the sky is popping!

we just returned from a long weekend at lake tahoe in the sierra mountains between california and nevada. what a wonderful recharge! there were fireworks on the beach, tons of sunny beach fun, sandcastles, loads of watermelon, creek time, time with my parents and my cousin and her partner, and just all around much needed relaxation. (i do believe we are on our way back up from the low!)

some snaps from our weekend. i hope yours was as lovely!

"oh! the sky is popping!" ~my 4 year old
while not the clearest of my fireworks shots, i loved that this one caught the almost full moon, a firework in explosion, and the lights from the boats on the water.

all-in-one foods

you wouldn't think so looking at that photo (yay! he loves plums, which are overabundant in our garden right now!), but my little guy has not been an easy kid to feed, the opposite of his big sister. (i recall a time when mike ate lala's last piece of pizza, after she said she was done. she came back wanting it after all, noticed he had eaten it, and she started to cry. mike asked her what he could get her instead, since there was no more pizza. "broccoli," in between sobs, was the response he got.)

so...i am trying all the sneaky tricks for getting a more balanced set of foods into my little guy. they are working! and in the process (knock on wood), he seems to now be eating a greater variety of foods on their own.

finn will slurp back a smoothie in about 3 gulps. this one was delicious! no one else needed to know it included: blueberries, spinach juice (see below), protein powder, homemade yogurt, orange juice, mango, sweet potato, and banana.

wondering about spinach juice? aka green juice from the sneaky chef, this was a broth from 3 cups of spinach cooked in 1 cup of water.

what to do with the remaining cooked down spinach? add it it zucchini muffins, of course, which finn will happily gobble up.


my mom's zucchini bread (with my toddler healthy modifications in blue):
1 C oil (i used a bit less)
3 eggs (i substituted 1 egg with 1 T soy flour plus 1 T water)
1.5 C sugar OR 3/4 C honey
3 t vanilla
3 C all purpose flour (i did half wheat, half all purpose)
1 t salt
3 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 C nuts or sunflower seeds
2 C zucchini, shredded
1 C chopped, cooked spinach

beat eggs. add oil, vanilla, sugar (or honey), zucchini, and mix. separately mix flour salt, soda, powder, cinnamon, and nuts. mix wet and dry. grease and flour 2 loaf pans. bake one hour at 325F. makes 2 loaves. alternately, fill muffin pans and bake approx 15 min.

and i love these muffin liners. sometimes, i just spray the muffin pan with oil. (we use a misto sprayer with olive oil.) but sometimes, i want a muffin liner. these don't stick, are fairly eco friendly, and are compostable.

and while not yet a favorite of finn's, the rest of us are enjoying my grandma's impossible pie, a crustless quiche, which, in our home, is the recipient for all the leftover veggie bits i chop and freeze. for this batch, mike made a topping of toasted walnuts, sauteed onions, and crumbled blue cheese. delicious!


i am headed offline for the long weekend. hope you have a lovely one, full of good food!

june, in review

this posting marks the half way point of the year. we are half way through our challenge, committing to not buying anything new. while, we have bought some new things, the number of items we have bought new is drastically fewer than 6 months ago. this challenge has made a huge impact on how we look at the purchases we make; what we buy, who we buy it from, where these items come from, where they go when we are done, how we spend our money, how the purchase impacts the earth, etc.

the challenge has also pointed a couple of other things. 1) how much our little family already does in our urban home (set in a very expensive area of the united states), and 2) how much more we can and want to do.

(if you want to read more about our no-buying-new challenge, frugality, or eco-friendly information/changes, check out the list of labels in the right hand navigation bar. alternately, you can use the search engine in the nav bar to find what you are looking for. can't find it? ask me!)

some of the little things we do already:

• use a washable reusable coffee pot filter
• use CFLs in all our lights
• keep a bucket in our sink to collect water as we wash our hands, to be used to rinse dishes and other items. (if non soapy, that water can then be used for plants or the worm bin.)
  
• empty our kids' wading pool onto our garden plants
• grow some of our own vegetables (and when there is enough, can and freeze some for later)
• shower every other day, instead of every day, for water savings
• combine errands
• combine cooking/baking oven use
• buy used
• get creative with reuse of leftover (both food and materials -me with sewing, mike with woodworking)
• we have been switching all of our products over to homemade or store bought, eco-friendly versions, then using less (to make up for the cost, given i used to get so much free-after-rebate!)
• eat mostly vegetarian
  

things we could do more of:

• start buying loose tea in bulk and use tea strainers (this only occurred to me very recently. cluelessness is the only reason we haven't done it previously.)
  
• grocery shop less at a couple of chain stores and more at our local (very well stocked) natural foods stores, farmer's markets
• start a food bulk buying co-op and a local garden abundance bartering group
  
• get chickens
• set up a grey water system
• set up a water collection system
• set up solar (at least a solar water heater, given the expense of general solar power)

bought new this month:

• shoes for me (seem to be on a shoe kick, replacing shoes i have worn for years. this is another pair of clogs, bought before i found a used pair, but i decided to keep them, since i am consistent in my clog love. (they are a nicola classic. i still need new sneakers)
• jeans for mike (yes, could have bought used)
• a camera for mike's mom, as an early birthday gift
• a couple of workbooks for our daughter
  

acquired used this month:

• items i blogged about on june 6
• embroidery ring (i want to make one of these some day)
• bag of buttons
  
• 2 pr shoes in bigger size for lala
• large flannel sheet to cut for other uses
• vintage sewing pattern
• stainless utensils for use in mike's lunches (reusable, but not from our nice set, so not depressing if any gets lost)
  
• mesh bag, several sets knitting needles for lisa h (who bought used pyrex for me. spread the word, people! it nets you more. she and i exchange used item wish lists.)
• cast iron pan, wood puzzles, books. from lisa h, thank you, thank you!
• 2 book cases
• several more sheets and pieces of fabric
• toddler potty
• beach/swim towel for finnian
  

as for the other goals we have set for ourselves....

• we are still doing really well with date nights/couple time.
• we are still doing well with individual project time. this is the summer of sewing for me! mike could probably use a break from required house projects and more time for his cougar or woodworking.
• we are doing well with family time. parent/tot swim classes offered through the city inexpensively have been good fun.
• exercise and fitness....could use a boost. i have high hopes for how we end 2009. we still have half the year left.
  

onward and upward...

edited to add....
a year ago, i set out grocery budget at $400 and have struggled to meet that (and usually have not) every month since then. i am not a big shopper of stuff and we don't eat out often, so groceries are where i seem to get my spending kicks. i really need to reign this in for our family. these tough economic times seem to be creeping closer and closer to our family and i feel a little out of control in the grocery department. so when i saw this post on simple/green/frugal co-op (by heather of beauty that moves, another eye candy blog), i had an a-ha moment. for the last two months, i have said to myself "i should go back to the cash-only envelope method for groceries!" and haven't done it. but how cute are these reusable pouches? and she links through to a fabulous tutorial for making them. (if you have bend the rules sewing, by amy karol, there is a lovely tutorial in her book as well.)
hello, july!

corner view: staple foods

a happy birthday shout out to J!

this week's corner view is staple foods. oh, the joy of food!

we live in a diverse area, with very good restaurants and lots of excellent food to choose from. mexican, vietnamese, and indian foods probably top the list, but truly, there are a variety of italian, thai, japansese, chinese, and other restaurants, many with a california twist. (in fact, there is even a style of "california cuisine," local twists on food from other cultures. all delicious.)

if i had to pick just one food to call a staple in our home, it would be beans. we cook them in many different ways, eat lots of them, and love them.


our favorite use for beans are burritos. wrapped in a whole wheat flour tortilla with cheese and homemade salsa...delicious!

and add a few more staples in our house....fresh spinach salad, carrots, and homemade dressing, and you have a meal.


and another staple; fresh, seasonal fruit. here, plums and nectarines, fresh from our garden.


and in truth, home baked cookies are a mainstay. this delicious looking tidbit was homemade by my neighbor and good friend, and left on our doorstep in the cute star sprinkled bag. thanks, salsita!
check out what's cooking around the world:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,

caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian,

jeanette, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, satsuki

rainbow garden

what inspires you as you take photos? right now, for me, it is color. especially in my garden. here is a sampling of the rainbow in my yard.







and just so we have a current record of which edibles we have planted and where (for next year garden planning), here's what we've got:

in the front, on the west side:
1 artichoke plant
onions
approximately 15 strawberry plants
2 squash plants
sunflowers
lemon tree
orange tree (not yet producing)

in the front, on the east side:
nasturtium
3 tomato plants, tucked behind the perennials

in the back, moving back fence to house, left to right:
several rosemary plants
plum tree
top planter: broccoli, lettuces, spinach
top middle planter: cucumber, zucchini, 2 tomatoes
bottom middle planter: 2 artichoke plants
bottom planter: 2 artichoke plants, lettuce
arugula (lots!)
nectarine tree
2 huge cilantro plants
4 big planters of strawberries
in the bench planter: mint and basil
fence planter: tomatoes, snap peas, squashes
thornless potted blackberry (not yet producing)
broccoli
snap peas
pole beans
bush beans
in bucket planter: 4 more tomatoes

note for next year: ALL the planter boxes need significant compost for ammendment. if possible, expand backyard planting area near the fence. good sun and tomatoes will thrive. they need better rotation!

the random post

first a happy 5th birthday cheer to jonah, whom we haven't seen in far too long. a crown is headed your way, birthday boy!

lots of random questions and tidbits to share....

1. it's time for me to be thinking about a new camera. (mine has been dropped one too many times.) i would like a simple, but affordable SLR with a versatile lens. we'd also really like to get something of quality for our almost-5 yr old. (not a kid camera. something real, but rugged, yet affordable.) any suggestions for either/both?
2. before kids and during infancy with lala, babies aged 8-11 months were my favorite. with finnian, it is right now. he is so darn cute and full of personality. still a tiny bit of baby, but able to eagerly interact with his big sister.
3. i have friends pregnant and trying for babe #3. i am joyous for them, but it makes me realize that, yes, i do want another babe in our family. but i can also safely and sadly say #3 is unlikely for us for reasons i never imagined and can't control. but how lucky am i to have the two little people in my life that i do?! so lucky!
   
4. i am now confused about the difference between envy and jealousy. i had always thought that they basically mean the same things, but that jealousy is malicious, while envy is not. for example, i am envious of those who live in the country. i wish it for myself, but i don't wish to take the opportunity away from anyone else. but if i had said i was jealous, that would mean i want a piece of property and don't want friends with property to have it. BUT...i looked it up on merriam-webster.com and it appears envy can be malicious? any word gurus out there want to help me out with this?
5. being domestic really can be satisfying and domestic tasks can carve away at the loneliness a stay at home parent can sometimes experience. i had a low day last week, for no apparent reason (not one i could identify, at least). the day was sunny, my kids were great, my husband was great, the morning was lovely. still...after a call from my best friend (whose voice immediately made me burst into tears), i watered the garden, picked artichokes, plums, and nectarines, made bread, made yogurt, made a fresh batch of laundry and dishwasher powder, and hung laundry. i also sewed a bit (although neither item i made turned out very well, see below, a camera case and a birthday crown.) i felt so satisfied with these simple, natural, frugal, basic tasks. there is something in all that, i say. (at least until the kind of day pops up where i want to nap by a pool, have a massage, and eat ice cream all day!)
6. don't forget that it is summer and public libraries are offering summer reading programs. ours allows kids of all ages. a sticker chart lets kids track their books. they get a half way prize and a final prize. the final prize includes all sorts of free-for-X coupons (pizza, museums, kids places, ice cream, etc.) and a free book. there is also an adult reading program. review any book and be entered to win a gift card to any number of places.
7. i am loving my little girl's art. this, apparently, is me. with a mustache.
8. i spent an hour decluttering part of the garage and it looks so much better! before (the pile spread and overflowed out of the photo), followed by after, below. i reorganized, purged, and rearranged. phew.
9. our kitchen aid mixer died. again. and i think there is something wrong with our washing machine, too.
   
10. i hope this day starts a week of happiness. as for me...today is the first day of the rest of my life.
    
    

linky love

• knitting needle roll case tutorial from multicrafty, another super simple knitting needle roll from wikihow, and a cute one from lupinbunny.
• i don't know how he found my blog, but he did. check out a people's picture, a blog with a daily photo taken by strangers, through cameras left at random places, with a note and instructions.
• erin of house on hill road whipped out some cute dirty laundry bags.
• i have been scrolling through posts at my mama made it. if you sew, are a woman, and/or have girls, check her blog out for all sorts of refashioning tutorials. and she only started blogging a month ago!
• rhian linked to the national geographic's greendex. calculate how eco friendly you are. i scored a 58, and it was clear from the questions, there are still many changes we can and should make!
• see renee's post on FIMBY about natural hair care
• it doesn't take much to make me cry. i didn't participate in this (bang head! bang head!) but 387 dolls arrived for craft hope's doll project.
• lecia of the day that is dessert has a fantastic list of things to do during summer with kids!
• i love to recycle clothes. mike likes sexy stuff. a compromise of tutorials at giannyL?
• renee at FIMBY has a fabulous post on wild edibles.
• luvinthemommyhood has a placemat-turned-bib tutorial
  

for julia

when we became parents nearly 5 years ago, we (i?) felt like i had been thrown in the deep end with no local peers who were also parents. we attended a new parent support group and (re)met josh and liz (aka LH), who had 2.5 month old julia. we had met them previously, as josh had been employed by mike's dad once upon a time, but as new parents, we clicked. fast forward 5 years (FIVE!) and tomorrow we are celebrating miss julia's 5th birthday. she loves superman and supergirl. she loves purple and pink and is all girl. these are for her. happy birthday, julia! we are so happy to be part of your life!

the crown is reversible, with a purple J on the white of the flip side

for her royal highness


the super hero side. technically superman has his logo on his shirt, so julia's cape has plain red on this side

but i couldn't make a cape for julia and not bella, so here is the flip side of the one for bella, who requested her logo be on the cape.

thanks to my bella bug for modeling. the sun and my camera weren't as cooperative, so sorry for the photo quality!

the crown pattern came from the creative family, by amanda blake soule.
and the reversible cape, using the tutorial at puking pastilles.

june: the half way point to the holidays

dried lavender. a potentially useful gift ingredient.

i like to plan ahead. each year since bella was born, i have moved more and more towards less and less. what do i mean? i mean i want to give more from the heart, more hand made, more creatively, more simply. i want to receive less. i want to spend more time. and all of that means being organized and planning ahead. so...i am starting to think about holiday gift giving already.

last year, we gave a fair number of homemade gifts. my skills are improving and mike's have always been good. anyone on our gift list have any handmade requests? you know our skills. a little of everything, but sewn, wood crafted, and baked/cooked top the list.

if you are a crafter/cook, what homemade goodies are you planning to whip up?

corner view: music

the music that makes my heart sing these days is centered entirely around my children. whether it is listening to my music with them in the car, their music at home, or listening to them make music, i am warmed with the knowledge that both my kids adore music.

and did anyone else notice how difficult it is to capture music on film? perhaps my posting of this week's corner view is just for me as a mamma, because i look at these photos and i can hear the sounds and see the little bodies dancing to the beat.

part of their instrument collection.


my little guy "singing" his heart out in the wading pool


my big girl loves music and loves her guitar. (she often holds it backwards, like jimi hendrix.) she'll be starting "real" school at a music based school this autumn and she is extremely excited.

my munchkins gettin' their groove on (dancing!). i admit this photo is a repeat on my blog from a couple of months ago and that i have trouble capturing movement on film with my point and shoot camera.

for musical corner views from around the world:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,

caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian,

jeanette, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, satsuki