Blueberry Orange Bread

I don't share a lot of recipes, mostly because when I attempt to take pictures of my food it looks awful. But today I made the most beautiful bread I've ever baked. Now the pictures don't do it justice, and that's because I'm a terrible photographer but I figured I'd share anyway.

I can rock a lemon loaf but that's about as far as my bread skills go. I have never made a decent loaf of banana bread in my life and most others are okay at best. But this one not only came out looking beautiful but tasting delicious!

Blueberry Orange Bread
2 tbs butter
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tsp orange zest
1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries


Preheat oven to 325. Melt butter in boiling water. Add orange juice and zest, set aside. In seperate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat egg and sugar until light and fluffy. Add orange mixture and mix thoroughly. Add flour mixture and stir just until blended. Fold in blueberries. Bake for 60-70 minutes

While bread is still warm, poke all over with a toothpick and then combine 2 tbs orange juice and 2 tbs honey. Brush mixture over warm bread.

Recipe from Becky Bakes

Monday Listicles

This week has been extremely busy, so sorry I haven't updated anything but hey, it's Monday Listicles time! This week, Kim over at The G is Silent chose the topic, which is ten happy memories with a man in your life. So I chose the hubs, because we have a lot of great moments. We've been together nearly a decade but sadly my memory is awful and I can't remember much from before we got married... So these are my happy mostly recent memories.

1. My husband and I started dating when we were 15. He asked me out at a bowling alley. Adorable, right? He typed it out on the little bowling screen and I was a shy, frazzled little 15 year old girl so I typed "yes" back. And that's how the magic started!


2. I moved to Illinois with Steven when I was 19. Long story short, he moved there and I followed a few months later. My first weekend there he picked me up in St Louis and we stayed for a couple nights. I had never lived anywhere other then Alaska and hadn't really spent time in major cities so it was really exciting for me. We went to the zoo, city museum, botanical gardens, and the Gateway Arch and had the best time. It was our first real adventure as adults. 

On the London Eye while we lived in England

3. On New Years 2009 we went to downtown St Louis to see the fireworks. I was tired from my flight home which landed only a few hours prior and it was cold outside, but Steven insisted we go anyway so I sucked it up and went. We were having an okay, not awesome time so we were going to leave as soon as it hit midnight. Right at midnight as the fireworks started going off in the background, Steven gets down on one knee and asks me to marry him. I was so surprised, because we had already mutually agreed to get married and had picked a date and time but we were going to get married in the courthouse and I had said I was a little bummed to miss the big proposal and wedding part of getting married. So he proposed, in a big way and I am so thankful for that. 

BMT Graduation

4. Seeing him for the first time after he graduated from military basic training. 8 1/2 weeks of very little communication and I had missed him so desperately! And I was just bursting with pride over all of his hard work. 


5. Moving to England. Oh man we were excited! We were really on our own for the first time in our lives. I mean we had lived on our own for awhile back in Alaska but this was different, this was just us with no one else around. Our first time as our own little family and to top it off, we were in another country! It had a lot of ups and downs but we made the best of it and I loved our life together there, even the crappy parts because it helped us grow so much as a couple.

Wedding day!

6. The day we got married! We had a little courthouse wedding because we didn't have the time (or money) for a big wedding before he went into the military but I still wore a little white dress and he wore a suit. It wasn't the wedding I was imagining as a little girl but at that point it didn't matter; all that mattered was the man I was saying "I do" to, who to me is perfection.                                             
                    
7. The day we found out we were expecting. We had had two losses prior to my pregnancy with Boston so seeing that plus sign on the test was really nerve wrecking for me but he was so excited and eager to tell our families. And being cautious, I really wanted to wait until we were out of the first trimester to share the news with anyone other than our parents but he just couldn't wait. Finally he forced it out of me after a few ultrasounds and he called everyone he could think of to share the news. 

Told you he's the best road trip partner

8. Finding out we were having a boy. Steven was so proud and just gleaming and happy when we saw our little guy on the ultrasound screen. All afternoon all he could talk about was the fun things they'd do together, all of the great things he was going to teach him, and how awesome it was that he was going to have a son.


9. The day Boston was born. This is by far, my favorite memory of all. My husband was an amazing labor partner and though he doesn't handle the icky stuff well, he just stayed right next to my face, holding my hand and telling me how amazing I was until Boston had arrived. And the light in his eyes while holding his new baby boy was so beautiful. He couldn't get enough of him either, he couldn't wait to hold him and then I couldn't get him to put him down! He was one proud daddy.

My 2 loves

10. Seeing him and Boston together. I can't pinpoint a specific memory right now, but they are so freaking cute together. Steven is an amazing father, so involved and fun! He is going to make me look bad when he's the cool parent and I'm the loser mom with all the rules.
                                 

Epic Pirate Party

Halloween! In our first apartment

                                         
                                        

We have made a lot of amazing memories in our decade together. I know most of what I've shared are the big things; the milestone,s but we have a lot of great little moments also. My husband is pretty damn cool, I'm lucky to have him. 

Monday Listicles

It's time for another Monday Listicles with Northwest Mommy! Today's topic is how I would spend $1,000.

Girl... if only. I could def use $1,000 right now. Here it goes:

1. Running shoes. I was running this morning and my feet are killing me. And I realized I've had my shoes 2 years. 2 YEARS. They done expired at least a year and a half ago!
2. Transmission flush. We got our oil changed a couple months ago and they said we needed a transmission flush. Well, that was a couple months ago so... 
3. A dress. I'm going to my cousin's high school graduation tomorrow and I need a dress. I have to go shopping this afternoon for one actually. 
4. Wine. The good stuff, not this klassy shit I've been drinking.
5. A food processor. Super lame wifey want, but I've been dying to get a food processor for awhile now but I already have too many appliances. So I'm thinking about getting rid of my bread machine and getting a food processor instead. 
6. Jeans. And can I get someone to pick them out for me too? I'd hit Express and buy a bunch of Stella cut jeans
7. Cheesecake Factory. One whole lemoncello cream torte, please!
8. A new laptop. Why not, right? 
9. Gift card for Starbucks so I can go get a skinny vanilla chai whenever I want! Once I told my friend what I wanted so she could pick it up and she said my coffee order sounds like I'm ordering a man. Well, I do have a skinny vanilla so I guess she's right!
10. ToysRUs and a special little someone would get a shopping spree!

Or I could be practical and spend it on bills... meh. 

Lunk Alarm

A trip to the gym today made me feel the need to briefly expand on Planet Fitness' lunk alarm. For those of you who have never heard of it, Planet Fitness isn't a fan of show-offs since it's a judgement free zone so the lunk alarm is supposed to be sounded if people come in clanking weights or slamming them, or for grunting and getting all super body builder. When I first started, I didn't know that employees sounded the alarm, I thought it was automatic. So I avoided the weight machines for a long time just in case. Then I finally started using them but I would be so focused on not having my weights accidentally smack together that it wasn't a very good workout.

Then I stopped being a moron and realized the employees are supposed to sound it. Which at my Planet Fitness, doesn't seem to happen. I'm okay with that, I don't think it's a big deal anyway but IF they were really all about this lunk alarm, it would have been going off a lot tonight. 

A group of high school-ish guys came in and were using the free weights fairly close to my elliptical. In about a 10 minute span I heard them smashing weights around several times while I was full spaced out workout mode with super loud ear buds in my ears. It was obvious they were getting down and dirty with the dumbbells Which again, I don't mind but if Planet Fitness is so fond of advertising this lunk alarm of theirs, then they should use it!

Of course my Planet Fitness trainers can never seem to get their nose out of their chinese food long enough to notice anything anyway. 

I do enjoy the free tootsie rolls.

Monday Listicles

Time for another Monday Listicles with Northwest Mommy! Today's topic is 10 things that make you go hmmm? A lot of things make me do that but unfortunately I'm not good at thinking of them at the moment so here's the best I can do.

1. My biggest hmmm of this week is why do I weigh more after a week of eating well and lots of working out then I did when I did nothing? Talk about frustrating!
2. Why is American Idol still on TV? Or America's Next Top Model? Last I checked, the most recent winners haven't done much of anything after they win. I can't even name the last 3 or 4 from each that won... because they quickly disappeared. 
3. Why does Planet Fitness call show-offs "lunks"? And does their lunk alarm really work?
4. How do you measure a lightyear and where do you go if you go in a black hole? I know there are scientific answers to this, but with as many times as my space geek husband has tried to explain it, I still don't get it. 
5. Why did Justin Timberlake invest in Myspace a ways back and why hasn't he done anything to make it better? Sounds like a big waste of money to me.
6. Why do people or animals stop growing at some point instead of just slowly growing forever? What is it that decides we're all grown up? 
7. Why can my dog smell the other dog I pet today but can't smell the food right in front of her face?
8. Why is Joan Rivers in charge at Fashion Police or for that matter, considered a fashion guru? Has anyone looked at her lately? 
9. Why does my son insist of clinging to mommy all day every day when there are so many other awesome people that want to play with and cuddle him?
10. Why doesn't Giselle just help poor Tommy with his hair instead of letting him go out lookin a fool and getting ridiculed? You're a freakin supermodel, surely you see how goofy he looks!

   

Monday Listicles

It's another one from Monday Listicles at Northwest Mommy. Today's topic is 10 summer memories. I've had a lot of great summers so we'll see if I can narrow it down for you. Sorry, I'm not great at short-cutting stories so these might get a little long!

1.I don't remember how old I was, roughly 8 or 9, but growing up in Alaska my dad and I spent almost every weekend going fishing and camping. My favorite trip ever was a longer, I think 4 day trip. First we went to this new campground called Ptarmigan Lake and went fishing. We hiked into the trail some and fished for awhile and I caught a trout. Not just a rainbow trout though, this one was pretty monstrous in size for a trout. I wish I remembered exactly so pardon me if this is an exaggeration but I believe my dad said it was 24 inches. There was another random hiker there who saw me catch the fish and was super excited to see this little girl hook a huge fish. We bag our catch and continue down the trail and run into some other hikers. They look at me and they ask my dad if I'm the girl who just caught the huge trout. I was a legend. My dad was so proud, I could tell he was just glowing with pride. He had taught me well.

2. Another favorite trip with my dad was around this same time and I think it might actually be the same summer. We went into Seward, Alaska just to check it out and they had finished building their sea life center. We had never been so we went and the Alaska sea life center is one of the best I've ever seen. I was so stoked to see the sea lions and seals. When we finished there, we got some lunch, headed towards the beach and flew a kite. While out there, my dad spotted a sea lion swimming by which was odd because they rarely get that close to shore. He got out his video camera and we took off down the beach running to keep up with it.

3. My last summer in Alaska before moving was a blast. My friend Clarissa and I went camping over the weekend on our own and though we had both been camping quite a bit, we made some pretty silly mistakes. We failed to pack any firewood or lighters, just a box of matches and we realized quickly that starting a fire wasn't as easy as we remembered. We bought some firewood from the campground host and it wouldn't light. I called my dad and asked him to name some really flammable stuff for me and before he could answer the call cut out. Oops, hope I didn't scare you, dad! We put everything we could think of in the firepit to try and light it. Turns out moss and marshmallows are extremely flammable.

Our beautiful fire that only took an hour or so to build

4. My best friend Jen and I had a routine in Alaska. At least once a week, usually more often we made a coffee date for Barnes and Noble. We'd meet up, get our drinks and maybe a dessert and sit down in either the astrology or cooking section and chat. It was where we went to catch up but more importantly, where we went to vent. Barnes was our safe place. Every time something shitty happens in life, that's where I want to be but unfortunately we live light years away from each other now. Luckily we still keep in touch over the phone but there's nothing like talking things out over a chai tea and reading about how Scorpios deal with things. 

5. I moved to Illinois when I was 20 to live with the boyfriend (now the husband). I had never lived anywhere but Alaska so it was an experience. We spent our first couple days in St Louis and I got to see the Arch, went to the zoo, City Museum, and on a carriage ride. Later that summer we hit Six Flags, a Cardinals  game, and the Missouri Botanical Gardens. 

St Louis Arch

St Louis zoo!

Cardinals Game

6. The following summer in Illinois, my good friend Jamie and I took a trip to Chicago. I had never been to such a major city. I think Jamie got a little annoyed with all my excited outbursts, "Look, a giant TV outside! Look, a 3 story Old Navy! Look, a fountain with orange water!!!" It was clear I'm not a city girl. We drove in and just chilled at the hotel the first day, then the next we went downtown to go shopping and to Millenium Park. We wore hot pink pea coats that practically matched and someone asked us if we were there for the Taylor Swift concert. I guess we looked like teeny boppers.

Chicago!

Silver bean

7. My husband joined the air force and had training in Texas, which then continued in Florida. I went down to Texas to help him move to Florida and it was the best road trip ever. We stopped and stayed in New Orleans for a night and hit Bourbon Street which is a must at some point in your life, went to an aquarium, and finally settled at Panama City Beach. It was so relaxing!

8. We moved to England in late 2009 and the following summer was the World Cup, US vs UK. My friends, husband and I went to an English pub to watch the game. Everyone was dressed up, carrying flags, yelling for their team. Since we lived close to the base there was an equal number of American fans. After the game, one of our friends took part in a wet boxer contest (he won) and then we all headed back to our house for a few drinks. Okay, a lot of drinks. I'm pretty sure I've never laughed so much in my life. 

Crazy American who kept running back and forth starting USA chants

9. Last summer we moved to NH and I had my baby shower. My SIL organized most of it but it was a huge family affair and so perfect! My mom flew down from Alaska for it and I had just met the majority of my husband's extended family but they made me feel so welcomed.

10. This summer. It's hardly started but it's my first summer as a mom, and already my little guy has learned how to stand and said 'mama' for the first time. So this may be a little premature, but I think this summer will be full of favorite memories.

National Donut Day

We celebrate that kind of thing. If you remember, we also celebrated National Pancake Day. And living on the east coast we get to enjoy Dunkin Donuts who had a special buy one get one free in honor of this national holiday so we went and got our donuts this afternoon and I decided it was okay to get Boston a little glazed munchkin. He loved it! He screamed in my face when I took it away because he was trying to take giant bites and choke.

Don't worry, he had veggies for lunch.

Pretty sure I'll be getting my Mom of the Year award any day now.