April Showers & Flowers

You know that saying, April showers bring May flowers? Well, we had those showers last weekend. But, lucky for us, we didn't have to wait until May to see flowers. That's right, best of both worlds. Booya! 

​How is this done? Rain and flowers, not getting wet, and before May. Where is this wonderland? Seattle folks. Right here in Seattle, and at our very own Volunteer Park Conservatory.

Let me tell you about this place. First, the door. Isn't that a cool door? (notice the rain on the door. I don't lie - there lies evidence of the showers, just like I said...) 

​Volunteer Park Conservatory

When we entered, I knew I would enjoy myself here. The warm air enveloped me, and smile came to my face. It's like when you go into your car after it's been sitting in the sun, and its all warm and snug...love it. I'm a sucker for warmth. 

Okay, enough about the temperature. Let's talk about this place. There are several rooms, and each room has a different series of flowers. The main room had some interesting glass flowers (by Jason Gamrath) alongside some orchids, and some other plants (okay, so I don't know the plant names, big whoop, you get the idea). The adjacent room had tulips, hydrangeas, and just pretty flowers. Again, I don't know all the flower names - deal with it. I'm not a gardener. In fact, I'd venture so far as to say I have a brown thumb (a thumb that kills). But I do enjoy looking at flowers. Check these babies out:

​Conservatory Flowers

Next was the cacti room. Don't you just want to touch some of them? I do...although I know better. But some of them just look so soft. My favorite was the top left cactus with the little pink balls of color.

​Conservatory Cacti

​Then you walk back through to the other end. There were some more flowers, and plants. Actually, there were some interesting plants. For instance, there are carnivorous plants. No joke. They have these pitchers that small rodents can fall into...ewww. Look at this mouse take the plunge. Yikes!

However, of all the flowers, the most beautiful in the conservatory, were the people visiting. I mean, look at us...​uhh beautiful.

​Aaron and Liddy

​Josh and Heather

That's about it. It was a nice conservatory, and proved to be a great activity for a day with spring rain. Or should, I say hail. After Josh and I returned home, a huge hail storm hit. The hail was the size of peas, and by the end, it looks like it had just snowed. Crazy weather. Check it out!​

Seattle's Past

​It's raining here today. I know what your thinking, "uh, no kidding Heather, you live in Seattle." Okay, fine, but I say, who cares if it rains, you just need to know what to do to keep entertained. For instance, a few weekends ago, Josh and I hit up a museum here called MOHAI. 

MOHAI = the Museum Of History And Industry. ​Not only is is a fun word to say, but the building is neat, too. It sits right on the edge of Lake Union. Apparently, the building was originally the Naval Reserve Armory built in 1941-2, with Moderne and Art Deco features. 

​MOHAI

That's the outside of MOHAI; the inside is also very interesting. ​It's true to its name and houses the history of Seattle. The majority of the museum is on the second floor. The exhibit is setup in way where you walk through the history. It starts out with the Native Americans that lived in this area, and the first settlers, and ends basically at present day. I goes over the logging and shipbuilding industries. Did you know it was the gateway to the Alaska Klondike Gold Rush? 

We ended up spending much more time there than we thought - probably about 3 hours. And it could have been longer, if we read absolutely every sign and go through all the exhibits in-depth. 

Here's some photos from the exhibits -including Lincoln Toe Truck (as in towing), the first UPS truck, a Ford truck (yup, Model T Fords were built here for a while), and a US Mail plane. Cool stuff.

​Inside MOHAI

So next time you're in Seattle and you find that it's raining, feel free to check out MOHAI. ​

Oh Easter, Let Me Count Thy Ways

I'm writing about Easter a few days after. So sue me. But, at least you get to hear from me. Better late than never!    

Anywoo, let's just dive into the details. My Easter was, well, it was great. ​Here's why:

1. Weather - It was a super fabulous weekend for weather in Seattle. Seriously, sunshine, and into the upper 60s. In fact, we may have even broke 70F. That's a great start. Especially when I think last year it was raining.

2. Church - ​My church, Mars Hill, is pretty cool. And I have to say, it pulls off a mighty celebration for Easter. Two years ago, we took up the entire Qwest stadium - that was awesome. This year, we had our Downtown church (btw, we're compromised of many churches) stream all the services live. You could watch anywhere, anytime. Like I said, pretty cool. Check out our Easter page chalk full of videos and photos.

3. Music - This sorta goes with #2, but we have the best bands at our church. Chad, the lead singer of Kings Kaleidoscope, is super talented. Listen to some of it, seriously. And look at him rock out. It's like a rock band at church. Cool.

​King's Kaleidoscope on Easter at Mars Hill Ballard

4. Friends - ​Tricia, Torrey, and Kaia Maben invited us to their home to celebrate Easter this year. It was so nice to be with people on such a special day. They also had their parents and friends over, so it was a nice little crowd. We also got to enjoy Kaia, who is just about three, have a mini Easter egg hunt. It was super cute. 

5. Sweets - ​What's a celebration without sweets? I made some special carrot cupcakes. I figured Easter...Bunnies...Carrots! I made these for the Easter brunch we had with the Maben family, but I took a few leftovers to work. I have to say, these were pretty darn tasty. In fact, I was told by a co-worker this was the best carrot cupcake she'd ever had. Now, that's a statement. Here's the recipe - Annie's Eats. I took the frosting recipes from my Joy the Baker cookbook, though.

​Carrot Cupcakes

6. Walk - On Easter afternoon, Josh and I took a walk (remember #1, good weather). This walk is probably my favorite in Seattle. It's sort of funny since we tend to go on this walk at time every year. I love looking out at the Sound, and then seeing Mount Rainier in the distance. Too beautiful. I just love Seattle. 

​Easter Sunday Walk

Happy Easter! Ours we great, hope yours was too!​

It's Not Pulled Back

This weekend something drastic happened. My hair got chopped. Say whaattt?

That's right. Chopped. 

I had my regular hair appointment at Nola, and going in I thought I might do something slightly different. But after chatting with my hair dresser, Jen, things changed. It started with me asking what she would do if she could do anything. She asked if I was serious. I said nonchalantly (but secreting peeing my pants), "sure, I'm serious, whatever you think would look best."

Jen double checked because people always ask for her recommendation, but then give her limits - e.g. whatever you suggest, but only take off an inch, and nothing too crazy. Not much you can really do with that. So I gave her told creative freedom; do whatever, just not pixie short (I've brave, to a certain point). So, yes, I decided to BE BOLD, and just GO FOR IT.​ I went Short!

Snip Snip Snip went the scissors....​OMG OMG OMG went my brain. But in the end, it was a success.

Here's a before and after:​

​Before & After Hair

Now it's Wednesday, and I'm still feeling good. Still getting used to it. I keep thinking it's pulled back, but when I reach back, there is no hair. It feels so cool on my neck, and I definitely need less shampoo. ​

What's that, you can't see it all. Oh, okay, here's a 360 view.

Oh and you need to see me out at lunch having fun with my hair cut. Oh, okay, here's a picture of that, too.​

​360 of the New Cut

At Lunch with ​New Hair

The Luck of the Irish

What did you think, that I'd let a holiday go by without a post? Sheesh, have some faith. Hello, my maiden name is O'NEILL. I wouldn't dare let my ancestors down by skipping St. Paddy's Day.

I spent most of my St. Paddy's Day in the kitchen - working with some Bailey's and Stout. I decided that I'd utilize my new cake ball making skills to make a holiday treat. I almost changed my mind when I found this Guinness and Bailey's Irish Cream cupcake recipe, but then I decided to use the Bailey's Irish Cream frosting in my cake pops. That's two birds with one stone - score! And green sprinkles for decoration, of course! 

I don't know where ​my Irish luck was on Sunday. It was not a smooth kitchen experience. First, my decision to use Devil Food cake was wrong. That had way too much Devil-ish taste (should've gone with plain ol' chocolate). Since I couldn't get the delicious Bailey cream frosting to "stand out" much, I thought, "hey, I'll add it to the chocolate." Well, that went blarney (I made that up - what I'm saying is that it was a flop). So I screwed up the "special" chocolate (not easy to find/get), and I had to purchase other chocolate. *Sigh* 

Oh, it continues. The chocolate wasn't setting right, and was too soft. Then as I did squiggles, the bag just exploded onto the balls. But I managed to forge on and finish, and then throw them in the fridge. I was all distraught, and whining to poor Josh all night about all the time I spent gone to waste, and should I even keep them? Yada yada. I ended up bringing them in to the office, and everybody loved them. Finally, my Irish luck returns. I ate one tonight and found that it was in fact quite tasty. Yes, my luck returned (thanks Irish ancestors). 

Chocolate ​Bailey's Cake Balls

Not only was I baking up a storm, I was also cooking up Beef and Guinness Stew for our Irish dinner. Okay, so I didn't use Guinness, for shame! Instead, we decided to take it a bit more local with Hub's stout. However, I swear this stew would totally be something the Irish would get on a cold, rainy Irish day. Plus I added potatoes. Go Irish!

​Stout Beef & Veggie Stew

I did wear green, and I wore my Irish jewelry. I did my Irish duty.  

Happy St Patrick's day! ​

Work-ivesary

This week on Tuesday, 3/12, I had my one year anniversary with Responsys. It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by already. Last year this past week was spent at training in Chicago. Remember?

A year later, and I'm still happy. There are certainly tough days with the client, but overall I'm glad I made the switch. The best part (and don't say "everyone says that") is all the people at my office.​ Look at this crew, don't they look nice?

Responsys crew @ Oddfellows

Another great part of the new job is that I get to be around people. In retrospect, I learned that working from home was quite lonely. I enjoy being around people. ​

All in all, I'm a happy worker...here's to another year!

Baker's Corner: (Heather) Joy the Baker

Little did I know, I got a fantastic Christmas gift. Or did I?

When my parents were visiting town a few months before Christmas, we stopped by a cookbook store in Fremont called The Book Larder (by the way, great store!). While roaming the store, I spotted the Joy the Baker cookbook. I read her blog daily, and just love her recipes. I knew my mom was looking to buy Christmas gifts for people, so I suggested it to her. She bought it for someone (I can't remember who now), and were on our jolly way.

Come Christmas, I'm opening my stocking stuffers, and low and behold...there was Joy holding a cake smiling at me. As I flipped through the pages, I knew I was going to love this cookbook. Every recipes sounds delicious.​

This cookbook brought back a little love to the cookbook world for me. Lately, I've been sourcing my recipes online. I mean, you can find so many online now, and you can avoid the cookbook pile up (which is important to avoid when you have a tiny kitchen).

​Needless to say, I've been on a baking spree trying out all sorts of Joy the Baker recipes. So far, I can report each and every one of them has been delicious. Here's what I've tried:

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (psst..here is a very similar recipe, if this sounds good to you).​

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins (​you're in luck, it's on her blog, get it).

Mommom's Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread​ (some random blogger posted the recipe for you).

"Man bait" Apple Crisp (yes another random blogger sharing Joy's secrets - recipe here).​

There is one other recipe I have made from the book. That's another post to come. But I have to say five winning recipes from one cookbook, that's a pretty good return. In fact, I don't think I've ever made the many recipes from one cookbook. It's a winner! 

Maybe that name JOY has something to do with it. Joy the Baker...Heather Joy Brown. Hmmm, the similarities are uncanny. 

Couch TV

I'm going to share with you a great relaxation tip. I know this is probably one you've never heard before, but I'm feeling generous. The technique is called "couch TV" - which is pretty much how it sounds. Basically, you lie down on the couch, and watch TV. It's actually quite an amazing way to relax. I try to do it every night after around 9pm.​

A key component to couch TV, is a show. Actually, it's quite pivotal. If you don't have a good show, you won't stay on the couch. Here's some recommendations from yours truly:​

Once Upon a Time

I love fairy tales and Disney, and this show is the mother load. It takes every Disney or fairy tale character and brings them into one show. It's awesome.

I was definitely a Disney show watcher when I was younger. And I was in love with all the Disney movies - Aladdin, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty...I watched them all. And what's great, is this show is a bit more grown-up, so I don't feel too silly watching it. 

Although, I think Josh regrets telling me about the show since now he has to watch it, too. (We only have 1 TV in the house...)​

Downton Abbey

Warning: This show is dangerous. It sucks you in, and then you can't stop. You'll end up watching episode after episode. The good news is that it is totally worth it. And another plus, men will watch it - or as Josh says, "it's like a soap opera men will watch." Pioneer Woman has some fun things to say about the show, too. 

This show is full of drama, love, tragedy, and happiness. Although, Season 3 had me crying a bit more than usual...and the season finale, well, just watch and then we'll talk.

New Girl

This one cracks me up. I seriously laugh every episode. And guess what...this is another one Josh will watch with m! He played off the first season like he was uninterested, and then all of a sudden when discussing what to watch, he suggested New Girl. HA!

You need to watch it. Nick is my favorite character. Okay, all of them are funny. It's takes the small things in life ​and makes an episode about it (similar to Seinfield). Watch this clip and get hooked.

Modern Family

When I first saw an episode a while ago, I thought I didn't like it. Then I just decided to start watching it a few months ago. Now, I am excited when I see there is a new episode to watch on our Hulu Plus account. It's just a fun, everyday type of show. Another one that just takes real life things and makes a show out of it. And the characters are pretty funny. I think I imagine myself like Claire, in a way. 

Watch a bit about Phil..​.

Roses are Red

Well, I had every intention of wishing my readers a Happy Valentine's Day on Thursday when it was actually Valentine's Day. But, as they say, better late than never. So, now I wish you -- Happy Valentine's Day (belated)!

Not only was I late wishing you a happy Valentine's, but my co-workers, as well. I had a master plan of making cake pops to bring into the office that day. Wednesday turned out to be a looong day at work, and by the time I got home and had dinner, it was 9pm. Well, "forget that!" But I did follow through and made them Thursday night for a post-Valentine's Day treat for everyone. They were a hit!

I made red velvet cake balls with dark chocolate and sprinkles. I learned a lot in my cake pop class - thanks Diane! I went to great lengths to make these cake pops happen. I headed up north to a special baking supplies store to get all the goods. But it felt nice to see all the smiling co-workers faces. 

Valentine's Red Velvet Cake Balls

Flowers and Cards

If you want to try and make them on your own, a girl that took the class with me wrote a more detailed post - feel free to try! And get ready to get your hands dirty. ;-)

My hubby was sweet for Valentine's day. He came home with some flowers for me...how thoughtful. Isn't getting flowers so nice? I like having fresh flowers in the house - just lightens things up. These were a very pretty mix of roses and other flowers (no, I don't know the other flowers names...poor things, everyone knows a rose's name, but what about those other flowers?).

And what's Valentine's Day without a card? My gift to Josh was an awesome card. It says that he's a fox with a monocle. I thought the card was a great find. Then I made him chicken enchiladas for dinner.

We celebrated "for reals" on Saturday night by going out for a lovely meal at Tom Douglas' Lola. It was quite delicious. And we went all out - cocktails, appetizer, meals, and desserts. Whoa! Big time. All thanks to a Christmas gift from my in-laws (they are the best gift givers - love them!). It was a special night and was the prefect ending to our Valentines Day. 

Love you guys! ❤

Snow Stroll

Today we picked up our snowshoes and headed out to the mountains. We wanted to get outside and feel the fresh air. After a hearty egg breakfast, and a delicious Peet's latte, we hopped in the car and started towards Snoqualmie Pass.

Joining us was our friend, Aaron. He is our outdoorsy friend, and got us into snowshoeing in the first place. It's always nice to have an outdoorsy friend when you head into nature...makes you feel a little safer knowing that someone among you knows something about survival in the wilderness.

Yes, I do think of these things. I mean there are avalanches, and all sorts of wild beasts out there - like bears,  oh my! Plus, I have a vivid imagination, and tend to recall movies like The Edge (side note: Dang! That movie was in 1997....I saw it in the theater; boy I'm getting old).

Our Wilderness Survival Friend, Aaron (He sure looks happy...)

We decided upon Lower Gold Creek, mainly because we didn't feel like driving far and we were pooped by the week. Work has been dang stress lately and I wasn't about to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to go outside. I need my beauty sleep.

The trail was nice and gentle. Basically, it felt like a road that had been snowed on. There were a number of other folks out as well. Some with kids & sleds (although we weren't sure where they were going to actually sled), some with dogs, and some cross country skiing. The trail is just a gradual up-up-up, which doesn't seem too bad, but as you walk down, you find yourself saying, "oh, I really was going up, and my heavy breathing wasn't for nothing. nice." 

Josh and Aaron on the trail

Overall, it was a nice day outside. The trail was a good way to get "back in in the game" for us and snowshoeing this season. And I would recommend this trail, as an easy getaway. And it was nice to get back home in time for a late lunch.

Next time, and it won't be too far off, we will be taking on a more scenic and adventurous hike. Stay tuned. Or, check out some of our other awesome snow days in the Olympics at Hurricane Ridge, or Mount Rainer. 

Heather on the trail

Baker's Corner: Cake Balls & Pops

I had my first cake ball not very long ago. Our Office Manager walked around and handed me a little ball. She was sampling sweets for our upcoming office holiday party. Looking at the ball, I was doubtful - will it be dry and untasty? But it was so cute and pretty, I couldn't resist. And I'm so glad I ate it. Delish! 

Luck had it that our Office Manager chose these delightful treats for the party. The display of cake pops at the party was mouth-watering, and so yummy. Then I learned these little heavenly pops and balls were made by my co-worker's friend, Dianne.

My luck continued because my co-worker told me Dianne was holding a cake pop class. Again, I couldn't resist, so I signed up. And that's how I came be make cake pops and balls this afternoon at Dianne's Delights.

Dianne was very sweet (pun intended), and was very gracious to share her tips & tricks. It turns out, the magic is in the technique. She showed us how to make them uber moist, how to roll the balls (without have to buy a silly cake pop mold), and to make the stick stay on the cake (which is pivotal for a cake pop, but sadly one of the harder things to do).

You'll see in my photos collage, some of the things we learned. Rolling the balls, dipping into chocolate to make the outer shell, and decorating them - we had pretty pink sprinkles for Valentines Day.

(Sorry my photos are a bit blurry, it's my phone's camera. I always feel awkward bringing my regular camera to these things.)

Cake Pop Making

Heather Rolling Away

Here's a photo of me in action. I'm rolling vanilla and chocolate balls. I bet you wouldn't have guessed, but rolling them into perfect balls is extremely difficult. They kept wanting to look more like spin tops than balls. Dianne would walk over and make a perfect ball - making it look so easy. Gosh! But mine were mostly round and still quite delicious. I guess I have to practice (to the joy of my husband and co-workers).

One of the best parts is seeing them come all together - with sprinkles and swizzles - too cute. We also made some totally cute heart shaped pops. Now it'll be tough to decide what to make for Valentines Day - Cake pops or Macarons. Hmmm, tough decisions. (Remember my macarons class? Loads of fun there, too).

Cake pops are great. NOW GO BAKE'EM.

Reading Rainbow #2

Reading Rainbow returns! I can't believe I last wrote about books two years ago - check it. What have I been thinking? I need to share the awesome books I read.

When I read a book I love, I get totally SUCKED into it. I generally read at night before bed, but then I end up staying up way too late - Josh loves it (cough, cough). This happened with the past few reads lately. Now you're curious, I know.

Unbroken

by Lauren Hillenbrand

OMG (and I only use OMG on very special occasions), but OMG, this is the most incredible story - and it's true. Louis Zamperini was an Olympian - ran in the 1936 Berlin Olympics - anticipated to be the first man to break the 4 minute mile, until WII broke out. He joined the Air Corps as a bombardier. His plan crashed in the middle of the Pacific, he and two others were on a raft for 47 days (a record), and was then was a POW. Truly an amazing man, and his journey is one that you must read. Preview his story with the Jay Leno interview, or on the CBS morning show.

Winter of the World

by Ken Follet

You really ought to read the first book, Fall of Giants, first because that is generally how series work (yes, this is a trilogy). Although I really feel that the second book was almost better than the first. It really brings you into WII Berlin and what life was like living through a war. I learned all sorts of new things, too. I love it when I learn when I read - entertainment and education, double whammy. 

(yes, I'm on a World War II kick)

Outlander

by Diana Gabaldon

This book came recommended to me by my office mate after we discovered we had a similar taste in books. This is another history book (fun fact: I was a Medieval Renaissance history minor in college), but it's historical fiction. This is a crazy long series, and I do plan on reading more of them. The main character is fun, and it keeps you reading. Careful though, there are parts that might make you blush. I liked how it brought you to Scotland and introduces you to the clan way of life. I

The book has you thinking, what decision does she make?  Now you have to read it to find out. I'm evil.

Shadow of Night

by Deborah Harkness

Before I start, I have to say, my sister know the author. She's a professor at USC and Lindsay covered her class while she toured for this book. Lindsay is cool like that.

I love this series. It's got witches and vampires (and some other creatures), but not like Twilight. You're taken on a journey back into time where the characters meet actual people in history. It's a fun time travel, love story, vampire-witch story.

I've read some other books, which I might also tell you about in another Reading Rainbow session. I'm trying to get back on the Good Reads wagon - find me. 

Now GO READ!!

Looking Glass

Yesterday Josh and I along with our friends Aaron and Liddy went to look at glass. Now, you might think that sounds boring, BUT it's not. I swear, it's crazy awesome glass and it's at the Chihuly Gardens & Glass exhibition in Seattle Center.

You may think, "oh, it's a bunch of boring glass bowls and vases." Um, no. It's towering spirals and psychedelic forms. Sure there is a "bowl" here and there, but most entire displays of glass. Look at this display of glass. It's called Mille Fiore - Italian for “a thousand flowers” It's a strange garden, but a cool garden.

Chihuly Mille Fiore 

Chihuly Floating Boat

There was about nine rooms all with something new and amazing. I think my favorite was the Ikehana and Floating Boat exhibit. The boat with the balls made me think of Venice and Murano, and my visit there - what a great place. It's no wonder it made me think of Murano - it's the island of glass. Chihuly visited Italy and found lots of inspiration. But the idea of putting the glass balls into the gondola just screamed Italy at me.

Another cool thing about these exhibits was the reflective surfaces they used throughout the rooms. Sometimes you couldn't figure out where the glass stopped. If you looked down you saw the glass reflecting back. The Chandelier room really captured the use of the reflective surfaces and the black room. Can you tell that these were handing from the ceiling?

Chihuly Chandeliers

Space Needle and Chihuly

There was a sealife room - made me think of Little Mermaid. Here's a close-up of the little sea creatures hanging out on this sculpture.

The art continued outside, where there was the Chihuly gardens. Out of the gardens sprang up reds, purples, greens, and all sorts of swirls and spirals. On this picture, I was able to capture the reflection of the Space Needle. I was also able to grab the Space Needle with the red swiggles. Or check this out with the garden and random blue neon spikes.

Being in the gardens made me wish I had been there for the Top Chef episode where they ate some tasty food in the Chihuly gardens. Wouldn't that have been nice. Aww well, we had a lovely day even without Top Chef nibbles. 

Dale Chihuly makes some pretty awesome glass. Now, go look at it. See all of my pictures on my Chihuly Flickr album. Or, better yet, go visit (there's even a free audio tour for your smartphone).

Heather and Josh at Chihuly Gardens

Aaron, Liddy, Josh, and Heather at Chihuly

Looking Back 2012

We're already 19 days into 2013. Crazy. I wanted to take a moment to say goodbye to 2012, and capture some of the great times. I've created a lovely slideshow to show what my 2012 looked like in pictures. You'll find pictures about...

• Trip to Zion National Park
• Going to Vancouver with the in-laws
• My parents in town (x2!) - Wine & Leavenworth
• Snowshoeing & Mt Rainier
• Chicago with family
• Meandering Seattle

Enjoy the show! Now, 2013, here I come!

Christmas in California

Christmas seems like ages ago now. Hard to believe it was just a few weeks. I've been back to work for a week and a half, been sick, had a sick husband, and cleaned up the house. I guess that might be part of the reason Christmas seems so long ago. 

But it wasn't that long ago, and I haven't told you much about my actual time off for the holidays besides teasing you with Swedish Coffee Cake. 

Josh and I had a great time for Christmas. It was about 10 days in California. We started by flying to my in-laws in Palm Springs (actually, Indio, but more people know Palm Springs).

We did some relaxing, some shopping, and got our nails done. On Christmas Eve, we took the tram up to get a great view of the desert. 

The tram rotates 360 as it goes up to give you great views of the city below. Although the top is pretty darn cold. So cold there was even snow. In 15 minutes you go from the warm desert ground, to the cold snowy top. But you get some great views.

Going up the Tram

Palm Springs View

Christmas Eve we went to Southwest Church to celebrate with the candlelight service. Then we enjoyed a nice family meal at Indian Wells.

We opened a few gifts on Christmas Eve, and the rest were finished off in the morning. Then the next part of the Christmas journey began. We packed up the car, and all four of us drove out to Encinitas.

Josh and I then spent time opening gifts with my family. We really rushed  because early afternoon guests starting arriving.

We had about 16 people at the O'Neill house for Christmas dinner. There was turkey, hame, potatoes, broccoli, jello, sweet potatoes, wine, cake, and cookies. It was an excellent way to finish off the Christmas holiday.

Brown Family at Christmas

O'Neill Family on Christmas Day

We stayed in Encinitas with my family after Christmas. Even though it rained a few times, we caught some breaks and enjoyed some sunshine (not to mention, warmer temps). We  headed out to Coronado and visited the Hotel Del (pic) and took a walk on the beach. Another day we went to La Jolla, but got caught in the rain. It was pretty awesome seeing the storm over the ocean coming towards us. There is a little more of a story here, but basically it ends with Josh and me getting soaked. But we warmed up with some delicious coffee at Bird Rock Roasters (BTW, another coffee find on our visit was the Lofty Bean in Encinitas - yay good coffee!).

What else did we do? Well, we enjoyed some time with family friends - the Hartleys, the Troglers, and the Richardsons. We ventured to the theaters and saw Les Misérables (worth a see!). And that's about it. Just some quality time with the families celebrating a wondering holiday. We flew back to Seattle New Years Eve into much cooler temperatures. 

La Jolla, A Storm is Brewin'

Because I can't post every photo, you may want to check out all my Wintertime photos on Flickr!

Switch up

First, let me fill you in on how my brain works. I write "switch up," and this song immediately gets stuck in my head. I'm weird, I know.

Now, why I was even thinking "switch up" in the first place. Well, as you can probably tell, I'm switching up the look and layout for my blog. Part of the reason is I want to be on SquareSpace 6. The other part is so Josh stops nagging me about switching to SquareSpace 6. Lastly, and mostly, because I like to think that as I get older, the more awesome my style gets and my blog needs to keep up with my stylin' ways.

This is the third switch up on my blog. Crazy right? Do you remember the look of my first blog. Check it. What to hear something even more crazy? I've had this blog going now since 2009 (first post). That's three freakin' years. Crazy, I tell you, crazy.

Now, on with blogging!

My Blog Layout Remembered

Buh-bye 2012, Hello 2013

Happy New Year! It's 2013! 

2012 went way too quickly. It seems every year I get older, the years go by faster and faster. So here we are at 2013. Hope this one goes slower. ;)

I just got back home to Seattle yesterday after a lovely visit to both parents in SoCal. New Years Eve was dinner with friends at Re:public, and then we all came back to our place to watch the ball drop. Not to crazy, but fun. 

I plan on give you my 2012 year in review once I've had some time to put some thoughts together. Today was all about getting settled and ready for work tomorrow. Until my awesome 2012 post is ready, here's 2012 in review from JibJab (please excuse any course language or visuals - I didn't make this, ok).

Baker's Corner: Swedish Coffee Cake

Hej! (That's hello in Swedish). That's about all I know in Swedish, and I had to look that up on Google. But I have Swedish in my blood (25% of it). My grandma (on my mom's side) was Swedish. She brought many Swedish sweets into our family, especially for the holidays. You may have heard me mention pepparkaka before - see post.

Well, another Swedish tradition in our family was my Grandma Norma's Swedish coffee cake. She'd make it practically every weekend. She didn't have a recipe - she'd just take a bit of this and a bit of that and throw it all together. And it always turned out.

I really enjoy this coffee cake - I like mine with raisins. Then there is the crunchy pearl sugar on top and the cardamon spice. Lather on some butter - hmm hmm hmm.

Jan and Heather (top left), Grandma Norma (top right)

As a child (I'm not sure how old I was, maybe 8 or 9 years), I decided we should record grandma's recipe. So I spent the day with her making coffee cake and try to take measure of the recipe as we baked. The recipe isn't too far off, although we're still trying to perfect it.

Mom and I decided to make it together this Christmas. It turned out pretty good. In fact, we have a Swedish friend here right now and when I asked how it compared to bread back home, he said it was "very similar, and good!" Booya!

If you want to give it a try, I've written out the recipe below (with improvements upon the original that I noted as we made it the other day).

Njut! (Enjoy in Swedish)

 

Grandma Norma's Swedish Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons fresh active yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cardamon
• 4-1/2 flour
• 1/2 to 1 cup raisins, optional
• 1/2 to 1 cup walnuts, optional (for top)
• 1/2 cup large, pearl sugar (for top)

Directions:

In a medium bowl mix together yeast, sugar, and salt. Let sit.

Meanwhile, in a pot, warm up the milk over medium-low heat. When milk is warm, add butter. Let melt together, then pour into yeast mixture. Mix together.

Next, add eggs and cardamon. Slowly start to add the flour. Once combined, cover with a towel. Let is sit for at least 30-45 minutes. To help it raise, you can put it in a low oven (100F or so).

Spread flour on the surface and knead dough. Add raisins, if desired, while kneading. Put dough back into the bowl, cover with towel, and let raise again. Probably about 45-60 minutes.

Cut dough in half, and braid into two loaves. Let raise for 45-60 minutes. Then stir eggs, and brush lightly over loaves. Sprinkle walnuts and large/pearl sugar on top.

Place in 350F oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden.

Note: I'm trying to decide on the last raise, when it's braised, if you should do the egg wash and sugar then let it raise, or put it after it's raised. This time when I did the egg after raise, it lost some of it's volume and was slightly more dense. Let me know your results!

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family!

Christmas Spirit

It's almost Christmas! 

I'm out of work. I'm with family. I'm sleeping in. Everyone is in the Christmas spirit. Weeeeee!

You can ask Josh, but I'm a Christmas fanatic. I just love it. I listen to Christmas music non-stop, I watch as many Christmas movies as possible, I bake cookies, and I love seeing houses all glowing with lights. It's a magical season. 

You know what brought a twinkle to my eye? That there was Christmas spirit at SeaTac. We saw those 18th century carolers, and a one-man band marching around the terminal. I just loved it.

I love wrapping and decorating for Christmas, too. Did you see my awesome wrapping paper? It's octopi wearing Santa hats and presents. Too cool. Or, how about my ornaments. The Frango makes me think of my Grandma Ruth - she loves Frangos. 

Another favorite is all the Christmas cards that come in the mail. I love seeing the pictures, reading the notes, and hearing from friends and family. And I love that people do it snail mail...electonic is just not the same.

And I know I already wrote about my cookies, but don't thse just ooze Christmas? And they are deliclious in your tummy.

If all this doesn't get you in the spirit, then I don't know what will. I hope you are feeling in the spirit. Now turn up the music and deck the halls!