Post Christmas...

I guess I should say "since I last wrote," because the first photos are actually Christmas...

I laughed when I first saw this photo of me talking to Gabriele because of the look on Amy's face.
She almost looks mad that she isn't part of the conversation. When in reality she is looking beyond us and probably reacting to what is going on there.
Stocking time~looks like Gabriele likes how we altered the dollar store stockings.
My dad looks pleased with his anti-stress doll. Not that he has stress in his life but we thought he would enjoy the eyes, nose and ear things popping out when you squeezed it.
This gift is in route from China so I got a photo of it. The cutest necklace with an owl charm.
Nick and Gabriele wrapped up all the special clothes I had saved from when Nick was little and added a few new items for Amy and Karl to use with "peanut".
Laughing at how short the legs are in proportion to the big butt area~
Nick gave Gary tickets to go see Sherlock Holmes in the living room theaters.
Karl got a baby barbell rattle...can't start them too early I guess.
Nick and Gabriele have there own "you are special" plate...the tradition continues...
Two Francine Rivers books for Gabriele to read during her break.
Daisy liked her new catnip toy...for about 5 minutes and then she ignored it!

*****

After Christmas we got together with a group of friends for dinner here at the house and then went to the Eisinger's house for dessert and games. I loved the Barbie trees she had done. The big tree was white, pink and black with her vintage type Barbie ornaments...
The second tree was pink and full of the accessories she has collected.
We played a rousing game of Catch Phrase too. And took the name literally as we didn't want to get caught with a buzzing game piece!

I have done a bit of thrifting too~as always...found this little piece for Amy's nursery.
Got together with my Brave Girls to share December Daily albums...
and this weekend baked 8 dozen cupcakes for the Magenta Theater's annual awards program.
Oh my did I enjoy tasting these for quality control. Yes, I only tasted them but I wanted to eat at least one of each...
which brings us to the latest...which is an update of "the bump"...
only 14 weeks to go~isn't she cute?!

I bought this book and hope to read it soon-
and this class begins in a few days...I have grand hopes to finally come to terms and peace with the body I have and myself in the process.
Until next time...ttfn-K

Some crafting fun...

Did I mention that I am doing another Brave Girl session? This one is all about taking the steps to achieve the life you want to live. One of the projects is to make a booklet with your rules about how to make decisions. Things to ask yourself as you process whether you should do something or not.

I made mine from an old child's board book that I picked up at a thrift store. First I sanded it a bit, then covered with gesso. Next came paints and papers to jazz it up and then I added my "rules".

The cover

Just looking at it makes me happy...now for an application....

These next photos are from a baby shower that I helped a friend throw. I made breakfast jummies and cupcakes.
I made her a wall canvas and a crochet blanket. Here is a close up of the canvas...
and the two together before I wrapped them...

One year-24 days

Remember these faces from last year?...
Well it has been a year! Actually a bit over but I have been negligent on blogging so I am just now posting images. Here they are on their anniversary-

oh and there are the mustaches again-

Papa Hayden's made their wedding cake and if you remember to call-will make an anniversary cake just like the top layer of the wedding cake. So glad they remembered-

They were kind enough to share some of their cake with us too.

Congrats to you two-hope your year is full of fun adventures!

Amazing dinner

This was an amazing dinner I made last week. It was certainly tasty enough to make for company too....

Moroccan Blackberry Chicken with Curried Rice Pilaf

Moroccan Blackberry Chicken

1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces (I use a combination of breasts & thighs)
3 tbsp. combination of fresh thyme, rosemary, & basil or 1/2 tsp of each, dried.
2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. mashed blackberries (for sweeter taste, use 2 tbsp. blackberry jam)
2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and minced
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup whole blackberries for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350. Pour 1/4 cup wine into a large glass or porcelain baking dish. Rub chicken pieces with olive oil and arrange in the dish, skin side up. Sprinkle liberally with herbs and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake for 35 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup wine and then the chicken stock to the pan as the juices evaporate. Occasionally baste chicken.

While chicken is baking, combine brown sugar with mashed blackberries, garlic, vinegar,and remaining 1/2 tsp. paprika.

Spoon the blackberry mixture over the chicken and continue cooking for 10 minutes, basting occasionally until the juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.

Pour the cooking juices into a non-reactive saucepan and bring it to a boil over moderate heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Season the salt to taste with salt and pepper and spoon over the chicken. Garnish with whole blackberries and enjoy.


As soon as the chicken is in the oven, start the rice.

Curried Rice Pilaf

2 tsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup blanched almond slivers
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups long grain white rice
3 cups canned or homemade chicken broth
1 tsp. salt (if using salted broth, adjust amount to taste)
1/3 cup dried currants
Zest of one orange, chopped finely
I added some shredded carrots too

In dry 2-quart pan, heat curry powder over medium heat until fragrant. Add olive oil and almonds; shake over medium heat until lightly browned. Reduce heat slightly, add onion and garlic; cook until translucent. Add rice to pan and stir until evenly coated with oil. Stir in chicken broth and currents and bring to boil over medium high heat.

Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in orange zest and cover pan. If there is residual moisture in the pan, turn heat to very low. If the rice has absorbed all moisture, turn burner off, cover pan and allow rice to rest until the chicken is done.

This week-

Well if you count from Friday to Friday...because this photo of my dear friend Teri was taken last Friday! I forgot to ask if I could post it but I assume she knows every photo I take is fair game to go on my blog....

I took this after our Brave girl meeting. We have been having our get togethers in her cozy new living room. And she always has yummy treats that are mostly good for us. She always dresses so fashionably-I take notes!
I had a fun little excursion yesterday. Lovely June was not able to join us at my pj birthday party, so she promised me that she would take me out for a treat. Well I got two- one was spending time with her and the other was some yummy ice cream. We met up at the Ice Cream Renaissance in downtown Vancouver.
Oh me- oh my! Was it ever a wonderful thing!!

This is June with her little plate of samplers and a cookie. She got a latte too and said the coffee was really good.
Me-I never go out for ice cream so I went with the Peanut butter ice cream on a brownie. Oh and a scoop of coffee ice cream so we could try it. I did ask for a tiny scoop like June had but I guess the lady didn't understand me. Oh and the whipped cream just made it look like so much more. It took awhile to eat what with all the gabbing!
Go there...it is a must!

Spent today in the craft cottage and then did some watching of Brave Girl videos. I am loving this class too. It will give me skills to use for some time.

Thanks for popping in...see ya.

Today

Today I was DRAGGING....as I do most Mondays. The introvert in me just goes on overload from the company over the weekend! Not that I would change it for the world, I am just glad I have Mondays to recoup.

On Friday I gave Nick, Gabriele and Gary a choice of what to have for dinner. I made pasta salad with turkey pepperoni and little marinated mozzarella balls and yummy garlic bread on the side. Then we took a drive out to Border's to pick up this book I had read about on the Brave Girls page.I have only read a bit of it but it sounds really interesting. Here is what Melody of Brave Girls had to say about it- "The book is a collection of stories like mine – stories of how Art Saves. I am one of 20 artists who participated and I am thrilled to announce that the book is available at bookstores everywhere NOW! I can’t wait for you to see it and to be touched as I have by stories about the power of art…to be inspired by it."

On Saturday I was planning a day of scrapping but Amy phoned and asked if we would like to come for lunch. We had some great cheese and bacon sandwiches. Then she and I went off to Yard and Garden and then back to my house while the guys headed to a camera store. When Amy got here I was able to share a little project I had done for us girls...surprise Gabriele! (she hasn't seen this yet) I made some cupcake plates with candle holders I had already and some thrifted plates.
I also found this toy camera and painted it up for our "extra" room where the theme is bright.
And when I went in to get the camera I saw this painting Amy did a few years back and decided to document it too. I can't believe she just free handed the whole thing.
Sunday we went for a little drive in the morning-Gary had seen a few things he wanted to photograph when he was in Portland for the first Thursday event. Then home and a fun day with Amy. We did a bit of organizing of photos and she started scrapping while I made lunch. We had orzo with feta and Kalamata olives and I cooked up some shrimp. We spent the day in the craft cottage until Amy realized it was time for her to leave.

I am hoping to be more productive tomorrow-I really want to get up to date on the scrapbooks before our business starts taking all my extra hours.

June is fun too!

Hey did you see the mini loaf van at Burgerville Salmon Creek last weekend? We have been waiting for it to make it's way here.They cut down regular size vans to make these-I think they made 4 and have been making their way across the U.S. In June we celebrate the birth of Mrs. Gabriele. I made these layered streamers in her honor.
Her cake was white with chocolate chips and fresh strawberry frosting.
Dinner was Lemon chicken risotto...
Then we celebrated Father's day last week. Everyone came even our friend Vicki who rents from my dad. Kinda handy when you want a family shot...even a raccoon showed up...
Dinner was lasagna made from this recipe... I did use ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese and chicken italian sausage instead of the hot breakfast sausage. No draining needed. Salad and garlic bread. Most of the meal (not the bread) was organic and I used a rice based lasagna noodle. It was the first time I had made it and it is now the only one I will ever use!
Dessert was only one of these chocolate cakes with strawberry filling and ganache. The other was for Vicki to buy for her family celebration.
Shockingly- Karl got a photo of my dad smiling...
oh look...another one!
and this is my favorite of Gary that night. Amy gave him a card that said he kicked ass as a dad. And then something about since she was an adult now she could say ass.
This is the envelope from the card Nick made. To make the card he used my typewriter and wrote about the things he remembers most about growing up with his dad. But the envelope just made us laugh because of the sketching he added.
Karl tried out some fun techniques while Gary shot pool-

and the rest of us played Cranium...
another post will soon follow-about some more fun we had as a family...you won't want to miss it!