Weekend Review

Hey there!  We are well into our Easter festivities over here. It made for an awesome and busy weekend.  Aren't those great?  The ones where you leave one thing, just to get to the next as fast as possible?  Did a nap or two get skipped?  Sure.  Did home-cooked lunches get replaced with something fast and on the way? Yup.  Did it feel special and memorable?  You bet!  

Our first stop was our little boy's first non-family Easter Egg Hunt at church.  I felt like it called for a special outfit, so I pulled a very special sweater from his drawer.  This sweater was knit by my nana for my cousins son over 20 years ago.  She tucked it away after each of her three sons had worn it, and passed it along to my sister.  My sister lovingly stored it in the years after her son wore it, and passed it along to me.  How wonderful is that!?!  I know my nana was smiling down at her great-grandson on Saturday, and I felt it.  Thanks to those mothers, the ones that save things, for having made that possible.

The Egg Hunt was tons of fun!  And to top it all off, Elsa and Anna, along with Woody and Spiderman were there for photos and autographs!  Um, unexpected at an Easter event?  Yes, but so awesome. 

We ran home, changed clothes, grabbed a quick nap in the car and headed outside.  A little sunscreen and a whole lot of energy accompanied us to the You-Pick Strawberry field.  I went on a recommendation from a local mommy group, and it was a wonderful experience!  We will make this a family tradition.  

We, or I should say, I, picked and picked and picked!  My guys, ran up and down the rows, and up and down the rows and up and down the rows!

It was perfect.  The sun was shining, but it wasn't hot.  There were no bugs, and it wasn't very crowded being the last weekend on their schedule.  I picked 6 quarts of berries and only paid 50 cents a quart.  

I think, next year we will plan better and go a few times over the season.  That way we can stock our pantry with jam, and our freezer for smoothies, without having to clean, hull and freeze all of them at once.  That took a bit of time, and I'd rather break it up.  

If you have this type of farm by you, I suggest a family trip there.  We all had a blast!

Lastly, we attended Palm Sunday service at our new church, and our son went to Sunday School for the first time.  Now, some back story on this...I have never left my son with anyone other than an aunt and his grandparents.  Ever.  This was only for an hour, and he had a ball.  For me, it was rough to walk away from my little boy!  It only took a few seconds of awesome music for me to relax and let go.  It was a terrific first experience, and I'm so excited for him to spread his wings a bit.  The very best part was receiving his first little Sunday School craft!

  

It's a palm, that he calls his "leaf", and it says his name in black sharpie. I had tears in my eyes when they handed it to me. 

We had planned to attend an earlier service then swing over to our neighborhood egg hunt, but sometimes plans don't come together like we...plan.  And it's okay.

I hope your weekend was also one for the books!  

Time Flies...

I can't believe that another week has passed, and that it's Friday already!  I am knee-deep in Easter preparations and having a great time.  I decided to plan out next week to ensure that I have one special Easter related activity per day.  If I wait and do it on the fly, like I do many times, I won't have the materials I need when I need them.  Here is our plan:

• Saturday- Church Egg Hunt 
• Sunday-  Neighborhood Egg Hunt after Palm Sunday Service
• Monday-  PEEP Play dough
• Tuesday- New Easter DVD 
• Wednesday-  Bake and Decorate GF sugar cookies
• Thursday-  Color Easter Bunny pages with MARKERS (a special treat around here)
• Friday-  Paint a Cross with PAINT BRUSHES (equally as special)
• Saturday-  Color Easter Eggs and make Eastery Pretzel Thingies
• Sunday-  The Bunny comes, and off to church

Even though it will only be the three of us this year, all of that stuff up there requires a plan, or a recipe, or a shopping list or a special outfit.  The bunny visit alone, is intense, with filling eggs, filling baskets, hiding eggs.  That's what I hear.  He'd have to tell you about that part, though.  As much scurrying as is going on, there's nothing I'd rather do.  Easter is such a special holiday.  Embrace the hustle and bustle!  Love all over it!  

What special traditions does your family have for celebrating Easter?  And, if you do celebrate, please share with me what you eat for Easter Dinner!  Really.  I haven't gotten that far yet, and I need help.  Have a wonderful weekend!  

Who knew?

There are many things our mother's or in some cases father's, did for us growing up that we noticed and remember, and may even be trying to do for our children, too.  Things that come to my mind include special meals for our birthday, a bendy straw in our ginger ale when we were sick, or a fun tv picnic on top of an overturned laundry basket in our living room.  Stuff like that sticks.  I noticed that those things were happening, and they felt like love.  One thing that I now know was ongoing behind the scenes, and for three children mind you, was Clothes Management. It is the definition of love.  Cleaning and ironing and keeping clothes wrinkle-free, pulling extra special pieces and tying an equally special ribbon around them for safekeeping, and ensuring that the next size is ready and waiting in the closet are all true acts of love.  And, they are a bigger job than I ever noticed!

In hopes of someday having a sibling for our son, I planned to tuck away his outgrown clothing and bring it back out if I ever needed it.  After all, I wore my sister's hand-me-downs.  Doesn't everyone wear someone's?  I never thought any further on this topic, until a few weeks after our little, rapidly growing bundle joined us.  At first, it was fine.  I made a tiny pile in his closet of outgrown items, and ever so often, I placed them in the holding area.  The holding area, also known as the over the garage room, because it was over the.....garage, was an out-of-sight, out-of-mind kinda place. 

Throughout the course of my son's first, I'd say 6 months of life, I just kept piling on that bed.  Now, I had a situation developing.  A ditch the clothes on the bed real fast, turn around and slam that door closed kind of situation.  I finally faced the music.  How was I going to store these mini-treasures. It was easy to come up with the next step.  It had to be sorted! Yes, I decided to sort the pile during nap one day.  I set out a number of paper grocery bags, labeled'em up, and got to sorting. Easy enough.  Now, what to do with these sorted bags?  Easy!  I decided to fill vacuum seal bags, one for each size, and tuck them under the guest bed.  I got to work and sealed them up tight, slid them under the bed, and turned around to see an equally high pile waiting, as the one I had just processed! Well, not really, but it was growing again.  Okay, wait, I thought I was done.  Check it off the list, right?  Nope.  These little guys just. keep. growing!  

Soon, I ran out of space under the first guest bed, so I started stuffing these bags under the second guest bed.  I now have filled all of the space under all of the beds.  I've shoved these bags in closets.  I have resorted to filling wardrobe boxes with vacuum bags full of clothes and lining our garage with them. And, talk about a chore that falls by the wayside!  I let myself get so behind, that the pile now climbs my son's closet wall until it topples over and I decide to "process" it.  I know I am not alone in this.  Can I get an Amen?  

Look familiar, fellow pilers?

While, it is something that is ever evolving here, I give those mom's that have it down to a science, a huge high-five!  Way to go!  Thanks for taking the time, mom, to do it for me.  It is special to see photos of my sister and I wearing the same dress. Thanks to my mother-in-law for doing this, too.  My son has been able to wear the same sweaters his father and uncles wore.  And, thanks to my sister and sister-in-law.  My son is wearing sweet treasures that they packed away as their sons grew. You, too, Jodie!  It's an act of love that goes often ignored, but it shouldn't.

What is your "process" for this daunting task?

Weekend Review

Good Morning!!  It's a rainy one here in Florida.  I, of course, LOVE it!  As much as I enjoy the warm sun, I equally can indulge in a good ole dark, cloudy and rain-filled day at home.  This rain also reinforces why I spent my weekend the way that I did. If you soak up the sunshine when it's the sunniest, you can cozy up and stay close to home, totally guilt-free, when it's hidden by dreamy rain clouds.  I know it's not popular to love rain this much, but I have always loved it.  I can remember wishing I lived on the foggy moor, described to me in middle school, as we read the book, "The Hound of the Baskervilles".  Who does that?!?

Alright, let's see how I did.

1.  We will visit a bi-weekly fresh farmers market tomorrow.  I've been meaning to go since we moved here....in NOVEMBER.

This was so fun!  What a nice way to spend a morning, and a great motivator to get up, get out there and live!  On the way, we did a slow pass of our neighborhood pond.  I do this each time I leave the neighborhood, in hopes of eyeing an alligator.  I never see one.  Saturday, we did!  Holy smokes, that little guy was RIGHT THERE! *Wildlife moment #1*  We freaked out, thought he was kinda cute and headed to the Farmer's Market.  

What beautiful colors there were to see.  Freshly picked fruits, veggies and flowers.  We saw honey bees, and olive oils and fabrics of every shade.  One of the most fun moments was a visit with some chickens and their chicks.  My son loved them! *Wildlife moment #2*  

This boy of mine, tried his darnedest to free the little guys.   

On the way home, we drove past our alligator viewing spot and wrapped around to check in on the cows at the end of our street. If you can zoom in, check out the white cow beneath the tree on the right.  You know, the one flaring his nostils and snorting angrily at my family.  My husband informed me that he wasn't all that interested in the visit. *Wildlife moment #3* And, don't worry, there was a fence between them.

Note to self:  Visit cows very quietly.  Or, from your car.

  2.  Decorate the house for Easter

This did not happen, though I started.  I accomplished this:

Can you tell I was doing this in haste?  If you have OCD like me, you already know what bothers me about my towel placement!

I know.  I outdid myself.  With temps in the upper 80's, the neighborhood pool was calling for us on Saturday afternoon.  So, we listened without regret. 

  3.  Bake bread, waffles, and various other baked goods for           freezing

Nope.  I bought the rice and tapioca flours for the bread. That's a start.  I made waffles for breakfast Saturday, but they ate all of them! So, yeah... Not a problem.  I just added it to my weeks to-do list.

  4.  Get started on an Easter sewing project for my nieces

I did get started!  Look, I pulled the pattern and the fabric for one of them.  I then, quickly got distracted by an idea, and started sewing something else.  Haha!  I will share that with you at a later date. 

   5.  Visit our new church, and take my son to Sunday School for     the first time.  

We visited and attended service, but our son stayed with us this first week.  It was wonderful.  I'm so excited for Palm Sunday, and for our son's first little school experience to begin.  We were able to tour his little Sunday school classroom and meet his teachers.  They were wonderful and reassuring for momma!

       6.   Go to the beach on Sunday!

Do you ever feel like you're forcing a plan, and you follow through, but it's slightly an "off" experience?  Did we go to the beach?  Yes.  Did it feel forced?  Yes.  The tide was strangely high, the water was surprisingly choppy and rough and the sky clouded up the second we laid our towel down.  It was an hour of fun for our son, and that's what counts.  It did, though, remind me that if something isn't coming together, maybe just skip it.

How was your weekend?  

It's Important.

It's not life or death important, but it's important.  At any giving time, I like for my home to be decorated for the next approaching holiday.  Most months this works, and I can find something that needs celebrating.  I did this as a single person (some seasons of life less than others), and it has carried over nicely into my family life.  As an added bonus, it is really helping to teach my son about each holiday, and ready him as each approaches.  So, just as soon as one holiday passes, I gather all of the decorations to one central location.  Most every time they land in the center of my dining room table.  I wrap them up and store them away for next year.  

Here's this year's St Patrick's Day pile, awaiting it's plastic storage bin

  

I'm not big on spending a ton of money on decorations, and I like for each piece to remind me of where I got it or of who gave it to me.  This makes each collection ever-growing and special.  I try to add at least one decoration per holiday, per year.  Making them from things I have on hand is typically the deal, unless I've found a treasure while visiting say, a sweet gift shop along the way.  



Last year I made this Easter centerpiece for my kitchen table, entirely with items I had on hand.  I wrapped a Christmas Cookie jar candle with old, scraps of pastel fabric and some Easter colored ribbon.  I placed it on a placemat surrounded by Easter grass I had tucked away in my craft closet.  The only thing I bought were some chocolate eggs, that I sprinkled around in the grass.  This was so easy and I loved it so much, I may do it again this year!

This was a no-sew project.  I simply tied the fabric strips around the jar.  What could be easier?!?

So, go make a pot of coffee, raid your craft closet and get creative.  It doesn't take a ton of money or skill to make something out of nothing.  It also doesn't take very much time.  We are all busy, but a few minutes of decorating is important.  Not food, water and shelter important, but it's important just the same.

I Think It's Wednesday?

After some time off spent with family, I am back!  What fun it was to show our visitors around our new home.  It was a great excuse to take a little staycation.  When you live in a popular vacation spot, you don't have to go far to feel like you've gotten away from it all, so that's what we've been up to this last week.  We hit some touristy areas and some less visited hidden treasures!  I like to think of this as Round One.  All of our visitors, so far, will be coming back again.  So, I came up with a list of spots for visit number one, and all of our visitors so far have gone on basically the same tour, with minor adjustments. Next round, we'll change it up, but here is our basic Round One visit:

Day One-Fred Howard Park

Has this ever been a crowd pleaser!!!  It's a peaceful, safe, clean and beautiful town beach.  The water is shallow and warm, and the sand is white and cool.  One of our visitors suggested renting an umbrella and beach chairs from the fella on the beach. I will now do this whenever I visit!  He sets it up, he checks on you, and he's from the same area of Massachusetts as my father. I like him, and I like the umbrella.  Twenty dollars very well spent.  

At the two hour mark, most everyone is ready to go.  The next stop?  Tarpon Springs for shopping, eating and some history on sponge diving.  This visit, I found the best homemade soap shop! Getaguru soaps is dimly lit, incense-filled and just, plain dreamy for this wannabe hippie.  It is apparently the oldest shop on the Sponge Docks, and the olive oil soap?  Oh my gosh, my skin has never been so soft!  I picked up a bar of orange-clove soap the first day, then had to spring back for a bar of rose and a bar of patchouli scented soap the next day.  It's true love.

Day Two- Clearwater Beach and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium

This is the super touristy part of the Round One visit.  What a beautiful beach!  It's enormous and parking isn't quite as easy, but there are bigger waves and lots of space to spread out. Again, having learned the joys of the beach umbrella/chair rental, we grabbed a lovely setup, and got to the business of playing in the sand and surf.  Chasing little guys around the beach gets exhausting, so at that two hour mark, we were once again, ready to move on. 

The next stop?  You guessed it!  We made our way to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  What a cool place.  This is the spot where Winter and Hope, the dolphins from A Dolphin's Tale, live. If you recall, Winter was injured, rescued and fitted for a prosthetic tail.  This is the aquarium where that all took place. We saw the famous dolphins being trained, as well as, otters, pelicans, sharks, and my favorite, the sea turtles.  Did you know that their spines are connected to their shells?  They could feel the trainers scratching their shells!!  I had no idea.  This is a lot smaller than I thought it would be, with far fewer animals, but what a very neat place.  A must-see while in Clearwater!

Day Three- The Manatee Viewing Center and Local Shopping

The final stops on the Round One visit include shopping at our local shops and a visit to the Tampa Electric Company Manatee Viewing Center.  During the winter months, when the waters get cold, the Manatees move toward warmer spots.  One of these is in the water outside the power plant.  As the months move on and the waters begin to warm again, fewer can be seen.  The first time we visited in February, there were many!  This last time, there were very few, but it is still a bizarrely, cool stop.  For one, you might get lucky and see a manatee, but there is also a very pretty nature path.  It runs right through a thatch of mangrove trees.  And, of course, there is the gift shop!  Yes, I need another manatee Christmas tree ornament!  Don't we all?

While not everyone saw all of this, each of them saw some of it. We had a great time being tourists in our own neck of the woods, and can't wait for Round Two!!

  

Recipe Card Swap

Granola is a real treat to me.  It's crunchy and salty and sweet.  What could be better, really?  As a person with nut sensitivities, I always have to be so careful to avoid store-bought granola.  I know nuts add a healthy and yummy twist, but I really think that there should be more nut-free options available.  Anyway, years ago, I found a nut-free granola brand that I loved.  It was super crunchy, and the manufacturer kept it in big chunks.  Those crunchy chunks really made it.  It was addictive!  This recipe comes so close to that, now no longer available, brand.  What a lucky thing to have stumbled upon.    

It is a basic recipe, and you can add in anything you choose. When I made this batch last week, I added milk chocolate chips, dried cranberries and raisins.  

Once it cooled, I broke it up but was mindful to keep some larger pieces.  A big, glass jar is perfect to store the granola, and it keeps fresh for over a week.  It's usually gone by then around here!  

I like to keep a baggie of this in my purse, for those times when you just need a little something.  Add this one to your recipe collection.  It's tasty!

BONUS RECIPE ALERT

I used both of yesterdays tools last week, while baking the Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins you see here.  So, here is a bonus recipe!  Yum.  Yum. Yum.  These pretty little muffins browned in the oven, while my sons dinner cooked on the stovetop. I popped them in the freezer, and they were ready to serve my guests this week.  I hope you like them as much as we do!  They are a dense and cakey type of muffin, which is why I like them so much.