jeapers leapers 2012

Amelia did another session of dance camp this summer. This time she was old enough to move to the next level of K-3rd graders. She loved going every day! It was a fun Narnia theme that we were able to watch her camp performance last Friday. She is signed up for tap/hip hop this fall with her most favorite teacher.

ballet shoe shadow box

Last Sunday I decided to tackle my obscenely messy craft/spare bedroom. One of the perks of sifting through the mountain of crap is finding some unfinished or forgotten craft projects that just need a fresh perspective. I had an old pair of Amelia's dance shoes I wanted to keep but struggled how to display them. Within 10 minutes I found a shadow box, patterned paper, rub on and a picture of my dancing girl. Viola! I put it up in her room and think a matching soccer shadow box will be perfect.

asian coleslaw

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 large garlic clove, minced

For the Slaw

• 4 cups shredded red and green cabbage 
• 2 cups prepared shredded carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
• 2 medium scallions, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts (or you can leave them whole)
• 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until the peanut butter is dissolved. Set aside.
2. Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss well. Let sit at least ten minutes so vegetables have a chance to soak up the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve cold.A summertime favorite.

whole grain waffles

 I've made this recipe a few times from Whole Living magazine and everyone loves them. Super quick, easy and nutritious

• 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ (I did it in the microwave)
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• Maple syrup, for drizzling

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, oil, egg, and vanilla.
2. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture and mix until just combined.
3. Coat waffle iron with cooking spray.
4. Serve with strawberries, a dollop of yogurt, and a drizzle of syrup.

girls only lunch

Aiden was away at day camp so Amelia and I had an impromptu lunch date. Girls only!

july date: whatcom winery

We had an original plan to tour a few wineries on this date. We had a late start to our date and only managed to try one. We have driven past Mount Baker wineries for years but this was the first time we have stopped to check it out. We sampled and purchased a few wines and the afternoon flew by. For dinner we headed out to Lake Whatcom and sat on the patio of The Fork restaurant. Very yummy and definitely a new favorite (despite the long drive out there).  The sun was still shining and we didn't need to rush home because the kids are away this week so we went down to Boulevard and strolled the boardwalk soaking up the evening sunshine. A wonderful date day.

july 4th 2012

We celebrated Independence Day this year with a beautiful sunshine-y day. We started with a small town parade in Blaine. Afterwards, we took the kids to Peace Arch State Park and showed them our wedding ceremony site. They were more interested than I predicted. We had a fun picnic and played around a bit. On the way home we stopped for some fireworks and Dale got a little carried away with the $20 fill up the bag deal. The Brethauer's hosted a fun get together that ended with some firework action for the dads and kiddos.

altal lake camping trip

We wanted to go camping where there was no rain, warm and a nice sandy beach. We found all that at Alta Lake. We had reserved our sites in February for the last weekend in June. The end of June is notoriously rainy and we loved leaving all that behind. It was a bit of a drive but we stopped at the top of hwy 2 and threw some snowballs as well as a dinner pit stop in Winthrop. Our campsite overlooked the beautiful lake. The beach was sandy and we didn't even need sweatshirts the entire trip It will definitely be an annual event!