Easter 2014

Edible Easter Project: Egg Yolk Painting

Lena's first masterpiece.

A few days ago Lena and I did a fun edible art project that I remember doing every Easter when I was growing up: egg yolk painting on sugar cookie dough.  She loved it and it was a simple and fun activity we could all do together.  Here is what we did:

First Lena and I mixed up a batch of Ethel's Sugar Cookies from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book. (See the recipe at the end of this post.)  While the dough was chilling I prepared the edible paints by cracking some eggs and separating the yolks from the whites.  Each yolk is put into a dish and mixed with food coloring.

Egg yolk paints ready to go!

Once the dough was chilled Lena rolled out the dough with her little rolling pin and we cut out shapes.  I rolled out thick cookies this time but if you like crispy cookies you can roll them thinner.  We chose an egg, butterfly, bunny, and cross for our Easter themed cookies.  I always bake on parchment paper which gives the cookies a nice even bake.

Raw cut out sugar cookies ready to be painted.

Then it was time to get creative!  Lena, Dan, and I each got a row of cookies to decorate.  We used little craft paint brushes and spoons to create our designs.

Daddy and Lena

Lena favored blue and green for her painted cookies.

From left to right: Daddy's cookies, Mama's cookies, Lena's cookies

Then it was time to pop the cookies in the 400 degree oven to bake.  Don't EVER follow the baking time in the cook books and don't ever cook sugar cookies until they are slightly golden brown.  They will be hard as a rock if you do!  Sugar cookies only bake until set (not glossy).  (Thinner, small cookies take 4 min and thicker large cookies take 6 min.)  They will be very delicate when they come out of the oven but just wait!  Let them sit and as they cool they will set up and be super soft, velvety, and totally baked.

Baking at 400 degrees for 4-6 minutes depending on thickness,

You can eat your creations at this point but I wanted to add a touch of sweetness with a simple glaze frosting.  It also helps keep the cookies nice and moist if you store them for a few days.  (See the glaze recipe below.)  I like to simply brush on the glaze right over the cookies.

Ready to apply a simple glaze to the baked cookies.

Lastly, we ate our cookies!  They are Lena's most favorite cookie that we bake together and I think she loved the added fun of painting them.

Mmmmm...good!  Lena picked Daddy's egg as her favorite cookie.

Ethel’s Sugar Cookies

adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book  (copyright 1977) with my changes

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla (I like to use 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond flavoring)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla thoroughly.
2. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together.
3. Blend butter mixture and flour mixture.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
5. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
6. On a board that has been lightly floured with a mixture of flour, roll dough until it is 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick.  Cut with your favorite cooky cutter.
7. Place on an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper
8. Bake 4 to 6 minutes, or until cookies are not glossy
9. Cool on a wire rack.  If desired brush on a glaze or spread on a thicker icing of your choice.

Makes 2-4 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cutter and thickness of dough.

Glaze

1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring

1-3 Tablespoons milk

1. Blend sugar and vanilla.
2. Add milk 1 tablespoon at at a time until icing reaches a spreadable consistency.

Halfway to Shack Baby #2

I am over the halfway point in this pregnancy now!  I can't decide if it is moving quickly or slowly.  I also have mixed feelings about being pregnant.  Chances are I will not ever be pregnant again and I am just cherishing the wonder of carrying a child in my belly.  I still marvel at the feeling of a moving little baby girl kicking my insides and squirming all around.  On the other hand, I miss my in shape, trim, non-pregnant body.  

 

16 weeks - 194 pounds

21 weeks - 201 pounds

Weight and Pregnancy Update

I would say I was handling the pregnancy pretty well up until the last month.  Despite the fact that I have purposely worked towards being more active by walking and doing vigorous housework, camping, etc. I have packed on the pounds in the last seven weeks.  11 pounds to be exact!  I am now at 205 at almost 23 weeks pregnant which means I have gained 17 pounds in this pregnancy already.  I was hoping somehow to stay under 25 pounds for the whole pregnancy and it doesn't look like at this point that is a very realistic goal.  Bummer.  I am glad that the swelling and numbness that I suffered during Lena's pregnancy hasn't plagued me so far in this pregnancy.  I am worried though that if I keep putting on pounds like I am right now that the swelling will come.  Dr. C (my OB) says that I am at a higher risk than the average pregnant woman for preclampsia again since I am carrying an unnatural pregnancy and preclampsia is one way for the body to rebel against the unnatural process of "IVF like" pregnancies.  My blood pressure has also spiked since I got pregnant.  Right before I became pregnant my blood pressure was regularly 117/70 and it has steadily risen at each appointment.  At my 23 week appointment it was 132/80.  The nurses don't seem to think it was anything to be concerned about but it is just news to me that my body is under stress from the pregnancy.

OB Visit and Anatomy Scan Debrief
At my 21 week doctor's appointment I learned a little more information about our baby girl.  She is small, as in the 30th percentile for her gestational age.  The doctor isn't concerned at all about her size, she said she is just petite.  Looks like we are in for another little tiny baby which is awesome because I have all those super cute preemie clothes from Lena who was born at 4 pounds 3 oz.  Also, my placenta is kind of low and our doctor is hoping that as the baby grows it lifts a little.  This is also similar to my last pregnancy.  The placement of the placenta is the reason they gave me for Lena being so small.  All this leads me to believe that I may indeed be carrying Lena's genetic sibling although we won't know for sure until the baby is born and we do some genetic testing.  We also found out that we have to go back for a second anatomy scan on Monday (when I am 23 weeks pregnant) to get a look at her heart.  Nothing is wrong, they just couldn't get a good look at her heart during the first anatomy scan and they need to make sure they get a better image so they can check the various "boxes" off on the anatomy scan chart.  I am happy we get another look at baby girl since our next ultrasound after this one won't be until I am 36 weeks pregnant.  Lastly we learned that Baby Girl is head down and facing the right way.  Although the way I've been feeling her move and kick I can imagine she could have moved since then.  We will find out on Monday!

Crystal Cove Camping 2014

El Moro Campground - Newport Coast, CA

Our pop up trailer in our campsite. #55

During my spring break in March we decided to head out camping again but this time we stayed local (about 45 minutes away) and near the beach - Lena's favorite!  We have been wanting to try out El Moro Campground near our favorite beach in Newport, Crystal Cove.  It used to be a mobile home property that the state bought/took over and turned into a campground.  I loved the location but was skeptical about how it would look.  I thought since it is on the Pacific Coast Highway that it would be too near cars that are passing by, or that the sites would be so close there wouldn't be any privacy.  We also like lots of vegetation when we camp and the satellite pictures didn't show much at all.  I was pleasantly surprised in many ways!  In fact we had such a great time we extended our stay from three nights to four nights!  The campground was in pristine condition: it was clean, well groomed, had nice native landscaping, the coin showers and toilets were always clean and well supplied, and our neighbors (while close by) were all very respectful and friendly.  This site doesn't seem to draw the party crowd.  We loved the giant grown pelicans that would soar by and the little bunnies that lived on the property too.

This is the view from our campsite!  Beautiful!  California has a gorgeous coastline!

It was pretty cold during our stay but we had just had some repairs done to our pop up trailer and we had our heater to keep us nice and cozy at night.  It even rained one night and the canvas on the trailer held up perfectly!  The best part of this campsite is the proximity to the ocean and Crystal Cove beach.  Every day we made the 10 minute walk to the coast to play, walk, and explore.  Then we would come back, get cleaned up, and make a hot dinner and some warm drinks for the evening.  At night there was hardly any noise from PCH and you could fall asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach - so wonderful!

All bundled up for a long walk on the beach.

On my favorite day we took a long 3-4 mile walk from our campsite down to the beach, along the coast, past the tide pools, to Crystal Cove beach cottages, and had lunch at the Ruby's Shake Shack and then walked all the way back.  It was a super cold and windy day but the sky was an amazing shade of blue and the beaches littered with fun shells and things from the rain the night before.  It was such a fun and relaxing family day.  We can't wait to go back to this campground.  What a gem and such a bargain at $35 per night on beach front property!

Lena gets some cherished beach time.

Daddy and Lena playing on the beach.

Post shower, pre-nap snuggle and reading time in the trailer.

Ladder ball!  A camping game favorite.

Snuggling up and snacking while watching the sunset.

Johnny, Julie, and Adam came for a visit!

Catching crabs and sea snails in the tide pools

Running in the surf.

Cozy with our propane fire - no wood or charcoal allowed!

Lena has been into hats lately.

Snack time with Mommy

On a walk with Lena

Lena loves to call out all the letters.  She is getting pretty good!

Queen of the tide pool rock!

More beach time!

Bacon, eggs, and snuggles for breakfast!

Coffee and tea time while working on our rock stacking.

Dan's Big 4-0!

Dan turned 40 this month and we decided to do a party/travel adventure combo to celebrate this special occasion.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!  We loved celebrating as a family and with coworkers and friends and extended family.  We began early on a Sunday morning and took the Metrolink train down to Oceanside.  (Since the train was down for track work between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside my sister in law rescued us and drove us from San Juan to Oceanside.  Thanks Kristen!)  I packed lots of fun snacks for the train trip

Waiting with Daddy for our train!

Waiting with Mommy for our train!  Don't you love the sunglasses!?

Checking out the view from our seats.

Shack Family train selfie!

Snacks for everyone!

Once we got to Oceanside we checked into the Springhill Suites Marriott which is one block from the beach and the Oceanside Pier.  Our hotel was right next to the Oceanside train station and just opened one month before we arrived.  We spent lots of fun time on the sand.  Mommy relaxed in the sun while Daddy and Lena built sand castles and dug a wading pool.  The hotel had a neat rooftop pool and spa that overlooked the beach, pier, and train station.  Dan and Lena took a quick dip in the nice warm spa before bed.

Digging the wadding pool

Playing in the sun!

A quick dip in the spa during the sunset

When we walked into the new hotel room we noticed that it had a modern theme for decoration and thus had tons of BRAND NEW WHITE marble surfaces.  While we were relaxing Lena was coloring with what we thought was her washable crayons when we looked over an saw that she had gotten her hands on a hotel pen and colored all over the white marble coffee tables! YIKES!  I walked down to the local Walmart to get a Magic Eraser because what stain/mess doesn't the Magic Eraser get out!  Well apparently pen on unfinished white marble is beyond the limits of what the Magic Eraser could do.  We tried to discretely ask the hotel staff for some bleach or other stronger cleaning liquid and finally had to confess what had happened.  They acted like it was no big deal and a maid came up to clean the mess.  I was convinced at this point that we were going to be purchasing a lovely graffitied pair of coffee tables.  =(  She took one look at the tables and said, "no problem!"  She got out a bottle of cleaning solution and wiped. Nothing happened...she then said "let's try this stuff..it gets everything out!"  She sprayed the second cleaning solution and...."nothing happened.."  She then got on the radio with the "industrial cleaning team" to request that they come and clean the tables the next morning.  It don't know what miracle solution they used but when we got back from the beach the next morning the oh so talented "industrial cleaning team" had been there and the pen stain was gone!!!  Yea!

The guilty party with her "art work".

Before we caught our train we checked out of the hotel, stored our luggage, and took a fun walk on the pier to eat lunch at Ruby's.  Then we caught our train for the 90 minute ride north to the Fullerton train station where we were to meet friends and family for a fun birthday dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory!

Playing on the Oceanside Pier

Checking out the nice ocean views from the train.

At the Old Spaghetti Factory we had a blast eating delicious pasta, visiting, watching trains pass by, and celebrating Dan's birthday!

Dan's birthday invite

The restaurant manager and I had a good laugh that half the guests at a 40th birthday party were under the age of seven!

That night we caught a ride to my parent's house from the restaurant and had dessert at their house with everyone and then we just spent the night there since I had to work the next morning 5 minutes from where they live.  After I finished work we caught another train back to Corona to get our car.  We stopped by The Hot Dog Shoppe and had gourmet hot dogs before heading up to Rancho Cucamonga to the Farrel's Ice Cream Parlour there to meet a bunch of Dan's co-workers and friends for an ice cream party!  It was an experience...noisy and over-rated but super fun!  We finally headed home after an amazing three day birthday adventure.  

Work friends at Farrells

Happy 40th Birthday today to a true hero! Dan is a man who has not only devoted his life to serving the public but he has also greatly honored his parents, is such a loving and considerate husband, and a really fun and tender-hearted daddy. He is a born lover and a leader. I am so thankful for his life and that God brought him to me so I could be part of it!

Me and the birthday boy