S U N D A Y • P H O T O • A D V E N T U R E S

If you read Jeff's blog, you might already know that on November 10th we started a new hobby... Sunday photo adventures.  Sometimes it's all five of us, but sometimes we put Elliott down for his nap and leave him in the care of James and Evy for two hours so we can have a photo adventure/date.  It's been pretty amazing.

As a family we've explored Soda Lake in the California Valley, discovered an abandoned adobe, taken a farm tour of Paso where we found sheep, pigs, miniature horses, and eaten roadside fruit, carrots freshly pulled out of the ground, and yummy goat cheese.  The kids loved meeting said goats and feeding them ice cream cones full of grain.  Really cool.  

As a couple, Jeff and I have visited San Miguel and taken the Mission tour- something we'd never actually done after many Mission visits and masses there.  Really beautiful and so moving.   We've also discovered the Caledonia Adobe, had impromptu picnics in the park, and enjoyed uninterrupted conversations- something pretty sacred in a house with three children.  We're loving this new Sunday tradition.  

However, in my search for a Christmas card photo- I noticed one thing we've been lacking in our lives is portraits of us together.  We take SOOOOOO many photos of the kids and each other too, but we have less exactly ONE of all five of us together in 2013.  Not acceptable!  So I decided to add a challenge to our Sunday adventures...  A PORTRAIT SERIES!  

As I explained to Jeff, they need not be fancy, posed, or even particularly dignified.  Just a concerted effort to photograph ourselves together.  Yesterday it was just the two of us, and we didn't even use the camera timer or the tripod- just laid in the grass and clicked the shutter.  I'm really looking forward to our first portrait outing with all five of us.  It should be... interesting.  I'll keep you posted.  :)

The Hair Whip (extended cut)

This silliness all started with James' hair getting way too long, and the resultant hair-whipping.
So after school yesterday we took him to the barbershop, and I requested that he do one last hair
whip to capture on video. Of course Evelyn had to get in on it too.  And then...
well, we got carried away.

Reasons my son is crying...

Have you guys checked out the hilarious tumblr, "Reasons My Son Is Crying"?  I think it's brilliant.  

This hilarious blog represents all those wonderful moments with children when logic ceases and emotions run high; for no apparent reason.  As the subheader explains: 

All the many many completely logical reasons that children cry.

And don't let the name fool you- daughters are featured too.

Jeff and I have long since realized that when parenthood gets tough, making fun of your kids a bit can really help.  So of course, we had to get Elliott a shout-out.

Hello all... Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had an outstanding Christmas and New Years.  It felt really good to step back from the blog for a bit and just focus on my family and non-online life.  Sometimes things start feeling stagnant and you just need to regroup.  Honestly, towards the end of 2012 I started to feel anxious and a little lost about  a lot of things.  Like, all of the stress accumulated throughout the year had piled up inside me.  I don't feel like it's all just magically disappeared yet- but I do think it's time to try pushing through the yuck.    I'm not really a "resolutions" kind of person, but every new year feels like a gift- and a welcome fresh start, so I'm taking advantage of that.

My goals for 2013 are to calm down, focus my energy more efficiently, prioritize better, separate my work from my personal life (eeek!), and not allow myself to carry so much dead weight in my head.  I need to lighten my load in all aspects of my life.  I've literally lightened it by donating huge boxes of miscellaneous stuff, and of course- you guys helped so much by taking hundreds of clothing items off my hands.  Now it's time to mentally clean house.  It seems easier said than done.  Any ideas?

Here's what the past few weeks have looked like through my eyes while on my self-induced hiatus...

Welcome, 2013.  Here's to starting anew...  ♥

Easy peasy sushi yummy...

 

 

In this- the Season of get-togethers, parties, and communal meals... I thought I'd share one of my favorite appetizer recipes.  This is a quick-ish, basic (non-raw) sushi, that's easy to make, and fun to share.  Jeff thought they looked fancy, but when I was a kid- this was the sushi you took to school for class parties, or had at pot-lucks, church events, and BBQ's.  It was always around, always a kid-favorite, and fun- but definitely not fancy.  Basically it's the potato salad of sushi.

You'll need: Bamboo rolling mat, short-grain sushi rice, package of nori, 2 cans of tuna, 1 carrot, 1 egg, sugar, salt, rice vinegar, (optional:) colored shrimp powder, sesame seeds.

1. Make a good batch of sushi rice (please don't replace this with another type of rice- it ruins the sushi).  

Need a good recipe for perfect sushi rice?  I like this one (scroll down on the page).

2. Shave your carrot with a vegetable peeler.  The longer the peels, the better.

3. Scramble your egg and pour it into a hot non-stick pan- the goal is a very thin, crepe-like end result.  It only takes about 20-30 seconds, so watch carefully.  Remove from heat, let cool, and slice in strips.

4. Drain and empty your tuna into a bowl, add about 2 TBS. sugar, and 2 TBS. rice vinegar. Mix well.  Set aside.

5. Place your nori rough side up on the bamboo mat, add rice evenly to the bottom 2/3 of the nori, place one strip of egg, one length of carrot, a generous line of tuna, and a teeny line of shrimp powder all the way down the center- horizontally.  

6. Roll carefully, quickly, and firmly (but not too hard).  It may take a few tries- but you'll get it.  Then simply

SLICE + SERVE!  

 If you have sesame seeds, add a tiny pinch to the top of each slice, right in the center.  I like to wrap extra rolls, unsliced, in wax paper and slice those as needed just before they're served.  This is a great party appetizer, or snack, but they're best eaten fresh and at room temperature.  ENJOY!  ♥

*UPDATE: I forgot to mention this, but it's important... keep a bowl of water nearby to dip your fingers in before and after handling the rice.  It's soooo sticky- the rice will help keep things neat and tidy.  But make sure the water doesn't drip on your nori- things will go downhill fast.  Also, at the very end of the rolling process, use your finger to lightly pat a little water just on the very end.  It acts as a seal to keep your sushi roll tightly closed.  :)

Our Mt. Olive Adventure...

 Do you have a favorite Farmer's Market booth on Thursday nights?  I've made it a point to visit the Mt. Olive booth for a few years now.  The produce is gorgeous, and delicious.  But they also make out-of-this-world jams, jellies, olive oil, fruit leathers, tea, and fresh-pressed juices.  Best of all, it's 100% organic.  I take that back... BEST of the best of all, they are unbelievably kind, incredibly knowledgeable and very very helpful.  While pregnant with Elliott and dealing with horrendous nausea- my friends at the Mt. Olive booth made great recommendations.  They were also kind enough to advise me of what NOT to eat or drink from their booth throughout the pregnancy.  That sort of endeared them to me for life.  

I mean, come on... that's just the coolest.

When I found their website and realized that their farm wasn't actually very far from Jeff's parents', I thought... YES!  Let's GO!  Alas, that was two years ago.  :(   Finally, FINALLY, on this last trip up to Paso, we made it.  So did it resemble the fantasy I had in my head?  No.  It totally surpassed my expectations.  We made it just in time for a late afternoon lunch, and had so much fun strolling around, petting bunnies and goats, peeking our heads into plants, and just generally being all kinds of nosey.  What I found really amazing about Mt. Olive Farm was the feeling of openness and welcome.  We just felt at ease.  It was quiet, but not uncomfortably so... and wow, SO gorgeous.

As soon as we walked in, we were delighted to find freshly baked coconut bread, and mini veggie pizzas for $1.50.  A DOLLAR FIFTY, YOU GUYS!  I'm not ashamed to admit that I bought all of the coconut bread.  Oh my gosh...  Y  U  M  M  M  M !  The food was the freshest food I've had (maybe ever but certainly) in a long time.  The tasting room was clean and well-stocked with dozens of olive oils and tapenades.  James and I went nuts.  We sat outside on the gigantic lanai, and drank ice cold, fresh strawberry juice.  At the risk of getting all verklempt on you, I would say it was heaven.  We didn't want to leave.

Yes, we went kind of photo-crazy.  But LOOK at these Fall colors!

Next time you're in Paso, do yourself a huge favor and visit Mt. Olive Farm.  And if you can't make it to the Farm, be sure to stop by their Farmer's Market booth on Thursdays.  It's the very best one.   :)