Brilliant

A little shopping

Supper at Sierra Grill

Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Room

Newsweek reporter Martha Brant and Adventist Religious Liberty Liaison James Standish addressing our group in the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Union Station

Big mall and food court at this stop. Good Indian food; best samosa
I've ever had!

Spring

Wax J Edgar Hoover

In the Newseum.

Riding the metro

I'm in Washington D.C. for a few days and will be moblogging my
adventures as they happen.

Headed to the Newseum in D.C.

Painted room

We had the living room painted and LOVE how it turned out. Ashen Tan
on three walls and two shades darker on the window wall. I can't find
my good camera, or I'd take a better photo. This will do for now.

Gatorade

Old can still be fun!

So I'm out and about and as I was driving along slow, waiting to turn
into a shopping center, I see this old guy out getting a little
exercise on his lunch break. He's not really old old, just old enough
that you'd expect him to be dignified and serious. But I caught him in
a boyish moment, balance beaming along a raised concrete curb,
complete with his arms held straight out to the side to help him
balance. It made me smile. Big.

Nappy

Ash and I are chillin' in the car while Ken and his folks ran into the
mall. Baby was napping when we arrived and I couldn't bring myself to
wake him.

Dedication

We had Asher's dedication at church this morning. Here are a couple of pics from that.


During the prayer, the pastor likes to hold the baby. Asher was very tired and bordering on cranky, but the microphone served as a great distraction for him. He really wanted to see what it tasted like.

Video for Asher's dedication

I should clarify...

The previous post ("I think someone is spying on us...") was not intended to suggest that I do all the work in our house! I just thought it was an insightful look at the ways women have a dozen projects going at once, and men just do what they say they're going to do, one thing at a time.

I think someone's spying on us...

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed." She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes into the dryer, put a load of clothes into the wash, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the newspapers strewn on the floor, picked up the game pieces left on the table and put the telephone book back into the drawer.

She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry. She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a textbook out from hiding under the chair. She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then creamed her face, put on moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and trimmed her nails.

Hubby called, "I thought you were going to bed."

"I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out a bedside lamp, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks in the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm, laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her list of things to do for tomorrow.

About that time, the hubby turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular " I'm going to bed." And he did.

Testing moblogging from iPhone

More fun to moblog now that I have a phone with a camera. Just took
this pic; me in my office.

Swimming!

It's been hot outside this weekend, so we took Asher swimming for the first time. He really seemed comfortable in the water and enjoyed kicking and splashing and cruising around in his floatie. We'll surely be doing this a lot over the hot summer months!


This one isn't related to the swimming, but I thought it was cute, so here it is. :o)

Baby Monitor

I think I win for the biggest baby monitor in the world. Hehehe... Our new video monitor can AV out to the TV. So you can see the monitor sitting on top of the components there, and the picture up on the big screen. How cool is that?! So, as of two minutes ago, Asher is sleeping in his swing. Finally. He's about to outgrow it, which scares me, because it's a pretty sure-fire nap location.

Gymboree

I took Asher to a Gymboree class today. He had a great time! They had bubbles (apparently made out of sugar instead of soap). He was completely mesmerized by them. Great fun!

Testing slideshows

The latest

Asher sits up really steadily now, so he has fun playing with his toys in that position. It's a new view on the world!


Sitting up also makes bath time easier and more fun. I got this soft-side inflatable tub, which feel more secure, so I don't have to get in the tub with him anymore. We'll probably bathe him more often now!


Easter morning we attended the "sunrise" service our church held at a local park. It was a nice, warm day. A little windy, but enjoyable nonetheless.


Ken decided the little man needed a little hat. :o)

The Lord's Prayer

6-month pictures

We did Asher's six-month pics today. Here's a preview. CLICK HERE for a link to the album at the Costco Photo Center.

Please KIIS My Baby!

Fricassee

Tuesday Asher and I went to the Santa Barbara Zoo with Christye and Lucy and Christye's parents. Here are her parents, pushing the two strollers.


I decided to get ambitious tonight and made a fancier dinner than I usually have time for (Granny Nanny was here to babysit while I cooked).

Chicken Thigh Fricassee with Mushrooms and Rosemary

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 5 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 pound chicken thighs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 12 Nicoise olives
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until soft. Remove to a plate.
2. Wipe out skillet, and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Place garlic, rosemary, and chicken thighs in hot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning chicken, until chicken and garlic are well browned.
3. Return mushrooms to skillet, and sprinkle red pepper flakes over chicken. Pour in white wine, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Cook about 3 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour.
5. Sprinkle tomatoes and olives over chicken, return cover, and cook about 5 minutes more.

Night vision

We got a night vision baby monitor and found that Asher's favorite sleeping position is the Downward Facing Dog.

Credit Card Fees

Here's a link to a form you should fill out to support legislations that protects consumers from bad credit card companies.

Granny Nanny

My mom takes care of Asher on days I work or have errands, as well as plenty of other random times. He loves his Grandma! (I suspect the feeling is mutual...)

Exploring Edibles

Last night we introduced carrots. Asher didn't seem to care too much for them. He ate a few bites and that was it. Tonight I tried a carrot and rice casserole. Again, he ate a few bites but lost interest. (I'll give him that it was a little bitter...) So, I thought perhaps exploring the feel of the food, the container, the spoon, etc., would at least provide a little fun and encouragement. We had a LOT of "fun" to wash off after the exercise!