Friday…. I’m in Love #6

When Beckett was born, I received a baby gift for him from a friend of mine and at first – I didn’t really know what to do with it.  But in the following months have grown very fond of it…. they are Baby Legs.

They’re like little baby-size leg warmers that were originally created by a stay at home mom who invented something to keep her baby’s legs warm while airing out her baby’s bottom to clear up diaper rash.  And having just spent the last few weeks doing the same for little Beck’s bum…. they worked perfectly. 

But their use is far more reaching than just that.  And fashionable too.

And with these on… a baby’s flexibility is all the more amazing. :-)

A great, fun gift idea for any expecting mom.

***************************************************************

Campbelle has recently discovered her 3rd wiggly tooth.  She has a bit of a love/hate relationship with losing her teeth.  As much as she hates the process (and cries, and whines, and terrorizes over it) she really does sort of like losing one, because: A. it makes her feel older and more mature; B. Christian is fascinated with her and her tooth and will constantly ask to look in her mouth – which makes her feel … well refer to #A; C. The tooth fairy dumps a whole bunch of change in the glass of water beside her bed.  And any kid under 7 knows that getting 36 coins (of any shape, size, color) is far better than something from paper!)   So when I came across yet another cool Etsy shop (have I mentioned my addiction to that site? ) I totally fell in love with the Tooth Fairy Cushions.  Unfortunately, at $35 a pop - I will love them from the web and again wish to be more crafty so as I can create my own. 

But aren’t they adorable?

And what may be even more adorable, is the note that goes along with it.

And don’t think for a minute that I haven’t already been re-fabricating the note, at the very least, to use when Campbelle’s next tooth falls.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Funny thing… I always take yearly photos of the kids at JCPenny and during their first year, I take pictures every 3 months…. I’m diligent about it and have carried the tradition with Beckett as well.  But here’s the funny part, I don’t think I’ve ever hung those pictures.  At least not since Christian was born.  And it’s not that they didn’t turn out, or anything, but simply, I guess, because I prefer the candid, black and white photos that I have in the hallway, and the JCPenny ones (and now Campbelle’s school picture) just didn’t ‘flow’ the same.

 

But now, I can proudly say, I’ve finally hung the kids pictures in the loft and I love how it looks.  And I love how it just so happens that they all have ‘head shots’ at the moment (that is until Beckett’s 9 months – then who knows).  Cute.

(And Kelly – remember Uncle Scrooge??  doesn’t he look real – like he’d just walk right on over to you?  haha)

Spicy, Sweet, Sticky Chicken

I made this new recipe last night and it was fantastic.  It’s a bit spicy though, so I took servings out for the kids before I added the chili sauce to the pan. 

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. Mix together brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and hot sauce in a small bowl. (I left the chili sauce out and added it at the end)
2. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken strips.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken strips and brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve over jasmine rice.

I made Bread!! Wahoo

Seems ridiculous that a person could get so excited about simply making bread.  But I mean bread from scratch – and for me, that’s huge.  You see, I have a problem with any recipe that calls for yeast and requires anything to rise.  It never works for me.  Seriously – NEVER.  I tried very often when I first got married.  It seemed like such a good wife  thing to do – and plus his mother makes the best bread – and I frankly wanted to do the same.  But seems like I never got beyond the step “Put in warm place and let rise until doubled in size.”  I swear, I’d still be waiting on dough to double in size from 2001.   So after several attempts that left me with a dense, thick dough blob – I just gave up.  Until yesterday that is. 

Yesterday I was on a baking mission. And the gods of yeast were on my side and let me win for a change.

Behold!!

Seriously good, multigrain bread that I will do again.  (Next time will split into two loaf pans) but I’m trying to just relish in this first success!!

And to top it all off…. I also made Fastelavenboller – Norwegian Lent or Fat Tuesday rolls (and forgive me for the Swedish link I just used – I couldn’t find anything in English and the Swedes make the same thing – basically).  They actually turned out pretty good too; but I must work on getting the dough to be shaped into nicer, rounded balls – but then again this could just be my take on a more artistic approach.

Next up, croissants from scratch!  ha, right!

Carins

The kids and I have invented a bit of a game in our backyard during the past few beautiful, sun shining weeks.  We see who can stack the most rocks along our retaining wall in the back.  Today Campbelle got 10 – that’s a record!  The kids practice their steady hand and learn lessons in balance – while I get some very zen like creations to behold.

 

Camping

The kids have been begging us to let them go camping forever – so this weekend we finally gave in and we set up their tents they got from Grandpa Jerry and Marva.  They packed their tents full with all the comforts of home… pillows, blankets, dolls, books, snacks, flashlights, extra clothes, tissues, garbage cans, hand sanitizer – Christian even had his cell phone in case of an emergency.

  

Oh, where -you are wondering - did we let them camp?

That would be in our loft!

Ahhh - the simple pleasures of life.

Friday… I’m in Love #5

Well, you all know I have a little thing for Norwegians already… so when this Norwegian photographer/artist’s website happen across my browser – I was drawn in at once.  Whimsical and profound.  Take a look…….

http://www.runeguneriussen.no/index.html

And while I haven’t totally dove into the more deeper, underlying meaning of this photo… I just think it’s very cool.

And this one made me smile…. mostly because I know and love those little Norwegian chocolaty, marshmallowy bear candy.  But also because Christian and Campbelle know and love them too – and when I showed them this picture they both wished they could gobble up an entire row of them.

He also has a great coffee photo collection…. I think it has something to do with making sure your coffee is strong enough so you don’t see the paper clips at the bottom.  (That or something to do with vodka and coffee that Leif tried to explain – but I’m not much a fan of vodka and coffee.)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Making it Lovely

Love this blog.   She’s not necessarily my style – well maybe she is, but I just haven’t fully implemented it.  ??  But her blog name is Making It Lovely .  Shouldn’t it be something we all strive to do with our lives – make it lovely?  Whether it’s our relationships, our environment, or our bathroom. Making our day lovely – any way we can.

Her blog focuses on the design part of lovely…and a lot of her things are from IKEA.  Which makes the price even more lovely to me.

And come on, who wouldn’t want to curl up with a book in this hallway??

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Calm my mind and call me sleepy

Yogi Tea has some really great and unusual blends of tea.  I have several different ones that I enjoy – but none more so than my perfectly delicious nightcap.    This tea, all natural, seriously works to quiet my mind and induce a very restful nights sleep.  (It’s a good thing that Leif doesn’t drink it – someone has to get up if one of the kids wakes up!)  It has a slight licorice taste and contains the sleep promoters valerian and chamomile as well as passion flower and skullcap which reduce anxiety.

And check out Yogi’s website – you’ll find everything from their teas, to yoga tips, and recipes – and they are sending free samples of tea.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I truly am powerless against those big eyes of his.   But apparently all of us in this family are.

Let’s hope I work through that before he becomes trouble!

Art project

The kids are home this week for Mid Winter break so I’ve been trying to find some fun crafts and things for us to do.

Yesterday we made some fun window art with some everyday stuff lying around the house.  All you need is tissue paper, cornstarch, and construction paper.

Here’s how it works:

1.  Cut a bunch of tissue paper into little pieces.  This is great and easy for the kids since they don’t need to be in any specific shape.

2.  Working on a sheet of wax paper, start layering the sheets using a very diluted solution of water and cornstarch so they adhere to each other.

You can put as many layers as you want, but note that light shines through better on just one or two layers. 

3.  After all is done, brush a light coat of the water/cornstarch solution over the entire thing and leave to dry overnight.

4.  When it’s completely dry, peel back from wax paper – should be in one solid piece. 

5. Cut shape from two pieces of paper to create a frame and glue the tissue paper insert between them.  Trim edges.

 

Viola!  A nice, bright window decoration.

What’s in your Fridge?

I’ve come across a few different blogs all playing this new ‘game’ called What’s In your Fridge.  To play, you have to take a picture of your fridge – as it currently looks.  No cleaning, no sorting, no throwing…. just a picture of what it looks like right now.  Here’s my fridge….

 

I see some Stella Artois…. oh how I’ve developed a love for Stella.  Something about it makes drinking beer seem a little more sophisticated and sexy.  Also elicits impromptu Marlon Brando imitation… ‘STELLAAA’. 

Also, there’s some YoBaby yogurt and some half jars of baby food.  We know who that’s for. 

And some Delfia stuff up high on the top shelf.  Remnants of a Norwegian Christmas baking thing that ran out of time.  Wonder how long it stays good…. maybe until next year?  Any of you Norwegian's know??

Strawberries that are way past their prime.  I think I’ll blend them up with some yogurt – also in there – and serve a smoothie to the kids for lunch.  Shh… they’ll never know.

Which reminds me - Strawberry syrup.  Which should be tossed.  Nobody even likes it anyway.  Just taking up space.

Colored peppers.  On sale to Safeway for $1.00.  Yes - $1.00 that’s it.  And they make Christian think.  (Those are his words. Not mine.  And strangely enough, he tells me that he doesn’t have to think all that much when I offer him some.)

3 cartoons of Smith Brother Farms milk (1 is hiding behind the OJ).  Do you know that we get our milk delivered every week?  Yep.  Comes on Fridays straight from the farm (well, sorta).   4 of them are left on the front step and make me feel like June Cleaver.  Note – it’s Tuesday and 4 more are being delivered in just a few days… time to drink up!

I showed you mine.  Now can I see yours?

Friday… I’m in Love #4

Good Friends.

I am blessed, blessed, blessed with some very dear friends in my life.  Some live close by, and some far.  Some I’ve kept since my youth – and some more recent.  But you know you have a special friendship when it just comes easy, and being together is natural and true. 

Yesterday I had a get together with my ‘original WA friends’.  The people whom helped me feel less alone when we moved out here 5 1/2 years ago.  The friends who helped me through those early parenting and pregnancy years.  The friends I’ve grown with personally, spiritually, and emotionally with over the years.  The friends who’ve seen my best and my worst.  And although time has moved us to different corners of the country (and Canada!) – getting together with these friends feels so right.  And I am so grateful for them!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“May those that love you, love you.

And those that don’t love you, may God turn their hearts.

And if He doesn’t turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles,

So we’ll know them by their limping”

:-)

================================================

Oh Nigella… no wonder the Brits love you so!

Here is a recipe of Nigella Lawson which is very well worth making. It's called Girdle Buster Pie . . . and with a name like that, how could you possibly NOT make it? This is her version of a 1950's American diner classic.  I served it yesterday for our girlfriends get together.

I've only made this recipe once, and although it's downright fabulously good, it's also slightly aesthetically challenged. It looks like a goopy wad as a matter of fact - or at least mine did. The whole trick I think is that you need a deep dish pie pan for this, and you need to not get your hopes up that the end result will look like something you'd see in the window of a French bakery. In the end, I decided to sprinkle on some chocolate shavings to cover up some of the the goopy wad.  But what it lacked in beauty it made up for in calories . . . and this is just a really good, very unpretentious, incredibly fattening, (girdle-busting in fact,) ice cream pie!

And here is the recipe! So go make this for your Valentine tomorrow!

And this recipe calls for Coffee Ice Cream – but I’m pretty sure that any flavor ice cream that would go with carmel/butterscotch gooey topping would be great.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My Funny Valentine… and this adorable dress.

I surprised Campbelle with this very Paris Valentine dress that I found – where else – but on Etsy.  It is so sweet and so well made – which is now why I am saving for a new sewing machine.  She was so excited to wear it to her Valentine’s party today at school.  She was up, dresses, and waiting by the door at 7:06am!!  Ready to go!

______________________________________________________________

Sock Hop

Leif took Campbelle to a Father Daughter sock hop in our community on Saturday night.  Campbelle had been looking forward to it all week and was dressed and ready to go about 5 hours before hand.  She called Marva wondering what kind of poodle skirt she had when she was a young girl and learned that both Marva and Grandma Karen had one – she figured they would have been fashionable women.  Then she talked to Liv in Norway and wondered if poodle skirts were all the rage there too.  They weren’t – and Campbelle thought that was unfortunate because everyone should have a chance to wear such a skirt. :-)

Here’s the good looking couple all decked out in their 50s attire:

At the dance there were tons of games and goodies.  And she had a great time dancing with her pappa as well as playing with some of her friends.  Campbelle also did the limbo.  Her form is looking pretty good in the beginning:

But once it got a little lower…. that was another story:

When I saw this picture I made the comment about her going under the pole the wrong way.   And she bitingly replied, ‘Mom, do you realize how hard that is when it’s that low!?!  You should try it!’

Um, I’ll pass.

Ahhh, the sweet life

“Now if I only had a fruity, umbrella drink in my hand.”

Friday… I’m in Love #3

This week has lead to a fascinating discovery for me and because of that I have to preface this post just a bit for you to truly understand my turn about.  You see, I grew up with a mother who was terrified of birds.  Seriously terrified.  I remember one time shopping with her at Larry’s (our small town grocery store) when a bird flew into the store and was swooping about.  That caused my mom to have a panic attack.  I remember her grabbing us kids by the arms and frantically fleeing down the aisles to escape the store and the bird.  We never had a picture or a dish with a bird on – and heaven forbid anything made from feathers entered our house!  So I grew up having a slight, ok big, aversion to birds as well.  That is until just lately. 

Contrary to what I used to believe – I think I do in fact like birds.    Not enough to go and get one as a pet.  But I think I like photos of them, and watching them eat.  Crazy I know.  But read on…….

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I’m feeling inspired and motivated to finally paint/redo our bedroom and bathroom.  They are the only rooms in our house that have not been done since moving into our house 1 1/2 years ago.   I’ve been holding out hope that we would be getting a king size bed in the near future.. but that hope sank along with the stock price – so now I’m going to make due with what I’ve got… a little paint and my creative energy.

I came across a blog that featured different paint/mural ideas and fell in love with this one.

 

And now I will paint it in my own bedroom.  Even the bird.  (Leif’s side anyway).

***********************************************************

In keeping with the bird theme this week:  I love my latest purchase of this sweet little bird bath/feeder that I found at a new, home decor store in North Bend – Birches Habitat.

When we first set it up at home I didn’t have any bird feed on hand so I made my own concoction of couscous and popcorn.  And let me tell you – I don’t think the birds were digging it.  But now, we have real bird seed and are open for business.  The kids love to sit and watch them from our kitchen window.  Ok, I do too. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And I would be foolishly remiss to let this week go by with out making mention on how much I’ve loved, loved, loved this weather this week.  Too often I find myself only complaining about the weather – no matter what it is.  Too rainy.  Too cloudy.  Too warm.  Too cold.  Too sunny.  (that’s a lie – I don’t think I’ve ever complained about it being too sunny).  But from now on I'm going to praise it for what it is.  And this was an easy week to start – it was gorgeous!  Thursday was 68 degrees!  We all played outside for about 3 straight days.  From the minute they got home from school until the sun was setting (which is another thing I love – longer days) – we were outside soaking in the vitamin D and the fun. 

 

(The kids created their own chairs out of old plant containers and string.)

Today it seems the drizzle/rain has settled back in for what is suppose to be a long spell – but it’s ok – I have a book I’ve been meaning to finish.

################################################ ‘

"Be who you are and be that well." 

– St Fancis de Sales

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A Thousand Words from Ted Chung on Vimeo.

I found this video and thought it had a beautiful story.  Every day so many ways to connect. 

6 months old

Beckett’s 6 months old today.   And contrary to who I thought was the biggest baby in the family age for age… he is actually the smallest – at least for weight.  His stats:  17 lbs 10 oz and 29 inches long.  Long and lean (he gets  that from his dad’s side – mom’s side only comes into half that equation!  Ahg, German heritage).

He’s really into spitting these days.  He’ll blow bubbles of spit at you and then laugh like crazy.  Good thing that Campbelle and Christian are enamored with the practice – otherwise we’d have some pretty grossed out kids.  So between his spit up, drool (2 teeth and counting)and now spitting – it’s a constant state of dampness with him (as well as those holding him).

He continues to be our happy go lucky baby.  His easy smiles for everyone – familiar or strange – capture our hearts; and we hold on and breathe in these days, for they are going far too quickly.

 

(and now I’ve officially done a better job the 3rd time around of chronically the kids’ monthly photos.  Sorry Campbelle and Christian.)

The Mom Song

I got this video from my mother-in-law this morning… funny start to my day! 

Now, I have to go wake up my children and start my day – which is shockingly close to her song (minus the iPod stuff).  :-)

interview with me

Play along – you are all tagged!

on the nightstand…

• Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
• Living magazine – Martha Stewart
• The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
• Cooking Light – February edition

am loving..

• any bit of sunshine – however brief – it’s still glorious and I’ll take it
• airborne tablets – pretty sure I would have had a 6 colds already if it weren’t for these little capsule miracles
• coconut chai tea
• our new president

what inspires you about the winter?

• The freshness of the air – crisp and clean
• The thoughtful colors in year round landscape
• Rainy days (our winter) make for excellent afternoons with tea, book, and quiet, restful kids
• Cuddling up to my guy

what are three constants in your day?

1. Making coffee
2. Computer time
3. Loads and loads of kisses

what three things do you hope to accomplish in 2009?

1. More crafting of sorts
2. Paint/redesign our bedroom and bathroom
3. lose weight