Master Chef

I'm learning that when you are pregnant - food is no longer a treat but a chore. I'm past the tossing-my-cookies stage (I believe). I can eat more or less - with out any negative side effects. However, not very much and I've lost a lot of my appetite. Which makes eating a chore - because I know I need to be consuming x-amount of diary/veg/grain/fruits/water/etc. ACK!? No human can eat that much! (who is not an Olympic athlete.) The chore being what can I eat now that won't stunt the growth of my blueberry?

One thing we have invented is this: Smoothy: oj, cranberry/pomegranate juice, frozen pineapple/mango/blueberry/raspberries, yogurt, cucumbers, kale leaves, and fax seed. WOO! Check. :)

Have you hear of Master Chef?



(Skip to 4:22 for challenge)
Yet another cooking show. Part of the game show, is the 'mystery box challenge'. They are surprised with a set of ingredigents and one hour to make it into something. Other then I want to punch Gordon Ramsey in the face - it's fun show. I decided Ben should do a mystery box challenge!
I skipped ahead to the next episode, gathered the ingredients and said "Ben - you have one hour to create something STUNNING" (what stupid Gordon Ramsey says). (the video above is the 1st episode.)


His ingredients were potatoes, rice, ground beef and pork, carrots and celery, peas, and peppers. (plus some other cooking stuff).
Master Chef!

Ben made amazing meat balls/plus bell peppers stuff with the same yummy meat, Parmesan cheese crisps, peas puree', and excellent potatoes.
On another subject - Been playing board games the last couple days because B and I have colds. This is my agricola high score :) Agricola is ben's new obsession :)

AND! I wonder whose christmas present this is!? :)

America

Ben and I have been calling Costco - "America". Because it seems to represent the "American dream" of bigger is better. We rarely went to Costco in SLC - but before leaving Ben acquired us a Costco card and now we feel like adults. When ever we go-- we spend most of our time laughing and making fun at the size of the mustard bottles and the quantity of things. This gave us a good laugh.... prego sized bucket of pickles.

But every once and a while at Costco - you strike gold. It has been no secret that I want a wagon and we have been on the prowl for one for several months. And then... saturday.... we found it!

GLORIOUS. Yes, the main reason I wanted one was so I could pull Reg around in it. He's just not up for walking any more. BUT! The best part is it collapses in the middle to be no bigger then a stroller making it SSOOO portable. It has cup holders, extra pockets on the out and side, handles 100lbs, and is a smooth ride. Reg was right at home. Like taking a senior citizen a walk in the park in his wheel chair.
He wasn't jittery or wiggle around...he prolly thought this is his how nature intended it.
We did of course get him out to enjoy the scenery. This is the Columbia River, very high in August. Less then a mile from our house.

8 Weeks along now, and I've decided this is me and baby's new theme song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDwOFThiNnA

Free Time

Happy Friday. I've been able to get the morning sick- mostly under control. Haven't barfed in like a week! Praise the pepto! Taking morning slow, eating ahead of schedule and cold things seems to do the trick. But still feel that car sick - ...like right now.
So. Have more free time - all of us.

Reg's new favorite past time is to sunbath in the dirt patch in the front of the house. Only for an hour in the morning or so.

Oh, this dog...

Ben has got back into his experimental cooking again. These are pickled carrots.

... Myer lemons soaking in salt

Homemade noodles

... and meatballs! I do hope he makes these again.

This is interesting. He's working on duck jerky. Right now it is hanging in a cheese cloth from the ceiling.

And mine... christmas :) Christmas pressie's always start in July. Also - math. In trying to finish some education - math. I haven't taken math since my junior year in high school. Which means 11 yrs later - I'm at like a 5th grade level. :( Math, pressies, not barfing, and cleaning up after Ben's experiments.

News

Okay. I'm posting it.

WE'RE PREGNANT!

Yeah. I can't believe it either. I ask my 4 readers not to post anything on face book. It's been an annoyance to me. Impersonal posting about a life changing event right after "so and so" posts about taking the laundry down the stairs and someone else saying "I'm lonely today" just to get 700 'you're awesome' impersonal comments.

Okay I'm done. :) But I figure if you watch my blog, we have some sort of relationship and you already know - or... I don't have your personal email. :)

(Just so you know, Ben is fine. Great in fact. Remember the days when he told me he doesn't see babies - just women hugging the air? Those days are far behind us and he's totally awesome.)

So. It's been hard to far. Sick. Sick. Sick. It's really great that I don't have to try and get up and function and get my butt to work... because I'm pretty much KOed until about 2pm. Good news.. I only barfed once today! Hooray!!!


Haven't been doing much but I can only show you Kim's view of Wenatchee so far. (mostly just around the house).

Our first garden produce

Big Dog on Ben

Rhubarb - Wenatchee style.

A portion of the front room.

Pretty view up the Cascades.

My little blue house.

Kitchen. There is a small dining area behind me.

More pictures to come and I'm sure more pregnancy stories. ALL ADVICE WELCOME. I do read your blogs and take your advice (christy - first thing I did was buy a nice pair of running shoes because you said it helped with support, energy and foot swelling.)

Ta Da.

The 4th

I know that it's behind - but we had a pretty relaxing 4th. Actually didn't do very much. I wanted to have decorations in my new back patio. I realized that I needed those little flag-banner things. My Muffin makes them out of fabric - (muff, i tried to find one ... maybe you can post a link to your blog about your banner things? PLEASE GO SEE THEM). Anyways, I wanted some easy decoration - so I made a flag banner our of scraps of paper around my patio. Kinda fun.:)
One must grill on the 4th. Corn and dogs.



Also fireworks and the dogs being freaked out about it. Fireworks actually don't bother Reggie - but he got stuck in this spot for a couple of hours...just because.

Fireworks over the columbia river. Tally did well until it was time for ben. Then she wigged out. With nothing else to distract her - was left to jump and shiver at the booms out the window.

It was fun to spend time with Ben and 4th of July traditions. But - pretty uneventful.

For Dad and Mom

10 YEARS AGO, my freshman year at USU I lived at the dorms and did not have a cell phone (and did not for many years). So, I had to purchase a phone card to call home .... OR use the 1-800 number to the church office building !! WHAHAHA! So Dad got the brunt of my '....so dad....what's up'? Or I just need to talk to some one cuz I'm bored and too poor to buy a phone card.
10 yrs later I'm calling from my cell phone from WA - still to Dad at work :)

Dad asked how my dogs are (which is very nice of him because he isn't very fond of them - but knows they are my babies)... Reg had been outside for the last hour - not in the sun - just outside at 9am in the morning. And he was totally pouting about it. Over reacting.
'...it's sssssooooo hoootttt'

He came in and crashed right there on the kitchen floor.


Look Ma -
We now have to be Seattle Mariners fans...

http://mlb.jibjab.com/view/71qVt3v8bop3h6eL

Seattle

Yesterday Ben and I took a day trip to Seattle. A 2 hour drive over the Cascade Mountain Range. 2 hours is just on the edge of 'too far for a day trip' but still do able. Since we know we could do more then one trip we didn't try and over do it and just visited a few things.
Pikes Place Public market. Actually a really cool place and go the best peaches I have had in long time - called "OMG" peaches :) I would recommend going to Pikes Place just one - because it's too crowded to be used as a 'market' and is more of a tourist attraction. But still neat.
A couple of blocks away is the Seattle Aquarium. Ben really likes aquarium and this one has a really cool touch pool that allows you to snuggle up with star fish and other shore creatures. There was more then one time I caught ben on his knees looking into a tank and explaining to a group of kids what they were looking at. Cute huh.
Mom! Saw 2 cruise ships and got more excited about our family cruise in 5 months!! I really like the water. Probably because I grew up in the desert.
Have you seen Northern exposure? You know....


Did you know that it was filmed in Roslyn Washington - like 45 minutes from our house? We've been watching it a lot lately - so it was cool to see some of those classic sites.
On the way home also is Snoqualmie Falls. :) Very cool and right off the freeway.

Last but not least - traditionally we visit a man vs food restaurant site. This time was Red Mill Burgers. REALLY REALLY AWESOME. Expensive. But awesome.
See video below :)