Happy 7th Birthday, Nathalieland!

It was 7 years ago today that I started this little blog of mine. Now I have 1,200 posts to look back on; posts about everything from pregnancies to baby years to first steps to school days to holidays and birthdays throughout the years. Not to mention posts about our home, our travels, my sewing projects, and cooking adventures. And all with LOTS and LOTS of pictures.

As with every new year (except when I forget, like last year!), I like to change my background. So here's to a fresh look, less frequent posts, but still lots of pictures and memories. Happy Birthday, Nathalieland!

January 2010

January 2011

January 2012, 2013

January 2014

January 2015, 2016

Something to Blog About

My new blogging plan this year is to only blog when I have something to blog about, rather than regularly writing posts every 2-3 days. In the latter case I would often have to find things to write about, making an extra effort to plan/photograph/compose. But this year I've decided to spend more time on other activities (writing, drawing, playing the ukulele, spending time with my family, etc) rather than spending time at the computer. I'm sure I'll keep up with all the major birthdays, holidays, and events, but it's going to get a bit quieter around here. Until next time!

Best Recipes Recap

As promised, here is a list of all the new recipes we've tried and loved. These are the ones we now make (or will make) regularly, which was the point of this whole 'try new recipes' thing. Links and pictures, as well as a "Best Recipes Recap" label, are included for easy reference. I also included links to the original New Recipes posts since I often wrote about changes/comments in my reviews.

Pappardelle with Duck Ragu 

(New Recipes 1)

Vietnamese Grilled Pork & Rice Noodles

(New Recipes 1)

Tuna Melt 

(New Recipes 2)

Almond-Crusted Tilapia

(New Recipes 2)

Seared Scallops with Bacony Brussels Sprouts

(New Recipes 3)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

(New Recipes 3)

Curried Maple-Mustard Chicken Breasts

(New Recipes 5)

Balsamic Braised Pork Chops

(New Recipes 5)

Plantain Pancakes

(New Recipes 7)

Coconut Chicken

(New Recipes 7)

Alton Brown's Hollandaise Sauce

(New Recipes 8)

Julia Child Hash Browns

(New Recipes 8)

Spicy Thai Chicken Zoodle Salad

(New Recipes 9)

Pulled Pork with BBQ Mustard Sauce

(New Recipes 9)

New England Clam Chowder

(New Recipes 9)

Lemon Blueberry Cake

(New Recipes 10)

Citrus Vinaigrette for Salad with Steak

(New Recipes 11)

Korean Beef Patties

(New Recipes 11)

German Potato Salad

(New Recipes 12)

Basil Sauce for Fish

(New Recipes 12)

Joe Beef's Lobster Spaghetti

(New Recipes 13)

Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

(New Recipes 13)

Homemade French Fries

(New Recipes 13)

Homemade Rosé Sauce

(New Recipes 13)

Fresh Corn Salad

(New Recipes 14)

Dressing from Smoky Brussels Sprout Salad

(New Recipes 14)

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

(New Recipes 14)

Pasta with Roast Tomato Sauce

(New Recipes 15)

Pan-Seared Salmon with Ginger Lime Sauce

(New Recipes 16)

I must confess that I've been lazy over the past month and haven't recorded any new recipes (there haven't been many). My main complaint is the lack of natural light, which makes food look a lot less appetizing! Hopefully I'll get back into it when the sunlight comes back (or maybe I should make more new recipes at lunch time). In the meantime, bon appétit!

Icy Fort

When I blogged about our new neighbourhood park in July, I mentioned the awesome 'fort' near the park's walking path. Back then the fort was a rocky, mossy, wooded area, great for climbing and exploring. Now, with the perfect combination of melting snow and freezing overnight temperatures, the fort has turned into an icy wonderland. The entire fort is covered with thin layers of ice, making it tons of fun to walk (and stomp!) around in.

Walking path

Summer vs. Winter

Climbing down into the fort

Cracking the ice -- strangely satisfying!

Very thin layers

Steve and I have to admit that the fort is not perfectly safe... As Steve was walking farther in, he stepped on some thin ice and fell down a 2-foot-deep hole. Luckily he didn't get hurt, but yikes!

When the snow melts this spring there will be a creek running through the fort. We'll be sure to check it out then too!

Nathalieland Update - Teeth/Ukulele/School

New Smile. Jessica has a brand new smile -- she lost her two front teeth! She lost the first one on New Years Day, then lost the other one the following morning. Loving her new, grown-up look.

Three Ukuleles. Ever since Christmas, I've been playing with Jessica's ukulele, watching YouTube tutorials and learning simple chords/songs. Jessica wasn't thrilled with my constant use of her new present, so I decided I should head out and buy my own. Emily and Jessica came with me to our local music store and the girls ended up finding colourful ukuleles that they really liked. So I bought those instead, and Jessica's brown one was passed down to me. Yay! Steve might say that I'm a bit obsessed, but it's been such a fun hobby to learn and play the uke.

Three ukes for three girls

Today's lunch notes

Back to School. The girls are back at school today after two weeks off for Christmas break. We had such a nice break filled with pyjama days, sledding, movies (including Sing twice!), puzzles, and family visits. The less good part was that someone was almost always sick, which translated into many terrible sleeps. I'm sure we're all looking forward to being healthy and getting back into a nice routine.

Getting started on our 1000-piece Christmas puzzle

(Dec 26th)

The first connections!

The girls lost interest pretty quickly, so then it was all up to me and (mostly) Steve

All done!

(Jan 5th)