Maggie and Sasha

This is how they are together all the time.

Sunday: 70 and Sunny.

We spent part of Sunday at the Columbia River. There is a rather large beach on the Oregon side and it was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in the sun.

Tip-Toeing Thru the Tulips

HELLO FROM THE WOODBURN TULIP FESTIVAL

On Saturday Maggie and I left Steve to do boring school work and headed to the Tulip Festival with Rachel, Erin and Bennett. This is another outing I have always wanted to make and we could not have asked for better weather. The sun was shining bright and it was pleasantly warm. Maggie mostly wondered why I kept putting her on the ground but she seemed not to mind so I just kept right on doing it. Unfortunately I couldn't get her to smile no matter how hard I tried. We had a great time and I hope to go back next year. The kid play area alone was big enough to keep us busy for half a day. Bouncy castles, giant slides and pony rides..oh my! I also smelled the Elephant Ears from a mile away but I decided to stay with my plan and not eat one. I have to save up those treats for when I am at the zoo this summer and absolutely can't resist. I am also super stoked that I got to spend time with Rachel and Bennett. We hadn't seen them since March so it was wonderful to get together and compare notes on our kids. Surprisingly they are almost evenly matched in every way possible. It is such a delight to see them grow together and figure each other out. It won't be long before we are having to keep a closer eye on them....

One other thing. Total shout out to my wonderful Steve-o. I got home and he had cleaned and mowed all in an effort to make me happy when I walked in the door. It worked!

Who cares about the Tulips? I love the dirt!

That's right Maggie, pat Bennett nicely

Maggie! How many times have we talked about not grabbing.

Two seconds later she was trying to eat the leaf....

I swear she was happy most of the day.

Me, Rach, Mags and B

If I could photoshop a smile I would. I love this picture. I would blow it up and hang it on my wall. If only she would smile.

40 Acres and some Tulips

Hood River Blossom Festival 2011

Last weekend Steve and I added another check mark to our "Spring & Summer To-Do List." We drove out to Hood River, OR for the annual Hood River Blossom Festival. Unfortunately, due to the colder temps this spring the blooms were not out in full force but we were able to catch a few. Our first stop was for finger licking Bar-B-Que at the Apple Valley Country Store. I was hankering for some of their famous Apple Butter and we really couldn't pass up pulled pork. As we sat there we got to listen to the music stylings of a Willie Nelson-esc guitar and singer. He was super cute. He laid eyes on Maggie and the next song that he played was titled "Daddy's and Their Daughter's." Steve looks at me and rolls his eyes and says, " You know I have to tip him now, right." That's my hubby! After a few minutes of playing in the grass we were off to get pie from another road side stand. The pie was good but the cookies are divine! I totally broke my diet for such a delicious treat. They also had a fruit scale so Steve sat Maggie on it. She weighed in at a whooping 16 lbs. Poor kid is never going to gain any weight. After a few pics we left for my favorite stop. The Alpaca farm. They always have a bunch of young alpacas wondering around the pen and they love to eat the little pellets you can buy for 25 cents. Maggie didn't know what to think of them at first but it wasn't long before she realized they weren't much bigger than Sasha and they were just as friendly. Every time she would let out a squeal all of their heads would turn in her direction. If you have never seen an Alpaca you should. They are wonderful creatures. I kept telling Steve I wanted to move to the country so we could have an Alpaca farm. I don't think he was buying it.

We could have spent hours up there driving around and making many more stops but we had to get home. We did catch a few good pictures and Maggie was in such good spirits all day. I love the fact that after 5 minutes in the car she passes out and will sleep the entire time. No more days of a screaming baby in the back seat! Next up is the Tulip Festival!

We found some blossoms blooming!

Great shot of Maggie and Dad

Maggie wanted to hang in the pen

I love this face.

We couldn't resist we brought one home with us.

Oh wait, no, thats Sasha!

Maggie and Mommy's Day at the Zoo

I woke up to sunshine, despite the weather report, and it lasted thru Maggie's morning nap so I thought what a day to head to the Oregon Zoo. I knew that I would only get a couple of hours out of her so I figured if the weather took a turn for the worse we could always leave. I am so glad we made the trip. It's a Monday so most of the kids were in school so it was either old folks or Mom's and Dad's walking around. The sun kept us warm enough so we could both take off our heavy coats and enjoy the views. I am crazy about the Elephants the BIG CATS, and the Zebra's so that is what I took pictures of but we saw a lot more. Including; bears, eagles, fish, snakes, penguins, monkeys (one Baboon was picking another's butt). I wanted to take a shot but I was trying to act like a mature mother and set a good example. We also saw some hungry wolves, cows, sheep, pigs and so many other animals. While we were watching the elephants they started to talk to each other and the Mama elephant let out a huge elephant noise. I had never heard that before in person and I felt a bit of the giddy childishness again that you loose at some point in life. The lions were doing what they always do. Lounging around as if they just had lunch. As Maggie stood against the glass watching them one of the slowing raised her head and watched her until we moved on. I had such a good time and Maggie did great right up until it started to rain but by then we were heading to the car anyway so we didn't get too wet. I did have to sacrifice my coat for a few minutes while the hail came down on us. I can't wait for summer which I am sure will include many more trips to the zoo!

This Elephant was getting his exercise.

This was taken when I thought she still needed 18 layers

Baby with the babies. I love this face.

But mom I want to go play with the kitties!

Maggie looked on as the Wild Dogs of Africa had a snooze

My favorite!

Rhododendron Garden

I have a laundry list of things I want to do this spring/summer. One of the items at the very top is pay a visit to the Portland Rhododendron Garden. I have lived her all 32 years of my life and I have driven by the entrance a couple hundred times but I have never paid the $3 to go inside. Boy am I sad that I never did. Even though almost nothing was in bloom it was still an extremely beautiful place to visit. The whole place is surrounded by water, ducks, squirrels, big trees, and small plants. It was a beautiful day in Portland today so it was ideal for a nice walk thru the grounds. Maggie did great in her stroller but enjoyed getting out and touching the flowers and "chasing" after the Geese. Steve's parents are coming to visit next month and the Garden is already on our list of things to-do. I am hoping that not only will everything be in bloom but we will also have some great Spring weather.

Maggie checking out the ducks swimming

Hitchin' a ride on Dad's shoulders. Check out the pink "Chucks."

So happy!

Mommy and Magpie

No Maggie, you can't eat the flowers!

Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

I knew blogging seven days in a row would be tuff but I made a promise and since I am sticking to the other promises I made this month I might as well stick with this one as well.

This recipe I pulled straight out of one of my WW cookbooks. I knew it was going to be healthy but I didn't know it was going to be so delicious.

Steak Prep:

1 pound lean ground beef

2 slices whole wheat bread, cubed

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/8 Teaspoon pepper

Gravy Prep:

2 Teaspoons of EVOO

1/4 pound of Shitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced

1 Tablespoon of AP flour

1 cup of low sodium beef broth

First combine the beef, cubed bread, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. I always use my hands because it was way easier to disperse the ingredients. Divide into four sections and flatten into oval shaped "steaks". Place on your broiler pan and stick them under your broiler on high for 6-8 minutes each side.

While the steaks cook heat your oil in a large non-stick skillet to medium high. Add mushrooms and allow them to soften. Takes about 8 minutes. Coat the mushrooms with the flour and stir mushrooms again. Add the broth and heat to a boil. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens and bubbles.

Once the steaks are done add them to your skillet and let flavors mix for 2-3 minutes uncovered. Plate and eat!

I used the leftover rice from last night as a bed for my steaks. The rice soaked up the sauce and added an extra element to the dinner. We also had a nice green salad with carrots, almond slices, cherry tomatoes, pram and my favorite low fat cilantro dressing from Trader Joe's.

The best part of this dinner is that I made four steaks so we both get leftovers for lunch tomorrow:)