hitting the slopes...

Last year around this time, I tried to go skiing and my dad ended up getting sick and I ended up getting sick. Since I am the only one in my immediate family that ski's (Ethan is slated to take lessons this winter) I end up driving up north and going with my dad to Mt. Baker.

I was not going to let another year go by where I did not make it up and even though they did not have a ton of snow, we still had a great time. The sun was out, and it was really cold, but the snow conditions were great that day. My ski boots, not so much. I mean who bruises both of their big toe nails on the same day?

winter break continues...

 

We've been enjoying ourselves this holiday hanging out together as a family and doing a whole lot of nothing. I've been able to get us out of the house a couple of times when it hasn't been raining but so far it's been pretty soggy here lately. I don't mind it to much though, since we all needed a little destress and unwind time, especially me.



 

Merry Christmas!

To all our friends and family. Wishing you a Merry Christmas. I know I'll be spending it with my family and I can't wait!

let the games begin...

Ethan and Jeff are officially on winter break (I only have a few more days,  yay!).

First order of business, make cookies. We will be doing this quite a bit since I don't think these will last until Christmas eve.

best friends...

These two are the best of buds!

and a jolly good time...

I am a little late in posting our outing to see Santa Claus but Christmas traditions have been in full force at our house.

Ethan wrote out his Christmas wish list (Max the Tow Truck, helicopter, and Minecraft toys) and a few days after Thanksgiving we hopped on a train with our friends in Snoqualmie and went to see Santa. This has been a yearly tradition for us and this year we actually had... SNOW.

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree...

Thanksgiving is officially over. We spent it with family up North yesterday, stuffing our faces, and watching a fantastic game - Go Hawks! On our way home last night though I could not believe all of the people in the parking lots at the malls though. I am definitely not into shopping on Thanksgiving, or Black Friday for that matter unless it's in my pj's on the couch.
When the holiday's hit, it's time for our holiday family traditions, and that means getting our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.

quiet on the set...

The holidays are quickly approaching and at Ethan's school that means performances.
This next week is the thanksgiving play so I had to hurry and throw together his costume. Luckily I still had the hat pattern from halloween so i was able to whip together a turkey.
All that is missing is the feather's which I'll add tomorrow. Gobble,  gobble!

warm holiday fuzzies...

For some reason our stormy weather has made me want to decorate for the holidays. I know is before thanksgiving but something about the soft glow of Christmas lights makes me happy.

Plus,  my mom brought over a ceramic lighted tree my grandma made so I'm very thankful it has a place in our home this Christmas.

I've only decorated one room so far and I'll save the rest until next week.  So stay tuned for more pics...

oh the possibilities...

The rain, cold, and wind have made their presence known over the last couple of weeks which has made our family start thinking about vacations. Now that Ethan's in school, it gets harder and harder to plan due to the high rise in prices during Mid-Winter Break and Spring Break. What is up with that??

I have been doing a bunch of research on different places that we could visit and my mind keeps drifting back to sunshine. I just want to go to someplace that is warm, has a beach, and where I can get lost in the waves. 

We keep coming back to Hawaii. That is definitely one of our favorite places and we actually have not been as a family for quite a while. 

Do you have any places that you would love to go to that is warm and sunny during February or April? I am very much open to suggestions...
 

Giving thanks a little early...

Since we have some family heading out of the country before Thanksgiving we decided to celebrate a little early. Plus,  my husband loves when we host at our house due to the leftovers. It was actually pay stress free this year and was nice not to cook on the actual day.

ghouls, ghosts, and ugly dolls...

It is officially Halloween and one of my favorite holidays. This may be due to having a birthday in October and my love for anything with sugar in it but I've always been fond of Halloween.
As anyone who knows me personally or has followed my blog in the past, we tend to theme our Halloween costume's around what Ethan picks out as a family. Our first year we were the characters from Twilight, the second year we were super hero's. Last year we dressed as let's all go to the lobby, and this year Ethan wanted to be his favorite ugly doll Ox.
Unfortunately for me, this one you could not pick up at the store so I had to use my sewing magic to make Ethan's costume from scratch, and for Jeff and I, I sewed our hats and some of the props that went along with it.
I guess it made me a little more confident with the sewing machine and I can string a bobbin pretty dang good if I do say so myself.
Trick-or-treating was good to Ethan this year though. He made a haul, at least enough to get him through another year.

a jaunt to victoria...

We are back from a fun (and really wet) weekend in Victoria. We took the clipper up from Seattle, having to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the boat but thankfully it was a smooth ride over. Once we landed in Victoria, we were off to our home away from home for the night - The Fairmont Empress.

school fun...

Who doesn't love dressing up for Halloween at school. Especially when you get to dress up before Halloween.

My son attends a great school where they get to have quite a bit of celebrations and Halloween is one of them. They had their annual pumpkin carving and trunk-or-treat event and volunteered again this year to decorate our trunk.

Since this is Ethan's second year at his school he was a lot more comfortable at the party this time around and we didn't even see him for most of it since he was having such a good time with friends.

halloween happenings...

Halloween festivities are in full effect at our house. We joined done friends out at a pumpkin patch in Snohomish where Ethan was able to meet some new friends and play some games. We ventured through a very muddy corn Maze, did a pumpkin slingshot,  and hunted for our own pumpkins.
Then Ethan and Jeff carved theirs this evening. And I got the job of roasting the pumpkin seeds.

fall favorites...

We are loving fall and especially the nice weather we continue to have. We were able to go and hang out with our good friends at remlinger farm and take advantage of the harvest festival. It's full of rides, bouncy houses,  and yummy fall treats. Yum!
No wonder this is my favorite season.

handmade with a little love thrown in...

When I was a little girl I remember my grandma sewing me a Halloween costume that was a jester. She let me see bits and pieces of it while she made it but when it was complete it was absolutely beautiful. I wore that costume for several years.
For my son,  he has always loved dressing up but puts lots of thought into his Halloween costume. I very rarely get him to pick out a Halloween costume from a store and he always wants to be something that they don't make Halloween costumes for. Last year it was red licorice and this year he wanted to be his favorite ugly doll.
I went to work today on my sewing machine to recreate it and finished the hat today. I love how I'm able to do my favorite thing which is create and at the same time giving my son a memory that I am sure he will cherish from his childhood when he is older.

let the decorating commence...

It's almost October so that means it's time to decorate for Halloween. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I love sprucing up the house in Halloween decor. Not the gory and scary decorations but vintage and fun decorations. And who doesn't love candy?  ;-)

happy fall...

Since we have finally moved into fall I decided to pick up my knitting needles and create. I've been working on scarves adding additional elements where I can. Maybe if I make enough I'll have enough to start an etsy shop. Only time will tell.

scavenger hunt in the backyard...

Our backyard is a great place to explore since you never know what you'll find.  It was funny because when we moved into this house that was my biggest complaint,  that the yard was just to small. But it's funny after living here awhile (and building our side yard) I really like it. Plus,  you never know what you'll encounter.

sand in our toes...

We have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather recently and are soaking it in right until the last drop. Heading out for beach visits, cooling off with ice cream, and even some bubbles in the backyard.

Crossing my fingers and toes that we are able to enjoy a few more days of this weather. I'm not ready to pull out my sweaters and scarves just yet...

are you ready for some football?

adventure's in cooking...

I am still enjoying my blue apron deliveries and thankfully Ethan has as well. It's taken us on a culinary journey which is a good thing. Plus,  it's a little therapeutic to be back in the kitchen.

*recipe scallops with tomatoes and faro.

countdown begins...

Summer is dwindling down and school is right around the corner. We are spending this weekend getting all of our ducks in a row, making sure uniforms still fit, and enjoying the last bit of summer before school starts. Considering how the weather is today though, it sure feels like fall is fast approaching. Plus, I saw a maple leaf sitting in the yard this morning.

I just had my 20th high school reunion and I was a little hesitant to go originally, but actually ended up having a great time. I have to say that all of my classmates have aged well and everyone seemed to be doing good so that was great to see. I also got to spend time with good friends who I don't see often enough so it was all worth it in the end. Plus, Jeff and I got to stay at a great hotel as well.

breaking out of a cooking rut...

I am an avid lover of cooking however I seem to have run out of time to do it recently. I follow a few blogs and in the past week I noticed a lot of people mentioning Blue Apron. I had heard of it before and it sounded pretty interesting but then I noticed on one of the posts they were giving two free meals if you tried their service so I gave it a shot.

We got our first delivery this evening and I was a little skeptical if myself and my family would enjoy it and I have to say that I loved it. It was fun to prepare the meal, got me back to cooking unique foods, and I had the time to do it.

Plus, they make it really easy to follow the directions and give you the perfect amount of ingredients so it was amazing and actually really easy. I think the best quote to sum of this service is 'Anyone can learn to be a cook' - ratatouille the movie.

happy 7th birthday ethan...

We have been fully engulfed in Ethan's birthday festivities the past few days. Who says you only have one day to celebrate your birthday???

We started off with a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge with Ethan's cousin's tagging along. We all had such a great time at the waterpark, arcade, and just hanging out. It was definitely action packed the entire weekend and we all needed a nap when we got back home.

Then it was time for Ethan's actual birthday. Jeff has made it a custom to take the day off of work and let Ethan pick out what activities he wants to do. For the past two years he has basically picked the same things so next year we are going to throw in a few surprises.

Click below for more pictures...

summer bounty...

Summer has to be one of my favorite fruit season's. We have been taking advantage of all of the fresh food in the grocery store and farmers market recently and I have to say my current favorite combo is feta and watermelon. Mix it with a little mint and arugula and I'm in heaven.

What is your favorite summer combo?

growing green. ..

We have been experiencing some pretty hot weather these past few days so when we came back from a week of no watering my plants hated me. Luckily though we have been running our sprinklers and they are slowly coming back to life. I mean look at all those tomatoes.
I was a little weary at first because the hydrangea plants were moved from our old house and I absolutely loved them. I was not sure if they were going to survive at our new place but thankfully they seem happy.