daily grind

We do grind daily around here & have even picked up a new hobby--roasting. I'll post more about that a different day. This day is all about tid-bits & the mundane that fills our days, a few random pictures of silliness, & something I've been meaning to tell everyone!

1. Cool Runnings- It's rained a lot this summer & that's always good, however the humidity of August has proved somewhat overwhelming. More than 50% of the time there are tomatoes on the vine going unpicked while the grass creeps to new heights. It's tooooo hot for hanging outside, & attempts to dodge the onslaught of mosquitos waiting at our back door are futile indeed. But, we take advantage of cooler moments like this:

2. Mow it over- Cleaning the yard is also a chore, but we accomplished it yesterday. Now the lawn looks pristene. We had to have an "urban bonfire" that lasted for several hours & did nothing to distract those blood-sucking pests while we picked the apples from our tree, but it cleaned up our scrap stash. (the apples aren't beautiful, but they make a great sauce!).

3. Head Banding- The girls are nappers, which is good for my sanity. Some say Naomi's too old, but if she misses this part of the daily routine it's difficult to keep sanity until bedtime. Anyway, she's so silly. She went down with a headband on the other day & here's what I found when I snuck a peek:

4. I can take or leave--no, just leave--gefilte fish & borscht-The girls have been sick on & off for a month with colds & what might be H1N1 (aka hog flu)**. It's interesting, we don't even eat the stuff ;) But, in order to promote recovery we made some chicken soup & because Matzah Balls are good for more than just an unleavened treat we added those as well. & the secret I've been meaning to share comes from my Mother in law...Don't make chicken soup of ANY kind without sweet potato--it makes ALL the difference. It's not

noticeable, but it does something to the texture...

**I am aware that H1N1 is not linked to the consumption of pork.

star crazy

a random road trip.

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. it seems longer & shorter all at the same time. I've heard people say things about loving your spouse more over time & always believed it, but there really aren't good words. sure, we love eachother, but that's not all...

anyway. we took the girls up to Roanoke friday morning & stayed the night at the Hyatt Place (which if you're ever looking for a hotel in a city, go with them. although it's not the kid-friendliest of hotels, you can't beat the feel of them. clean, modern, up-to-date, although no waffle making which is kind of a downer.)

So, was this adventure romantic? no. restful? no. relaxing in any way? absolutely not. Such is life with children I suppose. It was much like the vacations of my youth revisited. We ate lunch in a cool place across from the city square market downtown & I ate the most delicious veggie "burger" of my life. It was really just a bun with sauteed veggies piled high & topped with cheese--yummy, & probably nearly as fattening as a regular burger. (especially with the accompanying cheese fries). we used this fuel to do a self guided walking tour downtown, there was lots to see. The market, the railwalk, a neat Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge, then back to hotel for napsies.

Around 6:30 we headed back out & up to the Roanoke Star, which has great walking trails, picnic areas, a little park & more. There's even a little zoo & other things to do up there, although we didn't take advantage of those...

Next, dinner. We had no idea where to go so I picked something random from the "food" list on our GPS & we ended up at the Wildflour Bakery which was perfect! Delicious, affordable, & a lot like one of our favorites in Boone.

With some cake-y treats to go we headed back to our room to hunker down. There we watched some tv on the sweet 42" plasma & enjoyed the down comforters & feather pillows.

On the way home we stopped at the Booker T. Washington National Monument park. It was great for me, an African American Studies minor & for Naomi, a big fan of livestock. Although by the time we were done walking the property she was thoroughly exhausted & willing to share...I'm glad we got to go, now we have another stamp in our Passport.

Then we came home. That about sums that up! It was quite an adventure...

oh & quick anniv. note. Drew searched high & low for a wedding band to replace the $10 one I've had all these years & I approve. It suits me perfectly, It's called the Juliet Band when her store re-opens you MUST check it....thank you punkybunny300 & husband. Another gift he did NOT intend to give is his new addiction to Etsy--my life keeps getting better.

timely success

Here's what we've been up to...

harvesting tomatoes. We've had nearly 20-30 pounds per week. They seem to be literally coming out our ears

this means we've canned a lot. Here is a list of recipes for delicious tomato-y goodies.

Sauce Wonderful Salsa Fire Roasted Spicey Salsa

& I made the tomato pie I talked about in this post.

We were all pretty impressed. Having never eaten Tomato Pie before, we were all a little unsure but it's definitely going into the archive for future use & perfect with Old Mill of Guilford's perfectly creamy polenta. What would I change? I would soften the onions a tad by sauteeing a bit before mixing into the topping & I might decrease the temperature & bake just a smidge longer. It also took FAR longer than I think any reasonable meal should take, but there are measures you could take to fix that, like a made ahead crust, blanching the tomatoes to peel, having grated cheese on hand...ah, a life of convenience.

We've also been getting about 3 eggs a day & they're delicious. Naomi LOVES the collection process...& the peeling of those we hard boil. She made a discovery after letting 2 roll off the counter, "Mom! There are eggs in BOTH the eggs!"

Other things from the garden:

Acorn Squash

Zucchini

Bell Peppers (actually working this year!)

Pimiento peppers

Basil

Oregano

Rosemary

Flowers

Corn (sort of shotty, but entertaining)

Honey--about 4.5 gallons this year, hurrah!

*disclaimer. all these successes are entirely dependent on Drew. I haven't participated in this year's garden much. I only take credit for the Tomato Pie.