Amya Is Off To Preschool!

And she loves it! Truth be told, I may even love it more than her! The environment is so peaceful and nurturing.

Her teacher, Jaime, is expecting a baby any day now! One of the moms is a midwife and she came in with her equipment to let the children listen to the baby's heartbeat.

(lunch baskets)

When Nelson and I come to pick her up, he makes a bee-line for the playground!

...and when we have time, we play and play and play some more...

Amya Posing

I think she has missed the camera more than I have!

Orange-Poppy Seed Muffins

Yummy and healthy! My kids love these.

1 1/4 cup ground oats (quick cooking oatmeal ground in your blender)
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
2 Tbsp sugar
1 - 2 tsp orange zest (or lemon)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (even more if you're like me)
1/8 tsp allspice
1 cup flour (I used barley, but you can use all-purpose)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup o.j. (or lemon juice)
1 1/2 Tbsp flax meal (I used almond meal, which is just ground up almonds)
1 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp canola oil

Oven: 375
Bake: 22 - 25 min (clean toothpick insert)
In a large bowl, combine the ground oats, poppy seeds, sugar, orange zest, sea salt, cinnamon, and allspice, and sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir through until well combined.
In another bowl combine juice with flax meal and stir through. Add the applesauce, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and canola oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and stir through until well combined. Fill cupcake liners in pan.
If you want to make them more "dessert-like" make a citrus drizzle with whatever fruit juice you used, mixed with powdered sugar, and drizzle on top when cool. (Mmmmm)
**adapted from the cookbook, Vive Le Vegan, by Dreena Burton**

Hello....

.....it's been a while!

Dan fixed the computer! I've been using an old laptop for the past 10 months. That means no access to my pictures (or photo software), and therefor very little blogging. The pictures you've seen since December have been from Dan's phone or stolen from friends and family. What can I say, I lost the photography bug!...and we have very little documentation of the past year because of it. Don't get me wrong, it was a wonderful break! I went to parties, on vacation and gorgeous hikes in the woods, and actually enjoyed them in the moment! But I've been itching to get behind the camera lately, so the timing is perfect.

When I found the camera today, I dusted it off, pulled out the memory card, and this is what I found...

Well, they look like this now! (have I said, "It's been a while" yet?)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROL!

Today is Carol's Birthday....and the first post in months....coincidence?

Ruins Tuesday

We just discovered this fun thing to do in Hood River on Tuesday nights! Live music and brick oven pizza, all inside a burned out building! Nature is slowly taking over and the environment is a wonderful rustic experience. We'll be back!

Walker was with us for a couple weeks and we had so much fun with him! We will miss him! (we HAD to give him a hard time for looking at his phone instead of the band playing right in front of him!!)

A Glimps of Mackinaw!...

...more to come! (plus, pictures of our vacation in Connecticut!)

Welcome Little Chanse!

4th Of July Weekend!

...started with Taylor commanding a sailboat...

...and ended with her throwing Amya off the side of Mt. Hood!

(with lots of fun stuff in between!)

One More Video From the Coast...it is just so beautiful there!

Had A Great Father's Day at the Coast!

Thanks, Dan, for being the best father to our babies! I love you!

We had a great weekend, even though it was a bit soggy! Even when we weren't riding the bikes, Nelson was sitting in the bike trailor. I guess if this was my view, I'd want to go for a ride all day long, too!

ARRRG!

Something Sad

Doesn't it seem in this day and age, the age of mass communication, you always hear about something terrible? We are more aware than ever about all the tragedy in the world...earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, accidents. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with it all. My heart breaks for the people who find themselves, out of the blue, without a home or even a loved one. It piles on my heart so heavy that I feel weighed down to the ground sometimes. I try to say quick little prayers when I hear of such sadness, because I believe in a God that heals and loves.
I'm asking those of you who do the same, to say a quick prayer for a family that goes to the same church we do, Hood River CMA. Dan and I were in a small group with this family a couple years ago, and I did a small Bible study with Leah, the mother. I really can't say enough wonderful things about this family. They are alike my sister-in-law, Danielle's family, in that whenever you saw anyone of one these guys, their faces lit up in a contagious smile. (that is a gift, I say!)
They lost their son, Forest, on Friday just hours before he was to receive his high school diploma, in a terrible accident. I can't imagine, nor do I ever want to know what kind of sadness and pain they are experiencing right now. I don't quite know what else I can do, expect ask others to also say a quick prayer for a family who, out of the blue, lost their son and brother. Thank you!

Monday Evening Fun!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Sure glad you guys got married! :)

Naughty Children

Our Little Girl Who Loves To Fish...

...but doesn't like to TOUCH the fish!!!!

Thanks for the pictures, Ken!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy mothersday!
Love,
Nelson

Swinging is fun...

...especially when you don't have to do the pushing!

Once Upon A Time...

...John and Bear came for a visit! We had so much fun! John sent me these pictures he took....

We went up to Mt. Hood and played in the snow. This picture of Bear's back shows the snow all the way up to the window. This is the SECOND FLOOR!!

...running back from an evening ice cream cone
Bear...climbing around various shades of moss!

We even got some gardening in!

Don't wake her up.

It Was Love At First Sight...

...Amya and ballet...

(she wants to go everyday)

Totally Unhealthy Way To Use Up Those Quick Cooking Oats In Your Pantry...

C.A.R.O.L. Bars (this is clever, right?)

coconut, almond, raspberry, oat, layered bars

I found this recipe on the box of my oatmeal this morning, tweaked it a bit, then made a batch. Mmmmmmmmmm is all I can say.

I used my own raspberry jam from last summer, which was a low sugar recipe, and the bars are still a bit sweet. If you like, sub out the sweetened coconut for unsweetened coconut to bring it down a bit.

Idea: If you don't like stringy coconut, blend it up in your blender before mixing it in and sprinkling it on top!
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup flour (can sub barley or brown rice flour)
1/4 cup almond meal (optional)
2 cups sweetened coconut (divided)
1-1/2 cups quick oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup raspberry preserves
Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add flour, 1 cup coconut, almond meal, oats, and almond extract. Mix together. Scoop out 1 cup and reserve for topping. Press remaining dough evenly into an 8 x 8 baking dish. Spread raspberry preserves (add extra if you want!) on top. Crumble remaining dough on top and press lightly. Sprinkle remaining cup of coconut on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Wait until it is completely cool (hardest part) then cut into two inch squares.

Happy Birthday Dan!

We celebrated Dan's birthday this year with a quick trip to the coast! We had some unusual weather for this time of year...snow!
Driving through the gorge and the coastal range was tricky at times, but it made for some beautiful scenery!

The beach was COLD and beautiful as always!

Nelson has a limit of about 30 min. in a high chair before he gets loud and squirrely. If dinner takes longer than that, well...
Here is a glimpse of Dan's birthday dinner....very relaxing...

Happy Birthday Danno!! Hope you had a fun and relaxing get-away!