life is in the details

Sela walked in the door from school and presented me with this delicate little arrangement that she put together on her walk home from the bus.

There have been many days lately where I've felt like the dumping ground for a whole spectrum of emotions from each of the children, not all pleasant. Emotions/sensitivity definitely seem to be running high around here. However, there are certainly many bright spots, and this little present from Sela really is one of them. I guess because it was so unexpected and I was feeling a little beat down and frustrated at the level of discord in our home.

I love how she took the time to grab little flowers along her way. Just that visual of my sweet 9 year old bounding off the bus (she runs right off so no one asks her if she needs a ride), and picking and arranging tiny flowers in a pinecone along the way is just very sweet and I appreciate her thoughtfulness so much.

calgon.....

Last week we were soaking up the sun in Carlsbad.



This week Evan is absolutely miserable with a horrible, nasty cold. He's so congested he can barely cry. None of the other kids ever had a cold like this one as babies. The days are long and they don't end with bedtime. We are up all hours of the night. No interest in eating, only nursing...constantly. He's making sure I make it into National Geographic one day! Evan and I smell like eucalyptus trees. Its been four LONG days with no end in sight.

Please let this be the day things take a turn for the better.



Here we are attempting to fold some laundry so we won't reach the point of no return on the laundry front. Everything's a team sport this week.

Cheer up, little buddy.

He thinks I'm going to wipe his nose.

And to add insult to injury, its been raining.

chasing the sun

This week is mid-winter break for the kids so as sort of a last minute trip, we took the kids to San Diego to visit Zig's mom. It was a quick visit but very relaxing. We mostly stayed at the house where we played tennis and swam and watched the Olympics in the evening. Zig's brothers each came by for a short time...and Sela was excited to challenge each one of them to a tennis match. She's caught the bug and knows what fun it is to beat the boys!










Chris tried to teach Rollin to swim










Thursday, everyone went to Legoland except Evan and I. He still naps several times a day,and there was nothing about lugging him around a theme park that sounded even remotely appealing. Instead, we stayed home and worshipped the sun all day. He took his naps inside and I read and fell asleep by the pool. I decided to practice using the manual settings on my camera so I don't forget everything I learned in my class, and I attempted a little photoshoot with Evan. After lots of over and underexposed shots, I finally came away with a few good ones! He was a perfect little model, happy as could be.



















We have a new favorite beach spot in Del Mar. The first day we went we picked up fish tacos and burritoes and headed to the park overlooking the beach. Gosh, it was beautiful. I have always said I don't want to live in So Cal, but I think the perfect place for me might be a farm on the ocean? I love space to roam, to garden, and have animals, but we all love the ocean. I'm pretty sure the only place like that in the states is Hawaii. Zig is constantly looking up farms in Hawaii, which I tease him about (I know I'd have island fever!!), but I think I get it now :)



Here are two tropical plants I wish I could have in my yard.





The weather, which has been all over the place the past month in San Diego, was sunny and the temps were near 80. The day we left the forecast was changing and we returned home to more gorgeous sun. I couldn't be happier. The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the signs of spring are everywhere. Other than one super chilly week, I'm wondering what happened to winter?

20 minutes after the car dropped us at home, Zig was out planting fruit trees with Juan. Then later in the afternoon, he did more planting of some of the heartier vegetables in the garden. Saturday we stayed home and Zig planted flowers with Rollin. The girls had friends over in the afternoon and disappeared to the treehouse for hours. I see the carefree days of summer on the horizon and I can hardly wait. I've just got to figure out a way to pack Evan around. He's such a momma's boy and my days are extremely unproductive until 6pm when he calls it a day. And man, he's getting heavy!

"T-Rex Egg"

I love how Rollin's preschool teachers write down exactly what the children say when it's their turn for "sharing." Rollin's write-ups always have tons of exclamation points!! He's an enthusiastic little guy for sure.

This week he was very excited for his turn. One of the chickens laid a huge egg, and Rollin has been storing it in the refrigerator trying to hatch a dinosaur. Oh my gosh, he went crazy when he found the BIG one last week. The kids love to be the one to find the "double yolkers." While he was waiting for it to hatch into a prehistoric pet, he decided to take it for his sharing, along with two other eggs to show the different sizes and colors his chickens lay. There are always different sizes, but every once in awhile we get huge variations from the norm. This week, Zig came inside with a teeny tiny egg. This type is even more rare than the double yolker. It was dwarfed by the T-Rex egg. The middle egg is the size of a regular sized egg.



This is what Rollin shared about his eggs:

"This egg I found from my chickens and I like it.

And when I said to my dad "look at this big egg!!" he said "wow!!"

And sometimes I like to use it as a pirate captain.

And it's really awesome because this egg I love!

I have chickens, they lay eggs, but this is one T-Rex laid.

Now the baby egg, this guy is really cute and I love him.

And now this guys turn, this guy is really big! He is the biggest biggest ever and I love him!!

This one is T-Rex. He's my bestest. This is a volcano and T-Rex. "

Mango Mama

I made up a new smoothie recipe this weekend which turned out to be a new favorite, and the rest of the family agreed this was the best yet. Before I forget the recipe, I wanted to write it down. I did use canned pineapple but a fresh pineapple would be even better.



Mango Mama Smoothie
1/2 can coconut milk
1/2 bag of frozen mango
3 slices of fresh ginger
1 can of pineapple
Very generous squeeze of lime
handful of ice

peanut butter + chocolate= heaven

Oh me, oh my. I was asked to bring brownies to a neighborhood party. Brownies aren't too exciting and when you're only bringing one thing, you want it to be good! At least I do. So I searched high and low and found a brownie recipe that I can only liken to a very adult version of a Reece's peanut butter cup. I had to make a late night run for some ingredients, and the whole time I kept thinking, these BETTER be worth it. I hate nothing more than going to lots of trouble for a recipe that is just okay, or worse, doesn't turn out.

But these are amazing. If you like peanut butter and dark chocolate, which I do.



There are a few steps, yet they are super simple. Not as easy as a box brownie (ick!), however, they are much easier than a glimpse of the finished product would lead you to believe.

These are not healthy by any stretch. There are no hidden beans and not a hint of a whole grain. They are a treat, an indulgence if you will. Don't make them for your family or you will not be able to stop eating them yourself. You must take them somewhere.

One great tip I learned with this recipe is to line the pan with foil and butter it. By doing this, I was able to remove all the brownies and cut them into pretty squares rather than trying to dig them out with a spatula. Plus, one less pan to wash!

So, without further adieu, here is the recipe. Oh and everywhere it gives the option of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, I used bittersweet. The darker the better, as far as I'm concerned.

Enjoy and you can thank me later!!!

Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts
Bon Appétit January 2007

Peanut-studded brownies, peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache...what better way to savor the PB-chocolate combo?

Yield: Makes 30 brownies


Brownies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Frosting and ganache
1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped


For brownies:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving long overhang; butter foil.

Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.


For frosting and ganache:

Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Using foil as aid, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.


*When the recipe says not "natural" peanut butter, I think it means not Adams brand. I still used organic crunchy, but had to add a little bit more milk to make it the right consistency. *

50's Sock Hop

School dances are pretty entertaining. Our school had a 50's themed sock hop for the whole family. Zig stayed home with the boys (always willing to sacrifice for the greater good!), and I took a carload of very excited girls to the school gym turned dance hall.

Most people dressed up, including many adults which was really fun, but Sela and her friends went the jeans and white t-shirt route. Sela isn't too keen on skirts these days, but they looked adorable and very 50's nonetheless.

Nina spent the entire evening chasing her "special friend", Mason, around the gym. She must have burned 2000 calories that evening. I never saw her not in motion. She has a little thing for Mason, so to see her in hot pursuit was SO funny. I never pictured her this way. She is not subtle at all! All the kindergarteners were chasing each other all night and having a ball. I tried to get a picture of Mason and Nina and her friends but that was so NOT happening. Then the girls teamed up and were able to catch Mason. Oh what fun!

And the two man "band," they were really good!











Seriously, our school does NOT mess around where the music is concerned! These guys were rockin all night long!