Cook Fires & The Long Weekend

A bit of the weekend was spent back at the nursery for more!

And I found some more pots in the basement.

Then we were invited to friends for an impromptu cook fire. All my friends get special names.  This one is the French CookFire Guy.  His better half is otherwise known as Buffalo Beauty.  Nice couple.  Nice Family.

Tasty chicken over hot coals.  There is an art to getting the cook fire coals just right.  We are humble apprentices of French Cook Fire Guy in regards to Cook Fires.

We made our own cook fire the next day.  How's it look?

The Mister built the fire a couple of hours ahead of time then pushed the fire to one side exposing nice hot coals and placed the rack flat secured by the rocks.

Onion rings and chocolate milkshakes are among my favorite-ist things to eat together, so we rounded out the cook fire meal with these. 

Flower Pot Planting Day

Nursery Bounty. I finally got to some flower pots today.

This is last year's flower box not yet cleaned out.  Tsk Tsk Tsk.

I have five flower boxes to fill.  I picked purple Verbena, pink Geranium and this drapy thing.

Our planting day included a trip to the nursery and picnic lunch on the Dorset village green. 

We typically have a large vegetable garden, but we are simplifying this year.  These are the only herbs I wanted in this tiny pot.  Basil, Rosemary and Lemon Thyme. Tsk - those are dandelions on the ground next to this pot. I love dandelions and we don't weed kill.  They are beautiful and are medicine.

I love this old herb container.

Harleigh got busy planting the boxes with me.  Once I taught her how to lay them out, she did a couple on her own.  This is her boy kitty "Ginger Pye".  He follows her everywhere.

Finished!  Onward to some more impatiens to decorate my potting bench and hanging pots.

 Front entry way.  I planted impatiens in the pots for this shady area.  They should fill in nicely.  They're one of my favorites.  I made this door wreath last year.  If midwifery does not work out, I can always sell these by the side of the road.

 This is an old teak potting bench. The husband bought new for me years ago.  We've left outside a lunch of winters.  My next project is to decorate this up with potted plants as it sits next to our entry way.

NoMADic

I've been hunting around for something for The Husband for a while.  Years, maybe. 

I don't think I've ever bought him cologne.

Nothing seemed natural for him.
Always a little too strong or a little too urban.

I recently found THIS is in a Crabtree and Evelyn shop.

Woody, spicy, light.  Warm.  Just right!

He likes it.  

I put some from Amazon in the Wisteria Bookstore (see link below pink flower photo) for you to try.

Lazy Dutch Oven Chocolate Pudding Cake

I was craving cake batter this lazy Sunday and had to find a way to bake what was left over after I had my batter-fill.  I obviously couldn't jip a 10" pan with more than a teaspoon or two of batter-stealing... so I decided to try baking a cake in a dutch oven so I could indulge. 

I usually make my cakes from scratch...but I was extra lazy this Sunday, so I used a box mix.

Like God said when he made Adam "It is not good that man be alone" and so he made Eve, it is not good that you not  Spray Pam in your Dutch oven.

My mommy used to flour her cake pans, and I'm a big girl, so i flour my cake pans, too.  Not sure why, exactly.  But it really worked well in this case.  Oh - let's play a game, just a little game...can you find the BUTTER in every photo?

Mix the yum-nums together to get this.  And I'm just kidding.  There is ironically no butter in this recipe, but I love it and so it has to be here with us.

THIS is where it gets PG-13 folks... because I was SO oh-my-stinkin-heck lazy, I put gobs of frosting on top of the UNCOOKED batter. 

My laziness never ceases to amaze even myself.  There is no end to my laziness.  My laziness knows no bounds.

Meet Hansel.  Put a LID on it folks!

By now you must know that I never time these things...Maybe around 25 minutes.  But it looked like this when I pulled it out.  It was important that I cooled it while we ate dinner because it did settle down a bit.

The frosting made it into a pudding-texture.  It was amazing.  The kids and The Husband were wearing it while they ate it.  I think I wore a little too.  I had some for breakfast this morning. 
Good over vanilla ice cream. 
"Have thy cake and eat your batter, too!"

Campfire Steak Tips

This is how we made dinner over the campfire in a cast iron skillet and Dutch oven on a lazy Sunday. 

I recently gave up my shameful daily sipping of diet Dr. Pepper and therefore used the last two to marinate the sirloin tips. I also threw some shallots in there.

After the lovelies marinated for a bit, enter: more shallots, BROWN SUGAR, sherry, grapeseed oil, BUTTER (Can you find the butter hidden in this picture?), coarse sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and any herbs that smelled nice next to the Dr. Pepper, including but not limited to Montreal Steak Seasoning and marjoram. 

Layer the marinated tips over the above.  NO need to include the remaining Dr. Pepper.

cutting them with scissors, if necessary.  I'm a dork but, I love the feeling of cutting meat with scissors. These are not my hands, though.

Toss iron skillet on the camp fire and COVER!  Turn every 5 minutes or so until done.  We like it medium rare or medium. Served with baked potatoes cooked over the flame.

My family started devouring before I could snap the final photo!  The dish was much fuller and more beautiful than this!
It was so juicy and sweet and full of flavors!  A big hit in an outdoor home cookout. Served with potatoes and salad.

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

I was an alpine ski race coach at Stratton Mountain Resort this past winter.  The village candy store was peddling gourmet 'Chocolate Covered Potato Chips'.  Being that dark chocolate and salty potato chips are my two favoritist things in the whole wide world, I had to try them.

I have only one word to describe...

"Yeck".  

What a great concept though... But no dice.

Morning Conversations

Huck wears a paper mask sometimes.

Me: "Huck, I'm sleepy this morning. Will you make me breakfast?"

Huck: "Sure. The only thing I know how to make is toast with butter. So I will make you toast with butter- and look at that dead bug."

"Mommy, will you fix me a bowl of cereal?"

I wonder if my attention span is shorter from hanging out with him every day.

Inspiration

Daughter Cassidy at a race with her team a couple of winters ago.  She inspires me.

I was reading what inspires some of my favorite writers today.  I was reminded of this:

St. Francis Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Pi and Semi Circles

This morning's math session. I wrote this post during this hour.

In our home education, we study Singapore Math.  I chose this six years ago because I interpreted the research  to indicate that Singapore was among the more rigorous math curricula available to us.  My kids were only in Kindergarten and second grade, so how difficult could math at that age be?  I figured that I could always switch to a different program if it was too challenging for us.  I feared going into a more rigorous program later would be more difficult.

I pretty much hated math as a public school kid.  But because I sought a finance degree in college, I suffered... (I mean really suffered).. through two years of university calculus which did not entirely prepare me for sixth grade Singapore math.

My daughter is studying pre-algebra and perimeter of semicircles which totally involve Pi.  Remember Pi?  3.14 or 22/7.  I needed a refresher on that one.  I'm pretty sure I didn't cover these things in sixth grade.

As soon as I saw Pi was coming up in the curriculum, I had her close the math text and we did some quick internet research about Pi, and who done it.  I mean, before I started the drudgery of having to explain to eldest daughter the concept of Pi and why on earth she needs to know this, I wanted to show her WHO in history first discovered Pi and how and why that helped humanity.  In about five minutes of scanning Google and Wikipedia, we had a lot of info about historical mathematicians who made the Pi discovery or improved upon it (it really was a cool discovery in the natural world) and the historical context.

This helped her Pi experience seem worthwhile to both of us.  It was really cool to be able to problem solve using this amazing number and insert it into formulas.  She cruises through area and perimeter of circles and semicircles like a little mathematician.  I have pride helping her with something I experienced as trauma in my youth. 

We spend about an hour a day on math.  It is the one subject we get to daily even if our science, literature or history fall by the wayside.  I'm writing this as I constantly hover around the table for all four children.  Three are on Singapore and the littlest is circling, tracing and counting at the preschool level.  Math is also one of those subjects I spill into summer with or jump start the following year sometimes during summer break because then we do not have to spend weeks in the fall remembering what on earth we finished up with last year.  One year and text book flows into the next.

Since we are in mostly review mode for the rest of our school year, Cassidy and I needed a refresher this morning on Pi and the formula for perimeter of a semicircle.  A quick Google of the topic produced this great video!  Meet our new home education math tutor!

Ciao-Pi!

Apparently, I'm The Wizard of Oz

My shower space.  Or my Wizard Control Room.

 Mom is The Wizard of Oz?

I was interrupted four times by three of my children while in the shower this morning.

Something about 'Can we have dinner for breakfast?' and some whining about an older sibling.

There was also a request from little Huck for me to make him a paper 'Zuko' eye patch that he wears almost daily as he's handling some adult scissors. I think Zuko is a character from 'Avatar the Last Airbender'.

Oh - and Harleigh was asking to do a craft involving sea shells from Captiva and some pink sand I picked up for her.

Sand in the house.  Sharp scissors and running around by a four year old is probably happening while I'm lathered up in shaving cream and shampoo.  I still haven't shaved my legs.  I guess hair conditioner for tangles in my long tresses will have to wait. 

I better speed up my shampoo.

Maybe my kids see me like The Wizard of Oz from behind that shower curtain.

Ciao - There's no place like home.  There's no place like home.

I know it's Sunday, but....

Italian Heather at the grocer. 

Confession: Today, I had an experience where another mother and I walked into the grocer's and coincidentally notified our partners that we were headed into the ladies room. We did not know each other.

Our grocer only has one potty. Somewhere in the parking lot were two cars full of hot, hungry, and tired children.

The Husband was at checkout with a loaf of bread and the New York Times. We splurge on the Times on special occasions. Today is a special occasion because it is Mother's Day and The Husband's birthday.

Back to my confession.

This other mother was a bit behind me and wearing Birkenstock sandals and sweat pants.

I had just left church and therefore was wearing a dress and black patent leather high heels and apparently not enough Grace, even though I had just come out of three hours of church.

Ann Taylor is my mommy and she dresses me most days. I was happy my dress was 6% spandex.

Because I broke into a trot.  And so did this other woman.  Because the end of the rainbow happened to be at the back of the store next to the dairy.

I took aisle 7. She darted into aisle 8.

Surely me and my patent leather heels would be the losers over her much more aerodynamic Jerusalem Cruisers.

I was wondering while running if The Husband or other patrons had any notion of what we had going on. Surely this is only the kind of antic a mother does on Mother's Day when her children are not present.

The linoleum floors must have been favorable to the heels because I arrived first with a guilty grin feigning like I had walked the entire time. She was running and laughing as I sprung open the door to my destination.

Let me introduce you to my four year old self.

She sometimes comes out to play with random other four year olds in giant bodies with Birkenstocks.

My children really like it when I act four around them, but I tend not to. She's only allowed to come knocking when I'm alone. Sometimes she says hello when I'm supposed to be in serious conversation with The Husband.

I wonder if Heaven will be all of us playing together in our four year old bodies. Maybe I think this way because my youngest is four and I can't imagine enjoying him any more than I do right now.

I'll resume reading the Times aloud to Cory on this day we celebrate that he was born while he does some carpentry for the girls' room.

Reading the Times while The Husband uses Power Tools outside. Yes, I drink out of Mason Jars.

The Husband using power tools.

Ciao-ka-delic, baby.

Veterinary Study

This is the cute sign in Dr. Bob's rural Vet Clinic.

Daughter Cassidy has always been interested in Vet science.  In case you missed it, she has a kennel of Siberian and Alaskan huskies who she sled races with. Cassidy is 13.  She started her team/kennel when she was 7.

Luckily for us, her father gives tours with our team at Stratton Mountain Resort... to support her canine ambitions.

To enhance her education at home, Cassidy has been spending some time 

attending surgeries and appointments 

with a great local vet in town that we see - Dr. Bob.

Dr. Bob happens to be a Level 300 ski race coach, 

so they have a lot to discuss over canine amputations and spayings.

Yesterday, she witnessed a constipated feline come in for an enema. 

Dr. Bob gives Cassidy canine anatomy charts to work on between visits.

Despite witnessing animal enemas, spayings, neuterings, intubations and amputations, 

Daughter Cassidy is still apparently interested in vet science. 

I'm pondering when I might start bringing her to home births with me to assist.

Ciaoza!

Cassidy with some of the boys on her team.

My Tribe

My tribe on a recent vacation.  {sigh}   I love these people.

Little Pink Chandelier

I am in love with this little pink and white chandelier!

I'd like to place it in a hallway over the door of my office.  And another in my girls' room.

And one over our bed.

And another over our big soaker tub.

But I'll probably start with my office entry.

There is a little joke in my marriage:  I think every little job I ask him to do will take 5 minutes. 

I love things that are whimsical and a little bohemian.  I think it would add a nice touch to my grrr.... flexxx masculine home made of spruce logs and hemlock timber frame. 

I  purchased this at this little store in town!  The Lighting Place  They ship!

My midwifery office door/entry.

Aloha!

(I watched the documentary 'Step Into Liquid' and am more in the mood for Alohas than Ciaos)