Thursday, July 25, 2013

......fruit forward......

 .....I have been slightly obsessed with fruit picking this summer.....once I found out that there were strawberry fields, it was like the other fruits felt left out and hailed us to come hither......

......we picked our strawberries on the last day of the season and of course, the farm made sure we knew that blueberries were next.....my jaw dropped.......I had no idea there were blueberry fields in CT........the more I started to share the good news with friends, I found out that peaches make their debut in mid-July as well......I may have gone weak in the knees......not that I am capable of whipping up a cobbler from scratch or a blueberry pie, but the thought of taking my kids to a farm and bringing the fruit straight to our table is a very cool and healthy memory I want them to have......suddenly, upon hearing of all these you pick 'em options, I instantly made it my mission that we would pick strawberries, blueberries, peaches, donut peaches, raspberries, apples and pumpkins within 30 minutes from our house during their prospective seasons........I still talk about tomato picking with my Mom and vividly remember making sauce later that night......as a kid, I sold the limes we picked from our tree on our corner and every weekend we squeezed our own orange juice from the tree on the side of my yard......

.....farm to table, baby.....there is nothing like it.......I hailed the troops to the blueberry fields, ready to sear another berry moment in my kids' memories......







.....our record breaking heat wave seemed like the perfect opportunity to pick blueberries.....we truly experienced the fruit of our labor......by 10am when we hit the field, it was already above 92 degrees and the babes were already complaining they were hot on the truck ride to the field.......I also had no idea that blueberries are tricky to pick.......it takes a lot of work to search for the perfectly ripe berry......there is a lot of reaching, bending, kneeling, and being tangled up in branches to find a ripe bunch......it especially takes extra effort to make progress when Brody swipes his share from the basket for a snack in the shade, but the girls weathered the heat and the berry snatcher defiantly......





......the ice cold water bottle I used to spray heads and hot skin probably bought us an extra twenty minutes in the field......all of which we needed because the berries we brought home lasted 18 hours before they were gone.....I didn't even have an opportunity to to feel like I could possibly pull it off and google 'blueberry pie recipes' before the baskets were bare......

.....so this week, we spontaneously headed to another farm on Monday morning ready to start the week with healthy intentions.......


.....peach picking is the easiest of the fruit picking we have done this summer.....find the bright orange, soft peaches and pull......it's easy, it's quick and my babes eagerly handed me four full bags in less than 20 minutes.....




....this trip, Brody actually pulled his weight.....


.....the cooler weather this week also enabled us to slow down and to inhale the beauty of where we live.....the hills, the lush green vegetation, and the scenery.......


......then we can drive home and be back at the pool club with our sweet neighbors or scour the beach for shells and crabs in the afternoon.....



.....best of both worlds in so many ways......

.....and if anyone has a good peach recipe, I am all ears......we can not eat or give away the loads of peaches we have quick enough......

.....I may just have to attempt cobbler after all.....

......all of this fruit talk has made me envious of the wine I could be drinking to go with it......soon enough..........but for the rest of you, MommyJuice Wines is sponsoring a giveaway of two stemless goblets for one winner.......perfect for the last of summer happy hours in your favorite place......

.....good luck and cheers!......


Monday, July 22, 2013

.....u pick 'em and a giveaway.....

.....very rarely do I miss a fall pick and now I can add to the yearly bucket list that I will rarely miss a summer pick either.......

....we added strawberry picking to the many things we love about the burbs, as it was a quick 30 minute drive north......we weaved through hills and ooh'd and agh'd at the green vegetation......we loaded up 5 sunblocked babes, all dangling their empty baskets; excited with anticipation and hitched a tractor ride out to the fields.......



.....it was such a fun day trip to do with our Texas cousins, as they don't get these opportunities during the hot Texas summers......although on this particular July day, the state of CT rivaled the Texas heat.....my little northeastern bred babes managed to keep up with their Texas cousins and ignored the fact we were in a heat wave.....water bottle, pop a few strawberries, pick, drink, strawberry, repeat...... 


......our visit to the fields happened to fall on the last day of the season; so the berries were small, yet sweet......and with a little instruction on how to scope out the best ones, the kids were off to collect summer's sweet candy......




....some of us clearly worked hard and took our job seriously.....


.....while others of us only carried a few berries at once to add to the group's collection......



....the red fingers are a dead giveaway of why his basket would not stay full.....



.....despite the squirrel of the group, I was surprised at how instantly family time took place on the farm.....yes, we had good cousin, aunt and uncle time; but I also noticed that we had these great quality moments with our kids around us while we all picked.....easy conversation, abundant giggles and moments when I stopped to inhale the scene because I am enjoying this phase when we all love and cherish the time we spend together......


.....and for the record, I think we could actually pull off being farmers......




.....our abundant supply gave us 12 pounds of strawberries......I definitely would not have been able to creatively serve so many ways to eat them without the help of pinterest.....

.....I made strawberry salsa with baked cinnamon chips one day, we devoured this fantastic dessert for our Fourth of July BBQ , and we have tried every type of smoothie known to the man......the kids have had a sprinkle of berry on pancakes, yogurt, cereal and ice cream......needless to say, no one has gotten sick of them.....there is nothing quite like farm to table eating and I am ecstatic to pick raspberries and peaches before apple season is upon us this fall......


.....this post was also a good topic to introduce a new sponsor to this blog, MommyJuice Wines......created by a mother of two, MommyJuice Wines are fruit forward wines that offer a chance to enjoy a good glass of wine after the chaos of a busy day......and I love the opportunity to support Mom owned businesses.......


.....having family in town was a good opportunity to try both the fruity chardonnay and the full and rich red blend, both of which were outstanding......come November when this little one has made its grand appearance, I certainly will look forward to a full glass while I sit by a fall fire and count my blessings.......but for now, you will have to take my word for it from the sipping I did off my sister in law's glass.......

.....this week, MommyJuice Wines is offering one reader two stemless goblets that are perfect for the end of the day retreat when every Mommy needs her break.....grab your husband, your best friend, your sister, your neighbor or your co-worker and toast to the second half of summer......



.....cheers!......

Thursday, July 11, 2013

.....full house....

....I have always been a quality time type of girl.....it is certainly a love language for me and Stefan knows that quality time does not mean sitting next to each other on the couch watching a movie......no, not even close.....

.....I thrive on quality time that involves good, deep conversation......laughter, activity and events that etch their memory into my heart, available for me to retrieve on days where my tank needs filling......I am revived after quality time with the ones that I love and it can be a simple trip to the beach with a friend, a walk with my sister in laws, a cup of coffee over a phone call or an afternoon on my cherished red couch reading with one of my babes.....

....this year, we are not making a Texas or a Florida trip......it naturally worked out that with the new house, we found ourselves arranging dates with so many friends and family members that our calendar became full of many, many house guests.......I have always loved a full house and it has been such a blessing to finally have the room to properly host loved ones......having a full house is a big driver in the reason why a fourth child was a necessity for us.....we like the hustle and bustle, the kitchen crowded with people of all ages, the sound of laughter and chit chat in several different rooms within the frame of our home.......we love it when there is excitement in someones life and are privileged to share it with them.......and we welcome the endless friends that come with having a large family......the table always has one or two more guests and we will always make room.....

.....so, between a summer full of friends and family, Elsie beginning Kindergarten this fall (gulp) and the baby arriving early November, we scratched any travel plans at all and decided to spend the year at home......I must admit, this has been a welcomed change.......not that we don't love the trips going back to our respective home states, but there is something nice about having guests come to us and being able to devote all of our attention on them......there is no juggling of the schedule of who-to-see-when like we do when we go back home......a night here, a few nights there is fun; but the time is always cut short and the quality is tougher to muster when the trip becomes chopped up and spread thin......

....so we open our doors and we eagerly anticipate setting the cell phones aside, turning the ringers off, even setting the cameras down (occasionally) to really soak in our loved ones.....and over the last six days, we inhaled one of Stefan's brothers, Mikael, his wife Heather and their boys, Jaxon and Phoenix......the time together was long, engaged, full and quite perfect, honestly......the quality was there the entire visit and memories were etched, branded and soaked to our heart's content......






.....we couldn't get enough of the beach......low tides were a favorite among the group and proved to be the best scoping ground for hermit crabs, snails and crawler crabs......all little critters that our cousins do not find frequently in Texas.....in a matter of a few short weeks, my children have gone from being terrified of them, to the bravest little people I know; scooping their tiny fingers under large rocks, knowing for certain that a family of crabs dwells below the surface of the stone.....so they showed their cousins how it's done.....









.....but the limited time away from the water proved to be just as prosperous.....quiet time for babes to rest, backyard play while the brothers clanked cold beers and discussed the smoker and the meat they were slow smokin', arts and crafts, prepping for s'mores, sparkler safety lessons from uncle Mikael and even a night out for the adults.......the full six days together was truly a vacation for both families.....










.....not to mention, the treat it was for me to spend several hours with Heather as we reconstructed my powder room.....

.....more to come on that in another post when I can reveal the before and after photos, but isn't she adorable?.....talented, creative and adorable.....


.....the year at home will be good for us......nice long visits with the ones we love, more time to grow new roots as we still continue to settle into suburbia, a slower pace that enables us to savor the last few months as a party of five and the harmony of a slower pace......ying and yang, balance, ebb and flow; I seem to always go back to stating that a little of both is best for us.....exciting trips, heading off to tackle adventures and filling our days to the brim with activity.......those experiences are the most meaningful when they are surrounded by time at home......






....especially a full house filled with some of our favorite people.....