birthday week 2011

I've never been one to get super excited about my birthday but last year was pretty good. I got to spend the weekend away with Kris, Giada and a few friends. It was also one year ago that I got my camera that I am still in love with.

This year, since my cousins were visiting, planning anything for my birthday was out of the question. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I got to spend a lot of time with them so I thought that was a pretty good gift. In addition, Kris and Giada got me a new fishing pole and Le Creuset baking dish. Maybe that doesn't sound too exciting to you but I have been in search of a good lasagna pan for some time and I was not about to spend what they were asking for the super deep one I found a a while back. Le Creuset......not too shabby :) Now it just needs to get broken in. What will it be? Lasagna? bread pudding? fritatta? hmmmm.... As for the fishing pole, well that is quite a story.

I grew up getting dirty but I had never been camping or fishing until I met Kris. The first time I was ever in command of a fishing pole, I caught a sunny. I was all smiles and so excited. Kris helped me get the hook out of it's mouth and then we threw it back in. Sadly, the poor little guy didn't make it. I saw a small fish floating near us and when I showed Kris, he broke the news that it was my fish. Way to go, Heather. First time out and you're killing them. So much for catch and release. The rest of that summer, we went fishing as often as we could. The apartment we had was within walking distance of the river so we'd go after work. I used one of Kris's old poles. It was rigged and occasionally, we'd have to fix something or other on it. It didn't matter though because I loved fishing.

A few weeks ago, while I was at a baby shower for a friend, Kris took Giada for her first fishing outing. She's been asking to go and has mastered her squeamishness of worms so it time to try. Her first day out, she caught a few sunnies and Kris pulled in a 12" bass. Knowing she enjoyed it, we all went again and this time, we rented a rowboat. I got to try out my new pole and outside of Giada's lack of concentration ( she'd ignore the bobber and we'd end up reeling in fish on her line), we had a great day together.




The day of my birthday was also Father's Day this year. Since we'd spent a lot of fun time hanging with family all week, we decided to catch up on yard work and then enjoyed a few glasses of sparkling white wine as Giada checked us for any apparent ailments.









The hummingbirds are coo-coo for the feeder this season and most of them have gotten used to humans being around by now so we get quite a show each day. They fight over who can use the feeder at any given time and they'll dive bomb each other in effort to get their turn.





As an added Birthday gift, Giada came home from her first day in the 'big kid' classroom with this sticker. Keep it going, G-Bear!

csa- week 3

Week 3 pick-up:

• 1 bunch of green onions
• 3 beets with greens
  
• 3 radishes with greens
  
• 1/4 lb salad greens with arugula
  
• 1 head of red leaf lettuce
  
• basil & parsley
  
• 1/2 lb kale

It's Sunday night and Kris is making potato soup with our veggies. In addition to the potatoes, he's using the garlic scapes, parsley,kale and green onions. Once it's all cooked, he will puree it and we will have some rosemary bread quickly toasted in a pan with olive oil and rubbed with fresh garlic. A nice quick meal packed with lots of vitamins.

We really only have the radishes, beets and salad greens left so it looks like salad for dinner one night this week. We'll probably leave the radishes alone and slice them up in the salad. The beets will likely be rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper and baked in the oven. Once cooked and cooled, they will be great with some goat cheese and greens.

The herbs, small tomatoes, raspberries and grapes that we are growing are doing well and will be a nice addition to the CSA foods. So far, the half-share is perfect for us. Though it seems like you don't get enough at times, once you try to work them into the meals, it ends up being just enough for us without wasting anything.

min svenska familj besök!

Starbucks stop....refuel!

About six years ago, my mother asked us to come over for dinner because her cousin was visiting from Sweden with her family. We went over for a bit but thinking back now, we must not have been there too long. Long enough for a few pictures but that's all. Since then, Facebook emerged and gave me the opportunity to get to know the younger cousins a bit better. I offered that if they ever made it back to New York, they would have a place to stay. When I got the news that they had planned another trip to visit I couldn't wait for them to get here.




Once the agenda was set, I decided to take a day off from work to spend a day in New York City with them. They wanted to SHOP! The night they arrived, we planned to have dinner with the rest of the family at my parent's place. As excited as I was to see everyone, I was nervous as well. After sharing so much online, I felt like we'd just click but that's the funny thing about online.....you feel you know someone and then the in-person relationship can be so different. We said hello and chatted a bit breaking the ice over Skittles and dinner. We didn't get back home until late and we had to get up early to catch the train to NYC so there wasn't too much bonding that night.

The next morning, we made our way to the city. We dropped bags off at the hotel and set off on our shopping adventure. First stop: Starbucks! They had been subjected to Dunkin' Donuts for too many days and needed some espresso. After a quick jolt, we were on a mission. Have you seen National Lampoon's European Vacation? I lived and breathed that movie when I was younger so when I looked around and saw all of my cousins in different directions all holding things up or trying things on ,this is all I could picture (watch here)






After the morning shopping session was concluded, it was decided that we should get some food and I was treated to a wonderful lunch in Rockefeller Center. The weather was clear so we sat outside, next to the fountain with large umbrellas shading us from the glaring sun. Though updating Facebook statuses was crucial since we had Wi-Fi access, it was still nice to sit down together and enjoy a bit of a reprieve.


We continued to shop after lunch but as the day winded down, so did the shopping and after I made sure that they got settled back at the hotel, I hopped back on the train to come home and leave them to explore NYC on their own for a couple of days.

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I met everyone at the train station upon their return and took the girls back to our house for a night of relaxing. Pizza, beer and doing nothing. It is how we like to relax at the end of a week but knowing they they'd been exploring for three days, Kris and I knew they would appreciate some down time. It worked out perfectly.

In the morning, we just took our time and before we had to meet up with everyone else, we shared our favorite view of the mountains with the girls.

Frida, Hanna,Karin, Me and Giada......see any resemblance?

Karin taking as many pictures as I usually do....with a very similar camera!

It was a hot day and rather than continue shopping, we hung by the pool before the farewell dinner.

Giada and Hanna enjoying the pool and each other

It's only been five days, but I already miss them all. And that nervousness of seeing them in person? Completely gone. I'm already counting the days until we see each other again......here or in Sweden!

csa- week 1

This is the first time that Kris and I have participated in a CSA. I found this farm by chance and I was drawn in by the fact that they grow using organic practices and are very community-minded. We opted for the half-share because we could try this new way of buying our veggies and see what size share would work best for our eating style and schedule.
This past Saturday was our first pick-up. We got:

• 1 stalk of green garlic
• 2 radishes with greens
  
• 1/4lb arugula
• 1/2lb salad greens
• a head of broccoli ( or we could have gotten u-pick snap peas)
  
• 3/8 lb broccoli rabe
• 1 head of cabbage
• 3 types of kale

It seemed like a small amount.......until we got home and cleaned it off and tried to fit it in the fridge. For a family that eats a lot of veggies, this is a cool way to spruce up the everyday meals. Some of the items we will get by default may not be things we'd usually buy but I love that it forces us to find a suitable recipe.
I don't plan to do too much with the salad greens and I already have a few things that we regularly use arugula, broccoli & broccoli rabe for so the biggest challenges this week are the kale and the cabbage. Tonight we had the cabbage sauteed with chicken in a thai peanut sauce over brown rice. Y. U. M. Kris has plans for the kale so I'm excited to see what that may be.

I have 23 weeks to go so if you see an ingredient that you have a great idea for, let me know and if I try it, I'll post it on this blog. Happy eating!

sparkle lights

I feel like an outlaw. The inspection for my car is past due. I noticed about 2 weeks ago that I needed to get it taken care of and I figured I would do it at the same time I got an oil change. That was supposed to happen last Friday but somehow I never got there and Saturday morning just wasn't happening. When the place you go to closes at 5pm, how is it possible for a working person to get there during the week?

On my way home after picking Giada up on Wednesday (aka, the day I became an outlaw) I noticed that the cars in front of me were slowing down and as I looked ahead, I saw the traffic stop. Brake. Move to shoulder. Look both ways. U-turn. Oh-no, oh-no, oh-no...please don't see me....... Several clear checks in the rear view mirror later and I think I'm ok. Don't you know, I pass two more police cars on our detour and because I am already on the edge of my seat, I would swear that they know what I did and they are looking for a good reason to pull me over. I couldn't wait to pull into the safety of my garage and close the door behind me.

So that was Wednesday. For Thursday's recap, re-read Wednesday. Yup. exactly the same thing. All the while, I promise myself that I will get everything settled Friday, if that day would get here already! Giada wanted to know why we were going a different way home. Leave it to her to finally know which way we go. "ummm, Mommy? Are we still gonna see Ice Cream Bear?"

Our little Miss Imagination is back on a roll. She fluctuates between being Giada and being a dog named Sugar. Sugar's voice is very squeaky and she is always panting but unlike the other dog in our house she doesn't shed and she eats very little so sure, she can stick around for a bit. Sugar has informed me that Ice Cream Bear's favorite ice cream flavor is Vanilla with a Honey Swirl. That sounds superb and quite perfect for a bear.

What do you get when you take two mommies, three kids, two bikes and a stroller? If you have even contemplated this, please, stop reading now. Walk away and hit yourself with a blunt object.



Thinking this would be a great way to catch up and have some adult time while the kids played, my friend and I met up at a local trail and began our adventure. That's what it was alright. It started with figuring a way to walk both bikes and both 3 1/2 year olds to the crosswalk leading to the trail. Once we got there and got all of the protective gear in place we were on our way. About 20 yards in, I was ever so thankful for remembering to bring wipes with me. Giada decided to leap off the trail into the mud on the side. How she avoided being covered head to toe is beyond me. I think she had more tears than mud but we cleaned up both and away she and her friend went, peddling into the path of anyone we encountered. We were that group that you shake your head at and ask how it was that they didn't know this would happen.





A million push-starts and a few more falls later, we wrapped up the evening. The mommies didn't get much of a chance to chat but we got to watch our kids be kids. If I've learned anything being a mommy, it's that sometimes just that title can bond you to someone.




If you like reading this blog, don't be shy....comment from time to time and let me know you're out there. Feel free to share with your friends too. I'd love me some new readers!

barn @ sunset

Once I started getting some decent shots with this camera I haven't been able to go anywhere without thinking of the photo opportunities. I pass this barn quite often and I always take a minute to dream about the pictures I could take if I happened to have my camera when the light was just right. Tonight was my chance and after turning around to park safely ,I just knew I had something that would come close to what I've been dreaming about.

This is one of my many happy places I retreat to. Soft light, simple yet beautiful views and the appreciation of what surrounds me. Please enjoy and share my happy place.

I remember when............

The yard looks like we've neglected it for a month. The constant rain keep us from mowing and trimming so we look like the bad neighbors that everyone calls the town on. A break in this weather so we can at least make an attempt at redeeming ourselves would be nice.
Even though I like to get Giada to bed early and I always have a million things to do in the short window between work and bed, the other night I decided on a whim that she and I should bake a cake. We certainly didn't need any sweets like that in the house but it was more about the process and spending time with my little pookie than it was about the cake. Giada loves to be in the kitchen. I don't know if it's something she inherited from her daddy or if it's because it's where we spend so much time. She and I have always made things together and she always wants a task. Something as simple as pouring the ingredients into the bowl or lining the muffin tins with paper cups is enough to keep her interested.
The process starts with her choosing the appropriate apron. Next, we drag a chair in from the dining room for Giada to stand on. From there, she waits and directs as I get all of the bowls and measuring spoons ready. She helps any way she can through the measuring and mixing and once the item is baking, she keeps an eye on whatever we've made asking me to occasionally turn on the oven light so she can peek through the window. Once the timer goes off and we take it out of the oven, I have to pick her up to see the finished product.
I've said before that there are amazing things that can be learned in a kitchen. Anywhere from cleanliness to science but my favorite thing is spending time with Giada, cooking or baking and dancing to the music in the background.
This time when we were baking, Giada asked me if the cake was for Daddy's birthday. Since his birthday is in March, I think we'd be a bit late, right? I told her that it was "Rainy Day Cake". I find that in response to many of her questions, I just say the first thing that comes to mind. I don't know where it comes from but after I said it, I thought that Rainy Day Cake sounded pretty good. Hey, if it's gonna rain for days and there's no end in sight, why not do something fun?
At dinner, as Giada was telling Kris about our creation, he asked her if we had any ice cream to go with it. This question is inevitable when discussing dessert with Kris. If he could, he would eat it at every meal. I found myself telling them about how I used to go to Friendly's with my dad to get half-gallons of ice cream with when I was little. My dad would eat ice cream almost every night and a trip to Friendly's was always an event. He'd ask for requests and then he and I would go to the shop and survey the possibilities. The cooler was open on three sides and I would stand on the side near the window and peer in searching for the best choices. That memory is clear as the taste of the Strawberry Fribbles my mom used to get if we stopped by for an occasional treat.
It's all about the memories inside so no pictures to share today, friends. Take some time to make memories for the kids in your life. Spend some time thinking about your own and if you'd like, share some of those with me. I'd love to hear them!