The Other Part of the Day

We had an appointment in Ann Arbor, for William, Grace, and Juliet.  William's was actually a double appointment, because his orthodontist requested that he have 4 baby teeth removed before his next visit to their office!  So, when I made his tooth extraction appointment, they were able to bump his cleaning to an earlier time slot, and keep the girls at their same time.  

Grace and Juliet slept with twisted hair so that their hair could be 'curly' for the appointment.  It was certainly curly first thing in the morning!

When we arrived the parking lot was close to full, but we were plenty early, so we were able to wait for someone to leave, then we were able to park and went to check in.  Grace was able to go back earlier, since her dentist had an opening, and William's dentist was right on time.  Poor Juliet, her dentist had a patient right before her, and the patient was checked in, but in the wrong clinic.  So not only was she not able to go early, by was actually delayed. = (

William and Juliet both have to go back for treatment in November (and William will be going on a back to back Friday/Monday. = /  I may see if I can move his ortho appointment, because I don't want him to miss that much school in a row.)

We enjoyed a nice lunch in the atrium, William was only allowed to eat joghurt, so we gave him all that we brought, poor guy!  Grace found a cute little 'pig' marshmallow cookie!

After our 'detour' to the park, we headed home.  About 20 miles from Lansing, my car hiccoughed a bit, then the radio went out.  After about 5 more miles, my speedometer panel (gas, rpm, speed, etc.) also went out.  At the next hiccough, I made the decision to pull over at a rest stop, instead of trying (and possibly failing) to make it to the mechanic.

I turned off my car for a few minutes, then attempted to restart it, but it wouldn't even click over. = (

So, I called AAA, Billy, and the mechanic (in that order!)

AAA was out pretty quick, but we had access to a bathroom, water fountain and all the food we'd brought for our lunch, so we were pretty content while we waited.

Such a sad sight. =- (

Once my car was on the truck, Billy headed our way (there was no sense in him joining us to wait for the truck.)

One of our primary forms of entertainment was bottle flipping.  William got pretty accurate with his sprite bottle!

The 'pose' is staged, but the success was real in the same flip for both William & Juliet!!

All in all, I'm thankful that since my car did break down, it went out on our way home, close enough to home to be 'local', at a location with a bathroom and water source, that we didn't have a car full of camping supplies, for AAA, and for the sweet families who saw our car loaded up and made sure that we were okay and had help coming!

And while I'm in a reflective mood: a quick shout out to my sweet little garden, we had our first cucumber heartvest yesterday!!! <3

I hope the repair on my car is quick and relatively inexpensive, but Billy googled the symptoms and thinks it's the alternator. = (

later days

Garden: Still Mostly Squash!

We are still loving our garden, but really just collecting squash. lol.

So far, the favorite recipe that I've made, at least according to the kids, is roasted squash with parmesan!  I made a variation with squash, potatoes, onions and green beans for a party that we were invited to, and it came out really well too!

I've been refilling the 'free' wagon every few days, as neighbors take one or two (the easiest day to give it away is definitely on Farmer's Market Day!)

Even if it doesn't come inside, I still try to take a picture of the "heartvest" though!

I've found a working compost solution!  I've been clipping a grape bag (since it has drainage holes) on to the side of the trash can, and it's been very effective!  Now, I'll put in my tea leaves, and Billy's coffee grounds and that 'single orange peel' for which it was not worth pulling out the large compost bag at the back of the refrigerator!  If you are reading this, and happen to be nearby, I'll happily claim any grape bags from you!

The tomatoes are plentiful, I'm hoping that they will turn red soon!!!  One of the pumpkins is starting to turn orange, and we have a few good-looking cucumbers coming along. = )

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More Garden!!

My squash and green onion plants are producing edible portions en masse, so they are getting most of the attention right now, though my tomato plants have dozens of green tomatoes, and my cabbage plant is doing lovely, but I can only harvest one or two leaves a week, and my pumpkin has 4 little baby pumpkins.  I should also give a shout out to my sugar snap pea plants that are keeping us in snack supply every couple of days!

But, this post is mostly about the squash plants. = )

A beautiful 'heartvest!'

One of the plants is slowly growing off the side, we think that maybe we planted them a little too close together.

With this 'heartvest' I made squash bread!

The consistency was very much like cornbread, but the taste was closer to a lemon poppy seed loaf.  None of us cared much for it, though Emily liked it the best.  The taste wasn't bad, I actually liked the aftertaste, but while I was chewing, the cornbread texture didn't sit well with me.

With the cabbage leaves, I've been rolling up fish to make up my main course for lunch.  Tuna was quite good, and I baked up some barramundi a few days later, which was also good, but I didn't care for it warm as much as chilled.

If you read about our farmer's market trip, you'll probably notice that Emily is having to support the bottom of the basket, but it is such a cute basket!

With the next 'heartvest' I made squash soup.

The squash soup was so good!  It can be served hot or cold, and has a lovely rich flavor from the coconut milk!  I topped it with some fresh chives.  I froze what we didn't eat the day I made it, and it received much better reviews than the squash loaf!

Once the soup was cleaned up, I was left with a half can of coconut milk.  An internet search yielded a recipe for biscuits to use up the rest. So, I made almost* vegan biscuits.  They were also quite tasty.  But then, I saw the ageing blueberries in the fridge, so I whipped up some quick blueberry jam to go with the biscuits.  Suffice to say, I spent the day in the kitchen. = )

Our 'heartvests' are now so plentiful that I am giving away squash to anyone who will take them!  We're still enjoying as much butter fried squash as we want, but it's so much squash!!!

 *I had to add butter, because we didn't have the coconut oil.

My facebook memories told me that this time last year we had a collection of large cucumbers, but our plants are just now flowering and growing baby cucumbers!  Assuming we have plenty of fair weather left, we should have a nice 'heartvest' of cucumbers too! = )

I'm sure this will not be my last post about my garden, it is just bringing our family such joy this summer!  We already have plans for next summer, here's hoping for another year of 'heartvests'!

later days

Below are the recipes that I pulled from various corners of the internet, but formatted and listed here, just in case I need to find them again next year!

Squash Soup

Ingredients

3 medium summer squash cut into half-moons
1 medium onion diced
1 medium potato peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic  (no need to chop them up)
4 fresh thyme sprigs leaves removed from stems (I used a teaspoon of powdered)
1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock (don't sub chicken stock)
½ cup coconut milk canned
2 tablespoons lemon juice
kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

Melt oil in a stockpot over medium heat. 

Add all the vegetables and aromatics, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. 

Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until all the vegetables are soft; 15-20 minutes.

Let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful of the hot liquid! 

Strain through mesh strainer, and keep only thin liquid.

Return liquid to pan. Place pan over medium-low heat stir in coconut milk and lemon juice. 

Salt and pepper to taste

Serve with additional fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of coconut milk (I used chives instead of thyme)

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Coconut Milk Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups (270g) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (40g) sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons melted coconut oil, divided (use neutral tasting coconut oil) (I used butter here)
1/2 cup (120ml) unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of the melted coconut oil to the flour mixture and whisk to distribute it evenly across the flour.

Stir together the almond milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the flour, and add the almond milk mixture and the remaining 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil. 

Gently stir until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix! (If the dough is too dry, sprinkle a few drops of water over it.)

Divide the dough into 6 somewhat equal parts and drop by Spoonfuls onto a greased parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart.  (I made smaller biscuits)

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes at 450°F until the tops of the biscuits are lightly browned and the biscuits do not give when you press down on them. (So I cooked for only 9-10 minutes)

Let cool for 5 minutes before eating. Best eaten while warm.

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Simple Blueberry Jam

Ingredients

2 heaping cups of fresh or frozen blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Instructions

Add blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a medium saucepan.

Stirring frequently, cook over medium high heat until blueberry mixture comes to a rolling boil.

Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling and stirring for 10 minutes.

Towards the end of the cooking time, use the back of the spoon to gently crush some of the berries.

At the end of the 10 minutes the blueberry liquid should be slightly thickened. You can also use a thermometer to judge done-ness. When the blueberry mixture reaches 220°F, the jam is done. (I watched the clock, my jam hit 220°F at almost exactly 10 minutes.)

Transfer the blueberry jam to a storage jar and let come to room temperature.

Another Hodgepodge Post

Emily and Grace have been getting in some good outside time this summer.  I liked the lighting in this shot that Emily took of Grace!

Emily picked out this sweater a few weeks ago at a yard sale. I would never ever ever have picked it out for her, but she really likes it (and the colors are pretty.)  Well, fast forward to last week, I was putting something away in the big girls' closet, and the sweater was on Alice's rack!!!  I thought maybe Emily had tried it on, and thought it was too large, so had given it to Alice. But no! It was Alice who liked the sweater so much she stole it from Emily!  To me, this sweater looks sooooo old and dated and I wouldn't ever wear it, but both of my teens (well, teen & tween) love it.  Who knew*?

William, Grace, and Juliet had swim camp last week!  It was 5 hours a day, for 4 days (M-Th) for only $60!!  They loved it, and came home so tired.  

Monday, after drop off, I spent my 'childfree' time hanging out with Zoey's mom!  We spent 3 hours chatting and digging through the bins at the 'cheap' Goodwill, then enjoyed some coffee, and even had time for a dollar tree run, before it was time to collect our dear ones!

On day 3, Grace passed the deep water test for the first time ever!!!!! She is excellent at setting goals and making it happen! = ) I was so proud.

I love filling the 'party tray' with fruits and veggies, for the kids to snack on throughout the day.  It also looks really pretty. = )

We went to the library to redeem summer reading prizes, and since the 'meet up and eat up' was only an hour away, stayed on for lunch!  A few days later, I got a call that Emily had won one of the grand prizes (a Target gift card!) 

I wanted a basket for collecting veggies from the garden.  At Goodwill I found this basket, with a collapsible handle, for $2.50.  I agonized over it the duration of the trip, but ultimately decided to buy it.  I've been loving it, and it does a fantastic job carrying all the produce inside from the garden.  I love it so much, I tried to repurpose it and use it for shopping at the farmers market.  Sadly, the bottom felt vulnerable with the purchase of potatoes and honey (and then a side trip to Carl's for coconut milk and vegetable stock.) = (

So, I went into the next few days in the market for a studier basket.  I found a larger one, with reinforced sides and collapsible handles for $2!!!! Then, since Avia wasn't able to go with us in the morning, we went back for a second look in the afternoon, and I got another one (to help me carry all of my purchases) and then one more, because it was adorable, and only 50 cents and I'm on a kick.

Well, then I got home, and suddenly had 3 baskets without a home, and one that was slightly in the way.  So, I brainstormed a home for my collection: the mudroom wall!  Upon observation, I found that I would only have to make a single hole in the wall, since there were existing holes for the other three. = )

We had corndogs for dinner last night, and I thought everyone might like 'fancy' stadium containers.  I think they did make them taste better!  (Admittedly, I didn't have one, since I had just made a German Salad, and I'm the only one who eats on it.)

3 of my summer chores involved painting outside, so last night I pulled out all my supplies, and this morning (after a rocky start of driving the big girls to camp because their bus broke down.) Grace came out and helped me pain the shed ramp and step!  Sadly, just those items took the rest of the paint.  So, we needed to go to Menards and get another round, which of course meant loading up WGJ.  To make it more exciting, I promised donuts, but then Grace reminded me that her ear was still hurting, and so I called the doctor and got her a late morning appointment. (Turns out she has swimmers' ear.)  

But after the appointment we went to Menards, but by then the big girls were home, and my mom was over for birthday cake and presents!!!  Once we celebrated Avia to the fullest, and she went on with her day, I went back out to finish the side porch and basement entrance.  I kept running into branches between the two, and so broke out the branch cutters, and trimmed the offending bushes (which needed to be done, but felt like just one more delay.)  As I was finishing up the brush work on the basement door, Emily and Grace came out wanting to help with the roller.  They did a pretty good job, but got bored and came in before the job was finished. = /

I did finally get done, and cleaned up.  Tomorrow (or soon) I hope to go seal, at the very least, the back porch. But I have sewing that needs tending, so we'll see.  Sadly, this was the last week that I'll be getting up early to get the big girls ready for camp, and then having the rest of the morning to knock out a 'summer chore' since EGJ start at nature camp next week!

I mentioned celebrating Avia's birthday, and I took a picture too!

We got to celebrate with my mom this year, it's a toss-up where she'll be each summer, so we only get to celebrate with her sometimes.  This year she got 5 cards from my crew and a shadow box for her grandfather's arrowhead collection from us as a group.  Emily and Grace helped her put together the display, then EGJ helped her sort some coins.  Emily also made her a German chocolate cake, but since AE had summer camp in the morning, we didn't get to have it for breakfast, as is tradition.  I think she enjoyed her time here, hopefully she had a great day!

There's this meme floating around:

And I am feeling it!  August is coming so, so fast!  We have tons of fun things left to do this summer, but August is just so close!  I'm not ready for summer to end!!!

later days

 *So, I actually posted the picture on FB and asked for opinions and they were overwhelmingly positive toward this sweater, so I guess I'm the odd man out.  

....and the Garden Grew

So, on the surface, it looks like these are back-to-back garden posts, but I'm making them approximately 3 weeks apart, so there has been tremendous growth and serval 'harvests.' = )

A harvest of sugar snap peas, we get this many, from 5 plants, every 3-4 days!

No before picture, because I couldn't wait any longer to enjoy our first cooked squash of the year!!!

This was the second squash harvest, the big one was intentional, the smaller one was not.  I was attempting to adjust the smaller one so that I could grow more easily, but it popped right off as I was adjusting it.  Grace was disappointed that there was not more to be had after we cooked them up! 

Yesterday's heartvest*, before the kids ate all of the sugar snap peas!  We probably had double the amount here, but they are so tasty!!!

The tomato plants are massive!!!  There are dozens of tomatoes on each one, but none of them are red yet!

I scored a freebie Cabbage plant at a rummage sale, and i think it's transplanted well, but not growing super fast.  The sugar snap peas do block a little of the sunlight, so that may also be affecting its growth?

The sugar snap peas have all outgrown their supports!  They seem to still be making new flowers and plenty of peas though. = )

It turns out that we did not give our squash plants enough space, because they are all crowded, but producing squash at a fantastic rate! = )

The green onion plants are huge and gave us a few shoots for our fried squash today.  yum!!

At that same rummage sale, I also got another tomato plant, but it doesn't seem to have transplanted very well. = (

One of our (5) cucumber plants has a flower!!!!! 

One of the pumpkin plants has taken over the garden, and the smaller one is trying to stake it's claim.  The smallest of the pumpkin plants hasn't really taken off yet, so I'm not sure if it will.

The tomato plant we had last year produced more tomatoes than we could even pick, and from one of the fallen tomatoes, a plant has grown!!!  It's having to fight for it's place in the garden, but I think it might have it's niche! = )

We already have a laundry list of what we want to grow next year, and I'm sure we will not have enough space!  

later days

*sarah coined it, and Emily loved it!