Summer Commitment #2

Summer Commitment #2 is family time will triumph our to do list, not just occasionally, but at least once a week.  That's right...at least once a week, we're going to put a family outing ahead of house painting, laundry, meal making, weeding, etc.  We seem to get precious little family time between our opposite schedules and the amount of overtime my husband usually has to do.  Last year, particularly because our new garage needed priming and painting, we spent too much time on household chores.  We still did family stuff, but that took second seat. This year is going to be different.  This year family time will come before our to do list.  Because these times with our little ones are too precious to miss.

I dare say we're off to a good start. Happiness is...

A sweet path to the beach, in spring weather...

 

 Enjoying new green and noticing new buds.

 


Appreciating serene marsh pools, and then oooing in excitement as the minnows scatter.

 Loving that the sun is so warm that outer layers need to come off.

 Noticing little friends from summers past are enjoying the weather, too.

 Feeling the sense of peace upon arriving at our destination.

Admiring our sleeping angel and the beautiful surroundings.

But waking him so he could enjoy life at the beach too.

Enjoying time with mama.

Learning to skip stones with dada.

And celebrating the life within and thinking about bringing her to the beach along with us.  Oh, the memories that await!

Nothing tops days like this.  Not a single thing that we ignored from our to do list would be more memorable.

Appliqued Whale Shirt...Woosh! (Free Template)

My little one loves whales.  He has been pointing to his only whale shirt, saying "WOOSH" for quite some time.  However, his only whale shirt is now a shirt that shows off that little belly of his.  Waaay too small, but he loves it and asks for it.  We got in a little squabble, as he insisted he was going to wear it out and about.  A new whale shirt that fit was next on my agenda.  The plain blue shirt I got for a buck at a thrift store would do the trick, particularly since it's the size up...it should fit for a while. (Template at bottom of post.)

WOOSH!

He loves it.  Can't get enough of touching that whale and saying "woosh".

Loves it so much that he wants to wear it filthy. With his too-big goretex hat ($2.00 thrifting score!) and his too big boots (from the BOG), he looks like he's about ready to hop on that whaling boat.

Gotta love a kid who loves mama made.

Here's the free template in case you wanted to make a go. I searched online for a template, but I never like what I see online.  So, I drew my own whale.  I used fleece, which is nice because the edges don't fray.  Therefore, I didn't have to finish the edges, I can just stitch with a straight stitch.  It was a super quick project completed while he napped.  The eye and nose are embroidered by hand.

There's a couple types of messes I don't mind...

There's many messes I mind.  Such as spilling a quart of homemade maple syrup on the floor (my fault...and my helper kept saying "Mama, mess" and "Uhoh, mess"...thank you for the narration, little guy).  I also mind cat hairballs.  I don't enjoy a cleaning a smoothie spilled on a rug.  I could do without sweeping the piles of pet hair that accumulate on our stairs.   But, nevertheless, there are some messes that I don't mind at all, and in fact they make me smile.  

I love messy faces.  It's evidence how much somebody really enjoys mama made.

 

And I love piles of books that develop not out of carelessness, but because there's just too much to read to be bothered to organize.  I love, love, love finding my independent reader deeply engrossed in a book of choice. Yes, I don't mind these sorts of messes at all.

 

Summer Commitment #1

I love these flowers.  They're amongst the first of the flowers blooming in my garden each year.  Blooming flowers reminds me spring is here and summer is just around the corner.  Soon, our whole yard will be covered in blossoms, butterflies and hummingbirds.  Ahh, yes.  I love seasons.

So... with the promise of spring and summer, my husband and I are making new commitments. This year, our goal will be to beach it for dinner (with a picnic) or after dinner (preferably with ice cream in hand) at least 3 times a month.  

We always beach it during the day, but rarely in the evening.  The Maine beaches are marvelous in the evening-beautiful colors, perfect temperature, departed tourists.  Since we're just around the corner, it's definitely do-able for a quick evening outing. Due to my husband's evening work schedule 5 nights a week and his history of doing martial arts the other 2 nights a week, family time has been sparse in the evenings.  My husband has committed to re-arranging his schedule in favor of family time one evening a week. I am going to commit to being the organizer and the ignorer.  Organizing meals so they're easy peasy on those beach nights and I am going to promise to ignore the mess of a kitchen.  Family time is more important than working out or a messy house.  Yes, these are the days we must slow down and savor.  And that's just what we aim to do.  I dare say we're off to a good start.

 

 

 

 

 

Thrifted Jogger Strollers: Score! Plus our passenger(s).

What was the first purchase we made when we found out we're pregnant the first time around?  A jogging stroller.  What's the first purchase (other than a couple thrifted outfits) for our baby girl? A double jogger.  You see, when you're from a family of runners, such purchases seem more essential that car seats.  

How about a like new $100 double jogger...found on craigslist...purchased from a family just a few miles away from us?  Score! 

 

Of course, we needed to test it out to make sure it worked.  Harley, our 21 pound cat, is always a willing participant.  Not that we're hoping for a 21 pound infant, but you know....it's the best we could do. Our little guy was quite confused at first, but then thought it was fantastic having a co-pilot.

What?  Did you miss the pictures of him in the single stroller?  Of course, I wasn't blogging back then!  I'll pop those below too.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think Harley thought the solo ride was much more relaxing.  In fact, life in general was more relaxing prior to 2010, before our little whirlwind.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Warning: These are only for intense chocoholics who are serious about chocolate.  They're oh-so-divine.  I made them when we were first together and hadn't been able to locate the recipe for years.  It was right in the William Sonoma Baking book all along.  Here's the recipe, of course with a few tweaks.

 

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies


4oz unsweetened chocolate
1 stick butter


4 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla


1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 2/3 cup flour


1 cup chocolate chips

powdered sugar

Combine and melt unsweetened chocolate and butter.  While melting, mix eggs, sugar and vanilla.  Add melted/slightly cooled chocolate/butter mixture.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Chill for minimum of 2 hours.  Roll into 1 inch balls, roll in powdered sugar.  Bake 375 for 10-12 minutes (they'll still look a little gooey on the inside, but that's okay, they'll set).


It turns out this was a great project for my little guy.

But it wasn't nearly as fun as consuming them on the mama made picnic table.  An afternoon tea for two?  Why yes, that does sound delightful, doesn't it?!