Holiday baking

I baked a couple treats this past week and was proud of both. One was a pecan pie. I'd never made one before and I'm always looking for recipes that are easy to throw together since I have little time. It turned out really tasty and got good reviews during Christmas, so I'm making another here soon. The taste of this pie is exactly as she describes on her blog. Not too sweet, nutty, buttery, and actually a little salty, which compliments the sweetness really well.

I also made a pear galette and managed to get a few pictures during the process.

This also turned out well and got great reviews (so great that I didn't get to try it myself). I had such fun cooking this. I'd never made a galette before and it involved such simple ingredients and techniques. A friend said it was the best thing they had tasted in awhile and they had just visited Napa (which I guess says a lot even though I haven't eaten much good food in Napa but know they are all about gourmet in that town).

It would have never crossed my mind to make a galette but my sister recommended I bake one with the pears she gave us for Christmas from Harry and David. Michael and I found the enclosed pamphlet with the pears kind of humorous, which read:

"Of the world's delights, the rarest, most delicious pears are the ones we call...

Royal Riviera Pears - so big and juicy, you eat them with a spoon."

When buying fruit, we usually don't choose pears so this was a suprise/treat. Baking with them was the perfect answer. I combined a couple recipes online, here and here. I used pre-made rolled out dough which I always keep on hand in the freezer, 2 pears, fresh lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, flour, butter, and egg wash on the crust with raw sugar sprinkled over it. I have two pears left. Guess what I'm doing with those?

Winter knitting

It's the perfect season for a Mara and I'm working on it, but I'm afraid my friend Angela might beat me. She's got an advantage with less yarn and her yarn is a little thicker. I am working with beautiful madelinetosh yarn she gifted me and it's an easy knit wherever I go.

I tried to get a lump of coal knit for hubby's stocking but didn't get it finished before Christmas. That's how hectic things can be around here. That and I started it about three times for no good reason. Maybe next year (Michael, just act like you didn't read that).

Something else on the needles is a light pink cotton cupcake with white frosting. I've been wanting to knit one for years so I'm using up some yarn. I also just dyed some bare superwash yarn for a sweater for Maggie. It turned out pretty cool. It was a crockpot dye with 4 different shades.

Two more shawls for the New Year - multnomah and citron. Yippee!

Have I mentioned how much I love Ravelry? It's a huge suck of time. I always have things to do while Maggie is asleep and then spend too much time online doing this stuff and not enough time knitting, watching favorite movies, or reading and relaxing. Oh well, Ravelry makes me happy.

Christmas countdown

We did a family photo shoot that helped get our Christmas cards out this year! Here are some of the shots. I'm in love.
And speaking of professinal photos, Maggie and I also helped out a friend and took some shots for her event at work. She works for Eskaton and was taking photos of families using their demonstration home with features that make it easier to live. We did three scenes of mom and baby doing various things. Maggie was a show off, all smiles. One day you just might see us up on the wall in a model home in your neck of the woods.

Merry Christmas friends!

What a steal

We were out shopping yesterday and on our way out of a store as we were driving through the parking lot hubby spots a curbed empty cart but with a big bag of dog food on the bottom shelf. It had obviously been left behind in all the holiday madness and I yell "Stop!" He gives me that look, but with a mischievous eye, and pulls over. I hop out, pop the hatch, and throw the dog food in without really thinking any further and yell through the back, "Let's get the heck out of here!" As we drive away and giggle, it's a little goofy because we don't have a dog but in the moment, it seemed like a good idea.

So as we're leaving for a birthday party last night I said to throw the dog food in the car since the birthday folks were dog owners. Upon walking into the party, I ask if anyone wants this bag of dog food and we found a nice couple with two cute dogs who were very glad to take the bag. They said it was worth about $40. Hmph, had no idea. I was thinking $20. So, it was a good end to the story that started out with a bit of mischievousness, but with good intentions of course! In return we were gifted two bottles of homebrewed beer. Yum!

This isn't the only time this has happened. One day at Raley's we went home with a bag of mexican food ingredients, not purchased by us. And then yesterday right after the dog food incident, I was at another store and it happened again but to the woman in front of me. However, she didn't snag the wrapping paper and instead told the cashier it wasn't hers. Hopefully, the fact that we gave the dog food away righted our chi and all is good in the world :-)

Winter family outing

Snow is here! We visited the snow with Maggie and I think she was shocked by the scene around her. Her little water resistant/fleece-lined jacket that took me forever to find (not many stores carry jackets like this for babies) pulled through. Maggie was most intrigued with touching the snowflakes falling on daddy's jacket.
We also woke to a dusting of snow last week. We had a few days of below freezing temps and snow come into town. I can't remember the last time this much snow fell so low in elevation. It sent everyone into a frenzy for a few days.
Hubby had his first day of skiing and now I want mine!

The babes

Yesterday, my one and only niece turned two. It wasn't long ago that Eden was Maggie's age and such a cute little infant. The first baby between my sister and I and so adored by all. Now she's a toddler and growing like a weed. She makes us laugh all the time and she and Maggie are the best of friends. I am amazed at how grown up she is already with the way she talks and how big she is. She even goes to school! Happy birthday little one. Maggie is 9 months old today and woke up with a cough/cold. Hopefully it isn't anything more serious. She is pretty upbeat except for the coughing and stuffy nose, more so when visitors come around :-) I'm hoping the warm vaporizer is going to help tonight.

Her schedule has been thrown out the window. Teething has disrupted her sleep and sometimes she is a little fussier which has made for some hard days and nights recently. Michael is hoping she has some pretty big buck teeth coming in to show for it. Funny but I hope not.

Must see

Since my work's Christmas party last week, I want more of Utz! and the Shuttlecocks.

You ask "What or who is that?"

It's a sweet cover band that played at the party and got almost everyone from our company out on the dance floor. I've been out dancing recently and this by far was the most fun I've had in a long while. I know my co-workers would agree too.

So, besides New Year's Eve, where will they be? Jessie, will you join me? Michael, will I get you to dance again? Patria, I wished you lived here!

1,2,3,4...5 purses!

For my birthday, my MIL treated me to a purse after I had bought and returned one already. I was on a path to find the perfect purse for a new mom. You know, one that doesn't get all tangled up with everything else you are carrying, it can fit a few toys, and it's really durable. It also has to be stylish and good for everyday.

Up until recently, I have been using my tried and true red purse that my mom gifted me a few years back. It was my first really fashionable purse. Both my sister and I have one and we love them.

The purse my MIL bought me wasn't the style or color I was imagining, but after a long day shopping, I thought I found the one and loved the look so much that I bought two (with plans to return one). Then hubby pointed out how it was falling apart a week after using it. Both got returned. Then I went in the Coach outlet and saw a cutie but it was way out of my price range and more of a summer purse. Peach-colored with a little bit of glimmer in the leather. Beautiful. I wouldn't have gone in but a friend of mine owns two Coach purses that I've always admired and even though they are expensive, they have held up wonderfully over time. Maybe one day.

I realized after all of this searching though that I wanted a simple hobo-style bag. And I found it. I now love The Sak.

End of November

I love my friends. I go to knitting this week and they assure me that I've just had a string of bad luck and that I am perfect the way I am. Love it.

Just catching up...

Our Thanksgiving was full of good stuff. It started off with Maggie cutting her two bottom teeth the day before, which made for our hardest night yet. But we trudged on the next morning and walked the Run to Feed the Hungry, a tradition in our family. It gets bigger and bigger every year (and more expensive). I think there were 40,000+ people there. Madness! (I don't know this guy up front, I caught him at a bad angle - but you get the idea)

The holiday was a little different for us this year. Less running around, which was wonderful based on the lack of sleep and carting a baby around. Before Thanksgiving, I cooked our "porch" pumpkin and made Thai pumpkin soup, roasted seeds, and baby food. It was a full week of cooking.
Maggie is on the go. She is in the "speck" eating phase and over the weekend I found a gross dried spider in her mouth. Eew. She is pulling herself up on everything and is even taking a few steps when supported. We also realized last weekend that she was playing ball with us and got it on video. I think the video is a little long and it won't post. Boo.

Now Christmas is on it's way! We had some professional photos taken and will be sending out cards soon.

Darn tree, darn me

My sister and I set out to get Christmas trees today. Back up to Apple Hill because we thought we had found a tree farm that sold trees by the foot. Because Maggie is into everything right now, we considered not getting a tree this year but then that just seemed sad so we agreed to get a little one we could put on a table.

We arrived to the tree farm with good omens. My sister had a plan, I didn't. I didn't ask any questions, she did, and I assumed I could get a little tree for a little price. But that didn't happen. Once it was cut and brought up to the register, they said it technically was too small to be cut and that they had a five-foot minimum. WTF? I ended up paying the minimum price which was way out of my budget and felt sheepish all the way home.

All said and done, I'm happy to have our little tree home but this is strike two. I'm learning that I need to ask more questions up front and be more up front with people in general so that I get what I want in the end. It's hard being an adult!