Friday, December 30, 2011

{this moment}~Believe

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule

Thursday, December 29, 2011

From the Kitchen~

(Homemade gifts for a few that have done so much for me this year)
Also just a little frugal tip on Christmas gift baskets:  A few years ago I got fed up with both the cost and wastefulness of bottom of the basket filler.  You know the kind, the shredded bits of paper/raffia that comes in a myriad of colors and costs about five dollars at a craft store per tiny bag.  Well, I still wanted my baskets to look beautiful, but I didn't want to spend 5 dollars per basket on something that gets thrown out and adds nothing to the overall gift.  Solution you ask?  Christmas tree!  Yep, that's right!  Just snip a few pretty sprigs from the overgrown bottom of your Christmas tree and lay them in your basket!  It creates a wonderfully fragrant and festive look, costs you nothing and you can;t get more biodegradable than that!  I promise the lucky recipients will be charmed and you couldn't ask for a more frugal and stylish way to make them your own.
(My famous Orange Cranberry Walnut Cake)
(Raine's Teacher Gift)
(From the Chickens)
(Goodies to Go)

Rainebow the Red-Nosed Reindeer

(A silly little something found in her stocking, and yes it blinks)

Christmas Eve Fruit Wreath


Well I am sure I am not the only mom this week that was cringing at all the goodies being consumed by my little one.  In fact I will totally admit that at the end there, while Raine wasn't looking, I started throwing some of those said goodies into gift baskets set to leave the house to go to other families and holiday homes!  As Christmas eve rolled around and I was in full on baking mode trying to finish those last couple homemade gifts before the big day, Raine popped in the kitchen and asked what she could have to snack on while she watched a Christmas movie before bed.  I could easily have given her any number of treats lying around and though this magickal time right before the big guy comes certainly called for something that would light up her eyes,  I so didn't want the last thing she ate that night to be filled with sugar and who knows what else. 
So thinking quickly, I grabbed for the two oranges I had just zested and started to slice.  Before I knew it this simple fruit had been formed into a Christmas eve wreath of sorts and with a few on hand raspberries and blueberries to round it out and fancy it up, I was ready to present her with a healthy masterpiece of mama made proportions.  It was devoured with glee and any visions of sugar plums that may have been on her mind the moment before evaporated when she caught site of this colorful creation.  I think that this may become a new tradition that both mother and child can enjoy!

The Archer~

One of the items under the tree this year from Santa was a big girls u-curve bow and arrow set. It was completely unexpected by it's receiver and has already gotten lots of action.  See girl and here bow below...
(See, she's already a pro)
I braved the windchill to take a little video of here in action, so with out further ado...

Christmas Dinner~

Per Raine's request this year we had a lovely meal of rotisserie lemon and thyme Cornish game hen with steamed green beans and scrumptious roasted sweet potatoes and onions tossed in olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, and thyme.  It was to die for and we will definitely be putting these cut little birds back on the menu again!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Popcorn, Pumpkin, & Pie~

A Chickens Thanksgiving
Lemon pie anyone?

Why yes, thank you!

How about a little pumpkin?
Of course!

And last but not least, popcorn chicken!


Gotcha didn't I!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

What's for Lunch Wednesdays: Week 9 - Thanksgiving Edition Belated

Today we went turkey with a twist!  To get into the spirit I wanted to send Raine in with a lunch that gave a nod to the famous meal that what was going to hit tables across america the very next day. 
The main course is a sweet and savory turkey burger stuffed with onion, apple, heart of celery, and some simple spices.  I made the mix up the night before so all the ingrediants could really "get to know" each other.  After a quick bake in the oven the morning of, I put this masterpeice of goodness on a whole grain sandwich thin, romaine lettuce, and topped it with a quickly whipped up cranberry mayonaise.  I am going to pause here in remembrance for a second.  I also packed myself this very lunch and well it definitely derserves a minute of worship....Ok, now on to the sides!  A fast garlicky tomato and corn salad and two mini lemon apple blueberry pie bites make it perfection and barely took a second to put together.  Finish it with a hot cup of marmallowy cocoa and she was in heaven.  Her mama definitely made this a day to stand out.

Friday, November 4, 2011

All Hallows Eve~Part 1

Happy Halloween everyone and boy was it ever this year!  For the last month and a half or so it has been all Halloween, all the time for us around here and though it has been a wild ride, we are not sorry to see it go!  In a word we are both exhausted and looking forward to the shift that this lovely season provides as we all begin that magickal slow down towards winters stillness. 

I decided early on, to take on the Annual Halloween Bash at Raine's school this year and have been planning, shopping, emailing, talking, baking, flyer producing, and setting up for what seems like forever!  It went pretty well, with about 250 people showing up that night.  The kids all dressed in costumes got to trick or treat to each classroom door and them report to the gym/cafeteria for games, contests and prizes.  They all seemed to have a blast and I will definitely be doing this again next year with just a few modifications.  One of the main events this year was a giant indoor leaf pit (awesome right?).  It was supposed to be set up on a 12x25 ft heavy duty tarp that covered gym mats and be surrounded by hay bails and decor to "keep" the leaves in.  Well, we ran into a huge problem while setting up the night before, when we were informed last minute (grrr), that there was a kid in the school with a severe hay allergy and that the hay had to go!  Now I would not have minded this so very much if I had not sent out several flyers, and preapproved it through the principal several times during the weeks prior! An allergy however is still an allergy, so we scrambled to call the hay man back to pick them all up pronto and then proceeded to sweep, vacuum, and mop every hay dust particle from the place late into the evening.  The day of we ended up just piling the leaves into a corner of the gym and letting the kids go wild.  Yes, there were leaves everywhere and it was quite a cleanup, but the kids a blast and that's all that matters. 
Another idea I was crazy excited about was my harvest bowling alley! I lined three lanes with cornstalks, used festive colored 2 liter soda bottles for pins, and had a harvest basket filled with pumpkins and gourds at the start of each lane for the kids to bowl with. It came together great and looked fantastic! The kids loved it and seemed to be having a ball, as a side note though, I think we will switch out the real pumpkins and gourds next year for fake ones because they started to break apart midway through. Gym balls were brought in as a back up to save the day and the kids played well into the night.
A few of the other things we offered that night were...
Mummy Wrap

1.Pin the nose on the Pumpkin (middle)
2.Helium Balloon Ghosts, Goblins, and Jack o Lanterns (right), the kids got to pick the color balloon they wanted and then sit down on the floor with it between their legs and use a sharpie to draw a spooky face on it.  This was neat because not only was it an activity, but they got to take their balloons home at the end of the night.

3. Professional Face Painting (left), we have a lovely teacher at the school that volunteers to do this for certain events.  She is also a professional clown.
4. Cake Walk (Will do a separate post for this!)
5. Witches Brew (Above).  We filled this giant cauldron with apple cider and a little green food coloring and dropped in 25lbs of dry ice.  The kids faces at a smoking punch were absolutely priceless! Action shots to follow at a later time.

(My lovely little bride of Frankenstein)
Fun and festive music and a costume contest rounded out the night and after an impressive clean up by all we were off to fall happy and exhausted into our beds!


{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

What's for Lunch Wednesday: Week 8

Chef Salad with a Twist
Today I went for simple and healthy with a sweet finish.  This is just a prettily displayed chef salad with ham roses, cheese leaves, and lots of fresh vegetables.  Raine is a big salad lover so these usually go over really well and are so fast to put together.  A bit of ranch to dip, some grapes and a tangerine pull it all together and make a filling, colorful and healthy lunch for my girl.  Oh and a little homemade caramel popcorn to end on a sweet note never hurt anyone!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Chickens first snow!

We had a little snow storm last night and when we got up this morning, the very first thing we did was run out to check on our girls and silkie(our rooster).  They had fared well through the night but we wanted to see what they would think about going outside a playing in it.  We threw opened their wee side door, now let me pause here to explain that this usually this would result in 11 chickens all trying to get out at once to go out and explore, and to our amazement only our bravest, Henrietta, would jump down!  We grabbed the camera so you could see too! 
Also just in case any of you were worried about silkie shaking with cold, let me assure you that he was fine!  Raine is quite the "mama" to these birds and was just being a good mother hen, if not a little over protective ;) 

Friday, October 28, 2011

{this moment}


A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Wicked What's for Lunch Wednesday: Week 7-Halloween Edition!

There is trickery afoot this week as Raine's lunchbox has been a scary sight! 
All of her regular foods have been discarded to make room for a freakish delight!
Now I don't want to scare you, but if you're squeamish look away,
for what you are about to behold could be a cause for great dismay!
If you are still with me at this point, well there's no going back now,
so peak through your finger, take a deep breath and furrow your sweating brow.
Did you scream? Well you should have, because my gosh what have I done!
I have transformed such lovely food into something gross but oh so fun!
On a bed of shredded bandages, with a bucket of blood as a gruesome dip,
There lies an ancient artifact that is sure to make her tummy flip!
It's a mummy made of low fat crescent rolls, wrapped around a somewhat healthy dog.
Ready for her to eat, all warm and yummy, if the cockroaches don't finish the job!

Next comes a spunky pumpkin that is sure to please the pallet,
filled to the brim with a spooky purple and orange potato salad!
Last but not least is a smuggled out specimen from area 51,
an extraterrestrial brain(steamed orange cauliflower) that oozes green gooey fun!
What's more is that it's a vegetable that has been turned into a tasty treat,
for it is smothered in a concoction of butter, cinnamon, and green sugar so very sweet!

A cute little coffin hides a piece of candy that for Raine is ever so rare,
and though this lunch is not all that healthy it is Halloween to be fair!
So get out your witches broom and put on your thinking hat,
and send your pumpkin in with a spooky lunch just like that!



Thursday, October 20, 2011

What's for Lunch Wednesday: Week 6

Fancy Fondue
One thing I love about my kid is that she is a veggie enthusiast!  Now that is not to say that she will eat them all but as long as you fancy them up a bit she is always willing to give it a shot on good faith;)
This week at the market I came away with some amazingly colorful vegetables and all I could think about this week was for a way to display them in all their glory!  I came up with a rainbow like arrangement and a fondue that would really show them off.  They all got a light stream and set aside for later consumption.  The fondue was made up of half n half, apple cider, and three types of cheese-pepper jack, mozzarella, and a slice of american.  It came out great and was kept warm all in her thermos all day. 
Fruit salad as desert and she was good to go.  This one was a big hit and "so fun", even though it freaked out a few of the more picky kids at her lunch table.  I will definatly be doing a different rendition of this one in the future.

Friday, October 14, 2011

{this moment}


A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule

What's for Lunch Wednesday: Week 4&5 Belated

Fabulous Fajita Salad!
Week four's lunch was a spin on the traditional taco salad. It contained cucumbers, ttomatoes, ccarrots, marinated sirlion, and jack cheese on a bed of shredded romain and spinach, with a side of low fat sour cream to mix in.  This one really packs in the veggies and is so good that she doesn't even realize that I left out the chips! A side of sugar free apple sauce and a little homemade cupcake bite sends her off smiling and looking forward to lunchtime.
Asian Flare
I had some whole wheat soba noodles just waiting around in the back of the pantry and decided it was time to give them a little love.  With a little left over steak (not much, just enough to taste), I sauteed it up with garlic, shredded carrots, green onions and snow peas.  At the the second tossed in a dash of stir fry sauce and the noodle and called it done!  This dish is great cold and goes well with just about anything.  Paired with a side of green grapes and blackberries and a "mama made" fortune cookie that also came out of the pantry that I just jazzed up with a quick chocolate dip and some sprinkles.  She loved this ensemble and told me that this lunch definitely needed to be done again!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Darkness

Yesterday my world was shaded pitch black, as the turbulent seas of my emotions crashed down upon me and threatened to swallow me whole.  Today dawns a sky light gray with whispers of purple and pink that streak vibrantly through my horizons, letting me know that  the effervescent sun is ever rising and soon will  banish the shadows away…

Friday, September 23, 2011

{this moment}


(Through the looking glass)
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

What's for Lunch Wednesdays: Week 3

This week I decided I wanted to do a pizza party in Raine's lunchbox!  I recently came across this neat product called Thomas' 100% whole wheat bagel thins that are only 110 calories, low fat and packed with fiber.  These are not only a great option for making healthy breakfast combos, but also can make some rather awesome lunches while still keeping things healthy and nutritional!  Since I picked them up 2 weeks ago I have been itching to turn these puppies into pizzas.  And yes, you heard that right, they stay fresh for quite awhile and freeze well too, nothing will be wasted and you really get a bang for your buck!  I think maybe I should become a spokes person for this item the way I'm going on :)  Anyway, Raine and I are pizza lovers (who's not) but do not have it that often and I knew this would make a great surprise for her this week. 
Pizza is by all means any ones game and can be made in a million different kid friendly ways.  This one is definitely a keeper and will be repeated several times throughout the year all dressed up in different topping.  For the maiden voyage I chose turkey meatballs, steamed broccoli, and mozzarella with a Newman's tomato and basil sauce.  My kid LOVES meatball pizza and with them being turkey, I can feel good about giving them to her.
(Sorry about the picture quality, the lighting stinks at 5am)

I solved the whole hole in the middle, potential sauce disaster by just placing a piece of sliced meatball over it and then adding sauce. See below..
You can make these up ahead of time with leftovers and have them all ready to bake off the morning of.  Typically I bake them at 425 until the cheese is slightly browned. 
These are great cold but I usually bake them off right before we head out the door, wrap them in foil and put in a Tupperware container in the non cooled part of her lunchbox. To finish the meal I added some sliced carrots, cucumber, and a little broccoli with ranch.  She didn't even notice that dessert was missing ;)
Well that concludes this weeks lavish lunchbox, be sure to to check back next week for another What's for Lunch Wednesday!!