Siam Cafe

We went to the Siam Cafe for lunch after Chinese shopping one Saturday. This is my favorite Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. The flavors are out of this world. They also happen to have my favorite soup, which has coconut milk and chicken broth, lemongrass, and pieces of moist juicy chicken. It's so amazing. They also make very incredible spring rolls, which are one of our main reasons for eating there. We also shared chicken satay, and Robb got some hot and sour soup, with mushrooms and shrimp. (Which he didn't finish and we ended up leaving our to go box on our table. So sad, all of those shrimp I was going to eat...) I also think they have beautiful plates.

Here I am, happy as can be! Makes me want to go all over again. I shouldn't have looked at these pictures!

Tempeh

After getting home from visiting little Austin, we made a delicious new recipe, Spicy Thai Tempeh with Cashews! Tempeh is a soy food that has been eaten in Asia for hundreds of years. It is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans and formed into a patty, similar to a very firm veggie burger. Although tempeh is made tofu, tempeh is also very high in protein and calcium, as well as beneficial isoflavones, but tastes nothing like tofu. Tempeh has a textured and nutty flavor. Depending on the brand, one serving of tempeh provides around 200 calories, 18.2 grams of protein (that's even more protein per gram than tofu!), and 10% of the RDA of both calcium and iron. Tempeh is a naturally cholesterol-free food, as are all vegan foods. For our meal, I steamed and then crumbled the tempeh and used it in the stir fry like ground meat. We served it with tofu shirataki noodles (also low carb, high protein), for a delicious vegetarian complete meal. Robb even gobbled it up, so it had to have been good!

We served it with homemade potstickers and spring rolls! What a fabulous dinner!

Besides the tempeh, this recipe had red onion, roasted red pepper, cashews, and green onion. It was mouth watering!

Velcro Fur #2

Charley's velcro fur also grabs snow! Here's how it happens...

He runs all around through the snow, playing with sticks he finds. Then he comes inside...

I have to blowdry the snowballs off his fur and from between his toes. I think he'll have a pretty short hair cut for the summer. I can't imagine how I'd ever be able to keep him clean with all we do in the summer with this long hair! Stay posted for Charley's first haircut in the early summer!

Velcro Fur

My little Charley LOVES to run and play at our neighbors! She dog-sits and has 2 of her own, so it's always a dog party over there! The downside- she has no grass, snow has melted, and there is mud everywhere! The dogs probably love it, but for the parents, not so much! Charley had a great time playing over there, and came home looking like this... His fur is like VELCRO! Everything sticks to it! His curly poodle fur absorbs whatever is around him and is very hard to maintain. It's hard enough to brush and comb him all the time to get his dreadlocks out, but when he's a muddy mess, oh boy!

He used to be dark brown as a puppy, but now only when he's covered in mud!

Robb gave him a bath this time, since last time my back hurt for days. Look at the muddy water! That was only the rinse cycle. Then there is a wash cycle, a rinse cycle, a conditioner cycle, and a final rinse cycle. It's harder then doing laundry!

Afterwards, he was back to being fuzzy and cappuccino colored again!

But, then he needed brushed and combed! I just love his sweet face peaking out, just dealing with it! He's such a good boy. I've been brushing him since he was a baby, and he's very used to it! Thank goodness!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 30th birthday! I had a wonderful day! I woke up to a Happy Birthday text from my good friend BriAnne, then got a Happy Birthday phone call from Jill. As I laid on my air mattress with my Charley, I got another call from my friend Blerina, and a Happy Birthday email from my work friends, Carleen and Peggy and another from BriAnne. Then I went to lunch at La Malfa for the United Way of Lake County's Celebrity server luncheon. I had lunch with several of my work friends, and had a yummy St. Patrick's Day meal of corned beef and cabbage.

Maria (Mentor/Richmond manager), Kim (Eastlake Manager), and me (Mortgage Originator) These gals are both expecting their 3rd, and 2nd children this summer! I love working with them, it is really nice to work with people who become your friends!

After lunch, I got a phone call from Stacy, and then returned home to pick up Charley at my neighbors, and got a Happy Birthday hug and a card from Linda. When I got back to my doorstep, there was a lovely Edible Arrangements bouquet from my dear friend Jill! I was so terribly excited to get this healthy, but with some chocolate gift.

I munched on the beautiful bouquet while I made some work phone calls, and then my sister called to wish me Happy Birthday. After that, I got to chat with Jill on her way home from work, and also one of my favorite little guys, Braden. Just after that, I talked to my mom and planned my birthday dinner cake for Sunday. She is making me a healthy dinner of vegetarian lasagna, baked eggplant, and tossed salad. For dessert, I will have my birthday treat, a homemade ice cream cake! It will start with a yellow cake base, covered in fudge. Then next will be a layer of cake batter ice cream with milky way chunks and sprinkles mixed in. After that, she'll layer it up one more time, and top it with fresh whipped cream and gummy bears! I can't wait to eat it! While I was waiting for Robb to get home from work, I got a Happy Birthday text from his dad, and then, finally, my Honey got home! He came in with a BEAUTIFUL pink bouquet of flowers. He even helped to design it himself by adding pink roses to a stargazer lily, lisianthus, aster, and greenery mix. It smells our whole house up deliciously and is just gorgeous! He also gave me the best card he ever gave me, which of course made me cry (happy tears). We got take out Chinese food from our favorite restaurant, Chin's Pagoda. We dined on the best sesame chicken on the planet, orange chicken, egg foo young, and egg rolls!

It was fabulous. While we were hanging out after dinner, I got a few more Happy Birthday texts from Robb's sister Kendra, and my cousins, Elise, and Sherry. I had the best start to my 30th year possible! Thanks so much to my friends and family for a great day! This weekend or next, depending on if we can leave Charley alone yet or not, we'll do some more celebrating with a "fun day" planned for me by Robb.

Look who it is!

I'm home today with my sweet Charley who is recovering wonderfully from his neutering surgery yesterday (my poor baby). While browsing a few websites, I went to check the schedule of the Night Rides we go on for the year, and look who I saw! They snapped a picture of this cute guy I know from our last ride on July 9, 2010! Here's Robb riding up the hill, and you can see my shoe and not tan arm behind him on the left.

It was a very nice but cool night. There was lots of mist as we rode at sunset.

It was perfect biking weather, not too hot, not too cool.

I LOVE doing the night rides through the park.

The air is always so fresh and clean smelling. This year, I'll get on camera!

Little Austin

Here he is! On Saturday, I drove to Pittsburgh to visit my new little "nephew!" I was so excited to meet the little guy. When Aidan was born, I couldn't be there to see him, so I was so happy with #2 I could be there. It was well worth it! He's just the cutest little guy! (well not exactly little, he's 9lbs, 8 oz). Isn't he just adorable. He was sound asleep for a while. Look at all that hair! He's almost ready for his first haircut!

Little sleeping baby.

Beautiful, happy mama and her new little guy!

Isn't he precious, I can't get enough!

Here's a picture when I was "baby sitting" for the first time. I decided we needed to do a picture, so I held out the camera! He's already learned how to wink! Going to be a ladies man! :o)

A rare photo with his big open eyes! It was so wonderful to see him!

For more pictures of this cutie, check out his new blog!http://austinjohnchambers.shutterfly.com/

I hope the Chambers' family is doing well adjusting to life at home! Miss you guys already!