welcome summer...

Yesterday was Memorial Day and even though we associate this holiday with the start of summer I tried to not forget what the day is really set aside for. I watched CBS Sunday morning yesterday and saw a story about how the best quality marble from the largest quarry in Vermont is set aside for the gravestones of fallen soldiers. I thought it was a beautiful story and made me think about how to honor those who make the ultimate sacrifice.

We did celebrate the beginning of summer though. I thought I would share our day through pictures so here you go...

 We started out our day with macadamia nut and coconut pancakes. (I just chop the nuts and add them and flaked coconut to pancake mix). We top them off with bananas and coconut syrup. The syrup is from Hawaii and we are dangerously low. Luckily Mark found out you can order it on line, but a  grocery trip to the islands would be much more fun!

We then headed outside to enjoy some of this...

 and Gavin did some surfing...

Little sis just looked on...

 the dogs swam too...

 Fisher did this seriously ALL day...

 Gavin after his nap. He was pooped...

 ...but mustered up the energy to jump in the pool again!

 Mark made kabobs for dinner...

 We didn't head inside until bedtime! Needless to say everyone is recovering today!

homemade nutella...

Gavin, Teagan and I got home from the park this afternoon to find this on our doorstep...

Gavin's girlfriend, Julia, who lives across the street come to give him some homemade Nutella! My friend, Julia's mom of course, had told me of this recipe and I am excited to share it with you. If you don't know what Nutella is it is a rich, chocolate and hazelnut spread used in Europe like peanut butter. My friend and her husband are both European and she got this recipe from a friend. It is also very healthy! Now if you are expecting this to tast just like Nutella you won't be overjoyed, but it is SO good and a fun, tasty alternative to peanut butter

Homemade Nutella

1 cup chickpeas/gorbonzo beans
(add water and soak over night and cook the next day)

In the blender or food processor mix:
chickpeas, cacao or cocoa powder, honey and 1 Tbs. butter until well mixed
** you add the amount or cacao and honey to your tastes. My friend used with 1 cup chickpeas-- 2 1/2 Tbs. honey and 1 Tbs. cocoa. You can also add more butter to make it creamier.

I took the "Nutella" and spread it over Ezekiel/Sprouted bread for Gavin's lunch.

I love this bread because it is a great source of protein. You can find it in the frozen bread section at the grocery store.

as you can see by his full mouth he dug it...

Hope you enjoy!

what i wore wednesday...

I am going to try to start a new weekly post for the blog, What I Wore Wednesday. I got this idea from a website/blog that I recently bought a gift from, Lisa Leonard. Lisa posts weekly on her blog what she wears and I think it is the cutest idea. Here is her Wednesday post.

Now I am not saying I am going to have fabulous outfits by any means, but I feel like it will give me some motivation to at least get one cute outfit on my bod at least once during the week! So here we go...

Black tank- Old Navy, Skirt- (That Mark doesn't like, but I love) Old Navy-- it has really cute pockets on the sides, Flip flops- The Compound Surf Shop

Yes... I know, I did not make my bed for this post oops!!!

I am challenging my follow blog friends to do this too! I think it is fun to share and get inspiration. It doesn't have to be something you wore on Wednesday and you can share more than one outfit. Now I have to figure out what to wear today!

capellini with tomatoes and basil...

Here is another favorite recipe of mine by one of my favorite cooks, The Barefoot Contessa. I have copied the recipe below and added a link to the Food Network website where you can print a recipe card of the recipe. Can't beat that!

Here is my prepared dish...

When I made this last week I actually changed it a bit. Instead of cherry tomatoes I used tomatoes a friend picked for me at a local farm. They were fresh and awesome! I only added basil and no other herbs and I forgot the red pepper flakes! I would feel free to adjust the recipe with what you have on hand OR what you can afford. All those herbs get pricey! I think I liked the tomatoes I used more, but all the other flavors the recipe calls for definitely makes it more yummy!

Capellini with Tomatoes and Basil

 Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup good olive oil, plus extra for the pot
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 4 pints small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
• 18 large basil leaves, julienned
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh curly parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 pound dried capellini or angel hair pasta
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Extra chopped basil and grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt and a splash of oil to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the 1/2 cup of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften but don't break up.
While the tomatoes are cooking, add the capellini to the pot of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.
Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, add the tomatoes and Parmesan and toss well. Add some of the pasta water if the pasta seems too dry. Serve large bowls of pasta with extra basil sprinkled on top and a big bowl of extra Parmesan on the side.
 recipe and recipe card

muffaleta pasta...

I actually have a recipe for you today! Mark started hounding me the other day that I have been blogging too much about the kids. I apologize. It is what my life has been consumed with lately! Last week Gavin went to visit with my parents and I had time to cook some of my favorite recipes I am excited to share... so more to come!

First one...

Muffaleta Pasta

this dish was inspired by a pasta that Mark and I used to have at a restaurant in Gainesville, Semolina's. I remembered the ingredients and came up with my own recipe. We love it and I hope you do too!

To make I use--

1 box penne pasta
3/4 of a lb. hard salami that I get cut a little thick at the deli counter. I then slice it into thin strips
5.75 jar Spanish olives that I slice
7 oz. jar sundried tomatoes in olive oil that I slice into strips AND use the oil
Almost 1 lb. provolone cheese cut into thin strips
Sesame seeds

So easy! I cook the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking I prepare all the ingredients and when there is about 8 minutes left for the pasta to cook I combined all the salami, olives and sundried tomatoes, with their oil, in a large skillet heated over medium to medium low heat. I cook and stir just until the salami starts to look cooked. It will start to look just a little crispy, but DON'T let it get crispy or burn! I add a little extra olive oil and about two spoonfuls of pasta water to the skillet too and cook until heated. Once the pasta is cooked, I drain it and return the pasta to the pot. I add the skillet mixture along with the provolone and a very heavy sprinkling of sesame seeds to the pot and stir to combine. You can add garlic too if you want even more of a kick. Enjoy!

it's all fun and games until...

I actually had a different post ready for today and it was not kid related! But I can't help but share this with you.

Hopefully I won't offend anyone or Teagan won't kill me when she is older. I hope you find humor in this. I know I did!


Parenthood is not all sweet and perfect. Case in point- Teagan and I were happily enjoying some tummy time today when this happened...

Yep, that is right to all of my fellow parents, Teagan had an EXPLOSIVE poop will playing on her tummy. I couldn't believe the damage it caused! No joke, I cut her shirt off of her. I was home alone and I couldn't imagine pulling it over her face. Of course as I am wiping her up preparing to quickly take her to the bath Mark walks in to say, as only a father could, "Boy it stinks in here." I of course snapped back that that was the least of my concerns.

Jeez!

happy days...

“Every baby deserves a party”. This is a quote from a family friend that I think is absolutely true. Every baby deserves happiness for their arrival and time to celebrate their birth. Well, Teagan received just that last Saturday.

 I had been nervous to have a shower due to my history of pregnancy complications. I didn’t want friends to make plans to drive or fly in from around the country for me in the event I went on bed rest. Instead my sister and mom planned a small, sweet shower for me in February that, yes we had to postpone until last Saturday. It was the perfect party with the wonderful women in our family. And I actually loved having Teagan there to enjoy her party too!

Last Sunday we celebrated Mother’s Day. I felt very lucky to celebrate this day with my two special kids. Poor Gavin wasn't feeling his best. You can totally tell in the pictures, but he made it through the day to make it special. Mark and Gavin made me banana macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup. Yum! We ate out by the pool which was very relaxing. For lunch I was taken out to Word of Mouth for a very delicious salad and scone. We ended the day by going to the beach for dinner with Mark’s family. It was a beautiful night.

 We even got to see the drum circle on Siesta Beach. 

 I had never been, but will definitely be going back! Mark and I both laughed. We thought the same thing. It was great to see this gathering of eclectic people on Siesta. We both said how it made the part of our souls that belong in the mountains of Colorado happy to see these hippyish people beating away on their drums. It is no formal group. Anyone can join in who wants to bring a bongo! I joked with my Dad who used to play the drums that he should join them! Check out the lady with the big green scarf. She was feelin' it!!

But my boy did break my heart a bit… on Mother’s Day even! Gavin left his Mommy for a girlfriend at the beach… two actually! It was really too cute!

He went right up to these girls, played and then brought them back to introduce to Mom and Dad. When their date was over he hugged both of them goodbye. I told my mother in law I now know how it feels to see your boy find a new girl that he thinks is wonderful! The next day we were talking about his friends and I asked them what their names were. He thought for a moment and then stated, yellow and purple! :)

update...

In case anyone has been checking in on my little blog... I am still here. It has been a tough week for our family. We received some bad news last week and it hasn't felt right to blog about something fun or upbeat. I promise I will be back soon. That is what we do... move forward with the hope that better days are ahead. Thank goodness for the love and support of family... and some really rich, delicious brownies. :)