Fall

I started this post a few days ago, here is what I said:
I'm digging fall this year.  I think its because it hasn't truly started raining yet.  The crisp mornings with the sunshinning really starts a day off great...I see whats coming though and it isn't looking too "great".  Rain that is.

Well, its here...the rain.  And I have to tell you, I'm not digging it. I feel like there was no easing into all this rain crap...which I think is the least we deserve after such a stellar (not) summer.

We went to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago, so much fun!

Davis's favorite friends, his cousins

This is as close of a bump shot you'll get folks

BiZi Farms rock

Its kinda funny what changes in just a few days.  When I started this post I had a major disclaimer about how I wasn't a crazy mom...that I wasn't making my kid do swim lessons....but wasn't allowing him to quit either...that he has mad skills in the pool but cries the whole time...blah, blah, blah.  Well much to my surprise Davis made it through his swim class tonight with mad skills and NO CRYING!  Sooo thrilled and excited.  We did bribe him with a Duck football helmet, but still.. thats been on the bribe list for the last 2 weeks and it didn't work..so I'm going with the fact that we've finally turned the corner.

As any proud mom would do, I'll share some video's of the little phelps swimming.  They were taken last week so there is a bit of crying in the first float video.

***Ohh and whatever you do...don't tell B you saw him with his shirt off..I had strict instructions to not get him in the shot, although that was nearly impossible.*** 

Some float skills

He loves to jump off the box, this is a new teacher but typically they swim to the side on their own.

BTW, thats not him crying.

This video is the slide, another one of his favorites.

Not a great video, sorry..and thats not him crying.

Had a little Halloween get together with a few of the girls and their families on Saturday.  The kids painted pumpkins and the parents ate alot of GREAT food (man these girls can cook!).  A good time had by all! Especially the kiddos with their cute costumes.

If your looking for a quick and easy dessert recipe for Halloween, click here. 

I can't quite figure out how they got such smooth ghosts?  Ohh and I for sure pulled a little Sandra Lee, Semi-homemade with these guys...store bought cupcakes and I took the nasty frosting off ;)



Whats that you said?? The nursery?  Yes, well its coming along..nicely.  I should have it close to being done this weekend or next.  I'll post pics soon.  Girls are WAY fun to shop for..this is going to be dangerous!

So there you have it...a little of our happs this fall.  Its been busy and about to get busier!

Babymoon

Brandon and I just got back Monday afternoon from a long weekend in "the City".

San Francisco that is.  I was in SF visiting Apple, Google and Oracle Wednesday-Friday so B flew down Friday evening.  We stayed in a fabulous hotel about 2 blocks from Union Square.  I love getting away, I tend to not worry about things as much, finally feel relaxed and I don't think about what needs to be done next.  I sure wish I could be more like that in my everyday life...HA right!

Friday night 2 colleagues and I had dinner at Bar Tartine, it was good...not the best ever but a good dinner and fun company.  Saturday morning B and I slept in until 8am (whoa, late huh :) and then ventured down to the Ferry Building.  I visited the Ferry Building for the first time last year and fell in love!  It truly is a great place and they have a huge farmers market there on Saturdays.  The weather was perfect.  We ate breakfast along the water, drank coffee, and just sat and chatted...and of course people watched.  I could have sat there for hours.  Here are a few highlights from the Ferry building:

Look at these cupcakes!

Pot de Creme, I couldn't resist! I mean look at them...they are adorable!

We spent the rest of the day visiting neighborhoods we hadn't been to, shopping and what else..eating!

Sunday we took the Cal Train out to see one of my girlfriends.  She had just had her third child.  Sweet baby Stella.

Sunday night was NOPA, my most favorite restaurant in San Fran.  I'm sure there are better ones there, but so far this is my fave.  I tried it a year ago and have thought about the white bean appetizer for the last year, and guess what it was just as good this time as it was a year ago.  I have B now hooked on this place..delicious!

To say we travled by Trains/Planes/Automobiles is an understatement!  We were supposed to take Bart to the airport on Monday...but by that point I was done.  Ready for something a little nicer, we grabbed the hotel towncar...it was worth it!

Now back to reality :)

Batter Up!

We celebrated Davis's 3rd birthday tonight.  I figured a baseball theme was in order, seeing as he is only slightly obsessed about baseball ;)  We thought we'd truck down to the park and have a mini baseball game to kick things off, but rain kept threatening us so the kids played in the back yard instead.  I bought foam party hats and then a variety of foam stickers and let the kids decorate their own party hats.  It was fun and helped keep the kids busy.

I made a Happy Birthday banner after not having much luck finding a local one on Etsy.

Might I suggest using the die cut machine at Craft Warehouse for lettering like this...so easy and quick!

Goodie Bags

Had fun putting these together!

The menu consisted of Baseball food

Apps :  Popcorn and veggies

Main: Hot Dogs, Brats, chips/dip and homemade Mac n Cheese



The smile on his face when everyone started singing was priceless...he was so happy.

Fun times! Can't believe he is going to be three on Thursday!

Nun's Puffs

Not these Nun's.... but these Nun's

[Pass the Pocky]

I woke up this morning and felt like going out to eat.  With the hubs in China still it doesn't make me really want to cook.  But I figured a slow morning at home was what Davis and I both needed.  So I skimmed through my good ol' Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for a french toast recipe.  I came across Nun's Puffs.  Having never heard about these I figured I'd give them a shot.  I decided to halve the recipe, which usually doesn't work out so well, but since it was easy ingredients I figured I'd try.

They turned out great!  The puff up so beautifully in the oven and fall just a touch when removed.  The best way to describe the flavor is fluffy yet dense with a bit of egg flavor...you see they taste like German Pancakes, only they aren't flat.  So I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on them with syrup and enjoyed!

Here is the receipe if you want to give them a shot:

Nun's Puffs

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
Honey * or syrup and powdered sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously grease twelve 2 1/2 inch muffin cups, including the edge and around the top of each cup. Set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter; add milk. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that does not separate. Remove from heat; cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute with a wooden spoon after each addition or until smooth. Divide dough evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling cups about two-thirds full; sprinkle with sugar.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Remove from pan. Serve immediately. If desired, serve with honey (or syrup and powdered sugar :) 

On to other news, I didn't have any luck finding a professional organizer.  So my sister in law offered to help.  She did a walk through and we basically made a game plan.  It involves moving things around in 5 rooms, a hallway closet, and some of my kitchen cupboards.  So its going to take a while, but I now have a plan and am not freaking out as much anymore.  I've got just about 3 months until baby girl comes, with work being super busy, life at home busy and a few trips planned its going to go quickly.

To pass the time

Since I haven't been sewing or blogging much I thought I'd offer a great recipe for the fall weather we seem to be experiencing. 

The hubs left for China (again) yesterday so I figured I would make a big pot of soup and use it for lunches this week.  Its one of my standby's, so delicious.

This recipe is from Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook.  Its a great cookbook, one that I use often.  Come to think of it, I haven't really ever had a recipe from her that didn't taste good.

[cookin' canuck]

Tortellini Soup with Pancetta & White Beans


3 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cup chopped Swiss or red chard (1 bunch)
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (9 oz) package fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Set a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat and add 3 tbsp olive oil. Add the pancetta, shallots, garlic, and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the pancetta is crisp. Stir occasionally while cooking.

Add the low-sodium chicken broth, chard, and beans to the pancetta mixture. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer. Add the fresh or frozen cheese tortellini. Simmer for 5 minutes for fresh or 8 minutes for frozen tortellini. The tortellini should be just tender.

Season with 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
*  My own variations:  I don't add garlic (because I thinks its stinky) and I don't add as much swiss chard.  I just kind of eye ball how much I want.  I typically cut it in longer narrow strands so its not overwhelming. *


Ok, moving on.  I'm kind of up to my ears in stuff at our house.  I think I'm starting to freak out a bit that this baby is coming and well that means rearranging stuff.  When you live in an old house (82 years old) there isn't great storage solutions and not alot of closets.  So now I have to reevaluate where everything is going and how to best organize it.  I'm seriously contemplating hiring a professional organizer.  1) I dont' have a ton of time to do this the right way and 2) not really what I want to be doing.  So if you know of anyone, can you please pass their number along. 

Love

I love alot of things...and we'd be here forever if I named all of them off..one local place I love is Cannon Beach.  Not sure what it is about this little beach town, but I truly enjoy spending time there.  Part of what I love is that its not dumpy like some beach towns, and yet its not commercialized like others. 

This last Saturday Brandon and I dropped Davis off with the grandparents and headed to CB.  We haven't been to CB together in years, and lets face it...some time alone without a little one deciding he wants to do something different ever 2 minutes just sounds like bliss.

The funny part of it is, is that most of Portland had the same idea.  We had made our reservations a few weeks prior not knowing it would be sizzling in Portland. 

The minute we rounded the corner into town, it was cloudy! hahah  We didn't mind the clouds and breeze. We wandered through town, had lunch and talked, and then sat on the beach for a few hours reading.  The one thing that struck me as we were sitting down having coffee and pastires the next morning (reading the paper uninterrupted), was this is what life was like before kids.  I had sort of forgotten.  And while I wouldn't go back to that life and we kept wishing Davis was with us, it was a great reminder to get away for even just one night every once in a while and enjoy. 

Had to post this one...not sure what this lady was thinking? 

Maybe the rock looked better than we did :)

Such cute houses!

ahhhhhhhhh so relaxing!

Do you have any fun/quick destination spots you want to share?

Big Boy

I put off the transition of Davis moving from crib to a big boy bed for quite some time.  I don't know what it was, but I just wasn't quite ready...not only that but I didn't want to store the crib.  I just wanted to move it right into the new baby's room.

I had been searching everywhere for a good looking bed, and when I say everywhere...I mean everywhere.  I had finally found one on PotteryBarn Teen, but was hoping to find a bit better of a steal.  Our last stop before placing the PB order was Kids Zone in Beaverton.  Much to our suprise they had a great selection and we found his bed for a great price.

The transition went well, no problems...and I have added some side rails to keep him from tumbling off.

When we decorated his room before he was born, I stuck with things that could grow with him...so this was a quick job...add the bed, get some bedding and done!  The nursery for baby girl will be a bit more involved.  Can't wait to tackle that!

We are painting the front room this week!  More pics to come!