Encircling

Another photo shoot.

Of Gavin, naturally:) Since he is just the cutest thing, since, well- my last baby!

"Yogurt with honeyed stars"

It's all in a name...  We made these yummy little doughnuts a few days ago. The recipe is from here. Not quite as good as doughnuts with gluten, left to rise overnight, but still tasty. We also modfied the recipe to use half brown rice flour/half gluten free flour, and used vanilla stevia per Adam's request. We cooked them in coconut oil, and they are super yummy. 

But in trying to think of a fun way to serve them I asked my kids if they wanted some greek yogurt with raw honey and doughnuts. There was a resounding and rather defiant "no!" But when I asked them a few minutes later if they wanted "yogurt with honeyed stars" they got excited. It's all in the marketing!

These were fun to make, and to eat. 

Moving.

So I have been trying to gather my thoughts to post on this for a few days now. Something always seemed to come up, or I was too tired from packing/and or seeing people for the last time in a while.

Adam got laid off quite suddenly a little over a week ago. It came as somewhat of a shock- but he worked for a startup so what can you do? The problem, apparently, was that they are running out of money quicker than they are making it yet since they haven't gone public. Not to mention they all seemed like a bunch of newbies who loved to have company happy hours and had misplaced morals. Did I just say that out loud?  Oops. 

But we are not bitter. We are better for it. A window of opportunity has been opened for us to take a move we have been thinking about for several years now. To try out a new city and look for a good fit. Things here in the valley seem crazy anyway.  And with gas so darn expensive it makes a simple hours trip north to my fav Children's museum ever not so cheap anymore.  Even with a pass. Not to mention I am carting around 3 small children to said museum, while paying rent that is much to high and did I mention I really need to get my car (though an older model) paid off to upgrade to a minivan? Yeah. We pretty much live out of our car, which I love and it is quite roomy but we really could use those extra seats.  And did I mention we need more bedrooms? Oh, and lets not mention the baby-proofing that will need to be done after the move, as all my children become extremely mobile by 5 months time! Yeah lets not mention that because, well, that would stress me out.

But the timing of all of this is uncanny. I just picked up our first order of grassfed meat from our CSA, and my vegetable CSA just ended(with option to renew) last week. I was also about to enroll Zoe in a local charter school since the funding and vendors list is so amazing and I could still school pretty much however we wanted(for a few years at least). A few friends of ours may be moving as well. Since this will be a quick move for us, things really fell into place nicely.

Now the hard part: leaving friends. We have lived in this area for a long time, almost as long as we have been married, actually. And I do feel for my children, having to leave their friends but I think overall it may be easier to leave sooner rather than later. I wanted to really put my roots down in a community without digging them up again to soon, which I think is what you really have to do when homeschooling. So hopefully the kids will weather it well and be better for it, as us!

The sheer amount of crafting that still needs to be done is a bit overwhelming. I am making size small diapers just as fast as I can. Cut, sew, snap- repeat! When the diapers are all done, I plan to make a mei tai. Not the sort you drink, though I may need one after all that sewing! I know, I am crazy like that sometimes... 

As for where to live when we get to where we are going(Washington state!) we plan to help fix up a house owned by Adam's grandmother, which needs fixing to eventually sell when the market picks back up. I don't know how much we will actually get done there- that is yet to be seen. We will be near Portland Oregon, so not too shabby of a move after all.:)There are so many reasons why I love Portland, and Oregon in general.

Ok, enough rambling for now- off to chain myself to my sewing machine. I've got nighttime diapers with glow in the dark snaps to make.

Things I am loving...

There are many. Here are a few.

1. Coffee. But maybe you knew that already. Now I am really loving Barefoot Coffees. I always have, but having a really nice blend just makes you really look forward to that next cup. They are local, Fair trade, organic, and just plain awesome. I'll take mine brewed in an espresso pot, with a dollop of cream- lightly foamed, thanks.
2. Crayon rocks. I stole the idea from AngryChicken , among other ideas! They are fabulous. Very very nice to hold and just look at, and really difficult to grip to color well with. And you just can't beat getting 3 free monkey pencils along with your order. See the link for details on ordering your own.   
3. Packing. I really really like the thrill of packing up one's belongings to take a move across country. I can't help it. I am just that way. I have packed and moved many many times over the past 12 years. And I seem to have a habit of moving into a new place when my babies are very young. Each one in fact. Now Gavin is 4+ months and it is time to move again! (more on that in the next post)
4.   Growth. And learning new skills. Primarily those of my new baby right now. He can pull on his feet, tries to talk, rolls over and dumps half full mugs of water in his mouth, eats fistfulls of sand at the beach, tries to crawl, and is just generally very interesting to watch.
5. Budding creativity. I love to watch Zoe color. And to see the things she comes up with!  
6. Eating outside. Or rather, serving most of the kids meals out there. For obvious reasons, as well as seasonal.  

Steak Pie.

 I have to share some lazy Saturday cooking with you. A book I requested months ago from the library finally came in. Apples for Jam. I had it on hold too but then had a baby- so there was no real book reading for me. In hindsight I wish I had just bought it instead of waiting so long for it after first seeing it mentioned here. I am so loving this book. Lots and lots of recipes with sugar, simple carbs and such which I am normally not the biggest fan of- but the book really is a treasure. There are also lots of time tested recipes and old favorites redone. And pretty much all of the recipes are adaptable. As we speak I have a batch of brown bread rising -and plan to leave it overnight. This is not called for in the book but a step I feel more comfortable with in light of long term  healthy habits. The really great part about the book is the whimsical way the recipes seem to be thrown together, and the authors notes about childhood and food that leave you reminiscing. 

So after seeing the steak pie I had to have one. It was worth the effort. I did adapt it as I had steak in the fridge already, and fresh oregano so I added that. I have no cognac at the moment, but sherry did the trick. It came out so good I just may have seconds for dinner.

The leftover dough turned into handpies with blackberry jam we made last week. Zoe helped with the cut-out stars and angels and the pressing. These didn't really last very long, I can assure you! The first one got split for both children and the second seemed mysteriously smaller each time I passed through the kitchen...with little nibbles here and there taken out of it.

sandy toes...

Pictures from a trip to a nearby beach this week, on a particularly hot day. It was 63 degrees, cloudy, cool, and just perfect for me. Sadly, the tide was way too high to see any tidepools:( Which this beach is known for.

Jam on.

 

I am finding more and more that it is richly satisfying to really know how to do a thing for yourself.

Even when it comes to making jam. Yes, homemade jam was on my list this year of things to tackle. Last years list included things such as kombucha ( at least I think that was last year) and quilting, no-knead bread and getting better with handling meat. Sauerkraut too,  among other things. And now, I can cross off jam making. It surprisingly wasn't all that hard, though there was about an hour of sheer craziness in my house because I was running back and forth between directions- to make sure I had not sped-read over something important- and pots of boiling water and berries. I made a half batch of blueberry jam with frozen purchased berries, and a half batch with blackberries from our backyard. We haven't yet tried the blackberry jam, but I am sure it is just lovely. The blueberry is a bit runny as I didn't initially let it thicken up as much as I should have, but still quite good.

Next up is strawberry jam- with berries harvested a couple months back on a u-pick trip to a local organic farm. I plan to leave the strawberry batch somewhat chunky as well. With the first two batches I simply cooked down the berries a bit, then before adding calcium water and pectin I used a hand blender to liquify them.  Much more simple than straining! 

And yes, my jam contains sugar. I wrestled back and forth for a while on the sugary jam issue. But finally gave in and used a low sugar pectin mix and actually didn't have to use that much sugar. In the future I will experiment with other ways of sweetening, but for now, I taught myself how to make jam the normal way so we will go from there. It will be my sweet treat.

Growing up I listened to my mother talk about how my grandmother(her mother) made her own jams and canned veggies all from things mostly grown in their backyard. So in a way I feel connected to someone I never got a chance to meet. My grandmother apparently not only made jams and canned foods for more than a few children, but also knit for all of them while  knitting herself dresses. I like to remind myself when life gets hard with only 3 little ones that it could, in fact, be much harder! And in a way I guess it gives me something to aspire to. And really, I have creative grandmothers on both sides. My fathers mother, for as long as I can remember was sewing herself the prettiest outfits and suits. She sewed for all of her children as well, and makes the meanest fried chicken around. She was also the one who initially taught me to draw, and to use a sewing machine and sew a button hole without a fancy foot. Ah, the blessing of coming from good stock!

Next up- well that is still to be determined.

9 and counting!

Knit strawberries, that is:) Yes, I finally gave in to the urge on Saturday morning - to knit a basket-full of berries. Luckily. I have red scrap yarn in several different shades, including variegated that was kool-aid dyed "back in the day" of starting out with cloth diapering. Strawberries are such a fun, quick knit. Like- if I concentrate- 20 minutes quick.  But alas, I have only 9 so far. I have been commissioned to make more, we'll see.  Pattern here.

We had a rather lazy 4th of July, which is, I guess, how it should be. Adam felt sick so we decided to hang out here. There was much organizing to be done however, so I was secretly glad. (not for the sickness, but for a good excuse to stay home) I got loads of stuff organized, and a slew of things finished/started/sewn. Pictures to come!  I love the feeling of getting caught up. 

Gavin is learning new skills everyday. He is a skinny little guy(about 14 pounds- with milk) but he is long. He has grown about 5 1/2 inches so far! He can now fully grab anything he wants with ease- so dinnertime hold has become fun(ha!). He also had the nerve to laugh at me last night when I had a bad case of the hiccups. Each one sent him into a ferocious fit of laughter.  And he loves to watch me knit or crochet on my ripple blanket because all the colors move. He even scooted onto it!

So I hope you had a good fourth! We are well rested now and ready to face a rather hot week coming at us. It is supposed to be insanely hot. We have no ac, so we will be at Ikea and other places of interest like the beach, mall, etc with ac,and most likely swimming a lot. 

Gifted again..

This time from another aunt. Her sister, in fact- Aunt Tonia. Again, a wonderful package that has me completely excited. A half finished waldorf doll with all the trimmings and supplies- even a pattern I haven't yet used, a stack of striped knits, some art sticks, and a sweater and mittens handknit and handed down. I am loving it. The knits especially will make a good case for the book I recently requested from the library that I see just everywhere... Sew U Home Stretch.

There has also been bread baking(my first loaf in a while) from the also popular Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day. I made the deli rye, and used whole wheat and rye, so it is a very dense, flavorful loaf.

There has also been rippling! And a bit of sewing. The Amy Butler Birdie Sling, to be exact.

Because I just can't help it...

I am sharing some fluffy baby and knits pictures with you.

 I've also been busy. Like, really busy. Like so busy that I have had to break down and use a calendar. Everything just doesn't fit up there in the old brain like it used to. Stuff goes in one way, then comes out translated as something completely different. Case in point- the recent confusing of the baby pediatrician appt. with Zoe's first ballet class of the season. We missed the ballet, but made the appt. :( So ICalendar is my new friend. I have come to the point of admittance that 3 is hard sometimes and that I need help- all the help I can get. So, in choosing to not only stay afloat, but on top of things permanently-  I will use a calendar, I will find what works best as far as keeping track of names, numbers, documents, etc, and I will take any good advice the world or friendly experience has to throw at me.

The sweater is a mish-mash of Mission Falls 1824 cotton. I have been drooling over it for a long time now and finally found a use for it.  The nubby texture works up in the sweater perfectly. The bunny buttons will really make it, I think. Aren't they cute?!

Dang, I just can't stop taking pictures of this little man. Enjoy!