Breather

One minute I'm in a winter wonderland surrounded by so many feet of snow and fresh powder and the next minute I'm surrounded by green rolling hills and blooming wildflowers. Our days have been very full and I've been taking it one day at a time, not sure how else to do it. It's working for the most part.

I have been enjoying reading people's blog and facebook posts more than doing any posting on my end. In the past few weeks, I've skiied and spent a weekend away with hubby, rode enough miles in the Party Pardee ride with our bike team to feel exhausted/great at the end of the day, played softball games, and mountain biked with girls from the team. Good times, except bike on roof rack + overfilled brain = crunched roof rack and some scratches. Crap. Work got a little stressful this past week and my head was in the clouds no matter how much hubby reminded me NOT to drive in the garage that night. I needed a stop sign or some kind of blockade in the garage to stop me.

Saw this on a blog post last week and it made me daydream. I've never wanted a permanent tatoo (instead, I went the tongue ring route in college) but I saw this and it got me thinking about tattoos that are cool. With all the tatoo talk in our house (the wash-off kind), you'd think we were covered in ink.

Maggie is two, but she says she is "sixyearsold" as one long word (inspired by a little girl at the park last weekend who said she's 6). She's still a shrimp but growing taller and I'm happy to be phasing out some winter clothes in preparation for summer. She is lucky to have a TON of hand-me-downs, I mostly go shopping in Maggie's closet. She's really chatty and some of the funny phrases she's been saying are "oh man" and "yeah, sure". When I came home from mountain biking and had dirt on my legs, she says "momma dirty" and then looks up at me with a concerned face and says "fall?". I love this little girl, she makes me laugh a lot. When we drive through a tunnel near our house, she asks us to honk and then laughs. Everything is "me do it" and then "help momma" if she can't figure it out. 

We got lettuce and some other spring vegetables in the garden, we'll see if this spring weather lasts long enough for them to produce. Excited for tomato season to be here soon!

Bubbly babe

Maggie is officially 2! As she talks more, communicates better, cries less, sleeps better, eats more, makes friends, and establishes her identity day by day, it feels easier to be her parent in many ways. Every day it takes effort to be the parent I want to be. We continue to make decisions that feel right for our little family and sometimes that takes a lot of work. Money may be tight at times, but I so cherish the tradeoff of having more time creating the life I imagine.

I love our routine of reading books before bedtime in our big bed. We all have our place and snuggle under the covers. Maggie really loves to read and it's especially fun when she reads to us or outloud. Oh, the cute things she says. It's usually a jumble with a correct word thrown in to show she is paying attention.

Michael thinks Maggie eats like a football player/teenage boy. I think he's in for it if he thinks that at 2. She's such a petite little thing, I'm thinking her metabolism must be off the charts. She loves to eat good food, which makes me happy. She doesn't care for bell pepper or mixed foods like casseroles or chili but she loves soup. She also loves her treats :-)

She's potty training for real now. Every day or week is more use of the toilet. She prefers the adult toilet with an insert and step stool over a little kid's toilet. Her latest funny word is "sure" in response to most questions I ask her.

She's riding her trike and we can't wait to get her on a balance bike. She loves band-aids to cover her owies, whether fake or not. Her hair continues to be a little mess of curls. She had her first dentist appointment this month. I was a proud mama when I knew instinctively that she would not have an issue laying down to have the dentist inspect her mouth. The dentist, who works strictly with children, said that at her age, 1 out of 100, maybe 1000 kids will do that for him without freaking out.

We threw her a home birthday party. We lucked out with weather by a few hours and I think she had a blast.





2 Things

I got solicitation mail this week that really made me laugh on three levels. It was addressed to me, with the spelling of my name correct, yet it was a Just for Men hair coloring coupon/postcard in Spanish. Repeat: not for Michael...for me. So, from what I can figure based on my unique first name, married last name, and whatever else "they" have on file, I'm apparently a middle-aged greying Latino man to the outside world. Nice. Brings back memories of recieving mail at summer camp addressed to Marvin Lemieux.

I started playing softball this spring after taking a few years off. Last week I subbed on a team, which was my rough introduction back on the field. My dad pointed out that last week's game probably motivated me more to shine at this week's game, a new team I've joined. After eating an alternative St. Patti's Day meal (I cooked this festive green soup and this shepherd's pie - both vegetarian and very tasty with a few mods), I ran off nervously but excited to play the 1st game of the season under bright lights in the one day window we had this week without rain. Not only are my team members nice, but they don't suck, the field wasn't swampy, I scored a bright orange team shirt with a team name I won't admit to here, I got two good hits in the outfield, and I played a new position to me (catcher) where I got lots of action. So excited to be back out there and getting some exercise.

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



Moments



No, Maggie is not on a leash - just enjoying free museum day at the zoo - monkeys, lemurs, birdies - oh my!

 

Kickin' it late night at the Apple store...ha ha!



Learning bike racing techniques at a very early age :-)

 

Hiding chocolate behind her back thinking she's pulled one over on me at the toy store (I saw it but she was halfway into it before I pryed it out of her little hands)

 

New Zealand style



South Island

New Zealand holds a special place in my heart. It's where I spent my honeymoon; however, it was never a place on my radar, probably not hubby's either, yet it came into view the year we decided to get married because we had the chance to take a trip through REI Adventures. Michael was working for REI and as a result, we got a great discount that we couldn't pass up.

NZ was our first trip together internationally. We spent three weeks there, one week on the North Island, the last two on the South Island. I loved learning about the Maori/native culture (mostly on the North Island), hearing people speak with a British accent, trying the unique foods that are not common here, driving on the other side of the road, seeing the flora and fauna (which most are not native), and making travel friends. We were treated like royalty during the tour we took on the South Island because of our new marital status. Too fun! It was great to be with like-minded people with great attitudes. We keep in touch with some of our tour friends to this day.

One of our tour guides was named Beth and we all loved her. She was a little younger than me, not married yet, loved her tourguide job, and she was just one of those good fun-loving people. She loved nature like I did, helped educate me about the plants and animals on our hikes, and she loved to cook her family recipes for us during group meals. Getting to know our guides gave us a real taste of NZ.

Fast forward a few years. Digging through my recipes, which I often do every now and then for inspiration, I came across ANZAC biscuits (acronym for Australian New Zealand Army Corps). These cookies date back to WWI when wives and mothers shipped them oveseas to their loved ones. They were not something Beth made for us but they sounded good. Having just read the British Jane Brocket's Gentle Art of Domesticity, she talks about Lyle's golden syrup in her recipes. So, I already had that on my radar when I read through this recipe again. I've fallen in love with Cost Plus (again) and lucked out by finding this syrup there. I've made two batches of these cookies and everyone that has tried them really likes them.

Going to NZ gave me the international travel bug. I've always loved, loved, loved travelling. Two spots I have on my radar are Italy and Thailand/Laos/Vietnam. Still wondering how I can swing those destinations with a little one and limited funds, but one day it will be possible. I absolutely need vacations or at least ones to look forward to for a few months or I go stir crazy. I'm thankful for where I live and the places we do get to visit each year because California rocks in that sense, but I still dream of living or travelling everywhere else :-)

ANZAC Biscuits
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup rolled oats
7 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. golden syrup*
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. boiling water
Lemon zest*

Mix flour, sugar, coconut, and oats together. Melt butter and syrup in medium pot. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water and add to butter and syrup. Remove from heat and add to dry ingredients. Place spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees (10 minutes working perfect for my oven).

*Recipe says you can substitute light corn syrup, but I think Lyle's makes a difference.
*Added (meyer) lemon zest to the top of the second batch (hubby's suggestion). Didn't notice a big difference in taste but it made them a little prettier.