Lazy

Things have been slow and lazy around the house lately, the fine weather finally hit and it soared into the 80s a few times this week. Today however is nice and cloudy so I might manage to get more done, maybe. Morning sickness which is all day nausea and extreme lethargy are still my major plagues but I just keep reminding myself it will pass. The kids have spent the days running in their play pool and chasing now huge Pixie around the yard. I love this time of the year when the kids are outside before breakfast and before even getting dressed. Iain's tan line has gotten so strong when he isn't wearing pants it looks like he has white shorts on, and Finn has criss-cross lines across her shoulders. The birds are active in the bird feeders and bird bath except at the hot time of day when I'm sure they are hiding out in the shade, and the tomato plant my kids gave me for mother's day has 10 plump green tomatoes on it, and I can't wait to eat them-yum.

Crafting has been on the slow side and my baby blanket is going to take forever at this rate but I'm still trying to work on it one row at a time. Actually almost happy I still have 30 weeks to go because I think this blanket may take that long. Getting pictures to showcase the beautiful cables is somewhat harder than expected though.

Though with all of this morning sickness and tiredness going on there is a very happy note this baby seems to like Greek salad which is very lucky for me because I love it too.

Big bowls of it seem to keep making their way into my fridge and that makes current picky eater me very happy right now.

Robert has been gone going on 4 weeks now and it starting to wear me out. His normal work schedule is 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off, but for his time off he stayed in AK to get in some fishing. This however did not work out, a friend of his family passed away and plans had to change. With this extra time in AK he will have been gone 6 whole weeks by the time he comes home which is just too long for me, we miss him too much. On the plus side by the time he gets home I should have some of my appetite and energy back.

Homemade Ice Cream

                                                I had been asking unenthusiastically for attachments to my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for a few years and this last Christmas my husband came through and bought me the ice cream maker. I was so excited but not as excited as he was, he wanted me to break it out right away. Well I didn't I waited, waited for berry season and boy am I happy I did. The instructions can seem a little daunting at first but I followed it exactly. I made the version of French Vanilla listed in the book that comes with the ice cream maker. It takes about 2 days to make because the bowl has to be in the freezer for 18 hours. So after I put the bowl in the freezer there are cooking steps and non-cooking steps to the process and it includes heavy cream, 1/2and1/2, salt, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla, and after it is all mixed it has to chill for at least 8 hours.

 It looks amazing as it slowly freezes, it filled the whole room with the smells of vanilla, it starts out thin and gets firmer the longer it is mixed I let it run for 15 minutes.

 After it was mixed it has to be stored and put in the freezer for 4-6 hours, really we are lucky it made it to the freezer.

We had some after lunch with some fresh strawberry sauce I made yesterday and oh my it is divine. Cold and sweet and just the right thing for these hot days that soar into the upper 80s, I think with the ice cream maker in the freezer, and the kid's play pool up in the backyard we are ready to take on the summer...I cannot wait for the blackberries!

Strawberry Bread

               Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oil a loaf pan or stone.
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, and egg. Beat lightly.

3.  In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.

 4. Spoon into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly.

 5. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until bread springs back, let cool 10 minutes in pan then transfer to cooling rack.

For less sweet berries 1/2tsp. of vanilla extract can be added, and if you prefer muffins add 1/4c. flour to batter.

 It turned out beautiful, it was a bit wet looking but it's definitely because of strawberry juice, I added a bit more than the recipe called for.

It was a hit, bread, muffins and all...love it when they really enjoy something new.

This Moment 7/6/12

one picture, no words

happy 4th of July

 4th of July pancakes with strawberry sauce...

 sweet peas, my birth month flower...

 peonies so pretty and smelling lovely...

a boy and his dog, just nothing better...have a lovely holiday.

The blahs

I know it's been an incredibly long time since I've managed to post anything but I do have a rather comforting excuse, we are expecting baby number three. We are very excited and Finnley is hoping for a baby sister with a bow, and Iain is of course hoping for baby brother...and I have to admit I am hoping for another girl.
With pregnancy comes pregnancy symptoms however and mine are in full swing. I am experiencing all day neasea and a general and pervasive tiredness. The tiredness is so bad at this point the thought of cleaning the house or cooking is almost enough to make me want to cry.
I have had a few small bursts of energy in the past few weeks and managed a few small things...

My mother and I went to the farmer's market in Puyallup on Saturday and then to Spooner Farms where I bought a whole 1/2 flat of strawberries just for us. We ate a bunch of them as is but Sunday morning we had french toast which I made with bread and eggs I bought at the market, and strawberry sauce.

I haven't had much motivation in the crafting department in fact it's frustrating to have wonderful things in mind you want to do but no physaicl energy to follow through. I have started a few little things though and the work is quite a bit slower than usual.

I worked through this pattern of newborn booties, which are so small and sweet I can't wait to make a bunch in lots of colours when I find out if we are having a girl or a boy. One of the pluses of a late January early February baby for a crocheter is that it's the perfect weather for homemade cozy sweaters and booties.

I also started my baby blanket, I love the colour it's called stone and the pattern is lovely it has these cabled rows for texture, I think it will be wonderful, in a million years when I have the energy to finish it. Actually I usually feel better around week 14 or so, so I just have to hold out till then.

I did find the energy to repaint our seasonal wall however, though I think that had more to do with that though I loved the turquoise colour I did not like it on this wall and have been counting down the spring so I would be able to paint over it. Iain wanted light blue for summer and Finn wanted purple, so we compromised and went with a lovely lavender and I love it. It's so pretty and cool toned which will be perfect when the hot summer days come. If they come.