February

First things first. Happy birthday sick husband! He was not the best patient this past weekend and I'm glad we celebrated before it hit, but we still haven't recieved his gift by mail yet (drill for our upcoming bath remodel). It's a delayed birthday of sorts, one that lasts a week. We've hit the season in our house where birthdays and celebrations are taking us by storm. I'm more prepared this year but wow, I'm constantly shopping for gifts and getting cards and meals ready.

My kids are taking over. This is one instance from this morning where Max proceeded to climb up on their little table and start ripping Maggie's art off the wall. I read a friend's post yesterday and felt a little more normal after reading it. She has a little guy that is doing the same. But seriously. Max was with his grandma yesterday and he climbed out of his crib at naptime. She found him at his door banging on it. Not crying, just wanting out. Ay yay yay! Before that happened yesterday, I was going to document other good stuff that's been happening around here. Like, Max had a bang and "over the ears" trim at 9 months. His hair was getting a bit shaggy and I wasn't ready to have him get a full cut. I wasn't even sure what that would be. Cutting boy's hair? Not my forte. The stylist commented that he was a great little client, one of her best. He sat on my lap and would look this way and that in response to new sounds. Then it became time for Maggie to get her hair trimmed so we did him again last week because his grew out really fast. He's quickly becoming the little boy. I thought I would mind more, but it's pretty darn cute. He has transitioned to walking in the past week too. Watch out!

Maggie is a cute little dancer. I think she is quickly becoming the teacher's pet. I overheard her at dance class last week being asked to get in front of her peers and state her name, age, and what she wants to be when she grows up. I heard the first girl say a singer. Then Maggie went up and said in a soft voice that she wants to be a farmer so that she can take care of pigs. I peeked in at that point and gave her teacher a smile and she responded to the class by asking Maggie about pigs and said "that's the first time I've heard that one." My daughter, the lip gloss wearing farmer :-) Her teacher held a Valentine's Day party at her studio a couple weekends ago and we signed Maggie up. She was the youngest and stayed close to the teacher all night. I think she had fun but she told us a few days after that she held her tears in while she was there. I asked her why and she said because we weren't there. Such a cute girl, a growing up moment.

I've read and finished my first book of the year: Hungry Monkey. I found this book in the Friends of the Library stacks. It was a very good read. I'll be going through it again to flag recipes and write down ingredients I want to search out. Not your typical children's "cookbook" but a great spin on how to eat with kids with lots of great tips. If you have little ones and haven't taken them to an asian market yet, do it, it's great fun. We're headed back soon.

We went on a family hike recently and leading up to it, I told Maggie we were going to see our friends and hike and she said back "Mom, you remember that I don't like to hike, right?" Yep Maggie, I know sweet dear, but we're going anyway. If you ask me how the hike went, great! Fresh air, good company, and needed exercise. 1/2 the time I carried Max in the ergo. The other half hubby offered to carry Max and then big sis wanted to be carried. This ended up being hubby also carrying her on his shoulders. It was a sight to see.

Wrapping it up, hubby and I may be in over our heads right now. Having fun of course but tired and trying to keep up with these two little monsters :) Max is currently playing with scizzors and digging through the file cabinet and trash, gotta run...

Seeing clearly

I'm happy that 2013 is here. I'm feeling refreshed and I like the number 3. I turned 33 a few months ago and with our two kids in tow, we're on a roll. This year I won't be pregnant or living in the trenches of one of our baby's first year. I don't make new year's resolutions because those just seem silly but I do hope to get in some more exercise and reverse some of these wrinkles I'm seeing. I also am going to develop more quality time with hubby and just have more fun, some of that was in short supply last year.

This year I am going to take a trip (or maybe four). I'd love to go back to Hawaii, but I also want to take the kids to Monterey and I know we'll be visiting Aptos, and hopefully Oregon and Cayucos.

I also want to read more which means I need to stay up after the kids go to bed. Hmm...

Our holiday vacation was full of long days but then it was over in an instant. I got a lot of things cleaned out ("spring" cleaning), and I rarely went outside. Too cold. We spent lots of family time together. I cooked new recipes and a really yummy, moist turkey on New Year's Eve. Maggie fell asleep on my chest that night shortly after I told her she could stay up. I think she was holiday'd out and it was just really sweet to have my baby girl peacefully sleeping on my chest. We went on a NYE daytime date to see this movie. Billy Crystal had us cracking up. We saw the snow but didn't make it past the parking lot (our plan was to snowshoe with the kids and friends). It was a challenging 24 hours but I'm still glad we went. Trying times (or ones that don't live up to your expectations) seem to make the best laughable stories and memories!

{More good recipes to share}

Really awesome chocolate chip cookies - the dry ingredients were gifted to us at Christmas. I let the batter chill for 36 hours.

Comfort food one-pot pasta meal with bacon and butternut squash - I used what I had on hand, so instead of shallots I used leeks and white onion and instead of provolone I used cheddar. I didn't use rosemary because I was too lazy to go outside and clip it and I didn't think I'd miss it.

Leftover turkey pot pie - I have been making this for a long time, I think I clipped the recipe in college (the one linked is similar). This time, I used turkey of course, frozen peas and white corn, fresh carrots and onion, herbs de provence, leftover turkey gravy mixed with country gravy to give it creaminess and water to get the right consistency.

Holiday ramble

A lot has come and gone and I keep thinking "I need to write that down". Maggie's comments have been great lately, I want to bottle it all up. Oh wait, here's one:

I am fond of the old Rudolph animated movie and bought it last year to show to Maggie (she was 2). When the scene with the abominable snowman came on, it was too scary for her so we turned it off. This year, we tried it again. I built it up and she was back and forth about it. During a moment where she was for it, we turned it on. During the elf/misfit scene, I walk out of the room for a second and I hear wierd crying so I run back to see what was up and she was really crying, saying she'd seen a "claw!". I guess that was enough for her. She told me this week that we can watch it on Christmas day. Why? Because she'll be big enough then. LOL.

I discovered 4 new teeth popping through on Max Thanksgiving day. That makes 8 teeth on an 8 month old boy (as of tomorrow). He is now crawling, not just scooting everywhere and he likes to stand up holding onto things. Have I said how much he likes paper? He's like a goat. Present opening with him should be fun.

I am very much in the Christmas spirit. I've made my list of fun holiday things to do and I'm crossing them off one by one. Last weekend, when I started writing this post, we had crazy winter weather, we decorated our Charlie Brown tree (truly intentional this time), went to a Christmas party and birthday party, and I made some pumpkin bread and butternut squash soup with Christmas music playing in the background. Maggie watched the Caillou holiday movie and immediately asked for hot chocolate. I searched the cabinet and instead made her atole de pinole (like hot chocolate kind of but made with corn flour). It was "yummy mommy" until it tipped and spilled everywhere. This is our life. Something like that happens most days around here, I'm not sure we can escape it with 2 little ones running around.

I am in need of planning our next family getaway. The snow is calling me...but so is the wintery beach and family.

On my list for this month is taking Maggie to her first Nutcracker ballet! We both can't wait. She plans to wear her flower girl dress that she wore last month to a wedding. It's cleaned and ready for it's 2nd appearance :-)

{Christmas Holiday Fun Short List}

Nutcracker with the girls
Caroling
Have fun with Maggie's daily advent calendar
Listen to lots of Christmas music until we can't stand it anymore
Drink hot chocolate/warm drinks
Make a gingerbread house with Maggie
Watch the Dr. Seuss's Grinch cartoon
Make or get Maggie a scarf
Make cinnamon rolls
Have Maggie write her wish list to Santa
Pictures with Santa
Go ornament shopping
Get a couple new stockings
Go ice skating
Make holiday crafts

Two nights ago, I put Max to bed early and Maggie and I bundled up in her princess tent and read books, drank egg nog, and ate truffles with flashlights and candles until we fell asleep. She liked it so much she did it again last night. Creating good memories (especially for hubby when he sees me scrunched up in the tent) :-)

How's October treating ya?

Last week felt kinda hard, this week is I'm feeling good. Last week I was jealous - hubby got to escape on a trip kid free for a few days of fun to the Wild Wild West ~

Don't get me wrong. I do have the opportunity to "escape" as well but I keep turning it down. It all comes down to "do I really want to be away from the baby?" Nah, not really. I just need moments of peace. And it made me think about how much life has changed from the times we used to do those trips together a lot. I really love the open road.

October highlights:
Max army crawling (starting to crawl!), sitting up, toothy grinning and giggling, babbling - I swear I've heard him say "hi" back and saying "dada-da-da...", weighing in at 20+ lbs (maybe I should put that under lowlights? ha ha)
weather fall-ish some days, this weekend rain?
Maggie singing and making up songs, in a "Princess" phase, always hungry
pumpkin patch fun
sleepovers with the grandmas
connecting people
a little bit of home cooking (like the loosly followed minestrone soup recipe where I used up leftovers including tri tip, pasta wheels, frozen summer marinara sauce, and asiago cheese rind that turned into gooey chunks in our soup bowls - yum)
fun family weekend to Nevada filled with visit to see extended family, Donner memorial state park nature walk and picnic, 25th floor hotel room and indoor pool (Maggie ecstatic), ferris wheel ride, and splashing dog competition. Maggie's comment on the dog competition: "I didn't know dogs liked to jump in water!"

October lowlights:
nursing induced hormone fluctuations?
forgetting to take vitamins + carrying 20 lb baby and sometimes 30 lb preschooler=sore joints/body
interrupted sleep (I'm the kind of person that just doesn't feel good if I don't get my 8+ hours)


It's starting to feel like knitting weather again. I haven't picked anything up yet, but I want to! Something new/easy/and gratifying!

Pictures to come...

One...no two!

I really can't keep up with his milestones. Last week was Max's 4 month well-baby check. He weighed just over 17 lbs, which put him in the 90th percentile still and his height was way over 100%. Have I said that Max reminds me of my side of the family, especially my dad?

This week Max's naps were a bit off and he was a bit more cranky. I've been thinking teething for a long time because of the knawing and drooling but you never know when they'll actually pop through. Yeah, 2 bottom teeth popped through. Nuts! Little Miss Maggie got her firsts at 9 months and her weight and height has always been so petite. Having two different kids is fun!



Best buds

Seen and heard:

Maggie: "Mom, did you know alligators eat trees?" Me: "Where did you learn that?" Maggie: "I just did." Oh, ok. Guess I can't argue with that. We have a lot of these conversations. I just love everything coming out of her mouth.

Somehow I fit in a few hours of learning how to can plum jam last weekend. I've been giving away so many plums and it barely makes a dent. I trippled the jam recipe and after it didn't gell to my liking, I read the fine print that said when you do that, it's hard to reach a gelling point. Next time I'm prepared with a candy thermometer and certain temp to reach courtesy of a fellow canner. I have 8 pints of sugary jam/syrup. It's pretty good and a beautiful garnet color. I had it over some limencello ice cream I made and yeah, that was super yum. Put it over waffles this morning :-)

Next up - savory plum sauce (with ginger, brown sugar) that I'm envisioning over meat during the winter. Maybe some tomato chili sauce or marinara sauce if I can get enough tomatoes saved up and the timing to can them right.

Green smoothies

I needed to find a way to incorporate some green supplement powder that I'm taking for pregnancy into my daily routine, plus add more protein and iron to my diet in this last trimester. Green breakfast smoothies have been the answer and I'm loving them (and so is everyone else...it's quite the trend right now). I use what's on hand but have stocked up on fresh spinach. So, the spinach (a good handful) and supplements always go in, but then I add fruit (apples, banana, frozen mango, blueberries), fruit juice or some sort of milk (coconut milk so far), and yogurt but sometimes I leave that out. You wouldn't guess because of the color but it's so yummy and easy to drink. The baby loves it (starts kicking right after I drink it) and Maggie loves it - she gets a green mustache and today she said after blending that it looks like a frog :-) She's also getting pretty good at using the hand blender. Love my little helper!

Two's setting in

About a month ago, I started noticing subtle changes in Maggie that were showing that the her two's we've heard about were starting to show their colors. I'm not going to say terrible two's because that just sounds negative. She is still our sweet Maggie but with a little more umph! Reading a friend's blog today and I could relate. Parenthood is bittersweet and it is hard to be completely in the moment when there is so much going on around us but I also try to enjoy and appreciate these special moments when they happen. One thing that had me laughing the other day is the potty training process. We had a friend over so my attention was divided and we were practicing underwear/no underwear-time in the house. Next thing I know I find Maggie using the toilet but a little too late. She had the wiping down but then told me "there is poop everwhere!" and then proceeded to show me where it was. Good times.

We've been on the go a lot. We're in the middle of swim lessons as it is that time of year that we hear of very tragic events in the water involving children and I just don't want Maggie to go down that road. She also showed a huge exhuberance for water this spring so I knew it was time. Lessons have been great. The pool looks so inviting but dad has been having fun in the pool.

My goal this summer is to get out and go camping a lot and spend time outside with family and friends. So far, we're doing good. We are having friends over for meals, riding our bikes, walking to the park, and enjoying our yard and garden.

Around the Bend

Never got around to posting this last year!



What started as a late summer camping trip to Oregon to visit a friend's cabin property and spend a couple days exploring Bend like the good old days (when we used to live and breathe mountain biking) morphed a couple times until it became a more comfortable stay in a remodeled 1920's bungalow on the westside of downtown Bend (and an extra night in a hotel to top it off :-)

The car ride involved a portable DVD player and lots of Baby Signing Time and Peep and the Big Wide World videos. I brought snacks, new toys and stickers to keep Maggie busy. After a few stops we cruised into Bend, arriving on time and without much fuss. A long nap and a happy kid on the other side of the drive (quite impressed).

We spent the week relaxing. Eating well. Cooking gourmet meals in the gourmet kitchen. Napping. Drinking microbrew beer and good wine. Hanging out in the spa on the deck. Riding bikes on drizzly fall-inspired days. Tasting microbrews around town at the various breweries. Hiking with kiddo in the ergo. Breaking up quarrels between a 1- and 2-year old. Putting fake tattoos on ourselves (mine? right above my butt. that one threw hubby for a loop! he he). Visiting a toy shop and eating old-fashioned ice cream. Eating in pubs with all the other young families out on the town. Running around REI in the Old Mill District. Swimming in an indoor pool. Taking long drives, exploring the outer limits of Bend and high desert wilderness (so peaceful and beautiful). Talking between cars on walkie talkies. Mooning eachother on the freeway (old past time before kids but it looks like some things never die). Remembering days past. Looking forward to years forward.

Leading up to the trip (with my partner in crime a.k.a Jessie) I negotiated a great rate for the house (keeping our slim budget in mind). Thank you Maxfields for being such wonderful friends and continuing our travel streak. I'm amazed after every trip how much all-out fun we have and how every year it changes a little bit. Such fun times!



My other husband and kiddo-ha ha



10

Haven't sat down in awhile to post, but I've had a lot on my mind...

1) I've been spending some really good quality time with my family and trying to keep my schedule in check. Sleeping as much as I can since Maggie waking up at 4 am the past few weeks has made me a little more tired than usual.

2) I'm starting a few knitting projects and am looking forward to getting together with friends this weekend to re-create a retreat that we all once attended pre-kids :-) Now, mind-boggingly, between the 3 of us we have 5 kids in the matter of 3 years.

3) Cooking lots, trying new recipes. Will post about my new favorite cookie recipe soon.

4) Won a blog contest from one of my favorite bloggers! She is an inspiration to me and scrapbooks a lot (among so many other things). I've done a little scrapbooking, around the time of my wedding, but hopefully this will inspire me to do more or use the materials in a creative way.

5) Wanting to enter more contests/giveaways. Entered one a few weeks ago and have one ready to enter. I have a thing for these (and game shows where I can watch people win). Winning always helps motivate me!

6) Wanting to plan my 2011 vacation (or weekend getaway) to start, but not sure where that will be yet.

7) Entering a busy birthday season. 6 family members within weeks of eachother, all local, and friends to boot. Gonna be busy and in the middle of it I'm throwing Maggie a birthday party.

8) Tasted really good vegan Indian food. Didn't know it existed until last night. I'm always inspired by my sister, taking so many fun things away from the times I spend with her. What always suprises me is that she doesn't see how awesome she is!

9) Need to get out in my garden and do some tidying up and prepping for spring.

10) 3 craft goals that I want to accomplish this year: finish painting and hang my belly cast for Maggie; take a quilting class, and try embroidery.

Winter food

The dairy-free diet is working well for Maggie so we're cooking without most dairy these days (when I say most, I mean cow's milk products except for butter in moderation). I was told she could probably handle butter and it's been fine. I'm learning about cooking with alternative ingredients as well as trying simple alternatives for snacks, etc. Maggie can tolerate goat milk products so she drinks the milk and eats the cheese. With all this, I've had some interesting conversations and gotten great ideas from friends that have eliminated one thing or another from their diet.

                                Our helper in the kitchen






Dishes I've made recently include:
1. coconut rice pudding (brown rice, coconut milk, and vanilla) - was ok but not awesome. I'd use white rice next time and maybe spice it up a little.
2. vegetarian bean chili with tofutti sour cream (used up canned ingredients in the cupboard including tomatoes, diced green chili's, 3 types of beans, jarred roasted red bell pepper, dried shitake mushrooms, onion, and frozen corn) - turned out nice and light
3. slow cooker whole bean soup (very simple-just dry Mayocoba beans, beef broth, water, and salt - set to simmer all afternoon) - always a good filler. Michael's family calls these "soupy" beans I think.
4. slow cooker pulled pork (boneless pork shoulder, homemade bbq sauce, pulled pork spice packet) - super yummy and lots of leftovers.
5. roasted winter root vegetables (red potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, shallots, garlic, parsnips, extra virgin olive oil) - really liked this combination.
6. turkey tacos with tofutti sour cream - always an easy favorite (we sometimes substitute crumbled tofu or fish instead of turkey).

Leave me a comment if you want a full recipe.

Recipes to try:
1. Chicken curry made with coconut milk
2. Slow cooker pot roast
3. Shrimp scampi
4. Muffins using canned pumpkin and/or applesauce (would love to serve these as "cupcakes" with some kind of dairy-free frosting for Maggie's birthday in March)
5. Goat cheese pizza

Hope this inspires!

Gold and Green

I've been caught up with the holiday season and it's been wonderful. When I find myself getting a little run down that's when I go to sleep early or take a nap.

Knitting has taken a backseat. I just don't feel that interested in it, even though I would love some new handknits for myself during these winter months. I don't have much time for my own crafts as a mom; now that time is devoted to other things including devising toddler crafts. When I'm not tending to Maggie, I'm at work, doing endless errands, spending quality time with hubby, or sleeping. I hope my desire to knit comes back but I'm liking this break and it felt good to finally give in to it.

We visited the snow for the first time this season. I always like to take the time to just check it out before we make a ski day committment. I know, funny. Went up to Hope Valley/Sorenson's, a special place for us-home to where we got married. 

Maggie had fun, but she wasn't as thrilled with the snow as I thought she'd be. I imagined her frolicking through the snow but it was more like "Mom, I'm cold, you have me in an oversized pink snowsuit and boots, I hate wearing hats, and I just don't like this!" Stomp, stomp. 

It was a very peaceful drive which I appreciated. Lost in my thoughts, taking in the perfect snowy scenery. One of those get-away perfect days.

Maggie has officially sat on Santa's lap and in her Scottish plaid jumper to boot. She was hesitant at first but after seeing candy canes, she was putty in his lap :-) Wish I could share a picture but I haven't seen them myself! They are in the mail or soon to be...we did the free church picture during a busy street faire. While in the hustle and bustle on the street, Maggie was running around and a guy took one look at her and said, "That's a lot of plaid." At least I think that's what he said. Maybe he was referring to my outfit and said "That's a lot of black." Anyways, I laughed to myself. I remember my niece wearing this jumper at Christmas and it seemed like the perfect outfit for such an occasion.

I'm scrambling to put together presents and get ready for next week's busyness. I've got my weekend carefully planned out in order to maximize my efficiency with shopping, baking, cooking, and socializing. My present giving this year is heartfelt and creative and I'm looking for "green" wrapping ideas. Please share if you have any tips!

20 months and more

I gave Maggie her 3rd mini haircut. She keeps needing length taken off the top, sides, and bangs. It was a quick cut with my cheapy Sally Beauty Supply scizzors on the bathroom counter, just long enough to keep her distracted. It's cute, with a touch of mullet.

Allergies mild and continuing...dairy, wheat/gluten, wool, or just crazy parents making a big deal out of nothing? I've felt like a really lame detective.

Maggie isn't babbling so much anymore; instead it's lots of mimicking and talking. She can repeat her numbers in Spanish (1-10) after me. Those come out much clearer than her English numbers, but she is in love with "two" and "three". She said "Bye Nana" and "Adios!" as family left on Thanksgiving. It's really cool to hear her repeat most anything now and her pronounciation is getting much clearer. There are still lots of things she says that only a few of us understand.

Her favorite show is "Peep" - trying to keep that one under control :-) She loves to draw and I'm excited to be getting a few toddler play books soon. Activities save us! I scored a bunch of maps from work that are huge and only printed on one side. They will make great art paper for paint and anything else I can come up with.

Thanksgiving was wonderful - loved ones at our house in the chilly sunny weather to enjoy a potluck-style dinner. LOTS of food, happy faces, and great attitudes. I cooked my first turkey - a 25 pounder! Enough to give leftovers to everyone and we used our wedding china (given to us from a family friend that were gently used from her marriage) for the first time in 4 years!

Other Maggie facts at 20 months:
-takes routine long naps and sleeps through the night (it's been pretty good since turning 1)
-well mannered and says "Please" and "Thank you" correctly in her tiny soft voice
-fiery (with me at least) pretty often, a doll with others
-independent, likes to clean and use utensils by herself
-likes to make friends
-great in the car (as opposed to not so great from 0-1 yrs)

Maggie has many people in her life that have fallen in love with her from the minute they've met her and would do anything for her. It's really true. I can't imagine life without Maggie. She inspires me to have more kiddos (husband willing), no matter how hard it can be to be a parent sometimes. Just like hosting Thanksgiving, it's a lot of work but so worth it! he he

Thankful

Maggie went the week without dairy in her diet and by the weekend her allergic reactions were trickling away. So, we've introduced dairy slowly back into her diet and it's not affecting her. Hmm...

Last week was nuts, this week is much more peaceful. Just spent the morning with my sis and niece -a little shopping, storytime, and Indian food. Good times.

We needed helping hands this week with childcare and I was ever so grateful that our new friend who moved nearby started up a small childcare at her home and got licensed last week. We were lucky to get to know her and her daughter, who is 2 weeks older than Maggie, the past few months and now, have her watch Maggie on short notice. It was a relief! We had other childcare set up but this was a better fit. Maggie loved being there, and knowing that makes all the difference when you aren't with your child.

We're prepping for turkey day. It's our first time hosting Thanksgiving at our house and I'm excited to have our families over. Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends near and far!

Day in the Life

You know you are having a great day when everything just falls into place. Hubby stayed in with the kiddo twice this week so that I could go out and enjoy some time with friends. So, today he was home doing his thang and I stayed busy with the Magster. We had a suprise visit from his dad and I captured a nice moment, father and son style. The funniest thing happened this morning. Maggie woke up early, which is normal, and we often try to entice her to fall asleep for another hour or so if we bring her into our bed. After doing this and her fussing around a bit, in my half-sleep state I felt her sliding off our tall bed, which she needs help to get off of, but intead of waking up and walking off she layed on the carpet and put her head on the pillow on the floor. It was so trippy. She slept like that for almost a couple more hours.

We hit up Harvest Day at our local horticultural center/community garden. I had Maggie on my back in the ergo and we tasted a variety of grapes and tomatoes grown there. It's an awesome site, with an orchard full of ripe fruit, native/Mediterranean plantings in full bloom, and lots of vegi plants. I picked up some plants for our own garden that are hard to find. Romanesco, dwarf pomegranate, lemongrass, dinasour kale, and other fun ones. You should have seen me leaving, it was a sight. Toddler on my back whining, a full tray of plants in front, and bags hanging off of me. In the same area is our library and we scored lots of books before we left. Maggie is always drawn to the kid computers, not the toys or books. The little girl next to her was being such a sport.

After a few afternoon beers with the boys, some much needed grocery shopping, and a dinner made up of homemade pesto over asparagus ravioli, sauteed brussel sprouts, chicken sausage, garden bruchetta on ciabiatta, and white wine, I'm one happy girl.

Now off to do more laundry and maybe throw some chocolate chip cookies in the oven...

Random thoughts

I wish I could slash a line, like I would on one of my incessant lists, through a couple of the books I started and then stopped reading this year. Neither of these I ended up caring for: Circling My Mother and A Year in the World (both picked up from Friends of the Library for a $1 or so, no loss there). They are going back into goodwill circulation soon. I gave Circling My Mother a chance because it looked interesting but it was quite boring. A Year in the World is one of Frances Mayes newer books (remember Under the Tuscan Sun?) so I thought it would be good but it was hard to stick with. I found her to be a little full of herself. Maybe due to her fame as an author now? It's too bad because the places she goes are interesting in themselves but I had a hard time joining her on her journey. The cover of the book is attractive though.

I'm thankful for state furloughs again. I know many state workers would love a full paycheck, but I also know many of them got used to Fridays off and like having more free time. It just means Maggie gets to be with daddy again and it gives me more peace inside.

Some days I feel left behind, in the "I'm a parent now and have to put my family first" v.s. "I used to be able to get up and go whenever I wanted and it was a breeze" way of thinking. None of the getaways I had imagined for this summer are panning out. It's fine of course because there is always fun stuff to do (and relaxing at home is one of those fun things) but life has taken a different path and I'm adjusting.

I want to make white gazpacho this weekend, which will use up my cucumbers. I'm a gazpacho fan since growing up and enjoying my Aunt Kris's recipe (which she wrote down from her college years in Spain). It's the tomato version though, so this will be interesting...blanched almonds, green grapes... Hubby is not a fan of cold soups. I hope he eats his share of bruschetta and crusty bread this weekend. We have a load of tomatoes in our kitchen. I was so pleased to pick four beautiful heirloom tomatoes about a week ago, I've never had good luck with those. We have more on the way among all of the other tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and herbs.

Iced lattes are the perfect "keep it together" drink in summer with a kid in tow. One of my favorite stops is a coffee hut near our house. I drove up this week, on my way to lunch with a friend, ordered my drink and asked for a mini drink for Maggie. Just ice water, but I could tell when it was handed to her through the window that she felt special. There has been a lot of grunting when she wants a sip of momma's drink and sometimes it results in tears when she can't have the sip. Once she catches on, she might just need a steamer or some chocolate milk.

Pizza craze

Funny story...

Last Saturday we get a knock at the door from our mail lady. She woke Maggie up from her nap while doing so and she needed a signature for certified mail being delivered to me. Michael signed for the letter and started probing me about it while the baby was crying in the same moment, so for a second it was chaos. Quickly, I had baby in my arms and I caught up with him in the kitchen as he was opening the envelope (which I told him to do among the chaos...I totally thought it was junk mail). Keep reading.

It all started last summer when I was on maternity leave, cooking often, and trying to save a few bucks. Our friend Ken had hurt himself and we wanted to bring him food once he came home from the hospital. I made a few pizzas and experimented with ingredients as I often do. One of the pizzas I made was unique and well-recieved. I had seen on the packaging of the crust I had used that the company held a recipe contest for new pizza creations. I stored the information away...

Fast forward about 6 months. I was at home one day while Maggie was napping taking care of stuff on the computer and I decided to write down my recipe and submit it online. It was really easy and after that, I totally forgot about it.

What I recieved was a letter telling me that I am a semi-finalist in their 2010 pizza contest! I not only won 52 voucher coupons for free pizza products from my local grocery store, but I also won an espresso/cappuchico machine in exchange for the company using my recipe for promotions/website/packaging. How cool is that? Michael says that for about 48 hours all I could talk about were subjects involving pizza. My mind was reeling.

Looking back, I wish I would have perfected my recipe even more, but heh, I won, right? and maybe if I had put too much thought into it I would have lost the simplicity of it all.

I'm guessing once 2011 rolls around, I'll find out if I am one of the winners of the grand prize, which is $5k (1/2 of which goes to a charity of my choice) and a trip to Disneyworld. I've never been and now we have Maggie in our life. This just gets better.

If you know me, I love game shows and cooking contests. I love coupons. I love free stuff. I've won a few things in the past, but I think this is the biggest yet. With our family on a major budget, I was thinking this past weekend how we love to travel but our trips these days involve camping and staying with friends and family. Don't get me wrong, it's been great, but I would love to go somewhere big, like Thailand. Seeing as that idea has to wait, Disneyworld in 2011 would surely satisfy my travel bug. It's a slim shot, but here's hoping for a little bit more luck!

Pancakes

Sharing a recipe I discovered. I needed to use up kefir, a drinkable yogurt that I like to buy occasionally. Needing to use up ingredients is the best way to discover new recipes. Kefir comes in a container similar to milk, so it's easy to store, and online it says kefir is healthier for you than yogurt. They seem pretty similar, just different consistency. Yogurt and kefir can be homemade too. I've made yogurt cheese before but haven't tried my hand at making kefir yet.

I made the pancakes for a second time with the last of the kefir and yogurt, so I added a little more milk to mimick the consistency of kefir. The pancakes turned out just the same and just as delicious. Aside from my sister's banana pancakes, these are the best I've had in a long time. Try them out, I think you will be suprised!

And along this line, check out this 4th of July recipe. Yum!

On a high

I saw Dr. Sears and his wife speak yesterday. I forced myself to go not because I didn't want to but because I got overwhelmed with my "to do" list yesterday morning at work. This happened recently where I had wished I had powered through it and made what I wanted to do happen, so I had that in mind all morning. I drove the winding Placer County roads to get there and it was relaxing and beautiful. The event was held at the Flower Farm, a place I have practiced yoga at and enjoyed coffee with a friend. It's a beautiful site. Strawberries are for sale in the sheds right now, so I stopped and got a few cartons along the drive. It really made me appreciate where I live. Spring is transitioning to summer and it was so sunny and green, with fields of lupine and other bloomers at their peak.

I've blogged about Dr. Sears before, I just love his baby book. Recently, I have been reading his book The Successful Child. I really liked the opening of this book where he talks about the meaning of success and how his view of success is based on nuturing relationships and other more meaningful things, not money, possessions, etc. It's a goodie.

Their talk was about Primetime Health - getting your body on track by moving and eating real wholesome food in order to stay healthy as you age. He talks about 9 essential steps to achieve this. I enjoyed watching him and his wife interact with eachother. They were very open about their personal lives and I appreciated that.

I sat at a table right next to a woman I have wanted to meet for more than a year. Joanne was very warm and a joy to talk to, I felt like we had a special connection from the get go. I snagged a copy of her new cookbook. It is such a beautiful book, I can't wait to share it with everyone! Joanne has been the founder of many things in Placer County and this past year, she invited many guests to her home so that she could cook for them with seasonal produce and other food from the farmers market. On the website, one of the photos that flashes by is my friends from work. I had a spot to go last summer but didn't go and wished I had-what a cool experience!

Spring

On the first day of spring, we didn't have a tea party for Maggie as planned. There was so much celebrating around her actual day that instead, we had cousin Eden, auntie, and uncle over for some burgers and relaxation.

With spring, we have a little garden planted and it is just starting to take off. Until it gets really hot (probably in June), we will be growing lettuce and arugula, kale, chard, spinach, beets, red cabbage, asparagus, cilantro, peas, and Italian parsley. I harvested some early shoots of asparagus this week. Michael also built me a potting bench near the garden and used walnut-colored stain on the wood. It turned out really nice. I'll post a picture soon.

Often at work people bring in yummy treats. This past week was a ton of homegrown Italian flat-leaf parsley. I grabbed it, then stared at it for a few days until I found the right recipe: chimichurri. The picture on this link does it more justice than I ever could. I used my food processer and then spooned it into an ice cube tray. A little messy but really yummy. I always guess with measurements when following recipes and I went heavy on the garlic, light on the extra virgin olive oil. I think it will be good mixed with pasta and meat. I'm going to try and convert Michael (not a parsley lover yet). Maggie had some on her pasta last night and she ate it up. I also brought home local cheese from work yesterday-two cream cheeses, one with garlic and herbs, and chevre. Yum!

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.