Adiós 2011 It's been fun

2011 was a great year! here are 11 highlights from 2011
1. Hiking a lot in the winter
2. Galapagos in March
3. Guatemala in June-July
4. Finding out we're having a baby!
5. Staying at the same school 2 years in a row
6. Great times with family
7. Fun times with friends
8. Camping trip fun
9. Cooking a lot
10. Parties at our House
11. Amazing times with my husband!

Can't wait for all the new adventures 2012 is bringing!

Here are some of pictures from 2011!












technical difficulties with the pics and they are way out of order... but there's some of the fun times we had this year!

Fry Baby!

Dave got a fry daddy for Christmas and he was very excited for this new gift.
Tonight we tried our hand at frying with one of out favorites- polenta fries.
I tried to make some in disk shapes (the tube kind of lends itself to it) and also some in more of a french fry shape.
They turned out ok- pretty good for our first time frying... next time, we will definitely make them all in sticks they turned out the best with crispy outsides and soft insides.
DISCLAIMER: they tasted much better than they look in this picture!

Now Dave is on a mission to see what else he can possibly fry in our house- apparently he thinks there are no limits. He has mentioned bananas, all veggies, potatoes, fish, chicken and basically everything else.

new stuff!

I realize since I became pregnant I got boring and all I do is talk about being pregnant and my baby plans but it really is hard to not be absorbed when your body is being taken over! We've also been super busy lately!

I tried to update some pages this week while I had some time off- I found a new list of 100 places to see before you die (added to the bottom of my Bucket List page) and also I've been working on going to more of the restaurants on the Best Restaurants of 2011 (from Willamette Weekly) and then I decided to try to go to all the tasting rooms in the Dundee Hills (once I'm not pregnant obviously)

If by any chance you do care about the developments in our life- including our babelet- follow me at http://babeletbaberstein.blogspot.com if not, I'll try to get more exciting and update here again about our Adventures in Life, Cooking, and Travel

Holidays!

Last night was our annual holiday party and cookie exchange! It was great!
However, I was rushing around and had my phone plugged into the speakers (for Pandora Christmas station) and I forgot to take pictures- woops!

It was the first time I didn't make food to serve, I've just been too tired lately. I hit up Trader Joe's frozen appetizers and they were a big hit... maybe I shouldn't slave for days every time I have a party! I bought the little pigs in a blanket (I think they were called Parmesan Pups), Spanikopita, Mac and Cheese Bites (delicious), Spinach Artichoke Dip, and Fondue. We also had chips/salsa, hummus/pita chips and a veggie tray. It worked out well and we had the perfect amount of food.

The cookie exchange went well but I still have a ton of cookies! YUMMMM my friends all brought great cookies. I think about 8 of us participated in the exchange. I bought myself an icecream cake too since my birthday is next weekend and I always need an excuse for an icecream cake!

Last weekend we escaped our busy life and went to the coast for 2 nights. It was PERFECT. We had a groupon at The Inn at the Prom in Seaside for an oceanfront room. The place has been recently renovated and has new ownership- they did a great job. The Inn at the Prom has a perfect location on the Promenade, a block from the main street. Our room had a fireplace, couch, kingsize bed and kitchen! We could see the waves and the sunset from our bed which was nice since it was cold but sunny! We were able to relax, walk the Promenade, walk the main street, eat at Pig n Pancake (yum), and hang out. Dave even was able to get a nice run in. The coast on a sunny day is so beautiful!

Next up- flying east for a wedding and to celebrate the holidays early! Let's hope the flight is nice and easy for me!