Summer Feast

Well, it’s a summer feast for me. No one in the family would try the salad and Aaron couldn’t be paid enough to eat watermelon. For me? It was the perfect lunch combination of crisp, salty, and sweet. Ideal for a summer picnic in the early evening.

Asian Inspired Salad
(from Veganomicon)

Dressing:
2 TB toasted sesame oil
1 TB rice vinegar (or another very mellow vinegar)
2 ts soy sauce

Salad:

2 cups frozen, shelled edamame
1 cup fresh corn (I used 2 ears of fresh sweet corn)
2 TB toasted sesame seeds
Generous pinch of salt.

While a large pot of water comes to a boil, combine dressing ingredients in a medium bowl with a whisk.

Boil edamame for 3 minutes then add corn for another 2. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until the vegetables are cool enough to handle. Add to the dressing and combine. Add sesame seeds and salt to taste. Cover then chill for at least 15 minutes.

It’s even better the second day!

Farmers Market Bounty

Beets, turnips, raspberries, sundried tomatoes, wax beans, 12 ears sweet corn, fresh sourdough bread, and 2 cookies previously eaten. All for $20.00!

I love that I can support local small business owners AND get a steal of a deal. At the big national grocery store, sweet corn itself was a dollar an ear and who knows where it came from or how fresh it actually is.

Spotlight: Summer

Popsicle Mania

Super cute beach towel dress. Target has adorable towels on clearance right now!

DIY drink umbrellas. Fancy up your beverage of choice.

Not necessarily directly related to summer, but I love the look of this picture frame. It invokes images of bubbles and sprinklers for me!

Delicious summer meal ideas (from breakfast to after dinner desserts!) that are all gluten free.

Paper Cuts

This week has been like a slow death by paper cuts. So many little bitty things have just continued to pile up all week that at this point, all I can do is express my thankfulness of chocolate cupcakes.

Well, not just for chocolate cupcakes.

Also for having the ability to fix Aaron’s car (it exploded earlier this week) without having to decide which bill not to pay. Having a little emergency fund has really saved our bacon.

Thankful overtime season is just that — a season.

My headache will be gone by Monday, at the latest, when my chiropractor gets back from vacation.

That my husband is totally okay with me taking the  “day off” yesterday. I sat on the couch, read my book, fed the children when hungry, snuggled them when needed, napped when they did. Then I went to bed early. The house is a bit in shambles today, but that is okay. I needed to take some time off and I got what I needed.

Father’s Day

“Children learn to smile from their parents.” Shinichi Suzuki

Taking The Time

Sometimes, it’s hard for me to remember to take the time to individually connect with Ella. Miles isn’t a problem because, well, he’s a baby and in a baby carrier or nursing a good portion of the day. Aaron and I have time after the kids are asleep. But Ella? It seems to be slipping through the cracks lately.

I didn’t even realize this until the other day. She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me into the bathroom. She closed the door, locked it, climbed up on the back of the toilet to sit and told me to sit on the edge of the bathtub. Then, she proceeded to talk my ear off about all sorts of random subjects.

At first, I thought it was cute. But as the minutes wore on, I became increasingly frustrated and mentally fidgety. What she was telling me wasn’t terribly interesting. I had things to do! Then I took a good look at her face as she chattered away and realized she was glowing.

And suddenly, a knife in my heart twisted.

She needed this. This one on one time and connection with me. My baby girl was becoming a little girl and needed a different sort of attention from me. THIS is what I want when she’s an older girl in school. This emotional connection and easy freedom of shared thoughts and emotions. Even though what she is sharing with me at this time in her life I already know, I need to foster this practice NOW if I want her to do this in the future.

So I stopped fidgeting. I mentally put away the dishes and laundry behind a closed door for later. I focused my energy on her animated face, her words, and the emotions behind her structurally incorrect sentences. Within moments, Ella had talked herself out. She climbed down off the back of the toilet, hugged me and said, “Lets go get Brother, Mama. I’m sure he misses us”.

We unlocked the door and left holding hands.

FIVE, Mama

Every morning, she wakes up and asks for hair pretties. Not because she likes how they look, but because they keep her hair out of her snot.

She’s my practical little girl!

The Days And Years

Some days seem they will never, ever end. Days like yesterday.

And then I realize that a day is just a day. A 24 hour period that will pass. They always do. It’s the years that fly by and bright moments need to be found in every day. Regret is not something I want to live with after the years have flown.

Fairytales and Daydreams

Ella woke up to the surprise of a castle appearing in her backyard this morning. Her jaw literally dropped and her lips formed a perfect “o”. With a gasp of delight, she raced across the grass in her pajamas and scampered up into the tower.

I heard all sorts of things coming from behind the castle walls this morning. Giggles, full blown laughter, and stories. At one point I heard her say, “It’s not a scary dragon! It’s just a poor lonely lizard. Let’s be friends!”

Dreams start early. Imaginary play has become her best friend. I love listening to her talk to the friends I can’t see. I hope her childhood memories are filled with poor lonely lizards, castles, fairies, and adventures. It’s those sorts of things that inspire your future endeavors.

Wordless Wednesday

Watching for Daddy