Brunch at the Salish Lodge

Brunch at the Salish Lodge

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Food

You have all heard the expression, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" and with my man these words could not ring truer. When thinking of gifts he would enjoy chocolate (and peanut butter) always come to the forefront of my mind. But don't be fooled by his slim physique, this man loves to eat! Give him a box or bag of his favorite kind of chocolate and that is all he needs to be happy. I lucked out with a man who is easy to please, so for his birthday weekend he had two requests; a chocolate and peanut butter cake and brunch at the Salish Lodge. For the cake I used this one bowl Chocolate Cake recipe and this peanut butter frosting. 

Valentine in a box

Valentine in a box

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

For Valentine's Day I enjoy putting together fun little packages for friends both near and far. I like to stick with the traditional Valentine colors of pink and red because what is more fun than receiving a girly box of goodness? Target, The Confectionery and the grocery store are my go to places for putting together these simple, but sweet packages of love. 

Honest diapers

Honest diapers

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Parenting

During the first few weeks of Jasper's life we tried just about every brand of diaper and wipe out there. After lots of leaking diapers, soiled clothing and frustration we finally found a diaper that worked- Honest diapers. Not only do Honest diapersfit well, but you can sign up for a diaper subscription where a box of diapers and wipes comes to your house every four, five or six weeks. Honest diapers have adorable patterns you can choose from and are a company who strives to help families in need.  

Blue Star Donuts

Blue Star Donuts

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Food

When its pouring rain on a Saturday in Seattle what else is there to do but take a quick trip down to Portland. We realized it had been far too long since we visited our sister city, so we hopped in the car and introduced Jasper to one of our favorite places. Our favorite thing to do in Portland is eat, so the wet weather did not impede any of our plans. We spent a leisurely day shopping, eating and crossing a couple of new places off our list. We had heard good things about Blue Star Donuts and their old fashion buttermilk donuts did not disappoint.  

Munchery

Munchery

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Food

When Cameron went back to work after his paternity leave I was left with all the my normal responsibilities and commitments in addition to caring for a newborn. Needless to say, a majority of the time I felt exhausted and a tad overwhelmed as I adjusted to my new normal. Whenever I had a free minute I was either cleaning up the house, doing laundry or trying to find a quiet moment to myself. The time and preparation it took to plan a meal, go grocery shopping and make dinner felt like an impossible task. This is where Munchery saved me. Munchery is a unique service which delivers healthy, locally made, ready to eat food at the click of a button right to your front door. You can browse their ever changing menu each day and select entrees such as Miso Black Cod, Eggplant Parmesan or Grilled Steak Cobb Salad.

Weekend Adventure

Weekend Adventure

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Travel

As the fog hung low one Saturday morning we resisted the urge to stay cozied up inside all day and instead went out for an adventure. We took Jasper on his first ferry ride to Whidbey Island and then drove to Coupeville and then Langley. We didn't have any particular plans rather a destination in mind. We spent the day walking around, browsing some of the shops, ate lunch, then dinner and most importantly were together. It always takes a little extra effort these days to get out of the house, but whenever we do we are glad we did. Aaahhh Saturdays my favorite day of the week.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

This year we eagerly anticipated Christmas for many reasons. Since we take turns spending Christmas with each others families, this year was our year to be at home with my family. Christmas for my family comes with many traditions; primarily the food and the decorations. My parents are amazing hosts and my Mom makes the most delicious food and always has her home beautifully decorated. This year we were delighted to share all the sights and sounds of Christmas with our son. Christmas through the eyes of a child is the best even if that child is new to the world and won't remember what you did. 

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle

2014 was a wonderful year, no doubt it had its share of hard days, but overall 2014 showed me who I am and what I am capable of. On New Year's Eve we went over to our friend's house for a low key celebration. They have a killer view of downtown Seattle from their condo, so we knew it would be the perfect spot to see the fireworks off the Space Needle. As we rang in the new year and I watched my husband so lovingly holding our son I am reminded of what a big year 2014 was. 2014 I liked you!

Sun Mountain Lodge

Sun Mountain Lodge

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel, Weekend

Whenever we are up in the North Cascades we make certain to spend a day at Sun Mountain Lodge. It is a beautiful place with sweeping vistas and regular wildlife sightings. Their lobby is warm and inviting with two massive fireplaces flanking the large vaulted space. Sun Mountain Lodge is the perfect spot to warm up by after being outside for several hours. In the Fall we like to hike around the property and in the Winter we like to snowshoe on one of the many well marked trails. One unique experience they offer during the holidays is a sleigh ride. The last Winter we were up there we took a sleigh ride during the day. This time we decided to mix it up and opt for a nighttime sleigh ride complete with dinner. There was something very magical about riding on a horse drawn sleigh, bundled up with blankets looking at the starry sky above with the sounds of jingle bells.

White Christmas

White Christmas

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel, Weekend

Living in Seattle it is rare to experience a white Christmas. In the thirty plus years of living here I can remember a couple of white Christmases. So in an effort to make it feel a little more like Christmas we have started to make it a tradition to spend some time up in the North Cascades before Christmas. I know most people like to vacation between Christmas and New Year's but going beforehand allows us to avoid the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas. No crowded malls, frantic list making or late night gift wrapping for us. Instead, we spent a few glorious days in the mountains with nothing but trees, wildlife and each other as our companions. Taking this trip right before Christmas helps remind us of the real meaning of Christmas and how blessed we are to have our health, our faith and each other. 

Point Defiance Zoo Lights

Point Defiance Zoo Lights

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

I hate to admit it, but we have become THOSE people. You know the people who think their children are adorable, delightful, witty and the most amazing creatures on the entire planet? It doesn't matter if Jasper slept the entire three hours we were at Point Defiance Zoo looking at the Christmas lights, freezing our tail off, drinking hot cocoa and riding the carousel because the mere fact he was there was with us was reason enough for us to rejoice. We have spent many years doing "kid" things without having children of our own to enjoy them with. Now that we have an adorable creature of our own to take around we are not only going to wear our Ergo baby proudly, but thoroughly enjoy each and every "first" we check off the list. 

Christmas Ships 2014

Christmas Ships 2014

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle

Over the past nine years we have made it an annual tradition to go on the Argosy Christmas ships. This was not only the first year for Jasper, but the first year we invited friends along. I will be the first to admit it was a little more challenging having a baby along this year however most of the evening's highlights included him. Some of the highlights of the evening include Jasper meeting Santa for the first time, clear skies and unseasonably warm temperatures which made being outside on the deck of the ship quite lovely and Jasper wearing the cutest little Santa hat and down suit looking like he just arrived from the North Pole. 

Blessing day

Blessing day

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Parenting

An important day in the life of Jasper was his blessing day. Baby blessings although not considered life saving ordinances, allow the father to give the child a name by which he will be known on the records of the church along with a blessing for their life. On Jasper's blessing day, we were fortunate to have both sets of grandparents present along with some of our friends. For the past month I have agonized over what to dress Jasper in but ultimately I decided to put him in something sentimental and festive for the season. When I was pregnant with Asher, Cameron's parents purchase an adorable outfit for him. For Jasper's blessing day I was able to dress Jasper in both the pants and the shoes they had purchased. Although no one had any idea the sentiment behind the clothing, it was my little way of including and honoring Asher on our family's special day. We are grateful for all the many people who were so supportive during this pregnancy. Jasper is more than we could have ever asked for and we are feeling blessed beyond measure this holiday season. 

Lake Union Park

Lake Union Park

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle

With mild temperatures much of the year, Seattle is the perfect place to live if you enjoy spending time outdoors. The South Lake Union neighborhood has seen rapid growth in the past few years, one of our favorite places being Lake Union Park. The park provides easy access to both green space and the water from the downtown core and celebrates the cultural, maritime, and industrial heritage of the city and region. Included within Lake Union Park is the Center for Wooden Boats,MOHAI, a boat launch, a picnic area, a splash area in the Summer and a pond for sailing miniature wooden boats.

A season of thanksgiving

A season of thanksgiving

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Parenting

While this year I have felt particularly blessed there have been times in my life when gratitude and feelings of Thanksgiving have been harder to come by. When life is going well it is easy to feel grateful, but when life throws you a couple curveballs that is when your true test sets in. During a particularly hard time in my life when nothing seemed to be going right I started to feel a bit hopeless. One day I got the idea to document five things which were going right in my life; some were big things like having a healthy body and a strong faith in God, but equally important were the small things.  Over the next couple of months I continually read through the list and clung to these things which were going right. 

Christmas Tree Shopping

Christmas Tree Shopping

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle

Since Jasper joined our family we have experienced a resurgence in Christmas cheer. As many of you know Asher's due date was Christmas day, so the past couple of Christmases have been downright hard. It has been easy to allow disappointment and sadness to linger throughout the season instead of peace and joy. Now that we have another little one in our family, we thought it was high time to get back into the swing of things. The funny thing with grief is how it bubbles up in the form of sadness, frustration, jealousy or anger especially during the holidays. After taking the past couple of years off this year we had our tree purchased and decorated the day before Thanksgiving. Although I am not one to typically rush Thanksgiving out, it just happened to work best with our schedule. 

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

In elementary school my class went on a field trip to my Dad's office. I cannot ever remember feeling prouder that my Dad was his own boss than the day my class visited him. Most of my friend's parents sat in cubicles, did obscure jobs and most importantly worked for other people. All the while my Dad worked for himself, set his own schedule and made his own rules. As a free spirit and one who disliked being told what to do I found this option for work rather appealing.   

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