Bluebirdbaby

winner and a weekend.

thanks for all of your sweet comments on the barnaby bright giveaway! i'm so glad i could introduce you to two wonderful musicians! random.org chose #26 and #40!

Sophia said...

Beautiful!
Its a win all around because I have been introduced to lovely new music!

 

Shari said...

Wow! My new favorite! You find the best music.

so sophia and shari...please send me an e-mail at erinlittlephoto(@)gmail(.)com and we'll get you all set up! congrats!

.......................................................................................................................

boy, i've been absent. from everything. have you noticed? it's been a whirlwind of a week and weekend. so much stuff going on. but despite everything, we did manage to enjoy a little bit of relaxation.

 

we made some raised beds for the side yard. super easy and super quick. i can't wait to fill them and get planting. i've so missed gardening. i have plans for expanding the perennial beds, adding lots of fruit trees and berries, a stone patio with pergola and grape vines. the little one is remembering all the gardening we used to do and is just as excited!

we ended the weekend with our sunday roasted chicken and i made a 1-2-3-4 cake for them. now we start vacation week!

we are also gearing up to fly to California on thursday to shoot a wedding, but we'll be gone for about five days, so we're scrambling to tie up loose ends and get everything ready. so much to do!

how was your weekend? are you gardening yet?

sunday

saturday late afternoon we headed down to portsmouth, nh. we walked around, grabbed some espresso and ventured into galleries and stores.

then sunday we prepared for a dinner party with some fabulous friends.

now it's monday. we settle into the work week and our time away. we look forward to coming together each night, celebrating with a lovely dinner and glass of wine. then we work in the studio, creating work inspired by one another.

what did you do on sunday? xoxo

spiced harissa chicken and sauteed chili broccoli

many of you have asked about my diet. yes, i am still gluten-free. i have celiac's and haven't had gluten in about 8 years now. (although i got sick from contamination while traveling and it took a week to recover. ouch!) but i have found that my body just can't tolerate grains of any kind, gluten-free or not. so on the paleo diet i went, and i've never felt better. i've been eating like this for about four months now, and i'm definitely sticking to it.

i bake a lot for mark and the little one. a lot. i love to bake. but i don't go out of my way to try to find paleo baking recipes because i find i don't even crave anything like that anymore. meal time has become a breeze; i simply modify whatever i'm making for them for my plate. i eat a lot of greens.

we have been roasting a chicken a week, then making stock with the carcass and eventually a big pot of soup that is good for at least a couple of meals. with the slow shift in weather, i wanted to change up my roast chicken recipe a bit. i typically make a rosemary-garlic paste and marinate the chicken for a few hours, then stuff it full of whole cloves of garlic and onions. but last night i wanted something different to celebrate spring and the gorgeous light that streams through the kitchen during prep time.

here's my recipe below: (i never measure, so these are guesses. just change it for your tastes!)

i hightly recommend getting some harissa. we use it a lot. and the chili paste is absolutely fantastic with brussel sprouts!

Spiced Harissa Chicken Marinade

• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced and crushed
• 1 tsp salt (we use a lot of salt because we roast our chicken in a clay pot)
• 1 tsp of chili paste
• 1/2 tsp. harissa
• pepper to taste

Put salt on cutting board and mince your garlic over it. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour over chicken and put back in the fridge to marinate for a couple of hours. Roast as you normally would. (We like to stuff the chicken with garlic and onions and add potatoes around the pan.)

 

Sauteed Chili Broccoli

• 2 heads of broccoli 
• half an onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili paste
• olive oil
• red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut the stalks off the broccoli. Cut the broccoli florets in half. I like to leave a 1.5 inch stem on the florets. Slice the onion to create thin, 2 inch strips. Chop the garlic. Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and chili paste. Saute until soft. Add the broccoli and red pepper flakes. Cover for 5-6 minutes until broccoli is soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

That was our dinner, and it was very good. We decided this recipe was definitely a keeper, and I somehow retained it in my memory to share with you! Happy cooking!

What is coming out of your kitchen these days?

company

from the prep to the clean up and everything in between...we love having company.

last night we had some dear friends over for roast chicken and potatoes (clay pots are the BEST) and brussel sprouts.

we listened to billie holiday and sipped wine and felt pretty thankful for being able to share an evening with friends.

xoxo

e

berry pie

we made a homemade berry galette over the weekend. three different kinds of local berries and a very tastey crust! and, of course, there was homemade whipped cream.

it's hard baking in this wee little kitchen of ours. it's something we have not done much of, and boy do i miss it. this galette was just the thing i needed to make as the days get shorter and the nights cooler.

what have you been making lately?

An "it's almost Friday" potluck

We went to a friend's potluck last night. So much fun.

I roller skated. Ate lots of food. Drank some wine. Chatted with friends. Enjoyed the sun (finally!) and sat back after a long day of work.

The little one ran around with friends in between bites of dinner, giggling and skateboarding.

It really was the perfect evening...

What are your weekend plans?!

Equinox

Happy Spring!! Just some photos from the last few days. We are enjoying our new wee space here, the wonderful light all day long, and the amazing view of the river.

We've had a stretch of amazingly warm weather...temps in the 80's, which means shorts and sandals, open windows, staying out late to ride bikes and scooter through town, skipping rocks in the river and hunting for heart rocks and sea glass. It's just been unbelievable. What a wonderful way to welcome spring!

Hope you are enjoying your week. What did you do to celebrate the return of spring?

Happy Equinox!!

studio lunch

lunch with some creative peeps. it was yummy.

i sure am enjoying this view. it's just gorgeous. the sunset last night was beyond amazing.

monday i had the pleasure of shooting and modeling Luksin's spring line. it was a beautiful, sunny and warm day. thank goodness, because we had to strip down to barefeet at the beach! check out some of the photos here.

also, i had the pleasure of photographing some beautiful jewelry from the Future Pearl Co. Check out their site to see some of the photos and their gorgeous work!

it's a rainy overcast day here today. it's a nice excuse to hunker down inside with some tea and catch up on a lot of work.

i'm looking forward to doing some more creative shoots in the coming weeks!

what are you up to today?

 

 

food

We've been enjoying some simple meals around here lately. I always start the day with two fried eggs. Always. It is a rare occurance if I eat something else, and even then, I feel as if it throws my whole day off. Two fried eggs are like waking up on the right side of the bed for me. Plus, our chicken's eggs are amazingly delicious, and slightly addictive. Throughout the day I have numerous cups of PG tips (more than I care to admit here), and am usually snacking on chocolate here and there.

Lunch has been leftover soups, baked eggs, simple spinach salads with turkey and a pesto mayo dressing.

Dinners are always different. I love that. Last night we had a cutting board filled with crackers, chianti cured salame, manchego, olives, and quince paste. Oh, and a glass of French wine. Yum. Other nights it's Mexican with friends featuring local meat, homemade guacamole, and plenty of hot sauce. Then the next night could be a frittata with chard, prosciutto, and sheep's feta. And the little one loves homemade mac and cheese, which I make using goat cheddar and mozzarella, with lots of butter and salt.

Tonight I'm thinking of making this herbed flatbread. Grain free too. We still have jars of pesto I made last fall in the freezer. It's fun to use those every week and think of our once green garden.

What's been on your menu lately?

a simple meal

we enjoyed a simple meal over the weekend. this skillet rosemary chicken was amazing. easy to cook and so yummy to eat! what recipes are you loving this winter?

and the room is almost done! it's so exciting. i love the white. i am on the hunt for some really bold artwork now, and i'm considering having my friend draw something directly on the wall. blank slates are fun! up next is pickling the floor, then i'm moving on to the living room. can't wait to enjoy many dinners in this room when it's done!

happy tuesday!

 

gathering

We've been talking a lot about strengthening our social community for a year now. 2011 was the year of big bashes, lots of music and dancing, BBQs, bonfires, karaoke, and potlucks. This year, we have grand plans for simple entertaining; shifting the focus from large gatherings to intimate dinners and quiet evenings. I think we're all ready for this shift, and I'm excited to see what this year will bring.

To start, I've spent the week so far painting the new dining room. I'm almost done, which is very exciting...I've never painted for 4 days straight before. It's tough work! After the walls are finally done, the floor is next. Then the table will hopefully be finished and in the house, we'll be on the hunt for mismatched wooden chairs, although ideally I'd love folding chairs like these.

With the new dining room, we can gather with a few other couples, have a simple meal, and maybe follow that with some music making or game playing. We're so excited for this simple shift.

 

For the past couple of months, we've been starting this trend with various friends. Mostly to lighten the load of cooking everyday of the week...we've been spontaneously gathering at various houses to enjoy a meal prepared by everyone, with a single ingredient brought to use. It helps our budgets and we also end up having a good conversation, or delving into some kind of art project. It's always fun, and so mellow with no expectations or grand plans. I love that.

I'm looking forward to a mellow 2012, full of good food, good people, and good conversations! And I can't wait to show you all the finished dining room! I'm off to paint another coat...

xoxo

5 years old

I am the mama of a 5 year old. It seems so crazy that 5 years have passed since she was first born. I never realized why mothers would still call their grown children their "babies" but now I do. I look at her and still see the one year old toddling off on those little pudgy legs. She will always be my baby.

But 5...wow. 5 is BIG! She was so proud of herself too. We spent Friday celebrating with our birthday breakfast table tradition, a walk in the woods with friends and picnic by the river, and a dinner out complete with chocolate cake and the best french fries ever, then followed it all with a fantastic concert where we heard a fiddle player not only play the most amazing fiddle music ever, but also dance while doing it!

Then Saturday we had the big party. She requested a "giant potluck party" like we often have throughout the summer. Wasn't too hard to round up a bunch of friends last minute to make it all happen. But it all came together nicely. Instead of gifts, she asked for donations to bring to the animal shelter. We got a giant basket full, plus bags of food, and two big dog beds! People were so awesome! So that sparked an animal themed party, complete with "pin the tail on Pepper" (not the real Pepper...), a photo booth, face painting and animal ear making, and the best dog bone cake ever made!

It was a blast (we are all still recovering) and I think we heard the phrase "you throw the best parties!" about twenty times. But all that really matters is that my big 5 year old enjoyed herself, and that she did. See for yourself...

And the photo booth, which was hilarious and filled with way more adults than children...

 A big thanks to all the sweet friends who made this night so special!! You are all the best. We love you guys. xoxo

it was hot

It was a hot one. A really hot one. And yesterday was hot too.

I swam in the ocean three times yesterday (mind you, we live in Maine and ocean water is freezing) and today we packed up dinner and headed to the lake for a picnic and a dip.

We spent the day in our bathing suits, going between the shade in the backyard with glasses of iced tea and inside where the air seemed just a little bit cooler. The little one plucked away on her ukulele, serenading me during my snack time clean up. We picked fresh herbs from the garden to make a frittata for lunch, served over our greens and some homemade dressing. We ate outside on the picnic table under the shade of the umbrella.

Tonight we retreated to the lake, with my bag packed full of bucheron, salmon, and peas from the garden. The little one almost learned to swim, we played water tag, and watched the clouds roll in.

We returned home for an ice cream cone and the excitement of a thunderstorm. I rushed to get the laundry in, the chickens settled, and the yard toys picked up from a day of play. The little one fell asleep in an exhausted, hot heap on the bed with the lightning flickering around her.

It was a good day. Tomorrow another adventure will be underway! How was your Wednesday?

Oh, and if any of you are wondering how to get the shape of the giant beach bag, just go to my tutorial page here and follow the corner directions for the "everything bag". Easy peasy!

Happy 4th!

I've been slowly turning our backyard into more of a gathering space in anticipation of summer parties, so after building a fire pit (Sasa rocks!) on Friday, we decided to have a spontaneous 4th celebration! Spontaneous or not, Sasa said at the peak we had about 35 people show. It was awesome! So much fun!

There were sparklers, smores (I made some gluten-free graham crackers for the little one and they turned out great!), hula hooping, scootering, dancing, singing, bocce ball, roasting hot dogs and burgers over the fire, and lots of chatter and fun! Oh, and the food...it was unbelievable!

We've already been asked when the next one will be...!

Happy 4th to you! I hope your holiday is fabulous!!

Morning, Noon, and Night

First off, thank you thank you thank you for the super sweet comments about the little one's concert. I read to her every single one. She blushed, was a bit speechless, and then said, "Wow. Thank you!" It's so neat to think that she does have fans all over the world! What a lucky girl! And yes, we are very very proud. She is an amazing little being!

One day. Three meals. Snacks inbetween (watermelon, carrots, apples, bananas, lettuce from the garden...yum).

Today the sun was shining, the heat was wonderful, and we had some cooling off to do! The sprinkler came out, the mini pool was filled up, there was iced tea and popsicles, and we tried our best to find some relief from the heat!

What did you do today?!

.cleanse.

I sat on the backporch this afternoon writing letters.

Sometimes giving yourself permission to slow down is a lovely thing.

I sat for hours, writing.

I allowed myself some extra rest this morning and then followed it with a 6 mile run.

First 6 miler since early last winter.

The roads are clearing, the snow is melting, the moon's craziness is slowly waning, and I'm feeling a need for some cleansing, just as Mother Earth is cleansing all around us.

The greens are on the stove, the rice is almost finished, and we are moments away from sitting down to reflect upon our day and enjoy a simple feast.

Happy Weekend to you! And Happy Spring too!

How to Have a Mad Men Party

I've been MIA lately and for good reason...our "Mad Men Themed" party was this weekend and I spent most of the week prepping for it. I've been wanting to host monthly theme parties (an excuse to wear fancy dresses, I suppose) for a couple of years now, and we finally pulled one off! It was a lot of work, but it was just so much fun! So if you think you'd like to throw one too, I'll give you the 411 on how to do it...

First we started out with decorations...handmade pom poms (this tutorial was good and made us laugh), advertisements from the late 50's/early 60's , streamers, Christmas lights (maybe not so period appropriate, but nice nonetheless!), and vintage Life Magazines and books strewn around the coffee table and side tables. I also purchased vintage cocktail invitations off of Etsy and sent them with a hand stamped recipe card with a period appropriate hors d'oeuvre.

Next is one of the most crucial steps to creating an authentic "Mad Men" atmosphere...the booze. Yes, you need lots and the corresponding glasses to each fancy cocktail. We served four cocktails, all out of a vintage bartending book found here. My friend made cocktail stirrers out of wooden sticks and sparkly pom poms. And another friend was the designated bartender for the evening. Poor guy...he hardly had a chance to sit down! (Thanks Mark!!)

Next up...cigarettes! In this case, we chain smoked candy. I found a box of individual packs here. Everyone got their own pack and the rest were on coffee tables, the buffet table, and well...just about everywhere else.

We also wanted to be fabulous hosts, so we spent some time the past week hunting around for quirky books published in the late 50's. I took some old advertisements from the era and created a card for each guest. Then we wrapped them up with a pack of cigarettes. Everyone loved them!

The food was all hors d'oeuvres from recipes from the era, complete with two fondues (one cheese and one chocolate), a "jello" mold made by Sasa with agar-agar, and cocktail wieners wrapped in bacon (YUM). It was all delicious!

I had Pandora playing all night...we started out with "Sally's Tomato" station, then moved on to "Wives and Lovers", and as the party got really hoppin' we broke out "The Twist" (boy, was that fun!). For games we had Twister going, charades, and a slogan game. For the slogan game I took all the 50's and early 60's slogans from here and everyone had to pick one and try to guess which company or product the slogan was for.

And probably the most fun of the evening was this super simple photo booth I set up upstairs. Elisabeth and I made the backdrop...just a white sheet, a cardboard cut out of a city scape spray painted black with aluminum foil windows, and yellow stars above. Then I set up a camera on a tripod with my flash and we were in business. People kept disappearing upstairs throughout the night to be silly (and boy...there are hundreds of pictures to show for it) and it was just a super fun addition to the night!

By the end of the night (or maybe I should say morning?), we felt pretty authentic in our vintage clothes surrounded by all this Mad Men goodness. It really was just what we all needed in the midst of this long Maine winter.

So next party is either 80's or 70's. We're not sure yet, but I know it will be full of fun!

Sauna In A Bowl

This whole winter I've been just throwing together pots of soup multiple times a week. I love it because no pot of soup is like another. Usually I use up whatever is in the fridge. This particular batch was quite tasty and my friends affectionately named it "sauna in a bowl" soup because it's rather spicy and made us all flushed. It was enjoyed by everyone and I decided to jot this one down to make it a keeper...

Sauna In A Bowl

• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 small head of cabbage chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced thinly
• 1 bunch rainbow chard, washed and chopped (including stems)
• 8 cups of chicken stock
• chorizo sausage, sliced thinly
• oregano and thyme
• 2 bay leaves

1. Saute onion and chopped chard stems in 2 tbs of olive oil in big soup pot.
2. Once that starts cooking, add in the garlic.
3. After the garlic and onion are cooked, add stock and bay leaves.
4. Add carrots, cabbage, and the rest of the chard.
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer until all veggies are soft.
6. Add spices and sausage.
7. Simmer until sausage is cooked.

It was delicious! I hope you all enjoy it too! I also thought adding some brown rice would have been tasty, but I was in an all veggie mood that night.

Enjoy!!

Nourishing Soup for Winter Days

The little one has had a bronchial thing going on for weeks now. She gets it every year and that cough just won't go away. And with Sasa and I just starting to eat again, I decided to forgo our typically meatless diet, and make some nourishing soup for us all. I was inspired by the idea of chicken and leeks, and other things the little one will eat, so this soup just came together this afternoon.

Here it is!

Nourshing Soup for Winter Days ::

• 10-12 cps broth (we used chicken)
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 medium leek, sliced and chopped
• 1 head garlic, minced (yes...one WHOLE head. it's good for ya!)
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced and halved
• 2 large potatoes, cubed
• 1.5 cup peas
• 1.5 cups cooked white beans
• 1 lb ground chicken, cooked
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

1. I think butter makes everything taste better, so I heated a half stick of butter in the bottom of a soup pot. When that is hot, add leeks. Cook until tender.
2. Add minced garlic to leeks and stir. Do not let brown.
3. Add broth, bay leaf, carrots and potatoes. Let boil, then simmer until all are tender.
4. While the soup is cooking, cook the chicken in a frying pan.
5. When the veggies in the soup are tender, add chicken, peas, white beans, and thyme.
6. Simmer for another 20 minutes or so.
7. Serve with fresh bread and (our favorite) homemade butter.

Enjoy!!

Oh, and here's what we've been doing today...lots of resting!

Making Butter

After our violin lesson this morning (oh, she is getting good!) we returned home to do some baking. I had some heavy whipping cream left over from the soup yesterday and wanted to make butter again. We did it long ago and had such fun. It's such an easy and fun project for little ones.

Simply pour heavy cream into a mason jar, add a little salt, put on the lid, and take turns shaking it. In about 15 minutes you'll have the tastiest butter!

Our recipe today was skillet cornbread. I love this simple and easy recipe from the Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book. And it is so delicious.

While that was baking, we ate a light lunch. We had the cornbread, homemade butter, and local honey for dessert.

It was so yummy. Tomorrow is apple crisp day! What's happening in your kitchen?!

A Chilly Monday

Wow. It's getting cold. Fall is quickly passing us by and we find ourselves welcoming the chilly winter air. Today we bundled up in our wool layers and drank hot cocoa (with homemade whip cream. yum.) to keep warm.

We just started attending a sweet little Spanish group at a friend's farm on Mondays. We decided to come with some goodies, so we baked honey muffins, topped off with some of Mary Beth's nectarine jam straight from the opposite coast. (We did a trade a couple months ago. Jams from coast to coast!) It was so delicious. They were a hit for sure.

And after two hours of chilly outdoor afternoon play (we made rocket ships, collected treasures, and even went to the moon and back) we picked some carrots, chard, and kale for supper. I made dumpling squash soup. It was so very delicious. I got the recipe from the latest Martha Stewart magazine. What can I say? I'm a sucker for any magazine with pie on the cover! I highly recommend the recipe...so simple and delicious.

I loved cooking in the kitchen while the little one played in the corner. She had a Christmas tree with presents underneath, she was Saint Nicholas, and her doll carriage was the sleigh full of gifts. So sweet.

Happy Monday! No link list today. I'm beat! Next week...

Mama's Going to Can Them For Next Winter

The little one and I have been doing lots of picking, cooking, and eating. Remember Bri and her gorgeous family? Well, she let us come back up for some blueberry and blackberry picking. And boy...we got loads. I spent the better part of yesterday (and Sasa the night before) picking through the berries to freeze for the winter. The little one and I love this book. We read it almost daily in the summer time. When we were picking blueberries she said, "Mama...you're going to take these home and can them for next winter!" Yes indeed. Perhaps not can all of them, but freeze them for sure!

We've made blueberry muffins, jam, a tart, and "smoothie popsicles" out of them already. (We discovered that adding Greek yogurt to our homemade popsicles is deeeelicious!) The little one is such a good helper with all this too.

We've also been enjoying loads of tomatoes and cucumbers, so a simple salad of the two mixed with olive oil and feta is a great lunch.

And the jam...oh my. This is just some of it. We are going to be all set with jam through the winter. A lot of you have asked what recipe I use. It's just the "low sugar" recipe on the back of the Pamona's Pectin. I typically use 1/2 cup honey per batch.

We have been enjoying so many picnics and dinners on our back porch. The little one has been so interested in setting the table all by herself. See those folded napkins? She did that! We found a vintage children's cook book at a used bookstore and it illustrates everything, right down to setting the table. She adores it. So sweet. And Sasa and his Pop worked so hard on this porch... it's just beautiful. We have been enjoying it every second!

And up for today...zucchini bread, homemade hummus, millet sqaures, and quinoa salad. Yum!

The Kitchen

We've been spending an insane amount of time in the kitchen this summer. Blueberry cakes, muffins, pancakes, and jam, raspberry jam, blackberry jam, banana bread, roasted kale, rainbow chard frittatas, ice cream, summer soups, cucumber salads, zucchini pasta, pesto, pesto, pesto, and more pesto. And the list goes on...

I love how the little one is getting so used to cooking and baking. I think she'll be able to throw a muffin recipe together on her own in no time! And I absolutely love how excited she is now to pick things from the garden and bring them in to cook and eat. I love that she knows where her food comes from and that she played a part in helping it grow.

Nothing beats homegrown food and all the yumminess that is coming out of our kitchen! What have you been cooking lately?

A Link and Pesto Love

Oh man. I just had the most terrific fabulous amazing post typed up for you all, went to hit "publish" then typepad kicked me out of my account and erased it! Ugh!

So, I'm feeling rather frustrated and now am crunching to get this done.

I know you all want my pesto recipe, so here it is. But first...you MUST promise to listen to this song. It will get you moving and it's Sasa's pick for the week. He loves it. Oh, and check out these beautiful canvases. Yipee!

Okay, now that you are groovin' you may view my ultra secret spectacular special pesto recipe ::

Erin's Ultra Secret Spectacular Special Pesto Recipe ::

• 1/4 cup pine nuts (or just use walnuts if pine nuts are super expensive like they are here)
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 clove garlic (or 3 if you are us!)
• 2 cups fresh loosely packed basil leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 parmesan cheese
• salt

1. Combine nuts and garlic in food processor and blend until coarse.
2. Add basil and olive oil and blend to a paste.
3. Add cheese and pulse a couple of times.
4. Add salt to taste.

That's it! Super easy and tasty! We just put ours in canning jars and freeze. Take one out the morning you will use it for dinner and let it sit on the counter. It should be ready for dinner!

Rainbows and Picnics

We've been doing a lot of this lately. I love how Sasa comes home for lunch everyday and we all get to eat three meals together daily. The pack porch is seeing many picnics. Today I made a salad with mesclun mix from our friends farm and garlic scapes from another friend's garden. Thanks friends for keeping us well fed!

Tonight I made up a salad using greens from our very own garden! They were so delicious. The little one has been picking peas like crazy and eating them before I get a chance to taste one! The lettuce was another hit tonight. Here's my yummy salad recipe ::

Bluebirdbaby's Summer Salad ::

• fresh peas (about 3/4 pound of shelling peas)
• 1 green pepper chopped
• 1 cucumber thinly sliced
• 1-2 carrots cut with julienne peeler

For the dressing ::

• 1-2 tablespoons of minced cilantro
• 3 tablespoons of mayo (or less...I just LOVE mayo!)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Mix the dressing and toss the veggies with it. Serve of a bed of lettuce. YUM!

And I'll leave you with the gorgeous skies, complete with rainbow, we saw earlier this week!

Hula Hoop Party

Well, some friends and I have been wanting to make hula hoops forever. We finally got the chance when two of our fabulous friends hosted a hoop making party at a lakeside cottage they had access to. It was so much fun!!! The little one swam for over two hours, went on three kayaking rides with Sasa, used a "baby hula hoop" and found out she is amazing at it, and stayed up a wee bit too late playing with all her friends. But oh, the memories. Such sweet summer kid memories. I love it!

I made my own hoop, mastered some new tricks, and can't wait for the beach class! My friends are such talented hoopers. This night was just full of magic! I wish every night could be so amazing and full of love.

Here are some glimpses of the night. The light was seriously amazing. These images are barely touched!

I miss you guys!

Gosh, I miss you guys. I miss this space here. I know I haven't been away that long, but life has been so very, very busy. Which is good, because it means I have lots of work. But my creativity in other areas is a bit lacking, especially in this space here. Not so much the posts, but more the thought that goes into it is what I miss. And, of course, I miss hearing your lovely thoughts!

I wanted to post about something the little one and I find so grounding amidst a busy stretch in our lives, and that would be the kitchen. We bake, we eat, we clean, we play...it is something that consistently brings us all together, and inevitably ends in something yummy. It's no wonder that baking day is on the first day the little one arrives back home. We have a moment to settle in, then it's straight to the kitchen!

I guess it's the process :: gathering wholesome ingredients, measuring, pouring, stirring, mixing, taste-testing, and then watching as whatever we are making slides into the oven. We are so very focused on the act of baking in the moment together that it creates this immediate bond where we feel the love we have for each other without ever mentioning a word. There are always many kisses from the little one while I help her pour and stir, and I typically feel her tiny body leaning into mine for a pat on the back. She's a good helper and I look forward to our baking days all week.

Today we started with morning surprise muffins. My mother and I used to make these for special treats. We sweeten ours with honey and use homemade jam, or jam made without sugar. The jam is placed in the middle, so when you bite into it you are surprised by the sweetness inside! They are delicious.

Then there was clean up (she helped wash the dishes), sweeping, putting the ingredients back in their places, and setting the timer. I love how involved she is in the whole process, from beginning to end.

Dinner included roasted asparagus (yum!) because the little one spotted it in the co-op and wanted to bring a bunch home. It was so, so good.

And after dinner we made macaroons dipped in chocolate. Oh yes, it was a very yummy day indeed. I think I may have to end this now so I can go grab another...

I hope you are all enjoying your week! Until next time...

a day

We started the morning with prepping for tomorrow's raw hummus. Sasa and I love this part about eating raw. The prep, actual making, and eating usually span over the time of two days. We become really connected and invested in the food we are eating. Read Sasa's latest raw recipe here.

"Old broom sweep the floor, old broom sweep some more..." That was the song the little one and I sang lots today. She not only swept the kitchen four times today, but helped vacuum, pick herbs for our dinner, and cleaned the dishes. She rocks! My little helper...

We made Purple Violet a new wrap skirt, based on one the little one got in a package from Bella, and one that I was inspired to make myself. So the leftover scraps were used to make Purple Violet a matching one too! I'm certain Purple Violet really likes it.

Dinner time was sweet. A cozy table, newly found vintage linen that was hiding in my fabric pile, and fresh flowers made it all so special. We cooked "mushy brown rice" for the little one, fresh Ocean Perch from the local fish market (decorated with chive blossoms picked by the little one), and a local salad. Yum!

After dinner, we put on the iPod and danced and danced. The little one and I modeled for Sasa who is getting quite handy at the camera. I have about 50 pictures from tonight of us dancing. Oh my...we had FUN! The little one's favorite song? This! I started singing it after I told her today that we can't always get what we want, and she asked why. Great song to get that point across! My favorite? This! She's amazing. Sasa's? This! Love them...

And it is so very lovely to have a picture of the little one and I! Sasa does a good job, doesn't he?!

Hope your day was full of fun too! And yes, I am still taking a break from this space when my work load gets to be too much...

Cookie Delivery Day (and more sneak peeks!)

Every so often the little one and I bake an extra special treat. But with two of us not eating processed grains, and all three not really eating sugar, we have a hard time making two dozen cookies and leaving them on the counter to spoil. So we do a special cookie delivery!

This morning the little one and I set out to make the best chocolate chip cookies ever, and boy...did we succeed! I used honey instead of cane sugar, but did opt to use brown sugar as called for. It always tastes better that way.

The little one had a blast measuring, mixing, and stirring. And, of course, the best part is taste testing. There was plenty of that too. When gluten-free batter tastes good, you know the finished product is going to be amazing.

So the cookies were finally finished, cooled, and packed up in her delivery basket to head into town. She wanted a ride in the sling on the way down, and with our big umbrella we headed out in the pouring rain to deliver the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Everyone was very excited. Just what was needed on a rainy day!

And here's another glimpse of a corner of our kitchen. I can't reveal the whole thing yet (even though you all are incessant with your pleads!) because it's not quite finished. Trust me, you want to wait until it's done. Which hopefully will be by Saturday. So there. For now, check out my pyrex collection. I have yet to organize it, but it's fun seeing it out.

And lastly, I had to snap this picture of the little one's lunch. It's her favorite. And I think it looks so darn pretty. Those strawberries were such a treat! Sasa said they were better than candy, and I certainly agree!

What are you up to this week? We're hoping for sun tomorrow...!

a day in the kitchen

A glimpse of our lives returning to normal...

Without a kitchen for a number of months, our rhythm was completely thrown off. We are settling into our typical home life again, and boy, it feels good! I will have complete kitchen pictures to follow soon, but it's not quite done. Cabinets, shelves, hardware, lights, etc. have yet to be finished and when they are, I will reveal the entire kitchen. Yay! And it's seriously so amazing. The way it makes me feel when I'm in there, how it inspires me to cook and bake all day long. I could spend my entire life in this one room. It's the first room I've ever had in my life that is exactly how I would design it. It's perfectly us.

Until it's complete, please enjoy some glimpses of our kitchen and how we're enjoying it oh so much...

homemade blueberry muffins for breakfast

fresh flowers we collected from our yard and our walk around the hood

my lunch :: a raw sandwich with raw seed bread....YUM!

making our own homemade orange juice for our creamsicles

creamsicles in the making...oh yum (we used homemade OJ and vanilla yogurt with a little extra vanilla extract)

dancing in the kitchen with her new boots (just like mama's!)

homemade fries for dinner with a big, delicious, local green salad

So that was our day. It was almost all spent in the kitchen, minus our trips out into town. It was lovely. I can't wait to do it again tomorrow!

twenty five :: 30 days of beauty :: a picture, a song

Oh, the little one. She is quite something. It's hard to really describe her because she's just so darn unique and special. But a close description would be likened to Frances. You've surely read those books, yes? Frances is a smart, quick little badger who goes about her day singing all the while. The little one goes about her entire days singing. She's like a walking musical. Today she was making up songs about car rides, mangoes, chicken eggs, Kiwi cat, and restaurants, just to name a few. But one song stuck out. It wasn't a "little one original," but a song I was quite familiar with. She finished, then came into the kitchen where I was cooking lunch and said, "Mama! That was the song you used to sing to me when I was a little baby!" Be still my heart. Yes, it is. It was the song I would sing to my belly when she was the size of a lima bean. It was the song I sang as I felt her kicking inside me. It was the song I sang when I felt those first contractions before sunrise. It was the song I sang as she nursed when she was just days old. And I haven't sang it in months, but she remembers.

So tonight, after the lights went out and we were all snuggled in with her head leaning on my shoulder, I sang it again. Her eyes closed, and she nodded off to sleep with a smile on her face. Nothings beats that moment, this day, that girl, and that song. She is growing up so fast. It's a delight to watch her blossom and grow. What a lucky job I have being her mama.

And some things I am loving today ::

::Outside play with chicken accompaniment. ::

:: Happy Eggs! ::

:: Raw goat's milk ::

:: A vintage slip from the 20's I recently scored thrifting. It hangs in our room now because I love it so. ::

:: A little before dinner play on the sidewalk. We like to make the neighborhood pretty! ::

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

twenty three :: 30 days of beauty :: food

Oh, food...how I love you. I love your bright colors, the way you smell and taste, and the way you make my tummy happy. I think you are beautiful. And the people who make it? They are beautiful too. And the people who eat it? Definitely on my beauty list! Thank you for being so beautiful. And thank you for being so good!

Above are just some of the things we've been eating lately. I eat about three mangoes a day (the little one is right up there too!), Sasa is on a seaweed/medicinal mushroom kick, and the little one is loving smoked salmon. There's lots of potlucks, dinner parties, and picnics going on which results in a lot of extra yummy food. My tummy is happy. Really happy.

What is on your plate lately?!

Happy Eggs for Sale

You are what you eat, right? So if you eat an egg from a sad chicken, you will be sad too. But if you eat an egg from a happy chicken, well...ya know. Maybe that's why we're all so happy?! The little one is learning a bit about running a business. An egg business, that is. Let me introduce "Happy Eggs." A little side business the little one and I are diving into to help make extra money for our chicken feed. Plus, our fridge is just loaded with eggs. We can't keep up!

First thing we did was make a sign. A big one. Then we made a money jar. And then we decided our egg cartons needed a little sprucing up, so handmade labels were designed. Oh yes, these little eggs go out in style!

We talked about setting up a roadside stand in our front yard, but remembering my failed lemonade stands as a kid, we opted to go to the people instead of waiting for the people to come to us. So we loaded up the wagon, hitched on our sign, got a basket for our eggs, and went to town. Nothing beats bringing food to people, especially when a cute little dinoasaur is delivering it. We were quite a sight...me, the wagon, a little dinosaur, Doggy Fly trailing behind us, and along the way we picked up three more friends who followed us into town.

And guess what? We were sold out in the first FIVE minutes. Our money jar is full and we have standing orders. Oh my. It's a good thing we have happy chickens who lay happy eggs daily!

Thankful For...

I'm so thankful for friends. I'm thankful for being surrounded by like-minded people. People who live their lives with passion, creativity, and fun. Sasa and I (and the little one) have never had such a busy social life, full of people we love and nurturing friendships. We had the pleasure of dining with friends over the weekend. It was a night full of good music, creative conversation by creative people, and such delicious food!

I'm thankful for yummy and nourishing food. Sasa made a chicken pot pie after I told him it was my favorite thing to eat as a kid. I never thought a homemade pie could beat the comforting taste of Mrs. Budd's chicken pies that I grew up loving, but I should have known...Sasa always makes things better than I remember them ever being. It was a keeper recipe for sure and he's going to share it all with you soon!

I'm so very thankful for the little one, her joy in life, her amazing energy, and her love of anything and everything that involves being social! She was a cat all night. She scared my friend's cat away with her enthusiastic greeting, but that didn't matter...she just became the cat instead. She even dedicated a few Rolling Stones' songs as "tail chasing songs." She is a delight, and she sure does love life! Such a pleasure to witness!

What are you thankful for today? I always love reading what you share!

five :: 30 Days of Beauty

Well, we hosted another wine and cheese tasting. It was so much fun. I'm avoiding wine and dairy (and coffee...oh my) because of an insanely long lasting migraine I've had, but I was able to tolerate a few sips of the whites. Wine, cheese, and friends. Nothing beats that. We chatted and laughed until the wee hours of the morning. So much fun.

And now...for my beautiful finds!

Friday mornings :: a slow start, reading and cuddling in bed, tea on the stove, pancakes on the table covered in homemade blueberry sauce and garnished with a paper white (the little one's idea). Yum.

Her style :: Seriously...she rocks. She gets the layer thing from her mama, of course. But the triple layer of stripes?! Completely her own doing. She looked gorgeous today. This is her "party outfit" apparently. She wanted to where it for our dinner party tonight. You should have seen it with the pink wooden clogs she was wearing earlier...!

Leave me some beauty links!! I'd love to see what you all are finding! Happy Weekend!

Never A Dull Moment

I swear, there's never a dull moment around here. Between renovating, sunshine, snow (yes, we got more today after the 50 degree day yesterday...), semi-home schooling, tasty experiments in the kitchen, visiting friends, and making our rounds about town, we pretty much have our days packed full. Here's just a glimpse at one little bit of our day...

:: Letting the house breathe. It can get so stuffy in winter, and airing it out on a nice warm day works like magic. Doors are opened, fresh air flows freely from outside to in, and everything comes alive again. ::

:: Two little bakers. I had another little one under foot today. It was fun and so sweet to see how two little ones moved about their day together. We made another honey cake (adding blueberries this time) and I realized when I copied the recipe down for Sasa, I wrote "sugar" instead of honey. Um, yea...that would totally defeat the whole honey cake idea! ::

:: Dress-up! Two little ones, twelve tutus, two pairs of tap shoes, and crazy tights. What a sight! ::

:: First coat. It's up. It's blue. It doesn't look anything like this picture. But it's awesome. The perfect shade. Just like in my dreams. So much brighter and more alive than this photo shows. This is just the first step in a long line of major demolition to follow. Yay and eeks at the same time! ::

:: All my ducks in a row. We added some new things from a recent thrift, although the ducks belonged to my grandmother. The little one loves them! ::

:: And last, tacos! The little one was a "cat" last night, so we had to convince her that tacos were really cat food. She was totally into the idea of having her own taco and really enjoyed it. Maybe our once a year taco night should be monthly now...::

So, what are your days like? Are they as jam packed full of fun and craziness as ours?!

A(nother) Day in Photos

:: Early morning reading ::

:: Christmas crafting ::

:: Jack Frost has been bringing us lots of frost flowers! ::

:: Afternoon play on the couch. I put my glasses on to read and she looked over and said, "Mama, take those glasses off!" I asked her why and she replied with, "Because you look so mysteeerious!" Then she asked me to take her picture. What a silly goose! ::

:: Apple crisp in the works. We wanted to surprise Sasa when he got home from work. I also had homemade vegetable pasta sauce on the stove. The kitchen smelled delicious! ::

:: Early Solstice/winter gifts ::

:: A spark of Father Sun's light ::

:: Finally, finally asleep ::

.........................................................................................................................................................................

Our day started at a bright and early (who am I kidding??....dark and waaay too early!) 4:30 a.m. It's dark, it's cold, it's nice and cozy in bed, but I awake to the pitter-patter of little feet running down the hall. The door creaks open and a little voice whispers, "Mama? Sasa? You awake?"

Um...we played the whole "sound asleep" card for a good five minutes, but that was clearly getting us nowhere. So it was a long day. A day I wasn't sure I would quite make it through. (I'm one of those "I could conquer the world if I sleep in until 8 a.m." kinda gals.) But regardless of the early wake up, we did indeed have a rather lovely day. It was full of more coffee than I care to admit, some Christmas crafting, three delicious meals with the two I adore most, and ended with a not-so-early bedtime (darn!) and plenty of snuggles.

Jack Frost has certainly been good to us. King Winter hasn't been sending any snow, but Jack Frost is making sure it's frigid out there. Almost every window in our house has frost flowers on it! So pretty, but I can't wait to see the yard again!

Stay warm! We're gearing up for a Solstice celebration this weekend. What do you do on Solstice?!

Waldorf In the Kitchen

Something I've always struggled with the little one by my side is cooking and cleaning. Children and these two things just never mix; or so was my experience. I always tried to get her to help, but I was usually faced with a little one who just wanted undivided attention. There was a time when we settled into a good rhythm waaaay back when and she would gladly help me cook or sweep. But those days have been long gone.

The little one has required lots of attention lately. I found I was getting nothing done, but was mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the day. This week, after Sasa and I decided it was time for her to be engaged along side of us (which meant she was still getting lots of attention, but it was a structured activity), I rearranged the kitchen a bit to suit her smallness. This is our first step. Her cups, plates, bowls, place mats, napkins, cutting board and crinkle cutter (great for little hands), and silverware are all arranged in a cupboard she can get to easily. She helps set the table at each meal by getting whatever she will need. The brooms and dustpans are lined up along the wall within easy reach. We sweep after preparing the meals (she swept on her own tonight without us asking!) and I find a spontaneous "cleaning" song helps the jobs get done.

I set up a little table for her next to our baking corner. Our "baking day" is now officially on Thursday, so this Thursday morning I had everything set up for making skillet cornbread. I placed each ingredient in a separate bowl (all pre-measured) so she could just pour it in and stir. She did it without help and had the batter in the skillet in no time! I find this approach really works wonders with her. She had a smile on her face the entire time and just loved baking! By the way, this book is wonderful with easy recipes for the little ones.

We also made applesauce while our cornbread was baking. We made up an apple cutting song while we washed, peeled, and cut the apples. The little one sat for a good 45 minutes doing this, so content and happy. I've noticed that when she is having a hard time getting absorbed in an activity, making up a song about it always grabs her attention. Our enamel pots are great for washing. We use them for washing dishes, apples, napkins and place mats, and all kinds of other things!

The applesauce was delicious and guess what the little one started to do while I prepared dinner tonight? That's right...she got out her apple washing and cutting tools and went to work, all on her own!

Most of these ideas were inspired by the book Heaven on Earth, which is one of my favorite Waldorf parenting books. After spending some time in a parent/child Waldorf class this fall, I've discovered that with the use of song, having everything at their level, and involving them in all the household tasks makes the days flow smoother. Our rhythm is set, the little one is happy (so far!), we are getting things done, she's getting the attention she needs and mama is getting the chores done! Yay!

Rhythm to me equals peace. When we find our rhythm, everything is easier. Everyone is happier. What have you found helps your little ones? Do you have any songs that help with household tasks? What about seasonal activities? I'd love to hear!!

And now I'm off to finish up a Halloween costume. Yikes!!

Birthday Parties, Craftiness, and Something for You!

My mother celebrated a birthday over a week ago, although we really didn't get a chance to celebrate. So we had her up for a birthday dinner, party, and sleepover. The little one just adores her Baba. The two of them are so similar and just watching them is amazing. So everyone was super excited when Baba arrived at the door and was greeted with a handmade birthday banner and a table full of goodies!

I made her an eye pillow filled with flax seeds and lavender. I added a bottle of lavender essential oil too. It can be heated up or frozen for a cold pack. These things are so handy and so easy to make! I got the eye pillow pattern from here. I downsized it a tad because it was huge. It was a hit with the little one. I'm just waiting for the request to make a purple one...

We enjoyed a yummy dinner made by the amazing Sasa. It was followed by the most delicious apple pie ever! (Should I mention I'm eating another piece as I type this? Yum. He is just so crazy awesome.) And Sasa finally wrote down that gluten-free pie crust recipe and wanted to share it with all of you!

So here it is. Enjoy!...

Sasa's Famous Gluten-free Pie Crust

Sift together ::

• 1 1/4c white rice flour
• 4/3c potato starch
• 1/2 tapioca flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp xantham gum

Blend in until it resembles cornmeal::

• 1 1/2 sticks butter (cold)

Mix ::

• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbs ice water

Mix liquid into dry with fingers until soft dough that can be formed into a ball. Chill 1 hour. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mom!! You deserve the best one ever. xoxo

Morning, Noon, and Night

It's been a hectic week here. The little one is still battling croup. I came down with my seventeenth flu since last September. And Sasa is beyond tired and a little sniffly too. So, my apologies for my absence. I do hope it won't be long until we're all back on our feet, well rested, and ready for fun! For now, here's a little glimpse of our day today...

:: Morning ::

:: Noon ::

:: Night ::

What have you all been up to this week? And what kinds of activities do you do to keep sick little ones (with tons of energy) still and entertained?!

Oh, and a big thank you to Juliana and Joel for the yummy soup! It really saved us these last two nights...!

Fall Breakfast :: Baked Apple Pancake

Because this week has been incredibly crazy and busy and tiring and exhausting and just plain nuts, and because I don't want to completely neglect this space here, and because I really, really love this recipe, and because apples are all over the place right now, and because I love all my readers and want to share a treat with you, I've decided to post one of my all-time favorite breakfast recipes: the baked apple pancake.

This would be from my mama's recipe box. It's been a favorite of mine since I was little. I hope you enjoy it!!

You'll need ::

For the apples:

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 med apples, sliced thinly
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the pancake:

• 2 tbs butter
• 3/4 c flour (we used 1/4 cp white rice, 1/4 c brown rice, 1/4 c potato starch)
• 1/2 c milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder

Mix apple ingredients in bowl. Melt butter in 9" pie pan. Combine rest of pancake ingredients. Pour into hot pan on top of butter. Spread apple mix in center. Bake 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Enjoy!!

30 Days of Happiness :: Apples to Sauce

First there was this...

Then there was this...

And now we have this!

Apples to sauce. Delicious!!

30 Days of Happiness :: Fairy Parties

What can I say about today? It was amazing, wonderful, magical, and just sweet (and I took too many pictures!!). The little one will turn three years old on Wednesday, and since I will not see her until Wednesday night, we decided to honor her today instead. We started the day with a breakfast celebration, complete with her new birthday outfit, crown, a small gift, and her three year birthday ring. Sasa made a terrific breakfast, and Baba (my mother) was there to celebrate too.

The outfit fabrics were chosen by the little one and we worked on it together over the last three weeks. The shirt is an Oliver + S pattern, slightly modified. I was surprised she picked out these colors, but she was very excited about the Little Red Riding Hood fabric and somehow we made it all work. The best part was she was excited to wear it today!

The theme for our small celebration were fairies. Fairy houses, fairy tea, fairy dolls and books, and fairy snacks. We set up the little table in the yard with pumpkins and bags I had made for the children with fairy dolls inside. The little one helped me make each fairy doll: gluing on their hats, felting the wool, and picking a fairy name for each one. She also told me the colors her friends like the best, and we made bags and fairies to suit each child's favorites.

The little one received many loving gifts including a basket filled with embroidery goodies perfect for little hands, a hand-painted tea cup, a necklace made by a special friend, and so much more. Really, it could not have been a more magical party!

After tea, we set off to make our fairy houses around the yard. Sasa had collected many perfect fairy house building materials on a recent kayaking trip and we had a wagon full of things to choose from. The kids made beautiful houses and I think the fairies who live in our yard will be so excited!

Elisabeth has recently learned how to take pictures using my camera (gulp!) and she is quite good indeed. In the next week I will be setting up a flickr account for her and you can view all her photos there. Really, they are very good!! The above are just a sample...

Then it was cake, which was a gluten-free chocolate cake the little one requested with "stripes and polka-dots" on it. Sasa made up the recipe and it was absolutely delicious. The little one has been talking about this birthday cake for months now, and it was so special to finally see her with it. She had a "ginormous" piece and loved every bit of it.

And last but not least, her special present. Sasa's Pop has been working on it for a while now, and his mother has been busy furnishing it. The dollhouse was a big hit (with all the kids!!) and I'm sure you will see many more pictures of it in the future!

Sasa and I are completely wiped after a day full of fun, fairies, celebrating, and friends. It was so very magical and amazing. I'm glad we will have this memory for ever and always. Happy Birthday, my sweet little one. You bring so much magic to my life! I love you. xoxo

Fresh Squeezed

With the weather being in the 90's, we've been spending the majority of our days in the water. But today there is a slight breeze and the shade is rather lovely. We've been doing lots of crafts on the back porch in the bit of shade the trees provide. We wanted to surprise Sasa (who's no longer on the cleanse...thank goodness!) with some fresh squeezed lemonade.

The little one and I gathered all the lemons from the fridge, some ice cold water, and maple syrup. We sat on the back porch for a while, squeezing lemons and taking a taste now and then. Apparently the little one is quite the fan of sour things!

When the squeezing was done, it was time to stir. The little one is a master stirrer. She actually tells me how to stir now. So she stirred as I poured in the maple syrup.

Next we added some ice and waited for Sasa. He was pleasantly surprised to find some fresh squeezed lemonade to go with lunch. And looks like we have at least two days supply in the fridge. Yummy!

What's Been Going On

:: Barbeque's almost every night ::





:: Trying out the picnic blanket ::





:: Watching things grow ::

I have another tutorial in the works (a really exciting one!) and hope to have it up by this weekend or early next week. I have quite the list of things to sew, mend, and hem for other people and after I'm through with that, more items will be in the works for the shop. Thank you for all your previous suggestions. I'm hoping to add some items for the home as well as some summery things for the little ones. Maybe a few bags too!

I hope you're all enjoying the week!

The Farm and a Good Salad

As we start getting ready to dive into urban homesteading, it's always inspirational to visit a small farm for ideas. We spent this overcast, chilly morning at one of the many homesteads surrounding our little town. We were told there was just about every animal you could imagine there, and it was true!

There were the biggest turkeys you ever did see. I have never seen a turkey quite so big. This lovely gal followed us around the entire time we were there. So cute. I really wanted to bring her home.

There were rare baby goats from New Zealand who lived inside the house, but came out for a visit and a walk through the woods.

There was a "ginormous" (as the little one likes to say) tractor, complete with two buckets, all accessible for a small child to sit on and pretend to drive.

There were geese,

and bigger goats,

and pot-bellied pigs in the greatest little pig pen ever.

We got some gardening ideas, some chicken tractor ideas, some fencing ideas, and a whole lot of urges to just dive in right this second and get a little half-acre farm going in town. Should I mention I almost (almost...) bought a goat yesterday for ten dollars?! With the amount of goat milk the little one drinks, a goat in the backyard would sure be handy! It was ever so tempting...

And I came up with a chicken Waldorf salad recipe today. It's one of my favorite lunches, and after spending a fortune on them at the local co-op, I finally decided to make my own. I never measure ingredients, so you'll have to use your own judgment because I'm totally guessing here...

-chicken (I buy organic chicken breast strips and cook them in a shallow pan with water and olive oil. Put the lid on and in about 5 minutes they are nice and tender.)
-1/2 red onion diced
-1/2 apple chopped with skin on
-2 celery sticks chopped
-1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper (I love this stuff)
-1 teaspoon thyme
-1/2 to 3/4 cup of mayonnaise (I use too much of this stuff on everything. I think it's a food from the Gods...)
-2 cloves raw garlic chopped (or 6 cloves if you're garlic nuts like us)

Mix all together and serve over lettuce. It's really the perfect lunch (or dinner, or even breakfast!). Enjoy!
-

Makin' Stuff

Making a favorite dinner around here. One that's enjoyed by everyone. And yes, that platter will be consumed by three hungry bellies. I won't even mention the delicious dessert that followed...

And I've been busy making Easter goodies for the little one. She is so darn excited about an egg hunt, more "Easter" sushi, dying Easter eggs using foods and spices, and finding a special basket loaded with fun things on Easter morning. Gosh, it's so fun being a mama.

 I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Stop by next week for a fantastic giveaway!!

From the Kitchen

Sasa is a terrific cook and usually would rather be in the kitchen, happily concocting recipes, than anywhere else. But tonight, the little one and I kicked him out and decided to make up our own delicious supper. This recipe is straight from my head, made up as I went. And it is so good that I decided to share it with all of you...

What You'll Need:

~bag of baby spinach
~half an onion, sliced in thin strips
~olive oil
~3 tbs. raisins
~2 tbs. toasted pine nuts
~4 tbs. soft goat cheese

For the sauce:

~1 tbs. olive oil
~2-3 tsp. dijon mustard (for your gluten-free readers, make sure there is no "grain vinegar" in yours)
~2 tsp. rice vinegar
~ a little lemon juice

Pour some oil in a big skillet. Cook thinly sliced onion on low heat until transparent. Add spinach and cover for a couple of minutes, stirring every once and a while. When spinach is done, turn heat off and add raisins, pine nuts, and goat cheese.
Now, get your sauce ready. Just mix all ingredients and pour over the spinach. Serve over rice and for some extra protein, add a side of grilled chicken. Yum!

We enjoyed it. I hope you will too!

Giving Thanks

I don't typically get that excited about holidays, and have never really focused on "giving thanks" for anything in a serious manner around Thanksgiving. But this year, I feel thankful for so many things. I woke up yesterday morning feeling like it was Christmas. I felt that same excitement I did as a little child as I ran to the Christmas tree. We woke up to a yard full of frost that almost looked like snow, and there was such a feeling of festivity in the air. I went the whole day thinking how lucky I was and how thankful I am for everything and everyone in my life. There is just so much to be thankful for...

The little one's first television viewing. I haven't had television in 6 years, so the little one has never seen a show on t.v. or a commercial for that matter. But there is cable where we are staying, and we turned it on for the first time to view the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The little one thoroughly enjoyed the dancing and singing before the parade started. She kept getting annoyed by the commercials and requested "more people!!!" every two minutes.

A Thanksgiving Day morning walk. We hiked over 3 miles with two friends while the little one stayed unusually content in her backpack. The weather was mild and the rain held off. We enjoyed some gorgeous views and it felt great to get some exercise.

Thanksgiving dinner at the sweetest little house ever, with some lovely company. It was a very low-key, relaxed day and we all had a lot of fun. One of the nicest parts was the fact that the pies, stuffing, and side dishes were gluten-free! So I had my first complete Thanksgiving meal without a lot of pain afterward!

An after dinner walk down to the ocean where the little one found a "choo-choo train". The walk seemed to finally tire her out, so she slept on the car ride home and remarkably fell asleep once placed in her bed at home.

And I am thankful for a new place to live, which will hopefully happen this coming week! The little one and I are so excited. We'll be sharing the house with a friend, and I promise to update you with all the renovations/redecorating that goes on. The little one has requested a "green and purple" room...any ideas on how I could make that work?! And you know...there will be a new sewing studio to put together and I am very excited about a new color/theme for that! And soon there will be some craftiness happening on this blog again. I am just itching to get back to sewing! There is just so much to be thankful for!

I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one. Enjoy the weekend!

A Visit to the Farm

My friend (and coworker) is building a house and invited the little one and I over to see the progress. Her parents live on a big farm with beautiful gardens, apple trees, four pigs, two horses, and chickens just down the road. So we spent some time at the farm exploring. I was sent home with a stalk of brussel sprouts, kale, and beets. Not to mention our weekly trade of duck eggs for garlic and potatoes. I think I'll have a happy belly all winter long!

The little one especially loved discovering the toys inside that were tucked away in a corner. I've noticed a huge difference in her play since she started preschool in September. She is more engaged and happily plays away for long stretches of time. I've also noticed that the less toys there are, the more she plays. I'm thinking about going through a lot of ours and dwindling them down to a few. Most just sit in the baskets or on the shelves unused. Blocks, her new ukulele, her wooden farm family, and her cars are the most played with. Everything else just seems to go unnoticed! Has anyone else found that having less toys encourages more play?

And we have been regularly putting on performances for anyone who will listen of this song. This is the very song I sang the other month with the guitarist at a local barn gig. The little one insists I play the ukulele while she bangs away on her mini piano. So far she's received some very enthusiastic clapping for her talents. Maybe she'll join me on stage next time!