Welcome to WA Sammie!

Our friend Sammie stayed with us last week while she was in between jobs and places to live. Sammie was a high school student we knew from California years ago. We loved having her! She was great to have around. She was a wonderful help with the kids. She hates it when i say this but it is so true. She is like super nanny (she is a nanny for a living). She encouraged Ryan in eating new foods and encouraged us in being a little more firm. The kids loved her and we are so excited that she only lives 40 minutes away.

Halloween!

Yummy, raisins. halloween is great- all you can eat raisins day.

I was thinking that the kids were too young to really enjoy Halloween, but I was wrong. They were so good and had so much fun. After naps we put on their costumes (fireman and dalmatian) and we headed downtown Gig Harbor for some trick or treating fun. There were many people and Ryan had fun walking up to the different stores for treats. He couldn't quite say trick or treat but he could say please, "peez". Blake was busy handing out candy at the fly shop but was able to join us for a while (1,500 pieces went very quickly at the shop). After downtown we came home for dinner and then went to a few houses on our street. The neighbors loved seeing the kids and the kids loved going door to door. When we got home we slyly traded the bag of candy for raisins. The kids munched them down and for the next week we munched their candy down when they weren't looking. :)

Birthday decorations, party time!

Happy birthday kids!

Today we celebrated Ryan's second birthday (today is his actual birthday) and Raihna's first birthday (hers is on wednesday). We had a houseful of friends, and little ones. A little crazy, but fun had by all. No major meltdowns, vomit, or blood- that is pretty good when you have so many kids under the age of two. No real theme or activities. Theming a party was proving to be difficult so we went with green and pink. We also purchased a tunnel/tent system for the kids to play with. Other than that it was a free for all, hang out/play and eat food party. I can't believe how much they have both grown over the last year. We love you Ryan and Raihna!

Fall = soup!

The weather is getting a bit chilly, fall has officially started. One of my favorite fall/winter eats is homemade soup. Today I was feeling the urge for some broccoli cheddar. I went straight to google and I made the first one I read. Supposedly, it is the Panera Bread recipe for broccoli cheddar soup. I altered it a little bit and used ingredients I had on hand. I used milk instead of half and half and vegetable broth instead of chicken. I must admit, I was a little concerned about the nutmeg. You don't really taste it. It was so good! Make it tonight, you won't be disappointed. Here is the original recipe.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

I'm still here. . . .

This summer has been much busier than expected. We (meaning Blake) has been busy at the fly shop and working at the church. We have had a lot of company and a few vacations too. My life is even busier with two walking children. Can you believe it, she is walking (started at 11 months). Here are the things I thought about blogging in the last few months.

- Our vacation at Lummi island with my parents
- Our trip to the zoo with Blake's parents
- Me, Linnea, and Bonnie seeing David Bromstad from HGTV Color Splash
- Our church doing "don't go to church, be the church"
- Our garden in full bloom
- The Kid's playing monkey see, monkey do
- All my great goodwill/garage sale purchases
- My new favorite yam tacos
- My trip alone to Sacramento

Ok, now that we are all caught up. I'll try to keep up. Starting with a few pictures and a birthday party blog next weekend. Can you believe it. We almost have a one year old and a two year old!

With Raihna getting older the kids are now playing together. I love it! They have however learned how to team up and cause trouble : )

Eat Fresh!

I love fresh veggies! It is so fun to go out to the garden and pick veggies then come inside and make lunch using what we just picked. Today I made a thai peanut salad trying to copy my ever so favorite from La Bou. It is such a great cold salad I made a double batch so we have leftovers to eat the next few days.

Today, I used soba noodles but you could use udon, or even thin pasta. I tossed cooked noodles with Trader Joes spicy peanut vinaigrette dressing (but also added some chunky peanut butter, soy sauce and a splash of apple cider vinegar to dressing). I then added some red bell pepper, broccoli, snap peas, and green onions. Once tossed and chilled, serve over a bed of lettuce and top with peanuts. Yum!

I didn't think to take a picture of the salad but here is Ryan with todays pickin's.

ReadyMade!

Now we are ready for a BBQ, come on over! This was such a fun, cheap, and easy little project. Requiring no thinking and only a few household items. All you needed was some wrapping paper, tape and an empty six pack carton. I got the idea from the June/July issue of ReadyMade magazine. It is now ready to be used as a utensil holder or condiment organizer. Or maybe to hold crafty items. The possibilities are endless.