December, thus far

December is always a busy month, no doubt about it. Here are a few snapshots into this Holiday Season for us:

J's Birthday

My Grandpa turned 90 (circa very late 80's)

J and I celebrated 8 years together.

My parents came over for our annual fudge making... 

the one day of the year my Dad claims that he can cook!

My parent's 2011 Christmas card picture

J hung our collage wall just days prior to our "Home for the Holidays" housewarming party. 

I'm told this project was very difficult and many men at the party commented on 

J's exacting standards and very straight lines. Kudos to you, J!

Of course, no pictures were taken at our party... I was a little busy!

We also had J's company Christmas dinner and his extended-family Christmas dinner this weekend.

Tonight is my older brother's birthday celebration.

On and on it goes! But I wouldn't trade away a minute of it!

May your Christmas be Merry & Bright!

Thanksgiving 2011

Our Thanksgiving was a lot of fun this year. We hosted 18 people in our new home and it went great. Our pictures from the actual day are on my Dad's camera, so I don't have them to share here now. I'll try to remember to get them soon!

I chose to do one long running table through our dining and living rooms. Great idea to allow for greater communication and no one got stuck at the "kids table." We had to do a bit of mix and match with the place settings, but I actually really liked the little extra pop of color from the blue plates.

The centerpieces were inspired by (where else?!), Pinterest. This is the original picture.

J thought this would be a fun project to do, so he grabbed his saw and went to my parents who'd just chopped down a cottonwood tree. He was also very excited to get to add to his collection of tools. 

This drill bit in the 1.5 inch size is perfect for tea lights. The project took make 30 minutes total to make me 5 logs that had 3-5 tea lights each. We plan to save them in the attic for use next year, too!

On Sunday our Pastor did an awesome thing, instead of preaching about Thanksgiving, he gave us many Biblical examples of times when God was praised with Thanksgiving, and then he invited us to partake in open mic. The people around us are so amazing. I sat through the service with tears in my eyes as people came forward and praised Jesus through the hard times and were thankful for the redemption they had found. It was truly inspirational.

Also, have you read Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation? He wrote it in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War. You can read the entire proclamation here. Here is my favorite excerpt: 

"I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens ... to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union."

Happy Thanksgiving to you all on a daily basis. I hope your hearts and homes are filled with love, happiness, and thankfulness throughout this Blessed Holiday season.

Valentine's Day 2011

Valentine's Day isn't a big deal to me. I'm kind of just over it. J knows this. Which is why I was completely surprised this morning when I awoke to this. 

BEST HUSBAND EVER!

medicine cabinet

my (very messy) vanity

in my current book

in the kitchen window

silverware drawer

dishwasher

The final bouquet from all of his roses. 

Love him!

circa 2004

2011 Goals

Happy New Year!

I usually do not make New Year's Resolutions. Often, I believe, they are made too hastily and the goals are too vague and lofty. This year however, I have a few things I need and want to work on, so I've created a list of goals to enrich my life and marriage in 2011.

• Floss at least 3x per week. My teeth are in great health, but my gums, notsomuch. I hate to floss so I generally skip it; however my dentist tells me that flossing is more important than brushing, so I'm going to do more flossing. I am. I am. I am.

• Be less sedentary. J and I used to be extremely active. We ran together, played tennis, hiked, skied, etc. just about every weekend. This past year I have become so sedentary, preferring to read a book than to ride my bike. This is going to change. I'm toying with the idea of joining a gym, but think I need to take a stab at playing outside a bit more first. I want to take a walk through the neighborhood at least once per week for starters. Vitamin D and endorphins: good for the body and soul!

• Make more time for friends. Since getting married and diving back into full-time employment, I've been horrible about making time for my friends, and my relationships have suffered because of this. The people who are in my life are important to me and I need to do a better job of showing them that I care about them.

• Be more supportive of my husband. J has another 6 months of graduate school and then he'll start his post-collegiate life. I feel that I can do a better job of supporting him when he needs to study, be gone at meetings, late nights, weekend labs, etc. I also need to knock down my fears and be more supportive and willing to look into job options across the country. (Oh Lord, please give me strength and shore up my faith when I am weak and fearful.) Moving scares the heck out of me. Seriously. J needs to know that I'm behind him 100%. I am. I just don't always show it...

• Have a better attitude about tithing and giving beyond our tithe. J is right there, 100%. He has the attitude, he totally gets the spirit of giving and tithing, while I struggle with it. This goal also can be better listed as "Be more faithful and obedient to Jesus."

• Get back on the meal planning wagon. I was doing a great job with this up until about October. Then I just couldn't get my rear in gear. This year I want to create a binder as I go to fill with the weekly menus and recipes, so that in the future I have a go-to book when I don't have time to think ahead (aka when we have babies).

I am excited to venture out into 2011. And I am hoping and praying that your new year will be filled with many blessings.

Cheese Fondue

Looking for a yummy cheese fondue recipe for a New Year's Eve party. Anyone have any good ones? I have only ever done chocolate before.

Merry Christmas

Gingerbread House

"Moses, do you like gingerbread?"

"Nope, the box is better!"

Construction complete.

"Can we eat the candy now?"

O Christmas Tree

We got our tree this weekend. YAY! Exciting!

We have access to some mountain property, so we decided to head up there and chop down our own tree... ummm, not as easy as it sounds. The "perfect" trees had really weak branches, so they wouldn't hold any ornaments. So we decided to lumberjack up and chop down a big tree. 

Yes, snowshoes ARE helpful when sawing and chopping in the snow. hehehe

We are estimating that this tree stood at least 40 feet high. It took a bit of sawing...

But, we now have a gorgeous, albeit a bit of a "Charlie Brown" tree. There are a few holes and weak branches, but we totally love it and it's quirkiness. 

Merry Christmas!

Snow and Christmas

The first urban snowfall of the year happened yesterday in my neck of the woods, there is still snow on the ground this morning. Friday, I was able to bust out my skis and hit the slopes with my Daddy.

Snow makes me happy. LOVE IT. And it puts me in a festive mood. J too, he wanted to go up to the mountains yesterday and cut down our Christmas tree. I had to squash that one, it's still a tad bit too early.

In the spirit of the snow, J and I decided to make use of our free Sunday afternoon and get cracking on some early Christmas shopping. We made our list, everyone is accounted for except for 2 people (and they are TOUGH!)

Out we go to accomplish mass shopping for others, and didn't spend a dime. Oh yes, and we each picked out things that we need/want. Christmas Shopping FAIL. We did some great research on a few gifts, but weren't quite able to pull the trigger as we want to see a few more options.

Want to see what we picked out for ourselves? Yeah, I know you do!

Columbia Alpine Alliance Jacket

I have about 7 different jackets and am sick of having to store all of them and that they don't all have the features I want. For example, my rain jacket doesn't have a hood. My ski jacket is so old and heavy that my shoulders hurt after a full day of playing in the snow.

The Alpine is a 3-in-1 jacket. A windproof, waterproof, hooded shell with a zip-in faux-down liner that can be worn alone (it's cute and has pockets of it's own). The jacket also has an elasticized snow guard at the waist and the sleeves include liners that cover your hands, complete with thumb holes, so that when you wear gloves, there is no skin-gap at your wrists. I HATE that skin gap, makes me whole hands seem cold.

The above color is called "Tidewater." I also like the color "Tarte." My favorite color is purple, but tarte is almost too pink/wine. My skiing helmet, goggles, and skis are a similar color of blue, so I want the jacket to match. Gotta be coordinated!

Apple's Magic Trackpad

J and I had to purchase a new computer a few months ago so that he could finish up grad school after our laptops decided to get sick/die. We chose to buy the iMac for a myriad of reasons even though we were both used to having laptops. J had asked if they sold anything like a laptop's touchpad instead of a mouse because we really like them. 6 months ago, the saleslady looked at us like we had 3 heads. Well, apparently Apple heard our wishes and has now released one...after we've both become accustomed to our mouse. At only $69, this just may appear under our Christmas tree this year.

Aside from the Christmas shopping, my next project is Christmas cards. After looking at so many different companies which I love: Tiny Prints, Shutterfly, Snapfish, See Here (whom we used last year), and more, I've actually decided to use Costco. Costco has some awesome designs this year, you cannot beat the price (seriously!), they are large cards, and they include matching envelopes. Now, I just have to figure out which picture to use. 

Camping

Over the 4th of July we went camping and hiking with a group of friends. 11 humans and 2 canines. It was a glorious day. Yes, day. J and I did not actually stay and camp with the group. Our weekend was so full that we could only camp for the day. (But that's OK, I enjoy sleeping in my own bed!)

As is typical in the Pacific North West, summer doesn't start until July 5th, so yes we were wearing jackets and sweatshirts quite a bit.

I love this picture of us. We look so natural and like we're truly having fun. (Notice my crow's feet...when did those appear?!)

Oh, and there was still snow. Lots of snow. We gained a lot of elevation in our hike. I thought I was in decent shape, this hike taught my otherwise. My glutes and thighs screamed for 3 days!

The ladies. Thank goodness for the ladies, they are so awesome!

Our entire group with Mount St. Helens in the background, partially obstructed with clouds.

J in front of Mt St. Helens and Spirit Lake, which was obliterated when St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Spirit Lake has since refilled, regrown organisms, and now acts as fertilizer for the regrowth of the area.

That divit in the mountain towards the top right of the photo is the crater. Below is a much better stock photo of the crater with steam plume escaping. 

photo credit here

Iron Creek Falls was near our campground, so we stopped by and took a quick hike down to revel in its beauty. 

 Back at the campsite, J and Acer became great friends. This is a man that needs a dog...once we get a backyard...

What a fantastic day! Worth all of the long hours on the road and screaming leg muscles. Can't wait to do it again. Maybe next time we'll stay and actually camp!

Red Wine + Chocolate 2010

Romantic Valentine's weekend away from home? Yes, please! With other people? ummm.... sure! Actually, we had a fantastic time. With each other and 45 other people!

Wine Yakima Valley is a large conglomeration of wineries and vineyards in the eastern side of Washington State. Every year for Valentine's / President's Day weekend, they host Red Wine + Chocolate, an extraordinary wine tasting experience. This year over 52 wineries participated. For $30, you get a wine glass, a wrist band, and entry into the wineries for all the chocolate and wine tasting you can handle.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law and big wine fans, so they co-coordinate this trip each year. This year our group was 47 strong. We all met up in Tri-Cities, WA and climbed aboard 2 stretch Hummer limos (our tour bus broke down as we were about to load, so we improvised) to tour some of the wineries. (If you go wine tasting, please be safe. Arrange to a designated driver. You won't be sorry!)

Our first stop was Goose Ridge Winery. We picked up our passes, glasses, and began the consumption of goodies!

Lots of yummy chocolate! They had a dark chocolate fudge that was to-die-for!

Our next stop was Kiona. Last year the group spent over $2,000 at this winery alone. We LOVE Kiona! J and I are white wine drinkers and Kiona has many whites and reds to choose from. Lots of the wineries in the area do mostly reds, so it's nice to find a winery that has a large white selection, and at reasonable per-bottle-prices. We bought bottles of Kiona's Vivacious Vicky-White and Late Harvest Riesling (which is a dessert wine).

 

J in front of the winery.

View of Kiona's vineyards. I bet they're gorgeous in the late spring!

Kiona's award-winning wines.

Is this not the coolest wine label? Jill Haney-Neal is the incredible local artist who created this label. Check out her amazing work!

Our next stop was a doozie. The Port of Benton: Prosser Wine & Food Park houses multiple tasting rooms. Most of the actual vineyards are off-site. Our favorites here were Hogue (which is fairly main stream), Kestrel, and newcomer Heaven's Cave.

We fell in love with Heaven's Cave's Nobility Riesling and bought 3 bottles. However, proceeds go to charity. From their website:

"Heaven's Cave Cellars is a for-benefit winery that chooses to donate a portion of its profits from wine sales to cover 100% of the operating expenses of the Make the Dash Count Foundation...dedicated to developing the next generation of community leaders and benefitting at-risk youth."

We also had the opportunity to tour the barrel room at Kestrel with their vitner, Dirk. He tapped some of the 2009 barrels for us to taste. I think I prefer the finished product!

Bottle labeling equiment

J "tapping" the barrels

Using a wine thief to taste from the barrels

Our final stop was also to another grouping of wineries, but this grouping doesn't have a conglomerate name. The main winery that we visited here was Airfield Estates Winery. We did some tasting and posing here before visiting Thurston Wolfe to try out some port wines (and eat red velvet cupcakes). After this stop, we headed back to the hotel for some R&R. 

  

The Airfield barrel plane. So cute!

Our entire group in front of a Hummer.

We are so excited for next year! 

Are you a red or white wine fan? Favorites? Ever been wine tasting?