Thursday, July 30, 2009
musings for thursday
We've been busy trying to stay cool while Portland temperatures have gone over 105 during the day. Hello weather...there's a reason why I live here and not in Louisiana. Still, it seems that we are through the worst for now, and thankfully, we have lots of friends with AC who have been kind enough to let us come hang out for the day.
Joel starts his new work from home gig next week. I'm both excited about this, and not. Excited because it's a dream job for him (doing something geeky for a company that makes things for super geeky people), and he will be home all the time - leaving more time for family time. Not excited because the domestic goddess facade that I have will be no longer - eek, he's probably going to catch me putting my feet up, magazine in one hand, tea in the other while the girls are napping and quiet timing! My guess is that he won't pass judgment the first time, but by the fourth, I might get the "look." Hey, there's a reason I stay at home, man! It does have its benefits ;o)
I've also been deep in the depths of planning our homeschool curriculum for the year. I've found a great curriculum to follow and have some fun ideas to add to it. We're going to meet with a co-op once a week, and do our own thing every day. Can't wait!! I know that pretty much everyone (well, everyone who doesn't homeschool) thinks that I am nuts - why would I not send Ava to pre-k?? Well...it's insanely expensive. It's stuff we do at home anyway (even without a set curriculum). And it's not like she doesn't get social interaction between MOMS Club, playgroups, and classes at the local community center. Besides...if one or both of us hates it, there's always pre-k to fall back on, right? I'm flexible.
And so, I will leave you with this list of currentlys:
Currently I am:
reading:: Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret (for book club...should be a fun discussion as a mom of girls)
listening to:: an acoustic cover of GNR's Patience by Ben Taylor
looking at:: artwork by Emily...scribbles, scraps of paper, and glitter glue
longing to:: bake something! anything!
excited for:: my crop tomorrow night. it's been MONTHS since last I scrapped anything! I've got about 100 pages bookmarked at TwoPeas.
waiting for:: the time to be 3 pm...we have our weekly playgroup and I love all of the moms and kids...they are such wonderful friends!
planning:: next week's menu and grocery list
taking a break from:: folding laundry
Monday, July 20, 2009
two
It seems like yesterday that we were heading to the hospital at this very moment. Such an easy labor and delivery. Such an easy baby (well...easy if your name was Mama. Otherwise, you got a whole lot of crying...). Such a happy, happy, happy little girl.
Emily is our sunshine. She is truly a joy - always smiling, always snuggling. She loves her Mama most and her sister almost as much. We're pretty sure that Emily will grow up to be the class clown - she'll do anything for a laugh.
Emily, my hope is that you read this someday so that you can know what you were like at two:
- You are a daredevil. You love ladders and slides and climbing. You LOVE swings.
- You love grapes and making "grape eyes."
- You have a contagious, musical laugh.
- You love water. Bath time, pools, water tables, fountains...you'll go for hours if we let you!
- You love to love. Kisses, hugs, leg loves, snuggles...When I pick you up, you put your head on my shoulder and pat my back. It makes my heart melt every time.
- You are a miniature of your daddy in every way.
- You love to do whatever your sister does. Watching you play together is so much fun!
Happy Birthday, Emily Grace! May you eat lots of cake, slide, swing, dig, and have a day as joyful as you make those around you.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
bento!
There are some amazing bento pictures on Flickr here.
rock climbing!
Friday, July 10, 2009
zucchini cupcakes
Ava and I made these while Emily was napping. They are super easy and again, Ava did all of the work aside from chopping the zucchini and putting the pans in the oven.
Spiced Zucchini Cupcakes
Martha Stewart - Cupcakes
makes 24
3 cups AP flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 t grated lemon zest
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 cups packed grated zucchini
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting or sifted powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners, Whisk flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and spices together. In another bowl, whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and zest until well blended. Whisk brown sugar until well blended. Add flour mixture, then zucchini, stir until just combined. Stir in walnuts.
Divide batter evenly between lined cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Ayelet's notes: I used half the amount of sugar and 1/2 a cup of applesauce in place of half of the oil...these were plenty sweet. Since we are nut-free, I replaced the walnuts with raisins. We left our cupcakes plain, save for a few that I frosted with some leftover cream cheese frosting. YUM! These seem like they would freeze pretty well.
today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
on counting to ten
Plus, we were out of bread.
So...why not entertain the troops by mixing up a batch? Normally, they like to stand by the bowl and watch the yeast bloom. Not today. Today, Emily pulled my favorite glass bowl (that I put the dough in while it rises) off the counter and smashed it to the floor. A thousand tiny glass pieces scattered everywhere. I got the broom and started sweeping. It went everywhere...to the living room, down the hall, and even into the bathroom. Mind you, I'd just swept up from the post lunch mess. Hey, I told myself, at least this probably means that I won't have to sweep again until tomorrow.
That's when I looked up to see Ava dumping the entire salt cellar into the yeast mixture. Needless to say, in my haste to run and spoon as much salt out as I could, I stepped on a piece of glass and now have a nice cut on the bottom of my foot.
And that was the last of the yeast.
Well, I told myself, at least I can put those deep breathing exercises from childbirth class to use. Too bad I can't put my husband's bonus to use and buy a one way ticket to Fiji. Instead, I have to put it to use to *gasp* buy bread.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
pictures from the weekend
princess tea party
We made Strawberry Filled Tea Cakes and had pink tea (leftover watermelon lemonade from our 4th of July party). A fancy table cloth and tiaras for everyone (I wore the one from my wedding)!
Strawberry Filled Tea Cakes
Martha Stewart Cupcakes
Makes 16
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for tins
3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for tins
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
4 large eggs, separated, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1 cup strawberry jam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush standard cupcake tin with butter, dust with flour, tap out excess. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cream butter, sugar and zest until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk until everything is incorporated.
In another bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites into soft peaks. Fold gently into batter. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into each prepared cup. Make an indentation in the middle of each, fill with one tablespoon jam. Top with 2 additional tablespoons batter, covering jam completely.
Bake 30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Remove from oven, turn cakes out onto cooling rack, and cool completely.
Ayelet's notes: Martha suggests a citrus glaze over these, but I thought that they were sweet enough without. In fact, I only used half the amount of sugar and they turned out pretty sweet. I also used lemon zest because that's what I had and they were super yummy.
I definitely suggest making these (with or without little helpers) for your next tea party! Ava basically made these herself (the only thing I did was separate the eggs and put the tins into the oven) so they were pretty easy.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
can't wait...
i just finished rereading this charming book...if you haven't read it, it's a must! the movie looks so cute. can't wait to have a date with my mama and see this!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
cool salads for hot nights
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1 cup cooked kidney beans
1 cup cooked organic edamame beans
1 cup raw green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients together and pour over the beans & vegetables. Mix gently. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Brown Rice and Black Bean Salad
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package crumbled reduced fat feta cheese (I use the kind with tomato and basil)
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup Italian dressing
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
2 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cider or champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 T chopped fresh dill
Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate before serving.