Monday, planing ahead tips

Today, I have a lot of hopes.
Making crafts with Atticus is a big one.  I would also love to swim with the kids at the health-club, and do some yoga.  Atticus wants to do some baking.

And, I want to head back to Walney park with the kids,  to gather myself in the quiet woods.  I feel so so so so so peaceful when I am there, and for a long time after I leave.   I would like to take stock of the pantry items we can use up before the move.  I would also like to read the books I got from the library, and get the house in order.  That is a lot of fun stuff I want to do, and there is no mention of the yucky stuff, like make dentist appointments, fill out papers for the "new" school,  oil changes and packing.  I would rather not think about the yucky stuff.  Not just yet.

I am working on developing some tricks to squeeze more into a day.  A lot of my time is spent in the kitchen preparing food, because I believe in making healthy food for my family.  And, because I love to bake and cook.  I am focusing now on making sure I don't spend our grocery money on snack foods, but  on whole foods, which means I have little to eat that is "grab and go".   I have to plan ahead, and have food cooked and ready for that moment when the children all come in to the kitchen and are starving and roaming around like monsters.  I have to have something I can pull out and whip up when I haven't planned dinner, but it is dinner time.  One new trick I love is homemade biscuit mix.

home-made sweet potato biscuit mix

home made biscuit mix

And, even though there are still steps to complete the biscuits when making them from the mix, it is easier than making them completely from scratch.  I have also heard you can freeze biscuits before you bake them, and just pull them out and bake them when you are ready.  That is next in the process of learning short-cuts.  

Hot biscuits, ready in less than 20 minutes, waiting for gravy, jelly, or honey.  These always get me extra hugs from the boys.  Especially when I make them for dinner (not just breakfast!)

Biscuit recipe taken from "How to cook the Perfect Day" by Nikki McClure.

Harvest Moon

I put some beautiful herbs (rose petals, rose hips, sage, lemon balm) into a large glass jar, filled it with water, 

And let it sit out in the moon light.

In the morning, it looked like this...

We added some honey, and sipped it all day, drinking in the tea that was made while we were sleeping, brewed by the light of the harvest moon.

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The Harvest moon was Sept. 12, which means the Sept. equinox is almost here.  This is taken from another web site (see link), and I am using it to help explain the equinox to my kids.  They find it so interesting (and so do I)

The September Equinox Explained

The September equinox occurs at 09:04 (or 9:04am) Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on September 23, 2011. It is also referred to as the autumnal or fall equinox in the northern hemisphere, as well as the spring or vernal equinox in the southern hemisphere (not to be confused with the March equinox). This is due to the seasonal contrasts between both hemispheres throughout the year.

The equinox will occur in the evening of September 22, 2010, for locations on US Eastern Daylight Time or further west. To find the September equinox date in other time zones or other years, please use the Seasons Calculator.

This illustration, which shows an example of the September equinox, is not to scale.

What happens during the September equinox?

The sun crosses the celestial equator and moves southward in the northern hemisphere during the September equinox. The location on the earth where the sun is directly overhead at solar noon is known as the subsolar point. The subsolar point occurs on the equator during the September equinox and March equinox. At that time, the earth’s axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the earth and the sun. This is the time when many people believe that the earth experiences 12 hours of day and night. However, this is not exactly the case.

of fish cakes and bread.

Cheap eats; fish cakes...

sweet little potatoes waiting...hum dee dum dum

Boiling pot of carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley, fish

toasted breadcrumbs from homemade sourdough bread

mash up the potatoes and fish

form the mashed mix into cakes and bread

cook in a little oil (coconut or what-not) until golden.

 AND, homemade sourdough bread! I am so happy about this!

the mama (starter) and the baby (bread dough)

waiting 8 hours 

second rise, 2 hours

golden brown, smells heavenly

add lots of butter, and eat immediately. 

Little hands helped through out, but mine were too covered in dough and mess to take pictures! alas, next time.

In the Kitchen; end of summer

It has been a hot summer, so I've been throwing together a lot of no-bake treats...

these lovely little gem Popsicle molds are the perfect size for boys just back from a bike ride.  We filled them with berries and yogurt and it only took a few hours to freeze (one little boy kept checking for us, about every twenty minutes)  The other molds were too big, and I would find half a pop left while the busy boy was back on his bike. This size is perfect. And, they can have two if they want more!

We also had popcorn.  Even though we have popcorn a lot, it still feels like a treat! Its cheap and easy, and anything they don't eat can be saved for the next day lunch box or afternoon snack.

Lastly, the oldest child LOVES puffed rice treats. And, since summer is almost over, we made a batch
This plate is empty now...

Where has the time gone?

I am glad to have found this blog again.  In the world of children and work and school, I lost all time to do the things i love.  Well, I moved, quit my job, and now I find myself able to focus on the home and family again.  Lovely. so here we are...We have moved from beautiful Tennessee to beautiful Virginia.  We have traveled to New York, to the Caribbean, and DC.  What a whirl-wind! Here are some pictures.

 Arepas from a food truck in NYC. YUM!!!


















Cold Watermelon soup, from Co. in Chelsea, NYC...Beautiful color and taste.

 On a tiny tiny plane to Musitque to see family.
What a trip! Beautiful setting, beautiful people, good food, swimming, spending time as a family.










Basil's bar in Mustique. Have a drink, relax...

Water so clear and warm, it is like stepping into a bath.   Oh, and that line of people, that's just some of my family members...

 What, this? oh, it's nothing. Just a totally awesome picnic on the beach...with real linens and silverware and excellent food made from scratch. You know, the usual...

Brothers