My smiley girl

Baaah!

Well, there it is...the 'Goat' ad from one of my previous blog posts. It will be featured in the following Magazines:

Cooking Light - April issue

Southern Living - April issue

MNI Luxury - May issue

Travel & Leisure - April issue

Food & Wine Savor the South - May issue

Gotcha!

After making me chase her forever, I finally got her to look at me!

She's here...then she's gone

Anyone who knows Eva knows that these photos were taken in a matter of seconds. She is one of the fastest monkeys I have ever seen!

Not big on the binkie...

but big on shoving all the fingers into the mouth!

3 months old!

She's cooing, blowing bubbles, razzing, laughing, almost rolling over (probably would if she got more floor time, but that isn't necessarily the safest place to be with Eva around!) and her latest trick - sticking her tongue out!

Evaisms

Well, it's finally time to get some Eva-isms in print so I don't forget them. Feel free to contribute if you can remember one that I am forgetting!

Before Eva could say Mickey's name, she used to call him "Ma"

You can do it Mickey, you're a big girl!

Halloween 2007
Eva: Mickey, do you want to be a vampire, Mickey?
Mickey: No
Eva: It's ok Mickey, don't be scared

peemy pump pump pump
meemy mump mump mump
teamy tump tump tump
translation? No idea :)

Mongatoo - a tiny, unfriendly monster

Please, if you can think of more, either add them to the comments section OR email them to me and I'll add them!

Dr. Eva

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and decided to take the girls with me. I need to get orthotics and had to get assessed. As I was waiting in the exam room, Eva told me to get up on the exam chair. She then wheeled the doctor's stool over to the chair and hopped up on top of it. She looked at me and said, 'I'm doctor Eva, let me see your feet.' She looked at them for a few seconds, the tops, the sides, the bottoms, then said, 'you're fine.' I asked her if she was sure about that because my feet have been hurting. She bent down and gave one of my feet a kiss and said, 'ok, they are better now, you are fine!' Silly girl...

Hiding spot

They'll never spot me under here!

Hanging out

Sisters

Stella doesn't looked thrilled, but Eva sure loves her little sister!

Photoshoot - AFS

My agent has been great - giving me many opportunities lately for work. Well, one finally panned out this past Friday, not only for me, but for Eva too. How fun - our second shoot together, our first since she has entered toddlerhood!

Shoot time: 12:00 aka naptime
Shoot length: 4.5 hours (half day, not a bad job!)
Job: farmer family

Our call time was 12:00 and we had some down time until about 1:30, so the makeup artist asked if either of us were hungry. They had a full spread of Japanese food which looked great! I knew Eva wouldn't pass up food so we went over to take a look. Some of the staff was trying to determine what would be kid-friendly enough, when Eva exclaimed something like 'Oh, look mommy, sushi, my favorite!" So I opened a little bento box for her and we decided to share it. Before she started to dig in, she looked around and asked the guy next to us where he got his chopsticks. I told her that she could go ahead and use her hands, because it would be easier. She must have agreed because she told me that she couldn't use the chopsticks without her girl. Now, 'her girl' is a chopstick aid that santa brought her for Christmas. It goes on the top of chopsticks and holds them together. She was so polite to everyone, thankfully, and said please, thank you etc. She also kept raving about how fabulous the lunch was. After finishing her sushi and juice (which was a real treat since she rarely gets juice), it was time to get dressed.

Eva looked so cute. The stylist brought overalls and an off-white shirt with different color hearts on it. She accessorized with her new froggy rainboots, which she absolutely loves!

I, on the other hand, looked like a farmer! I had to wear a plaid button down. Look out eighties/early nineties...The funny thing was that Eva was so upset about the plaid shirt. She kept telling me not to wear it! She clearly didn't like it and she wasn't shy about it. I may have a future stylist on my hands, or at the very least, a fashion diva ;)

The fun part...off to see the goat!
Ok, now I know that I usually take a backseat to furniture when it comes to modeling, but this time, we took the back seat to a goat! The goat was the star of the ad and we were just the background family. What a blast though. Eva was so excited about meeting this goat. The goats name was Patty and she was extremely gentle and tame. Eva got to feed her, pet her and eventually ended up giving her a nice big kiss on the lips. Yuck, off I went to find some disinfectant. All I could think about was E.Coli.

Time to actually shoot...
Usually my modeling jobs involve holding still. This one - a little different, we needed to move when the goat moved to keep the photographers perspective straight. Eventually, we ended up being shot without the goat - not sure if Photoshop will be involved to put the scene together or if we were doing another shot. Here is where the toddler came out in full force for Eva. By now it was probably somewhere between 2:00 and 2:15, long past nap time. I am supposed to be holding her on my hip while my farmer husband is standing next to us. She was cooperative for about 5-10 minutes when she decided she had had enough! One crew member had a huge reflector that was shining the sun directly in our eyes. This is easy for an adult to ignore, but apparently not easy for a toddler to ignore. She repeatedly yelled a few phrases...'stop pointing the reflector in my eyes' 'I can't see anymore' 'it's too shiny' etc. All I could think of was, we're fired!

Then it came time for Eva to smile. Needless to say, they had to pull out the same toy that they used to get the goat's attention to get Eva's! She was so slap-happy tired by this point, she couldn't stop laughing. They were telling her to say cheese and she was screaming it in the loudest, highest pitched voice that one could imagine. I was smiling and laughing, not because it was my job, but because it was a nervous reaction to her behavior! At one point, she decided that she would rather have farmer daddy hold her. Thankfully, he was a good sport.

The photographer had to switch out some equipment and decided it would be a good time for Eva to run around for a few minutes before shooting again. She kept calling the hill behind us a mountain and really wanted to run to the top of it...again. There was another crew member that was great with her. She kept following her around and keeping her occupied. Well, during this break, Eva ran to the top of the 'mountain' and screamed 'Patty, come up to the top of the mountain, come play with me.' The goat wrangler was also a good sport, thankfully. She walked Patty up to the top of the hill where Eva grabbed the goat around the neck giving her a big hug and said, 'Patty, I missed you so much.'

All in all, it was a lot of fun. Eva had a great time and has been talking about Patty ever since. She woke up in the middle of the night after the shoot and told me that she had so much fun with Patty, but that she made her so tired. She passed out right after that.

Once I get the ad, (if I ever get the ad) I'll be sure to post it!

Blogging...

Ok, so I realize that I mostly post photos, so this year, I am going to try to actually write more to keep everyone up to date with our lives! Here it goes...

Look at that face!

Is she not just a little angel?!

6th grade photos

Forget about the traditional school photos! Who wants a picture with that ugly blue background anyway?!

My Curly Girlie

2 months old!

Stella - this morning

piggies

She's pretty cute with pig tails...

She actually looked at me!

Some handsome Christmas pics...

A few more of Stella's first month

Santa!

Santa and Stella...



Eva didn't really want to sit on Santa's lap...or get near him at all, for that matter. So, at least I got a photo of her by the fabulous Christmas tree!

baby Stella

I finally got motivated to get my act together and get some shots of Stella. Isn't she sweet...

Pedestal Desk

Set yourself up in style with a versatile office collection that is elegantly rich in both finish and function. Wood framed black leather top with nickel colored tooling. Flip down keyboard drawer with ergonomic wood palm rest. Each pedestal includes two box drawers and a letter/legal file drawer on ball bearing slides. Lockable left hand pedestal.

Finish: MIRA mahogany

68"L x 32"D x 30 1/4"H Kneehole: 26 1/4"W x 24 5/8"H

My agent actually sent me a tear sheet today. That isn't something that happens very often. Most of the time, you work, you get paid and you never end up seeing the results! I guess I have a really great agent :)

Mickey's Christmas List

Lego Trade Federation MMT
http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-4498774-Trade-Federation-MTT/dp/B000NOBA02

Lego Droids Battle Pack
http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Droids-Battle-Pack-7654/dp/B000M0PLAC

Wii
http://wii.nintendo.com/

Alex rider stormbreaker (ds game)
(amazon carries it - link was too long to post)

mario cart (ds game)
(amazon carries it - link was too long to post)

Episode 3 Revenge of the sith (xbox game)

Star wars battlefront2 (xbox game)

hand metal detector

Recipes

I felt that my guacamole was missing something...so I decided to find a recipe online instead. Turns out salt really is necessary in some things ;)

Guacamole
Elise.com

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
½ red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

Garnish with red radishes or jicama. Serve with tortilla chips.
Method

1 Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. (See How to Cut and Peel an Avocado.)

2 Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.

Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.

Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.

3 Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

4 Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.

Serves 2-4.

Variations

For a very quick "guac" just take a 1/4 cup of salsa and mix it in with your mashed avocados.

You don't need to have tomatoes in your guacamole.

To extend a limited supply of avocados, add either sour cream or cottage cheese to your guacamole dip. Purists may be horrified, but so what? It tastes great. In fact, guac with some cottage cheese added to it is my favorite.


Cat's (mom's) Strawberry Pie
1 baked pie shell
1.5 qts fresh strawberries
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1c sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
whipped cream

separate strawberries into two equal groups - pretty vs not-so-pretty

cut the not-so-pretty group into quarters, mix with sugar, and mash with a potato masher.

mix in the cornstarch and lemon juice

cook over medium heat until thickened and clear, then remove from heat

once cooled to room temperature, add the other berries (quartered/sliced)

pour into pie crust and cool for about 6 hours.

Serve with whipped cream. YUM!



Chipotle Aioli
From: Gourmet Magazine

I use this aioli recipe with my grilled shrimp tacos - yum!

1 cup mayo
1/4 cup Dijon
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced canned chipotle chilies
1 Tbsp minced garlic

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside to allow flavors to develop.

For the tacos...
grilled shrimp
chipotle aioli
shredded red cabbage
soft tortillas
what else am I forgetting? It's been awhile since I have made these!

***

Eva and I made these last night and I have to say, they are the best chocolate chip cookies that I have ever made. They are so soft. Todd and Mickey agreed, hands down the best cookies. Eva, of course, was just happy to have a cookie!

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
From: Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Makes about 3 dozen


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I kept getting eggplants in my organic co-op bag and wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I've never been good at cooking eggplant for some reason. This recipe is super easy, tastey, and no-fail!

Baba Ghanouj
Adapted from Field of Greens Vegetarian Cookbook.

2 globe eggplants (about 2 lbs)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp roasted tahini (sesame paste)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of one lemon - about 2 1/2 tablespoons
3/4 teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, cut side down, and roast until very tender, about 35 minutes. Place the eggplant in a colander to drain and cool for 15 minutes, then scoop the flesh out of the skin.

2 Combine the eggplant, remaining olive oil (about 2 Tbsp), tahini, garlic, cumin, 2 Tbsp of the lemon juice, the salt, and a pinch of cayenne in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the eggplant is somewhat smooth but retains some of its texture.

3 Allow the baba ghanouj to sit for an hour at room temperature, then season to taste with additional lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Toss in cilantro and serve.

Serves four. Served traditionally with pita bread, and can also be served with crackers, toast, sliced baguette or celery.


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I used to throw away my beet greens. I bought some beets at the local farmer's market the other day though, and the greens just looked so good that I had to try something...Beet greens were slightly better (and easier) than kale, and I haven't tried it with collards yet. I'll update once I have!

Southern Greens (beet, kale, collard etc)
From Simply Recipes

1 pound beet greens
1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup of water
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/6 cup of cider vinegar

Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and remove any heavy stems. Tear leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

In a 3 qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned. Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occassionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Continue cooking until mixture boils. Add greens, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes (up to 30 minutes for kale or collard greens). Stir in vinegar. (For kale or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.)

Serves 4.

chickens...

What you can't tell from this picture is that Eva is holding the gate open to let the chickens out of their coop...




Run, chickens, run!




Can you tell how fast the chickens are moving? I didn't have my camera set to capture them running away from the dreaded Eva!




But when all is said and done, she is a pretty good chicken herder.

XMAS list

Mom, I know you read this and I know that you will be asking for our Christmas lists soon...it's July already ;) So, I thought I would start listing things as I think of them:

2 new pillows
I was thinking tempurpedic, but then I changed my mind and decided, just 2 nice extra soft pillows. If possible, a goose down blend.

Sconce
To replace the one that we have in the front hallway. I think I like the Dillon sconce from Restoration Hardware, but I'm not thrilled with the price, so I'll shop around!
http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1155160&navCount=2

I love this one, but I don't want one with a cord:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1245&f=3379

2 bedside lamps
These match our floor lamp, in a satin nickel finish:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1220&f=8602

New bed linens
I love this one...
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1615&f=24644

baby #3 - wishlist

I thought I would start a list of things that need for baby #3. I have been making a mental list, but will probably forget it all when the time comes to start shopping! So here it goes!

Double stroller
$400
http://www.philandteds.com/nz/sportdouble_07_1.htm

Travel high chair
http://www.philandteds.com/nz/metoo_07_1.htm

Baby lounger
$200
http://www.egiggle.com/category_product.aspx?id=19969

bookrack:
$249
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/sw7101/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C16%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C
bookshelves&cm%5Fsrc=SCH

$59.95
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1272&cmSource=Search

window shades
?

Moby wrap
$35
http://www.mobywrap.com

baby monitor
not sure which one yet...

glass bottles
http://www.ecowise.com/product_info.php?products_id=444

Eva's 2nd Birthday Party!

Eva's Ranch: rode and fed horses, painted piggies with mud aka pudding, and ate lots of peaches and cake!

Who attended?
Friends: Charize, Nate, Lula, Olivia, Alexa, Foster, Mari, Alex, Clara, baby Clara, Katie
Family: Grandma and Grandpa W., Grandma and Grandpa O, Pop (Great Grandpa), and of course, Mommy, Daddy, and Mickey!

Foster's Grandma made Eva a blanket which she wrapped around herself and showed everybody. She kept repeating, "Foster's Grandma made this blankie. I like it, I really do like it!"

She opened an ice cream color game from Grandma and Grandpa Ward and was really excited until she tried to lick the ice cream. I asked her what she thought about it and she said, "I don't like this." She was referring to the taste, of course ;) She later decided that the ice cream was very pretty!

She loves her baby doll from Aunt Angela, Uncle Jim, Jack and Rachel. She is very intrigued by the magnetic "b!"

She also loves all of her new books from her friends. She has quite the library now!

Her ride on Giraffe aka girapps is among one of her favorite gifts from Grandma and Grandpa O. She is also very fond of the garbage truck that they gave her. She tried really hard to get inside it, but soon realized that she is just a little too big!

Silly Eva

Eva noticed a little freckle on her arm after Mickey pointed it out and she got this look of confusion and concern on her face before saying, 'Oh, what happened?' She wanted to be sure to get sympathy if it was a boo-boo!

friends

Look at these girls...just reading books and having fun!

too cute

I had to dig this up for Mickey's 5th grade graduation...how cute is that?

Spring break - Day I

Watching and chasing seagulls