Loose Ends

For some the new year brings a time to brainstorm and commit to "resolutions", for me it usually brings a bit of quiet time to tie up loose ends, organize, and save up some energy for another busy year. I don't have a habit of making resolutions because they would inevitably be the same thing year after year and I would never feel as though I were making progress. I hope to always be aware of the areas I need improvement and that I would constantly be trying to make those areas better.

This year we have some very exciting things to look forward to and plan for. We will be looking for a new place to call home in about 6 months.... oh, say, right around the time of our new arrival :) I'm thinking Ballardia will prevail amongst our choices. Close enough to not need a car, yet far enough to get some space without breaking the bank.

I've been promising the Grandparents our Family Yearbook for a couple months now so I think I better get on that. With the addition of an amazing new camera (thanks G-ma & G-pa), I'm thoroughly looking forward to next year's book, but I shouldn't let that excitement allow me to loose sight of the book I need to work on first.

I think my knitting may take a back seat for a bit. Some of you may be thinking, "Is she crazy? Why she has a new little one to knit all sorts of cute things for!" Well, for starters, I also have a stack of books I've been meaning to read and have come up with all sorts of excuses not to dive into them. Second, I don't know what I will really use for the baby yet and think my knitting for he/she will be more appreciated a little further down the road. Third, I would love to knit myself some sweaters but frankly I just don't have the energy right now. Maybe my knitting mojo will be back in the near future, but for now I'm on hiatus.

The last thing on my loose ends list is annual memberships. Last year I got a membership to the Seattle Art Museum. I haven't used it as much as I should and we live right across the street. I always feel like going to the SAM on Mondays and well, they're closed on Mondays. This year we're set to have season tickets to the Sounders FC. I'm very excited about this. I'd like to add a membership to the Seattle Symphony's Soundbridge room. It's basically a musical experience for children. You can play any instrument you would find in the orchestra, they have story time, etc. I'm also considering a membership at the Seattle Children's Museum. I have a hard time picking and choosing because I would like for everyone in my family to be able to enjoy the memberships, get good use out of them, and to want it to be a continuous thing. I have considered the Seattle Lecture Series, the Symphony, the 5th Ave, etc, but they all seem to be a bit expensive and something for only Chris and I. I'm excited to dive into this years options and be able to consider some larger family type experiences. Oh & the aquarium would be fun ;)

Well, I just felt the need to ramble about New Year stuff for a second. Thanks for listening.

I would love to hear about your resolutions or loose ends list.

Christmas @ G-ma & G-pa's

We had a fantastic Christmas weekend at G-ma & G-pa's. I was lucky enough to receive an amazing new camera. Though I have lots to learn, here are a few snapshots from the weekend.


Dr. King

With her Dr. Glasses

Dr. King fixing G-ma


Checking her mirror


Dancing with G-ma


Playing in the Snow!


Holding Hands with her Preggo Snowgirl


Suga for Papa


Aw.... Papa


G-ma & Syd Throwing Snowballs for Bailey

Throwing Snowballs with Papa

She Temporarily Lost her Glove


Dancing to her new iPod


It was a Good Christmas :)

SNOW DAY!

Cooking with Sausage

I would like to share a small food recommendation with you all. If you like sausage, and even if you're not a huge fan, you should really check out Uli's Sausage in the Pike Place Market (you can also order online). For a few years now, we have been using a couple of their links in our holiday stuffing, a couple for breakfast, a couple in our spaghetti sauce.... you get the picture.


I've really enjoyed the Brat's w/Cranberries and the Chicken w/Apples for the stuffing. I like the Pork Apple Brat for breakfast, the Cajun Andouille to kick up the spaghetti sauce and many others for various other uses.



& If you're in the neighborhood.... give me a call :)

Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake

A few have asked for the pumpkin cheesecake recipe I used over Thanksgiving.

Note: I truly do not measure my ingredients so what you see here is my best guess.
Also, the topping is not entirely necessary, but it is pretty and the leftovers are great as a fruit dip.



Ingredients:

For crust:

• Butter - or vegetable spray for pan
  
• 2 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 1 cup pecans (about 3 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For filling:

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 5 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For topping:

• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream

Preparation:

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray (or butter) 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Grind cookie crumbs, pecans, & brown sugar in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter slowly; using on/off turns, process to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate each addition. Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer filling to cooled crust. (If you have extra filling, use in cupcake pan) Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack (filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour. Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to release crust. Chill cheesecake uncovered in pan overnight.

Topping:
Stir marshmallows and milk in medium saucepan over low heat until marshmallows are melted (will take a while). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Cool marshmallow mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Add sour cream to marshmallow mixture; fold gently just to blend. Pour topping over cheesecake and spread evenly, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered around edges. Chill to set topping, at least 1 hour.

12 Days of Cheer

I'm a little late on posting about this event so some days are missing, BUT.... Hotel 1000 on 1st & Madison is hosting "12 Days of Cheer".

It's snowing everyday outside the Hotel and you can snuggle up inside their Studio with cocktails, eggnog, and yummy treats.

Calendar of Events all at Hotel 1000:
Tuesday, December 9: 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Five Golden Rings
Santa pictures with five of the Seattle
Seahawks' "golden" Sea Gals.

Thursday, December 11: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Six Geese-a-Laying
Festive, gourmet eggnogs served in
Studio 1000.

Thursday, December 11: 7 p.m.- 11 p.m.
Holiday Latin Jazz with Andre Feriante

Friday, December 12: 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Holiday Movie Night at Hotel 1000
"It's a Wonderful Life."


Friday, December 12: 6:30 p.m.- 6:45 p.m.
Seven Swans a Swimming
Olympic Ballet Theatre performs its
Mini-Nutcracker.

Sunday, December 14: 7 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Holiday Jazz with Liis Todd Trio.

Monday, December 15: 6 p.m.- 8 p.m.
Eight Maids a Milking
O Wine and Cheese Fondue pairing.
$45 per person.

Tuesday, December 16: 5:00, 5:45, 6:30, 7:15 p.m.
Nine Ladies Dancing
Northwest Girl's Choir.

Wednesday, December 17: 6 p.m.- 7 p.m.
Ten Lords a Leaping
Seattle Men's Chorus ensemble
"Captain Smartypants."

Thursday, December 18: 7 p.m.- 11 p.m.
Holiday Latin Jazz with Andre Feriante

Friday, December 19: 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Holiday Movie Night at Hotel 1000
"A Christmas Story."

Saturday, December 20: 6:30 p.m.- 10:00 p.m.
Gay Holiday Bingo
Benefiting Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

Saturday, December 20: 11:00 a.m.
Twelve Drummers Drumming
Blue Thunder

Sunday, December 21: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Eleven Pipers Piping
Seattle Flute Society.

Prego - Week 10

What's happening with the baby:
By the end of this week, the baby will have verifiable fingers and toes. The tadpole appearance diminishes as the tail completely disappears. Eyelids fuse and will stay shut until weeks 25 to 27. Both the external ear and upper lip are complete, and the beginnings of external genitalia appear. The average size of the baby-to-be is 27 to 35 millimeters, crown to rump, or 1.06 to 1.38 inches. Our little one weighs in at a hefty four grams! At the end of the eighth week of gestation our little one is no longer an embryo; from now on he or she is referred to as a fetus.

What's happening with Momma:
The inevitable "Pickles or Ice Cream?" question has been answered: PICKLES! Yes, I scream for pickles. You know the kosher dill spears.... mmmmHmmm.
The tummy is still a bit picky, but I'm learning how to keep it pleased. Small snacks throughout the day is the best remedy. Not "hungry" and not "full". My energy levels are rising. If only I could get a mid-day nap, I'd be back to normal-ish. All in all, I'm feeling quite good.

Thanksgiving was wonderful and relaxing thanks to G-ma & G-pa. Dinner was a success. I'll post a dessert recipe soon :) Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Thanksgiving

We have much to be thankful for this year. Tomorrow marks week 9 of the pregnancy and our little bean will be almost an inch! We're looking forward to spending time with family and I'm hoping to be able to eat at least a decent sized meal.... we'll see about that. We haven't done the turkey thing in a few years so we're going to be a little more traditional this year.

Hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving. I'll be back home with some pictures :)

A Baby Story

I have an explanation for the tiredness, lack of blog posts, etc.

We're Pregnant!!

Today marks week 8 of the pregnancy and we had a great Ultrasound this morning. I will post pictures of our baby blob :) We heard the heartbeat which makes it all the more real. Everything is moving along perfectly. We're just praying for continued good health for our little bean.

We're excited to share this wonderful exciting time with you all and I'm sure there will be plenty of updates to come.

Much love.

I told you it was a blob :)

Been A While

Hi All,

I've been away for a bit. I apologize. Many things are happening on the homefront and I've been resting as much as possible.

We've had a history making election and the city is still buzzing. I'd rather not get into a deep political conversation here, but I can say I'm very excited at the new turn our country will hopefully be able to make his coming term.

Miss Sydney has visited us the past two weekends :) We've spent plenty of time puddle jumping and visiting our usual city stops. There's a glass gallery across the street that always displays wonderful art. Most recently they've had an exhibit of dinosaurs... Syd has been enjoying those.
Syd and I got our hair cut this past weekend at Gene Juarez. I was surprised at how "big girl" of her she was. She had a great time and of course her hair looks beautiful. I went home with curly hair, she went home with straight :) It was a wonderful weekend and we look forward to spending Thanksgiving with her.

Sarah B. has posted a few pictures from our time with her a few weeks ago. You can see them here.

Enjoy your week. I'll try and post more often ;)

Prop. 8

by Krist Novoselic

It’s horrifying that someone can put a measure on a ballot to take a couple’s marriage away. It’s all the more horrifying, of course, that such a measure would pass. But while the passage of California’s Proposition 8 is a dispiriting loss, the fight for human dignity is far from over.

As a happily married heterosexual, my wife Darbury and I have built a relationship, household, and family on our own terms. It’s important that the state recognizes the sanctity of a relationship, and acknowledges that it’s the spouse who clearly has authority in case a partner is unable to make decisions due to illness or worse. When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom started marrying same-sex couples in 2004, he was only codifying their relation with the state. This did not, as the measure’s proponents asserted, constitute an assault on the institution of marriage.

The actual threat to marriage is dysfunction. The ugly face of dysfunction comes in many guises. There’s abuse (physical and mental), chemical dependency, developmental issues, and many other factors that tear marriages apart. Considering these real threats to marriage, it makes no sense to assault a healthy homosexual relationship. The passage of Prop. 8 is a classic case of the tyranny of the majority.

We say justice is blind for a reason: Our basic rights are protected by the rule of law that’s rooted in our Constitution. You cannot single out a group of people and eliminate their rights with the whim of a ballot.

It’s the courts’ role to guard against tyrannical laws. The legal challenge to Prop. 8 is simple: the measure is no simple amendment, it is a revision of the California Constitution. The ballot initiative basically took equal protection out of the state constitution. It takes a vote of the legislature and the people to make such a fundamental alteration. We’ve had mangled jurisprudence in this nation, but I remain hopeful that the courts will live up to their duty, protect the individual, and overturn this ballot proposition.

I voted for Barack Obama, and last Tuesday gave me a lot to hope for. I caught on to something in his victory speech. He referred to the spirit of optimism of John F. Kennedy by stating, “It lives on in those Americans—young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight—who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose...”

It was easy to sulk on election night with the news of Prop. 8. President-elect Obama gave me some solace with his acknowledgment of gay and straight. We may have lost the battle but we’re still very much in the fight.

Obama also referred to Martin Luther King and the arc of history bending toward justice. Obama’s election itself was an affirmation of that famous sentiment. We’re armed with a simple message: Love is only love no matter what your sexual orientation.

Fall Photos

Here are some pics from this last weekend. I wish I could have gotten more, but hopefully there's still a few days left of these pretty fall leaves.

Mac & Cheese

I've been promising this Mac & Cheese recipe for quite a while. Sorry it's taken so long to post. I highly recommend making at least a double batch. Last time I made it, I made a quadruple batch and froze half of it. When I thawed that batch, I made a little extra sauce to stir in before transferring to the oven since the penne absorbed some of it while it was waiting to be cooked :)

This is my take on Kurt Beecher's Mariachi Mac & Cheese recipe from Pure Flavor.



Ingredients:

8 oz. penne
2 Tbsp. butter
2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 Cups milk
6 oz. sharp Cheddar, grated
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 habanero, minced w/o most seeds
1 red chili, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Ancho Chili powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
1/4 tsp. paprika

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch baking dish.

Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions (about 7 minutes)(it will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse pasta in cold water and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add three quarters of the Cheddar and Gruyere, Habanero, red chili, garlic powder, Ancho Chili powder, and salt. Stir until cheese is melted. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cauliflower, and bell pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onion is just beginning to brown. Remove from the heat and add vegetables to the cheese sauce along with the corn. Fold the sauce into the cooked pasta. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar and Gruyere cheese and the paprika.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Let the mac & cheese rest for 5 minutes before serving.


Note: If you don't like things spicy, leave out the habanero.

Photofunia.com

Another fun photo site provided this:

Third Thursday of October

It's official! It's our TWO year! And we couldn't be happier.

Yet Another Visual Change

I've been hating the dark background on this blog because it always seems to make the pictures look..... weird. I've never been a fan of colored backgrounds for this reason. So CHEERS! to another visual change.

Do you already know?

I've been tagged! By Sarah B. :) The goal is to tell you six things you don't already know about me. This seems a bit difficult, but I'll give it a go. If my mom or Chris already know these things, I hope you'll forgive me.

1. I HATE coffee. I'm a Seattleite and I hate coffee. That sentence wouldn't even make sense to most people, but it's true for me. I've become quite fond of tea and love exploring little tea shops, especially the ones that have tastings. My current favorite blenders are Harney & Sons. A few of my favorite blends are Indian Nimbu (Darjeeling w/Lemon & Caramel), Bangkok (Green Tea w/Lemongrass, Coconut & Ginger) and Yellow and Blue (Chamomile, Lavendar and Corn Flowers).


2. If I could choose one seat to have my name on it aside from my chair at home, it would be a seat at the Chicago Symphony. I could sit at the symphony for days! I can't even begin to put into words how good it feels to be surrounded by an entire orchestra playing classical, romantic, or jazz pieces so vibrant you can't make the goosebumps go away.


3. I very strongly dislike money. Actually.... I hate it. It's a curse. It excites me to dream about our future sustainable sailboat. I pray I can get as far away from needing money as humanly possible while still maintaining our health. Everything else will come....


4. I love having a great variety of friends and acquaintances. I love having those who are super close, those who are very odd, those who are old, and those who are young. I've found that surrounding myself with varying people keeps me on my toes and aware of all who roam this world. It keeps me aware of differing points of view and different backgrounds. It keeps theories ever changing and our thoughts of how things work ever improved. It seems that having a group of friends who are all very similar would be boring. This, coming from an only child who bounced from group to group to find that I usually have 1 close friend out of many groups and well.... I like it that way :)


5. The two collections I'd like to have throughout my life are a. books and b. musical instruments. I've never been one to "collect" things. I suppose when I was a child I had a small rock collection and a button/pin collection. Perhaps a couple others, but they haven't stuck around and I haven't started any other collections aside from books and musical instruments. What excites me the most about these collections is dreaming of what I will learn and what conversations I will have after reading those books and who I will meet and jam with while collecting those instruments. I love the connections these two things create between people and cultures.


6. I feel the Need for Speed. I blame my parents for this one. All those fun toys I grew up with :) Oh, and Dave White.... He has to take partial blame for this too. All those Tool Man references.... crazy guys. To the point: Quite often I feel the need for speed. I don't know if it's because I don't own a car and haven't for a few years, if it's because I don't get out on the jet ski anymore or what, but I just can't run fast enough to curb this urge. Perhaps I should learn to snowboard or ski, but I fear what injuries could possibly come out of having this urge and coupling it with my first time on a snowboard. Perhaps I should go skydiving. Hmmm...



Now it's my turn to "tag" some folks.... Jessie Malcolm & Teresa Halfacre, consider yourselves Tagged!

My Walking Art Update

As you all know, I'm a big fan of art and especially that done by local artists. Today I have a few pieces to share with you that are being shown at the Patricia Rovzar Gallery in Downtown Seattle. Both of these artists are local and their works are wonderfully pleasing. Lyle Silver's use of color in these landscapes is extraordinary and Pierce Milholland has a spectacular sense of light and color in his fantastic paintings of the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy.

Lyle Silver: Another Trip to the Market

Lyle Silver: Late Afternoon at the Square

Lyle Silver: The Way East

Lyle Silver: Western Avenue

Pierce Milholland: Carnation Flower Farm

Pierce Milholland: Night Lights

Pierce Milholland: Skagit Valley Landscape