tis the season

we're having some fun around here. our days have been steady occupied by holiday preparations and time with loved ones. i am filled up with gratitude for all that i have. as i rush around and cram in one last thing, i would like to stop right here and just take it all in. how blessed i am...

and of course i have just finished "recipes & tidbits: vol. 6" for ya'll. as always, i had fun collecting and trying recipes all year. 

i hope you enjoy my gift to you. peace. love. joy. 

happy healthy 2012!

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!

december whirlwind

hi all. well as always the month of december has been a blur. i have come to realize that it's the year's "warp zone" – anyone remember those little holes that super mario would fall into? it's like an alternate trance-like world but with goodies! even the background music changes, just like in december... as soon as the turkey is carved, it's black friday which is like the tippy-top of the roller coaster ride of the holidays. fa-la-la-la-laaaaah!!! from then on, everywhere you look, every song you hear, everything is holiday. it's quite amazing. this year i've had such a hard time keeping creative in my work. how can all of these images and sounds and lists not have an impact? while at my desk, i try my best to drown out this holiday madness in order to get to work but i still see the tree's lights reflected on my monitor! all of that said, i do love christmas. i just find it more difficult every year to separate my work from all of these images thrown at me. any ideas?


aside from my designers block, i have been a bit elfy. the girls and i have been crafting, wrapping, singing carols, eating, wrapping, eating, wrapping...... it is quite fun. i discovered a fun little shop on etsy that sells blank wooden pegs and such – great for making your very own little dollies. i have decided to make little peg dolls for my nieces and nephews of all of their cousins because they don't get to see each other that often. now they'll be able to play together when ever they want! since we will not see them until after christmas day, i will continue to make these next week and i will post when i am finished. below, are some tiny trees we painted.

i came across a bunch of really cool toys this season. here are a few of my favs:

kimochi dolls – these are so adorable and such a useful tool for communication between you and your child as well as your child's communication with others. there are a few different characters (personalities) that you can choose to purchase for your child. they come with tiny feeling dolls to be put in their pouch when they are feeling that way. so for example, when your child is feeling angry, he or she can find the angry faced doll and put it inside of the kimochis pouch. this may spark some further communication and so on. the website is highly informative for the parent or teacher. take a look. i purchased the cat for my toddler.

creationary - how awesome! it's like pictionary (one of my all time favorites) but you build the word with legos and have your partner guess! nough said.

lil log cabin - although i did not buy this, i wish i could. it's like the little house family and i think it would be a great addition to the little house books and shows. my daughters would love this - too bad it is way over priced! maybe one day i will make one myself. check this one out that someone made. it's just like the ingall's!

last but not least, i did indeed pull together another 'recipes & tidbits' this year. here it is in pdf form and also posted on the right of this blog for safe keeping. 

truly enjoy each other – give thanks – peace – happy 2011!!!

hippity hoppity

grab your easter bonnet... so i FINALLY dove into sewing in the wee hours of the night before easter. i was inspired i guess. after much hesitation and double checking my manual, i made these bonnets! i used amy karol's bonnet pattern. i must say i am so proud of myself. i couldn't believe that i actually made these. sewing is pretty easy once you get the terminology and have a handle on the basics of the sewing machine. it was really fun. tressa loves her new bonnet and eden loves hers as well although she says she only wants to wear it while watching her little house on the prairie dvds - which to my mama liking, she is really into the last few years. when i showed her hers, she said, "mom, it's exactly like mary ingall's bonnet, i love it."

we colored eggs and for some reason all of the wax from the crayon designs that we drew on before we dyed them, wore off and so we had solid eggs. ofbcourse, i secretly love how they turned out - plain and simple :)

eden and i crafted some cute brown bag / newspaper nests. i got the idea here at alphamom. again, a messy craft so we did this one out on the deck in the warm spring sun. after a day or so they dried and we put easter candy in them but i am going to leave these out way after easter. they came out so cute and will be perfect for holding keys or little treasures. it was fun getting our hands all messy together!

twenty ten

:::fare thee well two thousand nine:::

december flew by me. i had grand visions of blogging about all of the fun crafts and goodies we made but in reality, finding pockets of time to simply do a few of those things with my girls was hard enough. we baked, we wrapped, we sang a lot! we didn't really craft much...i did throw together my annual "recipes & tidbits" book though. here is this year's as a pdf.  i sincerely enjoy gathering and trying new recips throughout the year to put into this tiny book. i also collect little quotes and tidbits about our family that i add in. (if you want to take a peek or if you misplaced the previous years, i have posted all four on the sidebar.) this year's cover has illustrations from one of our favorite winter tales, "the mitten" by alvin tresselt.

parties, dinners, caroling, christmas play! and then christmas day arrived and it was a beautiful day and night. it was a small cozy gathering where we thanked god that we were all there together and where we sang all night around the tree with a guitar, a kazoo, a slide whistle and some maracas! good times.

we were blessed with many wonderful gifts this year as well. to my surprise, i opened a brand new sewing machine! that means i actually have to learn how to sew now. no excuses. so i am going to sign up for a beginner class downtown in nyack. very excited. santa brought me wii fit - and i must say i am very sore! a few handmade and natural gifts were instant favorites.

raggety anns

irish wool hats

fun play food - all natural, wooden and non toxic

so now that all the christmas excitement and dreaminess has faded i have to do the ultimate chore - take down the tree and the rest. booooo. not fun at all. i guess i will do it this weekend. i like to leave the tree up until january 6th which is the epiphany or as we call it in my family, "little christmas." everyone usually gets one more little gift and then it's all over.

january brings its own style - resolutions, down comforters, snowmen... 

i must admit that i do go through the winter seasonal slump every year. it's so hard for me to get movin'. so at this time i usually try to envision what it is i want for this year. i try to dig deep to see what i truly wish for. for instance, i used to just set silly fitness or diet goals that i never kept up with but i have learned over the last few years that simply visualizing a healthy, happy me helps me to eat cleaner, move more and stay conscious of my choices which is what i continually wish for. i also wish to "get clear" about my career. this is always a fuzzy thing which results in working too much and spreading myself thin. then there's the ever present dilemma of balance. so as i wrap up those ornaments and vacuum up a trillion pine needles, i will try to create a picture in my mind of what it is i want for my life. i know that sounds easy but it really isn't. to really get specific about what we want or wish for takes a little meditation. think about it...

oh christmas tree

last week we headed to connecticut to cut down our christmas tree. i must say, being a long island girl, this was a new concept but really fun. and the newly fallen snow made it so picturesque. 

i visited my grandmother this weekend. pre-kids, i used to help her decorate and bake every year. i remember the warmth from the oven, the distinct aroma of vanilla, anisette, honey, cocoa. my grandmother's hands. i recall the piles of soft tissue papers that we would unwrap the many ornaments from. it seems every ornament has a story. the rule was to always decorate the back of the tree and the inside branches. these memories will forever be with me. while admiring the tree this year she told us to choose ornaments to take home and although i have had my eyes on those antique glass ornaments from my great grandmother's tree, it made me a little sad so i only chose a few. i can't express how blessed i feel that my daughters get to do all of the things that i did when i was a little girl with their great nan. "this is what it's all about."

images of halloween

phew...we fit it all in. dancing, parties, pumpkin carving, glitter spraying, muffin making, masquerade ball, trick-or-treating, candy sorting, candy eating.... on to the next!