.

Tyler is completely entertained by Kyle's baby toys. For real. Who knew that a 6 year old could have so much fun with a ball popper?

Mario Time. Tyler brought this hat home from school yesterday that his friend made. Isn't it cute, with a taped on M to cover up the golfing logo that lies underneath.

Ch, Ch, Ch, Chia. This is what Tyler bought with his tooth fairy money.

And me finishing out the week with Cathe's Yoga Max.

Now to narrow down my photos for the week, print them up at Costco and get started on my first layout.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

2012 here we come!

The other day while I was at the store I grabbed a few party hats and some noise makers so we could have a small celebration at home on New Year's Eve. Well I don't know how old Rick and I are that we couldn't even stay up till midnight. He was passed out before 11:00 and I didn't make it much past 11:20. Tyler was the only one....if you can believe it, that actually stayed awake for the arrival of the new year. But then after the fireworks woke us up, it was right back to bed for everyone.

New Smile

2011-12-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

Big changes are going on inside Tyler's mouth. In less than two weeks, he's lost two more of his baby teeth. His top front tooth came out just days into the holiday break and then one of his bottom incisors came out last night.

And you know what that means.....he had some fresh money from the tooth fairy burning a hole in his pocket. So I took him over to Walgreens to buy a Chia Pet. He had asked for one for Christmas, but since he didn't it, he was prepared to buy one with his own money. He ended up getting a turtle, which we'll get started after it soaks for awhile. Hopefully it grows.....our house is kind of dark in the winter. I guess we'll see what happens.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:40:00.000-08:00

Tyler had big plans to wake up bright and early at 6:45 this morning, but slept in despite his best intentions. So at 7:30 or so, we started the party.....just a bit delayed.

There were lots of presents under the tree for the boys from Santa and the rest of the family.

Kyle got several wooden toys, some board books, baby bunting, and a ball popper.

I got some new makeup...Laura Geller eyeshadow, Smashbox eyeshadow and a Bare Essentials kit. I also got a new food processor and a juicer.

Kyle also got Mortimer the Moose, one of those cute Lamaze toys from Aunt Susan. He loves it!

Tyler got his Perplexus Rookie maze ball that he wanted so bad, and also a Newton's Cradle. Santa brought him a Nintendo 3DS and some games. That ought to keep him busy for awhile.

Rick got some new jeans, a few sweaters, new cologne, and a sausage/cheese box.

Now I'm about ready to serve up some pot roast for dinner. Mmmm, what a tasty way to end the day!

Christmas In The City

2011-12-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

Today was the last day of Tyler's Lego City Advent Calendar, so here's a look at the goodies he got this week.

A vault with gold pieces inside.

Two snowmobiles and a hitch wagon filled with presents.

Behind the final door was a chimney and Santa, who even had a pack on his back with more presents. And as you can see, he's already started his deliveries....bringing a brand new bone for the police dog.

Cookies For Santa

2011-12-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Of all the things I bake, cookies are not my strong point....and thanks to Tyler, we all know how my last batch of Mint Chocolate Chip cookies ended up in the garbage. But with Christmas right around the corner, we needed to come up with something to give to Santa. I think there are some Dulce de Leche Girl Scout Cookies hanging out in the pantry and maybe a few Oreos, but we needed something better than that.

And so.....drumroll, please.....we made gingerbread men.

A small batch of 18, which is just enough for our family plus a few extra for Santa. I used a Taste of Home recipe for the cookies and used a recipe from Sandra Lee for the royal icing.

We even used her trick of putting the icing inside of a sandwich baggie to use as a homemade pastry bag. It worked alright for me....not the best for Tyler.

In the end they came out looking pretty nice. I think Santa will be pleased!

Anniversary Dinner

2011-12-22T13:13:00.000-08:00

Rick and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary yesterday. Tyler doesn't quite understand the concept of that yet, so when Rick or I spoke of 'our' anniversary, Tyler assumed that he was included. I heard him several times say, "boy, I can't believe it's our anniversary already!".

Anyway, we went out to dinner last night, downtown at The 2nd Street Grill. It wasn't too crowded at all, which was perfect for us since we had the kiddos with us.

We started out with the Asian appetizer sampler and then for the main course I had the Chicken Alfredo and Rick had pasta with a sausage marinara sauce. The food was okay...not as good as the Creekside West, but at least we didn't have to wait over an hour for our food, so that was a major plus.

Tyler had cheeseburger sliders and fries off the kids menu, which he enjoyed, but he was unusually tired last night....probably still recovering from the strange 24 hour flu that hit him earlier in the week.

Overall, it was a great night, but now it's back to reality and the countdown to Christmas. I've got to run the boys out to the mall and look for some last minute gifts. Hopefully it's not a nightmare out there!

Back In The City: Part 2

2011-12-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

A week has passed in Lego Advent Calendar Land and here's what's new.

The police station/jail that was previously under construction is now complete. Tyler noted that the criminals can escape by simply walking through the front door, going out the back or through any of the 3 windows. And while that might be true, I'm sure the policeman and his stern eye will keep those bad guys in place.

Oh yeah, and the policeman has a partner now, so one can keep watch in the jail while the other patrols the town. And to help them catch more criminals, they have a nifty new crime lab with an extra large magnifying glass....just what they need to spot fingerprints and other clues.

Then after a 3 day build, with what started out looking like a golf cart, they have a brand new police cruiser.

There's another criminal in the jail.

And in other parts of the city, not having to do with cops and robbers, there is an ice fisherman out at the frozen lake.

With a nice campfire to keep him warm.

The Replacement

2011-12-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

Our first and only ornamental tragedy of the season so far:

My personalized snowman ornament jumped off the tree to its demise a few weeks ago. Some of our ornaments don't mean all that much and are easy to replace, but this guy is a good 10 years old, dating back to my college days and my first Christmas together with Rick. I bought them as a pair at the Chico State bookstore....one for Rick and one for me.

But now that I'd lost mine, I thought I'd have to go out and look for a new set with our names on them, but Tyler solved the problem for us.

He made a replacement ornament for me at school. He could have decorated it any way he chose, but he decided to make a new snowman ornament personalized with my name. Can I just say, I ♥ that boy! And now Rick's snowman has a companion again. ♥ ♥ ♥

And as if that wasn't enough, he brought home this one too. Yay! I love the new ornaments! Soooo cute!

Must See to Believe

2011-12-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

Remember last year when Tyler was completely fixated with the idea of changing his name to Boomie? That's all he could talk about. That's what he named his Wii avatar, and what he wrote on his schoolwork, and he even had his best friend calling him that. He even went on to suggest it as a baby name for Kyle.

Well all that kind of faded a bit over the summer and now that he's in a new school, he's dropped Boomie from his homework and has been using his own name.

So last night Tyler and I were watching Jeopardy.....actually it was on in the background and we were working on puzzle books. Then we heard Alex say something like, "Make your selection, Boomie." Tyler looks up from his book and says, "Boomie?". I heard it too, but was sure I'd misheard him and was waiting to see what the name actually was.

And then we saw it.

His name was Boomie! Honest to God! Tyler and I died laughing. I didn't even realize that was a real name. I just thought it was some crazy thing Tyler made up (which it was), but still....I never imagined.

And as it turned out, Boomie is one smart cookie.

He was the only one to get final Jeopardy right and he won the game.

Ha! I guess Tyler and I will have to tune in again tonight to see how he does as the returning champion.

True Story

2011-12-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Tyler has a holiday journal that he's been working on as an assignment for school. We filled up several pages writing about our Thanksgiving, but haven't done much for Christmas. So yesterday I told Tyler that he needed to pick something to write about, and this is what he wrote:

He could have written about the new ornaments we got from Hallmark this year, or how Daddy put up Christmas lights on the house, or how we decorated the tree, or how we got brand new personalized stockings, but no....he had to write about how I burnt some cookies?!

So much for forgetting about that!

Free Meals

2011-12-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

As a reward for reaching 400 minutes of reading each month, which is the goal of the 20/20 reading program at Tyler's school, he receives a coupon (sometimes two) for a free meal at a local restaurant.

These are the two he got for his October reading calendar....

One is for a free personal pizza at Pizza Hut and the other is for a free kids meal at Creekside West. We already cashed in the pizza coupon, but still have the other one to use. We've never been to the Creekside restaurant so I'm not sure if it's a baby friendly place.

Then today Tyler brought home his November reading calendar with two more coupons. This time he got another one for Pizza Hut and a pass for a free meal at Old Country Buffet.

With all these food coupons piling up, I think maybe we should go out to eat this weekend. Yep, sounds like a plan!

Back in the City

2011-12-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

Here's what's been going on in Tyler's Lego City Advent Calendar.

If you remember, Day 1 brought us that scroungy looking criminal.

But the police caught up to him and he's behind bars now.

Handcuffs and everything. Never mind the lack of walls at the jail...it's a work in progress.

The criminal must have been deemed a non-violent offender or was cited for good behavior because today he was awarded his own cushy bed.

In other parts of the city, the Christmas tree is up, decorated and even has some presents underneath.

And the snowball catapult is standing by just in case....you know, if any more bad guys come around.

Gingerbread Night

2011-12-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Last night was the big holiday event for the 1st graders at Tyler's school. Instead of a musical program, they had Gingerbread Night and the families were invited to come and make gingerbread houses.

So we went and sat at a table with some others kids from his class and got to work on our creation. There was a one house per family limit so once I attached the graham cracker pieces to the mini milk carton and slathered them up with frosting, it was Tyler's turn to work his decorating magic.

Gumdrops, pretzels sticks, marshmallows, M&M's....

...and ta-da! His house is complete with a Werther's Original staircase, a pretzel stick walkway, a snowman out front and a fire pit made out of tootsie rolls, wheat chex and a yellow gumdrop in the middle for a flame. Looks good enough to eat - and believe me, Tyler's already yanked a few pieces off for himself.

Ahh, but then it was time to go get a picture with Santa. Tyler's never sat on Santa's lap before so this was a first for him. His teacher told him, "Tyler, tell Santa what you want for Christmas". So he turned to Santa and said, "What do you want for Christmas?"

And Santa said, "Oh well, I'd like a new motorcycle and.....". And that's when I quit listening because I was dying of laughter! I don't even know if Santa asked Tyler what he wanted.

But at least he smiled nicely for a picture.

The First Day of Christmas

2011-12-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

For about a week now, ever since we showed Tyler the Lego advent calendar that Grandma sent in the mail, he's been anxious to open the first box. So now that it's December 1st, he finally had at it.

This year the calendar has a Lego City theme, which I guess means 'cops and robbers' because behind door #1 was a....

....robber (as Tyler put it). I didn't believe it at first, but then Rick pointed out the gold tooth and the striped shirt with a serial number on the chest. Hmm, it's kind of hard to argue with that logic.

Tyler wondered what was with that white thing...but we've since determined it's supposed to be a snowball, which probably indicates an impending snowball fight with the police.

Hallmark Shopping/Saving Spree

2011-11-30T09:33:00.000-08:00

The benefit of subscribing to a bazillion magazines is that when a coupon promotion runs through a group of them, I end up with a stack of money saving gems.

This one from Hallmark is pretty good. You save $5 on a purchase of $10 or more. So as you can imagine, I've been over there several times in the last few weeks.

First I snatched up this Eeyore mug. Cute, Cute, Cute!

And I also got Kyle his baby ornament.

But best of all, according to Tyler anyway, is the new Countdown to Christmas ornament.

You just give the ornament a tap and the screen lights up so you can see how much time is left, down to the second, until Christmas.

Black Friday Deals

2011-11-25T23:21:00.000-08:00

Last year on Black Friday, Rick and I took Tyler with us when we went shopping for early morning deals....which was kind of silly because we couldn't really shop for him since he was right there with us. So this year we decided that if we saw any good sales, one of us would stay at home with the boys while the other went to the store.

Well none of the sales motivated Rick all that much, so I was free to go out by myself. All I was interested in though were the sales at Joann's and The Craft Warehouse. I didn't go crazy, but I did pick up a few things....

At Joann's I picked up several pairs of sewing scissors for a great deal. They were 60% off plus I had a coupon for an additional 25% off the purchase total. I also used the 50% off 1 item coupon on a card making idea book. Then at The Craft Warehouse I got a new BG calendar for 40% off, which is about as good as it gets for those.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T19:38:00.000-08:00

Today at our house it was all about the 'feast', as Tyler called it. I went to the grocery store early this morning to pick up the newspaper along with a fruit tray and a cheese and cracker platter so the boys would have plenty of food to munch on throughout the day.

Since I was in charge of cooking the dinner, which is sometimes hard to do with a little baby, I decided to go a bit easier this year. I made only 1 pie and skipped the homemade rolls. Still it took forever to get everything finished and we didn't sit down to eat until 5:00.

Mmmm, but the yummy food was definitely worth the wait.

As for the highlights, I went with Alton Brown's recipe for roast turkey for the second year in a row.

And I tried a new stuffing recipe. My old one with artichokes and parmesan was too fancy for the boys and they never ate much of it anyway. So I went with a recipe I saw Sandra Lee make on Good Morning America....it's just a straight up basic stuffing with the addition of walnuts and yellow raisins.

Following the theme of Food Network recipes, I made a batch of Paula Deen's sweet potato biscuits as seen in the latest FN magazine. Much easier than yeasted rolls.

We also had mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, deviled eggs, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie for dessert.

Now with a stuffed belly, I'm off to go look at the ads. We don't really plan on doing much for Black Friday, but I'm going to the Craft Warehouse in the morning for sure so I can replace the Basic Grey calendar I lost in Seattle.

First Snow

2011-11-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our first official snow of the season, which brought us about an inch of the white stuff. And even though we knew it was coming, it still caught us unprepared.

The trampoline is still set up in the backyard.....guess it's time to put it away for the winter.

And we never even had a chance to rake up the leaves that have been falling from the trees.

Heck, we still have our pumpkins from Halloween on our front porch.

But even with the small amount of snow that fell, Tyler was still able to make a snowman.

Albeit a small one.

A really small one....but that's what baby carrots and tiny buttons are for.

Pacific Science Center

2011-11-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

On our last day in Seattle we spent the afternoon at the Pacific Science Center. It had been several years since our last visit and since Tyler's older now, he was able to appreciate the exhibits a little bit more.

One of his favorite things was this wheel and gear gizmo. The more you spin the wheel on the outside, the more gears you can get to turn on the inside. The first gear represents 10 spins of the wheel, the next 100 spins and so on. Tyler was super determined to get the billion gear to spin....but that never happened. Maybe next time.

Making our way up to the plaza level.

Where we walked around in circles trying to find the cafe. Let me tell you what....don't follow the map they give you, it's terrible!

Then Tyler spotted the Perplexus maze ball that he saw in the latest Family Fun magazine and that he desperately wants for Christmas. We were stuck here for awhile.

While Tyler was doing that, Rick and I were trying to play the giant Rubicks cube, but it turned out you needed three players to operate all the sides. If only we could have pulled Tyler away from the Perplexus maze ball, then we would have been in business.

At the animal exhibits I fell in love with the naked mole rats. Yes, they're kind of ugly....but so much fun to watch.

Kyle and I checking out the Puget Sound model.

Then we took turns at the anti-gravity mirror. Tyler had trouble hiding his left leg all the way so it kind of looked like he had a tail.

My turn. I should have stuck my leg straight out in front of me rather than bending it at the knee so it would really look like I was floating. Oh well.

In the butterfly room, Rick and Tyler stopped to play the pyramid game. It's kind of like Chinese Checkers where you have to move all of your pyramid pieces from one corner of the board to the other.

And before long we were all out of time and had to leave, but hopefully we'll be back again soon. Maybe we'll be able to catch the King Tut exhibit that's coming next year.

Nightmare Weekend

2011-11-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

We spent our Veteran's Day weekend in Seattle with the purpose of attending the CK Scrapbooking Convention and also hitting a few family attractions. We got into town late Wednesday night, went right to the hotel, unpacked the car (for the most part) and went straight to bed. Then in the morning we found this:

The driver's side rear window on our car was gone.

Well actually, half of it was on the ground.

And the other half was inside the car.

Someone had broken the window so they could steal my scrapbooking bag that had been sitting on the floorboard. Nice.

So instead of going to get breakfast or doing anything else, we spent the majority of the day at the hotel dealing with the police and such.

Tyler didn't mind, he had computer games to keep him busy.

And I hung out on the bed with Kyle while Rick was out trying to find a shop that could fix the window on such short notice. Turns out everyone was either booked solid or didn't have the window in stock. Anyway Rick finally found a place that could order the window and put it in the next day.

So with that out of the way, we spent the rest of afternoon at the local craft stores trying to replace my basic supplies so I could still participate in the classes I had on Friday and Saturday.

Friday morning we headed over to the Meydenbauer Center for my first two classes. I didn't take any pictures at all on Friday or Saturday because I.just.didn't.care.

This is what I worked on though. My first class was called Merry and Bright Christmas Cards and we made 4 cards and 1 gift tag. I got most of them done, but I still need to finish that card in the top right.

The next class I took was called The Latest and Greatest Basic Grey and in that one we were making 4 different page layouts. That class was way too fast paced for me and I essentially got nothing done. I'd like to say, 'no problem, I'll just finish it later', except for the fact that the class kit comes with NO written instructions.

I finished the classes around noon and still had a few minutes to browse the booths at the convention center before we had to split to meet up with the window guy. By that time the storm had rolled into town and it was raining buckets. BUCKETS. Let me just say, thank you for garbage bags.

Then on Saturday I had a card swap and two more classes. Needless to say, the cards I made for the swap were in my bag that was stolen, so I had nothing to exchange with the others.

I had made 3 different cards....a congratulations one with a bride and groom on it, a coffee themed one that said 'espressly for you' and a thank you one. I try not to think about the time I put into these for nothing.

I still attended the swap if for nothing else than the free magazine, but the others were kind enough to share their cards with me despite the fact that I had nothing to give them in return. I felt like the sort of person that goes to a potluck empty handed but leaves with a full belly. It made me feel bad.

Here's a look at the cards I got...they're nice, huh. And see that one in the top left (with the deer)....a guy made that one, with his cricut no less.

In my next class we worked on 4 coordinating layouts that were created by Ali Edwards. Mine are still a work in progress.

My last class was called Dazzle Cards and it used a kit from Hot off The Press to make 10 different cards. I finished two of them, but honestly this was my least favorite class. Not really my style, I guess.

I also attended both crop nights at the Hilton and here are the prizes I won. A simple page kit and a sewing kit from Stampin Up that included fabric, batting, and gold thread.

At the convention I won a door prize for $15 at the Paper Loft booth, so I bought a mini Christmas album kit and a pack of cardstock.

And now that I'm back home, it shouldn't be too hard to find a place for my new stuff....my scrapbooking room suddenly seems so much roomier.

Friend or Foe

2011-11-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

Friend :)

With Tyler we discovered the cutest line of toys for babies, so of course we had to get some for Kyle as well. The brand is called Lamaze and their toys have all kinds bright colors and textures that are perfect for babies 3 months and up. This guy here is Stretch the Giraffe and Kyle has been having a great time with him. Two of his feet have jingle bells in them, one has a squeaker and the other one makes crinkly noises. Let me tell you what....Stretch gets a smile every time.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

Halloween being on a weekday this year made things a little more hectic, but we still made it work. Once Tyler got home from school we really had to jam to make sure everything was done in time before the trick-or-treaters starting showing up.

First on our to-do list was to carve out a few last minute pumpkins.

Tyler carved that pumpkin on the bottom and added it to his collection, bringing his total to 3 pumpkins carved.

I carved these two the other day....a cat bat and some ghosts.

These are mine too. A ghoul floating over some tombstones and Phineas from the Phineas and Ferb cartoon. I did that one last, but I kind of wished I'd saved some of the other pumpkins for Ferb or Dr. Doofenshmirtz or Perry because that was everbody's favorite.

During the day Kyle wore his festive Halloween shirt that had three glow in the dark ghosts. Cute, right?

But here's his real costume. He's a Tootsie Roll.

And here is Tyler just as he was heading out to go trick-or-treating. He did not appreciate me taking pictures of him although he loved his costume, so that explains the not so happy look on his face.

Rick stayed home and handed out the candy as usual. I bought 9 bags of candy this year...you know the smaller 9-11 oz sized ones. Anyway, it was all gone in less than an hour. Craziness! It must have had to do with all those drive by vans that unloaded hoards of trick-or-treaters from who knows where. Um, don't they have their own neighborhood?

Still Tyler was able to collect a nice haul before everybody starting running out of candy and turning off their lights.

You'll notice that there are no Twix or Almond Joy....I already stole those for myself. Too bad he didn't get any Mike and Ike's. I love those things.

Like Christmas Morning

2011-10-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

It's finally here....I'm so happy!

The new Low Impact Series from Cathe that I pre-ordered during the summer. Ack, I can't even stand it! I knew they shipped out on Saturday, but coming all the way from New Jersey, I didn't expect them until maybe Wednesday. Imagine my surprise when I found the package in the mailbox today. Wow, now that's some fast shipping!

Now starting tomorrow I can really get down to business and get my body back in shape. According to the scale I've lost all of the 20 lbs I gained while I was pregnant (give or take a pound), but I still have some extra 'stuff' around my midsection that needs to go.

So move over treadmill, I've got some new workouts to do!

Black and Blue

2011-10-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I got a call from Tyler's school to let me know that he had been injured during P.E. and had a black eye. I don't know the exact details, but it had something to do with another kid running into him with a hula-hoop. I didn't think too much of it until I saw him.

Wowzers! It was way worse than I had imagined. You can't even tell from the picture, but his upper cheek was super swollen, like there was a knot under the skin. We kept ice packs on it throughout the day, but it still looked pretty mean by bedtime.

Then it occurred to Rick and I that picture retakes were happening the next day and since Tyler had a black eye, retaking his school photo was no longer an option. So I guess that means we'll be keeping the original....

Not that it's a terrible photo. It's fact it's probably the best smile he's had for a school picture, but Rick and I just couldn't get past the awkward diagonal angle. It's like he's centered towards the bottom left corner and he's about to tip over out of the frame. It's not my favorite pose, but much better than having a black eye!

Don't Follow the Leader

2011-10-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Especially if the leader is a 6 year old penguin.

Because I'm not sure they have a very trustworthy sense of direction.

Last night was family fun night at the local corn maze; an event put on by Tyler's school. Costumes were encouraged and Tyler was super excited to debut his penguin costume. I liked the idea of seeing the kids dressed up in costumes, but not so much having Tyler traipse around the muckety corn fields in a pristine white outfit. Eh, but what can you do?

We got there right at 5:30 and with just about an hour of daylight left, we had to scoot through the maze if we had any hopes of making it out the exit before dark.

But after 30 minutes of following our misguided penguin, we ended up popping right back out the entrance. Fail. And with this being our 3rd attempt over the years, the score comes to Corn Maze: 2, Freese Family: 1. Hmmm, maybe we'll be able to even out the score next year.

So with only a few minutes of daylight left, Tyler played in the kiddie area going up and down the giant slide as much as possible. Then when it got too dark, we settled in around the fire pits and roasted marshmallows.

Mmm, smore's before dinner.

Ork Ork!

2011-10-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Or is it honk honk?

I finished sewing Tyler's Halloween costume over the weekend and now all that's left is perfecting the penguin sound. He wants to say 'penguin sound trick-or-treat penguin sound' when he's out trick-or-treating, so this is important stuff here.

I think he'll go with ork, ork, trick-or treat!

But what about the costume? It's cute, right? It's a Simplicity pattern that's been around forever that was retired this year, which means I had to hunt it down on Ebay. Thank goodness for that. It wasn't too complicated to put together and it even has spats to cover his shoes. My only complaints are that the bodysuit closes with velcro instead of a zipper, which is stiff on the neck and that the tail is a little too big and awkward. It's still cute though.

Halloween Pie

2011-10-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

Every Monday Tyler goes to the library at his school and checks out a book. This week he brought home a book called Halloween Pie and he was quick to point out that it included a recipe in the back. I usually save pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but with no other desserts around I thought, 'oh why not'.

I thought I had everything on hand except for the pre-made pie crust, so I made one of those from scratch. Then when I was collecting the other ingredients I realized I didn't have any evaporated milk. Oops...quick trip to the store.

Back to business. Tyler whisked all the ingredients together and poured them into the crust.

Ahh, look at that reflection!

I've never gone to the trouble of making my own crust for a pumpkin pie....I usually just stick with the frozen variety, but I have to say it really made a difference. Yum! We should have Halloween Pie more often!

Fun At The Fair

2011-10-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Quick! Super fast update! Rick and Tyler just left for the movies, Kyle is asleep and I'm getting over the cold I've been battling, so that means I can finally tend to my blog again.

Last weekend we went to the fair, but I've been so sick that I just got around to taking the pictures off the camera yesterday.

We went on the last day and got there maybe an hour after they opened so the crowds weren't too bad at first. Tyler didn't have to wait in long lines and we had plenty of room to stretch out.

As usual his favorite ride was the roller coaster, but he also went down the giant slide several times and in and out of the fun houses.

Then it was time for some food. For lunch we stopped at a Mexican food stand and we all got Carne Asada Tortas. They say 'carne asada', but I swear it just seemed like ground beef to me. I've never had a torta before, but these were giant hamburger buns filled with refried beans, meat and topped with lettuce and tomato. Eh, I wasn't impressed. Tyler wasn't either...in fact, he quit eating his and asked for a corn dog instead.

For our sweet snack, Rick and I shared a huckleberry ice cream cone and Tyler had a soft serve tropical twist. Yum!

They actually had a few good deals on some of the games like this water shooting one that was only $1 to play. He played that and a few others, but didn't win any big prizes.

Then the boys stood in line for.ev.er to ride the bumper cars. And that was it for the rides, the crowds had gotten too big at that point. Who wants to stand in line for a half an hour and we still had all the exhibits to look at.

The newest attraction this year (or at least that's what the newspaper made it sound like) was this deep fried butter stand. For $5 you get five cubes of fried butter, which we figured must equal about a stick and a half...or 3/4 cup. Yeah, I think I'll pass.

Moving on to the exhibits.

We plain ran out of time this year. We didn't get to see everything, but we did make it into the ag building to see the prize winning vegetables and then we looked at the artwork and photography.

Then Tyler and I went into the Butterfly Adventures exhibit. They had Monarch and Painted Lady Butterflies that you could feed using nectar soaked cotton swabs.

I didn't catch a thing, but Tyler ended up with a few of each.

We finally left a little after 8:00 at night. And we still had to eat dinner and get Tyler home and ready for bed. Good thing for Little Caesars!

This Week

2011-09-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

I must be stuck in rewind mode. First it was food and now it's everything else. So if you're bored or have nothing else to do, here's a look at some of the highlights for the week.

On Monday Tyler had a dentist appointment. No cavities...Yay! And the dentist pointed out that his two top front teeth are almost ready to come out. As in, the tooth fairy had better be standing by.

On Tuesday Kyle had his two month check-up. Can you believe that boy weighs over 11 lbs now? He's almost doubled his birth weight. He also got 4 immunizations....3 in the thigh and 1 oral. Ouch!

Determined to make a dent in my fabric/pattern collection that I've been hoarding, I made a new apron. Just in time for National Coffee Day....who knew?

Rise and Shine! Kyle has started smiling in the last few weeks and his big brother is just one of the many things that makes him happy.

Returning home from our afternoon stroll, Kyle and I ran into the neighbor's cat. He's a Siamese and every time I see him it reminds me of those cats in the Lady and the Tramp movie.

If we look in baby buggy there could be
plenty of milk for me and also some for you.

Ba dum bum bum.

And gearing up for Halloween, I stopped by Joann's yesterday and picked up all the necessities for Tyler's costume. Now to start sewing!

Recipe Review

2011-09-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

The recipes this week came from a variety of sources....from magazine covers to internet searches. But after tasting them all, I'd say there was one stand out favorite that the whole family loved.

And the winner is:

Southwestern Turkey Meatball Skillet Supper.

This was the cover recipe of the October issue of Clean Eating magazine and boy was it a keeper! Yum! The meatballs were moist and flavorful and the black bean, corn, and tomato medley was a perfect accompaniment. I'll definitely be making this one again.

Next we had Zucchini Lasagna, a Healthy Cooking recipe.

I made this meal to use up some of the zucchini from the garden, so in that regard, it served its purpose. It was a great idea, but not the best execution. It would have been infinitely better if I had properly parboiled the zucchini slices, reducing or eliminating the 'crunch' factor. Eh, not my favorite, but I might make it again if the zucchini start getting out of hand.

Then I made a batch of Whole Wheat Pita Bread to go with the next meal.

I've never enjoyed store bought pita bread, so I thought I'd try my hand at making my own. Heh! Turns out I just don't like pita bread. Mine tasted pretty much like pizza crust and there was no pocket inside. Bottom line: not worth the trouble.

Using the pita bread, we had Spicy Chicken Tomato Pitas.

Let me just say that the components of this recipe were good, but I didn't like the way they were put together. I would much rather have had the seasoned chicken breast whole with the tomato salsa on top and a piece of whole wheat bread on the side. I was annoyed with the pita pocket nonsense.

Finally we had Pierogy Polish Shepherd's Pie.

I found this recipe on Mrs. T's website because I love those gosh darn things and I was looking for a different way to cook them. It wasn't as good as the Cheesesteak Pierogies, but alright. I think I prefer sherpherd's pie without tomatoes and with more of a beefy gravy sauce. Maybe I'll make those adjustments next time.

Race Day

2011-09-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Today was the day of the big race (Dash for Cash fundraiser) at Tyler's school. He went around our neighborhood last week and found several people willing to sponsor him. Instead of pledging per lap, each sponsor opted to pay a fixed dollar amount. That brought his total to 144 dollars raised. Not bad.

Now for the running. The kids had 30 minutes, the length of their lunch recess, to run or walk as many laps as they could. Each participant had an electronic bracelet that tracked the number of laps they did. All they had to do was make sure they scanned the bracelet at that orange cone every time they passed.

That's Tyler passing the cone and as you can see he wasn't running. In fact, I think he walked most of the time. No matter, as long as he got his laps in.

Oh wait....there he goes.

Personally, I lost track of the of laps because Kyle and I were busy grooving to the music blasting out of the principal's Hummer. I guess we'll have to wait for the official read out on that, but we sure had a good time while we were there.

Good job Tyler!

Sunfair Parade

2011-09-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

With the warm temperatures we've been having the last few days, it's hard to believe it's fall. But yes, it's here and that means the fair is in town. And with the opening weekend of the fair comes the Sunfair Parade, Yakima's biggest and best parade.

So this morning we headed downtown to partake in the festivities. We got there about 20 minutes late, but hey, it's a 2-1/2 - 3 hour parade so we didn't miss much.

Actually maybe we didn't miss anything at all because the first thing we saw was the Seattle Police Motorcycle Drill Team and they're usually at the head of the parade. Huh? Maybe things got off to a late start this year.

Then we saw some of the beauty pageant winners.

Here is Miss Yakima Sunfair.

Then came the drumline for the Seattle Seahawks. I didn't see their mascot Blitz though, maybe they left him in Seattle.

Kyle wasn't much of a fan of all the honking policemen, fire trucks, and other vehicular entries. Poor boy. He'll just have to put that nap on hold.

This particular parade is marching band heaven, which as luck would have it, is my favorite part. Besides all the bands from Union Gap and Yakima, they also have some from Wapato, Cowiche, and Toppenish. These guys here are the Davis High School Pirates.

By the second hour of the parade Kyle figured it wasn't so bad after all.

New to the parade this year (I think) was this group of DeLoreans. Doesn't it remind you of Back to the Future?

But Tyler was so bored that he had to resort to playing Brick Breaker on Rick's phone.

Me....I was starting to wish we were across the street on the shady side.

But what do you know....good things come to those who wait. The wienermobile was bringing up the rear of the parade. Too bad they weren't giving out hot dogs because we were all starving by the end.

Recipe Review

2011-09-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

This week I pulled recipes from the latest issues of The Food Network Magazine and Everyday With Rachael Ray as well as one from Tasty Kitchen that I've had bookmarked for a while. And I have to say I was pleased with the selection. There were no real losers.

First we had Chicken Yakitori Noodles.

This is a classic Rachael Ray MYOTO (make your own take-out) recipe and it was delicious, but then anything made with tamari tends to be especially tasty. It was Tyler's favorite meal of the week and 2nd runner up for me. What I loved though is the simple ingredient list. It's basically chicken and spaghetti tossed with a simple sauce of tamari, sugar, and sesame oil. Yum!

Next we had Croque Monsieur Pockets, as seen in the Food Network Magazine.

In case your not up on your French, that means ham and cheese. We went with regular cheddar cheese instead of the gruyere, but otherwise followed the recipe. For me, working with the canned bread dough was a little more trouble than it was worth. It took FOREVER to get the dough rolled out to the right size. And then when I formed the pockets, the sides seemed kind of thin while the ends were fat and heavy with dough. Maybe I just need to work on my method because the broccoli and cheese version of these looked pretty good too.

Then we had Cheesy Mexi-Mac.

This was the other Rachael Ray recipe for the week and it turned out to be my favorite. It's a Mexican style macaroni and cheese flavored with chili powder, corn, salsa, red bell pepper and then topped with cilantro. Mmmm. I could have eaten it all day long and since it gave Rick heartburn, all the leftovers were mine. Yes!

Finally we had Gnocchi Supreme.

This is the one I saw on Tasty Kitchen and bookmarked it because it looked so good. Mine didn't come out looking as picture perfect, but I still thought it was pretty good. Tyler on the other hand struggled to get through the meal. I don't know why. It's just pizza flavored gnocchi, not chicken livers. But since he resisted and Rick got heartburn from just looking at it, I don't think I'll be making this again.

And in the sweets category, we had apple cinnamon donuts.

Mmmm. This was the other boxed mix we got with our donut pan from King Arthur. I topped half of them with powdered sugar and the other half with an apple cinnamon glaze. I don't know about Tyler because he likes any sort of donut, but between Rick and I, we preferred these over the chocolate ones we tried last time. Now I just need to find a recipe for pumpkin donuts since it's that time of year.

Fundraising

2011-09-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, times have changed! I can't believe how much fundraising schools have to do these days. Just this week Tyler brought home an order form for our family to buy t-shirts and/or hoodie sweatshirts adorned with the school logo. So that was fundraiser #1.

Next he brought home information about fundraiser #2.

They call it 'Dash for Cash' and the students are supposed to get sponsors to pledge a dollar amount for every lap that they run during the event, or the sponsor can just give a flat donation. And this is supposed to replace the usual cookie dough fundraiser that the school has done in the past. Grrrr....I don't know about you, but I'd rather sell cookie dough than go around asking strangers flat out for cash.

Moving on to fundraiser #3.

Box tops.

Did they even have these when I was a kid? I remember collecting Campbell's soup labels for my elementary school, but not box tops. Hmmmm. Anyway, the proceeds from these babies go to the P.E department for new equipment.

So we raided the pantry, cutting out as many box tops as we could find. My only beef is that the giant boxes of cereal from Costco have the exact same value box tops as the smallest boxes you can get at the regular grocery store. That just doesn't seem fair. But we're huge cereal eaters around here so I'm sure we'll end up donating a decent amount of box tops before it's all over.

Holding Tight

2011-09-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

These days I have a lot of downtime. Between all the feedings and trying to get Kyle to stay sleeping (for more than 20 minutes at a time), I find myself noticing little things about him.

Like....where did his thumbs go? Or does he even have any?

He always seems to have them gripped in the middle of a tight fist.

Nope, that thumb's not getting away any time soon.

That one either.

And it's not just when he's sleeping, he keeps them tucked away when he awake as well. Maybe it's a comfort thing....who knows.

Recipe Review

2011-09-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Not too many new recipes to talk about this week, but here they are:

First we tried Grilled Honey-Dijon Chicken and Sausage Potato Salad.

I came across both of these recipes while watching the Food Network and while they come from different shows, they work well together because they both use Dijon mustard. The chicken was super simple and tasted great. All you have to do is marinate it for a few hours in a mixture of olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and then throw it on the grill until cooked through. Easy. The potato salad uses an oil and vinegar dressing instead of mayonnaise, which was new to me and not so bad. It was a little on the tangy side though, so I sweetened it up a bit with a few pinches of sugar.

Next we tried Roasted Butternut Linguine from the Taste of Home magazine.

Mmmm, I thought this was good, but maybe a bit too vegetably for the boys. I liked the combination of butternut squash and chard, though. I even added extra into the leftovers. The only other change I made was to use gemelli pasta instead of the linguine (since it's easier to eat) and powdered sage instead of the fresh.

We also tried Chicken Korma, another Taste of Home recipe.

Surprisingly, everyone ate this without complaint. It's basically a chicken and potato curry with accents of cinnamon and clove. It was a different way to prepare chicken, I'll give you that, but it wasn't my favorite.

Back To School Night

2011-09-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

Last night was Back to School Night at Tyler's school and since Rick had to work, it was just me and the two boys in attendance. Our first stop was the gym for announcements and the introduction of the new superintendent and all of the teachers.

We sat in the way way back next to the door just in case someone (I won't name any names) decided to get cranky and start crying. That way we'd be able to sneak out without much of a disturbance. But what do you know...we didn't have to use the escape route after all.

Then we headed to Tyler's classroom where his teacher talked about the things they've been working on for the past few weeks.

On his desk was a special note that he'd left earlier in the day. ♥♥♥

Then he showed me some of his work like this handwriting zoo book. It was so cute! I loved the illustrations on every page.

And there was even more on display out in the hallway.

Wow! I was impressed! Rick and I weren't sure how we'd like this school compared to his old one, but so far I like what I've seen. There is a huge focus on writing, but in a fun way, with journals, weather/science notebooks, poetry, and the handwriting zoo book. And the kids are encouraged and rewarded for reading at least 20 minutes everyday. This month the kids have the opportunity to get free tickets to the fair by simply reading for 300 minutes before the deadline this Friday. You can't beat that!

Peach Cake

2011-09-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

I finally have a subscription to Cook's Illustrated magazine, which in my mind is the gospel when it comes to cooking and recipes you can trust. And being that it's kind of an expensive magazine, I was determined to put it to use straight away. So I picked out a recipe from the July/August issue to make over the weekend.

I chose to make the Summer Peach Cake since I had everything on hand except for the peaches, which I remedied with a quick trip to Johnson's Orchard.

They only had one variety of yellow peaches, freestone Angelus, so that's what I got....3 lbs of them.

They were huge like grapefruits.

The recipe in the magazine promises a cake that is flavorful, but NOT soggy. So to achieve that they incorporate some unusual techniques like roasting the peach chunks in the oven and then coating them in panko bread crumbs before putting them in the batter.

I followed the recipe exactly and mine came out looking pretty much like the picture in the magazine.

Except that my decorative circle of peaches on top got lost during the baking process. I mean, you can kind of see the slices on the outer edge, but not the ones in the very center...those sunk.

And as for the taste....Tyler tried the first piece and said that it tasted 'mushy, but good'. Arrhh, it's not supposed to taste mushy! But you know what, it did. The very center of the cake was still soggy after baking for 65 minutes. And that's 5 minutes longer than the recommended bake time. At least it still tastes good, as long as you can get past the soft texture of it all.

In the Garden

2011-09-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Back in May I posted some pictures of the garden right after we finished planting and I don't think I've mentioned it since. Probably because it's been on the back burner this year. Neither Rick nor I have been able to get out there and tend to it very much. Good thing we have it set up to self water or everything would have been dead a long time ago.

But despite the lack of attention the garden is doing fairly well this year. Except for the peas, which were attacked early on by some type of bug and never really recovered. We harvested maybe one lousy bowl worth of peas. That's it. I pulled them out after that.

The beans on the other hand did much better. We planted pole beans this year instead of the usual bush variety. I didn't realize they grew such crazy vines...maybe we were supposed to stake them up because they ended up growing together into a tangled mess. You really have to dig in there to find the beans.

We also have two tomato plants this year.

They're big and heavy and pulling down the cages they're in. I guess that's what happens when you don't train them. Anyway, we've only picked two ripe tomatoes so far but I see several more starting to turn red. At least it's not the tomato overload we've had in the past.

The zucchini's are growing the best of all.

We've got one green and two yellow zucchini plants. I try to check on those daily so I don't end up with giant baseball bats on my hands.

Here's a look at what I brought back into the house this week:

A nice bowl full of green beans.

And plenty of squash. It looks like I'll have to start incorporating these into our dinners on a nightly basis. Bean burritos with a side of zucchini...that's not weird.

Cereal Sale

2011-09-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today was the big Back to School Cereal Sale at Rosauers where most of the cereals are marked down to $1.79 each. The sale always includes the sugary junk like Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Trix, and Lucky Charms, but also a few healthier choices like Original Shredded Wheat, Total, and Cheerios.

I gave up long ago trying to get Tyler to eat the same cereals as me. Fine if he wants to eat Fruit Loops...at least I know he will be eating a more nutritious lunch and dinner. So I bought several of his favorites this morning as well as Shredded Wheat for me. I also picked up a package of Bob's Red Mill Muesli to try. For $1.79, I couldn't pass it up.

And best of all, I got to break out my favorite Kellogg's reusable grocery bags...so appropriate for the occasion. These are the new ones they put out this year for their Earth Day promotion. Not as cute as last years, but still cute.

So I got 8 boxes of cereal, the bag of muesli, and some bananas for $11.66 (after coupons). Good Deal!

Recipe Review

2011-09-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yikes, it's Thursday already? That means it's time to start thinking about my menu plan for next week. The latest issues of the Food Network magazine and Everyday With Rachael Ray arrived in my mailbox yesterday, so hopefully I'll find something inspiring in those.

In the meantime, here's a look at the new recipes I made last week:

First we tried Cornmeal Waffles with Chili.

This is a Paula Deen recipe that I stumbled upon while browsing the Food Network website and let me tell you...it was pretty good! The chili is supposed to be spicy, but I dialed it down to make it more appropriate for our family. I used red beans instead of ranch style and only half a can of the rotel tomatoes. As for the waffles, I used blue cornmeal instead of the regular yellow stuff and I used my fancy Belgian waffle maker. Mmm, I think I'll be making these again!

Then we tried Pork and Veggie Kababs, a recipe from the September issue of Rachael Ray's magazine.

I thought these great, although I did use chicken instead of pork. For the veggies, I used fresh zucchini from our garden and splurged on the expensive yellow and orange bell peppers at the grocery store. Next time I might leave off the tomatoes because roasted tomatoes always give Tyler the gag reflex. Maybe I could use some yellow zucchini instead.

And to go alongside, I made the Orzo Side Salad from the same issue.

Yum! I loved this salad, but my two boys from outer space didn't like it at all. Hmmm, what's wrong with a little bit of feta and greek olives? More for me, I guess.

Next we tried Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone, a Taste of Home recipe.

This one may have been a contest winner in the magazine, but not for us. Nobody cared for it all that much. I thought the gnocchi was a neat addition, but I just don't love tomato based soups. Too bad...I had higher hopes for this one.

And finally we tried Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia.

I thought this recipe was average...nothing fantastic. I was hoping for a little more flavor, but the fish was honestly kind of bland. As so, my quest for a delicious and flavorful way to cook tilapia continues...

Buckets of Blueberries

2011-09-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

Over the Labor Day weekend we headed over to the U-Pick blueberry patch for the first time this season. Usually we go in August, but things have been so hectic with the new baby that we made it over there kind of late this year.

Not just late in the season, but late in the day! The place is open until dark and we got there a little after 7:00 in the evening. So with only about 40 minutes of daylight left, we had to be mad blueberry picking machines!

So we each got our own bucket and split up.

I was surprised and a little disappointed to see that the bushes were not nearly as full as they've been in years past. The cooler weather we've had this year must have played a role. Nothing seems to be ripening as fast or flourishing as much.

No matter...we just had to look a little harder for the good berries. They're usually near the bottom or towards the center where nobody else looks.

Before closing time we'd picked a combined total of almost 4 lbs. Not bad for such quick work! And of course Tyler already had a recipe figured out to use some of the berries. He wanted to make hand pies.

So while he was at school yesterday, I made a batch of pie crust and cut it into 6 inch rounds. Then when he came home we filled the crust with a mixture of berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and lemon zest. Then we folded them up, crimped the edges, and baked them until golden brown.

Not the prettiest...I know, but they still tasted great.

First Day of First Grade

2011-08-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today's the big day. Tyler is officially a first grader and it's his first day back at school.

I thought it might be hard getting him out of bed this morning considering that he normally sleeps in pretty late. But no, as soon as I touched his arm, he jumped right out of bed like we were running a relay race. He was dressed in a jiffy and we still had plenty of time to make (and eat) some blueberry pancakes.

Then it was off to the bus stop.

Tyler is going to a new school this year, which means he'll be riding the bus every day. That's great news for me. No more driving back and forth from his school two times a day. Now all we have to do is make sure he gets out to the bus stop on time.

And once the bus pulls away, it's party time! Actually it's really just time to hurry back to the house and finally get some SLEEP.

Like A Bandit

2011-08-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Borders is going out of business, which means huge clearance sales. We have one here in town and with everything 50-70% off, we made a point to make it over there this weekend.

Our main interest was looking for chapter books for Tyler, but I was also on the lookout for cookbooks, music, and fiction novels for myself. But when we went inside we were surprised to see the ENTIRE kids section cleaned out....I mean gone! You snooze you lose, right? No kidding, the kids section had been reduced to one single bookshelf. And yet, we were still able to find a few things.

Actually we found a lot of things...for Tyler, anyway. We found an Ook and Gluk comic book, which is from the same author as his beloved Captain Underpants books. Also a few puzzle books and a couple of Stink-O-Pedias. But our biggest score came from the board game section. We found several games by ThinkFun, which is the best brand of games ever. We got the Railroad Rush Hour, Hoppers, and Chocolate Fix. We even found a great Brain Quest board game.

So yes, I think it's fair to say that he made out like a bandit.

Me...not so much. I didn't get anything. I guess I'm being too picky with my book selections because I really don't have the room. All of my bookshelves are bursting at the seams and I already have books spilling over to other areas of the house. I kind of need to purge my collection before I get anything new.

Hot Off The Stone

2011-08-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

Last night was pizza night mostly because I wanted to try out my new pizza stone and a new crust recipe I found in my ATK Healthy Family Cookbook. So first things first, I turned the oven on to a raging 500 degrees to preheat the stone. And no, I don't think I could have picked a hotter day to put the oven on full blast.

But look at that! There's my new stone listed right in the cookbook as the Test Kitchen Favorite. Yay, I knew it was a good one!

Anyhow, I rolled the crust out to a perfect 14 inch round and then moved it over to a parchment lined baking sheet. Then I put on all the toppings and transferred the parchment and pizza to the hot stone in the oven (which isn't nearly as easy as it sounds...or maybe I just need more practice or maybe I should lose the giant BBQ gloves I had to keep from burning myself).

Hey, good lookin'.

So how did it taste? I thought it was great! The crust was noticeably crisper and using bread flour made it chewier on the inside...just as the cookbook said it would be. Yum! The turkey pepperoni did get a little more crunchy cooking at 500 degrees though, so maybe next time I'll try using *gasp* regular pepperoni.

Project Completed

2011-08-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

52 weeks later and I'm proud to say I just finished my first year of project life.

Yay!

I'm so glad I stuck with the process because this is basically all I have to document the last year. I have around 3 regular scrapbook layouts that I finished last November and that's it. I just focused on project life and put regular scrapbooking aside. But what I really loved about this format was the organization and the ease of it all. It just took a few minutes of journaling each day and that's it....besides taking pictures, of course.

Here is week 52. I just finished with the journaling this morning.

And now I have another kit ready and waiting, but I'm not sure if I want to start it now or wait until January.

In the meantime, Tyler will be working on a scrapbook of his own which was inspired by my project life.

He plans to scrapbook 1 picture of baby Kyle each month for his first year. He already has the newborn picture taken care of and now that Kyle is one month old he's ready for the next one.

Recipe Review

2011-08-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

My goal last week when I was preparing the meal plan was to use up the flank steak and chicken breasts I had in the freezer and also to utilize some of the cooking magazines I have piling up. So these are the recipes I came up with:

From the August/September issue of Healthy Cooking I made the Broiled Parmesan Tilapia.

We're always looking for new ways to cook tilapia and this sounded great and it didn't call for anything fancier than your basic pantry staples. However, Tyler and I didn't care for it all that much. For me it had a strong taste of raw garlic or maybe I was too heavy-handed with the cheese. At any rate, the flavor of the topping was way too strong and overpowered the fish. I don't think we'll be making this one again.

Next, from an old Taste of Home Annual, I made Hearty Beef Enchiladas.

Mexican style food is huge in our house, especially tacos and enchiladas, so of course this was gobbled up without complaint. The filling is a mixture of ground beef, chili beans, salsa and enchilada sauce and while it was good, I think our regular chicken enchiladas are better.

From the September issue of Rachael Ray's magazine, I made Spicy Chicken with Spinach Orzo.

I thought this meal was just okay. I don't think I put in enough of the chili pepper because the spice didn't come through at all, but maybe it wasn't needed anyway. My biggest complaint was with the tomatoes. I thought the fresh flavor was nice, but I let them go too long while I was cooking the orzo and they ended up kind of mushy...not a good thing.

Finally I made Cheesesteak Pierogies.

Yum! This was my favorite meal of the week. Sliced flank steak mixed with peppers and onions and topped with pierogies and cheddar cheese. Simple and delicious!

Back to School

2011-08-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Tyler starts school next week so over the weekend we hit the mall and finished up most of the shopping. We took care of his supply list before Kyle was born so we wouldn't be rushed or scrambling at the last minute.

It was an extensive list though, and very brand specific. The kids are required to bring 48 sharpened Ticonderoga pencils, 12 Scotch 3M glue sticks, Fiskars scissors, Pink Pearl erasers, Expo Dry Erase markers and so on.

So with the supplies out of the way, we really just had to get a backpack and some new clothes.

We found a backpack that Tyler liked and several long sleeved shirts, so now all we need is maybe a new pair of shoes and some jeans. Good thing we have one more weekend left to shop!

Proper Credit

2011-08-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

The other day I opened up a package from Amazon thinking that it was something that Rick had ordered and inside I found 3 cute little baby outfits. And I thought to myself, "Oh, he did order something", because I saw him browsing through the baby clothes on Amazon not too long ago. So I immediately picked out one of the outfits and put Kyle in it after his bath.

Perfect!

Then Rick comes home and tells me, "So your Mom sent some clothes for the baby...?".

Huh!? I guess I should have checked the receipt, because yes, they were from her.

Which makes it even stranger, because these are exactly what we needed. I was just telling Rick that we needed to get some pajama style clothes for the baby that had long sleeves and footies. We didn't buy anything like that ahead of time, because we thought, 'oh it'll be August so long sleeves and pants will be too hot'. But no, being inside an air conditioned house for most of the day, we're constantly wrapping the baby up in a blanket to keep him warm. So having clothes like this eliminates the need for the extra blanket and socks that just fall off anyway.

And the best part is that they were the newborn size, which is the only size Kyle fits into right now. Even the 0-3 month clothes are still too big for him. But hopefully that'll change soon. He's about 7 lbs now, putting him in the 9th percentile for his weight, but it's increasing all the time.

So how is it that mom's know exactly what you need without you even telling them? It's almost like they can read minds. P.S. Thanks Mom!

Cashing In

2011-08-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

My birthday was a week ago, but I'm still reaping the benefits. This week I've been using all my coupons for free birthday ice cream and I also cashed in my lottery ticket.

That's right. Rick got me a lottery ticket for my birthday and I was a big winner. Well not a 'big' winner, but a winner nonetheless. It'd be easier to see my lucky numbers if Tyler hadn't come along and scratched the entire ticket clean, but hey.

And since the ticket was a birthday gift, I figured I'd put my winnings toward something on my wish list. So....

...with 1 penny left to spare, I bought two bundt pans. One is a traditional 12 cup bundt and the other is a smaller 6 cup bundt. So now I'm ready for any bundt recipe that comes my way. I can either make a full sized cake or half the recipe and make a cuter, smaller cake, which is more my style anyway. Speaking of which, now I can finally make that Rootbeer Bundt Cake I saw in the Food Network magazine a few months back.

But that'll have to wait until we're done eating ice cream.

Earlier in the week, we stopped at Baskin Robbins to pick up my free birthday scoop. Trying to go with something on the lighter side of the scale, I chose Tropical Ice, which is a blend of coconut, papaya and pineapple flavors. Tyler went with Picnic Punch, the flavor of the month.

And Kyle, he just slept through the whole thing.

Then yesterday we stopped at Dairy Queen to use my BOGO Blizzard coupon. No hesitation from me...I picked the new Nutter Butter flavor.

Wow! Blizzards aren't even my thing, but this was seriously the best flavor ever. Mmmmm. I ♥ peanut butter. I bought a medium as per the coupon stipulations, which is way more than I need, so I just took a few bites off the top and put the rest in the freezer for later.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Recipe Review

2011-08-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

Getting back into the swing of things, I'm figuring out how to manage making new or more adventurous (time consuming) recipes for dinner. Lately I've been able to count on Kyle waking up around 5:00 p.m, which is usually when I start cooking dinner so I've really have to rely on prepping as much as I can earlier in the day. That way the hour goes much more smoothly and I'm still able to have dinner on the table by 6:00....for the most part, that is.

So here's what we ate last week:

I tried America's Test Kitchen recipe for Skillet Baked Ziti.

I loved this meal....it was soooo good. Probably because I put real cream in the sauce rather than substituting with half and half or something else like I normally would. I just happened to have leftover cream in the fridge from making that ice cream cake a while ago, so this was the perfect opportunity to use it up. I just wish I would have saved some of the fresh basil to garnish the top...as if it didn't look pretty enough.

Next we had Chipotle Chicken Meatballs, a recipe out of the September issue of Rachael Ray's magazine.

My favorite part about this meal was the cabbage slaw on the side. I thought the meatballs were a little dry. I might have overbaked them a tad, but I was just trying to get a nice golden color on them. Maybe I should just stick with ground beef meatballs, since the chicken ones always seem too dry and not as tasty.

Then in an attempt to recreate a meal I had at the hospital, I made Chinese Chicken Salad.

It has cabbage, chicken, avocado, orange slices and a topping of sliced almonds, sesame seeds, and crispy noodles. It almost hit the spot, but I wasn't too sure about the addition of orange slices, which my salad at the hospital did not have. The dressing was really good though...a mixture of rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and grapeseed oil. Yum!

For breakfast I made a batch of Apricot, White Chocolate and Walnut Scones.

Eh, these were okay, but they kind of tasted like sugar cookies to me. I much prefer a heartier bread for breakfast. Maybe I'll make another batch of bran scones or try banana bran....those sound good too.

New Furniture

2011-08-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

A few days after coming home from the hospital we got a call from the furniture store that our order had come in and was ready for delivery. It was a nice surprise considering that when we placed the order at the end of May, we were told that it could take up to 5 months to come in since it was a special order. So waiting just 2 months didn't seem too bad at all.

The only problem is that we were unprepared (to say the least) for the delivery. We had 1 day to completely clear out Tyler's room and move his old furniture into Kyle's room. That meant taking apart his bed and converting it back into a crib, moving both dressers out after emptying them, and picking up random toys/things that were hanging out on the floor. The worst part is that Rick was on his own with moving the furniture around because I was in NO condition for heavy lifting.

We got it done though, and now we have 2 fully furnished bedrooms for the kids.

Tyler got a new sleigh style bed and a nightstand.

Along with a dresser/mirror combo.

And a desk.

In Kyle's bedroom we have Tyler's old bed converted back into a crib, a glider chair, and the dressers (or chest of drawers, whatever Rick calls it....I can't figure out the difference). And Tyler made a decoration to go above the crib, it's a sign spelling out Kyle's name. Cute!

But even though the baby's room is furnished and ready to go, we still have him sleeping with us in our bedroom. The crib seems so huge for him right now, he fits much better in the little bassinet. Soon enough it'll be time for him to move upstairs, though....maybe once he is able to sleep through the night.

The Best Choice

2011-08-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

No it isn't the perfect picture, but believe me, it's the best one.

I know, I know... Tyler is giving his 'sly fox' smile, for some reason which I can't figure out, but at least Kyle and I look alright in this one.

It's better than this one where I'm wearing my shoulder as an earring and Kyle thinks it's time to eat.

Or this one where Kyle is done with the whole process and starting to cry. But at least Tyler and I look good....oh nope...my dress is being pulled down too much in the front. I can't win!

Birthday Goodies

2011-08-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and since Rick had to work for most of the day, I just spent a quiet day at home with the boys. Tyler wanted to make it fun though, like his birthday party was, so he made up some party games we could play and also made some grape juice popsicles.

For dinner I didn't plan anything special, we just ate what was next in line on my menu planner.

No stewed tomatoes here. I made Orange Pecan Salmon out of the latest issue of Taste of Home. In retrospect, I probably should have made a recipe that I knew we would like, rather than trying out something new, but it turned out really good, so I guess it wasn't such a bad choice after all.

And for dessert, also from Taste of Home, I made Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake.

Yum! That's all I have to say about that.

Except that it gets even better when you see it sliced. It has a strawberry layer on the bottom with a regular cheesecake layer and a strawberry swirl on top. That just goes to show Tyler that you don't need frosting or chocolate to call it a birthday cake! Mmmm, I could this all day long.

Then after Rick came home from work, it was time to open presents.

Susan sent me some gift cards in the mail to use on some new non-maternity clothes. That'll be nice...being able to shop in the regular departments again. All I have to do is wait for Tyler to start school in a few weeks, and hopefully I'll be able to head over to the mall.

From Anni I got a couple of new cookbooks. Yes! I've had these on my Amazon wish list for awhile and I can't wait to dig into them.

Rick got me this fancy new blender (that doesn't have any rubber gaskets that I might chew up while trying to make a cherry sauce like I did last week with my old blender....just saying).

Also from Anni, a super cool pizza stone. I can't even wait to try it out. Yep, we might be having pizza for dinner tonight.

Sweet Treats

2011-08-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

With a newborn in the house, it's hard finding time to bake or even make lunch for that matter. But in the last week I've managed to find a few pockets here and there, where I've been able to sneak away to the kitchen and get some baking done.

First I made a recipe from my Gooseberry Patch Calendar for a Lemonade Ice Cream Cake.

It was my first attempt at making an ice cream cake and I thought it turned out pretty good. The filling layer is simply vanilla ice cream flavored with a bit of lemonade concentrate. I think we all agreed though that it might have been better with plain vanilla. The lemonade flavor was a little too strong for our taste.

Then I had Tyler help me make a batch of Watermelon Splashes, a recipe from a Gold Medal Flour booklet.

They came out cute, but small!

I mean tiny! They were about the size of animal crackers. If I'd known the cookies weren't going to spread in the oven, I would have shaped the dough into a fatter log to make some decent sized cookies.

Finding A Rhythm

2011-08-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Kyle will be two weeks old tomorrow, which I almost can't believe. And Rick will be heading back to work on Monday, so I guess I'll be flying solo pretty soon. In the meantime, I'm trying to find a rhythm....trying to find a way to take care of a newborn, while also keeping the rest of the household running smoothly.

Right now Kyle sleeps a lot, but not always the most peacefully or for that long of a stretch. It seems like Rick or I are always having to pick him up to soothe him back down, but once he's in our arms, it takes forever before we can lay him back down. And when he's awake, he has only one thing on his mind....FOOD.

During the day he naps in his cozy lamb seat.

But when he wakes up, he's not much of a happy camper.

And he really doesn't like taking baths. Have you ever seen a child turn so red?

And sprinkled somewhere between all of the sleeping and fussiness, he has moments of peace in which I could just eat him right up with a spoon. I mean, c'mon....just look at that fluffy hair.

Home From The Hospital

2011-07-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

I got home from the hospital last night and Kyle and I are doing great. We're both still tired like zombies though, so for now I'll just show you a few pictures of our stay at Memorial.

This is me at 4 something on Sunday morning.....less than an hour away from delivering Kyle.

And there he is....my little jelly bean.

Then it back over to the nurses to get weighed and have his footprints taken.

Then straight into daddy's arms.

Conked out.....zzzzzzzz.

Tyler is in love with his new little brother. Love love love.

Cute as a button.

38 Weeks

2011-07-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Today marks the start of my 38th week, which is also the week that Tyler made his debut 6 years ago. The baby is 'cooked', as they say and so am I....or fried. I'm tired and soooo ready for this boy to be born. So now that we're at the end, I thought I'd do a good old fashioned side by side comparison to remind myself what I looked like 6 months ago.

On the left, I'm at 3 months and on the right, 9 months.

Yeesh, I think I know where those 20 lbs went! I'm not too worried about it though. Once I get my hands on Cathe's new Low Impact series that comes out in late August or September, I'll get myself right back on track.

This Week

2011-07-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

Pure exhaustion has kept me from blogging for the week, but Tyler and I have still been busy. So here's a quick look at some of the things we've been up to over the last few days.

Earlier in the week I took Tyler back to the pool for another session of swimming. That's makes it our third trip this summer, but probably my last....I'm not sure I can squeeze in another visit before the baby is born.

I spent most of the time lounging on the pool deck because I found the water to be just a little bit too cold. The temperatures have been hovering in the 70's all month long. I can't believe that it's already half-way through July and it hasn't even reached the 90's yet. Crazy!

On another note, I've really been enjoying the new bathing suit I got to accommodate my large belly. Too bad that in a few weeks it will no longer fit. That means I'll be back to my old suit, which now that I think about it, I bought at Troutman's in Chico. Not only has it been forever since we lived in Chico, but Troutman's went out of business how many years ago? Yeah, I think I'll be treating myself to a new suit next summer.

Tyler didn't seem to mind the cooler temps or the sprinkles here and there, he was having a great time in the water.

On Tuesday we made it over to Randall Park for the art in the park. We missed the last two weeks because of his rocket classes at the art studio, but this week we were back at it.

This time the kids were making flags in a sort of Papel Picado style. First they folded up pieces of colored tissue paper and cut designs out, as you would with a paper snowflake, and then glued the paper to a wooden skewer turning them into flags.

Tyler made his a double decker flag.

Then for breakfast this week I made some Blueberry Belgian waffles using my new Belgian waffle maker.

Love! Didn't they come out nice? But then Tyler told me that on a scale of 1 to 10, they tasted like a 5. What!? They were way better than a 5! Hmmpf, we'll see if he's invited to the waffle party next time.

Back to land of arts and crafts, Tyler and I finished working on a bird feeder/house....a project that took us forever! Boy and I glad to see it all done.

Now those birds had better move in, or else!

And finally, a story that's almost too strange to be true. I got a package in the mail the other day, which appeared to have scrapbooking stuff inside. Since I didn't order anything and it's getting kind of close to my birthday, I figured it'd be best to just leave it alone. So Rick opened it up when he got home from work....turns out he didn't order it either. Guess what it was?

Apparently I won the grand door prize at the scrapbooking convention I attended last November. Huh!? I obviously wasn't in attendance at the time of the drawing, but they waited this long before sending it to me? Wow, what a surprise out of the blue!

Recipe Review

2011-07-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

This week we had a great line-up of delicious meals.....that's my feeling anyway. Rick would probably say otherwise since I used mushrooms and/or onions in every dish.

First we had Knife and Fork Beef Stroganoff Burgers.

I saw this recipe on Rachael Ray's talk show and new I had to make it. I love stroganoff and this was a great variation of a classic dish. But knowing Rachael Ray and her portion sizes, I ended up trimming down the size of the burgers to 1/4 lb patties instead of 1/2 lb, which was plenty enough meat for us. I also never have all the fresh herbs she calls for, so I left out the chives and dill and it was still good.

Next we had Steak Tacos with Grilled Pineapple-Avocado Salsa.

With this meal I was using some leftover grilled steak from the freezer, so after warming that up, all I had to do was make the salsa. Quick and easy, just how I like it. The salsa recipe is from a recent issue of Cooking Light and I thought it tasted really good with the steak. But it was best the night of...the leftovers got kind of soggy sitting in the fridge overnight.

Keeping with the salsa theme, we also tried Blackened Tilapia with a Mango Salsa.

I saw Paula Deen making this fish on her show, but she was putting them in sandwiches. Nothing wrong with that, but I thought it would be just as good on its own...and it was. I modified the recipe slightly and didn't use the full amount of blackening seasoning because I was afraid it might be too spicy. I didn't cook the fish in a full stick of butter either, just a drizzle of olive oil. Delicious!

And for dessert we've been enjoying a cherry pie that I made with some of those cherries we picked last weekend.

That's my piece. Yum!

Art and Science Class: Rockets

2011-07-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

For the last two weeks Tyler has been spending his mornings at a local art studio where he's taking a class all about rockets, launchers and space stations. It's a mixture of art and science, so he's creating different things while also learning about chemical reactions and pressure.

Last week he was working on a space mobile.

And also made a few types of rockets....one made out of rolled up recycled paper (that's it in his hand) and another made out of a short fat drinking straw that he used in conjunction with a water bottle launcher.

This week he was working on a space station made out of rolled up newspaper tubes.

The rule was that it had to be big enough so you could get inside and as you can see, he did a great job with that.

He also made a telescope during free time, which I think came out really cool.

Then he made another rocket launcher...this time using a soda bottle instead of a water bottle, which was much sturdier and worked way better.

Later this week, the class is going to experiment launching cork rockets with the help of chemical reactions created from mixing ingredients such as vinegar/alka-seltzer, vinegar/baking soda, and lemon juice/baking soda. Sounds like a blast!

Baker's Choice

2011-07-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

The only problem with encouraging Tyler to get in the kitchen and learn to cook and bake is that now he's always trying to hijack the kitchen for his own purposes. I find myself suddenly having to compete just for a chance to use the oven. For example, I already had plans to make a batch of bran muffins - a recipe I've had sitting on the top of my to-do stack for weeks. Then the next thing I know, Tyler comes in with a recipe for banana muffins that he found in the back of a Blue's Clues book.

Well I wasn't about to switch and make banana muffins...I wanted bran muffins. But Tyler wouldn't budge....we were making banana muffins. So we compromised and made a 1/2 dozen of each.

Yep, it's starting to look like a bakery around here.

Now to show off the winning muffin - just as soon as we figure out the timer on the camera.

If you ask Tyler, his was the best muffin. If you ask me, mine was the best. Oh heck, they were both good!

Pool Side

2011-07-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last summer Tyler was lucky to be able to swim nearly every day during July and August while he was at school, but now that he's done with Oakridge, we have to find a different place for him to swim.

That means it's back to the public pool for us, which wouldn't be so bad, but it's kind of far away from the house. Still, we got over there yesterday and had a great afternoon.

At first I didn't think I'd be getting in the water because I didn't have a bathing suit that fit, but I ended up finding one at the last minute so I was able to get in after all. The water was so nice....my belly felt so much lighter, I could have stayed in there all day.

Rick took Tyler over to the deep end of the pool and down the slide a million times while I continued to bob around in the shallow water.

Ahhh, I'm already ready to go back. Hopefully Tyler and I can make it back over there sometime this week. I won't be able to take him down the slide, but we can still hang out in the pool.

U-Pick Cherries

2011-07-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Every year Barrett Orchards has a cherry festival during the 4th of July weekend, which is usually when we go pick cherries. This year, however, since the weather has been cooler and the cherries ripened later than usual, we decided to skip the festival and wait another week for the prospect of sweeter cherries.

I think our patience paid off because we had no problem filling our bucket with juicy delicious cherries this morning. And I would know...I sampled more than few while we were out there.

Rick was in charge of getting the cherries up high. The best ones always seem to be just out of reach.

Now with over 10 lbs of cherries to our name, we have plenty for making a pie, giving away some to friends, and enough to eat until we pop! So you'll have to excuse me while I go take care of the latter.

9 Months

2011-07-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here it is - I'm entering the home stretch. Today marks the start of my 36th week and also the beginning of of my 9th month.

The doctor is estimating that the baby weighs about 5 lbs right now and that he might put on another pound or so before he's born, but that he certainly won't reach the 8 lb mark that Tyler did. And it makes sense. Although I feel as big as a house, I'm smaller than I was with my last pregnancy....coming in a full 10 lbs lighter.

I'm not sure if that has to do with the fact that I continued to workout all the way through to week 32, at which point I became too sick with that cold/cough/ear infection. Or if it has to do with overall better food choices. Or if it was just bad timing - being so sick for the majority of my 8th month, inhibiting weight gain for me and the baby. Who knows...it was probably a combination of all three.

At any rate, I'm ready to be finished with the process, minus the fact that we still haven't come up with a name yet. Yikes, we'd better get on top of that!

Donut Bakers

2011-07-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

For Christmas I got a gift certificate for King Arthur Flour, which I hadn't used until last week. Isn't that shameful? The problem was, not that I couldn't find anything that I wanted, but that I couldn't make a decision. So I finally sat down, marked a bunch of pages in the catalog, kept debating back and forth until Tyler declared the decision for me.

A standard donut pan plus a few mixes to go with it.

And so it was. I placed the order and all we had to do was wait....and wait....and WAIT. Wow, am I spoiled with Amazon's prime 2-day shipping. Waiting the 12 days for KA shipping made it seem like our package was riding the slow boat from China.

But it finally arrived yesterday.

And we started baking immediately. First we tried the chocolate mix, which we whipped up and had in the oven within a few minutes.

After about 10 minutes in the oven they were ready to come out, so I made a quick batch of chocolate glaze. Tyler was in charge of decorating with sprinkles and coconut.

Don't ask me why he needs to have a silicone cup suctioned to his mouth. It must be some 'artist at work' sort of thing.

Yum! That one has my name on it.

So how did they taste?

Like a baked donut....or in all honesty, a cupcake. I never expected them to taste the same as a fried cake donut because it's impossible to get the same crispy exterior in the oven. Still I thought they'd be more substantial, with a dense coffee cake or pound cake sort of texture. Instead they were really light and delicate like a cupcake, which is fine for dessert, but not my idea of a breakfast donut. Well I guess once we finish baking the mixes, I'll have to be on the lookout for a recipe that yields a firmer donut.

Irredeemable

2011-07-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last week when I was grocery shopping, which I do according to my weekly meal plan, I was looking for fresh green beans. Normally I buy the bulk of my groceries at Walmart and then go to a local store for all of my fresh vegetables, fruit and meat. Well, the smaller store had no green beans that day so I decided to go the frozen route. Frozen green beans aren't my favorite anyway because they tend to be too soggy, so I thought I'd go with one of those steam packs that you just throw in the microwave, thinking it'd be of slightly better quality.

Boy, was I wrong!

Yuck! Are you kidding me! Those are the most unappetizing green beans I've ever seen. All I could think was - what in the world do you have to do to a green bean to make it look like that!? Needless to say I wasn't about to serve those with our meal. I had made Tequila Glazed Grilled Chicken with Coconut Rice and there was zero way those beans were going to hit the plate. I ended up throwing them straight in the garbage and heated up some frozen peas instead. And a more respectable brand at that.

After dinner I got right on the computer and wrote an email to Western Family expressing my disgust. Surprisingly, both Western Family and their distributor wrote back to me the very next day.

Both letters included apologies, but the distributor actually provided a cash refund and tried to assure me that this was a fluke incident and that I could trust the quality of their products in the future.

I almost wanted to believe them because I'm a fool like that, until I remembered the time I'd bought some frozen Western Family edamame.

Not quite as horrifying as the green beans....at least the edamame were in the ballpark colorwise, but I'm pretty sure I'll never buy Western Family frozen vegetables again. Why would you, when you can get other affordable brands that are a much better quality?

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went over to the fairgrounds for the 4th of July carnival that was running through the weekend. In the past we've always gone on the 4th, but we decided to go earlier this year. Turned out it was a pretty good decision because we beat the crowds and Tyler didn't have to wait in line to go on any of the rides.

We arrived almost 45 minutes before the place even opened up....I guess you can blame me for not double checking the time, but darn, 2:00 seems kind of late for a weekend carnival to open. Anyway it gave us a chance to take a few pictures.

As usual we got Tyler a wristband and let him go crazy with the rides, but it occurred to Rick and I that he's starting to outgrow the kiddie rides, but he's not quite big enough for the adult ones yet. Hmmm, well at least he enjoyed the roller coaster, fun house and the slides.

And for the first time, he actually got to play some of the games. He tried the one where you throw darts at a wall of balloons and get a prize based on the number of balloons you pop. Then he tried the ring toss, the sledge hammer, and a few others.

He didn't do so bad either....he came away with these cute little guys.

Then on Monday we stopped at Baskin Robbins for some ice cream.

Tyler was all talk about getting Strawberry Shortcake (a flavor I've never heard of, but he swears he saw last time) or Strawberry Cheesecake, but was ultimately swayed by the flavor of the month. I kept calling it Captain America, but I guess it's really called Soldier Swirl or something like that. It's vanilla with blue chips and a cherry swirl.

For dinner we had a BBQ with the usual suspects.

Bacon cheeseburgers on ciabatta rolls, baked beans, corn and chips. I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture until I was already halfway through my burger. Oops!

And for dessert we had cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries.

Then it was back to the fairgrounds to watch the fireworks display. We pick a different viewing spot every year and this time we crossed the freeway and watched from the arboretum. It turned out to be a great spot, except for the mosquitoes.....we'd better cover up a little better next time!

Walking Casper

2011-06-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Since the weather was only in the low 70's today, I decided it was a good day to go walk a dog. So Tyler and I headed over to the Humane Society and picked out a smaller dog that didn't look like it'd pull us around too much.

I'm not sure what breed he is, but his name is Casper (although I kept wanting to call him Chester) and he was very mild mannered. He didn't try to jump all over us like the Chihuahua we walked last time.

The Humane Society is right next door to the Greenway, so it makes for a perfect pathway for walking dogs. We started out kind on slow though....Casper was more interested in sitting in the grass than anything else.

But we finally got things moving and walked to the 3/4 mile marker and then turned around and came back. We could have gone farther, but that particular part of the path wasn't shaded and Casper was starting to pant up a storm.

The view sure was nice though.

Once we made it back to the start we hung out on the grass for a bit before it was time to return Casper to the shelter. It's a little sad in there seeing the animals cooped up in small quarters, so hopefully he finds a good home soon.

Art in the Park: Thank You Cards

2011-06-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the second Art in the Park project and this time the kids were making Thank You cards, or just cards in general, I guess you would say. The assignment was to make 2 cards - 1 for a friend or family member and 1 for the community Meals on Wheels program.

First Tyler decided to make a card for me.

He's been on a real Phineas and Ferb kick lately....he's even got a temporary tattoo of Perry the platypus on his hand. So that was his inspiration. On the front of the card he drew a picture of Perry.

And on the inside he cut out a heart and wrote 'I love you Mommy'.

Then he moved on to his second card, the one to be given to a Meals on Wheels recipient.

On the cover he drew some flowers and colored in a blue sky.

And on the inside he wrote 'Have a nice Day' and drew another flower.

Then after he finished both cards we headed over to the playground for awhile.

Huh!? Tyler doesn't need help on the monkey bars anymore? When did that happen? I must have blinked my eyes.

Tyler in the Kitchen

2011-06-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't been feeling well enough to care about trying new recipes lately. All that matters is that I get something on the dinner table each night. Period. I haven't been making much in the way of desserts or breakfast treats either, but that's where Tyler's been picking up the slack. He's been working his way through the June section of his Gooseberry Patch year-round cookbook.

As soon as school was out, his priority was to make some Chocolatey Lava Cakes.

The recipe says it serves 8, so we cut the ingredients in half, but still ended up with 5 cakes.

The first step was melting together chocolate chips and butter and then stirring in some vanilla.

Next he mixed the dry ingredients together.

And combined them with the wet ingredients. Then I helped him beat in the eggs using a hand-held mixer. After chilling the mixture, we divided it evenly among 5 muffin cups.

And then waited for exactly 11 minutes for them to bake up in the oven.

Then it was show time....except for the fact that I couldn't get the little buggers out of the pan.

Note to self: Next time don't follow the instructions of greasing the pan with butter and then dusting with cocoa powder. Just use Baker's Joy instead. You'll be sorry otherwise.

We finally managed to scoop them out of the pan with a spoon and then topped them off with whipped cream and M&M's. Delish!

Next he made Lemon Shake-Up.

It's basically a single serving of lemonade using just 1 lemon.

First he cut and squeezed the bejesus out of the lemon.

Then he added some ice, sugar, and water and started shakin'.

After it was all mixed up, he poured it into a cup, garnished it with a lemon slice and put it on the table to go with his lunch. The color came out a little 'orange' because we used agave nectar for the sweetener instead of granulated sugar. Next time, I don't know, I might just stick with the regular sugar, because the taste was kind of off as well. But then who am I to criticize. Tyler drank it right up without a single complaint.

Lunch and a Movie

2011-06-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

First with some celebratory news, I got my hearing back yesterday. Well not completely, but it's MUCH better than it's been for the past week, which was almost non-existent. I can actually hear stuff without relying on closed captioning or shouts from Rick and Tyler. What a relief!

So before my ears had a chance to change their mind, Tyler and I quickly ran out for lunch and a movie. As you may or may not know, Mr. Popper's Penguins opened last weekend, but I was too sick to go....not to mention the fact that I couldn't hear, so of course we had to put it off. But now we were on our way.

For lunch we stopped to eat at Sonic. Normally we'd go for sandwiches at Subway, Quizno's or the Sub Shop (a local favorite), but with coupons for free food at Sonic, that's where we ended up. The food isn't so bad there, but eating in the car....

...not so glamorous! And the service is kind of terrible. All we ordered was a hamburger kid's meal with apple slices and a slushy drink for Tyler and a Sonic Burger for myself, but apparently that was too complicated. They tried charging me for the burger and a full sized drink, even though the burger was supposed to be free and the drink was supposed to be a child's size and included with the price of the kid's meal. And then they forgot to include the caramel sauce that comes with the apples. Not that we needed it or missed it at all, but it's supposed to come with the apples...just saying.

Then we were off to the movies.

Yeah, yeah, it was opening day for Cars 2, but I'm sick all the 3D movies....don't they make normal animated films anymore?

As for Mr. Popper's Penguins, Tyler and I both enjoyed it. It didn't really follow along with the book, but from the previews, that's what we'd expected anyway. The only similarity is that Mr. Popper has penguins that become increasingly hard to manage. The rest was a giant Hollywood re-write. Oh well, Tyler and I still had a great time.

Art in the Park: Super Hero Logos

2011-06-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Now that it's officially the first week of summer, The Allied Arts began their 6-week Art in the Park program. Tyler got out of school on the 10th, so he's been waiting anxiously for the summer events to get started. Last year he was in summer school and missed the art in the park, but this year he was ready to go.

The theme this year is 'I'm a Hero', so the first project was to create your own Super Hero Logo.

After some suggestions from the art teacher, Tyler had identified his super power and got right to work making his badge. He drew a picture of his logo, colored it, cut it out and then pasted it on to a piece of purple construction paper.

Can you tell what it is? It's Tyler setting the table. He thinks he's a hero when it comes to helping out in the kitchen....and I agree.

Once he completed his badge, he taped it to his shirt and wore it around for the rest of the morning.

Then he made a heart for me to wear so I wouldn't feel left out.

He's holding it there in his hand....it's kind of hard to see. Side note: Can someone please teach me how to sit up straight already! Is that Tyler and Slouchy Mcgee, or what!

I think I need to take a lesson from Mother Goose over there.....she's no slouch!

Calling All The Kings Horses

2011-06-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

And all the Kings Men,

Too much more of this,

And I'll need someone to put me back together again.

Here I am in the midst of my 8th month and my hips are giving out on me and on top of that I'm sick, sick, SICK!

The baby loves hanging out on the right side of my belly, which looks kind of funny since I have an awkward bulge on that side, but even worse, the imbalance is wreaking havoc on my hips. Especially the right one. So while I wake up each morning in relatively good condition, by the end of the day I'm walking around like an 80 year old cripple. Not cute. So last week I went in for physical therapy, doing different exercises and stretches to relieve the pain. I can't really comment on its effectiveness though. I was only able to go the one time....I've been too sick to go again.

Sick with what you ask? Only the meanest cold I've ever had. Blech! Between the body aches, stuffy head, cough, and difficulty breathing....it's a real doozie. Oh yeah, and both of my eardrums ruptured the other night, leaving me with more #@*! pain and about 75-80% hearing loss. So Tyler's home on Summer break and not only am I too wiped out to do anything with him....I can't hear a hoot he says. Sounds funny, but it's not. For now the doctor has me on a round of antibiotics, so hopefully I start seeing some improvement soon.

Father's Day

2011-06-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Tyler was so excited about Father's Day that he couldn't even wait for Rick to get out of bed before accosting him with gifts.

I could understand his excitement because this year we decided to make a super special handmade gift. I've been lucky the past two years and have received handmade gifts from Tyler for Mother's Day, so I thought we should try and do the same for Rick.

So earlier this week we went over to Hands On Art to pick out a piece of pottery to paint. Tyler chose this little airplane, picked out all the colors, painted it to perfection and then left it behind for it's turn in the kiln.

We went back and picked it up on Saturday after it had been glazed and fired. I think it came out nice. And on the underside on the wings it says, Happy Father's Day 2011. So that's what was inside the gift bag. That and a Dove dark chocolate and almond candy bar.

For dinner it was a repeat of last year. Grilled pepper steak packets.

Inside the foil packets was a yummy mixture of sliced sirloin steak, rice, teriyaki sauce, sliced bell pepper, onion, and broccoli. Mmmmm. And for dessert we had ice cream cones with the pint of Baseball Nut we brought home from Baskin Robbins.

Happy Father's Day 2011

Confession Time

2011-06-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

My due date is August 6th, which is exactly two months away. Now you'd think that 9 months would be plenty of time to prepare for a baby, but guess what.....we're not ready.

In fact, this is what the baby's room looks like.

A pile of boxes and stuff.

Our biggest problem is that we don't have any furniture for the room. Not yet, at least. We found that it's way easier to buy children's furniture than baby furniture, so that's what we're doing. Instead of buying a new baby set, we just going to reuse Tyler's bed, which we can convert back to a crib, and his dressers that go with the set. We've already ordered new furniture for him, but it was a 'special order', so it's going to take awhile before it comes in. So until then, the baby's room will continue to look as it does now.

Besides the lack of furniture, we've almost taken care of everything else. I think.

We have a bathtub and toys.

Bedding for the crib.

And hidden in some of the other boxes we have a swing, and a bouncer seat. We also have a playpen and car seat on the way. We even have a small collection of clothes hanging in the closet.

So while we wait for the new furniture to come in, this is what we'll use for a bed.

It's a cute little bassinet that Rick snagged for a great deal off Craigslist. That put my mind at ease a little bit. Now hopefully the furniture will come in sooner than expected and everything will start falling into place.

Recipe Review: Baking Edition

2011-06-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted any of the new recipes I've tried, so instead of going backwards too much, I'll just mention a few of the more recent sweet/baked items. Those are always my favorite anyway.

Starting things off in the breakfast department, I finally got around to trying a pancake recipe that I've had bookmarked for quite some time.

These are Honey Wheat Pancakes and what I love about them is the simplicity. They're basically a jazzed up version of a basic bisquick pancake, with whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and banana added into the mix to bump up the nutritional value. And of course, instead of syrup, I ate mine topped with peanut butter and fig jam. I would completely make these more often if I didn't hate standing over the stove flipping pancakes. Who has time for that? That's what waffles are for. Soooo much faster.

Speaking of which, I also tried a recipe for Gluten-Free Coconut Waffles.

These were good I guess for what they were, but I much prefer a regular waffle. These were just too soft and really didn't taste much like coconut. Actually nothing I make with coconut flour ever ends up tasting like coconut, so I shouldn't have been surprised. But on the plus side, I can always appreciate a waffle that has a high protein and fiber count.....even if they are kind of ugly to look at.

Just yesterday I made a small batch of Tuscan Lemon Muffins.

The recipe for these came out of a recent issue of Cooking Light, and I probably would have skipped over them if it wasn't for the leftover ricotta cheese I had sitting in the fridge. Certainly not an ingredient I'd ever think to put in muffins, but they came out super moist so that was nice. And they even had a decent lemon flavor coming through, although nothing is ever quite lemony enough for me. My main complaint though, is that they came out pale. They look fine in the picture, but trust me, they're whiter than that in person.

Moving on to dessert, I made a batch of White Chocolate and Peach Oatmeal Cookies, a recipe from The Food Network magazine.

These were so good! I ended up using dried apricots because I couldn't find peaches anywhere, but they still tasted fantastic. Probably the best cookie I've made in a long time. I loved the chewy texture and the sweet bits of fruit running through the cookie. Way better than chocolate chip if you ask me, but don't tell Rick I said that.

From one of my Cooking Light annuals, I tried Kentucky Chocolate Nut Tartlets.

The filling was the best part of this dessert, but there just wasn't enough of it. There was too much crust in comparison. Maybe that means I need to break down already and make a full sized pecan pie. Cooking Light has several highly rated recipes, so maybe I should try one of those. I'm sure it'd hit the spot a little better.

Finally I made some of Mario Lopez's brownies after watching him on The Rachael Ray Show.

He makes them healthier by replacing some of the butter with applesauce and and some of the sugar with agave nectar. In the end I thought they tasted delicious, but I'd never call them a brownie. Not even a cake-like brownie. They completely had the texture of chocolate cake. But I don't care what you call them. We topped ours with whip cream and berries and ate them right up.

Allergies

2011-06-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

I had to take Tyler to the doctor yesterday, which is really unusual. He's always been a healthy child and I've never had to take him in for anything other than a routine yearly exam.

However, he's been struggling with a cough that just won't go away. I thought it was just the last lingering symptom of a cold he had last month, but after so many weeks had passed, I started to think something else was going on. So after his visit with the doctor, it was determined that he's suffering from allergies. Allergies....I never would have guessed that! He doesn't show any of the typical symptoms like sneezing and watery eyes. Apparently the glands in his nose are super swollen, which is turn is causing the irritation in the back of his throat and thus, the endless coughing. So for now the doctor put him on an OTC allergy medicine to relieve the swelling in his nose.

Poor kid!

And as for the culprit, it's most likely seasonal allergens. We do live in the land of apple orchards, which I assume must be blooming away like everything else around here. There's nothing much we can do about that, so hopefully his medicine starts kicking in soon.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T15:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we headed downtown for the annual Memorial Day Parade. It's not as grand as some of the other parades that happen throughout the year, but it gave us an excuse to get out of the house.

Afterwards we crossed the street and went to Essencia bakery to have lunch and stock up on goodies for later. We had a turkey bacon sandwich on ciabatta bread that was outstanding and I also got a beehive and some biscotti to go. Yum!

On Sunday we basically stayed home and did nothing but boring housework.

I stayed inside doing laundry while the boys worked to clear out the garden boxes.

Tyler did a great job pulling out the 'crab grass', as he kept calling it.

Then on Monday we went to the hardware store to pick up the fertilizer and vegetables for the garden. We got two tomato plants, some bell peppers, strawberries, and yellow zucchini.

By evening we had all the plants transferred to the garden and also planted several rows of peas and green beans.

For dinner Rick grilled up a few giant steaks from Costco. I was in charge of all the sides...baked beans, pasta salad, corn, watermelon, and chips with guacamole.

Delicious!

The Sad State

2011-05-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Here's how my garden is looking this year.

Not so great.

I got out there probably a month ago and weeded all three of the garden beds, but a lot of the weeds are starting to grow back now. I just don't have the energy or the mobility to keep things moving. Usually Rick tills the dirt up for me, but this year he's been too busy. Spending 60 hours a week away from home doesn't leave much time to get things done around the yard.

Maybe this year we'll cut back and only do one garden box. I'd still like to have some tomatoes and peas if nothing else.

And Tyler's greenhouse plants have started to sprout, so we'll need a place to transplant those.

The box on the left is tomatoes and the one on the right is sweet orange bell peppers. I think they might have gotten wind of how our outdoor garden boxes are in a shambles because so far they've been the slowest growing sprouts ever.

Move Over Soft Serve

2011-05-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Tyler, there was really only one craving that I had and it was for soft serve ice cream or frozen yogurt. I couldn't get enough of the stuff! Looking back....it's funny. I lived in Los Angeles and had access to all those fancy trendy yogurt shops, but never went to any of them. I hated driving around and the only ice cream place near our house was Baskin Robbins. So I had plenty of that along with some McDonald's cones and frosty dairy desserts from Wendy's.

With this pregnancy things have been different. In the first trimester I craved all sorts of junk food. Things like Easy Mac, Cup O Noodles, Onion Rings, and greasy potato chips. It's strange because those are things I would never normally buy, let alone eat.....except for onion rings on occasion. But thankfully that phase has passed and now my eyes (and stomach) are once again set on one true love.

Nuts and/or nut butters.

I had been eating almond butter before my pregnancy for the health benefits and a boost of protein with my snacks, but didn't really touch the peanut butter. That was more for Tyler and Rick. But now I've actually been preferring the peanut butter. I spread it on pancakes, waffles, apples....heck, I eat it straight out of the jar! And it's especially good with fig jam, but it has to be fig jam. Nothing else will do.

When I'm not eating peanut butter straight from the jar, I'm eating regular peanuts.

The cocktail kind. Not dry roasted or honey roasted or any of that other garbage. The cocktail ones are more oily and I like them that way. The only thing that makes them even tastier is a raisin with every bite.

And when I'm not eating that, I'm eating some of these.

I've gone to raiding my baking stash and have been munching on walnuts and pecans. Pistachios and cashews are in the mix too.

Normally I'd be a little concerned with the sheer number of calories and fat I've been ingesting on a daily basis. I mean, I've been eating nuts or peanut butter with every single meal or snack (except for dinner) every single day. I'm not kidding. But they're good fats....right? And the strangest part of all is that I haven't gained a single pound in 6 weeks. I still, nearing the end of my 7th month, have only gained a total of 15 pounds, which now puts me below my target weight gain zone. I'll have to ask the doctor about that tomorrow when I go in for my check up. But at this point, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if I ended up giving birth to a peanut butter smoothie, because you know, I've been drinking a lot of coconut milk right along with all those nuts.

What We've Been Reading

2011-05-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed reading, but don't always set aside the time required to get through larger novels. Sometimes I settle for reading magazines or cookbooks, but usually I do end up reading something every day. Rick on the other hand, never developed a passion for books, but we both work to try and spark an interest with Tyler.

We used to read to him every night before bed without fail, but now that he's older and has started to read books on his own, we just don't do it that much anymore. But still, I want to keep the momentum going, so I'll try to read chapter books to him on days when we have the time and I can pull him off the Wii.

Most recently we've been reading Mr. Popper's Penguins, in preparation for the movie that's coming out next month. I hope Tyler's not too disappointed because I can already tell that the movie isn't going to be much like the book at all.

On his own time, he's been reading a book from his latest book order.

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby. It's a comic book by the same author of the Captain Underpants series, which he loves.

I just finished reading These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf.

It was a decent read, but I just didn't care for the story line all that much so I was kind of glad to be done with it and move on to something else.

And as I said before, if nothing else, you can always bet on me reading a cookbook. These are the latest that I've added to my collection.

I ordered the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook from Doubleday earlier this month and I just got it in the mail yesterday. After looking through it, I realized that it wasn't the book I meant to get. This one is a reprint of their original cookbook, which is done in a more old fashioned sort of way....it reminds me a little bit of The Joy of Cooking. The book I meant to get is the newer All Purpose Baking Cookbook with the red and white cover. Oops, my mistake.

Then the other night I ran over to Borders with a 50% off coupon in hand and bought Gluten-Free Cupcakes. Not that any of us follow a gluten free diet, but most of the recipes in the book use coconut flour, which I happen to have on hand and could use some more recipes for. I think I'll make the marble cupcakes first and see how well those go over.

The Third Trimester

2011-05-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

So here it is, I'm finally in the third trimester...only 12 more weeks to go.

This is me last week and it's my best and most recent 'belly shot', but I'm actually 28 weeks now. Nothing has changed much in terms of size though, so you get the idea. My weight gain has held steady at 15 pounds, for the last month, which I don't mind one bit. At this rate, even if I gain one pound per week until the end, I will still come in under the 30 lbs I gained with Tyler. The girth of my stomach however, has increased, and now measures 37 inches around.

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but this baby is VERY active....way more than Tyler ever was. And not in a gentle sort of way, but in a violent 'I'm going to kick my way out of here or else' kind of way. The sort of kicking that makes me cry out in pain multiple times a day. But on the up side, Rick and Tyler are both able to feel the baby move without a problem. Heck, forget about feeling...all they have to do is watch my stomach gyrate about.

Over the weekend I visited the hospital for the first time since we've lived here. That kind of makes it sound like a social visit, but really, I went in for a blood test and a shot of rhogam. I have O negative blood, so the rhogam prevents my body from fighting or rejecting the baby, who likely has positive blood. I thought it was going to be simple and take no time at all, but I was there for nearly two hours! Probably because I went first thing in the morning and they didn't have that many people on staff. It took forever for the results of my blood test to come back from the lab, which they needed to confirm my blood type before giving me the rhogam. I should have brought a book to read!

Recipe Review

2011-05-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

The bulk of my new recipes this week came from the Southern Living cookbook I checked out from the library a few weeks ago. I marked quite a few pages, so we'll see if I can get through them all before the book is due back. The other two recipes came from my go-to sources....Rachael Ray and Cooking Light.

First off, we tried Cincinnati Sloppy Sliders from the May issue of Rachael Ray's magazine.

I didn't bother with any of the recommended toppings like onions, jalapeno, or cilantro....we just topped ours simply with shredded cheddar. And obviously, I chose to make regular sized sloppy joes instead of sliders. As far as taste goes...eh. You can always count on Rachael Ray for great chili recipes and that's what this was, another great chili recipe. I just didn't care for it much in burger form. I think I'd rather eat it on spaghetti or just straight out of a bowl.

Next we had Hoisin Marinated Pork Chops, with a side of couscous and Tyler's carrot pennies.

After one bite, I was declaring, "OMG, these are so good!". I'm telling you, there is nothing better than a grilled pork chop. They come out so much more juicy and tender then with any other cooking method. And the glaze....mmmm, so good! I'll be making these again for sure.

Keeping with the grilled theme, we also tried Chicken Thighs with Thyme and Lemon.

I wanted to love this recipe, especially since chicken thighs make for such an affordable meal, but I just didn't. The chicken was okay, but nothing special.

Finally, we tried Beans with Smoked Sausage.

Thankfully I read the reviews online ahead of time, so I knew that cooking the beans on high for 8 hours was going to be WAY to long. Instead I cooked them, which were great northern by the way, for just over 3 hours. The flavor was alright in the end, but I think the fresh thyme was a little bit overpowering.

From the May issue of Cooking Light, I made a half batch of Pistachio Chai Muffins.

The flavor of these were actually really good. The only chai tea I have in the house are some single serve brew pods for my tassimo machine, so I cut one open and used that. My only complaint was that I noticed a slightly bitter taste in the finished muffin, which I assume was from the baking soda. That probably means I didn't thoroughly mix the dry ingredients....I should have used a whisk.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

As soon as he woke up this morning, Tyler surprised me with the present he made at school. I say 'surprised', but really he's been telling me about it all week, so I knew perfectly well what it was.

It was a pot holder or oven mitt, as he's been calling it, that he colored in with fabric markers.

And even though I knew what it was, it was still a surprise to see how good of a job he did. I was impressed to see how colorful it was and how much time and effort he had put into it. I love it!

The boys also got me some flowers.....a mixed arrangement from Rick and an orchid from Tyler.

Breakfast was a joint effort. I'll give credit to Rick for making the french toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon. All I had to do was keep the potatoes from burning and cut up a few pieces of fruit.

After breakfast we headed downtown for the opening day of the Farmer's Market. I wasn't expecting to find much and I didn't. I wasn't too interested in kettle corn, asparagus, or the baked goods that were offered. Instead, we just walked through and continued on to the Cinco De Mayo festival that was going on on the adjoining street. By then it was after noon, so we grabbed a few tamales and some churros. Tyler got some strawberry horchata to drink, but I opted for a cup of coffee from Essencia Bakery that was right around the corner. Delicious!