garden goodies

We've had some very dry, hot weather over the past few weeks and while the grass in our yard is now brown and crispy, the garden has exploded. This week we picked lettuce, kale, carrots, beets, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, fennel, cilantro, basil, orange cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and a bazillion plums! Mom, I wish you were here!

I got a huge kick out of watching the kids pull dozens of carrots and beets out of the ground. It was like a treasure hunt to see who could find the most oddly shaped carrots. Sela said "Mom, you don't get cool carrots like these at the store!" I love it and I love this stage of life where the kids are so easily entertained. It's hectic in a few ways, but quite simple in others.

raspberry coconut milk ice cream

The raspberries are quite plentiful so we've been trying out some new recipes. I love anything coconut so I was excited to find this recipe. It's so simple. I added coconut to the recipe in addition to the coconut milk.



Raspberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream

2 cans of coconut milk (full fat), whisked until smooth
zest from one lemon (make sure you don’t get any of the bitter pithy white part)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups of raspberries, fresh or frozen (defrosted slightly)
6 tablespoons of agave syrup
Directions: Blend the raspberries in a food processor or blender with a little bit of the coconut milk until completely pureed. Add to the rest of the ingredients and make according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Freeze to “ripen” the flavor for at least a few hours and serve.

carrot white bean salad

This salad is sooooo good. Lately I've been looking for new ideas for both grain and bean salads. I just could not believe how delicious this one was. We were able to use the carrots and dill from the garden. It's a 101 cookbooks recipe. Gosh, what would I do without that website? Yes, there are wonderful things about the internet!





Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad Recipe
(www.101cookbooks.com)

I like to buy young carrots at the farmers' market - slice them slightly thicker than a banana chip for this salad.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

more olive oil (or ghee) for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of ghee (I love ghee with carrots). Let them cook in a single layer - they'll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.

Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans as well heated through. If you are using beans that weren't canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) - they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can't. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan - do so.

Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Serves 6 - 8 as a side.

raspberry country cake

we decided to make a cake today. no birthday. no holiday. we just really needed some cake. the girls picked some raspberries and we threw them on. sloppy and oh so delish!

this photo just makes me laugh. and i bet you know whose little hand this is. he just could not wait to taste that whipped cream. but mommy made him eat his whole salad first. bummer. however the wait was well worth it. i snuck him some extra whipped cream just to see him practically burst with delight :)

still lovin the chub!

Mom requested some new pictures of the chubby one so Sela snapped a few as we were headed out the door.

Evan is often shirtless because I just love to cuddle his soft little baby skin.

Sela showed me a trick to get him to smile and it worked! Tickle his chin.

Please just lay me down already, I'm pooped!

sunday nap

I don't know what it was about finding Rollin asleep in the garden with his bowl of freshly picked raspberries that gave me a lump in my throat, but before I went for my camera, I sat down on the garden box for a few moments and just watched him. I stared at his precious raspberry stained face and chubby little feet covered in dirt and I wanted time to stand still. I love this little guy with all my heart and soul. He does nothing half-hearted. He is a bundle of energy and often I can't keep a step ahead of him, but boy has he captured my heart.

Yep, I'm a pushover!

Meet Phoebe.
Queen Phoebe Glovin (a combination of the last names Glover and Serafin), that is.


The girls, along with Sophia and Emma, sold me hard on this little pet. They beat me down with their charm and it was hard to resist their the excitement and the longing in their bright little eyes. Not to mention, they were VERY persuasive and handled all my concerns quite well. They were good and it worked.

So we loaded everyone up and headed to Denny's Pet World...just to see, of course. I think each one of the girls had a little wad of cash in their pockets. So confident they were that they were bringing home a new pet.

They held several, closely examining the possibilities.

But in the end, it was unanimous, and we brought this little lady home. Sophia and Emma let us borrow their extra cage. They have two guinea pigs of their own. They've already had a playdate with little Phoebe, and all went well.

Rollin is rather fond of Phoebe, and so far very gentle with her.

Sophia showed us how guinea pigs like to swim in the tub...not mine, mind you!

The girls were totally stressing about Zig's reaction to this new addition. And with good reason. I had a pretty good idea of how he would respond. We've actually talked about a guinea pig before and it was vetoed. Something about the smell and his not being willing to take care (read: clean cage) of another animal right now. The girls wanted him to be happy about Phoebe more than anything though, and I knew they were very worried. I met him at the door when he got home and gave him a one minute briefing while the girls waited anxiously inside. I told him how excited the girls were and to please consider responding with an open mind, and if possible, don't say it looks like a rat when you first see it!

He was very sweet. They sat him right down when he came in, asked him what his least favorite animal is (he lied, a turtle), and then brought out thebig surprise. He smiled and said it was cute and then they asked if he would give it a chance and he said sure. So all is well. And Daddy is a hero and the girls are happy.


These kids don't ask for much and really the only things they ever want are ice cream cones and more pets. Maybe some new markers. And since they've promised me a hundred times that the cage will never stink, I've taken them at their word. You're only a kid once!


P.S. As we were checking out, the salesperson decided to throw this little tidbit my way..."You know, guinea pigs are very social. They do much better in pairs."

Good to know. So very good to know. Impeccable timing.

sleeping like a baby

Rollin's new hobby

While the girls were busy with raspberry stand and swimming, Rollin and Zig had a full day as well. Rollin just idolizes Zig and lives for special one-on-one time. Zig had plenty to due on Saturday, but he devoted the entire day to just hanging with Rollie. They went to the feed store, to the barber shop, on a bike ride, and to a parking lot to skateboard. Rollin was dirty and tired and very happy at the end of the day. Zig sent me this picture of Rollin from his phone.

Raspberry Stand

It seems like just overnight our raspberry bushes are loaded with huge, juicy berries. I was planning to make some jam so I was so happy when the girls came into the house with about 10 pints of raspberries. Then they informed me they were going to sell them at the road. There is almost no traffic on our street. It's a dead end with only two homes beyond ours. So the prospects aren't good for roadside stands but that didn't deter the girls. They set up a darling stand and made signs. They sold to Zig, Serena (Sophia's mom), and our next door neighbor, Margie. Then they got hot and hungry and headed off for lunch and a swim. I was glad to see most of the raspberries come back so I could make some raspberry coconut ice cream this afternoon. Hopefully I'll have some time to make the jam tomorrow.

setting up shop

the goods

yep, they're still yummy!

nina trying to get the shower radio to work outside

okay, we have berries and the tunes... now we just need some customers!

10 weeks

This Friday I took the kids to the beach for their Friday adventure. Because Andrea came with us, I was able to sit in the shade with Evan and just play while she watched the others in the water. Under a tree watching the shadows, Evan was as happy as could be with his chubby little arms and legs flailing in the air and his eyes looking all around trying to take it all in. I couldn't' keep from kissing him a hundred times, and of course squeezing those dimply thighs! Looking at how cute the chub is on him, I couldn't help wishing the same was true for me! Alas, it is not so!


We may be in the market for a baby bra ;)


Being a little free bird is the best!

life is in the details

Each day the kids have their fair share of drama, tattling, sibling rivalry, etc. But for the most part, they really do enjoy one another. And every day, no matter how crazy it may be, there are beautiful moments occuring all around if I take the time to look, images I want to treasure and tuck away in my memory. Here are a few from this week....

Sela, Nina and Rollin signed up for the library reading challenge this summer. The preschool program requires someone to read to the child, as well as do thinks like singing, fingerplays, etc. Sela has taken it upon herself to make sure Rollin earns his reward. And in reading to him, she earns minutes towards her own reading goal. It's wonderful! But I really thinks she cares more about Rollin earning his reward than her own. Rollin checked out every dinosaur book they had left at the Redmond library.

I walked into the laundry room to find this yesterday. The doll bed has a new occupant. Nina sure loves little Evie poo, her "for real-life doll."


And here is Rollin just before bed talking to Zig. How I wish I could have recorded their sweet conversation. Too many "I love yous" to count.

Treehouse

It's been a long wait for these anxious little kiddoes. About 16 months or so. But Ben and Eric worked like crazy to get the treehouse ready this week and Saturday afternoon the big moment arrived. No one has been allowed up since the beginning so all the kids have seen has been from below which has totally added to the magic and anticipation. I think they must have asked Eric a hundred times on Friday "is it done yet?" Zig spent a few hours Saturday morning adding some fun touches to the inside. And then we gathered the kids along with Sophia, Emma, and Sydney and led them up to their new little getaway in the trees. I don't know what I enjoyed more, watching Zig beam as they explored their new space or the looks on the kids faces. What a memorable day! The videographer had some difficulties so you might get a little motion sick watching this :)

the 4th

We had a terrific 4th of July. And the best part is we didn't even have to get in the car. Last year we braved Seattle traffic and went to a party at one of Zig's colleagues homes and watched the fireworks over Lake Union (we also provided at least half the children in attendance), but this year the last thing I wanted to do was drive...anywhere. We even skipped the church pancake breakfast and bike parade. I'm just not into rushing anywhere this summer, and at 8am, there would be some serious rushing to get this family out of the house. Not worth it. I'm glad I didn't even mention it to the kids. I'm learning! Instead we relaxed at home. I napped in the hammock with Evan. The kids played and helped Zig on some jobs in the yard early in the day because there was some mention of setting the tramp up. They swam at our neighbors and picked some of our raspberries for what will surely become a tradition for us...a flag cake!

Sela, Nina, and Emma and Sophia Glover did all the decorating.

Definitely a team effort!

Four proud little ladies!

We celebrated in the evening at the Glover's with lots of other wonderful families. The kids had an absolute blast running around doing all sorts of boys versus girls type games. Lots of good old fashion fun. The food was incredible. Not your typical 4th of July fare. I don't even think I saw a bag of chips now that I think of it. I'm guessing there were quite a few foodies in attendance based on the types of dishes people brought. And we were so fortunate with the weather. We watched a firework show in the backyard and listened to all the dogs nearby freak out, including Kona. I learned that many people on Hollywood Hill tranquilize their horses on the 4th because they can really hurt themselves with all the commotion. Kona almost qualifies as a horse, so maybe he could have used a mild sedative as well! After fireworks, there were s'mores, of course. Evan was maxed out at around 11 and I couldn't get him to sleep so we headed home. It was a good day.

Rollin and Alana Elop watching the fireworks

Another spot for fireworks

Evan 9 weeks old

This is why getting a picture of him is so hard.

He still can't stay awake for about half the day.

And we're worried he might be malnourished ;)

The balloons are flying over our yard again, and they come very low because they are on their descent. The kids are especially thrilled when the people above wave at them.


My friend, Amanda, told me this is called a "fried egg." Not it's fancy name, but isn't that so fitting? They are blooming now right outside my kitchen. I think that could become our "family flower." States have flowers, so maybe we could have one too. We certainly eat our fair share of eggs!

And guess who finished the trampoline?!!

Happy 4th of July!!