coconut pancakes

Last weekend we spent the night at Jeff's dad's house and got some good family catch-up time in with Roger, Mindy, and Sam. Sunday morning we woke up to heavenly smells in the kitchen...bacon, eggs, and these absolutely delightful toasted coconut pancakes. I think I ate like five. I have been googling ever since to try and find a decent recipe that might compare, but will probably just end up ordering the real mix. Mindy picked up the mix from a small store in Arizona, but it can also be ordered on the Stonewall Kitchen website. Get yours here! We decided they would be decadent topped with carmelized bananas!

rosemary asiago & bartlett pears

Yum.

I just discovered a delicious new snack. And lately these days, once I discover a snack I like, I eat it ... a lot.

Thank you (hippie) Trader Joe's employee, for launching into a tirade while I was in the check-out line the other day. He was going on and on about how people need to eat healthier, how we are too fast-food dependent, how he feeds his kids healthy snacks and they come running from the nether regions of the house when it's snack time. What does he feed them? Well let me tell you. Because at this point in the tirade, my hungry little foodie ears perked up.

Rosemary Asiago cheese with cold, crisp Bartlett pears. Such a simple snack. Ooooh, but oh so delicious! You may think that this blog post is a bit drawn out for just some pears and cheese, but I think extraordinary combinations such as this one deserve a few extra words.

So try it yourself! I have a little tray ready to go for as soon as Jeff walks in the door from work. I've secretly been sneaking nibbles from the edges while I wait. :)

congrats, karrie and mark!

On Sunday, we were giddy with excitement to meet the new little baby Addison Grace Fansler! Her parents are Mark and Karrie (Mark is my cousin), some of our close friends here in the Portland area. The delivery was smooth and Karrie was a champ! We are so excited about the growing social network of babies this year - baby girl Meakins will have no shortage of play dates! :)

Addison Grace Fansler, born at 6 lb. 7 oz. to beaming parents Mark and Karrie!

My new neice-y :) (What relationship is my cousin's daughter BTW?)

he's gonna be such a good daddy :)

Just a couple snapshots I sneakily took (thanks to my trusty new verizon iphone) of Jeff and Chloe - so sweet! You probably chuckle that I am taking pictures of my dog - and yes, I know that this will soon change and I will be taking pictures of the new babe instead. :) But until then...enjoy these cute pics!

updates

So...lots to catch you up on in these past two weeks I've been neglecting the ol' blog! Jeff started his new job, and all is fantastic! He is getting used to the downtown work life - paying for parking, walking to lunch, etc. and all in all, really enjoying the new scenery I think! There will be an opportunity for some very fun projects which he is excited about. I am sure there will be more updates in the coming months.

I think we have decided to refinance our house for now and stay for a couple more years. It may be the perfect rental property someday, and honestly, staying here for the first year or two of baby Meakins' life gives both of us a sort of peace. There is something serene about where we live, something comforting, and we have completely made it our own. I have always pictured our little one playing in the park behind our house, or rolling around in the soft, shag carpet I picked out. :) Who knows if and when we would find that in our next house, and I think with all of the other change going on, we might enjoy this little sliver of stability and normalcy for another year or two. Jeff and Kelly? Doing something normal and/or staying put? Hmm.

Which brings me to....PROJECTS! Now that we are probably staying, there are a few little things that need to be done. First and most major: air conditioning! But that's not very exciting to all of you I'm assuming. Secondly: watch in the coming weeks for nursery design snapshots - I will be posting things here and there as I have become surrounded with this fun project! There will be a plethora of modern touches and definitely a lot of girliness - can't wait to show you!

And lastly...my pregnant self. I am 20 weeks this Friday which is halfway! Can't even believe it went by so fast. We have our big 20-week appointment tomorrow which we are excited for. Always fun to get more pictures of the baby girl. I am feeling great and trying to eat healthy. Took a snapshot of my typical daily breakfast - don't you love the pattern of "eating for two"? (Which, by the way, I hate that phrase. If I hear it one more time, I think I will punch someone). I am loving those kiwis (so loaded with nutritional goodness), hard-boiled eggs, and whole wheat bread!

Oh and P.S. - speaking of baby girl, check out some of the cute items I have been adding to her wardrobe...just one of my many "projects" as of late. :)