Fishing and Food

I feel like I've been talking about those two things a lot lately. But, it's summer and it's a great time for both!

This past weekend we tried out a new restaurant downtown. The okra was delicious and the jalapeno poppers - they fry them. Oh yes, they were good. (What, was I not supposed to eat that?)



Did you check out P's hair? The girl has some serious body!
 
We also took the boat out.

She's quite a talker and pointer these days. Here she's directing daddy as he gets things ready for the water.



Later, he showed her what a noodle fish is.



And another shot of the hair.



I also tried getting some pictures of her in her room - she had a lot to say.



Now, who's ready for Friday!?

P's First Trip on the Boat

I hope you all enjoyed my sister's post yesterday and learned a bit about my husband. Some of those comments cracked me up. So while we're on that subject, Eric took a co-worker fishing noodling with him over he weekend so me and the little miss tagged along. She's been fishing with us several times but this was her first trip on the boat.

She wasn't too impressed with her life jacket but I thought she looked adorable in it.



She tired of watching the boys trying to find a fish and decided to explore. It was a little difficult in that jacket but she managed.



I also made sure to bring plenty of snacks for the both of us. Look at those healthy snacks, carrots and hummus, sliced apple and almonds. Sheesh.



As if my snacks weren't enough, she saw an open bag of Doritos Eric's friend brought and helped herself to her first taste of nacho cheesey goodness.



I also brought along plenty of her favorite toys to keep her entertained when we were stopped. Yes, plastic measuring cups that she adores...I see a little cook in the making!



I tried to get her to wear her fishing hat but that didn't last long.



She also tried out her new little floating thing...and LOVED it.



She was such a great sport and didn't fuss a bit. I think she was made for the lake, even if it's to watch Daddy noodle.



Looks like we'll be making many more trips to the lake with our little one!!

Some Thoughts

He does WHAT?

That's crazy.

Why would he do that?

He could get his arm broken.

He could get pulled under water and drown.

Doesn't it hurt?

What about snakes?

I thought he was smarter than that.

You're kidding, right?

Can you make him stop? (personal favorite)

These are just some of the things I hear when people find out my husband noodles.



If you don't know what I'm talking about or want to know why he does it, check out my sister's blog for the interview and photos!

And here's a recipe for all that fish!!

Embrace the Camera - Fishing with Daddy

I posted one of the photos from our recent fishing trip earlier this week but saved these for Embrace the Camera today.

I think P will love having these pictures when she's older!

And just so you can be grossed out with me. As I was typing this I reached over to grab my cup for a sip of Dr. Pepper and saw this GIGANTIC fly in my cup. GROSS. I'm just glad I saw it before I took a drink!

Alright, back to embracing, go check out Emily's blog and link up.

Fishing with the P and a Recipe

One of my favorite things from my baby shower were the advice cards people filled out. I have a bunch of favorites and one is one my sister wrote:

"Don't let having a baby keep you from doing what you love. Take her along and she'll learn to enjoy the things you do."

So last week we headed her advice and took P along to do one of the things we love: being outside and fishing.

We drove out to the lake and Eric strapped on the baby backpack. We hiked along a little trail before heading to the water. It was so fun watching her eyes get big as she looked up at the trees and listened to the birds. She babbled and pointed at different things and we knew she was soaking it all in.

I showed her how to catch the biggest fish of the day.

Then Eric wanted to switch off and gave me the backpack so he could catch some fish. P has always loved being outside. Even as a newborn. When she would be a little fussy, we just walked outside and she would be happy. I love that she's an outdoorsy girl and hope she grows to enjoy it even more.

We had a blast with her at the lake and caught enough fish for dinner.

yes, his shirt says Math Sharks, he was quite the shark in high school :)

So here's a quick recipe for baked fish. We used crappie because that's what we caught but tilapia would be great too.

Ingredients:
fish fillets
juice from one lemon
5 T butter
2 cloves garlic
1 T fresh dill - chopped
1/4 C fresh parslet - chopped
1/4 C mayo
3 scallions

Lay your fillets on a rimmed baking sheet.

In a saucepan, melt 4 T butter and saute the garlic, lemon juice, dill and parsley for a few minutes. Stir in the mayo and cook another 2 minutes, or so. Drizzle the liquid over the fillets and cook at 350 degrees until the fish starts to flake.

Turn the oven to broil and cook until the fish is golden brown. While the fish is baking, saute the scallions in the remaining T of butter, until tender and starting to brown.

Take the fish out and sprinkle the scallions over the top and serve with fresh lemon.

I hope you all had a great weekend and happy Monday!

His Last Year in the 20s

Over the weekend my husband celebrated his 29th birthday. There was a lot of fishing, some hunting, a lot of eating and a lot of driving.

Day 1: He went turkey hunting in Kansas. He calls the turkeys in and video tapes the hunts. [He makes fun of me for taking pictures of food, I make fun of him for recording his hunts.] Anyway, when he got home he wanted to show me the video of the hunt and realized the camera was still in Kansas! So, unplanned road trip back to Kansas to find the camera. Luckily, we found it on the side of a dirt road, a little dinged up from falling off the bed of the truck, but still working!

Day 2: He went fishing in the morning so I went flea market shopping! I'll show you some of my awesome finds later. That evening we went over to my grandpa's where the nephews insisted he have a birthday hat. With careful instruction of what had to be included by the oldest boy, I made him a hat out of a paper bag, it said happy birthday and had the numbers on top.

There were so many instructions from the oldest boy that it had me convinced birthday hats were a big deal at their house - not so. They just wanted to see their uncle in a goofy hat!

Good stuff people.

Day 3: Time for our fishing trip. We went to the same place we went a year ago when I was largely pregnant. But, it was completely dry. The lake was down over 3 feet. Nuts!

We found some water and decided to wade across a little stretch. I started sinking immediately.

I had mud almost up to my knees! It was tough getting out and the mud tried to eat my shoes but I managed to pull them out!

Speaking of TOMs, did you know today is a day without shoes? Check it out here.

After all the mud, a nice slip and slide by me when I chased after my hat that blew away, we finally found some fish!

We had a blast and by the end of the day I was a stinky mess. It was so weird just being me and the husband, without Sweet P (nana and pappy babysat her all day for us) we kept talking about her and how much we missed her. But, it was also so much fun to just be us again.

I will also add that lake fishing is much more enjoyable when you're not over 6 months pregnant!

Only in Oklahoma

How, in a matter of days, does the weather go from this sunny and a beautiful 70 degrees.

To this record-setting blizzard?

Oh Oklahoma. You tease me with your surprisingly warm days in January. Warm enough to enjoy a day on the lake wearing a sweatshirt.

And eat lake food.

And see a bald eagle swoop down from a tree, snatch a fish out of the lake and take it back up to the tree to eat.

And out-fish the boys!

And then you shake me back to winter reality 3 days later with a RECORD snowfall. A blizzard really. My boat friend is locked away in the garage covered by a giant snow drift.

And we're stuck inside trying to entertain ourselves and stay warm.

And now we need a bit more than a sweatshirt to go outside now.

The snow is pretty and all, but can you bring my 70 degrees back?

Please.

Country Music Monday - I'm Gonna Miss Her

In honor of the upcoming Brad Paisley concert this weekend, I bring you this song, "I'm Gonna Miss Her."

Well I love her

But I love to fish

I spend all day out on this lake

And hell is all I catch
Today she met me at the door
Said I would have to choose
If I hit that fishin' hole today
She'd be packin' all her things
And she'd be gone by noon

Well I'm gonna miss her
When I get home
But right now I'm on this lakeshore

And I'm sittin' in the sun

I'm sure it'll hit me
When I walk through that door tonight
That I'm gonna miss her
Oh, lookie there, I've got a bite

Now there's a chance that if I hurry
I could beg her to stay
But that water's right

And the weather's perfect
No tellin' what I might catch today

SO I'm gonna miss her
When I get home
But right now I'm on this lakeshore

And I'm sittin' in the sun
I'm sure it'll hit me
When I walk through that door tonight
YEAH I'm gonna miss her
Oh, lookie there, ANOTHER bite

Yeah, I'm gonna miss her
Oh, lookie there, I've got a bite 

I remember when I first heard this song, I was with Eric and he totally cracked up. Fortunately for him, I love to fish as well...

Happy Monday!!