A Year Ago...

We found this magical place.

Now, we get to call it HOME.

A Fantastic Friday

For Stamps....

And Smoothies!

Today's Smoothie:

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup water

1 banana

1 cup ollalieberries

1/2 cup spinach

squeeze of honey

Under the Weather :: Flowers and Honey Lemon Tea

I may have over done it last night at the summer concert series because on the drive home I started to feel awful. Ryan read books and told Gracie a pretend story and tomorrow (a tradition that my mom and dad did for me when I was a little girl) and she went to bed quite easily. I feel like I was hit by a bus so I just made a cup of honey lemon tea and we are reading books in bed and listening to our collection of audiobooks too. My girlfriend Anne recommended having audiobooks on hand for the big sister while the baby needs special attention and Gracie loves them as much as I am sure she would like TV if given the opportunity--we got rid of it when we moved to the "woods."

Honey Lemon Tea:
Hot water
Lemon
Honey
Lots of hugs and kisses from a cute little three year old

And maybe a bouquet of weeds, I mean flowers.

Scenes from a weekend with Nana

My grandparents bought this rocking chair at the War Eagle Mill Craft Fair when I was born. My mom rocked me in the chair for years and as soon as I told her I was pregnant with Gracie, she shipped it to me on a huge cargo truck hoping, knowing that I would rock my own child in it for years. 

It is a special chair and I still get a bit drowsy when I rock in it. 

A SF Jazz Ensemble concert in our town center with fog rolling over the hills

lots of snuggles

billy goats in Pescadero...more ollalieberry jam

and some birthday party fun at the gym. 

I love you mama.

Dream a Little Dream

Gracie had her first dream, or at least she remembered her first dream. I came in to see her as she was waking up from her nap and she asked "why are there two Christmas trees for you and William?"
She said there were two trees on the coffee table, we walked into the living room to see them, they were (obviously) not there and she said "did you take them down?" I explained that she had a dream and that the story was a pretend story in her imagination while she was sleeping. Isn't that fun? "I like my dream mama. There was a cow taking care of the trees. On our farm."
Keep dreaming my dear child. Keep dreaming.

One Hundred

This is my 100th post.

When I originally started this blog it was going to be a vehicle for getting photos to grandparents, organizing recipes, documenting this great life that we have and celebrating the everyday wonders in her life. What I didn't realize was how much I would LOVE creating, writing, photographing, and celebrating.
It has brought more joy to my life than I ever anticipated and I look forward to trying to capture that joy in words or in a photo everyday.

But the truth is...
I have a long list of drafts.
We have too many posts for days of the year.
Our lives are so full that it can't all fit in this small space.
And that....helps me count my blessings.

Summer Refresher :: Strawberry Aqua Fresca

We try not to drink very much juice especially with the news of lead in so many these days. Plus they are full of sugar. Why not just eat the fruit whole and drink a glass of water?

Well, sometimes it is nice to have a fruity (non-alcoholic) beverage when digits soar. While we were vacationing in Merida, Mexico we were offered a variety of aqua frescas every morning with breakfast instead of juice. More fiber, more nutrients, more flavor, more to smile about!

The strawberries are abundantly inexpensive at the farmers market these days so this makes a dent in the huge stash in the fridge. Next up: strawberry ice cream?

Strawberry Aqua Fresca:

2 cups water

juice of one lime

splash of agave nectar

one green basket of strawberries (pint?)

blend together until smooth and chill

**You can do this with any fruit. Cantaloupe, pineapple, watermelon remind me of vacation.