Birch Bay 2012

Mom and Kids Only Camping trip! Looking back over the other 2 trips we've taken, I realized that we have steadily increased our stays each time (Deception Pass - 1 night, and Ocean Shores - 2 nights), soon, we may be up to a week! This year we decided on a shorter car ride up north and stayed at lovely Birch Bay State Park, right across the water from Canada. We nabbed a great site complete with it's own forest trails. E spent most of her time in a huge climbing tree with Asher, and N and Mini were great companions. The 3-night trip (as you may imagine) presented itself with its unique challenges; a burst of rain on our ill prepared tents, a tick lodged under Mini's eyelash, early wake up calls, raccoons bumping around in the night, mosquito bites, uncooperative children howling in the showers, and a table full of picky eaters. None were so terrible to deter us from planning another trip again next year. Here are some shots from our time, none sadly from my actual camera, all via Instagram on my phone.

Hi Ho Cherry-O

N's first Family Game Night

Stumptown AM

Downtown Christmastime

This afternoon when N woke up from this nap we shuffled the kids into the van, drove downtown to find a parking spot and did our yearly Christmas outing. It was just us, and we had a really nice few hours. N even wore underwear the entire time without an accident! We didn't do everything I had on our list; we forgot about the giant gingerbread houses until we were already back in our seat on the monorail, we skipped ice skating on purpose because neither D nor I wanted to wait on the sidelines with a 2-year-old rubber ball bouncing off the walls. But the miniature train was pure magic for N, the aforementioned monorail offered a lovely view, and the carousel is a must. This year we also stopped in for a scheduled snow flurry inside a mall (not much to write home about, but now we've done it). All in all it was a really nice time with my family.

Swanson's

 We hit Swanson's for the Reindeer Festival every year with Asher, Mini, and Eileen. Now with most of the brood synced up with school hours we braved the crowds this weekend to snap a few quick pic's before heading back to their house for some cookie decorating.

Carve It Up!

Somewhere between trips to the store, heating up the hot glue gun and sitting at my sewing machine for costume making we managed to get our pumpkins to the table for some slice and dice fun. E was set on using a skull template that came with our carving kit, but in the end decided she wanted to just go free style and she did the entire jack-o-lantern herself, knife-work and all! N just wanted something happy, but he was determined to use these little pink tongs from his play kitchen to clean it out. E sketched something on our blackboard that he willingly approved. I tweaked it a bit, so the missing teeth coordinated with E's little jack-o-lantern smile she's been sporting this month.

The chickens and Molly also got to celebrate with grated pumpkin in their bowls! We thought we'd be carving up our very own home grown pumpkins this year, but try as we might not one pumpkin grew from our vine! Tons of flowers (all male apparently) no fruit...next year, I guess.

Pie Snob

I can't just eat any pie.

But the thing is, that I love pie (specifically blackberry, followed by apple, and then cherry, there are a few chocolate creme pies that are good). My criteria for what makes a good pie lies in the crust. Pie of course is meant to be sweet; the filling and the crust. It could be the world's most beautifully browned and flaky crust, but if there's any trace of saltiness I leave it on my plate. Just cannot do it. When D and I were dating we'd drive all over the city looking for a slice of warm blackberry pie, but the right kind. I think it was Barringer Farms that did a decent job of a warmed mini pie in a paper bag for a while and sold them at the swanky UVillage QFC, but that was short lived.

My mom's mom had it completely and utterly right, I can't explain it, but there's nary a trace of salt (even though there's just a pinch). But it's not flavorless, either.

It's a really uncomforatable place to live though, being very skeptical about how pie should taste but not being brave enough to just break out and make my own. In the past I've put in orders from my mom...a present of apple pie makes the perfect birthday.

Well, today was the day. I had to take hold of this obsession. I picked 4 1/2 c. of blackberries with the kids on Tuesday and they needed to find their way under a pie crust. I called my mom and said I was ready to learn. Break out the flour, I was coming over!

The recipe is crazy easy, my mom patiently walked me though a few little secrets and it was done, I had made my first double crust pie!

It is delicious...all of it.