A vacation from my vacation.

We somehow managed to schedule back to back vacations with our families these past couple weeks.  We returned home last Tuesday.

I only just finished unpacking yesterday.

I’m exhausted.  It’s so great to get away and we had so much fun on both trips but my brain is tired from trying to figure out packing for two small children which almost always ends up with me forgetting things for myself (how did I manage to pack only ONE shirt and NO socks?!).  When my husband and I travelled for six and  a half months everything we owned was packed on our bicycles.  Now days a weekend away means a car packed to the point that you can’t see out the back window!

It’s good to be home.

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Thank Goodness I Didn’t Blink

My four year old consciously, without coercion, whining, or complaining just ate a vegetable.

The whole thing.

We were in the garden and I was showing her how the snow peas were growing (like overnight!) and she found one ready for picking, plucked it right off and into her mouth it went.

I’m a little in shock.

I wonder what she’ll do when the brussel sprouts are ready for harvest…

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Lessons Learned: jammin’

“I don’t know how you get anything done.”  – my mom

“I don’t.” – me

I actually have really great kids, good kids, but what I wouldn’t give to have two more arms and hands.  I would be totally be ok with all the staring because I know everyone would be looking at me with envy.  I would have used those extra appendages to hold my unusually fussy baby while trying to make raspberry mango jam I was working on with my mom this afternoon.

Eyes in the back of my  head would also be handy for so many reasons that I know my fellow parents would recognize.  Today I would have used those eyes to watch my daughter swinging on her indoor jungle gym when she said, “Mom!  Look at meeeeee!”  while simultaneously stirring the raspberry mango jam.

What did I learn today?  That doing  all the above AND make granola at the same time may not have been the best idea.  At one point in the afternoon I asked my mom, “How did YOU get anything done with three kids?”

“You were all angels.” – mom

OK, that is a total lie.  I know, I was there, so she must be suffering from some sort of parental amnesia, whatever, it wasn’t helpful.  But things were done and now we’re all pooped and the kids went to bed pretty easily.

And so will I.

I have made no secret about  my love of toast so this small batch will not last long at all in my house.  While very easy to do, I still find myself a little intimidated by the whole canning process. It’s that element of danger with all those bubbling, boiling fluids.  I only got splattered a couple times so I’m calling the day a success.  My goal is to continue with small batches to increase my confidence.  Luckily between my mom and my foodie sister I will be a pro in no time.

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Lessons Learned…

 

Today alone has taught me a few things…

1. It just doesn’t pay to be in a hurry in the kitchen trying to get something done while the little one is asleep.
2. The bottle of vanilla and the bottle of soy sauce are very similar (THAT was a close one).
3. Always secure valuables and breakables when driving as you never know when you’ll have to slam on your brakes to avoid running over a baby rabbit (the laptop seems to have survived).
4. Businesses in rural areas do not have the same hours as businesses in the city (I have NEVER heard of a coffee shop closing at 6pm!).
5. My husband is way better about putting the baby to bed than I am (and that is so okay with me).

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It is Futile to Resist.

We have been blessed (?) with children who are early risers.  I can’t remember the last time I slept past 0800 or 0730 for that matter.

Like before 0630 despite all efforts to change that time to later we have resigned ourselves to this fate.  When we lived in the city and we only had Sofia I would make her some toast and jam and lay on the floor while she ate.  Now days we’re trying a new tactic.  A morning walk about.  Yes, Sofia is still in her pajamas.  I think I might have been too!

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This Little Sponge of Ours.

We have two actually.  Both girls.  And I sometimes forget that we have to teach them soooooooo much.  We aren’t their only teachers, thank goodness, but we’re the first.  Perfect example:  How to eat a soft serve ice cream cone.

There’s actually a lot of math and physics involved.  Timing, patience, strategy, reasoning, and so on.

I am really bad in both of those subjects but when you couch it in the form of not wanting to waste ice cream, well, let me be your guide…

Only, I didn’t turn out to be so great as I fretted over the lopsided base, the importance of knowing when and where to lick, etc. I just was so intent on not wanting to see the ice cream top fall off onto the ground, thus bumming everyone out, that I do believe I became rather annoying to be around.

Luckily, my husband had the where-with-all to turn to me and say, “Sherry, it’s just ice cream.”

 

Hi.  Hellooooo.

Perfect example of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.

Learn from me people.

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Behind the Scenes

One year already

Recipe to follow

this does not bode well for my neighbors chickens

Mud-a-rrific!

“Another” pretty rock.

Texture check

My gardening partner.

The work is never-ending!

Long days of travel

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Glimpses of our week.

We live in the back of a ten acre lot. It’s uphill all the way back from the mailbox and I hear about it from my 4 year old the WHOLE way…

It looks like we’re gardening on the edge but there’s just a steep hill beyond the fence.

Life!

Today’s project.

My newest addiction. Roasted Cauliflower. Jon prefers Broccoli and there’s some green beans thrown in for kicks but for me – it’s about the cauliflower.

100% whole wheat. The reason why I’ll never give up carbs.

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Behind the Scenes.

It feels like so many things.  I have been busy but nothing post-worthy.

Yet.

I’m trimming down a chocolate peanut butter chip cookie recipe that I will claim as my own as it’s my belief that if you trim off 1/3 of the amount of butter a new cookie results…

While edible, I  made a white cake with white whole wheat flour:  hev-eee.  Plus, it took way long to bake.  It called for a chocolate filling – I don’t even like fillings in my cake.  I’m blaming PMS craziness.  Salvaged by Hershey’s chocolate frosting recipe which when put on anything take it to a whole different chocolate level.

I’m excited to say that I am this close to perfecting my bread recipe.  Sofia and I will make another batch this week:  it’s looking promising.

Lots of time in the garden, the library for storytime and visits from out of town family and impromptu dinners.  There are four wine bottles on my table right now.

Three are empty.

 

 

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So, here’s what I did…

We have one of those Vitamix blenders which we’ve been “borrowing” for the last  four years from my in-laws.  The Vitamix is great but pricey – we’re still trying to decide if we should make the investment.

It’s great and I use it a LOT.  Most recently for just your basic smoothie.  Sofia is going through a veggie ban again so I’ve been giving her all sorts of vegetable goodness in smoothie form because I get so very tired of the eat-your-vegetables argument…

I totally get not liking vegetables as a kid, it wasn’t fun but I can only hope that at some point she’ll grow to enjoy veggies as much as I do now that I’m older and wiser.  I’m not sure when I started enjoying and actually seeking out new and more vegetables – expanding my palette beyond cheese sauce covered steamed cauliflower and creamed corn.  Now I crave vegetables and something’s not quite right if there’s a meal where they’re not a key player in some way shape or form.

The bad thing about smoothies (when I make them) in the Vitamix is that there is serious residue on the sides that I hate to see go to waste when I rinse out the pitcher.  Only after FOUR years and a second child has it occurred to me to spatula out the residue into an ice cube container and feed it to the baby.  It’s also great to add as “ice” cubes to the soy milk I forgot to refrigerate (we buy ours in bulk from Costco).  Room temperature soy milk is kind of gross.

Not pretty but there’s powerful goodness in there.

From a couple different smoothies. Basic contents: blueberries, spinach or kale, orange, splash of soy milk, apple, cucumber

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