a unique autumn

hello all! (i'm not sure how many is 'all' so if you read my blog, let me know! i bet it would inspire me to post more often ;) anyway, this crazy fall is flying by me. i have been super busy with my nutrition studies and design work and kids! it's interesting sometimes but i am loving it actually.

for us, this fall has been filled with the old familiar activities. harvest festivals, apple picking, haunted hayrides, pumpkin carving, halloween costume planning... but oh my, this fall seemed so strange! first of all, hurricane irene kind of wiped out our little harvest but we did seem to get some goodness out of our efforts (see pics above), then we found ourselves apple picking in almost 90 degrees! wha? there was a bunch of wining as you can imagine. october came with a boat load of rain which seemed to make the pumpkins mushy and then as you know, halloween weekend got topped off with a crazy insane snow storm that wreaked havoc on our trees and subsequently most of the power in the tristate area. a snow day on halloween! weird i tell you. global warming issues anyone?

ANYway, we always seem to have fun nonetheless.


a few weeks back, we visited a farm that i grew up around the block from - benner's farm in east setauket, long island. it was so nice to bring the girls there. it's a quaint little farm run by the nicest of families. we fed the animals, got a peck from a rooster, and the most fun was swinging on the big swing! we might go back later in the winter to witness the tapping of the maple trees.

i've been kind of slacking in the crafting area due to the lack of time on my part. (feeling a bit guilty) but we did make some playdoh monsters. easy + simple. pull out the playdoh (we used halloweenie colors) and random craft supplies - googly eyes, buttons, etc. then, create your monsters. you can let them dry out over a few days if you wish. here's ours:

i also came across this AWESOME idea. sensory boxes! hours of play that stimulate the senses (not really taste though). i got the idea, here, from pinkandgreenmama as well. i LOVE this idea. basically, you fill a small scale bin with filler of your choice. dried beans, fish tank gravel, cotton balls, popcorn kernels, rice, easter grass....whatever! then coordinate everything to a theme. i started with a fall/halloween theme. i used dried green peas, fake pumpkins, fake leaves, halloween trinkets and some real cinnamin sticks. my three year old truly enjoys playing with her sensory box (and so does my 9 year old - shhh). she brings her other little toys into it like her littlest pet shop animals and she pretends this is their habitat. and i give her spoons and cups, too. it's a tad messy sometimes (my husband took one look at it and rolled his eyes at me) but i keep it in the kitchen only (which really helps keep her occupied while i am cooking dinner) and she is responsible for cleaning any beans off the floor which she has really been good about. she gets out her little broom. i can't wait until we change it to a holiday theme and then winter wonderland! i know, i am enjoying this way too much...but don't you just love it?!

i've been reading a lot these days. mainly nutrition subjects. the first book that i actually bought is "the family dinner" by laurie david. 

this cookbook slash encyclopedia of why and how to bring back the family meal is jam packed with anecdotes and recipes. i am obsessed with this book. i love just flipping through it for ideas. in a society where things just seem to be going faster and faster, the family meal is taking the back seat and we are losing those precious moments of connecting with each other. after school activities, work and overscheduling is a reality and laurie david lends sweet ideas and reasons why we should bring the sit down family dinner back. it's so so so important! check it out!

the other book i am reading is "lunch wars: how to start a school food revolution and win the battle for our children's health," by amy kalafa from angrymoms.org and the documentary, two angry moms. I am starting to try to get involved with school food so that by the time my three year old is at the elementary school that my nine year old is now, i can help make real positive changes. my goodness, the area of school food reform is insane. there is sooo much bureaucracy and politics involved that it really requires some serious study to even present ideas to any such authority. i understand the basics but boy, are we all in the dark. don't even get me started!!!! anyway, if you are interested in changing things at your child's school, i think start with this book. i am only in the beginning chapters but it is looking like the bible of school food reform (especially in ny state). other authors to check out if you are interested in this subject is alice waters - theedibleschoolyard.org and ann cooper - the renegade lunch lady at chefann.com. 

my other pursuit this spring is bringing back the school garden to my daughter's elementary school. hopefully, cornell cooperative extension can help us out. i'm sure i will be blogging away about this adventure to come. wish me luck!

i have been trying tons of new recipes. i am currently in love with cooking. although, i'm going to save them up for my 2011 holiday cookbook - recipes & tidbits vol. 6! - which will be posted around the december holidays with all the past cookbooks i put together, to the right. check back for that. for now, why not try a smoothie for lunch? i am one of those people who reserve smoothies for the summer months because i am chronically cold but about once a week it's a great way to get your daily fruits or veggies when produce is sparse in the cold months. i buy a lot of frozen organic berries for this purpose. they are picked and immediately froze which means they still have all of that yummy nutrition. my girls and i like the standard blueberry smoothie:

frozen organic blueberries

rice or coconut milk

plain yogurt

flax meal (optional)

blueberry whey protein powder (optional)

another one they slurp up and is a great source of protein is the monkey smoothie:

nut butter

frozen or not organic banana

milk

plain or vanilla yogurt

flax meal (optional)

vanilla whey protein powder (optional)

of course, you don't need a recipe for smoothies, anything you feel like putting in works, but i just included this in my post as a reminder that smoothies are "ok" to drink in the colder months! you'll be surprised at the burst of energy this will give you mid day. and let's not forget juicing - just make sure you are getting your fresh organic produce from somewhere you can trust.

until next time! ciao!

welcoming the fall

as the summer comes to a close i find myself in the kitchen more, relishing in the tastes of this year's local harvest. from tomatoes to apples i can't help but celebrate with yummy recipes. our new favorite (well the grown-ups) is a simple pico de gallo that can be whipped up in no time. every thursday, i head to the farmer's market (or i try to run into my garden guru neighbor for some extras) for a bag full of red and yellow tomatoes, a small bunch of cilantro and a red onion. the only things i need to buy somewhere else are 2 limes. then, as the kids play on the back porch, i chop chop away while listening to them laughing and pretend cooking themselves (and please let me be honest, bickering, too but then i just turn up wfuv...) this recipe need not be precise. these 4 ingredients just work. i start by chopping and seeding the tomatoes - pretty small pieces - and placing in a large mixing bowl. 

then, comes the chopped red onion and cilantro. i mix these together to blend the flavors and add salt & pepper o taste. then about 10 minutes later i squeeze the juice of 2 limes into the bowl, mix and let sit until dinner. of course, a mexican meal would be the best route with the pico de gallo but it really can be added to so many things. i'm thinking eggs, small pasta or even just pita chips. the last few times i made it, i just served with plain old rice and beans. always a winner and so easy. 

my secret mission is to somehow find or emulate the recipe for 'green cactus grill's' (my hometown fav) salsa. i've been trying for years. no success yet...


the end of our summer was a busy one yet we still found some simple moments and for the girls, simple play - which always warms my soul :) the simplest of objects seem to be the most intriguing, especially for my two year old. she will play for hours with shells, driftwood, acorns, beach glass, dried beans, pom poms, pieces of moss, wood chips, flower petals..... 

i love watching her arrange these objects, put in and take out, stack, pretend cook, draw on... inspiring. what was even more magical was my eight year old's fairy village that she created and set up in our side yard. it makes me smile when her playing does not involve a nickelodeon pop star or batteries. it's like i want to take her imagination and protect it in a box so that she never loses it.


eden, my older girlie, has taken an interest in fairies and building fairy villages. she spent a lot of the summer creating her very own in our yard. one day i joined her in her efforts. so fun! ah, to be eight again! here are some pics of the tiny village.

the season has changed and with that always comes yet another home project... shall i say more. it's exciting and grueling all at the same time. i'm in the midst of making over our bedroom. that's right, my college dormlike, shoebox sized master suite (i know, i'm the one who insisted on the 100 year old house with "character" - over it). my hand me down ikea 'messer' has been broken for over a year so i figured it was time to get it together and get organized like a grownup. the plaster ceiling that was sagging was also a good reason to get this project going. so far the ceiling is replaced and the next step is painting. i wish i had taken a photo of this room before it was emptied into the rest of the house (it's actually fun having our bed in the livingroom though - it's like camping!). it was a sight for sure. but a shot of the empty room 'before' will have to do.

i am thinking very light and airy yet comfortable for our new room. cream or very light neutral with white trim. white curtains, pull shade. the previous curtains were very, very dark, a dark quilt, dark wood dresser, stuff everywhere. i want this new space to be a breathe of fresh air and a blank palette for the beginning and the end of each day. a book shelf would be nice. well, the 'after' pic, i am sure will not be posted for months as we piece together our new room but i will be posting updates and items worth sharing. can't wait to open and close my dresser drawers!

the great outdoors

ok, i have a confession to make. i DO NOT like being cold. secretly, i'd love to hibernate all winter in my warm cozy house. but over the years i have had to adapt due to the ever so obvious need for our children to get outside more and as much as possible. getting them outdoors gets increasingly difficult in the winter months. my grade schooler only gets about an hour after school before it gets dark! so i am constantly looking for outdoor activities and ideas to do daily. soon snow and ice will cover the sidewalks which lends to some fun times but even just taking a nice walk around the neighborhood can be enough to keep us connected to nature during these cold months.

i purchased the book, i love dirt, by jennifer ward a few months ago in hopes for some interesting ideas and it didn't disappoint. i love the basis of this book which i believe is: to be present in this moment and to fully feel and observe. it is through these real moments that we truly learn. 

the activities are categorized by season and each activity poses a question that relates to science in some way. for example, in the spring section, there is a rain activity where you simply go outside in the rain and observe all that is happening— the raindrops falling off or pooling on your umbrella, the streams of water flowing to lower ground, the rain being absorbed into the ground, the animals or insects enjoying the rain, the cool rain on your face— then toward the end of the chapter, ward helps you to spark a scientific conversation: why does it rain? this can lead to a better understanding of our water cycle and hopefully leads to more questions which then leads to having fun outside! i immediately flipped to the fall and winter section first. some activites that caught my eye included looking for objects affected by gravity, zooming into nature, and looking for and identifying tracks and trails in the snow. overall, i think this book was a great reminder of the vast learning possibilities in nature as well as a nifty guide for parents looking to get their kids to like being outside after the swimming pools are closed and the slides are a sheet of ice.

snapshot

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

—Mark 11:24

reflections

what a gorgeous sunday afternoon. we went for a nice family stroll and bike ride around rockland lake. i took this photo around my favorite bend. the color is here! ofcourse i collected a bagillion leaves. i have a soft spot for leaves and shells - i am compulsive about collecting them.

anyway, i just want to post this quote that a friend facebooked on sunday. it joined the v.i.p. (very important post-it) board.

when you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to think, to enjoy, to love.

-marcus aurelius

it couldn't be simpler.

lady bug, lady bug fly away

wow! on our way back from the bus stop today we returned to a ladybug swarm on our porch! there were about 100 flying through the air and a hand full just everywhere you looked. we saw yellow, orange and of course red lady bugs (i think the lighter colored ones are asian beetles). there were even some in our house (which i welcome!). i took this as a good sign - pertaining to what? i don't know but a happy sign non the less. it reminded me of a video i came across on a blog a few weeks ago of a true swarm of lady bugs in boulder. check out this beautiful video. 

i believe that they swarm after cold spells in order to find warm spaces to hibernate. often they are found on the south side of light colored homes which is exactly how they were spied today. hmmm, i wonder if they will still be there in the morning....

neigh

the brownie troop visited nickel-o farms. a fun & muddy time was had by all! what a hidden treat nestled in west nyack. 

this columbus day the four of us drove up to sugar loaf and warwick. we had a lovely time at the sugar loaf fall festival. we hand-dipped candles, made a weathervane, watched a loom in use all while listening to some americana singsongs - "flying trapeze" was a fav. the foliage was spectacular. the photo ops were abundant and why are there no pics? well, in the bustle of my last minute decision to trek up to orange county, i forgot my camera! ugh... how frustrating but it actually allowed me to be in the moment and enjoy. 

after the fair we drove up to this house in warwick that we have had our eyes on. it's dreamy really. eight acres of gorgeous land, room to run and run, spacious living, the deer and turkeys scattered as we drove up the super long driveway... but oh so far away! we would be far away from family and we would miss our dear friends. this has been consuming my thoughts lately but i have come back to the fact that i am indeed happy where i am. so i will trust in the stars on this one - i will be where i am meant to be....