chocolate mounds cake

after suffering through a bad bout of flu here, i am back into the land of posting.

with the help of my propitious cake here.

it is like a mounds bar, except crumbly.

whichever way you make it, from scratch or not, it will be sure to please the chocolate lovers palate.

milk chocolate cake, milk chocolate frosting, and then mush a coconut frosting hat upon the top.

saturday

a perfect summer saturday.

early morning baking and barefooted walks to gather flowers.

an easy fruit tart. the ideal way to use the bounty of seasonal fruit you have on hand.

use this easy basic pie crust. slice thinly your fruit of choice. sprinkle with a bit of flour, sugar, and accompanying spice (for the plums i choose nutmeg, for a pear i would use cloves). squeeze a slice of lemon liberally to cover all. dab with bits of butter, and a pinch of salt. i make a jelly and butter glaze to spread over the edges, so they gleam with sweetness. pick jellies that pair well with your fruit. for this one i picked an orange marmalade, the little bits of orange peel dribbled beautifully along the edge. bake about 20 minutes at 400. i also sprinkle a bit of raw sugar once out of the oven to give it extra homeyness.

a cheery welcome to all that enter.
a quick, barefoot trip outside provided me with armfuls of white hydrangea and butterfly bush, which i planted together two summers ago. they are a dazzling couple to see against the house, especially when wind danced with lazy bumble bees and butterflies.

toddler distractor of the month

noodle play

materials: dry tri-color noodles (the bigger the size the better), egg carton, old laundry caps, play utensils.

instruction: show him/her how to pour using the caps, scoop with spoons or other utensils, and dump into carton or additional caps. for slightly older toddler, you can have them sort the different colors into different carton compartments or different caps.

distraction time: 45 minutes

clean up level: medium

and for your extra enjoyment:

watching buddy-muffin (yes, that is the actual name of the frog now) getting ready to devour his morning cricket.

tuesday morning

last day of near perfect weather.

windows, open.

birds singing their summer carols.

math.

we've used Rod and Staff for the past 3 years, but this year will try out BJU.

think the birds will notice if i throw out a few number facts in their general direction?

monday morning

coffee and Seuss.

quick rye bread

a martha stewart find. quick rye bread. it is brilliant. a little sweet and moist as can be. this is NOT the dry tasteless bread of my nightmares.

after i cut these slices, i went to poach an egg, and upon returning discovered all four eaten up by my children. their little taste buds don't tell lies. this is GOOD bread.

here, i enjoyed a toasted slice topped with a poached egg and a bit of crumbled white cheddar, a slice of mango and tomato. a dusting of fresh chopped mint to remind me i'm here on earth. and of course, i had to see how a slice withstood some farmers market jam.

the verdict: resplendently beautiful to the palette

a summer cut

keaton, my middle son, was in serious need of a hair cutting. i think we all loved and adored his glorious waves of golden hair, but a massive heat rash around the base of his hairline was enough to designate today shearing day. so, off to our designated hair cutting porch we did go!

before:

after:

amazing how much older he looks. even his limbs look longer.

i think i might have cried as i cut...just a little....

stolen moments

little moments stolen before bed.

must enjoy these before my wee one becomes the big brother....

breakfast

Dear God,

Please let the peach season extend just a few more months....at least past fall. Thanks, Jami

the little distractor, hard at work, while the older ones finish their devotions.

i L-O-V-E our devotion program. a local company, the Notgrass Company, makes simple and unassuming products. i most love their "draw to learn the bible" selections. if your children love to draw by themselves, using their imagination, as mine do, they will really enjoy this book. currently we are in our second year of the same book, titled: Draw to Learn--The Life of Jesus. it gives a verse for a selection out of the bible that your child can read, and then a brief description at the bottom to help guide them as they draw. i find my children really retain what the message represents if THEY get to draw what inspired them out of it. each page has a very large drawing box, perfect for younger ages, but this could easily be used for ANY age group.



i would not recommend their "learn to draw" program. i found the lessons a little amateur and dull. we only made it through the first 12 lessons before i shelved it.
for a great "learn to draw" program try the Draw Write Now curriculum. my children LOVE it as do i.

little pincushions

these happy little guys i made today.

i am taking on the task of teaching my daughter sewing this upcoming school year. so, i made these two as example pincushions for her first project.

aaaaaaaand, i selfishly needed another pincushion. mine was in said disrepair.

both of these were made from clothing that i absconded into material use.

the ruffle down the middle of the smaller one was removed from the hem of a toddler dress that was also the main source of fabric.

the fatter one is made from a vintage maternity top.

you can whip these out quickly if you machine sew them, as i did. but my daughter will begin by hand sewing.

warm serenade

hot and sultry summer buzzing bugs serenade us through an open window.

warm flavors are our guests.

coconut milk infused rice. pineapple and lime juice, garlic, cumin, and nutmeg simmered down before adding tiny shrimp. a simple tomato and mango chop tossed with lime juice, honey, salt and pepper, served over spinach, with a sprinkling of queso fresco.

i think i can escape for just a few minutes....

imagine myself with little handmade palm frond sandals and hat. permanent open book tan line across my tummy.

muffin

meet the newest family member:

muffin. i think this name will bring much hilarity when he is a five pound blob on a log that does nothing but moan and croak.

likes: moonlit serenading, skinny dipping, and eating other smaller froggy tankmates for dinner.

lucky, our other frog, had to be rescued from the tank last night because dear old muffin tried to ingest him.

good thing his name is lucky. or,was lucky. HE is back in nature now.

mangiare bene -- to eat well

today in school, the kids and i continued our architecture watercolor paintings, traveling to the city of Pisa, Italy. we learned everything about "Torre pendente di Pisa", or The Leaning Tower of Pisa. did you know, that if not for war and upheaval over a few hundred years, that this modern marvel would have collapsed long ago. true story.


i have been craving italian food ever since.
i'm pregnant. craving is an art.



try making these meatballs. it's my favorite recipe and the creator is someone i look up to greatly.

and use your leftovers to make these little sandwiches for dinner.

whole wheat kaiser rolls, some provolone, and fresh parmesan. broil it for a few minutes with the tops off to melt the cheese and give it a gooey caramelized color.

served here with a simple fresh cucumber pickle.

2 small cucumbers

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp pickling spice

1/3 cup vinegar

freshly chopped mint or oregano

pinch of salt

water to cover

combine all and refrigerate. best served the day after, but can be eaten right away.

a perfect summer cooling compliment to the meatball sandwiches.

cheers! eat well!

little fingers, tingly fingers

a bird to carry with me at all times.







felt and fabric on canvas

these things i make.

embroidery floss makes my fingers tingle.

take flight little bird.

a duo of gentle turtles, made from clay and tiny fingers.

a backdrop of rainbowed carpeting is all the imagination needs to let these little guys come to life and roam unnamed lands.

how to turn oranges into lemons

the following is a true and accurate story.


my feet did tread to the store, to purchase some yummy vittles for the fam and myself. my first stop was the fruit, and i had my eye on a bag of navel oranges. tranquil, sweet...delicious.

the first bag i did grab, i took a moment to assess the quality. then, while extending the bag over the floor to place into my cart, the entire bottom split open and consequently showered out the entire contents of the bag onto the floor. those beautiful orange spheres, rolling about in mad drunkenness around my splayed feet, under the cart, and into the aisles.

looking about, with my legs slightly askew, the girth of my belly shadowing about them on the floor, it looked as though i had just birthed these oranges. i stood there betwixt the mangoes and limes, a bewildered looked on my face and a veritable orange grove of thudding and rolling obstacles round about.

i picked them all up, as any good shopper would do. heaved a sigh and grabbed the next bag of oranges.

i inspected these, of course, prolonging their flight from bin to cart (and in hindsight i should have taken heed of what had just happened seconds before--and really, what WERE the chances). then, just as before, as i was about to place them in my cart, the bottom of this bag, too, so gladly spilled its contents onto the floor.

had i not already created a display before, i was sure to have audience now.

i suppose it could have been worse. grapefruits perhaps. those would have produced a much louder thud and drawn more attention.

one bag of oranges remained. i looked at it for a few seconds. dare i tempt the gods again....?

i bought lemons instead.