Gardens

We took advantage of the nice weather to see the gardens at Thanksgiving Point while my Mom was in town.



Do they look anything alike?

Aspen had to smell every rose.

Lexie and her kids came with us too. Mom and Cortney helped a ton after my sinus surgery. Aspen and Mercedes had a cute new hairdo every day with Cortney there. Half the time I don't get their hair done until noon.

Why is it my 7 year old insists she's too tired to walk while my 2 year old just wants to run? They are so totally opposite in every way. Aspen can now open the fridge, the pantry and unlock every door and let herself outside. When Mercedes was her age we would just tell her not to do something and she wouldn't do it. We definitely have a mini-Scott on our hands.

Roller Coaster

No I'm not talking about the wind in your hair, tears streaming down your face, make your stomach turn with exhilaration roller coaster ride. I'm talking about the tears streaming down your face, make your stomach turn, pull your hair out EMOTIONAL roller coaster ride. Half our house is packed in boxes. After almost four months of unemployment, Scott got a job offer in Spokane. We took it. I quit my job. Mercedes cried telling her teacher and friends. We prayed - if it's not the right thing for our family, please throw up a road block. THREE days before Scott was supposed to leave for Spokane he got a call from a local company. TWO days before he was supposed to leave he got an offer. Mercedes sat down at dinner, looked at us and asked, "Are we moving or what!" ONE day before his departure he negotiated his requirements. THE DAY OF departure we called off the move.

I was totally in move mode. Looking forward to a house with a big yard, a pool just up the road, a landscape that felt like the northern Montana and Idaho of my childhood. We found a baby rattlesnake in our backyard a week ago. Perils of living on the mountain. I WOULDN'T miss that. I had to totally switch gears. And now I'm up at 3 in the morning feeling SO happy that we're staying in our home, Mercedes gets to keep her friends and her great school, we will be able reap the benefits of the garden (mmmm, beans, tomatoes, peas etc.) and all those other things that come with feeling settled. At least all those projects that Scott started and never finished finally got done. I'm no longer obligated to my job, although I will miss my clients and having the time for a good workout every morning. BUT, I can now play all summer with my kids. Season passes to Thanksgiving Point?, Seven Peaks?, swimming lessons?, gymnastics? we'll do it all!

Goblin Valley

We took a trip down to Goblin Valley for the weekend. It was our first camping trip with both girls - Scott and I were trying to remember the last time we'd gone camping. We tried last year but Scott had such a nasty allergic reaction to the horses we packed up and went home. We pulled out our camping gear from all the camping we'd done seven (yes, seven) years ago, plus the bigger tent we had to get and extra kid gear and headed out.

Mercedes had a great time hiking around in the 'goblins'. Aspen proclaimed "I love Gobble Valley!"

At the campsite; yes we all fit into that little bivy behind the girls. JK. The days were nice but it still got down into the 30's at night. BRRRRRRRR. We ate our cereal in the car with the heater on. When I told Mercedes we were going camping she said "I don't want to go camping; I want to stay home and watch iCarly." She changed her mind after we got there.

The Baby

Aspen shut herself in her room the other day and typically when she gets really quiet she's doing something like eating toothpaste, spreading lotion all over herself and the floor or pulling all my clothes off the hangers. I found her curled up inside her baby's crib sucking on her pacifier; which she's only allowed to have at naptime or bedtime in her own crib. She must've thought that any crib would allow her the prized "lally".

Pasta w/ Chicken, Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

Our computer died. Its been with us for six years and it decided to fritz out on us. (It was duck taped together) Two of the things my parents lived without at my age that I CANNOT....my cellphone and my computer. I can't pay my bills, save my pictures, connect with the world etc etc. without my computer. We had to go out and buy a new computer so we could function, which is not a minor expense when you're part of the recession layoff crowd. Everything was saved on the OLD computer and now we have to find a way to get it all off the hard drive and onto the NEW computer. So that's why I'm posting this recipe. My recipe files for the cookbook I'm compiling are on the OLD computers hard drive - I didn't even think to save them on my USB storage device. So I'm posting this because I don't want to forget it and I can't get it into my cookbook.

1lb whole wheat spaghetti
1lb cut up, chicken breast
1 bunch asparagus
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 small package herb goat cheese
sea salt
pepper
olive oil
garlic salt
italian seasoning

Cook spaghetti. While spaghetti is cooking, cook chicken in olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Cut Asparagus into 2 inch pieces, place in single layer in pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper and italian seasoning and roast at 425 for 10 minutes. Toast pine nuts over med heat.
Mix goat cheese with hot spaghetti and toss with chicken and asparagus. Sprinkle with pine nuts and sea salt.

Back From the Dead

I know it's been a while. Blogging just hasn't been on my list of priorities.

Christmas:

Mercedes asked Santa for a dolphin blanket and she got a whole new bedroom set. She played nonstop with D-Rex, the robotic dinosaur. Who knew a toy could be so irreverent

Aspen got a new play kitchen; she only really cared about the chapstick that she found in her stocking.

I got matching Kitchenaid appliances; the first time I used the mixer I turned up the power too fast and we had cocoa and flour ALL OVER the kitchen.

Scott got himself a new mountain bike. I've given up trying to get him anything, he just gets it for himself.

Mercedes Birthday:

She had a dolphin party last year so she decided this year she wanted a snowflake party. I can't believe we have a seven-year-old!

Aspens 2nd Birthday:

The only cartoon Aspen likes is 'Elmo's World' so she had a Sesame Street Cake.

Ok, so I had to include this picture. I found my wigs from when I was bald from the chemo. This one was my blonde bob one and it looked so perfect on Aspen.

Gobble Gobble

We flew to Seattle, then drove into Bellingham, WA to my sisters for the Thanksgiving Holiday. My other sister and her kids also flew in and my Parents made the trek from Alaska; so it was all 14 of us in a 2 bedroom townhome. Honestly it was great being so close together! Grandma and Grandpa and the 3 oldest grandkids (Cortney, Austin and Mercedes) slept out in the garage on air mattresses. They loved their slumber party every night. Mercedes mattress had a slow leak in it so it gradually enveloped her.

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I must say; we ate like Kings. Grandma and Grandpa brought fresh salmon, halibut, and shrimp (that tasted like lobster) from Alaska. The turkey dinner was great, but the Alaskan seafood was fabulous. I will not admit how badly I fell off the wagon; there were just too many treats.


Here's everyone (except Grandma and Grandpa and JT) on a walk to the park. Grandma was taking the picture.





Scott and I decided to head up to Vancouver (with Aspen) on Saturday. It's only 45 minutes from Bellingham. It was pretty, but rainy. As we crossed the border into Canada the speed limit signs switched from MPH to Kilometers. Scott looked at the dash and said, "This car doesn't have Kilometers!" so we never really knew what speed we were going. I don't EVER want to drive into Canada again. It took THREE HOURS to get back into the US at the border. Here's Aspen playing in the car while I did my Christmas shopping on the computer.





My little Pilgrim and Indian. Aspen would jump up and down on the couch yelling "Indian!" until Mercedes would put the hat on her and play with her.


We had a wonderful holiday. Isn't family the greatest!