Lately

Well it feels like January took forever to complete but it also went by so fast and then here we are 3 days to Valentines Day!

Soup Sunday's have been successful in the New Year, I may have missed one week but that isn't too bad. So far I have made:
-Spanish Chicken Stew, this was pretty good. I made it with Chicken Thighs but forgot to take
of the skin so it got a little greasy but the flavor was good.
-Spinach, Sausage and Tortellini Soup, this was really good and I would be interested in
making it again. It had some of my favorite things in it, Italian Sausage and Tortellini! There
is something about tortellini that makes me happy. I am looking forward to trying this one
out again.
-Lentil, Chicken and Spinach Soup, I enjoyed this one too. I added some hot red pepper flakes
as it needed just a little bit of spice. The lentils were great, they have a way of making the
dish seem hearty.
-Mexican Chicken Soup, this one was really good it had cayenne pepper and tomato with
carrot and onion. I used a roasted chicken from the store to "speed" it up and it also had
cumin and cilantro. I added fresh avocado when serving and that added just the right touch.

It has been a lot of fun making all of these different soups. I have become accustomed to cooking with onions and I think that I am able to eat them now, well at least in soups since I chop them up so small, but if I can pick them out I think I probably still would. The most fun part is that the past two Sunday's my parents have made the trip down to partake in it and we have had the opportunity to spend time together.

My mom got a new dog, he is a Peekapoo and is considered an apricot color his name is Miracle and he is adorable. She has brought him both times they have come down. Sakari loves to play with him and she has "thrown" him a few feet away with her paw as they are playing. Cooper is the referee and gets worked up and nervous, I think that he is probably the most tired after everyone leaves.

I went down to Hilsboro, OR a few days ago to "The Junk Salvation" it is a Flea Market of sorts at the Washington County Fairgrounds and there were a lot of vendors with all their antiques. It was so much fun and I saw some great things and got really good ideas. My few purchases were these great Bark Cloth Curtains with an adorable farm scene in bold colors (going up in my kitchen) this cute green cart (displayed with my tea things) and a great little bench (just need another one for the living room). They are having another one of these in Puyallup, WA in May. I learned that you HAVE to get there early to get the good stuff. I was only about 30 minutes after opening and there were already a lot of great buys with "SOLD" stickers on them.

"Wherever there is happiness hope you'll be there too. Wherever there are friendly smiles hope they'll smile on you. Wherever there is sunshine, hope it shines especially for you to make each day for you as bright as it can be."