Summer come and gone

Is summer really almost over? It’s hard to believe. Once again, I didn’t mean to leave this space for so long, but life has been busy. This summer our family experienced two deaths, our dog Maoli. And in August, my dear aunt passed after a long battle with illness. We were blessed by two births, a new nephew in August and a new niece just yesterday. And here’s the newest announcement, our family will be expanding by one come March. So you see, I’ve spent the second part of the summer celebrating life come and gone, and with my head in a toilet as I have been quite sick with this pregnancy. That’s how it goes. I know it will all be worth it when we welcome this little bundle.

Here’s to a much less eventful fall!! We’re ready! And here’s a few pics from the last couple months.

Crazy for blueberries

Last week, before this oppressive heat hit us, we had the chance to go pick blueberries. There’s something about picking your own fruit and taking it home to make something yummy. Manny was a big help this year, picking a good amount of blueberries all by himself. Sister Girl’s attention waned but she picked a few as well.

3 lbs of blueberries doesn’t go too far in a family who is crazy for them. We gifted some, used some to make a blueberry cream pie (recipe below), used some frozen in blueberry and banana smoothies (Sister’s favorite), and the rest we ate by the handful. Sadly, they are all gone! I’m itching to get back and pick some more before the season is over. This heat is keeping us away because it is just too hot to even be outside unless first thing in the morning or in water. I’m hoping to get back this week. In the meantime, here’s a delicious recipe I adapted from a Chowhound board, it’s a keeper! We’ve made 3 this week. Truth!! One we gave away.

Blueberry Cream Pie

3 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup of heavy cream

blueberries (or other fresh fruit)

graham cracker crust

Whip room temperature cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla in a bowl using a hand mixer. Set aside. In another bowl, whip cream until peaks form. Be sure it’s good and whipped or the pie will be flat. Carefully combine the whipped cream with the cream cheese. Don’t over stir. Put in graham cracker crust and set in fridge until set up, ideally all day or overnight. Top with fresh fruit before serving.

This moment

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Amanda at SouleMama.

Stopping at the sign of the lemon

Hello friends! Once again, it’s been far too long and I have much to catch up on. I’m writing from our home where life feels like it’s beginning to get back to normal. We had a rainy, rainy, rainy start to Manny’s tball team tonight. The kids seemed unphased, but we all came home soaking wet.

We spent the last week in June in Rhode Island. It was lovely. We stopped at the “sign of the lemon”, that is, partook in some serious eating of Del’s semi-frozen lemon aid (we’re big fans!) all week long, while enjoying some fun in the sun and adventures to Block Island, Naragannsett, Newport, Watch Hill (all Rhode Island) and also Mystic, CT. It was the first time my side of the family rented a house for a week long vacation. Out of my 5 siblings, 3 of us made the trip with our kids, and my parents. It was a great trip we hope to do again soon. Shortly after getting back from RI, we headed to the Finger Lakes to celebrate the 4th of July. Here’s a few highlights.

Sadly, the week before we left we had to have our dog Maoli put to sleep. She fell ill very suddenly and we had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to her much sooner than anyone would have liked to. The house is a bit emptier these days, and our hearts are still heavy. She was an amazingly sweet dog. She is missed.

Summer is totally up and running and today we got to get out and pick some blueberries, 3 lbs to be exact! I’m trying to figure out what to do make with them but I know I can’t take too long because they are disappearing by the handful from the bowl in the fridge! More to come on our blueberry adventures! What are you up to this summer?

Sister Girl turns 2!

Today we’re celebrating two years of Juliana! This sweet, sassy, chatty, and smart little girl brings so much joy to all those she meets. Two years ago when she was first born, I had no idea how big her personality would be. She’s turned out to be a real fire cracker and we’d have it no other way! Happy birthday to my precious Ju Ju! I love you so much!!

Catching up

Hello everyone! I didn’t mean to leave this space so empty for so long, but the second half of May seems to be getting away from me. We spent a beautiful Mother’s Day in Maine, and then on to Newburyport. It seemed like weather was not going to cooperate but then the sun suddenly came through so we headed straight over to the beach for a little bit. It was the perfect day, really.

We celebrated Jim’s birthday with a trip to New Hampshire for the Peterborough Children and the Arts Festival which was fun as always. The kids loved it! And now it’s Friday and we’re heading into Memorial Day weekend. We’ve got some low key party plans in the works for Sister Girl’s 2nd birthday which is coming up in a couple weeks! Think ice cream themed! More to come on that. Enjoy this weekend and I hope to be back sooner rather than later next time.

Happy Mother's Day!

May you enjoy the simple things this Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Teaching my kids to pray

Rough week here in Massachusetts and no doubt across the country as well. My heart aches for the lives lost. I cannot get all those who were injured out of my mind. The pictures online and on tv are a constant reminder. I’ve attempted to shelter my children from the horrors of last week that are heavy on the minds of the adults in this house. What to do? Since becoming a mother over 4 years ago, I have become increasingly reliant on something my own mother taught me as a small child: prayer. My mother prayed openly with us as children. We didn’t do bedtime prayers in a formal way, but every morning before we left for school we paused for a few minutes to pray. She told me many more years later, that it was her way to deal with anxiety she had as I, her oldest child, went off to kindergarten. In my role as a parent, teaching my own children to pray is something I take very seriously. In the past few weeks, both of my kids have become very interested and active participants in our prayer routines. I do believe prayer is something that can and should be done in any form a person feels is right for them. For us, we started with a simple grace at dinner last year that both kids are now able to do. If someone forgets, Manny quickly reminds us. At night, we do bedtime prayers. Over time, the prayer has emerged into a time for us to thank God for the day, the chance to play, for protection through the night and next day, for all those we love, for each other, and for any thing on our hearts. It’s my favorite part of the day. A chance to come together and rest our bodies and our minds, even for just 5 minutes before bed. These two simple set times in our day to pray have become a very important ritual for our family. I feel it has given my kids a way to talk to God and to pray openly with one another. It is my great hope that it is something which will continue with them throughout their lives, growing and changing to meet their needs. I will continue to pray for all those affected by the events in Boston this week.

Target shirt turned dress

Happy Easter!! We enjoyed a pretty quiet day at home with just our family. I wanted to post a few quick pics of a recent dress I made for Sister with some pretty grey fabric and a purple shirt I bought at Target. It was a quick project and an opportunity to try my newly acquired skill of making ruffles (but don’t look too close, they’re far from perfect!) It’s not a step by step tutorial but just a few pictures to show any newbie sewers how I did this in case you’re looking for a fun little project. My favorite kind, quick and easy!