Cooking and Dining Al Fresco

Another favorite meal of the kids is grilled cheese sandwiches.

But it is too warm to cook anything in the house!

No problem. That's what the side burner on the barbecue is for.

Just don't use a nonstick pan - too hot!

Fret not - the main barbecue was not on.

I just used the upper rack as an extra shelf for serving the grub.

Lunch is served.

Quite a few rounds of 'Thank you, Mama!' were heard.

(and no, it wasn't just me saying it.)

I think they liked it.

Sunny Summer Days

This is what makes for happy kids on a sunny summer day. Lunch poolside. Doesn't it just sound so summery and vacation-like?

Yep. We're fancy like that.

My Kind of Taking Action

I was fixing breakfast for the kids and I this morning and was happily slicing open some english muffins we picked up at the store yesterday to toast when I thought I would just check out the ingredient list. Just for fun. Do you know what I found? High fructose corn syrup!! In the english muffins!! Not good, people. Not good. I am both angry with myself for breaking my rule of not buying anything without checking the ingredients and angry that the company that makes them felt the need to put any in there in the first place.

So now I am on the hunt for muffin rings and a good recipe. I dearly love a freshly toasted english muffin with a little melted butter and homemade strawberry jam. If I have to make them myself to accomplish my craving, so be it.

Here is the recipe I will try first: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/english-muffins-recipe

And here are the muffin rings I will buy: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/english-muffin-and-crumpet-rings

Wish me luck!

Homemade Pizza

I made homemade pizza for dinner tonight.

We really like the pizza dough to be made with my favorite all-purpose bread dough recipe, with just a bit more olive oil added.

Fresh thyme and oregano from the herb garden went into the sauce.

Our favorite toppings are pineapple and black olives, and usually ham, but tonight I used some leftover hamburger patties from dinner the previous night. The kids loved it!

The toppings include; parmesan cheese, hamburger, colby jack cheese, pineapple and sliced black olives, and finally sharp cheddar cheese. I try to alternate toppings with cheese so that the cheese can act like a binder to keep the toppings from sliding around or falling off. The pizza, ready to go in the oven:

Anxiously awaiting the fresh pizza for dinner:

The finished product. Dinner is on!

It's Been a Long Time...

It has been over 6 months since my last post, and so many things have happened in that time! Just to give an overview, I have done much sewing, cooking, and had adventures with the family in that time. Here are a few sewing projects:

I was asked to replace the lining on a belly dancing top. The old lining:

The new lining pinned in:

The front. So pretty!

I made some children's clothing for the kids preschool auction this spring. A pink dress:

A green dress with coordinating hat:
A boys outfit with shirt, shorts and coordinating hat:

I also covered some new window seat cushions and recovered 2 chair seats to match. The chair seats tops before & after:

The chair seats bottoms before & after:

And the new seat cushions (the notch out of the back cushion is to go under a window.)

More entries to come!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Char's favorite question lately has been what animal is that?  

Which sounds like, 'Wha' ammo zat?'

Sometimes she is pointing to an actual animal (cat, dog, squirrel, bird) or to a stuffed animal, but she could just as well be pointing to a spider, fly, or a leaf on a tree.  Someday we'll teach her what the word animal means.  ;)

Yes!!!!!!!!

Tonight, we opened the bottle of 1992 Dom Perignon that we have been saving for a special occasion.  Yes.  We do believe.  

Yes we can.

I Don't Ever Want To Leave!

Saturday, we went to OMSI with Grandma Meier and cousin Robin.  The kids headed straight for the water:

Max got just a little excited with the whole thing:

(Note the Diego Rescue Pack still on his back!)

I managed to get Max away from the water for a bit and into a pretend tree trunk with super size plastic acorns:

Snack time:

What a fun (and exhausting) time we had!

Trick or Treat!!

We had a fun (and wet) Halloween this year.  Grandma & Grandpa Meier, cousin Robin, and neighbors Breein, Timothy, and baby Koen all came over for dinner and some trick-or-treating.

Char had to try on Grandma's hat:

Diego and the Princess:

(Dada was having them do arm motions to keep them standing together for the photo session)

The rainy trick-or-treating:

Dada in his Mexican Wrestler costume with Max trying to sound just as scary in his Diego costume:

Char didn't recognize Dada in his costume:

Let the sugar coma begin!

Cutie Pie

I managed to get this shot of Char this afternoon while she ate her snack.  

Couldn't you just eat her up?!?

Hello, Jack O'Lantern

Well, Dada was really hoping for another pumpkin carving session like he had last year with Max.  Last year, Max was really into the process and was pretty much glued to Dada's side through the whole thing.  This year not so much.

So, Dada had a not so much fun time cleaning out and carving all 5 pumpkins.  Behold:

At least the kids consented to posing with Dada by the pumpkins!

Howdy Y'all

Last week Dada brought a special present home for Max:

No, not the planes.

Max really enjoyed wearing his new hat while he sat playing that day.  Now it sits in the toy bin.  What can I say?  He's not really a hat kind of kid.

The Punkin Patch!

Last week we went to the local farm to climb on bales of hay and pick out some pumpkins.  It was a perfect day for it - sunny and crisp.

Here is Max climbing on the 'Hay Pyramid':

Char the eater-girl had to have an additional snack while we were out there:

Some kids from Max's class (including Charlie) singing a song:

Char sitting on a bale of hay in the hay maze:

Max on the hayride out to the pumpkin field:

Charlie on the hayride:

Since we have ended up with many pumpkins here this year (the subject of a post yet to come), I cooked a small one up and made pumpkin bars this weekend.  Yummy Fall cooking!!!

Don't Be Such A Square

Apparently there is more than one function for crayons:

I never knew.  Pretty cool, Max!

Be Cool.

The other day Dada dressed Char to go outside.  The result:

You stay cool, y'hear?

Workin'

The whole reason the extension ladder was out was so Dada could get up on the roof to add some much needed finish trim to the outsides of Max's and Charlie's bedroom windows.  After getting nailed in the head with a falling chestnut, Dada got out his hard hat.  Who can blame him?

Dada, workin':

Dada, workin' it:

Nice overalls.