Tuesday, November 25, 2008

On the (Sixth &) Seventh Day, We Rested

It's been crazy around here lately, and we've been in desperate need of some rest, both physical and mental. This past weekend, we made full use of both days for playing, cooking, napping, and catching up. It was a gift.

Grace also made full use of both days. She did the usual (sleeping, eating, playing, cooing) and also threw in some huddling under a blanket after a shower,



and some wide-eyed stroller riding.


We look forward to a short week, a nice long weekend complete with a designated day for giving thanks, and entering the busyness of next week fully rested. We wish you all the same.

Melinda (& Vic)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

A Recipe for Autumn

As I stand in the kitchen, drinking my umpteenth beverage today (I'm getting over a cold), and occasionally checking on the Peanut via video monitor, I peruse cookbooks and food blogs to find recipes for those foods that are quintessentially fall. Soup and stew are my favorites. In fact, Vic and I have even reserved www.bisquette.com should I ever want to make bisques, chowders, stews, and other soups for a living. (But don't look now... we haven't actually put up a website there.)

Beef stew was dinner the last two nights. It's cliche but true that it just gets better with each reheating. The night before that we tried a new recipe -- a chicken and corn soup from one of the food blogs I read regularly for gluten-free inspiration. I did a little tailoring of the recipe (I don't like cilantro, and agave isn't something I have around the house), but you can find the original here. In a word, delicious. Or, to quote Jack Black in Nacho Libre, "I make the soup... It's fantastic!" This is an autumn recipe I will definitely be making again. Probably next week.

What is your favorite fall food?

Melinda

Monday, November 17, 2008

The Many Faces of Grace

So this blog is supposed to be about the Lipsey family. Lately, it's been all about one particular (and very popular) member of the Lipsey family. Okay. We understand. She's pretty popular with us too. And we promise to post an update about something non-baby-related very soon, maybe about our new house (if the offer is accepted) or about Vic's new office. Maybe even a picture of some of the delicious meals that get cooked around here from time to time.

Until then, these photos will have to do... Oh, and if it seems like some of them are a little blurry, that's only because Grace is in constant motion. This is a little girl who will probably skip crawling, skip walking, and go straight to running.







Grace was a ladybug for Halloween








Monday, November 3, 2008

A Day in the Life

Grace is now three months old, and her days are busy ones:


being fed by papa


sleeping in her hammock


being held by her grandmother
(who came for a two week visit and was such a huge help!)


hanging out in her bumbo chair


dancing with mama


Our days are busy too, not only with caring for the Peanut, but also with two big moves. Vic's current office is bursting at the seams and, while we're so thankful for the growth in the business, we needed to find an office that would allow everyone to have more than a foot of personal space. So sometime around December 1, they'll all be packing up their computers and heading for the new office near Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood. The location is more centrally located, convenient to I-5 and 405, and 2 1/2 times the size of the current office. There are also lots of windows and two outdoor decks, so everyone will get to see the light of day, even in the winter.

Our other move is our home. We've been renting our current home since we were married in the summer of 2006. The home has been a wonderful gift -- more than we needed really -- and we've liked living here. But with an upcoming change of landlords and the move of Vic's office, not to mention the favorable market for home buyers, it just makes sense to find a new place. We've been out looking several times, and hope to hear back soon about the offer we put in on a home near the mall.

With all this, we are even more thankful that Grace is sleeping 8-9 hours per night...

Melinda