Solstice Canyon

Here are the fellas and Pumpkin at Solstice Canyon in Malibu. It was actually a really nice hike and there were plenty of things to see. I haven't uploaded any of the photos just yet.

Thanksgiving was a grand time. The Harlands were all together. We ate, we laughed, we posed for cheesy family photos, we rocked and sang horrifically at Rock Band. Hubby-kun's parents are here for the rest of the weekend and we are making the most of it. Tomorrow, the whole clan is going to the Huntington Gardens. Hubby-kun and I have been there before, but didn't see everything so hopefully we will get to all that we missed the first time around.

Happy Turkey Day!

Confession #303

I started listening to Christmas music today.

I know, I know.. it's a little early. But what better way to get in the holiday spirit than listening to a little N'Sync holiday music?

Baked Salmon

After church each week, Hubby-kun and I go grocery shopping. Yesterday we bought some salmon (the L is silent, in case you were wondering. So please do not go around saying sal mon because you will most definitely be laughed at.) fillets.

Normally we just steam the fish we get, but we decided to try and bake it this time. I have never actually baked fish before (I know, I am totally lame and inexperienced in all things culinary). So I asked my dear friend, Google, and he very eagerly directed me to this recipe. I was a little hesitant, because I don't usually use basil or parsley when I cook (again, totally lame and inexperienced I know). But Google insisted and told me I would not be disappointed. And alas, he was right.

Baked Salmon
(from recipezaar)

2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons light olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 (6 ounce) salmon fillets


1. In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley.

2. Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade.

3. Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

5. Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal.

6. Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Brisingr

This is the third book in the Inheritance series (the first being Eragon and the second Eldest). Hubby-kun introduced me to the series a while back and I quickly became hooked! More importantly, it has definitely filled the Harry Potter shaped hole in my heart.

Oh.. and Roran.

RORAN!

That is reason enough to read it.

Lord of the Lens - Round 1 - "Zoo Choose"

The submissions for Round One, "Zoo Choose", of the Harland Family Lord of the Lens competition have been made, and I will be your Master of Ceremonies.

I've flipped a coin to determine which picture will be shown first. Tails won, so Lisa's picture choice is first:

Lisa's Picture

And now here is Derek's choice:

Derek's Picture

Click the pictures above to see the full-size version. Voting will be open for 7 days and you can place your vote over on the right-hand side of the blog. Please, only one vote per person. Derek has asked that I limit this to ADULTS only, so only those 18 or older can vote. But don't worry, I won't be allowing any inappropriate content.

Unfortunately I don't have my own camera, so I'm not able to enter the competition. Any other Harland family members will be allowed to enter the next rounds as long as they have a submission based on the theme for that round.

If I could enter, here's the picture I would choose (I took it with Lisa's camera):

(The young chimp went rolling through as I took the picture)

It Is {totally} On..

Last year, for Christmas, I received the best.gift.ever.

Well, maybe not ever.

That spot is still reserved for Mr. Snuggles.

Anyway.. I was gifted with a camera. A Nikon, if you must. And we quickly became friends. I love my camera. I squint. I click. I take dozens of pictures of Hubby-kun, or Pumpkin, or kids, or giraffes, or turtles. I admit I am still learning all of his little quirks, but we have a good relationship. We have traveled the States, seen many places, many peoples. We are happy.

Brother has a camera of his own. He has had one for quite some time now and has plenty more gadgets and gizmos than I. They have traveled to far more places, and seen far more things and people. It certainly puts a strain on my relationship with my camera, you know living with his nemesis (the Canon) and all. And especially with Brother and I checking each others albums, searching through the dozens (or in some cases, hundreds) of images.

Seriously.. we are like kids with Pokemon cards, comparing collections.

The truth is, Brother knows more about his camera and photography than I do. I am still learning about aperture and how to get the perfect lens flare. I still shoot mainly on automatic. I still refer to my trusty old manual. But now I feel as though my confidence has been built. My opportunity is here to take the crown as the Harland Family Lord of the Lens. Are you with me?

So Brother, the gauntlet has been thrown..

Will you accept the challenge?

Now, I know what all of you are thinking, "Wow, that is awesome! What can we do? How do we help?" Well.. if Brother is willing to battle, I will post my favorite shot from our trip this weekend to the zoo and also Brother's favorite shot. And you can VOTE! Don't worry though, I'm sure this will become a regular event and we will keep a record to see who takes the crown in a few months.


*And, no Brother.. I will not use photoshop. Straight out of the camera shots only*

LA Zoo

Photo: Derek Harland

The boys and I went to the LA Zoo this weekend. It is always a fun time when the three of us hang out. Not to mention, it is nice to have someone take cheesy pictures (see above) of Hubby-kun and me so we are not forced to take the horribly-up-too-close-and-personal self portraits.

California marks the fifth state (Oregon, Missouri, Tennessee, and NC are the other four) that Hubby-kun and I have visited zoos. Crazy, eh?

Also, notice what I am wearing. Remember the other day when I said it was starting to feel like Autumn? Apparently, Saturday didn't get the memo. I can't really complain though. It really wasn't that hot and felt quite nice for the majority of the day.

Plus, it was perfect weather for shaved ice. Cherry and strawberry flavored. Yum!

Tuna-and-Tomato Pasta

(From Rachael Ray's Everyday magazine)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Salt-n-Pepper
4 tablespoons butter
One 6-ounce white tuna in olive oil, drained
One 1-pound box medium pasta shells

chopped black olives**
parmesan cheese**

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons parsley and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Whisk in the butter, then stir in the tuna.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain. Add the pasta to the tuna sauce and stir in three quarters of the remaining parsley; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining parsley.


**I added the olives and cheese (the recipe didn't call for it) and left out the parsley.

The One with the Mushy Post..

I just love seeing this face, don't you? Oh, what am I saying? Of course you do. It is adorable.. err, handsome. Yes, very handsome.

I really can't tell you how much I have enjoyed Hubby-kun since we moved to California. It is so nice for him to be home, instead of traveling. I didn't realize how lonely it was without him. Although moving cross country has been a challenge, it certainly has made me freshly aware of how insanely blessed I am to be married to this man!

In other less mushy news, we have now gone back to playing WoW. It has been great fun, even though we are currently on a pve server. Our friends from WA, Corey and Dave, also play so we now have our own little group.

But now I would like to introduce:

Name: Rosabel
Level: 27
Race: Gnome
Class: Mage
Hair: Pink Lemonade
Eyes: Emerald
Favourite Spell: Blink

November Already?

Wow, can you believe it is already November? Does everybody say that about the start of each month? So it is finally beginning to feel like Autumn. The past few days have actually been quite chilly, which is completely fine by me. I love wearing sweaters and jackets.

Not much else to report, really. Seems like we have been going through a bit of a blogging slump lately. It happens to the best of us though, right? You'll forgive us.

Won't you?