Brief update

Yeah I have been MIA for a bit. But for good reason...I've been working! I have a sweet new J-O-B as a nanny for a 4-month old precious gerber baby girl and a 5-year-old boy-who is smart and hilarious and well-behaved. More on that later...I gotta get back to surfing the net! New favorite websites...

pinterest.com
If you aren't on this...you are so missing out. Although, I definitely think it is more of a girl things than a guy thing and definitely a DIY-ers dream come true. Check it out, and follow me!

whenparentstext.com
Laughter for hours. Ok, a half an hour-but still.

Ok, that's all I can think of for now. Hoping to get some more posts written this weekend to schedule for next week. Thanks for being patient!

We went on a Cruise...!

Well, a short cruise...an hour long of the Puget Sound. Graham's mom was in town and we wanted to do some 'touristy' type things. Our first stop on Saturday was the cruise...and we had perfect weather for it! It was sunny, mid to upper 70s and the water was bright blue. We saw the shipyards, and got a grand tour of the Seattle skyline-learning lots of history and fun facts along the way. G and I both agreed, this was probably the coolest thing we have done in Seattle. Below are some pictures taken from the cruise ship.

Seattle Skyline from the Puget Sound

Condos...I like the look of these...what a great view they have!

Space Needle...designed to survive massive earthquakes!

View of the mountains were hazy due to the large amounts of wildfires burning in eastern WA.

The black building is the tallest building in Seattle...I think it is the Columbia building?

After the cruise, we headed to Pike's Place Market-always a good time, although crowded! We got a really good deal on some beautiful flowers...we paid $5 each for two huge bouquets. We also picked up salmon, scallops, veggies, amazing yellow nectarines, and monkfish to cook the next 2 days. We ate lunch at Pike Place Chowder (yes, again) and also had "World's Best" macaroni and cheese from Beecher's. G said it was good, but he has had better...although when I asked him to name where he had better, he came up with nothing. Personally, I found it to be the WORLD'S BEST! (Sis and Mauri...I found our lunch spot when we go to the market in November!!)

MV Visits...and I eat RAW VEGAN lunch!

G's mom, MV, was in town for her first ever trip to Seattle this past Thurs-Monday. We had a great time seeing some sites and introducing her to our new friends, taking her to church, cooking fresh seafood, etc. MV arrived on Thursday night and Friday G had to work, so I took MV to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. WAY COOL. MV is a glass bead artist, so I knew this would be fun for her. We saw a live demonstration of glass art making in the 'Hot Shop' as well as galleries full of various glass art pieces. The highlight was definitely the Chihuly bridge. Difficult to explain, hopefully the pictures will paint a picture in your mind. Oh yeah-I scored 2 for the price of 1 museum tickets off Groupon...jackpot!

Hot shop demo.

Heating the glass...designing a flat vase.

Put the finishing heat on the piece before going into the cooling kiln.

All the pieces in the Chihuly bridge...sooo cool!

The length of the bridge

The top of the bridge....this was the coolest!

Another view of the ceiling. 

This was my lunch at a RAW restaurant. It was 3 kinds of sprouted quinoa, tomatoes, avocado, on a bed of cilantro and cabbage, with some flax seed chips.

Vicky had a taco salad...the 'meat' was walnut meal...very interesting texture and we both actually enjoyed it! Vicky also had a hibiscus iced tea that was naturally sweet and refreshing. I had a 'cinnamon roll' that was made with almond meal...not really what I would consider a 'pastry' in any shape or form. It had good flavor, but the texture was strange. It was a fun experience and I know Vicky was glad we found a RAW restaurant for her to try while she was here! 

We finished the day by coming home to meet up with Graham after work and walking up to the Newcastle Days sidewalk sale. Got to visit with some of our friends and check out some fun arts and crafts booth...we also did a wine and choc tasting...yummy! For dinner we went to a restaurant on  Lake Washington where we had a wonderful view and enjoyed a nice walk before returning home to rest up for day 2!!

New Recipe...or Old Recipe?

For one of our (many) Christmas presents from Graham's mom, MV, she made me a cookbook with recipes from her family as well as some of Graham's favorites. Tonight, I tried an awesome recipe that G loves, called Taco Chicken....and it was DELICIOUS! We made enough to have for tomorrow night as well, and G told me this was possibly the best meal I ever made...woot woot! Below is the super simple recipe...from our home to yours!

Taco Chicken
4 eggs
bottled salsa or taco sauce
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups plain dry bread crumbs
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt (I used garlic powder)
1/2 tsp oregano
1 chicken breast per person (I made 5 this time)
1/4 cup butter
shredded lettuce
sour cream
diced tomatoes
sliced avocado
sliced green onions
1 lime-wedged
(we also used black olives)

Directions:
-While preparing chicken: Place butter in 9x13" pan in 375 degree oven. Remove pan when the butter has melted.
-Beat together eggs, 4-5 Tablespoons of salsa/taco sauce, and salt in one bowl.
-In another bowl, mix bread crumbs, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and oregano.
-Rinse each chicken breast in clear water, coat with egg batter, then dip in crumb mixture.
-Place chicken in pan, turn once to coat with butter, and bake about 35 minutes. (do not cover pan).

To Serve:
Place chicken on top of a bed of lettuce, arrange remaining ingredients as desired.

Tears rolling down my face...

laughing my butt off at this hilarious site. It will waste hours of company time...but, hey-it's Friday and oh so worth it!

http://27bslash6.com/

Latest Masterpieces

Here are some of the latest cards I have created:

All of the products I use can be found on www.closetomyheart.com and purchased through ME! Which one will be coming your way soon?!?!

I read you books and I read you books...

Some of the books I have read lately...and I highly recommend!!

A story about a mom who was kidnapped, raped multiple times, and held captive...told from her 5 year-old sons point of view....very riveting, I had a hard time putting it down and ended up reading it in a day!

Another book I couldn't put down! This was a captivating story set in Mississippi in the 1960s. There is a reason it is so popular peoples...I really want to see the movie (both my mother and step-mother-in-law gave it rave reviews!) but not sure we will make it to the theater before it goes to DVD!

This book came highly recommended by my mother-in-law, otherwise known as MV. We got this from the library and I am sad that is due back next week...it is definitely a good book to have on hand! This book of full of info on the toxins that are present in every day products (saran wrap, deodorant, body wash, household cleaners) and what you can purchase to be greener for your body and the environment, as well as how to make your own cleaners from baking soda, vinegar, essential oils, etc. I am 3/4 of the way through this book and will likely write a post when I am finished about the changes that Graham and I are making in our lives to GO GREEN! I think this book may find its way under a Christmas tree or two come December!

Finally, a silly, easy read book that I am going to finish today. I used to follow this guys blog some and it always cracked me up. Again, not a serious book...but seriously funny!

 Happy Reading!