balsamic glazed pork

I tried this recipe the other night, it was pretty yum and a lil different.

4 boneless pork chops pounded 1/2 inch thick ( I love to pound meat)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp seasoning salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper

Coat pork chops with flour and seasoning salt (reserve unused flour) Heat oil in a large skillet over med high heat, add meat and cook 2 minutes per side (I did prob 4 min per side) Remove to a plate.
Add onions to skillet and cook 1 minute, stirring so onion doesn't burn. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add reserved flour into broth and add to skillet, stir in mushrooms, vinegar, Italian seasoning and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
Add pork, cover and simmer on med low 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes.
Serve extra sauce on the side ( I skipped this for the kids and they were happy to eat the meat plain)
I think this would be tasty with steak or chicken as well!

birdseed ornaments

I felt the need to get a little crafty with the kids. I came across this idea http://www.saltwater-kids.com/2010/12/thrifty-gifts-bird-seed-ornaments-for.html.  It was perfect timing with the snow - now my favorite (not really) little animals will have something to eat.

solo at the cabin

Aiden was able to spend his mid winter break at the cabin with his grandparents and no one else.  By no one else I mean his sister. I think he really enjoyed it. They snowmobiled, went snow shoeing across the frozen lake ( I like to hear that sort of thing after the fact) and even went into the big city for a night of bowling and fish and chips.

beachtime.

Amelia loves the beach. She always asks to go to the beach and wear her swimsuit, even in February. We said no the swimsuit but yes to the beach. After Dale's careful research into low tide we arrived at Larabee at noon (low tide was at 11:30). Classic, the tide was in but there was a strip of beach to play in. Amelia was happy as a clam (clever aren't I?) to poke at seastars, hunt for crabs and collect seashells.

us+her

This long week end we just have Amelia. We have a quiet week end planned with lots of quiet and snuggle time. We are headed out for a walk to Starbuck's on this beautiful brisk morning for breakfast. Afterwards we'll come home and have a mani-pedi and make muffins. That's it....kinda nice.

karate party

Aiden celebrated his birthday at the local karate center and it was awesome! All the kids (including Amelia) loved the lil karate class but the highlight for Aiden was being lifted 10 feet in the air. The scariest part of the party was Aiden cutting his cake with a samurai sword. Yikes.

snowman milk bottles

I did make those cute little bottles for Amelia's preschool class and then at the last minute decided to do it for Aiden as well. The only problem was I realized we needed 10 more bottles the night before. Dale and his parents dumped the frappacino's into water bottles and peeled labels and we had a late night assembly line. In the morning I grabbed a few and took a picture but they looked really cute filled with milk. The second graders loved them and each one wanted to take their empty bottle home.

interview with an eight year old

1) how old are you? eight


2) who are your best friends? Cameron, Paxton, Griffin and Cole

3) what's your favorite thing to do? play with my remote control car

4) what's your favorite color? blue

5) what's your favorite food? pizza

6) what's your favorite thing to do with your family? bike rides

7) what's your favorite toy? my scooter

8) what do you want to be when you grow up? professional soccer player

9) what makes you happy? my family

10) what makes you sad? nothing

11) what's your favorite tv show? Planet's Funniest Animals

12) what's your favorite book? The Dangerous Book for Boys

13) what do you like to learn about? science

14) what is your favorite part of your birthday? "getting lifted up really high"

15) where do you like to go? my fort

16) who's your teacher? Mrs. Potter

17) what's your favorite treat? brownies

18) what do you think about before falling asleep? "nothing"

19) what famous person would you like to meet? Tony Hawk

20) what was your favorite birthday present? rc car

seattle science center

Last Sunday we headed down to Seattle with Dale's parents. We rarely do things in Seattle because it feels like an epic drive there and back. This time it didn't seem too bad. We had a fun time exploring the science center and we will definitely be back thanks to the annual membership from the grandparents. The Star Wars exhibit starts next month! Amelia's favorite was the butterfly house and Aiden liked the Beaver IMAX movie. I think our greatest entertainment was the IMAX movie too. Amelia was so excited to see the 'Justin Beaver' (it was only about beavers)movie and we were slightly horrified with the socially inept lady that took off her flip flops and but her nasty fungus ridden feet on the seat in front of her right next to another person! But we also learned lots of fun facts about those cute little beavers. We have 5 guest passes left on our membership so you can start bribing us with cool stuff and maybe we'll take you along...

halfway day

Last Wednesday was half way through the school year day. The second graders were encouraged to dress up halfway!

amelia's birthday party

This year I got smart. No more planning, preparing,cleaning and shopping for birthday parties. I wanted to pick up the phone, choose the date, show up with the special guest of honor, enjoy myself and leave without having to clean up. There is the sweetest little pottery painting studio and teahouse that has birthday parties! Just perfect for a four year old girl and her friends.