blueberries and the start of a garden

I AM DYING WITH EXCITEMENT!!! For my birthday (next month), my parents' gift to me was to buy me some blueberry plants and help us get a garden started. I am super lucky in the fact that my mom is a landscape architect and knows all about these garden things, because I do not! I have never been one to enjoy getting my hands dirty :) ... but I think we may have entered a new chapter because I have a new motivation for getting dirty...the FOOD (that is growing in the garden)!!

First my mom told me that most blueberry plants do not produce any fruit for several years. Of course I did not like this answer. So I started looking on Craigslist, and found a guy out in Estacada who was selling some eight-year old plants that would "produce a ton of fruit this year" the ad said (time will tell...). My mom said this would be our only option for getting a lot of berries this year. So we made the trek out there, brought home three luscious blueberry plants, and started getting dirty! I could squeal with excitement over picking blueberries from my own backyard this summer!

Jeff and my dad whipped out a hefty garden box in just a few swift minutes, and now we even have room for me to plant some tomatoes, basil, chard, lettuce, or whatever else I choose! LOVE IT! Next year we will add another box next to the current one (maybe two :). Why not take advantage of this free land behind us?!

Jeff sprinkling grass seed to fill in the bare spots we turned over...Chloe inspecting the changes to her playground

Chloe: "Okay guys, I think all is looking good! Now if I could just find my frisbee..."

Dad taking a hard-earned break from the manual labor - Chloe is by his side, as usual

She was happy as a clam on this day - before planting we took a two-hour walk to Peet's coffee and back - bliss!

homemade coconut pancakes

Okay, well I haven't been successful at locating (besides online) the Stonewall Kitchen Toasted Pancake & Waffle Mix I posted about a couple weeks ago...so...I found this recipe and tried it out on my parents this weekend while they were visiting. I got thumbs up from the eating crew, so I would say it's a winner! We topped with warm maple syrup, but it would surely be amazing with any type of banana topping or tropical sauce. Serve with bacon and eggs for the perfect sweet-savory breakfast combo!!

TOASTED COCONUT PANCAKES

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 C coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C unsweetened coconut, toasted until light golden brown

Place all of the ingredients except the eggs whites into a bowl and mix to combine. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and then fold into the batter. Lightly grease a frying pan with butter over medium low heat. Cook about 1/4 cup of batter at a time, about 3 minutes per side. You want to see air bubbles al over the top of the pancake before flipping it. Keep them warm in a 200 F oven while you finish making the rest.

the growing belly!

This is for those of you who have been pestering me to post belly shots!! I have always said I would not be one to post a bunch of preggo pics of myself, but here are a few to make everyone happy. :)

Jeff and I are off to San Diego in a couple weeks for a little getaway before the baby comes...more pics will be posted then I'm sure. Love to you all!

16 weeks along...

19 weeks

21 weeks

23 weeks

maternity jeans... (dare i say these words?)

So the rubber band trick on my regular jeans has still been doin' the job, but I have to say at this point it's clingin' on for dear life. :) It must be time to get some maternity jeans. The problem is...as my belly grows, all I long for is to wear my favorite jeans that make me feel good, and I CAN'T.

Until now!! A wonderful client let me in on a little secret: DZ Alterations. The owner of this polished and professional little alterations shop used to work for Nordstrom until she opened up her own location. Not only do they hem and tailor anything you want, but they will take any pair of jeans and convert them into maternity jeans for only $25!! I dropped off a pair of my older Hudson jeans, a pair that I don't wear very much, just to test out the process. I picked them up today and was pleasantly surprised - they fit perfectly!! The seamstress even included the original waistband from my jeans so I could bring them in to be converted back after the baby is born. I will definitely be returning with another pair!! What a deal - the Hudson maternity jeans cost around $200, and mine were $25.

Just a little tip for you mamas who are also appalled at the maternity clothing out there these days. :) I was about to start sewing my own!

isabel in the pearl

Just had to post about this delicious little spot where we had breakfast last week with some friends. Isabel's Cantina is on the corner of NW 10th and Everett/Flanders in the Pearl district, and has an amazing breakfast - not to mention a modern and naturally lit space! Most of the walls completely open up in the summer. Haven't had a chance to eat lunch or dinner there yet, but all menus look superb!

For breakfast I had coconut french toast (lately it's been all about the coconut...), which was insanely wonderful. You can add two eggs and bacon to any breakfast for only $2.50! Other breakfast items which I considered include: Banana blackberry pancakes, a breakfast burrito, avocado scramble, coconut granola, or nirvana (marinated grilled tofu, brown rice, broccoli, zucchini, egg whites, and salsa). Doesn't everything just sound gobble-up-able??!!

Lunch consists of an array of latin flavors: rice bowls, soups, delightful salads, sandwiches, wraps, burrito, or quesadilla. For dinner you will see entrees ranging from an ahi platter (yum) to wild salmon or steak.

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. :)