Place of Honor

This is our 24 x 36in Honor board that I made using a black picture frame, foam board and fabric (the fabric can be changed out seasonally). I use this as Raine's own personal gallery for all of her creative works and accomplishments. Each night as we empty out her backpack she hands me all of her completed projects / assignments and waits to see which ones will be put up on our special display. The ones that are so painstakingly colored are the ones that she is always so proud of but I make sure to ooh and ah over them all before picking out the masterpieces. This week displays her first spelling test (94% she is so smart), and three other assignments that reflect the season and her creativity...

Corners of My Home - Living Room

Hard at (Home)Work

How To Make Perfect Caramel Apples...

Go to Martha Stewart.com and find a great recipe for Caramel Apples

Ingredients
Makes 6
6 wooden craft sticks
6 small apples, any variety, stems removed
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
Insert sticks into tops of apples. Prepare an ice-water bath.
Bring cream, sugar, corn syrup, and butter to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Clip a candy thermometer to pan, and continue to cook until mixture reaches 245 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes.
Place pan in ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Dip bottom of each apple in caramel. Using a spoon, coat apple halfway to three-quarters of the way up sides. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes (or overnight).

Find the biggest green apples in the land...

Set up your dipping station...

Assemble Ingredients for Caramel...

Wake up the Help...

Conjure up a bubbling brew...

Invite A few friends to come in out of the mists...

Let the little one work her magick...

And Poof you have Caramel...

Adjourn to the assembly room and with a firm grasp of your apple wand "Dip & Twist"...

Hurriedly whisk everything off to your local autumn fair...

Taste your wares...

And call it a day~

Bringing Autumn Home

Fall Fare

Pork Chop smothered in Apples (marinated in lemon juice & spices) with an Apple Cider Reduction Sauce

Awakening

I race towards the angry sea as though enchanted by it's wrath,

Breaking through the waves I enter into the oceans of unknown,

And falling into the deep I leave behind the echoes of all that would detour me,

Drifting softly beyond my earthbound fears I remain true to my chosen path,

Coming finally to rest upon the sandy floor, there the quiet does consume me,

I sink into the earth and become one with her core finding myself among her ashes,

It is here in this place within myself that I finally Reawaken...

Compliments of Rosemary from Our Garden...

Lemon Rosemary Broiled Salmon

Rosemary & Organic Chicken Stock Steamed Brown Rice

Too Cute!!!

Leftover Roasted Chicken

Leftover roasted chicken becomes...

Brocolli & Chicken Alfredo over whole grain angelhair pasta

Crafty Crayons

On Saturday I made jumbo crayons out of some of our old broken ones for a craft project I have coming up next weekend. This is a great project to do with the kids and you can mix up the colors to make crazy tie dye crayons. Here's how to do it...


Start by gathering all the old broken crayons in the house and have the kids peel off all the paper wrappings. Take a muffin pan (or something like it) and spray it with pam. Let the kids add the crayons to each slot.
Heat the oven to 325 and place the pan inside. It should only take a few minute 10 - 12 for all the crayons to melt. Check on it frequently, they should come out looking like this...

Place them on the counter to cool and when almost solid into the freezer for a few minutes. Turn the pan upside down on a towel and wipe off any leftover pam. Hand them over to the kids and let them go to town.

My Beautiful Baby

I love to watch her with her babies. She is so sure of exactly what to do, how to love them and make sure that they have everything they need. I see her mimic the way that I am with her and know that I am doing a good job. That she is well loved and happy within her world and though Tim and I don't always see eye to eye on things we love this little girl as no other parents could...

Self Portrait

In the Rain with Raine

What was left of hurricane Gustav moved through our area on Saturday and the weather alternated between hard and soft rains and balmy breezes that were filled with the smell of the ocean. Raine and I decided to go for a 2 1/2 hour hike off the beaten path and just enjoyed being deep in the woods surrounded by a mist. It felt like if we just walked a little further we would come over the top of a sandy dune and see my beloved ocean. We were delighted to find many animals out and about with the same idea. There were 9 bright orange salamanders, one huge millipede, slugs, squirrels, fish, and deer.


We walked up mushroom and moss covered mountainsides, through rocky rivers beds scattered with leaves and wound up on top off a hill with yellow flowers as high as my chin which we then traveled down to get home.

We were soaked from head to toe and enjoying every minute of it. We finished out the the hike with a stop at our neighbors peach tree for a treat. I could not have planned a better day...

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Broccoli, Cheddar, &Turkey Sausage Quiche6 large eggs, beaten

1 cup milk (1%)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

1 to 1 1/2 cup steamed broccoli,

1 cup cooked turkey breakfast sausage, chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust, fitted to a 9-inch glass pie plate

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, milk, cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Layer the spinach, bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.

1st Day Update

Update - Raine had a great first day. She said that she made new friends and likes her teacher, and that everyone liked her dress. I was also informed that she ate all of her tuna fish sandwich, yogurt and fruit salad, but the fruity oat bars I made special were awful! That's what I get for trying a new recipe out without a dry run and not bothering to taste it before I put it in her lunch. Oh well, you can't always be the best chef...

1st Day Of School - 1st Grade

My First 4-Wheeler Ride

It was Awesome!!!

Corners of My Home - Dining Room / Craft Room

Backyard Window
Craft Closet
Trails Window
White Board / Creations Display

Up A Tree

I'm feeling a little like climbing up a tree and not coming down today. My morning was started by dreaming about Tim chasing me around and old place in Tacoma trying his hardest to touch me with his finger that incidentally contains some type of wretched cold virus and because I knew this I was running like hell and winning until a rogue moose came out of a house across the street and butted me so hard I woke up. Now at this point you'd think this was the bad part, but it wasn't. I rolled over to look at the clock that read 6:34 (and though it is 15 minutes fast I am supposed to leave for work at 6:00!!!!) and my heart stopped. I was supposed to be to work early today, and Joel is supposed to sit in the front at 6:30 sharp. Doug is going to kill me and I hate confrontation!!! So I freaked and leaped out of the bed like some kind of overweight ninja in a nightie (I got some serious air I tell ya). I flew into the bathroom, skidded on the rug and almost took myself out on the sink, brushed my teeth and happened to glimpse in the mirror. And what did I see, you ask...A ghost-white Don King with a crazed look in her eyes looking back at me. I had gone to bed last night after I showered with wet hair (Oh the horror) and did not have time to repeat the process (sh%t). I ran back into my room throwing on unmentionables, my shirt (which I didn't bother to button), and realized I didn't see my pants!! I ran downstairs, took a quick survey of the room and didn't see them (sh*t). I ran back upstairs yelling at the top of my lungs, "Where's my pants, where's my pants, WHERE'S MY PANTS!!!!" Now at this point I started to wonder what it is that I am trying to accomplish here? Did I think that gremlin that most obviously stole them would come out head lowered in shame and give them back with a heartfelt apology. I think not. I stopped at the top of the stairs took a deep breath and thought, "Did I look in the closet?" (Son of a Witch!!) Pants in place I slipped on my shoes (sockless) (I didn't realize this little fact until after I got to work) and headed at top speed for the car. Now picture this I am running down my sidewalk unbuttoned shirt flying behind me, purple bra ablazing (sorry gentlemen) when I realize I left the cats out and didn't lock the door. I turn around to glance at the house (still running) and what do I see? A sky that is dusty pink and a brilliantly vivid double rainbow framing the top and my last thought as I get into the car to break speed records is that I just ran away from one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I could not even stop to take a picture! The moral of this story is I am almost positive that this rushing breakneck pace of life that I am living is no longer where I want to be. I want to be able to enjoy the wonders of this world and to raise my babies to do the same. It is time to reevaluate my direction and begin the process of slowing things down again and securing for myself and child a way to live this way for good...

Orientation

Today was Raine's orientation day at school. We went in for an hour to meet fellow classmates/parents, get fitted for a desk, meet the teacher, see the classroom, and drop off supplies. She is so excited to be going into 1st grade, "It's all day school mom, she says." I love the independent spirit she has developed over the last year and what a little lady she is turning into, but I can't help but feel a little sad the first 5 years went so fast. I am afraid that if I blink she'll be in high school. Good luck my love, please don't grow up to fast...