My Favorite Things

sunday night

I’m sitting in my flannel Pajamagram pants…courtesy of my sweet father.
He sent us girls a Pajamagram a few years ago for Valentines day.
It really is the perfect gift!
I’ve paired them with my Florida Gators t-shirt…courtesy of my Aunt Anna!
Thanks Aunt Anna…love you!

I’m sipping my vinegar tea (felt a tinge of a cold coming on) and watching Masterpiece Theatre.
It’s my new obsession.
I always thought Masterpiece Theatre was boring and for old people.
Well…I’m 28 now and I’ve accepted Masterpiece Theatre into my life.
A couple weeks ago it was Return to Cranford and tonight it’s Emma.
I’m excited for Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.
So as you can see I’m quit boring tonight.
So let me entertain you with a trip down memory lane.
Yep…that’s husb and I.
17 and 18 years old.
Senior year of high school.
Oh my.
We look so happy…we had so much fun.
What a cutie he is.
See his shoes?
He wore the same kind on our wedding day.
Now…my shoes.
Well…I wish someone would have told me to get a shorter pair.
Come on…that dress is ridiculously short.
High water dress anyone?
And what's up with my hair?
Despite all that…great memories!
Ty and Tasha were with us that night.
Tasha and I had not realized our friendship potential yet ;)
I’ll have to scan and share the pic of the four of us.
I’m sure Tash can’t wait ;)
 
Gotta love this picture.
Me and my Lunstrum girls…Hannah, Leah, and Esther.
We are hanging out in Barry’s parents basement.
Even back then I couldn’t take a pic without closing my eyes.
Those were good times.
Esther…do you notice the jacket?
Mom…is that jacket still in the coat closet?

Well…now you’ve peered into my life as a teenager.
And now that I know how to scan pictures…I might even get brave and post a few of my middle school years.
Maybe.
Depends on what mood I’m in.
They aren’t pretty ;)

One last thing.
I linked to it above…but wanna point out that my dear Leah has a blog!
You know I love to share my friends blogs with ya!
She is such a sweet woman and even though she just started her blog…well…she is pretty much blowing me out of the water.
It’s a fun read and she always has lots going on.
I guess not everyone's lives revolve around Masterpiece Theatre and pajamas;)

sissy

We are baby/house sitting this week.
They aren’t really babies tho.
They are 16,12,8 and 5 years old.
Great kids.
And a dog and a cat.
The dog is the most difficult of them all ;)
So my day has revolved around school drop off, pickup, cartoons, and little girl giggles.
Not too bad right!

So even though my day hasn’t been super eventful…
it is for sure an eventful date.
Today is January 25th.
22 years ago God gave me my first little sister.
I wish I had planned ahead and scanned the cutest little kid pics of her.
Oh well.
These pictures do a pretty good job of describing her!

Full of attitude

Up for a challenge
 
And even though she drives me crazy…like any good little sister does…she is extremely lovable!

Meggie…I love you!
You were my first sister and I wouldn’t trade you for the world.
Even if I may have wished I could when we you killed my bird or broke my glass from the thrift store ;)

Happy Birthday! 
I’ll always be your sissy.

a good saturday

Hey Friends!
How was your Saturday?
We had a fun day.

We made a trip to good ol’ Nordstrom so that husb could buy me an early birthday present.
A pair of black Uggs.
Don’t hate.
You know you have a soft spot in your heart for a good pair of Uggs ;)
So, we went in to buy them and they were all out.
The entire state of WA is out of black Uggs.
Seriously?
You just know it was some bratty teenage girl that got the last pair ;)
I decided against a full blown tantrum…it’s just not the right thing to do when you are in Nordstrom.
Instead I opted for them to order and mail me a pair.

Then we headed out to IKEA!
I could smell those meatballs a mile away!
Not really…that would actually be really gross and would make a trip to IKEA less appealing.
Anyways, my dear friend Tasha will be glad to hear that my trip was very fruitful and EXPENSIVE!
She always gives me a hard time because when we go together I hardly spend a dime.
Well not today baby!
We splurged and bought five white Ingolf bar stools.
After getting back home husb got to work.
Whata man, whata man, whata mighty good man…mighty mighty good man.
Name that girl group ;)
(and until now I always thought it was money good man…whoops)

Of course he was allowed a tea break ;) 
 
I would show you a picture of the finished project but only one is assembled.
I was having issues.
Not sure if I was satisfied with them.
I mean…they are beautiful and I love them.
But I realized after husb put together the first stool that our bar is not as deep as I had expected.
I kept thinking…is this going to be uncomfortable to eat at?
Should I get bar stools without a back?
OMG…did I just waist $70?
I did the most logical thing.
I emailed a fellow blogger.
Sweet Katie Bower came to my rescue and comforted me with the fact that her bar is shallow as well.
She pretty much stuck it to me.
Telling me I had to decide between leaning over the bar when eating or having my bootie sliding off a smaller stool.
I think I’ve decided to go with the leaning ;)
Thanks Katie B!

Speaking of fellow bloggers. You might recognize these two from my post about Canon Beach.
My friends Tasha and Kristel…
have both jumped into the world of blogging.
You gotta check them out.
Tasha is going to give us all great home decorating advice and Kristel is gonna make us laugh our bums off.
Tasha just had a sweet little baby girl and Kristel is going to have one.
And let me just tell you how brave I am.
THEY WERE BOTH PREGNANT DURING OUR CANNON BEACH TRIP!
Yeah…I went on a mini road trip with two pregnant women…
and survived!
Ha!
So yeah…go on over and give them some blog love.

And finally to end the day husb and I went to see The Book of Eli.
It definitely isn’t a kid friendly movie.
But is was very good…beautiful in its own way.
I don’t want to give anything away…but I’ll just say it reminded me that I need to be much more diligent in reading my Bible.

Man…I’ve been a chatty Kathy tonight.
Thanks for lending me your ear!
I’m off to eat some Molly Moon balsamic strawberry ice cream.
I have a pint in my freezer.
I may or may not share with my sweet husb ;)

i’m still alive

incase you were worried that I had been swallowed up by moving boxes ;)
We are in our new place!
I said a sad goodbye to my gas stove.
I loved my gas stove.
It was good to me.

But I said a nice hello to my new walk-in closet and master bathroom!
I’ll give you a tour soon.

I made this for dinner last night…
first meal in our new kitchen.
It was good.
Tonight I made Pioneer Woman chicken pot pie.
Right now I’m waiting for it to cool so I can dig in!
I was going to link you to it…but it’s not on her website.
Only in her cookbook.
If you don’t have her cookbook yet…
you seriously need to order it.
It’s a life saver…and delicious…and man pleasing.

Hope you are all having a good week.
And thanks for not giving up on me and my silly blog ;)

Pork Paillards w/ Sour Cream-Paprika Sauce

it’s a mad house around here!

My house is a maze of boxes.
Both packed and partially packed.
And husb and I are both fighting a cold.
Don’t you wanna come over ;)

On another note…I would like to introduce you to Husb’s collection.
 
Yep…it’s a shirt collection.
He keeps his company t-shirts.
One from each company he has worked for.
Weird right?
Although, I guess I have no room to talk.
I have a weird assortment of t-shirts I can’t seem to part with myself.

And there is another Martha Stewart recipe…waiting for ya in the recipe link to the right!
Pork Paillards with Sour Cream-Paprika Sauce.

Yes, I have been serving our dinners on packing boxes.
And, that J.W.Morris wine…was $3.99 from Trader Joes.
Living the life of luxury over here!

Lastly, any thoughts on the whole NBC late night debacle going on?
I can’t be the only one that wants to give Conan a big hug!

nothing much

to share today.
Except that we are having this for dinner tonight
and so far I have 2 boxes packed.

Also, today I was thinking…
I wish you could get in shape just by wearing yoga pants, your gym t-shirt and tennis shoes.
If so…Bob and Jillian would have nothing on me!

serving with joy

I was reading Kara’s blog post today.
She wrote “Take 55 minutes and listen to her story. It is worth every second”

She wasn’t kidding.
It is very worth it.
A great description of who Jesus is and how much he loves us.

Chicken Paillards w/ Lemon Butter Sauce

recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Living magazine

2 chicken breasts
salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil
butter
shallot
2 lemons
3/4 c chicken broth or stock
spinach

From what I understand, Chicken Paillards is a fancy way of saying “cut a chicken breast in half and then beat it flat with a rolling pin”.

Now that we got that out of the way…

Season 4 chicken paillards (from 2 breast halves) on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams. Add 2 paillards, and sauté on 1 side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Flip, and sauté paillards until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Raise heat to medium-high, and repeat with  remaining paillards.

Add 1/4 cup minced or sliced shallots to skillet, and cook over medium heat, adding oil or butter as needed, stirring often, until golden, about 1 minute. Raise heat to medium-high. Add segments and juice of 2 lemons, 3/4 cup chicken broth or stock and any plate juices. Deglaze the pan, scraping brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Simmer until sauce reduces by half, about 3 minutes. Gradually stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces) until just melted. Season to taste.

The recipe says to serve chicken and sauce over a bed of spinach. Like in the picture above. However, I decided I liked it better adding the spinach straight in the pan with the sauce. Turning it with a pair of tongs in the sauce until it wilts. Plus, it shrinks up so much as it wilts…you can just keep adding more spinach and get more veggies that way ;)

The recipe adds:

Lemon segments give this dish great flavor. To segment the lemon, cut away all the peel and white pith. Then slice along the membranes. 
I got got the juice out of 1.5 of the lemons and then cut segments out from the left over half…without cutting the peal and pith.

If you read this recipe and it doesn’t make sense…feel free to comment and ask me to clarify! Enjoy!

random food post

Here is a list of recipes I’ve tried over the last week or so.
I’ve been excited to share them with you guys.

Pioneer Woman Lasagna…I usually don't have the best luck with lasagna.
This recipe…she is right…it’s the best.

Then I made these two appetizers for a New Years party we attended.
Cheddar Puffs (these are best right out of the oven…probably best if you are making them while having people over at your house.)
Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Bites 

and tonight I made Chicken with Lemon-Butter Sauce.
It’s a Martha Stewart Living recipe but I can’t seem to find it on the website.
Good thing I took a picture!

You can get the recipe by clicking on the recipe link on the right.

I also made husb a cherry pie tonight
and tea.
I had too…he wouldn’t leave me alone.
All he has done for three days is beg for a cherry pie and tea.
I finally caved ;)

And just incase you needed a baby fix.
 
It isn’t the best quality picture
But it sure is a cute one!

haha…funny concept for a movie

Good example of what happens when we try and take things into our own hands ;)

The Back-Up Plan - Trailer No. 1 - Moviefone

The Back-Up Plan - Trailer No. 1 - Moviefone.

moving

That’s right!
We’re outta here!
Out of our apartment that is.
We haven’t found land or a house we want to purchase…but we did find a condo rental that gives us LOTS more room to stretch out!
Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, A WALK IN CLOSET, granite counter tops, a laundry room, covered parking (goodbye pine needles)!
Do I need to say anything else?

So, I’m going to be in packing mode for the next two weeks.

I could use your help!
Any tips in regards to packing and moving?
I know a few of you just moved.
What would you have done differently.
Do you wish you would have thrown out more stuff or do you regret getting rid of something?
How did you pack your breakables?

Thanks for helping a sista out!

And on a total side note.
Would it kill a company to make a dishtowel that actually soaks up water?
Seriously.
Three years ago I bought some dishtowels (after looking at multiple stores) at one of the high end kitchen stores.
I’m still waiting for it to “break-in” and soak up water!!!
Since I’m already asking your advice on packing…

ya got any recommendations on where to find a good dishtowel?

mexican sweet tooth

Our dear friend from Mexico blessed us with an awesome Christmas gift.
Mexican Candy!

I know right?
Hardly gets much better than a big bundle of exotic candy!
It was wrapped in a sweet floral napkin.
Making it all that much better!

Husb and I decided to photograph our taste testing for you.
We want you to be informed incase you have an impromptu trip to Latin America anytime soon.
We like to look out for you guys ;)

This is called…well I don’t really know what it’s called.
But I’ve never seen anything like it before.

 

They are these soft strawberry/shortbread like cookies with little marshmallow like things on top.
It comes with a pack of strawberry sauce that we assume you drizzle on top.
Yeah…my drizzling skills could use some work.
They were delightful nonetheless.

This is a Mui-Bon

Husb and I decided out of all the candy this was most like something you might find in the US.
It was chocolaty and caramely with a cookie crunch.
Yes…it was good!

However, I’d like to introduce you to our favorite…Sandigomas!

Or as husb likes to say “sandibombs”.

They are these little watermelon flavored gummy candies with a chili powder coating.
Just the right balance of sweet, sour, and spicy.
They are addicting!

Mexico has an interesting sweet tooth.
And I think I like it!
Praise the Lord for friends and the candy they bring me ;)

Christmas 2009

I’m sure you are so over Christmas right now.
You might even be totally over 2009.
It’s 2010 for goodness sakes.
Well…TOO BAD ;)
I still wanna share my Christmas with you.

Our short, fat, and very dead Christmas tree

It didn’t handle our cross tree topper very well.
It gave us a good laugh every night when we turned it on though.

My Christmas banner.

It was so hard to get a good picture of it.
And…it was a little long and overwhelming for our mantle.
But it was a great reminder of what we were celebrating.

Christmas day at my parents house.

 
I don’t even know what to say about that ;)

Don’t worry, I wasn’t letting my underage little sister drink.
It’s just cider.
Strawberry sparkling cider to be exact.
I guess it’s her favorite kind.
Very weird…I didn’t even know they made that flavor. 

Meg and Mom having what looks like an intense conversation.

And yes…I am the only girl in the family that didn’t get a new pair of Uggs for Christmas.
Don’t worry…I have a birthday coming up ;)
Besides that… the Christmas presents this year were GREAT!

We each got a box of boiled peanuts!
The perfect gift for us girls. 

Meg got me this mug from Anthropologie.
I love it.
She also got husb one.
I love it too ;)

I got some great pampered chef gear and some pretty Cutco brand knives.
They have pearl handles.
Love them.
Any of you have experience with Cutco?
I’ve heard good things about them.

Meg also got me these measuring cups!

This picture is courtesy of Pioneer Woman.
I first saw them on her blog.
And then decided they needed to come live in my kitchen.

My other little sis got me some great MAC makeup.
I was inspired by this post and decided I needed to give MAC a try.
So far…so good.

Oh! And remember these?

Sweet friends…Mike and Serena got them for me!
And yes…I am aware that three of the gifts I received were things I wanted because I saw them on blogs.
I’m impressionable at times…what can I say?
But you have to admit…all great gifts!

I didn’t take pictures on Christmas Eve.
Or the six batches of Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls that wouldn’t cook through because I was having a throw down with my parents oven.

Overall, Christmas was great!
Thanks Mom and Dad for having us over and loving us.
On to 2010!