postcards from the road 3
backyard picnics
shucking corn with Grandma
backyard bonfires
with s'mores!
finding critters
rolling in the soft grass
9 hours ago
postcards from the road
Off we go! We are planning to leave around 4 am (otherwise known as "crazy o'clock) to head for Minnesota. I'm going to post photos whenever I get a chance but probably not much text. We'll be gone for 13 days! Please send us lots of safe traveling vibes and cross your fingers for me that our car stays nice and organized like this. Yeah, right.
warning:
Seriously. Sometimes I talk to people who know me only through the blog (or who aren't around me much in real life) and I realize that they have a very idyllic impression of my family and our activities. This, while extremely flattering, is not entirely accurate.
This blog represents the very highlights of our life here- I talk about and take photos of the beautiful and wonderful parts of our days, and completely avoid almost anything negative. I don't usually complain or rant about anything and I actually tend to just not post if I'm in a bad mood or going through a stressful time. All the posts that do appear are dedicated to the sweet and happy times that I want to share and remember, sort of like a scrapbook or photo album.
I have fallen myself into a strange sort of admiration/obsession for several different wonderful blogging mamas over the years I've been reading- especially the crafty ones. I have gotten a fairy tale idea in my mind of how these ladies must be happily crafting with their delightful children at their sides, everyone laughing and chatting together as they clean up the mess they have made, and then going off on a nature walk to observe local wildlife and collect items for the next day's craft project before returning home to cook dinner together out of homegrown vegetables and eggs from their own chickens. After all of that they tuck their smiling children into beds draped with handmade quilts and tell them amazing stories out of their own imaginations, kissing them each on the forehead on the way out of their rooms.
It's hard to remember that even though a mom can take lovely pictures and craft a wonderful scene for you out of words, her life is still probably very hectic and messy. She might even serve frozen fish sticks (the cheap kind) on a regular basis and make her kids wait until another day to do the craft they have been begging to do for weeks while she desperately tries to dig her way out from under the laundry pile and get the baby to take a nap. She might be crabby and say things to her kids that she would never want repeated (especially on her blog!) and her counters might never get cleared off, let alone wiped down. And let's not even discuss how her floors might look.
But we all want to forget that part of life and focus on the pretty parts, don't we? So here we are! Let's get on with it (and don't forget to bring the camera!)
P.S. Thanks to Hazel for painting me the perfect picture for this post!
new look
You might have noticed there have been a few changes since your last visit. I am still tweaking a little bit, but I wanted to get the new and improved banner up before the summer was over and the swimming picture was all out of season! Please let me know in the comments if there is anything looking weird on your end so I can fix any problems. Thanks for your help!
cheerio treats
I did a search and I can't believe I have never shared this recipe on the blog before. That is crazy, because it is one of our favorites. A great treat to make up quickly for an evening snack or to take to a party and share. They are always a hit with everyone and even though they have sugar (marshmallows), the plain cheerios and good peanut butter balance it out a bit and make it a fairly healthy snack as far as sweets go. Making them in the microwave makes them super fast, although I'm sure you could do it on the stovetop too. This is literally the ONLY thing I use our microwave for anymore, so I have to carry all the ingredients down to the basement since that is where I keep it now!
Cheerio Treats
2 T. butter
1 bag of mini marshmallows, 10 1/2 oz.
3/4 to 1 cup of peanut butter (I use closer to 1 c.)
6 cups cheerios (I use store brand)
In a large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter and then add the marshmallows, stirring until coated. Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until marshmallows are completely melted. Working very quickly, stir in the peanut butter until blended, then heat mixture for 30 more seconds. It cools and solidifies very fast, so you have to be quick in order to keep it from hardening before you are ready. Last step is to mix the cheerios in (VERY quickly!) and then put the mixture into a 9x13 cake pan, pressing down with your hands. We often sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of one half and then stick it in the oven for a minute or two to get them all melty before spreading the chocolate over top.
new cups
I was absolutely showered with wonderful gifts from friends this past birthday, but the ones I wanted to make sure I shared here (because I promised!) are my new coffee vessels. I showed up at cleaning club (yes, they are such a wonderful and regular part of my life that nearly every sentence I speak includes them...) the week of my birthday and was presented with not one but two new coffee mugs! Both were chosen from my friends' personal collections and have already become a welcome part of mine. Currently I am trading off between the two, and there are things I love about both. I love the size and feel of the handle on the smaller one, and I love the beauty and sturdy, non-tip base of the taller one. But best of all is that they make me smile when I use them because they make me think of my friends.
Oh and hey! If you aren't tired of hearing about it already, go on over to Shannon's blog and read about the difference the club made in her dining room recently! Hooray!
to the rescue!
Cleaning club at my place yesterday.
Messy bedroom- stuff piling up on all the surfaces, furniture in need of rearranging, dusty ceiling fan and cobwebs in the corners...
We got the surfaces all cleared, the blinds and corners vacuumed, ceiling fan and doors/doorknobs cleaned, and rearranged the small bed and got rid of one of the little tables. Later in the afternoon I got the dust ruffle put back on and clean sheets on the bed (these were in the wash during cleaning club).
And a finishing touch of some fresh flowers from the yard, which actually are a sampling of the color palette we want to bring into this room soon. We're tired of the subdued blues and greens and are going to be doing red and orange in there hopefully before the summer is over.
I just know that if I had made the decision to clean up my room on my own, It would have taken me all day (instead of just an hour!) and I probably would not have rearranged or brought in flowers. I just love cleaning club for those reasons- we all marvel every week at how much we get done and how much more fun it is to work together.
Thank you so much Rachel & Shannon for helping me get my room back! I love it! And it is truly a gift to have your help making my home more functional for my family. THANKS!
a very happy birthday
I cannot even begin to tell you how loved and honored I felt last night when my family pampered and spoiled me for my birthday! It had already been a wonderful day full of phone calls from dear family and friends wishing me a happy birthday, and even some time alone to do a little shopping (thank you Rachel for taking the kids to the pool!!) and then a nice afternoon visit with my friend and birthday mate, Melissa. I've never had a friend with the same birthday as mine, and now I have one who lives just a block over from me and who is a wonderful person! That is so cool.
I had a very difficult time just sitting and relaxing while dinner was being prepared- I guess I'm so used to being the one doing it all. That is why this was a wonderful gift! Before dinner there was cheddar and blue cheese with crackers as an appetizer, which were so good. Then there were pork chops from our local meat market, grilled with homemade barbecue sauce, and a wonderful cold pasta salad with cucumbers and herbs that was really delicious. And some Georgia muscadine wine to go with them. I was thoroughly enjoying this when Jason got up from the table and came back with a beautiful plate of berries drizzled with a mouthwatering dark chocolate sauce which was also made from scratch, and a glass of sparkling blueberry wine.
And THEN there was yet another dessert (this was MY kind of meal!) called a chocolate raspberry clafoutis, which is sort of like a custard but sort of like a cake too. It was delicious as well and I was beyond stuffed with all this good food, as well as amazed at the cooking SKILZ Jason was dazzling me with! All I said was that I did not want to cook dinner on my birthday, and he did all the research and preparations for this amazing meal. The girls set a beautiful table including a bouquet of roses and lavender picked from our yard, and fancy folded napkins. Daisy helped Jason in the kitchen quite a lot too, and he said (as I do on many occasions) that he could not have done it without her.
And then there were presents! I was very surprised and excited to receive the DVD set of Freaks and Geeks, one of our all time favorite TV shows, as well as a membership to the wine of the month club at Gosford Wine! I get 3 bottles a month of their choice, along with tasting notes in my email box. I am SO excited about that! Now we can try out some new wines and look for some new recipes to try along with them, which I am looking forward to very much.
After presents we got the little kids in bed and I came out to a spotless living room- picked up and vacuumed by Daisy & Hazel- and we settled in to watch our first installment of Freaks and Geeks. We had our second helping of fruit with chocolate sauce somewhere between episodes 2 and 3 I think. What a fantastic night! I feel completely spoiled and loved, and I am hearing from my friends that Jason has raised the bar for birthday celebrations, which I just love. Everyone should feel so well taken care of on their birthday! Thank you Jason for making it a truly special birthday for me. So far I am loving 35!
Thank you also to everyone who commented on my last post- it is wonderful to see everyone checking in. Here's to another great year!
whew!
Well, summertime is in full swing, and we are swimming swimming swimming, reading lots of books for the summer reading program, and having lots of fun with friends. I was trying so hard to keep the blog updated but another week slipped by there without me hardly noticing!
Today is my 35th birthday. There are lots of plans tonight and over the weekend, so I will have to post AFTER they happen, but I promise to take pictures. The highlight is definitely going to be the meal Jason is planning for me tonight- there was advance preparation going on last night that smelled SO good. I can't wait!
As I've done before, I would just love it if each and every person who reads this would leave me a comment, even if you don't make a habit of doing so. It always gives me a boost to see that there are in fact lots of people checking in with us, and it will help motivate me to keep posting through the summer. Thank you!!
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