Love List

♥ sunny days in the garden
♥ Birkenstocks
♥ losing myself in a novel
♥ honesty
♥ peanut butter & banana smoothies
♥ riding my bright red cruiser
♥ green tea
♥ black cardigans
♥ swing sets
♥ nursing under the covers & reading stories
♥ Goodnight Moon

The Tuesday Diptych Project: Week Twenty Two

Desiree: She thinks she owns this neigbourhood, and maybe she does. They way she stalks around, so proud, so graceful, so independent. Yet when I leave the house I have to be sure she's safe inside, cause she'll follow me wherever I go.

Johanna: Sweet fragrant basil, blue toes, outside play, sunny day.

Tomatoes & Berries

Oh my word, there's food growing in my backyard. Some of it I planted, some I did not -- like these berries, which are so sweet & delicious.

My tomatoes, which I should not have planted so close together, are plotting world domination and are growing right out of their containers and will soon be creeping along the ground. This won't be too bad, so long as their thick stalks don't shatter under the weight of all they have to offer.

We're going to have tomatoes galore! I'm in heaven just thinking about all the beautiful things I'll be able to make with fresh tomatoes at my fingertips. Salsas, sauces, toasted tomato sammies & more.

My other plants -- the eggplant, peppers & onions -- are also flowering and seem to be doing quite well despite some leaf damage. As soon as they make some progress I'll be sure to share some photos.

Have a lovely Monday, dear friends. I hope the sun is peeking out for you too!

How are your gardens growing this year? Anything special to share?

The PB & B Smoothie

1 cup goat's milk

1 tbps natural peanut butter

1 banana

1 tsp buckwheat honey (if you so choose)

Blend & enjoy.

On A Sunday Evening

Been trying to make the very most out of these last few rainy, dreary days. This morning started off not so fabulous, but after a little reevaluation, my mind was back on track & things started to look a little brighter.

Ever have that kind of day?

This week was incredibly busy, but I like my Sundays to be restful & serene. It doesn't always happen, though it's something I'd like to strive toward.

Fingers crossed that the sunshine comes our way tomorrow. I think we could all use a little more light.

PS. Taking a little moment to send love to all those involved in the G8/G20 situation in Toronto -- right or wrong, people just need to be good to other people. That's all.

Among The Rose Campion

"Silene coronaria is a species of flowering plant in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae, that is native to Asia and Europe. Common names include Dusty Miller, Mullein-pink, Rose Campion, and Bloody William."

Each day Gretchen & I pick some of these flowers as we walk down our short front path. She likes to carry them in her hands as we walk to daycare, or sometimes we'll bring one up to daddy's office to say hello.

I think they're the prettiest ladies in our yard.

Hello, Saturday

I don't think the sun is going to come out today. Which is a bit of a shame -- since these rainy, humid days seems to pass so slowly with the whole family bored inside, feeling unmotivated and a little restless.

Thankfully we got out to the market this morning, just before the droplets started to fall. Our treasure? Buckwheat honey, fresh spinach, yellow & green zucchini, orange peppers, mushroom blinis from A Taste of Russia, blueberries, strawberries & a Kyoto coffee for the boy.

A lovely start to our groggy Saturday.

PS. Today's smoothie recipe doesn't come with a photo, but it contained: 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup yogourt, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 banana & a handful of spinach. Mmm!

The Bananarama Smoothie

1/2 cup vanilla yogourt
1/2 cup milk
1 banana

Blend & enjoy.

Fawned Friday

Hello, Friday! Hello, friends! What a crazy/busy/silly week. In a good way. Many plans were made, most were followed through, some fell & all were wonderful. Wonderful AND exhausting. Today, however, I vowed to make NO plans. No leaving the house, no outings of any kind, no dilly dallying -- all mama, some work, some play, some rest. (Some tea.) A day to recuperate from the fascinating week we've had. A day to get on track -- a day to get things done!

And to start, here are some little tidbits that've been romping around my head lately -- enjoy!

01. I'm holding on to my dream of raising chickens.

02. Amazing log pillows.

03. Shutter love.

04. Actually ashtrays, but these cuties could be used for something else.

05. So much love for this scrapbook.

06. A sweet sewn print.

07. Oh my, indeed.

08. So simple, so beautiful.

09. The prettiest pitcher.

Each Friday I'm so thrilled to share all of these little findings with you -- it's also fun for me to look back at previous weeks (all 72 of them!) to see what sort of mood I must have been in while searching & stumbling upon all these lovely images. A veritable emotional treasure trove. Keepsakes such, and so many things that make me smile.

Happy Friday, again, mes amis.

I wish you all a magical weekend.

The Good Morning Raspberry Smoothie

1/2 cup vanilla yogourt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries

Blend & enjoy.

The Girl & Her Curls

My goodness, would you look at these curls? At the back of her head is a whole tangle of them which end up in ringlets when she's fresh out of the tub.

I think I've always dreamed of a little girl with curls. Hmm, I wonder if the rest of her hair will follow suit?

PS. We didn't get gobbled up by a Tornado last night -- the winds were a little strong, and the rain aplenty, but the twisters stayed far away. Hopefully today is a calmer day.

Weirder Still

Things are getting even stranger tonight. There's now a tornado warning in effect for our city & the surrounding area.

Is it ironic that the boy's favourite movie happens to be Twister?

What A Weird Wednesday

It's been a strange day.

This morning we woke up in a hot room, still tired & a little crabby. The house is so humid that my floors feel damp if the AC isn't on. Ick. I need a dehumidifier.

At nap time it took forever to convince Gretchen to fall asleep, followed by the boy accidentally waking her up the moment she finally did. Hyper baby. Angry mama.

We had an earthquake, which I didn't feel, but everyone else did.

Tornado warnings have been issues for Southern Ontario (not close enough that we need to worry) and everyone on my Twitter seems to sense that something is just bizarre about today.

June 23, 2010.

A weird, weird day.

PS. At least I got to have a visit this afternoon with a friend from my childhood, @andreagauster! It's so good to keep up with people you've known your entire life. Also, you should check out her music, here. Peace.

Wordless Wednesday (Sleepy Mamas Have Messy Hair & Bags Under Their Eyes)

The Tuesday Diptych Project: Week Twenty One

Desiree: There are some days when she doesn't want to be out of my arms for a single moment & I don't even mind, because I know they won't last forever.

Johanna: In celebration of National Aboriginal Day. June 21st.
"We do not inherit this land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." Haida Proverb.

PS. Apologies for our lateness this week. Sometimes life just gets in the way!

Our Strawberry Summer

The other day we went strawberry picking in our own backyard. Last month I bought one plant from the farmer's market, and so far we've been treated to a handful of berries from it. Some have also gone to critters who steal them away in the night, but I suppose that's alright too.

Gretchen was eager to help me pick the berries from their little hiding place along the fence.

Pint sized berries for pint sized hands.

We also discovered a whole slew of berries which just happened to be growing near our porch. These berries are white on the inside instead of pink and have a slightly different sweetness to them.

A first taste of summer.

I was also happy to find a tangle of raspberry bushes in amongst the wild strawberry plants. This backyard holds so many surprises, and lovely ones at that. From poppies to bleeding hearts to berries -- such a fabulous place for Gretchen to explore.

Strawberries are the epitome of summer to me now, just as they were in my childhood when I would pick them from behind the shed where they grew along the fence line.

I hope Gretchen feels that same connection as she grows older.

Summer, berries, sweetness, sunshine & family. Simply beautiful memories.

Happy Father's Day, Daddio!

Thank you for being such an awesome dad to the coolest kid we ever could have hoped for.

We make a pretty good team, you and I!

Happy Father's Day.