Once upon a time, which was fourteen years ago today, Squeeze and I got married.  

It was a lovely wedding celebrated with loved ones in Hawaii.  As we were taking pictures, we looked off into the horizon and contemplated our future.

We decided that it would all be OK and we would stay together forever, and sealed it with a kiss. The End.

Happy Anniversary Squeeze!  Thank you for the last fourteen years.  It's been a wonderful time and I am so looking forward to the next fourteen with you.

Mine turned out more of a tie-dyed cupcake rather than a rainbow, but B still loved all of the colors. For more pictures and a step-by-step guide of how to make these, visit SpearmintBaby.com

My main squeeze, or Squeeze for short, did all of the painting.  And it turned out great. All that time spent on taping the walls and trying to get the lines level was worth it. As I mentioned before, we used three different types of tape -- blue painter's tape, Tesa brand precision tape, and Kip brand FineLine-tape.  All three worked well.  There were some spots with the blue painter's tape where paint leaked through, but those were in a corner where the tape did not stick to the wall very well.  It was easy to fix the problem by touching up the area with the base paint color. If you were to tackle a project like this, make sure your tape is stuck to the wall very well and that there are no air bubbles where the paint can leak through.  You can go over the tape with a credit card or something similar to take away any air bubbles.  Here's a small preview of how the walls look.

And that's all I'm going to show you. There are still some finishing touches that need to be done, such as installing a built-in closet, hanging pictures, and I still need to find a rug that will fit in.  But trust me, the room looks great.  It makes me happy just walking in there.  Having the room semi-ready is making me very excited to finally meet this little one.  Stay tuned for the finished pictures...coming soon!

It instantly puts you in a good mood.  How can you not be happy when you see something so pretty? This picture was taken with my iPhone on my way to the grocery store.  We've had a few days of rain and today the sun is out. You learn to appreciate the sun when you live somewhere where it rains often.  It's a beautiful day here. The temperature is about 70 degrees fahrenheit and everything is green and fresh from the rain. I'm going to enjoy this balmy weather while I can, since it's supposed to be hot this weekend.  Hope you all have a good Friday! 

So then we tried making pencil marks at the laser line to mark the correct spots to tape up. But then, when we did that and measured the widths in between, they didn't match up across the wall.  Meaning that the line would not be straight. Not really sure why it didn't work, but it was frustrating!

Finally, we used a chalk line.  If you're not familiar with this, it is a container that is filled with blue chalk and has a long string in it.  You pull the string along your wall and hold it up to where you want to mark it.  Then you pull the string taut and snap it. The string then leaves a blue line on the wall.  

This worked really well for us and made it very easy to put the tape on in a straight line.  When measuring it again after we had taped it up, it was mostly level.  We decided that there was probably no way to make it 100% level, but it was certainly as close as we were going to get it.  Plus, when we put the tape up, the lines seem straight to the eye.  So I think it will have to do. 

Another problem we ran in to was not having enough tape.  I bought a "precision" tape at the paint store and thought that I had enough.  However, since we taped the walls a few different times, we ran out.  We had some blue painter's tape left over from the U.S. and used that. Which by the way, is not easily available here, at least at the paint stores that I went to.  They tend to use masking tape or the "precision" tape mentioned above. Then, that ran out.  Unfortunately, the stores are closed here on Sundays, so we could not go out and buy some more.  We would have to wait until Monday.

On Monday, when I went to the paint store, I found out that they are closed for two weeks for a summer break.  It's great that people here can take time off, but it was frustrating to go there and find them closed. So, I went to a big Home Depot-type of store and was so happy to find the "precision" tape there also. I had been there before we started this project and did not see any then, but thought I would give it another try. It's such a huge store that I thought they must have it somewhere. It was not in the paint section so that's probably why I didn't find it before.  I was so glad to find it, since I didn't want to go to yet another paint/hardware store.

Since the walls now have three different types of tape on it, I will let you know which one worked out the best.  I hope all will keep a good hold and not allow the paint to seep through.  The "precision" tape that I mentioned before has a glossy coating on it that should keep the paint away.  It is the yellow tape in the picture below.  I'm not sure if you can notice it in the picture, but it is a bit shinier than the blue tape. 

Our plan is to get the painting finished this weekend.  Here's what the room looks like now:

We just need some floor protection and we're good to go.  Can't wait to start painting!

Here it is from a different angle.

I know, so messy. It doesn't normally look like this.  Really.  It's usually a very well organized office with paperwork and magazines all in it's proper place. Really. OK, maybe not always, but this is pretty cluttered. 

This will be the baby's room once we're done clearing it out. Eventually, I would love for it to look like one of the rooms below.

Image from Project Nursery

Image from La Dolce Vita

Image from Project Nursery

I love the horizontal stripes in these rooms.  I also like that these rooms don't look like a typical baby's room. They look stylish yet whimsical to me.  Hopefully I can achieve something similar in our room.  

As of today, we have 7 weeks to get it ready.  Yikes! I know what needs to be done and really need to get started doing these tasks before I get too big to move. 

Squeeze and I are planning on tackling the painting for the nursery this weekend.  Stay posted to see the results!

I have a good friend we'll call C.  She is one of those people who is always there for me.  She helps me out when I need German translated or things explained about the way things work here. She watches B when I need to go somewhere and can't make it back in time to pick her up.  She's always available for a quick chat on the phone to catch up on some gossip or just whatever is going on in our lives.  She's a great friend and I feel so lucky that she lives next door to me.  I haven't known her very long, but it's as if we've known each other forever.  Plus, she loves mexican food almost as much as I do.  

A couple of weeks back, it was her birthday and she always has people come over to celebrate. I said that I would bring over her favorite dish, which is this mexican layered dip. Well, B was sick on that day, then C's kids were sick, then a lot of stuff came up and it took a few weeks before we were able to get together and enjoy this dip. We were finally able to do it, and had a great time catching up and playing with the kids.  It's always a good time when we get together...lots of laughter and fun.  And making this dish reminds of just that, laughter and fun.  The recipe came from one of my aunts.  It was one of those dishes that were almost always present at the family gatherings from my childhood.  It's a dish to be shared with your family and friends while you are gathered around a table and talking, sharing and just generally connecting with people. Isn't it great how food can bring people together?

Mexican Layered Dip

Ingredients:
1 can (435g) refried beans
1/2 - 1 package of taco spice mix (to your taste) or make your own mix
200g cream cheese, softened
180g sour cream
312g jar of salsa
1 large tomato, chopped
1 avocado, cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped green onions to taste

Preparation Instructions:
1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the canned refried beans and the spice mix. This is your first layer. Transfer this to your serving dish.

2. In another medium sized mixing bowl, mix together the sour cream and the cream cheese.  Add this layer to your serving dish.

3. Open the jar of salsa and pour over the cream cheese/sour cream mixture. This is your third layer.

4. Place the chopped tomatoes on top of the salsa.

5. Place the cubed avocado on top of the tomatoes.

6. Spread the shredded cheddar cheese on top of the avocado.

7. Finally toss the green onions over the cheese. And that's it. You can add some more items to your dip if you like. Iceberg lettuce and black olives are a few of the items that I've had this dip with. And as always, enjoy!

We are both looking forward to it. She is so ready to be "free" as she calls it so that she can do some of the things she likes to do like swim, watch TV, and play with her friends. I feel like I get to be on summer vacation too.  No more having to wake up early, make sure her snacks are prepared, doing laundry to make sure she has something to wear, being home in time to have lunch ready, and no more rushing around to get B to all of her after-school activities.  Whew! Just writing all that got me exhausted. Now it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the sunshine.

We have a short summer here in Switzerland, not only just in terms of weather, but the school holiday is only five weeks. We've got some things planned, but mostly, B is going to what I like to think of as "Grandparent's Camp", which is her grandparent's house in France.  It is by the sea and there is a pool there.  Plus, her cousins who are her age will be there too.  She gets to enjoy two weeks of sun, sea and swimming. Absolute paradise for her! Normally we go with her, but this year, I am eight months pregnant and an 8-12 hour drive in summer traffic and heat is not do-able for me. So, B's lovely grandparent's are picking her up and whisking her off to have a great summer vacation. It's the longest time that I've been away from her and will miss her terribly. But I know that I have to let her go. She will have so much fun with her cousins and her grandparents, who are her absolute favorite people in the world. She is so looking forward to this, that she doesn't mind that we're not going with her. She said that she would take along pictures of us for those times when she misses us, but I'm sure we will video chat with her at least once a day!

So, it's a bittersweet start to summer, with me being sad that B is going away, but happy that she will be with people that love and care for her almost as much as I do. When she comes back, it will soon be time to start first grade. Wow, first grade. Did time really just go by that quickly?

I have a friend who is one of those people who are just naturally talented at cooking.  You know the type, they can look at an almost empty fridge and whip up a delicious gourmet meal with no trouble at all. She has made us dishes that My Main Squeeze usually doesn't like, like fish, and he will eat it up and love it. Needless to say, I am envious of this ability.

It's been very warm here and I felt like eating something fresh and cool.  I was thinking about the aforementioned friend and thought I would try to challenge myself and see if I could whip up something with the ingredients in the fridge. I actually came up with something really good! I ended up with a mango salad and used some ingredients that Squeeze normally doesn't like, like cilantro, or coriander as they call it here, bell peppers and fish sauce. He was pretty surprised when he tried it and ended up loving it. So was I!

Before you ask, no, this is not a weird pregnancy craving. It's a real dessert that is popular in the Philippines. At my aunt's house in the Philippines, she has a really large round table with a huge lazy susan in the middle. The table is large enough to fit about 10-16 people, depending on how much you want to squeeze in.  The whole family usually gathers there for dinner and it is usually a pretty lively affair. Everyone sits around the table together and talks about their day. I think the round table is really practical.  Everyone can see and hear everyone else. The lazy susan makes it easy for everyone to reach all the dishes.  Whenever I eat this dessert, it reminds me of sitting at this table and chatting with family.  This dessert also reminds me of vacation, since this is where I would spend some summers.  

Now, most people that I know would scoff and say that this is so fattening.  It probably is, but, despite the fat, which is the good kind of fat, avocado is actually very good for you.  According to the California Avocado Commission, "avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit." So you see, it is good for you.

I love this dessert.  The taste is rich, creamy and refreshing.  And best of all, it's really easy to make.