What We Ate Part 2

I've just about got Plantboy talked into the garden blog. I think the goal is to begin January first and work through the year. This has been another wonderful week for eating what we grow. The menu changes a lot from early summer to late. Here is the last few days, and the next few:


Tacos: Standard fair, really, but this week with the addition of some awesome guacamole containing tomatoes, peppers and onions from our garden. The cilantro came from a friend's garden.

Red Curry: Had peppers, green beans, carrots, zucchini and onions from the garden. Tried to put it in the crock-pot this time was a bit of a fail, particularly in the case of my poor green beans. Stir fry is far superior.

Pasta Bake and Salad: Nothing fancy in the pasta, but the salad had loads of fresh garden tomatoes. Pasta bake night was also the night of my book group and I made my annual razzleberry pies. They turned out so beautiful. The strawberries and some of the blueberries were ours. We picked the raspberries at a local farm (ours aren't producing well enough to use yet), and the blackberries came from an obliging field just down the street.

Asian Salad: I went to the farmers market for some help with red peppers, pea pods and lettuce.

Plantboy went fishing today and caught a salmon that is probably about 25 pounds. The boys are grossing out in the backyard right now watching him gut the thing. Of course, nobody is forcing them to watch, but I find they quite enjoy gross things. My sweetheart is probably giving them a biology lesson at the same time. It is a good life.

So here is what will come this week:

Salmon: With a side of caprese salad using our basil and Roma tomatoes. I am also going to do an angel hair pasta tossed with tomatoes, basil and peppers. A little olive oil and lemon juice should be adequate sauce with so many other delightful flavors going on. I'm growing an interesting lemon-basil that will be just the thing. I think I will put in some lemon rosemary bread tonight also.

Chicken Pot pie: I have a leftover pie crust from my razzleberry pie for this. It will have carrots and peas and onions from the garden and a mashed potato base--we still have a few mounds that need digging up. A side of green beans and/or a salad. Tomatoes, of course, in the salad.

Shepherd's Pie: I am going to make this because Plantboy grows this funny, stubby little carrots called Tom Thumb carrots that are adorable in stew, and rather too much work (they are hard to cut) for anything else. Onions and garlic from the garden in the gravy. More frozen peas. Mashed potatoes on the top. When the beef is in the crockpot I will do a bouquet garni out of garden herbs to steam with it--basil, rosemary and oregano.


Hungry for the week to begin. If the last two dishes seem a bit heavy, well, it is not even eight o'clock yet and my kids have their jackets on outside. Fall might just be in the air!

28 Days of L-O-V-E

Day 20

I love a clean garage. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Plantboy. We've had the freezer less than a week, but it is filling up fast. What on earth were we doing before?


Day 21

I love the funny things kids say. Here are some recent highlights:

Jedi Knight, "Mommy, doesn't it make your heart feel so tender that I will always be your oldest son?"

Padawan, to The Youngling while they are playing with their Star Wars Lego guys, "This is Episode 3000, Revenge of the Ewoks and its all about when the Ewoks have to fight the clones."

Last week at church Plantboy whispered to me that he thinks the beloved wubby is part of the source of The Youngling's naughtiness, to which I replied that there is no chance I'm taking it until he is potty trained. The Youngling happened to be sitting between us and yelled, as loud as he could, during the passing of the sacrament, "I HATE POTTY TRAIN! I NOT POTTY TRAIN EVER!!!!" Uh. . . .

My youngest is a pillbox. I have to keep reminding myself to be firm with him because his grouchiness is sometimes ridiculously cute. Cute at two is not so much at say, age 5. My oldest learned "naughty" words later (hate, butt, stupid, idiot, etc.), my second learned them early but had this hilarious way of saying them under his breath or trailing off his sentences. Not boy number three, no sir. He likes to shout them. "I NOT EAT DINNER! I HATE DINNER!" "I NOT HAPPY I SAD; SAD MEANS I GRUMPY!" "NO KISSES MOMMY! I HATE ICKY, SOOPID KISSES!" "I DID STINKY TOOT!" (That last was during dinner, of course, and was followed by the laughter of three little boys.) "I NOT GO ON TIME OUT. NO WAY, SOOPID MOMMY!" These choice phrases may or may not be followed by the throwing of whatever toy is handy. And the little flipper has an arm.

Charming. Just charming. His other favorite recent thing is to run around naked, stopping every ten feet or so, turning his adorable little butt right around to me, shaking it while looking over his shoulder and saying, "Shake you booty. Naked baby, I shake booty." Oh my gosh, he's cute. Does anybody want to borrow him for the day?

28 Days of L-O-V-E

Day 15

I love tax return time. It is true that we bought boring grown up stuff with our return this year-- a freezer and a house re-fi, but I also got to buy a plane ticket to visit my mom and sister at the end of April in Utah. We will also be attending Women's Conference at BYU. Rounding out this year's purchases is that I finally am going to get this framed.


No, in case you were wondering, it is NOT the original. It is just a print I bought a couple of years ago at the National Gallery. And while it might be a bit gauche to spend good money to frame a poster, it is better than leaving my walls bare because I can't afford actual art. And, oh, how I love this painting. The original is more concrete than a lot of Monet's work and has held me spellbind the two times I've been to the National Gallery.


Day 16

I love the Young Women program in the Church. No, I don't love that we never seem to have enough people to run our programs, but we do it anyway. I don't love being away from my family (sometimes) three nights in a week. I don't love continually re-living the drama of my own teenage years. But what I do love is how hard we work to teach girls principles to live by as much as commandments. I love what the program does for girls who make even the barest effort to let it touch their lives. I love the women that the program churns out. As I've started to see these girls as my one-day sisters in the Church, I've been amazed at how my love for them has grown. And unlike "real" daughters, I get to send these adorable and moody bags of hormones home to their mothers each night.


Day 17

I love blogging, but I do NOT love blogging every day. Have you noticed? In fact, I feel the need to re-focus on some other aspects of my life and am thinking I will probably give up blogging for Lent. But as I'm not giving up Mormonism for Lent also, I feel totally within my rights to fudge my own definition of "Lent." The Catholic holiday started this week, but I am going to observe for the month of March, up until Easter. (About five weeks.) I like the idea of finding ways to cleanse and purify yourself in preparation for this most important of all Christian religious holidays. I think it is time to remind myself that I once understood self-discipline much better than I do now.

You Can Do What?

Yesterday, the Enrichment Counselor and I were holding a meeting at my house, brainstorming ideas for our March birthday meeting.* Though there wasn't must to discuss, I had been kind of putting off the meeting because no matter what we do, it takes two hours. This is not necessarily a bad thing: she is a very good friend and we really enjoy each other's company.

We often schedule our meeting for a time when my baby is napping and I put on a movie for Padawan while we meet. But Padawan didn't ask for a movie, instead wanting the Lincoln Logs down from the shelf. I agreed reluctantly. Not so much for the mess, but because Padawan doesn't know how to build with them and I was worried I'd end up on the floor the whole time we were meeting, just trying to keep him entertained and happy. Our set of logs has a set of train tracks with it, and I noted that he was able to quickly put together the tracks. Pleasantly surprised, I thought, "This won't be so bad after all. He can at least play with the train."

Just as our meeting stretched to about 90 minutes, Padawan, who had only been playing about ten feet away from me this whole time, came up and quietly and tugged at my sleeve. "Look what I did, Mommy."

It reminds me of the time when Jedi Master, who was barely two at the time, peered at my "Utah State University Alumni" window cling in the back of the car and started singing the alphabet song--which I didn't recall having ever sung to him before. It is so easy to forget how quickly they soak up information and intently they pay attention when you are in the middle of wiping bums, reminding them to pick up and shouting at them to get their fingers out of their noses.

While the camera was still out, I had to have a picture of the baby who just got up from his nap. YES, that is STILL a bottle. He only gets one when he wakes up, and right before bed. He drinks out of a sippy cup pretty well even, but this provides a great deal of comfort. My other kiddos weaned themselves, but this little guy seems quite determined to break any mold I have experience with. The Youngling mostly seems good at growing curls, squealing, hitting or biting his brothers, tackling anything that will hold still and complaining about what I make for every meal.

And in a rather unrelated note (though I guess the title is about what you are good at), I need to show off my latest scrapbook pages. Scrapbooking mamas tend to get a bit of a bad rap, being turned, I have to say, negative or at least ridiculous stereotypes of Mormon women. I know a bit about unfair profiling: I was a sister missionary, remember? Anyway, here are the pages. I love to just find the perfect paper for the perfect photos and start from scratch. My cheat here is that I copied the layout from one that I saw and really liked. These were taken three winters ago in Logan.

* Our theme is around the idea of realizing your potential as an Eight Cow Woman. Can anybody suggest any classes that might be relevant to them? Either things you want to learn that I can fudge into the theme or things that are interesting and relate to your divine potential? Any suggestions at all would be great. I mean, any POSITIVE suggestions would be great. If you want to suggest just scrapping the whole Enrichment program, then just keep it to yourself. That's all.

More Buckets

Yesterday Plantboy had to take a day off because he went out of town for several days last week. I told Plantboy that I thought I'd take a day off too. I spent most of the day Christmas shopping. I also treated myself to a guacamole bacon burger at Red Robin. I ordered double fries and drank enough rootbeer to rival the ward campout intake. While I ate my luscious lunch I read and I did NOT wipe any faces or break up any fights.

If you haven't done this for a while, please, take a day off. It was pretty much awesome.

I also bought supplies to make up a few more of my gift buckets--these ones for the ladies I visit teach. Though there are 80 things on the to-do list before Christmas should really be addressed, my project has put me a bit in the mood today. They are rather festive. I'm going to fill them with hazelnut clusters. Don't you wish I visit-taught you?

The Times Twelve Plan

I have a friend who is pretty much the Queen of Food Storage. Really. But just a few years ago, she didn't have a single can of green beans stashed under a bed. I think I am having my own food storage epiphany this month. Your many funny, poignant and touching blog entries about Hurricane Ike have really made me think. Just three years ago, we lived in one of those neighborhoods that went powerless for a week or two. More recently, the Queen was visiting teaching me when mention of the apocalyptic bird flu came up. If (do I dare say when?) your city is hit, your family may be quarantined for up to three months.

Though still encouaraged to build up a year's supply of essentials, the Church is currently emphasizing being well-stocked for three months. This seems overwhelming in a house that barely holds our day-to-day life, but I read a very funny quote recently from the man who is the director of food storage for the Church. He said, "If you need it, you will wish you had stored it in the living room and kept your furniture in the garage." Hmm . . . food or leather sofas?

In light of the whole world going crazy this month (black October anyone?), this week, food is sounding like the right choice.

Anyway, some months back, the Queen taught Sunday School and told about her "Times Twelve Plan." She has come up with seven meals that her family likes that can be made entirely from food storage. Now, some of her recipes are optimal using fresh ingredients, but in a pinch, there is a food storage substitute that is totally adequate. Then, to create a three month food storage supply, you simply multiply each ingredient by 12, and that is what you buy to create your food storage, in addition to toiletries and longer term storage items. I like this because it gives you specific meals to make, and food storage you will actually use. The Times Twelve Plan helps you avoid the following conversation on Day 8 into your food storage:

STM says, "Hey, Plantboy, any ideas what to make with dried lentils, cream of chicken soup and canned green beans?"

To which Plantboy replies, "If only we had some cheese, you could make a killer casserole."

"Right. I think I actually have some shaky cheese."

"Yummy. What about throwing some Ramen noodles in there?"

You get the point. On Day 9 you would eat the leftovers. By day 30, you are boiling wheat to eat like cereal with your last six ounces of sugar. By day 45, you are eating each other . . . .

The problem, for me, with this plan, is finding recipes that can be made using no fresh ingredients that my family will actually eat. So I think it would be cool if anyone reading this blog, who happens to have a great food storage recipe that your family loves would post said recipe under the title, "The Times Twelve Plan." Between all of us, we should be able to come up with several good meals: we may not even have to eat the same thing each week. I am posting two. The first is a meal, the second is a wonderful bread recipe made entirely from food storage. The bread, served with prepared tuna (mayonnaise and relish count for food storage) and a can of fruit, is an excellent, nutritious meal.

Southwest Stew

Using a crockpot or a Dutch oven, boil 2 chicken breasts with 3 cups of broth OR drain a large can of chicken and combine it with 2 cups broth and 1 cup water (canned chicken is saltier).

When cooked, shred chicken into bite sized pieces and add the following (draining beans and corn):

1 small can diced green chilis
1 large can diced tomatoes (or sub two previous ingredients for 2 cans Rotel brand tomatoes, any variety)
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn

Stir well, add one package (1/4 cup) of taco seasoning and a ranch dressing mix packet. Stir again.

Variations--If eating fresh, serve with chips, sour cream, shredded cheese and chopped cilantro. You can easily modify this to a vegetarian version by using vegetable broth, skipping the chicken, and adding an extra can of beans, any variety. If making it fresh, I use frozen corn: it is more flavorful and has much less salt. You can cook beans from scratch for this recipe, but if power is an issue then you will want something that can be heated through quickly.

The Queen's Whole Wheat Bread

Combine 3 cups warm water, 1/3 a cup honey (or sugar) and 2 Tbsp yeast. When yeast softens and begins to work, add 5 cups whole wheat flour. Allow this sponge mixture to rise until double, about 40 minutes.

Add another 1/3 cup honey (or sugar), 1 tsp of salt, 2 Tbsp oil, 4-5 Tbsp dough conditioner (also called gluten flour or wheat gluten) and 3 more cups whole wheat flour. Knead. Rise until double, another 30 to 40 minutes.

Divide into three smallish loaves and place in greased bread pans. When loaves double, another 30 to 40 minutes, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

This bread is so soft and yummy, but it is the addition of the gluten that makes it so. It is also good half wheat and half white, which is a good option if you don't have gluten. Generally, I do five to six cups of wheat, 2-3 cups of white and a 1/2 a cup of quick cooking oats. Very yummy. A professional grade Kitchenaid mixer with a dough hook will handle this dense dough, but it is tough. It is best to hand mix in the flour in the second mixture to save your motor a few extra years!

I will wait anxiously for your recipes!

Epicurus Would Be So Proud

Last weekend turned out wonderful. We didn't go anywhere special or do anything spectacular--but it was a weekend of culinary and sensory delights. I felt light-hearted and rested Monday morning. It isn't often that I feel so, because I'm usually completely stressed and under-accomplished and thinking, "Here we go again."

My weekend cooking has gotten more elaborate as of late. The reason is that we are in a dinner group with four other families. (I can't believe I haven't blogged about this yet! This topic could probably be a blog all on its own.) I cook on Fridays and deliver food to everyone in the group. I don't, however, cook on Mondays-Thursday. This works out well with all that I've got going on in late afternoons and early evenings. Because I'm not cooking as often, I find that my weekend meal ideas are not as boring and we try a lot more new things. It has also made the kids a lot less picky, because they have to pretty much eat whatever shows up.

So here is my weekend, complete with recipes:

Friday we went to dinner with Drs. Jamin and Tabula Rasa. We ate at P.F. Chang's. I've only been there one other time and wasn't really impressed. I think it is because I was in my first trimester of pregnancy #3 and was sick often. Asian food never sits well with me during pregnancy. Anyway, our family style dinner on Friday was wonderful--Mongolian beef, noodles, lettuce wraps, citrus chicken, spicy green beans--everything was very good. I am sure that we will go back. I'm inspired now to try and recreate their lettuce wraps. I've done this before, but I don't think I've got it quite right. I'm going to keep messing around. Plantboy was just happy that they had rice. Which "shortage" he says, by the way, cannot be a real thing. In the US we grow a lot of rice and don't import it. The only way there is a rice shortage in the US is if more of the product is being sold overseas because of the ridiculously high profit margin right now.

Saturday night, the missionaries came over. I think I've fed these two nice boys six or seven times in the last two months. We seem to be having a problem getting people to sign up lately. This. Is. So. Not. Cool. Not the feeding them thing, so much as the people not agreeing to feed them thing. Don't get me started. Anyway we had a hamburger buffet that rivaled Red Robin for its options. (See my last post for the hamburger concoction that is pretty much my new favorite.) Here is the chimichurri recipe as promised:

First of all, chimichurri is bascially a pesto with less oil. Chimichurri is an herby kind of meat rub or condiment, pesto is more of a sauce used for pasta and often contains nuts and cheese along with the herb, usually basil. My chimichurri is kind of a marriage of these two:

Mince 1 whole bunch of cilantro. Mix well (do NOT process, it is better with texture) with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons finely chopped pine nuts, 2 tablespoons diced red pepper, 1 tablespoon each of parmesan cheese and red onion, and 1 teaspoon of basalmic vinegar. (For a slightly different flavor, leave out the flakes, cheese, red pepper and vinegar and put in a tablespoon of lime or lemon juice.) Add black pepper, salt and garlic powder to taste. Pestos typically use fresh garlic--I do not. I think uncooked garlic overpowers everything else and takes away from the herb flavor. If you love garlic, however, do what you want. At least you'll be safe from vampires.

The lettuce on our hamburgers was this gorgeous stuff from Plantboy's garden. If each of you lived closer I'd bring you over a big bag of this delightful, organic spring mix. I have no idea what we are going to do with it all. We cut it back and eat it, but it just keeps coming. I've signed up to do LOTS of salads with dinner group over the next few weeks. I love the look on my hubby's face as he eats produce that he grew. It is going to be a good summer for vegetables. Oh, and there is Swiss chard a-plenty if anyone is
interested. I wilted some down into some wheat


penne with the leftover chimichurri and it was really delicious. It tastes a little spinachy and it slightly bitter. No wonder everyone keeps telling me to serve it with salt, pepper and heaps of butter. (Heaps of butter, hah! That is such an Aussie expression. That is how everyone in Australia told me they were able to eat vegemite sandwiches . . . )





On Saturday we put in a few more garden items--tomatoes and a variety of herbs. I didn't ever report on my indoor herb garden I put in last fall because it didn't last. Our house is too dark, particularly in the winter, for anything but the housiest of house plants. Still, Plantboy reserved a beautiful spot as close as possible to the kitchen for my herbs. We also pulled out some nasty ivy and tilled up a large spot for my squash that Plantboy has finally agreed to. I guess he is afraid that if I grow squash and zucchini then I am going to make him eat it. The answer to that is--of course I will.
















I also noticed that our lilacs are in bloom, which pretty much means that all is right with the universe. I once wrote a really mediocre poem called "Memories of May" that was mostly about a series of tender recollections evoked by the smell of these purple gifts straight from Heaven. They make lousy cut flowers and can really only be fully appreciated when they are in their natural habitat. Lilacs, for me, are a symbol that spring has really come and that, perhaps more importantly, that my birthday is imminent. I'm grateful that it is a Leap Year because I dodged the Mother's Day/birthday holiday bullet. It was great when I was a kid--a special day for just me and mom--but as an adult, the proximity has been a real kick in the pants. Six years ago these happy events coincided and, well, lets just say that Plantboy and I had to have a long talk about special days and the nature of gift-giving.


Sunday we broke our fast with an amazing salad like something from Chipotle or Mucho Gusto or Cafe Rio. On top of the baby greens, we put sweet pulled pork, black beans, cilantro-lime rice, corn salsa, avocado, creamy cilantro-lime dressing, chips, cheese and salsa. (Scroll down to the bottom for recipes.) Oh, and Jell-O. Hey, the kids had to eat too.


Sunday night after putting the kids to bed, I read to Plantboy while we lay in his double-wide hammock that he bought in Brazil as a missionary to give to his wife someday (which he did the night before we got married along with a copy of the Complete Works of Jane Austen). The funny sounds of karoke drifted over the fence from our Asian neighbor's party (really) and there was a pleasant scent of lilacs wafting over us. We read the last part of The Work and the Glory: Praise to the Man. Even mediocre writing shines when the subject matter is so profound. As we rocked in that luscious hammock, even the difficult events of Joseph Smith's martyrdom seemed like a part of the joy in the life I have.


It is true that American soldiers have insured our Constitutional rights and and bodily freedom, but I owe all the true beauty and goodness in my life to the courage of Joseph Smith. Other Christian religions leave far too many gaps for me to have ever come to Christ in some other way than by the religion Jospeh was directed to start. Mormonism appeals to my sense of logic, fair-play and intellect as much as to my spiritual yearning to be saved. When Joseph looked back across the river, at the intersection between freedom in the Rocky Mountains or turning back to face his accusers, he said, "If my life means so little to my friends, then I guess it means very little to me." Could there be anything more heartbreaking? What if Joseph had gone west instead that night? Did the Church survive in spite of his martyrdom, or BECAUSE of it?

In the book Prince Caspian, Lucy hesitates a long time before following Aslan, though she knows she has seen him when no one else has. When she finally follows him, she says (paraphrased), "What was I supposed to do? Leave the others?" One look from Aslan tells her that this was exactly what he had in mind. She despairs and asks him if her leaving a day or two earlier might have made a difference in the outcome of the battle. Aslan shakes his great, wise mane and tells her that we can never know what might have been. Only what will be. That is a powerful lesson. We cannot know what might have happened if Joseph lived, but we can write our own future as faithful members of the Church, never forgetting the many sacrifices that were made to make our lives possible. So, while it was a weekend of much pleasure, I did have some thoughts that gave pause to the pleasure to reflect on actual happiness.

But perhaps the most fabulous part of the weekend was that we ate on this!



(Now, read this next part in your best Bob Barker voice.) Thats right! A new dining room table. This six-chair, expandable leaf table has a beautiful light oak finished top with inlaid, laminate wood work. The contrasting wood is creamy white with a slightly antiqued finish.

If it was really the Price is Right, I would next be telling you about the matching hutch, but that will take a few more months of delivering papers. The leaf really expands it out, but I've only got the six chairs. Besides, it is already so big for the space that increasing its length would mean moving the couch. So, who is coming for dinner?

The last photo is just Scallywag with his spiky hair. I've got to take a lot of pictures of him over the next few weeks because he has THREE loose teeth. He lost two on the bottom last fall, but two of these three are the top two in the middle. My little boy is soon going to look like a big boy and there are parts of me that want to hang on as long as possible to this:

Recipes

Sweet Pork
The roast I bought was called a pork sirloin roast, so it was fairly lean with a good combination of dark and light meat. It was also HUGE, but only like 1.80 a pound or something. I put it in my crockpot with half a jar of tomatillo salsa and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Set it to low for 8 hours. It will then shred easily. Warm the rest of the salsa with 1/4 cup of brown sugar and pour it down over the shredded pork. This will make a ton of meat. I fed 20 people with it.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
You need 2 1/2 parts rice (something long grain or even a little bit fancy like basmati or jasmine rice), 2 parts water, 2 parts chicken broth and 1 part lime juice for this. Saute rice in butter until it clears a little bit. Add chicken broth, water and lime juice. When the rice is cooked through, fold in chopped cilantro (to taste: I added a whole bunch to it) and salt and pepper.

Corn Salsa
This is really Plantboy's baby, so I'll just tell you what he puts in it and then you'll just have to modify everything to your taste: frozen, rinsed and drained super sweet white corn. Let it sit until kernels easily separate and warm up slightly before mixing other ingredients into it. This "recipe" bases itself on a whole bag of corn. Layer everything in the bowl and just stir a little bit at the end, you don't want to overmix. 1/2 bunch diced cilantro, 1/4 cup diced red peper, 1/4 cup diced purple onion, 1 green onion, 1/2 tsp tabasco sauce, 2 tsp vinegar, 1/2 fresh jalenpeno, no seeds (this is for the spicy option, eliminate tabasco if you do this), and 1 medium firm tomato, diced.

Do Not Go Gently

I love living in a place where autumn really behaves like autumn. It is as if the year is saying, "I may be going to sleep for three months, but I will go out in a glorious blaze of color and bounty." For the many things I did really enjoy about living in Texas, autumn was the time of year I always wanted to be somewhere else. It didn't seem right to sweat through Halloween costumes or to run the air conditioner on Thanksgiving. Now we are living in a place that really does autumn correctly.

One of my blogger buddies apologized some days back on an email for not blogging more often. She says this time of year brings out her squirrel tendencies and she is so busy canning, yardworking and storing up that she has time for little else. This really impressed me. And though I don't have a yard of my own, there is so much inexpensive produce here by way of farmers' markets that I may have to actually teach myself to bottle up some of this autumn goodness to enjoy later.
Last Friday I took the boys to a pumpkin patch. You know how you sometimes get two hours of perfection with your kids? That was Friday. The baby woke up just in time to nurse before we met our ward there just after lunch time. The weather broke for a few precious hours and Scallywag and Pirate have seldom had as much fun in the mud. For a mere two dollars each boy got a hayride and any pumpkin they could carry. (The result is two very small, misshapen pumpkins. I like to think this says something about the Charlie Brown qualities of my kids.) I wore the baby the whole time and he didn't even fuss once. It was one of those moments when I said YES! I CAN DO THIS THREE KIDS THING! I won't give details about the afternoon of tantrums . . . .






So the next day, Plantboy (isn't he cute) and I decided that we would take the kids to another farm, a little further away and pick apples with them at a mere forty cents a pound. Scallywag is really into the Golden Delicious variety these days because they did a taste test during science time at school and it was the clear winner. Saturday was not the day of perfections. We didn't even manage a couple of hours of perfection. The weather was gorgeous, but there were a lot of people and the boys absolutely did NOT want mom and dad to go so crazy at the Farmer's Market there. Nor did they want mom and dad to sit and listen to the hilarious country band while eating amazing apple cobbler and ice cream. They wanted a hayride NOW. Unfortunately, the clydesdales needed a break just as we showed up and we had to boys tantruming so ferociously by the time they were back that it didn't happen. Still, the photos are cute and I'm sure the memories will fade enough that we'll do exactly the same thing next year.









I have no record of the exceptional apple pie baked on Sunday. Our hometeachers helped us devour it when it was less than an hour out of the oven. Try fresh cream (unwhipped) over your next slice of apple pie. Oh. It. Is. Divine.

Although I'm glad to know the truth of things scientifically and spiritually, I have such a love of the Greek myths. One of my favorite is the explanation for why the seasons change. Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, had a very beautiful daughter, Persephone, who married the God of the Underworld (I forget the details on this part), Hades. Demeter was in such despair that she turned the earth into an eternal winter, nearly killing all of the humans off. (You've got to love the passions of those gods.) Zeus had to intervene or there would have been no more life on the planet. He compromised with his brother Hades and half the year, he had to send Persephone back ot her mother. He agreed. The ancient Greeks built temples to placate Demeter, goddess of the harvest, so that she would bless their harvest enough to see them through the winter.

While there is not a shred of truth in the story, there is something archetypal, fundamental and satisfying about the storing up against winter, even in our modern life. I have been grateful this week for the harvest God has given me.

So Our Oregon Journey Begins

We've been in Oregon for a couple of weeks now. I thought I'd finally download some pictures and give a little insight into what we've been up to. There are no pictures of our road trip here because it is basically 5 hours of nothing and then Boise. Another 6 hours of nothing and then Bend. Finally 2 hours of mountain roads and then Eugene. If you like scenery of all kinds, you should definitely hop in your car and come to Oregon.

When we arrived at our home, we were immediately greeted by a terrible smell emanating from the fridge. Although brand new, and loaded with groceries by Plantboy the day it arrived, it actually never worked. It took a week and a half to get a replacement.

The picture just above is a dozen pints of homemade freezer jam, which Plantboy also picked the berries for. It was more like raspberry wine when we found it--runny and fermented. This was the main source of the smell. If you have ever had Plantboy's jam, you'll understand why we were so disappointed by this turn of events. The second raspberry crop is due in early September.

This is a before shot. This front wall will eventually be green. The ceiling in our main room as large skylights which we really love.

This is a picture of one of the back bedrooms showing the paint color. This back bedroom has toys and our computer. We are actually putting all three boys to sleep in the same room. So far, so good. The baby is even sleeping through the night. Jeff calls their bedroom "the dormitory." I'm just grateful they don't smell like teenage boys yet.

Isn't Captain Tootypants adorable?

Plantboy MADE this shelf last week. I was so impressed. His project came in UNDER budget and he finished in a single day. This is a huge leap forward for us. He is going to put in another one next week. Our realtor said Oregonians don't need basements because there aren't any tornados. I said, "Where do you put all your stuff?" "In the garage." Uh, okay, "where do you put your cars." "In the driveway." The shelves may allow us to keep ONE car in the garage anyway. Sounds like Texas, hey? Except in Texas they throw in an old sofa, a junky TV and a rebel flag on the wall to complete the man-room. Anyway, a job well done, Plantboy. If the girls can't call you handsome, at least they can call you handy. (Or handsy in Plantboy's case.)

These last six are from the beach today. It was really marvelous. The beach here isn't warm, but I'm actually glad of that. It keeps the crowds down and there seems to be less muck growing in the tide pools. People also tend to cover themselves a little better when it is cold! The wind blew sea spray and the sky was flawlessly blue. Just to the north of where we stopped, you can see Haceta Head Lighthouse on a small bluff overlooking the ocean. There is something about the ocean that fills my veins with excitement. Despite the sand and the driving and the sunburns, I feel quite rejuvinated. The sense of so much life teeming just below the surface is exciting to me. I'm reminded that my first true ambition was to be a marine biologist. There was something wonderful in the air that makes me want to write again. I hope too much doesn't pass before I can get back.