My Backyard Farm

When it comes to things I love about my house, ranking in at numero uno is my backyard.  I'm not typically an outdoorsy person, but my kids are, and having a large fenced in space with treehouse, grass, and garden for them to roam is ideal.

The best is the garden in the summer.  It is really Shawn's garden, I just do the occasional weed and I love to pick the tomatoes when they ripen.

Shawn with his delicious hobby.

So today, after Shawn brought in the squash and zucchini, the kids and I grabbed a basket (I thought that was more whimsical than the usual bowl) and went hunting.

Solly loved time in 'the maze'.  Dommy did the majority of the spotting and picking.  A great lesson in self sufficiency and the gift in nature.  It seems like they might understand the Gospels better with just a little understanding of growing food.

Shawn already got a ton of cucumbers and made pickles. 

Using our garden potatoes, squash, basil, and some goat cheese I got on sale, I have plans to make this amazing looking dish.  I'll let you know if it is as great as I think it will be.

Days like today, I feel like the farm girl I unrealistically think I would want to be, if I didn't have an affinity for laziness and high heels.

What I Wore Sunday

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple.

Here's what I wore today.

shoes: Target, dress:  Walmart a few years ago, earrings:  Aspen Traders

It can read 'mousy' but I love the style too much to let it go.  

love the print, style and cut, love that it unbuttons for nursing
DON'T love the way the buttons pull up top-I'm a little big for it right now

I'll keep it short today, a sharp relief from my last post. - inspired after discussing this gal.

Wanna make a yummy, easy quiche that usually pleases and stays minimal in price?

(The little quiche is a gluten free version for Sol.
Oats, butter, water in the food processor can be pressed into a pie pan as a gluten-free crust.)

You need:  

a pie crust (I buy cheap frozen section pre-made ones)

1 cup of whole milk, half n half, or heavy whipping cream

4 eggs

1-2 cups of cheese (I used cheddar this time)

Whatever you want meats and veggies (I used green onions, mushrooms, and ham)

Chop meats ad veggies (kitchen scissors make this easy)

Mix all ingredients(I beat the eggs at the same time).  Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

People usually rave when I serve up the dish that takes all of 5 minutes to make. 

Enjoy.  These kids all wanted seconds.  

Happy Sunday!

Alaska, Emergency Room, and other fun

Shawn went to Alaska for an impromptu work trip last week from Sunday to Wednesday.  I am proud of my big girl self for only spending one night at my sister's and trying to 'tough it out' here at home at nights.

jealous?  I was. 

 

Wednesday night, we went swimming at a pool at Nana's neighbor's house.  It was too cold for me to get in, but some little ones had a great time.

Beautiful pool!

Dominic, before the impending doom soon to befall him

After our swim, Dom convinced Nana that he needed to spend the night there.  I proceeded to undress him and help him into PJs when Nana noticed a bug bite on his upper thigh.  It was red in the middle, swollen, and red around it for a good 3 inches.  Dominic said a spider bit him, but we got in the phone to page the doctor.  I've done that a thousand times for all sorts of stuff, but this return time was the fastest I've ever had.  After further examination and describing it to him, the Dr. said, "I'm worried it's mrsa, take him in now, you don't want to wait."

Shawn and I packed up the kids.  Dom was devastated that his newly negotiated sleepover was to be replaced with the ER and possible shots.  Nana was able to offer the consolation of a new toy she had bought for him - a plane from the movie Planes that is coming out.  (Get excited mothers of boys everywhere.)

Shawn took the baby, Sol, and I home.  I proceeded to google 'mrsa' for the next long 2 hours while a curious 6 year old kept asking, "What's mrsa?" to which I replied, "Go to bed."

Shawn called and it was mrsa.  He itched a mosquito bite and it got infected.  They sedated him to drain it.  Even sedated with localized pain meds, Dom apparently teared up and whimpered as they dug out the wound.  They also packed it, which is filling the hole with something gauzy.

He came slowly out of sedation singing, and thought his ER bed was a boat.  The doctors were cracking up at him, and said that Shawn should be recording.  If Shawn was the owner of a smart phone, you can bet he'd have been a great "David after Dentist" type video.

They sent him home with pain meds, antibiotics, and the aftermath of the sedation.  The poor kid was just a mess when he got home.  I asked if he sang at the doctor's, and he said, "Only when I was on the boat."  Then he got up to potty and toppled over.  He looked down at his legs and cried, "Why are there 2 band aids?"  (One they gave him while he was sedated.)

He woke up crying in the night, we gave him some pain meds, and he fell back asleep.  He woke up limping in the morning but otherwise normal.  Our follow-up appointment today was okay, but we aren't done with it yet, we go in again Monday.


I made some sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies to take to my Aunt Anne's party for the 4th.

Solly and Dad at the party.  Poor infected Dom went to Nana's instead.

Linking up with Clan Donaldson:

Freedom:  having children-as many as we like-and bringing them up in the faith

After Anne's, we went to Nana's for a fireworks show.

at Nana's - Sol's new t-shirts fit me too, so I'm sporting his more Americana print

When Sol saw the cookies I made for the 4th he read them and said, "America!  I love America!"  

So do I.  

I made...

a hibiscus out of fondant!  (For my aunt's surprise luau cake)

Keep on scrolling, these are the failures.

tried to shape.  nope.

also nope.

Do you like to stop in the middle to entertain me?  nope.

Built inside the shot glass. . .finally!

Dom made and flew this duple plane while I worked.  It's safe to say Dom is doing this 9/10 times, actually.
Insert motor sounds.

promised pepper prints

Just one second after this photo was taken, Dominic proclaimed, "I'm done!"  Then stood up and did an almost humorous slip and slide and fall into the acrylic(because I'm crazy) paint.  I successfully rescued the clothes in the washer.  (Dom also survived.)

The definition of PATHETIC
One hour after my last post - after I composed the last sentence of it - I strolled on over to pick up Sol at 3:30.  I was actually going to get there at 3:25.  Patting my overachieving back, I got to my sister's to drop off her girls and found out it was over at 3:00 and they were trying to reach me.  So, I don't get an A . . . despite my generous-to-self grading.


 Dom composed and sang a lovely little shower song the other day:

I'm really nakey, 

a nakey, nakey bottom.

I'm really stanky,

a stanky, stanky bottom!

I'm not usually a fan of the bottom and naked talk, but since it was topical, accurate, and catchy, I'll allow it.  And sing it next time it fits, probably.