Mountains, Whirlwinds & Bumps

Hey, if every week had amazing and exciting events to report ... those amazing and exciting events would become the norm, and thus we'd have a more and more difficult time keeping you readers satisfied ... right?

Ok, maybe it's just a poor excuse for not having too much to report on this week. But there were a few points of interest worth mentioning.

1. Banff Mountain Film Festival
If you've never been to Banff, I'm really not sure how you can call yourself a contributing member to society. Ok, maybe that was a bit harsh ... but you've got to get there next year. It's always at the Kent Concert Hall in Logan, or 299 other cities worldwide. The focus is on mountain cultures, sports, or the like. Usually there are several extreme sports films that blow your mind, as well as socially conscious messages in other films. A great festival. You can YouTube (yes, now a verb like "to Google") it and find plenty of cool videos. Here is the trailer:



2. Chaos Night
Every saturday night for 3 hours, we are either the most relaxed or the most stressed in the week. We do a babysitting swap with 4 other couples. So for 4 weeks we get a free date night, but that fifth week is a chaotic night of 10-12 kids running crazy around the house. It's worth it. In fact, I'm exaggerating, I suppose. Especially when you see the images below that make it look like we actually have things under control. They're good kids...generally :)  Last night was quite the whirlwind. Unfortunately we failed to take any photos, so here are a few from last year.

3. 6 Months and Change
Holly's pregnancy was quite rough in the first trimester. But now as we push into the third (28 weeks), things are going pretty well. That's much easier for me to say, of course. For the sake of documentation and those living abroad, here is a quick photo of the current ... breadth. She looks great!

She asked me to mention she's embarassed about these pics :)

And finally, the recipe of the week. I love this one.

All Natural Whole Wheat (Blender) Waffles (or pancakes) serves 5-6

1 cup whole wheat
1 1/2 cups milk

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons honey (or agave syrup)
1 teaspoon salt

Blend 1 c. milk with the wheat on high for 2-3 minutes. Then add remaining milk and blend 2-3 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients and blend appx 1 minute. Cook on hot pan or waffle maker.

If you want to top it with all natural ingredients, try apple sauce, honey/banana/walnuts or all natural jam. There is all natural maple syrup if you go the traditional route. Yum!