Mac-Town with the Sister in Law

On Saturday Nabil and I took a trip to McMinnville, OR to visit his sister, Nora, who just moved to Mac from Portland. Nabil and I lived in ol' Mac town for four years for college, so we know our way around. It was fun to not only see Nora's new digs, but also revisit our old stomping grounds. I brought my camera, and I had some time to get a few shots while wearing out the dog.

 

 Common' dad, throw it. I'm sitting so patiently, just throw it already!

 What a handsome hubby I have.

This is Nabil's sister, Nora. It's fun to shoot Nora because well, she's just so pretty!

Brother and Sister

 He could run to fetch all day long!

This is Nora being very impressed.

What sweet little boy smiling for the camera.

After the photo op, we took a walk around the campus for a trip down memory lane. The sun got a little too low for good pictures then, so this is where we stop. Thanks for checking up.

Until next time...

Cabbage wraps

In an effort to be healthier, I have started to expand my cooking horizons. On the list this week; stuffed cabbage roles. Nabil's mom used to make a different version of this, but I kinda tweaked it to make it a little healthier. I didn't take too many pictures because I didn't expect it to be so good. The deets are below.

Ingrediants:
- 10 to 12 large leaves Savoy cabbage
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup orzo
- 1 cup white rice
- 3 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons dill, finely chopped, or dried
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped, or dried
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes in juice

Boil cabbage leaves to soften. This only takes a couple of minutes. Drain and cool to handle.

In a saucepot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and add the orzo. Toast to golden and add rice, stir for about 1 minute. Add 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and cook at a simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Lightly brown the turkey. Season with salt and pepper; add onions, garlic, nutmeg, dill and parsley. Transfer to a bowl with the rice and stir to combine.

Mix the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and remaining cup stock. Fill and roll cabbage leaves to make 10-12 small burrito-shaped logs. Arrange in a 9x13 glass baking dish. Add the sauce and bake on 350 for 30 minutes.

 Top with cheese (optional) and serve. Voila!

Make My Own Terrarium

I have had a little obsession lately with succulent plants and terrariums. My mom made fun of me when she came out here for Christmas because I kept pointing them out whenever I would see one at Zupan's or other local shops. Apparently they were very popular in the 60s and 70s, so my mom thinks they are for old ladies. Little does she know, they are back "in"!

This past weekend, a few of my friends invited me to a "terrarium making party". This was actually a perfect idea because it is easier to buy the supplies for a group. If you are only making a few terrariums, you will end up having quite a bit of supplies left over.

Most of the plants that I chose were succulents. I did pick a few rain forest plants for a wet terrarium, but I tend to kill house plants, so I think having dry plants may help to turn my brown thumb into an olive green thumb. ...it's just a theory.

Here are all the plants and jars that I bought. I ended up trading a few of them once I got everything laid out, but this was the "first draft" lay-out.

I was a little nervous to get started, but it turned out to be easier than I thought. There are a few things to keep in mind if you decide to make your own. Firstly, you cannot mix rain forest plants with succulent plants. Dry with dry, and wet with wet. Secondly, since I was using all glass jars, I needed a layer of rocks on the bottom. This is to add a little drainage and prevent over watering. It is actually necessary in both the succulent gardens and the terrariums. I also cut out a shape of weed fabric to fit over the bottom rock layer so the soil on top does not settle into the lower rock layer. Next, add a layers of dirt, moss and rocks as you wish. Make sure to use cactus potting soil with the succulents. I mixed charcoal with both potting soils because we watched a video on YouTube saying this would help control water. Below are the results.

This was my biggest container. I made it to fit on a bench that sits beneath a table in the kitchen. In hindsight, I should have bought plants with a wider range of colors. Luckily, I had a cool letter Z in order to offset all the same green.

Super cute!

 This is the wet terrarium that I made. It's a jungle in there!

 

I ended up trading the fern that I brought for these two with more color variation.

 I was actually really excited about this one. I found the glass brick at a local antique shop. What a perfect terrarium container I thought to myself. :)

A little peek inside.

Last but not least, this little plant sits right on the window sill in the kitchen. I think that these little ones would make a great house warming gift. Easy to keep alive, and super cute!

One of the great things about using succulents is that as they grow and you prune back the leaves, you can actually stick the leaves into soil and they will start to root. You can make one plant last forever! Also, since the roots don't spread too far, they are very easy to change and re-plant if they get too large for the placement. I learned all of this from the lady at the flower shop, so we shall see if her word hold true. For now, my new terrariums are a warm addition to the house. I told you they were cool mom!

Until next time...

DIY Burlap Placemats

It has been a while. 2012 is shaping out to be busy, but the good news is that I finally got some time to post my DIY burlap placemats. I got the idea from a Pinterest post of course. You can find it here. The post where I found it said to use sharpie, but I thought that was way too time consuming and tedious. I elected to go with spray paint. I also decided to add a back to the burlap. Below is the how to.

I took a trip to JoAnn's for all my supplies. All I used was spray paint (black), stencil alphabet letters, burlap, and some heavier canvas-like fabric. First, I cut the burlap into the correct size. The standard size for a  placemat is about 10x16in.

I spray painted the letters onto the burlap making sure to cover the sides. Black spray paint can be messy. The hardest part about the whole project was actually coming up with 10 different words that are synonyms to eat, and are small enough to fit on the bottom right of a placemat. The words that I used were: eat, munch, scarf, dine, bite, chew, nibble, feed, nourish, chomp.

Next, I sewed the edges of the placemats. I did this for a few reasons. One, to make sure the burlap will stop fraying at a certain point. I actually like the look of frayed burlap, so I left about 3/4inch from the end. The second reason was to attach the underlying fabric. I thought this helped to make it look more like an actual placemat instead of leftover fabric.

 

I folded the canvas like fabric inward to make a straight edge that won't fray. If you like the frayed look, you can leave it raw.

 Ta Da!

 

The best part about these is that you can use them for all occasions. They are very versatile.

 

And that's it! Simple and easy but tres chic. Now go and make your own. :)

...until next time.

Sister Sydney

I've been in Spokane the last couple days to send my sister Sydney off to her semester abroad in Tanzania. We have been busy packing up her room, and trying to keep ourselves occupied, but today is the day we actually have to drop her off and say goodbye. I'm excited (and nervous) for her, and I know that she will have the time of her life. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be crying the whole drive back to Portland however. Goodbyes are always difficult even if it is only four months. I think that somehow we both know she is going to come back a little different person, more grown-up. You can't go through a trip like that and not change.

On a lighter note, yesterday Syd, her boyfriend, Jacob, and I hung out in downtown Spokane. Below are a few of the pics we took by the river.

 

Have a great trip Syd!! We'll see you in four and a half months. Love you!

Beginning of 2012

The beginning of a new year means one thing: resolutions. I am bound and determined to make this year better than last, and what better way to do that than make new years resolutions. I thought about making 12 resolutions. After trying to think of twelve, I decided that was too many, so now I think it's better to only make a few, but make them count.

 

This is my inspiring new years pic. That little peak in the center is Mt. Hood, and the photo was taken at sunrise form one of the windows at the clinic where I work. This is one of the perks to getting to work on time.

Firstly, as with this every year in the past, my first resolution is to be healthier. This year however, my intention is not to loose weight, although that would be a nice side effect. No, this year my aim is to be all around healthier. More veggies and exercise, and much less sweets. Since I tore my ACL last January, my work-out plan has taken a steep decline and I intend on making a full recovery.

Secondly, I will start being more resourceful. Since it has become clear that money does not grow on trees, I'm going to use what I can to make what we want. I got my first sewing machine this Christmas, and I have big plans. Nabil also got an orbital sander and a circular to start his tool collection. Soon he will be put to work on a bunch of new projects. What else are husbands for?

Lastly, in 2012 I will be more successful. I realize this is an ambitious resolution, but you know what they say "go big or go home"! By being more successful, I don't mean just monetarily (although again, that would be nice), but I mean more successful with "real world" life in general. I would like to be happier with where I am in my career this time next year, and feel like I am on the right path to doing something I really enjoy. I have an amazing family and am VERY thankful to have what I do, but I am bound and determined to keep climbing and be higher than where I am now this time next year. My motivation runs deep, so look out 2012, here I come!