.While we're on the subject.

Of babies that is; Cheyenne and I have been doing a lot of talking lately about our plans for Clarkling #2. The original plan was to start trying this September and have a summer 2012 baby. But honestly, after considering it from all angles {physically, mentally, emotionally, financially} we've decided that it would be best for our family to put it off until next summer and aim for a Spring 2013 baby.
There are several reasons & factors that helped us come to this decision not the least of which was Amelia's needs. Neither Cheyenne or I think it's fair or good parenting to make a child grow up faster than they need to. With an extra year before a sibling she wont be rushed out of baby/toddler-hood which {in theory only I'm sure} would make it a less stressful transition into the role of Big Sister. We also think that it would be more fair to the would-be baby to have Amelia old enough to be able to go to preschool part time {at 3 she would only be there in the mornings and at that only 3 days a week} so that I can have one on one time to bond and read and love the baby in that mother/child way that I was lucky enough to have with my firstborn.
There's also the practical aspects: that age difference would be pretty hard on me physically, even just that 9 month difference is a big help. Cheyenne's company was purchased this past year and their insurance will be changing come January 1st - I'd like to have all of that settled and in place before we even begin the process. Remember when my insurance changed at the beginning of my first pregnancy and I had to change doctors and hospitals in order to stay within the coverage? I'm not going through that again. We also aren't sure about staying here in our current house. We know that we need to move before Amelia starts kindergarten because the school system here is awful but at the same time we aren't ready to give up and move to the 'burbs just yet. Plus, if we're being honest, we need more space. So the whole thing is in the air with regards to moving and whether or not we leave we will at least have a better plan of what we want and when next summer.
There are a host of other factors, as would be expected with a decision as large as having a child, but this post has already rambled on quite a bit.
I will say, that we are both really happy with this choice and know that it's what's best for each member {and someday member} of our family and that's what's most important.

.The secret's out!

.The Clarks & Sidwells at their wedding last June {look how teensy Peanut is}.

A while back I said that I was privy to a very exciting secret that I would have to keep quiet for a few weeks. Well, I am super happy to announce that my cousin Brianna & her husband Tyler are going to have their first baby this winter! Yay! I was told pretty early on {we talk via google chat throughout the week} but sworn to secrecy as only a small handful of people were in on the secret {their moms & Brianna's sister, Ashton}.
Little baby Sidwell has an EDD {estimated due date} of February 4th which, if you'll recall, is just 2 weeks earlier than what Amelia's was which means that our pregnancies will follow a similar-ish timetable. Yay for new baby cousins!

.Happy anniversary, my love.

"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much a heart can hold."
~Zelda Fitzgerald~

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the day that I {cliche as it sounds} married my best friend, partner in crime, & love of my life.
Every morning for the last 1,095 days I have woken up so happy to be married to this man and each of those nights I have fallen asleep so grateful that I have such a tremendous love in my life.

,Recipe of the week.

Between the amazing produce available right now in the farmers markets and the fact the Amelia is a temporary vegetarian {we've decided to hold off on meat until she's 3 and then introduce her to fish first then poultry and hold off on pork and beef until she's 4} we've been all about veggies lately. I found this recipe a while ago and love it! It's filling and delicious but light enough for summer. enjoy!

Artichoke & Leek Lasagna

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. dried lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. olive oil
12 baby leeks, including 3 inches of green
portion, or 5 large leeks, including 1 inch of
green, rinsed well and cut into 1/2-inch dice
Juice of 1 lemon
4 large or 20 baby artichokes
1/2 cup water
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups milk
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/2 lb. whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain, immerse in cold water to cool and drain again. Lay the noodles on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper; set aside.

3. In a fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté until very soft and lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set the pan and leeks aside.

4. Fill a large bowl with water and add the lemon juice. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, cut off the top half and remove the tough outer leaves down to the pale green leaves. Cut off the base of the stems and peel away the dark green outer layer. If using large artichokes, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the prickly chokes. Cut the artichokes, large or small, lengthwise into thin slices. Add the slices to the lemon water.

5. Drain the artichokes and add to the fry pan along with the 1/2 cup water and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat until the liquid evaporates and the artichokes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the leeks and stir to combine. Set aside.

6. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk to just below a boil. In another saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Stir the flour into the butter and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the hot milk. Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring, until thick and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove the sauce from the heat.

7. Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 375°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil.

8. Cover the bottom of the prepared dish with a layer of the noodles. Spoon one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with one-third of the leek-artichoke mixture and then with one-third of the sauce. Repeat the layering twice. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake until golden and bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve. Remove the sauce from the heat.

.And how was your weekend.

Mine was fantastic. After a very long week for both of us {Cheyenne's been bogged down at the office & Amelia was a pill all week} we were both looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend and that's just what we got.
Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow so we went out to celebrate on Saturday while Grandpa watched the Peanut {it was the first time that someone else gave her dinner, a bath, & put her to bed which gave me a mild panic attack}. Cheyenne & I went out here in our part of town {St. John's} for "NoFest", a local festival celebrating all things NoPo {North Portland for those of you that don't live in the area}. It was great, the weather was super nice and there was a ton of dancing and singing in the streets along with stalls of every kind. Then we went out for thai food {mmmm thai food} here in St John's as well. We gorged ourselves on avocado green curry, spring rolls, & pad kee mow; luckily we had decided to walk from the house to the festival & dinner {the festival took place on the length of St. John's main street so everything was within walking distance} so the fresh air and walking helped settle our very full tummies. We rounded out the night with stops to The Fixin' To, Plews Brews, & the McMenamins St. John's Pub. It was the perfect NoPo experience and so much fun for our anniversary.
Yesterday was spent just relaxing and playing with the baby and animals and a trip to Sauvie's Island for some amazing fresh, local, organic produce which we all three devoured for dinner {artichokes, mango, avocado, marionberries, raspberries, strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, sugar snap peas}. Ahhh, it's so nice to start off the week actually recharged!

.PALS Contest.

Hey guys! My beautiful baby is in a cutest kids contest being held by Mike Long of Katchlight Photography {our very favorite photographer}. To vote please "like" Katchlight's Facebook page then go to the 0-18 month PALS photo album and "like" Amelia's photo. The photo with the most "likes" wins the contest!

.Tgif.

Ahhhh, the weekend. It's taken the better part of a week but we finally have Amelia 100% back on schedule after last weekend's shake up and fun. It's been a looooooooong week but everything is finally back to normal. Thank goodness it's Friday!
One of my very favorite things about Summer is sangria. For our wedding {which will be exactly 3 years ago on the 28th} we received a fantastic wet bar from my parents {one of our favorite gifts}. Along the bottom is a wine rack and just so that it would be full and pretty looking when given to us it was filled with a bunch of wine that wasn't quite....our taste. We weren't sure what to do with all of that wine until our fabulous neighbor at the time {I have hours of stories about George} suggested that we use it to make sangria. Well DUH we thought! We love{d} sangria and being an unbelievably hot summer it seemed perfect to have an icy cold pitcher of sangria after work. That summer we went through all of the wine we were given and more {oh how i miss living 2 blocks away from Trader Joe's}. Red wines, white wines, rosé wines, and prosecco with all manner of fruits.
Since then sangria has been our go-to summer drink and with each sip we're taken back to those first months as newlyweds .

Plum & Nectarine Sangria

Note: Look for plums and nectarines that are ripe but still firm to ensure that they do not become too soft when soaked in the wine. Rinse the fruits well to remove any surface chemicals before slicing them. Use a dry white Rioja or Sauvignon Blanc for the wine.
Ingredients:

3 plums, halved, pitted and cut into thin wedges
3 nectarines, halved, pitted and cut into thin wedges
1 can (12 fl. oz.) nectarine nectar
1/4 cup orange liqueur
1 bottle (750ml) dry white wine
Ice cubes as needed
1 bottle (24 fl. oz.) sparkling water, chilled

Directions:

1. In a large pitcher, combine the plum wedges, nectarine wedges, nectarine nectar, orange liqueur and wine. Stir well, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours to blend the flavors.

2. To serve, fill glasses with ice cubes and add the wine mixture, dividing evenly. Top off each glass with sparkling water. Serve immediately.

.Playing Around.

.Latest Photo Session.

A couple of weeks ago we had a new photo session with the amazing Mike Long of Katchlight Studios. The images are now up on an online gallery and they are AWESOME! The gallery will only be online for one week so go check them out asap! click here and enter 5ff5a68a as your access code!

.Crash.

Remember how I mentioned that Amelia's schedule has been thrown a little out of whack? This is what happens when a certain someone wakes up too early in the morning but doesn't get a nap until noon {her regular nap time}.

.Happy Solstice!

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.

Have a wonderful Midsummer Night everyone!

.Goodbye Dave.

.Love this.

.Three people that should never be split up.

.This is my very favorite photo of Amelia & her "Uncle Dave" ever taken.

.Those grins are up to no good.

.Long story about that "toy"

.Amy & Amelia sharing secrets.

As you know, our friend David Peterson is moving to Maui. Last night he and his fiance Amy came over for their goodbyes after which the wind was sadly removed from our sails {especially poor Cheyenne's}. Sigh. Two years will go by faster than it sounds....right?

.Getting caught up.

Oh my gosh you guys, I'm so sorry for the absence! Things have been a bit crazy here and mixed with laziness on my part I've let too many days slip by without posting!
Last week was hectic getting the house clean and ready for visitors and grocery shopping. Then of course 24 hours before our company {Cheyenne's mother, baby sister, sister's boyfriend, & mom's friend} arrived all four of our car tires went tits up and needed replacing {oh of course} which just kind of added to the "offness" of the whole week.
Our weekend however was great. Very very busy, but great. The weather worked out perfectly and we were able to show off our beloved city. We took the aerial tram up to the OHSU {Oregon Health & Science University} campus where Cara {sister} is hoping to apply for grad school {we have our fingers crossed} then we took the streetcar downtown to see Pioneer Square and had lunch downtown as well. We also visited the International Rose Test Garden, the Saturday Market, the Nike campus, & Cheyenne's office. There were so many other places that we wanted to go {the coast, the mountains, the gorge, wine country, the zoo, the East Side, Sauvie's Island, Trillium Park, the rhododendron gardens, the Portland Farmers Market, the Hoyt Arboretum, etc etc} but didn't want to overwhelm everyone and not give the chance to just breathe and relax and play with the baby. Sigh. There's always next time, and the time after to get in the other things that our little slice of heaven has to offer.
In related news: we had such a great time that we didn't get a single photo! Ack!!! I want it noted that I charged up the still and video cameras and brought them both with my EVERYWHERE but dropped the ball when it came to actually taking them out and USING them {something that has proven crucial to the whole "capturing images" thing}. Oy vey.
The bad part of the trip is that with so much running around and visiting Amelia's nap & bedtime schedule got all mixed up which has thrown her out of whack. She's woken up at 5:00am for the last 3 days {instead of her usual 7:15am} which means that Cheyenne and I are basically zombies {another reason why I've been so bad at posting on here}. Im hopeful that after a few days of being back to normal she'll go back to sleeping in to her regular time and I can get some energy back.
Until then I'll just be sitting here lazing about.

.Sorry guys!

.16 months old.

.Blowing kisses.

.The coolest kid in town.

I've been a bad blogger lately and I'm sorry! I have a whole list of blogs that I read each morning and I know how annoying it can be when you take the time to check something daily and there aren't any changes.
We've been a bit busy lately. My mother & sister in law are coming to town this week and we've been getting the house and such ready. Then there's the kid. Oy vey! Between the teething, the toddler tantrums starting, and disruptions to her sleep routine she's been quite the handful and I just simply haven't had the energy.
After our guests leave I promise to have a minimum of one big catch up post with photos and the like as well as recipes and cocktails to make up for this weeks slip-ups. In the meantime, here are a couple of recent photos to tide you over!

.Cocktail.

So I think that I'm coming down with a bit of a low grade cold or my allergies are acting up {my money is on the second one} and my brain has been a bit muddled. I just realized that I forgot to share a drink recipe on Friday for the weekly TGIF post. D'oh! The weather this weekend was beyond perfect - 84 and sunny which means that the neighborhood pool opened up and ice cream man started his hourly torment on my mental state {a human is not meant to hear "pop goes the weasel" that many times in one day}. My very favorite treat from the ice cream man growing up was the Creamsicle - yummy orange sherbet on the outside with creamy vanilla inside, the perfect combo. Here is a dangerously delicious recipe to mimic that yummy treat - with a grown up kick. Enjoy!

Grown-up Creamsicle

1/2 ounce orange vodka
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
1 ounce cream

Fill a shaker with 1/2 cup ice. Shake all ingredients well & pour into a highball glass.

You can use a scoop of vanilla ice cream in place of the cream and ice for an even more delicious version!

.Recipe of the week.

I love chocolate. L-O-V-E it, I know that's a total girl stereotype but I can't help it and don't care. If you're having a bit of a chocolate craving give this recipe a try - I've had it so long that it's actually written by hand on a card in my recipe box {whereas most of them are typed and printed because I have handwriting that is normally too big and loopy to fit a whole recipe on one card}. I have a few excellent chocolate cake recipes but this is for sure the easiest, quickest, and least messy to make - perfect for when you gotta have chocolate and you dont want to wait forever until you get it. Enjoy!

Yummy Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour
2 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup strong black coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate frosting:
In a medium bowl sift together 2 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, & 6 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder then set aside. In a large bowl cream 6 tablespoons of butter until smooth then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternating with evaporated milk until you get the consistency that you like {I usually need about 4 ounces of evaporated milk - add it a couple of tablespoons at a time so that you have more control}. Mix in 1 tablespoon of vanilla and you're done!

Directions:
1. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans & pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, & salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer {or just a large bowl if you only have a hand-held mixer}.

3. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, & vanilla.

4. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes {batter will be thin} then pour into prepared pans.

5. Bake 30-35 minutes.

6. Cool completely then frost with chocolate frosting.

.Recipe of the week.

With Memorial Day behind us and Independence Day on the horizon, not to mention the general fun of Summer I thought this recipe would be perfect to share. I love trifles, they are easy to make, look fantastic, and taste great - the perfect combination for Summer entertaining. I got this recipe from the Food Network. Enjoy!

Patriotic Berry Trifle

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice {this means from lemons - not lemon shaped bottles}

1/4 teaspoon almond extract {I prefer Nielsen Massey brand}

1 angel food cake, cut into 1 inch slices {I like to make my own the night before but if you're pressed for time a good quality store-bought one can easily work}

1 pound cream cheese {or mascarpone for a fuller flavor}

2 cups heavy cream, at room temp

2 pints blueberries {we like to get our berries from the local farmers market, the quality is better, it's organic, and you're supporting local farmers}

2 pints strawberries, hulled & sliced

Directions:

1. Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.

2. Brush both sides of each slice of cake with the syrup. Cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.

3. Beat the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.

4. Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 13-cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then sprinkle with more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.