IT'S A GIRL!

We are so excited to find out that we are having a baby girl. The ultrasound went perfectly. It was great to see her move and that she had fingers and toes. We are one blessed family!

Oatmeal Applesauce Blueberry Muffins

I woke up this morning thinking MUFFINS, I must have MUFFINS. I found this recipe a couple of days ago and thought I should give it a shot. It has whole wheat flour, oats, applesauce and only a couple tablespoons of oil in it. Really healthy. I was a bit skeptical about how they would taste - but to my surprise they were terrific - yummy even. I think I will actually keep this recipe and make it often; they are that good. It was a great way to start my day. 

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

source: adapted from Joy the Baker

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh are highly recommended)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases or spray with nonstick cooking spray. I simple greased and floured a muffin pan, saving the paper.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
4. Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Yields 12-15 muffins.

Hiking on Memorial Day

We decided we needed to get out and explore the area some more so we went on a hike. I found it in a book I have I got at REI a while ago called, Easy Hiking in Northern California. We decided to hike to a place called Dry Creek Falls. It's in between Grass Valley and Marysville. We had a good time. Marston was busy and tired from not getting a nap. He had a hard time knowing what he wanted, like most 2 year olds. Anyway we hiked in about 2 and a half miles to the falls. It was beautiful and huge. I think the book said it was 50 feet tall. We looked at the falls, ate some trial mix and turned around for another 2 and a half miles back to the car. It was a nice day and it felt good to exercise.

Our new backyard.

For the past couple of months we have been working on our backyard. We have a very small space so we wanted to be careful about the plans for it and using the space most efficiently. We decided to concrete most of it and line the fence with planter boxes. That way we can have a patio set, Marston can drive trucks and cars on it and we can get a kiddie pool for those hot summer days. Plus I can try my "light green" thumb at gardening. We started with the concrete. We concreted most all of the yard. We left out the space for the planter boxes and that's it. We had a good friend do it and it turned out beautifully. When that was done, Daniel got out there and designed and created a drain system for the boxes and added water bibs at each end of the boxes. On another Saturday, he built 12 inch redwood planter boxes and the week after we filled them with dirt. I planted tomatoes, a green pepper, a red pepper, cucumbers, onions, strawberries, some herbs, marigolds, snapdragons and a shasta daisy. I have also put a couple of blueberry bushes and a mandarine tree in pots on our new patio. We bought a new grill which I have loved cooking meals on.  I think it turned out wonderfully. I love having the extra space for Marston to play and being able to get my hands a little dirty. Thank you Daniel for all your hard work. Let's be honest, he did most of it.

Blueberry Crisp

This blueberry crisp recipe is wonderful. I got a ton of yummy blueberries from costco the other day and wanted to make a dessert with them. I came across this recipe on the food network site. It's from the Neelys. I've never made anything from them before and in fact I have never seen their show but it got good reviews so I tried it. It is delicious! I halved the recipe and didn't have the right size pan so it looks kinda funny but tastes great. I would also double the crumb topping next time. It seems like the fruit to topping ratio was off.  

Ingredients

• 6 cups blueberries, rinsed and lightly dried
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch salt

Topping Mixture:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 stick room temperature unsalted butter, cubed
• Whipped cream, for topping
• Ice cream, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Toss blueberries, cornstarch, sugar and a pinch of salt together in a bowl.

Combine flour, oats, brown and white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans in a bowl. Add butter and pinch into chunks. Mix until it looks crumbly.

Add the blueberries into a 2-quart baking dish. Top evenly with the crumb mixture. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream and whipped cream.

Our trip to Michigan

We got to go out to Ann Arbor for Daniel's brother's dental school graduation. We had such a great time. I grew up out there so I loved seeing familiar places and showing Dan my old stomping ground. We got to spend time with Dan's brother, Ben and his wife Telia and their two adorable kids. We celebrated a lot while we were out there. Ben graduated and is now a doctor, mother's day, our 5th year anniversary and Ben's 30th birthday. It was one big celebration trip. I loved it! 

Marston loved to play with Aeden's car. I'm keeping my eyes open for one at garage sales now. 

Grandma and Grandpa Anderson with all four adorable grandchildren.

We went to Greenfield Village in Detroit. It's a living history museum and a lot of fun. Daniel is pushing a turn table for trains. 

Marston and Aeden were so serious on carousel at Greenfield Village.

Greenfield Village. 

We drove out to my old childhood home in Clinton. It was so cool to see everything exactly the same. I loved it. 

Farmer's market in Ann Arbor.

My first blueberry!

I planted some blueberry bushes a couple of weeks ago in some pots and didn't think I would get fruit for a year or two. BUT I found this little beauty under all the other green ones. I was so excited, I got the camera out and took a picture then ate it. It was really sweet. I can't wait for more.