Girls' Night

On Saturday and Sunday I got together with my Gig Harbor friends, Sarah, Jenn, and Kristin.

It was such a fun weekend!

We ate at a popular Portland restaurant called Screen Door. It's really good southern food. People (including us) wait in line even before they open for dinner.

Then we walked around the shops in the Alphabet District. Sarah was brave enough to ask for some make-up tips from this funky girl at the M.A.C. Cosmetics store.  :)

Then we waited in line again (Portlanders are serious about their food) at an ice cream shop called Salt and Straw. They are known for their crazy flavors. For example: Honey Lavendar, Pear with Bleu Cheese, and Honey Balsamic Strawberry with Cracked Pepper. Yeah... that crazy.   

On Sunday the girls came over for breakfast and we had ebelskivers and eggs.

Thanks for coming, girls!! See you next month. :)

Binky Baby

Halle has become a fan of the pacifier. Paige and Kate were never interested in pacifiers, and they didn't seem to need one. But a couple weeks ago I noticed that Halle would often suck on her hands and fingers, even when she was well-fed. So I tried giving her the kind they use in the hospital, but she hated it. So Nate picked up some good ones at Walmart and she really likes them. I've always thought it was interesting that some babies used pacifiers and others didn't. I wondered if the parents tried really hard to get them to use it or what. But I guess some babies just have a stronger sucking reflex than others. ?  I hope she doesn't become super dependant on it though. That's the downside. Eek.

Our trip to Bend

Last weekend we were able to join Nate on a work trip to Bend, Oregon. Bend is known for mountain biking, hiking, skiing, whitewater rafting, etc. It was a really fun trip. Bend is a little over 3 hours away from Portland, up in the mountains. It's a really cool city because the people are so incredibly active there. I've never seen so many people biking and running in my life. It seemed like everywhere we went people were dressed in workout gear and everyone looked so fit. I was really impressed by that.

 There is a brand new water park there and the girls loved it.

We ate really healthy, as you can see. We tried some of the highly rated restaurants there. Yum.

We hiked to a waterfall called Tumalo Falls.  I didn't get a picture at the top though.

Can you see that guy at the lookout point at the top? We went up there and I felt like I was gonna have a panic attack.

Yummy breakfast.

The pool at the resort. Such a beautiful area!

We will be able to join Nate on some other upcoming trips and I'm excited.

Paige's make-over

Today Paige came out of my bathroom looking like this. Pretty! :)  Also, a couple days ago she said, "Lots of boys are cute. And I want to kiss them."

Oh dear. Help!

Walnut Chocolate Chip Blondies

I made these last week and I thought they were amazing. If you serve them warm, with vanilla ice cream... you will die. Just thought I'd share. :)


Walnut Chocolate Chip Blondies  (Applebee's Knock-off)


INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and blend until combined.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and nuts over the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
If desired, serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Easy BBQ Chicken Salad

Photo from allrecipes.com

Try this! It's really easy and really good. The girls even loved it. I'm all about super easy recipes. I don't have a grill, so I cooked the chicken on the stove with lots of spices (garlic powder, onion powder, etc.)


Amy's Barbecue Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 head red leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn
• 1 head green leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn  (I just used one kind of lettuce)
• 1 fresh tomato, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (I used frozen corn)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onions
• 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the grill for high heat.               
2. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill, and cook 6 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Remove from heat, cool, and slice.
3. In a large bowl, mix the red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, tomato, cilantro, corn, and black beans. Top with the grilled chicken slices and French fried onions.
4. In a small bowl, mix the Ranch dressing and barbeque sauce. Serve on the side as a dipping sauce, or toss with the salad to coat.

Just some pictures

 Sleeeeeepy Halle

Kate fell on her face in the garage. The poor girl falls or runs into things constantly.

Halle is 6 weeks old