Uncle Dave's egg seperator...

My Uncle Dave enjoys cooking and baking. For his host gift I bought him this nifty little egg separator. Guess where the egg whites come out? Yes, it's the perfect gift for Uncle Dave. :)

Great Gramma with her boys...

The last morning we were in LA we had a photo shoot with Gramma and her three great grandbaby boys.

A little trip to LA...part 2

For the weekend I was in LA Daniel and I stayed at my cousin Mary Beth and her husband Daniel's house. Yes, there are two Daniels in the family. Mai and Charlie stayed with my cousin Eva-Karin. Once the weekend was over and people had to go back to work Mai and I moved to my Aunt Karin's house.

Uncle Dave and Aunt Karin have a lovely back yard with a little stream and pond complete with live gold fish. It is such lovely little oasis in the middle of the city.


Daniel loved the little pond.Mai and Charlie in the backyard. You can see how lovely the backyard is.

My cousins Lauralyn and Katie. We didn't get to see much of Lauralyn since college finals are coming up.

Lauralyn and her guy Jeff.

For our last outing of the trip we went to Seal Beach and had lunch at Ruby's on the Seal Beach Pier. Afterward we took the boys down to the water so they could stick their feet in the ocean or the first time. Garry (who is on paternity leave while Eva-Karin started back to work) brought Ethan along too. Daniel loved seeing the "big water"!

Daniel said hi to almost every single person we past on the pier. In his little world strangers do not exist, everyone is a friend.

The boys at Ruby's.Ethan's nifty little high chair. We figured out though that his arms were suppose to go the top and the strap around his waist. He still just a little too small for it. But not for long! :)
Charlie checking out the menu. Don't worry, that is milk in Daniel's cup, not soda. :)

Charlie and Ethan discussing politics and the weather. Auntie Annie in the background is in baby heaven. :)

There are simply no words...

Ethan with his Gramma.

Charlie gives Ruby's fries the thumbs up.

My cousin Melanie.

This group of boys were walking down the pier and Daniel spotted them and immediately ran to join them. I think they got a kick out of it.


Heading to the "big water".
Ethan is all set in his cool Oakley shades.
Daniel's toes in the ocean for the first time.

A little trip to LA...part 1

My sister-in-law Mai and I were blessed to have a quickly planned trip down to LA to visit my mom's side of the family. Daniel and my nephew Charlie came as well and they can still fly free. I didn't think we were going to be able to see my SoCal family this year but the Lord provided a way. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see all of my cousins, aunts, uncles and Gramma. My Gramma got to have her three great grandbaby boys with her on Mother's Day.

I finally got to meet my cousin Eva-Karin's little guy Ethan. He is 4 months old and the cutest little chunk ever! I still can't get over how chubby his legs are. His mom called them tree trunks. I love squishing and mushing on babies who have rolls. Daniel was and still is such a skinny guy like his dad that I didn't get to do much squishing and mushing on him. Although I did and still do shower him with tons of kisses.


Yes, my son managed to step in dog poop in his bare feet on Mother's Day.
The mommas' reactions. :)


We took a day and went to Vasquez Rocks and Placerita Canyon up in the high dessert in the San Gabriel mountains. It was much hotter up there than down in the city but it was a beautiful day. Daniel had fun romping around and Charlie had fun hanging out in the shade. Daniel looking forward to the day when he will be big enough to climb all over those rocks. :)


Placerita Canyon was beautiful! Daniel and Charlie really enjoyed getting wet in the little creek.

And my son decided to sit in the creek. :) And then he decided to sit in the sand on the edge of the creek. :)




To be cont...

Campfire cooking...

I finally bought the cast iron dutch oven ( 12inch, 6 quart) that I have been eying for a while. (Thanks mom for the early birthday present!) I have been wanting one for camping and even for cooking outside at home. I also bought Camper's Guide to Outdoor Cooking which is a great book with pretty much all the information you need for cooking outside. I want to practice cooking some meals now before we go camping that way I will have the kinks all worked out.

Last night I made my first meal outside. I made the Mountain Man breakfast of potatoes, sausage, eggs and cheese. It's not what I would usually make for dinner but it sure will be good, hearty camping food. It was a big hit with everyone who came over for dinner last night. I used charcoal under the dutch oven to cook up the sausage and saute the potatoes. And then when I added the eggs and cheese I put the lid on and put charcoal on top of it to turn it into an oven.


When we are camping I will be using a mix of coals from the campfire and charcoal. I want to use the keyhole fire pit method when we are camping. The fire pit will look like...well...a keyhole. The big fire will be in the circular part of the pit and then your rake hot coals down the little neck of the pit to where you are cooking. This allows for more control of the heat you are cooking with. I also bought a standing grate to put over the coals.

I am really looking forward to camping and cooking some yummy campfire meals for my family. Summer is on the way!