Cannon Beach

With Carlos' mom, Marianne, in town, we made a day trip to Cannon Beach. It was a great adventure since none of us had been there before. We brought the dog, the skim board, sand toys, chairs, and some reading material and had a wonderful time. Quickly, Matty and the dog were rolling in the sand and when Matthew's clothes filled with the stuff, he immediately stripped. The kid just loves to be naked. Once on the beach, I realized that the baby didn't like so much wind- and boy was it windy. So while the boys and dog played in the surf and tried their luck at skim boarding, I loaded Natalya in her Baby Bjorn and walked through the shops and galleries with Marianne. It is such a cute little town and very dog friendly, which I loved. The overall feeling in the streets is very up-scale and artsy, with Cape Cod inspired architecture. There are a good amount of shops to visit, all in close proximity and nothing overwhelming. A fun day, for sure!

Weekend in Tacoma

Last weekend was a wonderful, albeit jam-packed, couple of days. Saturday morning, we left early to have breakfast at Grandpa and Grandma Moriarty's house. My dad made pancakes, which, by the way, are his specialty,  with sausages, fruit, and OJ. Unfortunately will were a little rushed, but my grandparents had plenty of time to enjoy how big and cute the kids are getting. From there we headed to my mom's house to surprise Grandma Sam with her two GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN that she had never seen. It was love at first site for all parties concerned.....  obviously! She immediately won her way into Matthew's heart with a huge, Spiderman blanket, Tinkerbell for Talya. We watched some old videos from my Young Ambassadors 

and jump roping days and had dinner. Since my sister's birthday was

the previous Wednesday, my Mom and Grandma watched the kids

while Carlos and I went out to a bar with Jenni and her boyfriend and then we met up with Meagan and Jason and partied with some old friends. I got to see Hank Baarslag and Mike McDonald, a couple of close friends from high school who I haven't seen in almost 10 years. It was great for Carlos to meet a couple of people that are a part of my fondest memories. And, naturally, Mom and Grandma were delighted to watch the kids- Matthew and Natalya have both of them wrapped around their fingers. On Sunday, we hang out, listened to stories about Grandpa Sam (who passed away in April of this year- love you Grandpa) and my grandparents numerous travels,  

ate great food (thanks momma), and just plain relished in the time we had 

together. Jen and Vinny surprised Matty with a trip to Chuck-E-Cheese for games, pizza, and Auntie-Nephew bonding time. He was ecstatic and is still talking about the fun they had. As the weekend wrapped up, we had one of my favorite dinners from growing up and strawberry shortcake to honor Jen's b-day. And before we knew it.... it was time to hit the road. I was amazed with all the fun we packed into those two days, there were things we didn't get around to. We wanted to stop by Matt and Nadine's to see them and Charlotte and just couldn't squeeze it in. And it would have been nice to spend a little more time with Meg and Jason also. But there is always next trip- I can't wait!

Watermelon Margarita

I am perpetually searching for the best summer drink to serve to family and friends during BBQ's and pool parties. The following recipe, which I first tried last night, has taken the #1 spot! I found the recipe in Domino magazine, August 2008 issue. Try this out and let me know what you think...

Watermelon Margaritas

serves 6

3 cups seedless-watermelon chunks (about 1 lb. peeled watermelon)

1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (4 large limes, juiced)

1/2 cup sugar (more or less, to taste)

1 cup tequila

1/2 cup Grand Marnier

Combine watermelon chunks, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and blend on high until completely liquid and frothy. Combine in pitcher with tequila and Grand Marnier. Fill pitch with ice, stir and serve.  

Be sure to add the ice last, so it doesn't dilute the drink. The half cup sugar was perfect for my batch, and I used a sweet watermelon. This margarita is great because it isn't too sweet or too alcohol-y. Very refreshing!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Happy 26th Birthday Jen!

We love you so much and can't wait to celebrate your birthday

this weekend- TOGETHER!

I couldn't ask for a better sister, auntie, and sister-in-law.

Your caring and sincere heart is irreplaceable to me.

"A sister is God's way of proving that He doesn't want us to walk alone." unknown

6 Month Check-Up... A Little Late

At seven months and two weeks old, Natalya finally got her six month well-baby exam. Why the delay? Well because, the pediatrician that Matthew has been going to since we moved to Portland and was at Natalya's delivery and first well-baby appointments closed his office, giving less than a month's notice. I don't know if my irritation comes through in this post, so instead I will be blunt. I WAS SO ANNOYED! I think a good doctor/patient relationship is such a priority, so it just sucks that I am going to have to start all over with someone else. His office didn't even give an explanation for the closure- what's up with that!?! Come on....

Alright, I needed to get that off my chest. On the positive, I was very happy with the new pediatrician that we picked out and Talya's appointment went perfectly. Here are the stats:

Weight: 16lbs. 9oz.  40% percentile

Height:  24 1/2"        43% percentile

My little girl is getting so big! 

Current Project

Refinishing my dining set is the project currently keeping me busy. We have a very nice antique dining set, but it was in desperate need of refinishing. Any time the table got water on it, it would leave a stain. That was the decisive issue I had with the set. I'm a little OCD when it comes to the things in my home and I just couldn't stand that it looked worse after I cleaned it than before. Plus, I wanted to recover the chairs because I was over my maroon phase. 

I absolutely love home improvement projects. I caught the bug in high school when I ripped up the ugly brown carpet in my bedroom of my parents house and refinished the original hard wood floors. So although this task is taking longer than I anticipated (dont' they always) I am enjoying every minute. It gives me a chance to clear my head and refocus. At this point I have the four chairs refinished and recovered, and the table top sanded. I am going to have to strip the legs of the table since they have intricate lathe work. But it is coming along. 

So there is my excuse for not posting in a while. I have pictures for proof! ;-)

The original chair - before I worked my magic

After sanding

After two coats of "ebony" stain and two coats of poly-crylic

Done - I know... I'm good

The GORGEOUS, $69.99 per yard, special order fabric that I got for $6.00 per yard

The A to Z of Me

From Erin's blog...

A.   Attached or Single: Attached to Carlos for 8 years -our anniversary is on my b-day, April 26th

B.   Best Friend: Meagan Veitenhans/Cohen

C.   Cake or Pie: Both -I have such a sweet tooth

D.   Day of the Week: All -having kids makes every day special

E.   Essential Item: Chapstick -My lips get chapped often and I hate it

F.   Favorite Color: Red

G.  Gummy Bears or Worms: Neither are my favorite

H.  Hometown: Tacoma, WA

I.    Indulgences: Great coffee daily and Massages -hand massages, back massages, head massages, just give me a massage!

J.   January or July: July -I like warm weather

K.  Kids: 2, Matthew who just turned four and Natalya who is seven months 

L.   Life is Incomplete Without: A positive outlook and belief in myself 

M. Marriage Date: Someday soon, I hope -Carlos and I have been engaged so long that I wonder if Natalya will be married first -And our money always seems better allocated to being home-owners, having kids, etc. 

N.  Number of Siblings: 1 sister, Jenni and 1 brother-in-law, Anthony

O.  Oranges or Apples: Apples -any kind, I just like the crunch 

P.  Phobia or Fears: Being in crowded areas, anything covering my face, and my friends or family dying

Q.  Quote: "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in a common hour" Henry David Thoreau

R.  Reason to Smile: I don't need one, I just do it!

S.   Season: There are things I like about all of them

T.   Tag Three: Nadine, Anya, and Megs (who needs to start a blog even though she doesn't have kids... yet)

U.  Unknown Fact About Me: I don't like anyone touching my feet and I hate the word "whiff"

V.   Vegetarian or Oppressor to Animals: I'm a meat-n-potatoes kinda girl

W. Worst Habit: Smoking cigarettes

X.   X-Ray or Ultrasound: Ultrasound 

Y.   Your Favorite Food: pasta 

Z.   Zodiac Sign: Taurus