Lobsterfest 2012

One year ago, we had our very own Lobsterfest (see here). Last night, I think it officially became an annual tradition. And, as we had hoped for a year ago, the brains behind Lobsterfest - Lana and Jamey - were active participants this time. We had 6 lobsters sent to us overnight from Maine and, while much of the evening was the same as last year (lobsters, corn, beverages, Uncle T's clothing - see below), the presence of great friends, margaritas, perfect weather, nearly 4-year olds instead of nearly 3-year olds, and one giant lobster steaming pot made Lobsterfest 2012 a smashing success. 

Wordless Wednesday: Drum, Daddy, Drum

Wordless Wednesday: Henry's Plant Farm 2012

"Feed me, Seymour!"

My children like love live-for food. The apples certainly don't fall far from the tree, right? Here's my pondering today: when a child is hungry - really hungry - possibly from a growth spurt or simply from the activity of a busy life, can you feed them TOO much GOOD food? We headed out first thing this morning on a bike ride (side note: if you have small children, buy them balance bikes. I have to run to keep up at times and the concept of "balance" is clearly being mastered). When we got home from our outing, it was time for breakfast, which included:

• 4 scrambled local eggs
• 1 Cup-ish organic fresh blueberries
• 1 organic avocado
• 1/4 Cup-ish (per child) organic Greek yogurt, topped with an organic kiwi, a drizzle of local honey, and organic ground flaxseeds
• 1 glass (per child) organic 2% milk

How do you like those food pictures? Empty glass, empty bowl, empty avocado, empty plate. Full bellies? At least for an hour half an hour. :) But seriously - can I give them too much when it involves fresh, unprocessed foods? They are growing at exponential rates! Have I mentioned lately how LONG and LEAN my children have become? I have NEVER been described as long and lean. Ever. Keep eating, sweet girls, keep eating - you're going to tower over me in no time.

Now entering "Summer Mode"

"Summer Mode" requires some changes to be made to the ins and outs of the days. For example...

• The washer/dryer runs only first thing in the morning and again after sunset - one load per day, in the wash at sun-up and in the dryer at sun-down
• The oven goes into daytime hibernation as well. This has big implications for mealtimes but it also limits my baking, which is somewhat sad for me. I'm hoping to come up with some new ideas for dinners that don't require a "preheat to X-degrees". Over the weekend, we had egg-salad sandwiches:
• Egg Salad Sandwich
• 5 hardboiled local eggs
• 1/4 C (or so) miracle whip
• Few squirts of organic yellow mustard
• Pepper
• Toasted whole wheat bread
• Chopped organic onion and peppers
• Organic baby spinach
• BACON

• Outdoor time continues to be required EVERYDAY. We accomplish this either with an early-morning walk or bike-ride OR with water. It doesn't take much H2O to make a summer afternoon enjoyable. 

(It also doesn't take much to make a summer afternoon
enjoyable when these two are involved!)

• And, most importantly, firefly-catching is mandatory. 

Welcome to Summer Mode 2012.

P is for Pancakes!

Okay, so P is actually for Pinterest. Which is where I found this pancake recipe. I made these one morning last week and Abby requested them again a couple of days ago. We've now had them 3 times in the past week - made fresh twice and reheated from frozen once. They are delicious and super easy to modify, depending on what you have or what you like. Here are two versions we've enjoyed so far:

Lemon Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 C "flour"
• The original recipe uses  1/3 of 3 different types: almond meal, quinoa flour, and oat flour. I've used a combination of: organic ground flax seed, oat bran, oat flour, and whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 local, antibiotic-free eggs
• 1 C buttermilk
• I've made this 2 ways: 
• 1/2 C organic plain yogurt + 1/2 C buttermilk
• 1/2 C buttermilk + 1/4 C organic plain yogurt + 1 mashed organic banana
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 T fresh organic lemon juice
• Zest of one organic lemon
• 1 T melted coconut oil
• Combine dry ingredients
• Separate eggs
• Combine wet ingredients and egg yolks
• Mix wet and dry (omitting egg whites)
• Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form
• Fold in egg whites
• Use extra coconut oil to grease nonstick pan for cooking

I omitted the sugar from the original recipe - the syrup took care of the necessary sweetness as did the mashed banana in one version. I did make a yogurt sauce as suggested - organic plain yogurt, squeeze of fresh lemon juice, squeeze of fresh orange juice, and some local honey. The girls are looking over my shoulder at this very moment - looks like it might be pancakes again today!

Wordless Wednesday: Momma's dresses

And summer begins...

This summer has been much awaited, much anticipated. This would be the beginning of my 11th "summer vacation" as a teacher. But instead, this is the beginning of my first summer as a stay-at-home mom. We have been working toward this goal for nearly 4 years and it has taken the love and dedication of both sets of grandparents and my very hard-working husband to get here. I've had a lot of people (many of which are working moms) say "you're so lucky" and "I'm so jealous". But this isn't a gift that has fallen into my lap. My beautiful birthday bouquet? Definitely a gift that fell into my lap...

But staying home? This was a well-thought out plan that involved financial components, lifestyle components, and priorities. It was a plan that involved doing what we believe is best for our family. And I just happen to be on the receiving end of this most perfect plan. Let the good times roll!