Home Sweet Home

Home to Clemmons . . . home to Boone . . . home to King . . . ahh, home to Durham.  

We had a wonderful extended weekend away.  We were able to visit the Morrisons in Clemmons, friends in Boone, and my hometown, King, with my family.  

  

I didn't take many photos in Clemmons.  I guess we were having too much fun.  This is a picture of Madelyn and I after we both found a four leaf clover.  What are the chances?  :)

We decided since we were closer to Boone than if we were here in Durham, we would scoot on up the mountain for the day.  We were nervous as we made our way up on Saturday.  We had not been back, as a family, since we moved.  

Our little family went straight in to King Street where there is this fabulous little restaurant called Melanie's.  We ate well and visited more of our favorite hot spots of Boone.  

We had called up a couple of our Boone friends to meet us for a little play time at a park.  This is a picture of Julian with Bryant.  It was so nice to see them together again.  

Here are Tim, Scott St. Clair and my Scott.  They chatted for what seemed like hours, picking up right where they left off.  I enjoyed visiting with April and Cameron as well.  I just love them!  We miss them all so much here in Durham.

Here is a picture of all our kids.  From top left to right; Bryant, Price, Julian, Blane, (bottom left to right) Madelyn, Hattie Rose, Brayden, Virginia, Calvin and Kalen.  What a crew!!

Hattie Rose and Maddie

After our time at the park, the Greene family invited us to their farm.  We enjoyed several hours with this amazing family.  It was so beautiful to be there.  I breathed so deep, trying to take it all in.  Life in the mountains is slower and sweeter.  It was so nice to taste that again.

Much more to come from our weekend away.  Stay tuned.

All Puckered Up

Last night before bed, I made some hot tea for the kids. I served them a lemon with their tea and they all had a taste of it. Their little faces were so cute.

Little Artists

I gave them each red, blue, and green paint.  They produced four totally different masterpieces. 

Children are so unique.  

I remember during my student teaching, the Kindergarden teacher had made a painting with a house, grass, and a sunshine.  The children were free to paint during center time, but they had to paint what the teacher had modeled.  

Children need freedom to express themselves.  If they color outside the lines, it is okay.  If they make a big blob in the middle of their paper, it is okay.  Experimenting is how they learn.  Let us not limit them.  Realizing that they can create something, all their own, gives them confidence.  

Enriching with Starbucks

Several years ago, Starbucks started offering their leftover coffee grounds to people to take home and use for composting.  For the gardener, it is a way to enrich their soil.  Starbucks stores offer the used coffee grounds, free, to anyone that comes in and wants them.  They even  package it up in recycled bags.  I am thankful that this program is promoting waste-reduction and allowing these grounds to be reused in such a meaningful way.  

Today, Maddie, Kalen & I went out and spread the grounds at the soil level of various plants and sprinkled it in our compost.

As sited on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website:

Tips for Composting Coffee Grounds:

* Mix grounds with soil around acid-loving plants and watch them flourish.
* Add brown leaves and grass clippings to mulch to help balance the pH of the soil.
* Mix grounds into compost to accelerate the composting process.
* Grounds should not be more than 25 percent of any compost pile. To counteract the acidity of coffee grounds, add one teaspoon of lime or wood for each five pounds of coffee grounds in your compost.
* Help a worm bin flourish by feeding worms with coffee grounds combined with brown materials.

"Me Do It, Mommy."

This afternoon I was prepping our meal for this evening when I was greeted by a helpful little man.  "Me do it, Mommy," Brayden said.  He saw me shucking corn and wanted to join in the fun.  He also saw his big brother, Kalen, rooting around trying to help as well.  I gave them both an ear of corn and let them go at it.  They were quite successful.  

As I looked over them, I thought, I have these opportunities all throughout the day.  I have the chance to allow for my children to take on a challenge, a lofty goal.  It is tempting to shut down the opportunity and seek the easiest way to just get it done.  Putting my hands by my sides and just saying, "Okay, you try," is going to lead to a more meaningful learning experience.  

I want my children to be at ease with these daily tasks that are doable.  I want them to be accessible to learning about simple things that lead to a greater knowledge and life skills.  Shucking corn may not seem like a big deal. To a little guy, it is huge to uncover that beautiful corn on the cob!  This sense of autonomy and drive is what I want our children to seek.  I must be willing to say "okay" and go with the moment.  

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can . . .

He seemed to say, "Is this right, Mommy?"

Whew!  Sweet success!

Simple Pleasures

We went to a couple of thrift shops yesterday.  We were thrilled to find some good books, t-shirts, a 99 cent groovy girl doll, a manly brown mug for Scott and this mug for myself.  I found it hidden behind a bunch of junk.  I thought it was full of character.  Not bad for 69 cents.  Reuse!   

Our Cookout

Last night, after discussing what we should do all afternoon, we decided to do a little cookout of our own.  The kids aren't use to us doing it, so it was so cute seeing their reaction.  Now remember, we are vegan.  We picnic, we don't do much "cooking outdoors".  We have a small grill that is portable.  The term cookout was a little confusing to my sweet little Kalen.  He kept asking about us camping out.  He had the two a little jumbled in his mind.  Poor guy thought we were going to camp out in our backyard instead of cookout.  :)

We had veggie kabobs, tofu dogs, veggie burgers, potato chips (a not often bought treat), and watermelon.  We definitely felt American as we happily feasted on our meal, surrounded by our citronella candles, listening to firecrackers and swatting flies.    

Let Me Just Tell You . . .

Tuesday, I took the kids blackberry picking again.  We just really enjoy going out to that farm.  It is in the country and it is so peaceful.  We had a great time and brought home even more berries.  I canned 10 jars of jam today.  I loved every minute of it.  

This morning, part of Julian's homeschooling work was to build something with K'NEX.  Boy, did he.  This kid built a ferris wheel!  He is super at reading the directions to these creations he makes.  I made a little video so you can see how it works.  The video is at the bottom.  Before bed, Julian even made one for Maddie, as well.

Kalen showing off his creation.  

So, what do I do on a day that I have a million things to do, I put underwear on my two year old and try to encourage the whole potty training business.  Like I don't have enough going on!  He was totally into wearing underwear and pull-ups.  I don't know why I just decided to go for it with him, but I did.  This morning he had a lot of accidents and didn't use the potty at all.  BUT, this afternoon and this evening, he would run to me or the potty and say, "Poo-Poo Mama."  Needless to say, I am totally thrilled and totally up for staying home for next few days to help him get it.  This doesn't mean that he will, of course.  But hey, it is worth a try.  I am crazy about this little guy!  Everytime he used the potty, I would give him two chocolate chips.  By the end of the evening, he had a brown tipped smile.  :)  I am so proud of him.

Okay, so I have one word for you . . . FREECYCLE!!!!!  This morning, Scott was doing some work upstairs on the computer when all of a sudden I hear, "Anna!  Come here!"  I ran upstairs and he motioned for me to read what was on the screen.  He had gotten an email from freecycle.  He gets several of these a day.  This involved a trampoline.  Freecycle is, as stated on the website, "a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns."  It is free to join and you get to network within your own community.  I think it is truly clever.  Much of what is offered is totally random stuff.  It is a wonderful way to get stuff in the hands of people who actually want it and will use it.  Reuse people!!    

We immediately responded to this lady about her trampoline.  They had only had it for a year and the kids didn't use it.  We were totally up to checking it out.  We have talked about getting the kids one for years, but haven't because of the money.   

Julian, our builder, went with Scott to see it.  It turned out to be in excellent condition.  Scott told them that we could definitely take it off their hands.  The guys disassembled it and brought it home.  All afternoon, Scott worked so hard to get it put together.  We are so excited about this!  Yes, we are totally aware of the dangers of having trampolines.  We have heard many stories and we know what we are possibly getting into.  For now, we will enjoy it, consider it a gift, and teach our kids to play as safely as possible.  

Celebrating With Family

Here are some photos from Sunday.  Scott's side of the family came for the afternoon to celebrate his birthday.  We had a great time, as usual.  

Shanda & Maddie

Madelyn had curled her hair the night before to be like her Aunt Shanda.

Scott with his birthday carrot cake

Grandpa playing chess with Julian

Jan helped me take down the laundry.  

These two are a pair.

Scott & Brayden

Maddie with Grandpa

Shanda and Nana with the kids.  We didn't really plan on the orange theme.  :)

Kalen taking Brady for a ride as their grandparents leave.

Tofu Quiche Recipe

A couple of you had asked for this recipe.  It may seem a bit much at first glance, but it is worth it.  I highly recommend it and the cookbook.  The cookbook is full of simple & fun recipes.  Eating food without meat or dairy doesn't have to be a dreaded or unenjoyable thing.  We love it!   Truly, we think the world is missing out!  

This recipe is from The Garden of Vegan cookbook by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer.  Might I say that this book is a good read, not just a good cookbook.  It gives insight into being vegan and is super simple and reader friendly.  My sweet sister-in-law, Shanda, gave this book to me for my birthday.  She knows me well.  I love it!  

Tofu Quiche

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp Braggs (May be found in the soy sauce and other sauces section.  It has two ingredients: soy beans and water.  It is a tamari/soy sauce alternative.  If you have one of those, you could surely use it.)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp pepper

2 c spinach, chopped

1 lb medium-firm tofu

1/3 c soy milk

1 c soy cheese (I used mozzarella kind.)

5-10 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 

1 9-inch pie crust (look below)

Preheat to 350.  In a medium saucepan on medium heat, saute the onions, garlic, and mushrooms in oil until the onions are translucent.  Add the Braggs, oregano, turmeric, and pepper.  Mix well.  Remove from heat, add the spinach on top of onion mixture, cover, and set aside.  In a blender or food processor, blend the tofu and soy milk until well combined.  In a large bowl, mix together the vegetable mixture, tofu mixture, soy cheese, and tomatoes.  Pour mixture into pie crust.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Let cool and set for 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 1 pie.  

Basic Flaky Pie Crust:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 c vegetable shortening or margarine (I use Earth Balance)

3 tbsp cold water

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt.  Cut the shortening into the flour mixture and when well mixed, add the water.  Mix together until a dough forms.  Knead for a minute or two.  Wrap the dough in wax paper and chill for 30 minutes.  Roll the dough into a pie crust.  Makes 1 crust.

(tip:  I actually put the ball of dough in the middle of two seperate pieces of wax paper and roll out into a nice circle for my crust.  I remove one paper and turn into the oiled pan.  Don't forget to prick the bottom with a fork!)