First Family Vacation

Over the Labor Day holiday, we took our first family vacation down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (of course!).  On our way down, we stopped in to visit our friends the Whites and their little girl Julia.  It's been a while since we have gotten a chance to visit with them and it was their first time meeting Colin.  Julia was happy to try to play with Colin, but he was mostly just taking it all in.  :)

After a short stay, we ventured further down to our final destination in Nags Head, NC.  It's crazy to think I have been coming here with him for the past 7 years (first trip in 2005 - egads!).  He proposed at The Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo and we got married on the beach in Nags Head.  Needless to say, I think it's fitting we decided to make this our first family vacation destination.

Our first day, we made it out to the beach in the late afternoon.  It's a good thing we did because during the rest of our stay, the waters were super rough and red flagged so it was our only opportunity for a dip. Colin was totally fascinated with the sound of the waves and kept turning around to face the water.

Rob and I decided we should probably stick his toes in the ocean to make it an official visit to the beach.  At 4.5 months, that seemed to be all that was needed.  Next year we might venture into the sound a little bit.

Colin didn't seem to mind the water at all even though it was cooler than his normal bath water.  It was still a lot warmer than what Rob and I are used to for ocean temps in May.  We could actually get in without waiting for body parts to go numb.  Ha!

Randomly, I found out that my high school friend Ryan and his wife Alina were also in the Outer Banks visiting at the same time, so we met up for lunch.  Alina is expecting in December, so they got some practical experience holding Colin.  :)  It was good to see them again.

Our friends had brought down their kayak to play around in the sound, so we took turns giving it a go.  I have never kayaked before, but I thought it was a lot of fun.

Rob had apparently been before, but it's been a while.  He still did really good and maneuvered pretty good around the water.

And finally, there was a beautiful sunset that happened on our last night there.  I had an important lesson in lenses and my new camera.  Going from AC to like 150% humidity causes fogging.  With the quick sunset, the lens never really cleared, but it kind of makes for an interesting affect.

Overall, it was a great vacation.  The ride home was a bit trying, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.  Here's hoping to many more family vacations to one of our favorite places on Earth.  :)

Colin's Quilt

I finally made the time to finish my son's first quilt not all that long ago.  It took a while with everything else I was doing, but he now has a place to play and drool on.  :) 

 I was having a hard time picking THE quilt pattern for him.  I really wanted a sailboat pattern, but the ones I found I wasn't happy with and so I ultimately settled on a pattern I had used for my friend's little girl.  I opted for frogs instead of butterflies this time, but it was still fun trying to pick out all of the fabric I was going to need.  You really need to have a clear vision of what you want your finished product to look like to pick good fabrics.  So far I'd like to think I have had pretty good luck.  :)

Over a couple of weeks I did all of the cutting and initial block making.  This quilt takes a few steps just to get to the image show below.  For each of those green-blue-white blocks, I had to sew two larger blocks into two smaller squares for each color combination (green-blue and blue-white) and divide them each time.  Then for the final assembly, sew the two different combinations together and split them once more to get the final block.  It's a lot of small steps, but if you find your groove it doesn't take too long.  

The easier pieces of the block are just the straight white blocks and even the motif centered blocks.  The motif centered (frogs) are a little tricky just to make sure you have enough fabric and can get the character centered how you want them.  This one was slightly easier than the butterflies, but still a bit tricky.

Once you get all 9 blocks together you get the one bigger block which becomes the true block you work into your pattern.  I alternated the pieced blocks with what are referred to as "snowball" blocks.  I guess someone thought that's what they looked like at one point.  In any case, once you get the lined up and sewn together, you start to see a fun larger pattern emerge.

The final top layer step is to add borders.  They really make the quilt come together and give it definition.  Once you get that part together, you can start to assemble the quilt with your top layer (quilted), the filling (typically cotton batting), and then your backing (typically a solid fabric).  This was the first quilt I decided to machine together, so it was a bit intense putting it through my machine.  But the good news is, I now know I can do it, and it gives it a somewhat professional look to it.

Quilting truly is a labor of love.  I am sure my little man is going to make all kinds of messes on this quilt, but I also know that it will be a keepsake no matter what shape it gets to be.  :)  

Used Pins

No, not that kind of pin, a pinterest kind of pin!  I know, it wasn't too long ago when I posted my rant about peoples ridiculous tag lines when they pins things, but what can I say?  It's a current topic.  Since I mentioned my rant, I would like to make two additions to the over used tag line list:
"I NEED TO REMEMBER TO DO THIS!!"  Yes, this is why we pin things you idgit. 
"Pin(ning) now, read(ing) later"  Umm no you won't.  If you can't possibly take 1-2 minutes to validate the pin is worth re-pinning, you are NOT going to give it any thought later.

Anywho, I thought it might be a neat idea to share what I have actually used in the world of Pinterest.  I try to pin things I find cool, inspiring, or something I really want to try.  And ok, so I have a board full of things I find hilarious as well that only serve the purpose of making me laugh, but it does the job!

So here's what I have really used:

Pacifier clips: http://craftycupboard.blogspot.com/2011/10/pacifier-clip-tutorial.html  Very simple and straight forward pattern that has already been used for me and as a gift.

Yardage Chart: Incredibly handy because sometimes I don't want to do math.  Maybe you don't either so here it is:

New way to print photo books:  www.blurp.com It's better than snapfish and VERY customizable.  You can do a real book if you wanted to on this site.  I like that it allows for flexibility to do more than one line descriptions of a series of photos.  I have two projects in work using their software, which is another bonus.  I don't have to upload every single photo and be online to use their tool.  I can do it all on my desktop and then upload the finished product.

Photo Canvas Project: http://www.literallyinspired.com/2012/02/picture-perfect.html  I haven't done this one completely, but I have the canvas, black paint, and Mod Podge ready to go.  I am waiting for a sale on poster prints before I pull the trigger.  So far I have spent $2.50 for the canvas and $4 for Mod Podge (thank you craft coupon) and I would love it if I could do it all for less than $15.  :)  I will post results.

Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce: http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/2012/03/pork-tenderloin-with-pan-sauce.html  Definitely worth doing again!  Delicious and pretty simple!

Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Crushed Red Pepper: http://www.yumsugar.com/Spaghetti-Garlic-Olive-Oil-Chili-Flakes-21398824  Tasty enough, but the recipe would need to be tweaked for me to do it again.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/Janet-s-Chocolate-Chip-Coffee-Cake  Hands down fabulous coffee cake!

I have a few others in work, specifically for the fall and Christmas.  We will see if they get used this year or will be lying in wait for future years.  And let us not forget the 30+ pins I have for kid projects for when Colin is older.  :)   If you want to see the full collection, you'll have to follow me.

The Flog

I would say my husband is the more nerdier of the two of us.  I mean this is the nicest of ways.  He is the one that watches the world wide web for interesting geeky comics, discussion boards, and videos.  He happened to hear about Geek and Sundry following Will Wheaton on Google Plus.  Their site is a compilation of a number of things inspired by geeks including Table Top (they play and review new board games), Sword and Laser (a Sci-fi/Fantasy book club), The Guild (a web series about gamers), The Flog (a vlog), Written by a Kid (the magic and madness of 5-10 year old imaginations), and others.

I have watched Table Top a few times, but it's really more my husbands thing.  He is really into board games and some of the ones they pick to play are really interesting.  Some of them we already own (Settlers of Catan) and so we feel like we are in the cool kids club on some accounts. 

My favorite of these however is The Flog (you probably guessed if you read the title of this post).  Felicia Day is pretty silly and quirky and so is her video blog.  She posts on Monday and it's usually really entertaining.  Her topics include a Fav Five (now a Trio Mio), a segment where she learns how to do something or she plays old school video games with her brother (hilarious! - Is that a street apple?), and then her question of note where she answers fan mail.  They aren't incredibly long which is also a plus.  I will say her music segments are a little strange, but she's got variety. 



This is one I found pretty funny for two reasons, one her dialogue during her fav five, scatter brained, but I can relate.  And two, I especially liked the part where Colin thought they were playing croquet and not learning how to crochet right up until they walked into the place where they were going to film.  I like the video style too with the cuts and randomness.  It may not be for everyone, but I think it's worth 10 minutes of my life every week.  :)

Sunday Morning Traditions

When I was growing up, every Sunday my dad would make us pancakes.  My brother and I would get 3 smaller ones each and then my dad would make one big pan sized one for himself.  In fact pancakes were the first food I ever tried to cook.  My dad started by letting me try to flip them on my own and then I gradually got to pouring them and mixing the batter too.  It obviously became a childhood memory for me.

I have kept that Sunday morning ritual going off and on over my lifetime.  If ever I had energy and the means I would try to make some kind of warm breakfast on Sundays.  Not always pancakes, but sometimes eggs, toast, and bacon, or French Toast or whatever else I was in the mood for. 

Since having Colin, we have had to become more morning people (see clock in photo) which I am still dragging my feet on, but on the upside, we get more time in the morning for things.  So I have decided to reinstate this Sunday morning tradition from my childhood to something we will carry on in our house.  We started with pancakes for a few weeks and then we moved on to French Toast and this morning we busted out the waffle maker for some seriously delicious waffles.


This recipe came with the waffle maker when we got it and it involves letting the batter sit out overnight, so you really have to plan these out, but my goodness they are light and fluffy and scrumptious.  The best part is the waffle batter keeps in the fridge for a couple of days, so you can have them multiple days if you want.  The recipe makes more than Rob and I can eat in one setting, so we usually make them all up and freeze them, but then we forget about them.  I think this time around, maybe we get crazy silly and have waffles for dinner one night this week.  :)

Colin isn't old enough to eat whatever comes out of the kitchen on Sundays yet, but he is certainly taking it all in in the meantime.

Shrimp and Pork Tarragon

Rob and I still try to be adventurous in out cooking endeavors, although not to the extent we were before.  Everything in moderation these days, but that's ok.  Rob was browsing through our Outer Banks Cookbook and found a recipe that sounded decent, Shrimp and Pork Tarragon.  It didn't seem overly complicated and sounded like something we might like, so in went into last week's recipe rotation.

Shrimp and Pork Tarragon
1- 12 ounce pork tenderloin
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon each unsalted butter and oil, mixed
1/4 sweet onion
18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup white wine, preferably a chardonay
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-2 Tablespoons coarse French mustard (or smooth if you prefer)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1. Cut pork tenderloin diagonally into 1 inch slices.  Lightly dredge in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Heat the butter/oil mix in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  (Unsalted butter is best because it won't burn - who knew?)  Add the pork medallions and chopped onions and cook until pork is brown, 3 minutes on each side.  Transfer pork to an oven safe platter.
3. Add shrimp to the pan, and cook for 1 minute each side.  Add white wine and cook down to half, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and fan over the top of the pork medallions on platter.  Place platter in oven.
4. Add cream, mustard, and tarragon to the reduced wine.  Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until thick.  Add salt to taste.
5. Pour sauce on top of poke and shrimp, or arrange on individual plates and top with sauce.

I read the directions about 4 times, but somehow I missed when to add the onions.  Needless to say they were added after I cooked the shrimp (oops), but it came out ok in the end.  Not perfect but it was decent.

I also found a recipe for hush puppies, so I took a stab at making them as well.  They were a little on the dense side, but I think that's because I added all the liquid instead of following the directions where they say to mix until just moistened.  :P

Hush Puppies
2 cup cornmeal
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons minced onion (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda and powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, beat the buttermilk and egg together. (Optional: Place the minced onions in the bowl before adding the buttermilk and egg)  Stiir into the dry ingredients just until the batter is moistened.  Set aside.
3. Pour oil into a deep skillet or pot until it is 2-3 inches deep.  Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees, or until a drop of batter begins to "dance" in the oil.
4. Drop the batter by a few spoonfuls (I used a cookie scoop) at a time into the hot oil without crowding the pot.  Fry until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

The whole meal was pretty good.  We probably won't make the shrimp and pork tarragon again with all the other recipes we like, but it was worth trying.  We will definitely be trying to make the hush puppies again though!  YUM!

Colin's First Big Trip

We recently embarked on our first big journey with Colin to the grand old state of NY.  We tried to pack like we were still going to be in civilization and I think we did ok.  We used pretty much everything and I don't think there was anything were we said, "DOH! Why didn't we bring that?"  And the bonus, everything and everyone fit pretty comfortably in the Prius for this trip. 

The reason for this trip was Rob's grandfather's burial ceremony so not the happiest of occasions, but we were still able to introduce Colin to a fair amount of relatives and friends.  This includes his Uncle Bill who was so excited to meet him, I am pretty sure he hopped out of the car as it pulled in to park.

There was a good amount of traveling even when we got to NY, but Colin did really well with being in his car seat.  He didn't sleep the whole time and nor did we want him to, but he did doze on and off like a normal day.  Over the course of the long weekend we did manage to do some tummy time, although by the time mommy grabbed the camera he was getting upset about it.

 We also managed to get to the diner where my parents eat every Friday night.  Everyone there ooed and aahhed over him (as is appropriate with such a cute baby :P). Rob was trying to keep the little man entertained while we waited for a table.

On Saturday we had a small picnic for immediately family and two of my past co-workers/friends from Syracuse and their little ones. 

We even got a couple of family photos of everyone together at the same time.

On Sunday we packed it up and headed back home.  The trip took longer coming back than it did going, but we made it.  I don't think I ever really appreciated how much stability a routine can bring with an infant.  But the take away is that we survived and we now know we can travel with him and it won't be the end of the world.