A Day in the Life of a Baker...

Gametime (what time is it?)

2010-08-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Basketball Tournament today!

Blogged by TBB

2010-08-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

After putting time into studying photography and how to photoshop LEGO Models, one of my recent creations has been blogged by the immaculate Brothers Brick. Check it out here

Long lost brother

2010-08-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Friday we hung out with some new friends, played dinner and played games late into the night. Saturday we went to LEGOLAND with Aaron and Emily, then hung out and played games late into the night. Today we took care of things around the house, hung out, and are about to begin playing games late into the night.

switching from quantity to quality

2010-08-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Posts will now be limited to Sundays but look forward to better, longer, more photorific posts

Yoga

2010-08-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

is not for wimps!

Grrrrr

2010-08-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

GRR in the morning: it happens

Friends

2010-08-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

It is easy to make friends with coworkers where I work and starting there I knew that would be the case. What I didn't know, was that I would make very good friends with the really great people that I am lucky to work with.

Dates!

2010-08-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Free ones and pricey ones, all shapes and sizes: I will be taking Ashley out on a couple dates this week!

Double geekout all the way

2010-08-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

Star Wars Days at LEGOLAND this weekend. Sam and I built a model to contribute to the fan layout, photos here. Detailed photos coming soon.

Unspoken Rivalry

2010-08-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Without getting into the specifics, my coworkers and I are taking on a project in direct competition with a big timer. He has a huge head start on us but we are determined to catch up with him. The mixture of friendly competition and quiet, resolute pride makes for the purest most productive, artistic competition I have ever taken part in. More on "the enterprising" later

O the blog

2010-08-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

I have come close to posting entries on this for days, so here is a quote from the wise Kyle Lockhart:

"Less think-y, more do-y"

Lately this philosophy has helped me out, Thanks Kyle

Lifting!

2010-07-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

I have now taken up lifting weights again! Fradel and I are making a routine of displacing large quantities of mass. My shoulders will go from looking like Dwight Schrewt's to Dwight Howard's!

Family in Town!

2010-07-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Today we went to LEGOLAND with the Simpson family (no relation to reference in previous post) and tomorrow we will be hanging out with the Stunkards.

Posting!

2010-07-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

..has been neglected. In the words of Homer: Doh!

Pagels are visiting

2010-06-25T23:39:00.001-07:00

The Pagels are coming to town to visit. Tomorrow we are off to LEGOLAND and the brand new LEGOLAND Waterpark!

Madmen

2010-06-23T06:23:00.000-07:00

We have started watching season three of Madmen. After watching Lost and Ashley watching 24, it is nice to watch a show that is based on character developement and doesn't end each episode with a cliff hanger

Giants Baseball: Torture!!

2010-06-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, say it with me:

"Giant's Baseball: TORTURE!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kruk_and_Kuip

UP in the first ten minutes

2010-06-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

The first ten minutes of Pixar's UP could be a movie on it's own, and yes I cried

Faked left

2010-06-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

...Stayed home. Instead of going to the fair today we decided to stay home, clean, fix our espresso machine and work on projects. Guy Fieri (of Food Network fame) was slated to put on a cooking demo show at the fair this evening but we decided to stay in and do a little cooking of our own. Next we will be setting up the Weber Grill that Ashley bought me for our two year anniversary. Tonight's menu: sausage and grilled onions sandwiches with fresh corn on the cob (straight from the farmer's market) and couscous.

Funny Photo

2010-06-19T03:23:00.000-07:00

My work took a trip to Hollywood to visit Madam Toussards Wax Museum. Here I am with the great Tony Hawk.

Home alone, glad I don't have to be today

2010-06-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

Had a moment today where I realized that I am very fortunate to not be going home to be by myself. I am very lucky to have married such a wonderful woman, and I am particularly grateful for that today.

Flickr

2010-06-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Love this website, great for many reasons. Here is mine: flickr.com/photos/joel_baker/

Work

2010-06-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

I imagine working the ol' nine to five every week would be tiring if I didn't love my job.

Tackling a project tonight

2010-06-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

No sleep until it is finished! Photos will be up in a few days

I'm sorry for the lack of blogposts...

2010-01-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

After realizing that neither Joel or I have posted on our blog for the last two months, I thought it was about time to update...especially since I just got a new camera and have photos to share!

I'm sad to see my favorite time of year pass so quickly...oh Christmas. I'm just about finished putting away the decorations and unpacking all our presents. No more Amy Grant Christmas Album...well at least until next November :)

Here are a few photos...

This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Moores and Wilsons, so Christmas was with the Bakers. It was first Christmas "away" from my family, but fortunately I'm a lucky girl girl and married into an amazing family (and I'm not just saying that knowing my in-laws will read this :) Hi Leuan and Dave). Christmas day was spent at Joel's Aunt Peggy and Uncle Dale's in Colusa. We had the annual Baker/Towzen/Simpson gift exchange, which was quite fun to finally see live (I got to participate the Christmas Joel and I were engaged, but wasn't able to be there in person). We got some really neat gifts and had a very tasty turkey dinner followed by Grandma LaRene's delicious pies. After that we had a little visit with Grandma Ann and then headed back to Auburn. The following day we had the annual Baker/Kellar gift exchange which has now officially been titled "Gift and Shout."

Afterwards, we went over to my parents house on the other side of Auburn to visit my family, including my immobile dad who just had knee replacement surgery. We had a great time visiting with my grandparents on my Dad and Jess' side who we hadn't seen in quite some time. Played lots of games and got to indulge in the leftovers from Christmas day.

All and all a great trip and we were sad to leave...

New photos...

2009-11-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a few family photos as of late.

Joel dressed up as Superman/Clark Kent (all his co-workers refer to him as Clark becuase they think he looks like the actor who plays Superman). We went to Legoland for a Halloween event. They had this giant pumpkin for kids to take their pictures at...thus Joel wanted his picture taken in the pumpkin as well :)

Sam enjoying some sunshine and a cool breeze

Zoe hurt her foot last week playing with Sam. Going to the vet Monday to see if its just a sprain or if she broke something. We made a splint out of lego pieces, cotton balls and rolled guaze. She kept it on for about 2 hours :)

We went to one of the last baseball games of the season. San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres. Enjoying some classic cracker jacks.

Our seats were right in line with the left outfielder.

Date Nights

2009-10-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from our "date nights." Since both are working we thought we should plan a date night once a week to make sure we get good focused time together throughout the week. Here are a few photos of our most recent dates.

We decided to try out Joe's Crab Shack in Oceanside, right on the harbor. We shared a tasty mixture of crab (of course), shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn. I'm glad we ended up wearing the bibs because cracking crab is much messier than I expected.

This weekend we went to a Padres vs Giants (Joel's favorite team) game...our first since we moved to San Diego. We got the classic ballpark hotdogs and shared a bag of cracker jacks (this reminds me my dad and roads trips when we were little). Unfortunately the Giants lost, but it was fun to people watch for me anyway :)

I will also post pictures from my birthday weekend at Disneyland, once I steal some pictures from Jamie and CJ!

A few tasty EASY recipes

2009-10-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

Since I have started working again, I've been on the look out for easy, quick and affordable recipes online, so that I can still enjoy cooking when I get home, but not have to make my hungry husband wait an hour for dinner :)

I wanted to share two of our new favorites. They're definitely under 30 minutes and really flavorful.

Let me know what you think!

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 small red onion, halved
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 to 2 serrano chile peppers, stemmed and seeded (I use 1-1/2)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Kosher salt
Pinch of sugar
8 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (I bake 2 chicken breasts ahead from Costco)
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco
1 Roma tomato

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Slice half of the onion into thin rings and set aside. Place the other onion half, tomatillos and serranos on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until the vegetables are soft and slightly brown, 7 to 10 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer the vegetables and any liquid to a blender, add the broth and puree. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar.

Meanwhile, stack the tortillas, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave just until warm and soft, 1 minute; keep covered. Toss the chicken with 2 cups shredded cheese in a bowl. Spoon a portion of the chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla. Add a few cilantro leaves and roll up. Place the enchiladas side by side in a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish and brush with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Broil until crisp and golden, 3 minutes.

Pour the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Return to the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with the onion rings (I ended up using green onions), queso fresco, diced tomatoes, and any remaining cilantro.

Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
4 heads baby bok choy, quartered
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Directions
Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the steak with 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, turning often, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the steak to a plate.
Wipe out the skillet. Add the bok choy and 1⁄4 cup water and simmer, covered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and sugar. Add to the bok choy in the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the steak and any accumulated juices and cook, tossing, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over the rice.

Employment status change :)

2009-09-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Well after updating you all with my last post, I already have good news to share!

I just received a job offer!

I will be working in customer relations as well as helping with receptionist duties at Sandicor starting Monday.

I am very excited and am looking forward to having a job again. It'll be a little bit of a commute (about 25 miles) so that'll be something I need to get used to again, but its a job and I think I will really enjoy it.

I'll let you know how my first weeks goes soon!

Hello from the lady of the house!

2009-09-25T09:31:00.001-07:00

Here's our attempt at keeping family and friends updated through a blog. Joel and I are going to try and take turns so you get to hear stories from both of us and we'll post pictures when we remember to take them :)

So far we are settled into our new apartment in Vista, CA and really enjoying our new lives down here. There have definitely been a few adjustments, such as getting used to one season weather, Joel working full-time and workings towards a promotion, me searching and searching for job opportunities and us getting plugged into a new church. We are so fortunate and have been blessed so much by God, because really we couldn't have planned a better situation for us to be in right now.

Our new favorite activity is getting to spend evenings boogey boarding while the sun

sets. Sometimes we even take dinner down to the beach since its only a 5 mile drive from the apartment.

Another nice advantage to living down here is living within an hour of Jamie and CJ. We've spent weekends at the beach, at Disneyland and even celebrated a few birthdays together.

Since I have a lot of spare time on my hands with unemployment, I have gotten a chance to explore around our new "hometown." I love going to the farmer's markets down here. They have amazing produce in Southern California and usually a pretty good deal too. There a market almost everyday within a 10 miles drive, so we stay stocked up on tasty fruit and veggies.

About two weeks ago, we took a 4 day trip out to New Braunfels, TX. At the building/hiring event at Legoland, we met the Westons, who asked Joel to tutor their three boys in Lego building. They flew us out to their home in Texas, had us stay in a nice guest house along the Comal River and paid all our expenses while we were there. What a treat! Joel spent about 5-6 hours each day teaching the boys different building techniques, robotics and simple inside tricks. It was quite an experience. I thought Joel had a lot of Lego before we met the Westons. They have 2 rooms dedicated to Lego since its the boys favorite activity. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

So that is a little taste of what has been going on with us. Thanks for reading :)

Ashley

Welome

2009-09-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog. From time to time Ashley and I will share our recent events. Welcome.

Sunday we visited North Coast Church and we have high hopes that we have found our new church.

This last weekend we also went to a SandLUG meeting, photos are here