December Round-up

I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas!  I blinked and *poof* it’s almost here.  Today was very exciting- the 787 took flight for the first time. Matt and I were able to watch from the tarmac- it was amazing!  Luckily- Dad gave me my Christmas gift early- errrr- or I opened it early. I was able to capture some clips on my new HD Flip Cam-  Enjoy the short video below- or for more professional clips of both take off and landing go to: http://787firstflight.newairplane.com/ffindex.html

This month we’ve made some progress around the Townhouse. See for yourself:

We replaced this light fixture

With this one

oohhh pretty!

Hung ourselves a pot rack

Hung some pictures on the walls

Put up a little tree 🙂

And celebrated the first flowers on Fred the Meyer Lemon Tree

I hope your December is going well.  I promise more blogging over the holidays 🙂

Giving Thanks!

Admittedly I have been absent from blogging- well blogging on this site at least.  The past month Matt and I have been in full swing wedding planning and I have thrown all of my blog efforts into my personal wedding blog.

This year we all have so much to be thankful for: Matt my awesome fiance, my amazing family, wonderful future in-laws, friends, a job I love, and all the small blessings God has placed in my life. This is the third year that I’ve celebrated holidays with both my mom and my dad.  Matt and i will be in Fort Wayne for Christmas so dad came to visit for a week this Thanksgiving.  We’ve had a great time and enjoyed quite the feast.

Last year Matt was the one who conked out on the sofa

But this year it was mom who fell fast asleep on the sofa with a full belly.

🙂

Hope your Thanksgiving was great!

Hugs,

Amy, Matt, Jim, Elizabeth, Cassanova, and Cheese

 

Pick me a Pumpkin!

One of the purposes for our weekend excursion to the Farm was to pick out pumpkins but after the maze we got caught in a flash rainstorm.  We took cover in the petting zoo.

Chickens!

Rocking the rain boots! I've fallen in love with my polka dot boots!

The rain subsided and we went a pickin!  They had so many great pumpkins! It wasn’t hard to find a suitable one.  I picked out a tall, square-ish pumpkin for Matt and I to carve together.  With all the wedding crafting we’re learning how to be creative together. Not an easy task for two creative people- especially to creative, stubborn people.

T wheels our pumpkins back for us.

OHHH Rainbow!

We went back to T and H’s  house and got to carving!

J starts out a little shy

The rain activated my curls!

scooping out the pumpkins

Almost done scooping!

Matt traces our design

H goes old school

T Freehanded this awesome design

H's old school sad pumpkin- look close there are eyebrows and a tear!

Arggghhh- Matt and My pirate pumpkin!

All lit up!

We seriously couldn’t have planned a better day!

Wander Washington!

This weekend, Matt and I shared a fun filled day with our good friends H and her boyfriend T.  T has a 7 year old son, J,   and we had a blast with the three of them.  In fact, we walked the whole state of Washington.  H and I went to a corn maze a couple years ago.  We spent 45 minutes getting lost in the first half of the maze, came out the entrance, checked a map and took only 15 minutes to get through the whole thing!  H planned this years excursion for us, researching different corn mazes in the area.  She picked one called the Farm.  It is in the shape of the State of Washington, with the pathways being actual interstates, US highways, and State Roads.  The maze contains a whole host of facts about Washington history and you have a scavenger hunt to complete.  It was a lot of fun!  I didn’t do much navigating- which is a good thing.

Hayride to the Maze

Our trusty navigator!

Hummm Is Matt the Grump of the year? (a real billboard in a washington town where they vote a grump of the year)

Or is this the right grump?

H leads us over a bridge- look how big this maze is!

Huge!

H, J, and Matt read facts about the Grand Coulie Dam

H poses with a sign that designates her tiny hometown near Mt St Helens

After successfully making our way through the maze, Matt enjoys some hot cidar. Yum...

Up next? Pick me a Pumpkin!

A weekend of nothing!

My blog has been quiet, but life hasn’t!  Matt and I have been real busy with work, and outside of work (wedding planning is in full swing!).  It felt like we weren’t getting much time to do nothing and just be.  So we took a weekend for our selves and had no concrete plans.  It was amazing!

Matt loves citrus- in fact there is almost always lemons and limes in the townhouse kitchen.   He’s been researching the dwarf meyer lemon tree, a fruit bearing tree that can be grown in a container and moved inside for the winter.  I was actually planning to buy him one for Christmas, but he beat me to the punch and ordered on a couple weeks ago.  One of our “Nothing Weekend” activities was to plant the tree.

Matt plants the tree on our balcony.

Tending to the tree

While Matt cared for our first house plant (YAY!) I started cooking a huge breakfast. Ok, it was like 11:00 so it was kinda lunch, but whatev.

Yum fresh ingredients!

Not bad for a girl who just started to eat eggs a couple months ago.

Matt's face says it all, "Finish taking phots so I can eat!"

What a great way to start a day!  What did the rest of the weekend hold for us?  Behold the pile of Wedding crafting supplies… oh my…

Hint: These are screen printing supplies! Oh and a Woot monkey!

Retro Chic Engagement Photo Sneak Peek

Melody and Bryan, the awesome husband and wife duo of Amore Studios, totally made my weekend by sending over these sneak peek pictures from our engagement photo shoot.

PS: More details about the dress and the flower in my hair can be found on http://kodachromewedding.wordpress.com

I’m not going to say much… just let you enjoy the photos.   *Squeal*

Photo Credit: Amore Studios Location: Old Shell Station Issaquah WA

Photo credit: Amore Studios

Photo credit: Amore Studios

Photo Credit: Amore Studios

Photo Credit: Amore Studios

Photo Credit: Amore Studios Location: Pike Place Market

Photo Credit: Amore Studios Location: Pike Place Market

Photo Credit: Amore Studios Location: Pike Place Market

Photo Credit: Amore Studios Location: Seattle Center

Day 6: Leaving Maine :-(

We went to bed late- staying up to chat and catch up with Aunt S and Uncle C.  When I woke up, they were gone- off to play some golfs.  We packed up and headed out of town.  Not before we stopped by the town landing market (a traditional Maine corner store which advertises “fresh native ice”).

I didn't take this photo- but here's the famous Town Landing Market in Falmouth ME- the "Native Ice" makes me think of little ice cubes with a Native American headdress on...

We noticed that lobster was $3.99 per lb – wow- it’s still $19.99 in Seattle!  Mom, Matt and I bought Lobster rolls for lunch and stopped at a nearby marina to eat them- in our respective rental cars- funny.

Matt is in heaven!

Don't worry she's parked! 🙂 Mom loves her some lobster!

I was so hungry I dove in without taking a photo- i think the roll is half gone in this photo- look at all of that lobster!

On our way out of Maine a local Moose came out to say good-bye.

Bye Bye Maine!

We got back to Aunt J’s house in Mass and went for one last visit to see Grandma.  Matt made his famous potato salad and we made Salmon on cedar planks.  This whole trip was special, but I think we all cherished the time we got to spend with Aunt J.  We can’t begin to thank them enough for their hospitality.

Cheers to an AMAZING Trip

We got up at the butt crack of dawn, got on our planes and came back to Seattle.  This trip was so full of joy and amazing experiences I am still, two weeks later on an emotional high.  I glance at my ring from time to time and I get a little choked up at how Matt and I were able to share that wonderful moment with my family.  All I can say is, hope to see as many of my NE fam next July 10th in Seattle!

How to have an authentic “down east” lobster bake

Growing up, we would have lobster bakes every once in a while on a major summer holiday.  My Uncles would get up early, dig a pit in an unused part of the yard, line it with rocks, and get the fire started.  Meanwhile, my brother and I would go with Grandma to get the lobsters.  We usually bought them right on the docks from local lobster-men.  We would then go to a rocky part of the shore (aren’t they all rocky in Maine?) and begin harvesting seaweed in large garbage bags.  We needed a lot of sea weed- the kind that has pods holding sea water on them- not the flat seaweed that you see on the West coast.  We loved scurrying around the rocks pulling up seaweed- and we always smelled like the ocean when we got back.  By the time we got back to the house, the rocks were getting good and hot.  We got busy cleaning the silk out of ears of corn and rinsing the clams (steamers) out in a bath of water.  When the time came, we layered seaweed on top of the hot rocks, then layered the following: potatoes, corn, clams, lobster and sometimes kielbasa. Then we put more seaweed on top and covered the whole thing with a tarp- to bake, well actually steam- the water from the seaweed steamed all of the food within.  When done we filled our plates and ate until we couldn’t eat anymore.

The lobster bake that Aunt A and Uncle J put on was very similar- except my uncles didn’t do all the heavy lifting, and we didn’t have to gather our own seaweed.  Paul and his wife had everything taken care of and the whole process down to a science.  The big pan that they had was cool- it had drain holes to let excess water out and it was easily move on and off the hot rocks.  Check out the process:

After the fire is built and sufficiently hot, start with a bed of seaweed and add corn, potatoes, and lobster!

Keep adding lobster, kielbasa and bags of steamers

Look at all that goodness!

Cover it up with more seaweed... whew this is tiresome!

Check out this great set up- all of the prep work is done with the pan off the direct heat- once done you move it over the heat to begin cooking- this avoids some layers cooking too fast.

Cover the pile with a canvas cloth that has been soaking in water.

Cover it all with a blanket to keep all the steam and goodness inside- tuck it in nice and tight!

Move the whole thing over the hot rocks and let her cook!

Once done uncover and discover the perfectly cooked feast!

Collect the food... look at those guys!

Awesome!  We learned a lot!  My lesson of the day- Take the rubber bands off the claws before cooking- this avoids a slight rubber taste- but watch out for those claws!

Day 5 Lobsta Bake with the fam!

*Beep beep beep*   I interrupt this New England Trip recap to bring you breaking news… Cheese has left the house… I repeat Cheese- also known as the phantom cat- has left the house and… what’s this- she’s eating grass with her brother Cassanova.  Reports indicate that Cheese is getting increasingly brave and has been venturing out regularly.  I believe our photographer has captured this rare Cheese sighting.

Cheese is adventuresome!

Amazing! Ok, back to your regularly scheduled vacation update.

Sunday, Mom was anxious to show Matt the Portland Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  We drove around downtown Portland a little and then went to the Cathedral.  Mom wanted to show Matt the beautiful stained glass which was made by a man who shared a last name with Matt’s Mother’s family- no relation, but a fun story none the less.  WOW are these stained glass beautiful!  I had seen them years ago, but they are amazing.  See for yourself!

After viewing the church, we headed back to get ready for a little relaxation before a traditional Lobsta Bake- hosted by my Uncle J and Aunt A.  Did I mention that at Aunt S and Uncle C house Matt made a new friend? Tiki the Cat/Dog. Seriously a dog that acts like a cat- my kind of dog.

It was off to the Lobsta bake! I hadn’t seen much of my family in 2 years, and everyone was going to be there (with the exception of my cousin A who I had seen the night we arrived- he had gone back on the Appalachian Trail and my mom’s baby brother and his family- who live in Denver).  Despite being in the middle of major home remodeling, Aunt A and Uncle J put on the best party!  They rented a tent for the back yard and hired childhood friend Paul and his wife to organize and do the lobsta bake.  I’ll post the details of how an authentic lobsta bake happens in my next post.  But here are photos from the festivities.

Chatting with Aunt A and Aunt S

Gathering around the bake!

Toasting big birthdays (Aunt S, Cousin K, Cousin M, Cousin R and Mom) and Engagements (yay!)

Did I mention we toasted an engagement?

Blowing out the candles

Chowing down! Corn on the Cob, Steamers (clams), kielbasa, and of course lobsta!

Have I mentioned how much I love my Family? Uncle J, Aunt S, and Uncle C

Aunt J, and Cousin M- Gosh I miss my cousins!

Cousin MS and his girlfriend A- they are buying a house, how exciting!

Cousin K and her beau

One of my fav images; Cousin R captures a great photo of Cousin K and her boy- who is hiding a beer behind his back- priceless!

Matt fit right in with my family, and got a good education on how to do a lobsta bake.

The day wrapped up hanging by the fire and a fireside game of apples to apples by light of the fire!

I have to say thank you to the three people who made that wonderful day possible- my dear dear Aunt A and Uncle J and their dear friend Paul!

Thanks guys!

When we got home that night we realized, our trip was coming to a close- how sad!  Next up: A lobsta bake tutorial and Day 6 of the trip.

Day 4: Red Hook in NH and Maine

On the fourth day of our vacation we visited with my Grandma for a second time (she has Alzheimer’s and is at a place near my Aunt in Massachusetts), before hitting the road up to Maine to visit with more family.

As a side note, as I see it, one of the blessings of Alzheimers is that you can share good news with your loved one and every time it’s like they are hearing it for the first time.  We told Grandma of our engagement three times during this trip and showed her the ring.  Every time she was so happy and it was so special to share that joy with her.

Matt and I knew that Red Hook had a brewery in Portsmouth NH on our way to Maine.  Red Hook’s original brewery was in Seattle, but has moved to nearby Woodinville, WA.  I’ve visited the Washington brewery so we thought it would be cool to visit the one in NH too. (these are the only 2 Red Hook Breweries in the country) Matt and I are always down to sample some craft beers.  My stomach was a little upset from a tuna sandwich that didn’t agree with me, but I sampled all four Beers that they offered us.  A nice little sidetrip on the way to Maine.  We got into Maine around 5 pm and spent a great evening chatting with my Aunt and Uncle.  Oh and did I mention that the weather was awesome?

yummm beer!

Sorry Aunt S- I LOVE this photo- can't remember what you were describing but this captures the way we have animated conversations perfectly! Love you!