Earth Day

Earth Day

It’s easy to get jaded about the state of the world, and what humans are doing to it: pollution, war, greed, disregard… but there is so much more that’s good about our world.

Sometimes, we just need to step outside to refresh, and reset our perspectives.

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. John Burroughs
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
John Burroughs
Butterfly
There are always flowers for those who want to see them.

Henri Matisse
There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
Henri Matisse
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.

Edward Abbey
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.
May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.
Edward Abbey

Nature gives me hope

poppy

Kids give me hope

running

“seems to me, it ain’t the world that’s so bad, but what we’re doin’ to it”
~ Louis Armstrong

Love, Baby, Love… Yeah….

I hope you can take a moment and get outside to enjoy the beauty and magic.

Happy Earth Day

The recipe reader – and a Chocolate Hazelnut-Pear Tart Recipe

The recipe reader – and a Chocolate Hazelnut-Pear Tart Recipe

cooking

My little girl has become quite the foodie. She loves to watch Anthony Bourdain (at age 2 she declared: “Tony is my best friend”), Chopped, Cupcake Wars, and pretty much any other food related show we will let her watch. She got a kitchen for her birthday: But  one of her favorite pastimes is to sit and read out loud from cookbook; one recipe after another. That means my days sound like this:

070

It wouldn’t be so bad if the recipes were all healthy and nutritious, but her favorite book from which to read is this: All day long with the delicious sounding recipes, delectable ingredient after delectable ingredient. And the recipe she was reading in the video was for a Chocolate Hazelnut-Pear Tart. Mouthwatering.

So hour after hour I sit here having chocolate deserts described to me, and the more she reads those recipes, this more I want to shovel chocolate in my face.

Now I don’t pretend to be a cooking blog, so no, I haven’t made this recipe yet. Although, I do believe this particular tart is in my future. But, since we taunted you with the ingredient list earlier, I’ll go ahead and include the recipe she was reading here: Chocolate Hazelnut-Pear Tart.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:1]

 

Interview with a 5-year-old

Interview with a 5-year-old

I’m having a little trouble wrapping my head around Gem turning five. She’s clearly 5. She acts like a 5 year old. She thinks like a 5 year old. I’m just having a little trouble keeping up.

I thought an interview might be a good way to try to catch up

Favorite color: Red and pink
Favorite animal: cheetah
What do you want to do when you grow up: police officer
What is your favorite thing to do: play cooking
What is your favorite book: My Little Pony Equestria Girls
What is your happiest memory: going to the beach
Why do you like being a kid: because I can play more
If you could be any animal, what would you be: a mermaid
What’s your favorite thing to do with Mommy and Daddy: snuggle
Where is your favorite place to go: to the doughnut shop
What is your favorite TV show: My Little Pony
What is your favorite food: pears
What was your favorite birthday present: kitchen and cook book
What is something you don’t like to do: wait
What do you think Daddy does at work: work on his computer
And what does Mommy do: work on her computer, too, and takes care of me
What is something that you’re really good at: running fast
What is something that you want to get better at: going in the water and being safe from the sharks
What is something that you want to learn: how to make a paper boat
Who is your favorite person in the whole world: Bella
What is your favorite thing to wear: dresses
What is your favorite kind of weather: rainy
Why: because I can stomp in puddles with my boots
If we went on a trip anywhere in the world, where would you like to go: to school
What would you buy if you had $1000: cherries
What is your favorite kind of ice cream: strawberry
What are you looking forward to next year: going to Kindergarten

we’ve had a big year

a look back at 4
even more of 4
more of 4

 

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

The day started out with a plan, and it was all Gem’s idea. We were going to go on a walking tour of all the beautiful flowers in our new neighborhood. And, I would bring my camera, so we could take pictures and use them for a blog post.

My little unpaid intern is really starting to pay off.

We got off to a good start.

125
135
137

But, after a while we came across this:

180

And inside, they had this:

165

They also had books.

177

The walls were lined with old classics

162

and my little girl was entranced

155

We spent hours in the doughnut shop, and I got to share with her some of my childhood favorites.

171

The garden tour / photo walk can wait for another day.

175

what captured your attention this week?

Avoiding bed time

Avoiding bed time

It’s not that she wont sleep, she just wont sleep in a bed. She’s not a fan of bed time.

This isn’t a new thing, it started as soon as she graduated from crib to toddler bed. I went to get her up one morning and she wasn’t in her bed. I scrambled around everywhere, and then found her snuggled up under her bed.

My heart still races when I check on her and she’s not in bed, but I know to look for her before I get too worried.

I’ve learned to look for little feet sticking out from under things

tent

Lately, she’s taken to sleeping in her toy box. The first time, it took me a while to find her, I had to listen for the sound of her breathing.

bed time - sleeping in the toy box

A couple nights later, I found her in her toy box again. This time curled up with a kid’s cook book.

sleeping in the toy box

Yes, she drags that moose around with her a lot – maybe I should look for the moose first when I’m looking for her.