Sunday, February 19, 2012

Valentines Dinner

Everyone knows that valentines day is a way to make you spend money.  I head that the average someone spends on a loved one on VDay is like 120 bucks.  Luckily for me, I have set the bar pretty low and now have a wife with realistic expectation.  That being said, my friend Chris thought we should put a dinner together last Sat. to let our wives know we care.  Since I had to work all day Saturday he was in charge of the shopping and then we would make the meal when I got back.
The mood was set and we really were in for a treat.

Always a favorite is scallops.  I have never really made these before and had them turn out good, but Chris had a system and scallops on a bed of leeks with a vinaigrette dressing was absolutely amazing.

Then we brought out the racks of Lamb.  I had never made this either, but found a recipe that I thought would work and it turned out so tender and juicy.  I had lamb one other time in CA and it cost like 40 bucks and I got food poisoning from it so this was a refreshing change.  Although it is a bit pricey to buy yourself, it was well worth it for a special event. 
We also had gorgonzola/pear/candied pecan salad.  Making the candied pecans was not that hard, and the salad was again....very good.

Bacon wrapped asparagus....need I say more.  Oh ya, dessert was Creme Brulee, which Chris did a great job with since it had to be made ahead of time.
This was by far the best meal I had ever had, and I actually made it. I have eaten out  at some nice places with Kobe and lobster and other pricey/delicious foods, but I would choose this meal hands down as the best ever.

This week I was home every night except for Valetines day.
James usually get a bath after dinner, and since I was home this week I got to do the honors.
I think his butt is red from being pinched to many times...it is so cute and I cannot resist.
He has a cold now and is coughing all of the time, but with his 9 month checkup on monday, we have elected to wait till then.  I fugure he will get over it eventually

So Cute.
This past week I got the frame and misc parts ready for paint. It took a few more cans than I thought it would, but I think that the final product is very strong and looks great (see below pics). 
Yes, motorcycle frames can be sexy.

I also got the engine mostly polished up and back together.  Notice the WD40 and the hammer, my two favorate tools.

An this is what the thing looks like currently....yes, sexy again.  I know there are a lot of odds and ends to complete and it will take a lot of time yet, but I was excited all the same to see what it looks like now.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Out to the San Juans

The weather  could not have been any better this past weekend as we headed out to the west side for some fun in the sun.  There was hardly a cloud in the sky all weekend which made for a great time visiting the rents. 
James is really loving pulling himself up and getting into everything.  He also seems to have some remnants of sweet potatoes on his face in this pic.

The classic flannel shirt which allows him to fit into the Greenacres cutting edge redneck scene.

We arrived on Friday and headed out to Friday Harbor on the ferry on Saturday.

You could see Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier at the same time as well as the Canadian Cascades and the Olympic mountains...it was as clear as could be.

James enjoyed the ferry and we always have a good time watching it dock and the cars load and unload.  It would be a great job to be a captain of one of these ships.

Another cute kid pic.

Brenda enjoys the scenery as well as the sun...she was almost getting as white as me this winter....me in summer that is.

We kept pinching ourselves thinking"is this really February?"

James getting a ride from Grandpa

Another stellar view
The grandparents.

We got a chance to check out the local art scene.  I know there has got to be about a million similar photos out there...what were the people thinking would happen.  I also have yet to reach full maturity, but that may never happen.

Then after fun and games we re-enacted the cruise chip hitting land by crashing a giant solid chocolate cruise ship into my mouth.  This has been in my parents freezer for a long time....15yrs to be exact and it had to go.  I think it was from when my sister went on a cruise with some friends.  Didn't taste too bad, but most of it got thrown out.

I kept trying to get James used to this view, but not sure if it worked.  He did think it was quite funny though.