Waiting in Line at At said Video Rental Store

Girl (10-year-old-ish): Um, can I get by? I want to look at that movie.

Me: Sure, here you go.

Girl: Oh, it's a game, not a movie. Jackass. It's this show about these guys who do really crazy, crazy things. It's really funny, and crazy.

Me: Oh, really, wow (Because I'm obviously old and have never heard of Jackass and therefore need it explained to me).

Thanks Kid.

Best Fathers Day card EVER!

Adelaide picked it.


Best Fathers Day card EVER!, originally uploaded by apkoski.

We've been taking more walks lately, getting used to the jogger. This morning our destination was the new Collage & DIY Lounge at our local shopping center. I think they're taking a leap, opening their doors in our not-so-avant guarde-for-Portland-besides-The Delta Woodstock neighborhood, so I'm going to try and help them thrive as often as possible.

And isn't this too cute?!

-A

To the Circus

, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Today we went to the Cirque du Cycling, and enjoyed a bike parade, the Sprockettes, a Criterion, but not the beer garden. No, you have to be 21 to enter.
And we were gonna try out Adelaide's fake ID...

-A

Ta-Da!

For now, and the last couple months, anyway...

Yes, Fingernails! They don't look near as impressive here as they do in person. I've almost licked it. See?

And no, I haven't just been sitting around photographing my fingers. Here's some baby love, folks.

Accomplishment for the first month:



And nursery decor:


Unembroidered Embroidery Hoops, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Picture Time

She

Faces, originally uploaded by apkoski.


And US!
- A

Our Little Miss Clean, Sleeping Thing

So we've answered your (you know who you are) cries for MORE Adelaide footage!
Below are two more snips of her exciting day. If you are bored already, come back in a couple weeks when this madness dies down. Otherwise enjoy (and notice the repetition)!





** Poor light quality due to 9:51 pm capture. Next time we'll film her waking up at 5 am, 8 am, or 11 am, or 2 pm, or 6 pm, or....

-A

We're Back

Behold, our last 72 hours. Well, the features. We left out sleeping, diaper changing, and eating. So, presenting 2 of the last 72 hours:


- A&P&A

New Kind of Babymoon

Thanks everybody for all the well wishes over the weekend! Our family is now at home and we're very excited to be here. In fact, for the next few days we're going to work on getting settled - without interruption. So, if you're reading, channel us happy baby thoughts and we'll talk to you after Wednesday!
Love,
A&P&A

Whew

It's past midnight, but everything - ins, outs, sleep, bath robe, food in the fridge, too many Flickr pictures - is now checked off. We are smiling!

-A

Today I went to the fabric store to get some red broadcloth. I walked by a display of 7 or 8 bolts of poplin in a beautiful color combination: reds, browns, blues, greens. So I took a picture of it with my cell phone. Of course, the picture doesn't look anything like the actual thing. Sometimes it's better to just put the camera down.

-A

More Making

Lots of things to make - to keep us going and so we have the energy to make more things.
Beer has been made, although not technically done making until it's carbonated in a week or 2.

Beer Project, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Lots more sandwiches have been made. I missed documentation of the tomato & pepper jack with mustard. It's been that warm outside lately. :)

A yummy brefis. As in, -"Y'all got brefis?" ... as in "Might your establishment serve breakfast?"

Other stuff needs to be made:
- rocking chair upholstery
- mama skirts for the 90-degree weather next week
- the baby's quilt that will hopefully be loved and carried around for a long time (unless it turns out funny-looking).
- the stack of other projects I've started and never finished.

I will soon be made OUT and ready for some sustaining.

-A

**disclaimer** & Review

This is so cheating, but I just spent a good 20 minutes writing this review at the site we got out stroller from, and when they offered to publish it on our blog, I said "Sure, free post!"

I have to admit that we've actually only used the stroller a couple of times (because there's nobody around but friends'/family's kids to coax into it so far), but have learned a lot in those experiences! So even though the review is written in present-tense (suggesting that we put our child in it and use it on a regular basis), it's still all true, and will be corroborated shortly.

My Review of Performance Series 2007 Single Jogging Stroller

Originally submitted at Strollers.com

The Performance Series jogging strollers features the only one-piece frame in the industry, which means there are no hinges or joints that may weaken from frequent and intense use. The large wheels of the jogging stroller allow for easy pushing while on your Sunday jog, and its shock absorption sys...

Performance Series 2007 Single Jogging Stroller

It Rolls

By Annie Walnuts from Portland, OR on 5/5/2008

4out of 5

Pros: Comfortable, Fairly easy to set up, Sturdy, Durable, Easy to steer, Lightweight

Cons: Space Taker

Best Uses: Running, Walks in the neighborhood

Describe Yourself: Fitness Professional, Running Mom, First Time Parent

This stroller is great for us! We are recreational athletes, running between 15-35 miles per week. The stroller is balanced well for easy turning, rolls over curbs & bumps well, and is very lightweight. Wish the handlebars were adjustable...

We normally don't travel with this stroller. It's simple to break down (rear wheels' quick release is awesome), but assembling is a little tough on my muscles and coordination. Also, it's just a LONG stroller, even when broken down: with all wheels off, it just barely fits in our nearly empty trunk (21"H x 36"Deep x 53"W).

We were also considering the BOB Ironman and the Tyke Tech ATX, but bought this one because of its bigger wheels, bigger canopy, and more durable/reliable parts (based on friends' experiences with 2005-2007 models of the other strollers).

Oh, almost forgot -

Six-ish weeks to go.

-A

Piece of Mind?

PIECE OF CAKE!

The Sandwich Lady Cometh

That's right, as Paul put it this morning, most of my current spoken interests circulate around comfortable sleep and food. Right now I'm all over the sandwich. Smoothies are still around, but not always every day anymore. Creativity is needed to avoid the listeria-ous lunch meat.

First, one of the best:

Spinach cream cheese anchovies zucchini pepper cheddar bread toasted, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Here we have black bean hummus with avocados, pepper jack cheese, and mixed greens on Western Hazelnut.

And Camel Pocket filling (chickpeas in spicy/paprika sauce with onions, garlic, and feta cheese) with spinach on some kind of wheat.

Coming soon: Toasted Peanut butter & banana, hard boiled egg with spinach on pumpernickel, broiled zucchini and onions with cheddar, grilled. Now I must go work on that frosting for the cake (stupid Talking Heads!).

-A

* All sandwiches contain mayonnaise, of course.

What'cha been up to...

... besides creating and nurturing a small human from scratch?

Well, we had visitors:
My Mom,

my Sister & Niece,

and my Dad, for about a week apiece since March 14.


He and Paul built this bookshelf & wall. (There used to be a big doorway there.)

We've also taken childbirth classes (yes, multiple!), had assigned reading, and worked on spreadsheet of 'pre-baby projects.' Notice that the HDTV was the catalyst to beginning all other tasks.

Purchases	Deadline	Done?
Bed	3/31/2008
BR Closet	3/31/2008	YES
TV	2/28/08 or coupon	YES
Tivo	?	no
Baby Storage	4/31/2008	YES
Closet Doors		YES
Close Doorway	4/20/2008	YES
Paint Bedroom	3/31/2008	YES
Paint Nursery	3/31/2008	YES
MP3 Player	6/1/2008
Clean Carpets	4/25/2008

And just before visitors I opened up my very own etsy shop, which has also been sorely neglected since. So far my shop contains three items! Anyway, I thought I'd 'announce' it so that you could bug me about putting more things in the shop so that eventually someone might buy something!! :)

(By the way, for those asking, that elephant is a softie. See more here.)

This weekend Paul is planning to brew his first batch of beer since last summer -- woo-hoo! Stay tuned for documentation of that. This weekend we are also looking forward to our 3rd observed day of average April temperatures.

- A

Seedlets

Seedlets, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Yes, its that time again. Work hard now - pretty garden with just a few gaps this summer. That's the goal anyway. :)

On another note, I think I hate Babies 'R Us too. Right, right, "join the club."

-A

The Getaway

, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Last weekend was wonderful! We stayed in Oceanside, OR in a tall handmade house set on a steep hill overlooking the ocean. We hiked, had a mediocre seafood supper at the town cafe, read books, finished a puzzle, looked through the binoculars, drank water out of wine glasses, made a yummy dinner at the house, looked at maps, ate Sweet Tart gummy bunnies, beach combed, confiscated a can of refried beans, napped, and petted a kitty. Please, don't tell us what we forgot to do -- salute us in our last twosome 'vacation' ever. ever. ever.
:)

- A

Going Ons

I found pretty spring fabric from Jo Ann - of all places - plus Easter candy season has begun!
Having fun with my homemade amateur light box: packing box, poster board, & a 'daylight' bulb. It needs more light - but hey, it's the amateur version! But I just found this tutorial...

Taking a trip to Oceanside this weekend for R & R, hiking, gourmet cooking, and eating some chowder. Our first trip to that beach happened 3 years ago next week - still our fave spot, I think.
-A

VD

For MrP, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Valentine's Day!!

Hope yours was nice. Later on I'll share a recreation of our awesome gourmet dessert that Paul made up (!!) - probably today at 3:00 when I break into the leftovers.

Oh- and I love any web site that has photos of yummy stuff dipped in chocolate sauce, like this one!


x x o o
-A

Baking Day

BakingSunday, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Sundays are traditionally my big in the kitchen day. I start the beans soaking, make cereal for the week, or maybe try a new bread or a treat recipe. Experimenting with granola flavors is a fun weekly chore. Since we're exiting winter, I'm squeezing in the last few batches cold weather flavors: maple walnut, apple cinnamon, pumpkin spice... and moving toward summer mixes like strawberry cherry, ginger peach, and blueberry nut. Yum!
This weekend I used a traditional recipe from Moosewood that had maple syrup, several kinds of nuts, plus the standard wet ingredient list. Not bearing to let the recipe stand on its own, I also snapped in a couple handfuls of leftover pretzels. It's pretty drn goot! Here we go:

1/2 C. Water
1/3 C. Canola Oil
1/4 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Maple Syrup
pinch salt
4 C. Rolled Oats
1/4 C. Ground Flax Seed
scant 1/4 C. Oat Flour
1/4 C. Wheat Bran
1+ C. nuts: walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds
2 handfuls pretzels

Bake at 200-220 for 2-3 hours on a cookie sheet, turning/stirring once toward the end. (Low temp. is important if you want chunky granola. If you want fine cereal, bake at 350 for 30 minutes, turning/stirring every 5 minutes.)

-A