ice cream story

Um....is it crystal clear yet just how much I love desserts?  If not, here's another post to help you understand.  So we had a date night and somehow ended up at Molly Moon's ice cream shop in Wallingford.  How on earth did that happen?  Well anyway, as we were standing in the (actually pretty short) line, I laid my eyes on this item:

 ?!?! Molly Moon has an ice cream cookbook?? How did I not know this existed?  So of course I purchased it and spent the drive home deciding which recipe to make first.  Since I had a hard time deciding between the Stumptown Coffee and Scout Mint, and since Scout Mint won, I knew I had to make the coffee ice cream first.

 So the process involved "marinating" ground espresso beans with the milk, cream, and sugar over night, then pouring the mixture through a "fine mesh sieve" which we don't have....so I tried using cheesecloth and a strainer.  I can't say that it worked that well.

  But after a couple of passes through this contraption, I thought it had reached an edible substance.

 Then you put the mixture into your ice cream maker and let it do the rest. I added chopped chocolate pieces in the final mixing minute.  Then into the freezer to set a bit.  The hardest part about making ice cream is the waiting!

Final verdict: it was yummy but WAY strong!  We were afraid to eat much before bed, thinking we'd be up all night. So, through no fault of Molly Moon, this attempt was a bit of a flop.  But, you know what it means? I'm just going to have to try again. So sad... :)

on my bookshelf : summer 2012

The Postmistress : : Sarah Blake
This was a good one...another WWII story.  Iris is my favorite character, the postmistress, who appreciates organization and upholding the flow of the sacred postal system (almost). 

Let's Take the Long Way Home : : Gail Caldwell
Well...don't read this book unless you are ready to have a good cry.  Holy moly.  It was soooo good though, I think I finished it in two days.  The story of the friendship between two women and . . . well, the first page give it away anyway, but I'll just say it was pretty touching! Tear!

Belong to Me : : Marisa de los Santos 
I like a book that has several stories going on at one time.  Belong to Me has that goin on. Spunky Cornelia, prissy Piper, and tenacious Dev occupy these pages.  Just as good as her other book, Love Walked In--now I'll have to pick up her most recent, Falling Together.   I love finding a good author...


The Weird Sisters : : Eleanor Brown
I have to admit this book wasn't my absolute favorite, but it did hold my interest (with a new baby, I'm going to have to stick to real easy reads for awhile).  I probably picked it because of the title, since I've got some weird sisters myself.  Kidding!


The Paris Wife: : Paula McClain
I'm not finished with this one yet, but it's a page-turner.  Makes me want to read more about Ernest Hemingway, since this is a story "told" from his first wife's perspective. Also makes me want to move to Paris. In the spring. But only until September. Hmmmm.....

a visit from grandma mary

 Grandma Mary came to visit!  We *think* we saw a first smile, but it may have been a little wishful thinking.  Still, we had a great time doing tummy time, taking walks, going out to lunch, and making a trip to the doctor (the shots, not so great). 

 

 Thanks for coming, grandma!

lawn update

 

Check out the progress on our lawn! Have you ever seen such lush, fresh grass?  

 Have you ever seen someone having so much fun mowing?

car seat cover

I found some time to make a car seat cover for Henry!  I used a tutorial from Pinterest, which you can find here.  This thing is great. The summer "sun" in Seattle is way to bright for a baby boy.  Plus I feel like Michael Jackson, hiding my child from prying eyes at all times. 

Isn't that a good looking dad?

last week, in instagrams

 

 monday : walk around greenlake w/ alli.  so glad she's home!!

tues : grumpy

 weds : walk at matthew's beach/burke gilman trail

weds night : sushi date (finally!)

 thursday : sunshine love

 friday : makin' faces

 sunday : back to the gym (climb faster!)

my amazing sister

 Let's talk some more about my talented sister Emily (remember this and this?)  Being one of the best aunties in the world and a budding photographer, she came over to take some newborn photos of my wee one.  And THEN she went and made the cutest birth announcement for us!  Here it is:

omg!  How cute is that! And how clever that she made the top and bottom panels match the fabrics in his quilt!  People, this lady does all kinds of custom invitations, announcements, etc etc.  Why don't you go check out her Etsy shop right now?

Here are some of the other photos...I couldn't resist showing off more of my little Henry...even though he is so much bigger than this now! (tear)

 loooove this one.  this is what he looks like generally from 6-8pm. yikes!

 

isn't he just a dainty little man?

July 4 Festivities

 We had a great July 4 vacation!  This year we headed to Neskowin to spend the holiday with Jamie's family and friends.

 Henry watched the parade with Gma and Gpa.

 It was such a beautiful, sunny trip!

 Our group did "Pirates of the Nesko-bbean" this year.  Sarah and Jen show their excitement by doing a little jig.

 

 The Osborn/Shorthill families were also in attendance.

Other activities included...

 Beach time!  Big kids enjoyed playing in sand/water, while the littlest kid enjoyed a nap under the umbrella.

 Watching fireworks around a bonfire (Henry slept through the whole thing...barely jumped once!  You'd think it would be no problem to get the kid to take a nap in a quiet house!  But I digress...)

  Meeting new friends - Henry and Oliver (3 mo) met for the first time.  As you can see they hit it off.

Happy Birthday, USA!

one month old!

 Yahoo! I'm one month old today!

 Rock on!

Mom and dad keep telling me I'm the best baby in the whole wide world.  I guess it must be true.  I am pretty good at sleeping at night. 

Peace out, everybody.