black skirt blues

This post brought to you by 11 o' clock church: where you can have a crazy morning and still be in your seat early!

When I was in high school I got my first dressy skirt suit. The jacket doesn't fit like it used to, but the skirt has been a staple in my wardrobe . . . for the past 6 years. Every girl needs a go-to black skirt. But after six years of going to it, it gets old.

In those years since high school I have gradually added to my wardrobe, but somehow, when faced with getting ready on Sunday several outfits end up on me, and then on the floor, and then I resort back to the black skirt. Today was one such morning.

First it was the cute coral jumper with bolero shrug. Scratch that. I'm nursing. Tops + skirts only.

Next it was the hip grey skirt I picked up at Nordy's rack in Spokane. Perfect if there was something to wear on top. Tried some black tops - spit up smudges. Dark sweater vest? ugly (and maternity, so kind of an awkward fit right now).

A few more things went on, and then off, and so the black skirt it was. And she delivered like an old, true friend.

restaurant review

Ten points to Grandma for watching the little one tonight so McKay and I could have a {much needed} date night. We tried out a new restaurant downtown, called Faustina. Two thumbs way up!

The rosemary foccacia bread with olive oil and balsamic was delish. And the appetizer - olives, cheeses and meats - mmmmm mmmm! My entree was decent, though I'll be choosing something other than the ultra-fish-dish next time {don't get me wrong, I love sea food, just not in the right mood}. The dessert, vanilla bean creme brulee, topped off the meal perfectly. We'll definitely be going back!

The next time you're on the look out for a special meal and great service, head down to Broadway street and give Faustina a try.   

{weekend sundries}

- kick off your weekend with this article on mormon mommy blogs {featured on salon.com}. Peruse the hyperlinks and infuse your blog curriculum with some fun and fresh hipster bloggers.

- spending your Valentine's day with a geek? {lego earbuds, geekstuff4u.com}

- new best blogging tool ever. How hard is it to get pictures right on blogger? FotoFlexer.com is the discovery of the day {thanks to Monta and Wendy!}

- can you believe Angry Birds? If you haven't played this game - on a smartphone or otherwise - you're missing out on one of the hottest hits of 2010. Anyway, I thought these iPhone covers were fun, and just reaffirmed the world's obsession with these feisty little fowl.

- just discovered this website. eye candy from A-Z

picture this

Last night McKay's mom was over for a bit with Jack and wanted to get some pictures of her with her two grandkids. As you can see, Harper was not in the mood for a photo shoot. 

She's sure a cute little grump!

Fortunately, a couple weeks ago she was in a great mood for photos and I was able to capture some fun little gems.

On a final note, Harper rolled over today from her tummy to her back - hooray! She's only done it once but she's been getting so strong and wiggly that I think it's only a matter of time til she's cruising! I'm also seeing early teething signs from her - what? Drool city, sucking her bottom lip, her hands, frozen pacifiers, and being generally more fussy during the day. I think I'll look into some teething tablets or something. Any tips from veteran moms?

pineapple glazed chicken

I've made this recipe twice now, and it is so delicious (+ easy and inexpensive) that I had to share it.

Pineapple Glazed Chicken with Jalapeno Salsa

ingredients

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup 1/4-inch cubes fresh pineapple
• 3 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canned sliced jalapeño chiles, drained, coarsely chopped
• 4 boneless chicken breasts

preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring pineapple juice, brown sugar, and mustard to boil in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil until glaze has thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix pineapple, red pepper, cilantro, onion, and chiles in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Line baking sheet with foil. Place chicken on sheet and brush with glaze. Bake 15 minutes. Brush again with glaze, then broil until cooked through and golden, watching closely to avoid burning, about 5 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes.

Spoon salsa over chicken and serve.

Sadly, I didn't think to take a picture of my own cooking tonight, so the one I yanked from epicurious.com will have to do. 

I haven't measured the salsa ingredients either time I've made it and it has turned out great. Just eyeball the onions, peppers, etc. The ingredients are so great together that you almost can't go wrong. This last time I did a bit of red, yellow and orange bell pepper to make it colorful and exciting! Fresh pineapple makes it so juicy and delicious. I double the sugar/juice mixture and add what's left of it (after the basting) to the salsa. Mmmm mmmm! Grab a couple chicken breasts out of the freezer and give this one a go- you won't be disappointed! And if your'e like us, you'll gobble up the remaining salsa with tortilla chips and may suffer from pineapple-overload-stingy-tongue. Worth it. 

the Harper post

Harper is peacefully snoozing on me right now, which gives me the perfect opportunity to blog.

To start with, here's what Harper is up to at eleven weeks old:

-smiling lots, with the occasional laugh. She has about 45-minutes of alert, awake time right after she eats (or wakes up from a nap) where we play and interact. She smiles and makes eye contact and babbles a bit. When we're lucky, we can get a little laugh out of her. Here's a little clip of one of her first laughs:

(because I was holding the phone and trying to get her to laugh, it's not the best filming job, but you get the idea!)

-sleeping from about 10pm-5am on average. I'm so grateful she's gotten a night routine down so quickly! I'm still waiting for her to take good naps in her crib, but when it comes to night time, she loves going to bed! I nurse her around 9 or 9:30 and then put her down. She goes to sleep without a fuss, sucking on her fingers (melts my heart!) She wakes up around 4 or 5am, eats, and then goes right back down for another three hours or so. It's really nice having some time with McKay before bed, knowing she'll be happily asleep for most of the night. 

-growing! At her 2 month appointment she weighed in at 14.1 lbs (97th percentile) and was 24 1/4 inches long (95th percentile). Her head is measuring in the 50th percentile, which means she'll probably end up in the 50th percentile after a year or two of growing and adjusting. She's a chunk and we love her chubby cheeks, big round belly and leg rolls. She gives us a good workout, too - she just loves being held and carted around the house!

-her head/neck control is getting better and better and I don't think we are too far away from some tummy to back rolling. We think she's just great!

blessing

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We blessed Harper and had lots of family and friends to share our special day with. After church was over we enjoyed a delicious mexican meal at our house. We had shredded chicken, pork, or beef tacos - with all the fixins - and tasty cheese cake and peppermint brownie desserts (thanks to the sisters-in-law). Here are some photos from the big day:

I love Harper's annoyed face in this picture!

The men

close-up of our little sweetheart

Harper with Grandma Monta - the beautiful dressmaker!

Harper loves the attention from Abbie and little Lira