Morning makings.

Once again I find myself in the kitchen 

early as can be.

I love it.

I'm whipping up a little something for a friend about to bring new life into the world for the second time.

Butternut squash and swiss chard mac-n-cheese! Woot!

Before.

And after.

In all it's bubbling-golden-brown-goodness!

Nursing mama's need there iron.

One last fire on this chilly gray morning.

The aftermath.

Who could complain about dishes while 

surrounded by all this beauty?

Certainly not me.

And just because it makes me smile, and my last early morning "culinary adventures" ended in song, please enjoy this one.

Random Things.

I wasn't feeling too bloggy last week so I decided to

 give myself a break.

I like breaks.

I'm still working on my photography skills. 

Here's a little taste (punny!!) of my David Loftus FoodiePac from Hipstamatic.

Learning about lighting and some 
homemade tricks to 

help in that regard.

This little one seems to be enjoying dress up more and more.

Nothing like a mama made pillow case dress over organic terry pajamas.

It's a look worth rockin'.

I made this lovely concoction from one of my pins on Pinterest.

It's a goji berry lemonade.

Apparently, it's supposed to work like a liquid sunscreen.

I'm not sure if it worked but it sure does taste good.

And these two...

the best of friends!!

And finally, for a baby who felt less than 100%, 

a movie in a basket.

I want to start doing a kind of product review post once a month.

I've seen some things in the grocery store that have

 piqued my interest. 

I had a lightbulb moment.

It will also include anything from apps to cleaning products.

Look for that soon.

Enjoy every moment!!

The Pumpkin Patch

This was last year's pumpkin outing. It was just me, baby and the husband. 

It's always kinda been our thing to get pumpkins and carve them together, secretly competing for the best pumpkin.

And this is now...

Iris and her BFF Vivian

Cousin Matthew ringing the "Fun" bell.

The cousins.

Snack o' war.

Finally, a smile.

She enjoyed being pulled around in her wagon and she didn't even try to jump out.

That wagon used to belong to her Aunt Nicole (my sister from another mister) who is now 17.

I think that's pretty cool.

We haven't carved our pumpkins yet. 

I'll post some pics when we do and you can be the judge.

Walking.

Taking a bit of my own advice we went walking around Lake Galena (Peace Valley Park) yesterday.

 It was soooooo gorgeous. 

The views never cease to take my breath away.

Sometimes it's hard to get outside. 

The laundry is piling up and there's only a drop of milk left in the fridge.

But on a day like this, when good friends and sunshine beckon, I have to tell myself the laundry can wait and there's enough milk to get us through one more morning.

I inevitably feel like I've made the right decision after getting out there, breathing the fresh air and getting some excercise.

I feel even more motivated to get my chores done after a day outdoors.

It's like pressing the reset button.

(Insert deep cleansing breath here.)

Rainy Beach Daze.

What do you do when it rains on your parade? Sing and drink beer.

A room with a view.

That was all we saw of the sun.

It was a drowsy ride home but I have to say I think a good time was had by all.

Farm to Table.

I mentioned that I was going to a farm to table dinner a few posts ago. My first event away from baby and husband since said baby was born. Just me and my girls. It was a lovely evening. Rain threatened to ruin it all but the gods were smiling on me and the rain cleared, the sun shone and even the bugs behaved themselves. I almost didn't know what to do with myself. Sitting in a lawn chair relaxing with a glass of champagne and dining on gorgeous food prepared with love on the very farm where it was grown (Blooming Glen Farm) has hardly been in the cards this past year.

In hindsight we probably should have brought local wine. Maybe next time.

Danielle sitting pretty.

Nothing says "farm to table" like a blue grass band.

We had burgers which came from the farm across the street with gorgeous brioche buns, wheat berry salad, fingerling potato salad with pickled wax beans, watermelon salad and locally made lemon verbena ice cream from oWowcow Creamery . Yummy!!!!

There were a ton of little kids running around and I can't wait until next year to bring Iris and some of her cousins who couldn't make it this year. But believe me I was grateful for the time away.

Thank you Zone 7 for hosting a wonderful event!

Beach Bound.

Hey all. We're heading back to the beach to visit grandpa and to attend a wedding shower. We'll be back Monday (hopefully with pictures this time). 

And I'm soooo excited to be attending a farm to table dinner at Blooming Glen Farm on Sunday. It will be my first time out with just the girls since I had Iris 10 months ago. It's long overdue. Of course, I'm already planning what I'm going to wear, how I'll do my hair and what kind of wine we're going to bring. 

We wish everyone a safe and fun filled weekend and we can't wait to share ours just as soon as we can!

Gratitude.

This past 5 days has been full of moments of gratitude. My mother and sister coming to visit us and offering plenty of helping hands, treating myself to a babysitter so that I could do some REAL cleaning around the house, visiting my father for a belated birthday/father's day and loving that he lives on the beach and still surfs at 60 years old.

Tearing up toilet paper with Aunt Nicole.

My mom and sister live in Florida in winter and Jersey in the summer. My sister had not seen Iris since she was born and I was excited for them to meet again. My mom was able to visit a few times this winter. It is always such a relief when she is her. She is a huge help folding laundry, chasing nuggie around, helping me run errands and babyproofing the house. She loves her one and only grandchild and it melts my heart to see them together.

Iris's reign of terror.

Having a 9 month old who crawls and pulls up on anything she can get her hands on is tiring and sometimes downright frustrating. I have had to rethink my whole gameplan when it comes to getting things done. I literally can barely do anything while she is awake. She does not like to be contained anymore (i.e. exersaucer, johnny jump up). She wants to move, explore and taste everything. I can hardly blame her. That is why I have decided to treat myself to a babysitter for 2 hours a week (maybe not every week) just so I can get some things done and keep myself... afloat. She feeds the little nugget her lunch, takes her on walks and generally makes sure she doesn't hurt herself or crawl off a cliff. It's the best $20 I've spent in a while.

It was also Iris's first time on the beach (well technicaly her second but the first time was just for a photo). We forgot our camera so sadly there is no documentation. I plan on updating my technology and am getting an iPhone in August so I'll have no excuse and I won't have to lug around my giant Nikon (especially onto a beach where it can get sandy). She wasn't a fan of sand but she did like the water. It was nice to get some sun and some sand between our toes. My dad is a real beach guy still surfing, boogie boarding and paddle boarding at 60 years old. I love that he is so enthusiastic about the outdoors. It always makes for a fun visit.

My best friend was along for the trip to my Dad's and stayed at our house for 2 days after. SLUMBER PARTY!!! It was fun to lay by the pool, read some magazines, watch Trueblood and drink some wine with her. We needed that. We don't live far from eachother (in fact I could ride a bike to her place if it weren't so damn hilly around here) but we live in a small town so it's nice to just be out here in the woods and away from the sometimes-all-to-familiar-faces of town.

You didn't think we'd leave her out of the pool lounging did you?

For all of this... I am grateful.