May at home

 





















I have failed to do what I said I was going to do.

Back in March I had schemed to do a series of little posts on how I work toward a family photo book each year. I was in picture mode at that time, and my in-laws were here and had given me a morning off at the coffee shop where the rush of caffeine must have taken a hold on me and made me overly ambitious.

Since then, reality has sunk in, we've made trips here and there with Casey for teaching, potty-training, homeschooling, character training. And I decided on a whim I needed to read a classic historical novel so I immersed myself in Sir Walter Scott's saga Kenilworth, set in the days of Elizabeth I. And then The Hobbit. Fun reading.Very fun. Also very preoccupying. All that to say, I haven't touched my pictures in a long time and am now very behind.

So, my first step in digging myself out and organizing my pictures is to start at the present and begin to work backwards. It always works so much better than starting where you left off. Your newest pictures are freshest in your mind and if you start with them, you don't continue to get further behind.

As I upload pictures to iPhoto it separates them into "events" based on date. I prefer minimal events and tend to shoot a significant number of photos at home, of our every day sort of life activities, so I create an event for each month of "at home" pictures. I've posted some of my favorite "May at home" shots.

Art lesson from big brother.

 

T fueling up.

I have an album for "2013" pictures and as I organize, sort through, delete a new upload of pictures I will drag and drop the ones I want to use in my 2013 book to this album and then re-label the event appropriately so that I remember that I am done with these pictures. This way, when I haven't touched my pictures for four months, I know if an event isn't custom labeled yet, I haven't reviewed it yet. My goal is to spend a day a month doing this so I am on top of it, but... novels and potty training just happen.

I like pictures. I don't want them to be a chore. I want them to be a fun thing I do. I want the books I put together to be a blessing to my family throughout the years. I tend to feel overwhelmingly blessed when I look back at five or six months of pictures and see the fullness of our lives.

To that end, and due to the fact that I am feeling very behind, I am scaling back my ambitions for my picture book for this year. Less journaling, more pictures. Do what works for you. But, do something. I can promise you you will be glad you did.

pub house salmon salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette

The pub house salad at the brewery down the road is a favorite of mine and as we are now officially in the season for salads, I thought those of you who don't live in our neck-of-the-woods, and therefore can't trot on over for this yumminess, might enjoy trying it at home.

First, for the dressing. It ought to be called "Bev's Maple Balsamic Dressing" as I got the recipe off my dear friend who has let me make more than a few messes in her kitchen over the years, a friend whose name is on many recipes in my book,  who has more discriminating taste buds than I and who can cook a whole lot finer than she gives herself credit. It lasts a good while in the fridge so double it if you like to have quality salad dressings on hand.

Bev's Maple Balsamic Dressing

1/2 c. EVOO
1/4 c. good quality balsamic vinegar
3 T. pure maple syrup
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Whisk together and chill.

Note: Ever since my mother-in-law gave me a hand immersion blender I have used it to blend my salad dressings and prefer it so much to just whisking. It homogenizes the ingredients so that they will not separate out. I highly recommend immersion blenders!


Maple-Glazed Salmon

2 t. paprika
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground ancho chile powder (just use more regular chili powder if you don't have it)
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. light brown sugar
4 salmon filets
1 t. sea salt
1 T. pure maple syrup

Combine first 5 ingredients in bowl.
Note: I like this spice mixture on salmon and on pork, so I mix up a couple of batches and store them in a little mason jar to have on hand. 

Rub both sides of salmon (if skinless) with spice mixture; then sprinkle with salt. Lightly spray with oil.
Heat grill to 400 to 450 degrees. If you have skinless salmon, lay a sheet of tinfoil on grates of grill and then place salmon on tin foil. Close grill and grill for 7 minutes. Brush with maple syrup, close grill and continue to grill until desired doneness, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer to serving platter.

Pub House Salad

Fresh mixed greens, washed and chopped
Fresh green beans (or thawed from freezer)
Marinated artichoke hearts
Crumbled feta
Toasted walnuts (I like to dry roast them in a pan until they smell toasty, then sprinkle with a teaspoon or so of raw sugar and dust with sea salt. The sugar quickly melts and causes the salt to stick better.)

Place the grilled salmon on top and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

for the birds

Not too many weeks ago a pair of mourning doves chose, in my opinion,  a most unromantic, ugly site for their nest.

The up and down rumblings of our garage door must not have inhibited their egg hatching too significantly for they hatched two perfect baby doves right around the beginning of May. To my great satisfaction, they have chosen a much lovelier place to begin training their young in the ways of mourning doves, namely, our backyard.

There is a little deck off our bedroom and from it I spied the little avian family one morning a few weeks back. I ran for my camera and thus began my friendship with these graceful, mild birds. I have resolved to spend 20 minutes in my garden every morning, before my children are up at 7, before the day gets hot and the sun beats down. It has been delightful. Meeting my little friends out in the garden each morning has made it especially delightful. Thought you might enjoy meeting them too.

The daddy is in the foreground, with mommy to the right and one baby behind. The mommy flew away first while the daddy stayed put, eyeing me suspiciously. 

Siblings. 

The doves provide welcome distractions during breakfast. 

Baby and daddy, or mommy. I can't tell. 

Babies are getting bigger. Still very distinct differences from adults. 

 

I shot these with my 50 mm prime lens as my zoom lens in out of commission. I was very close when I took these,  only two or three feet. I think we now have pets. 

sweet potatoes for breakfast

Mmm mmm. If you are looking for a little breakfast inspiration, and you like those bright orange tubers, packed full of vitamin A and beta-carotene, read on. Here are two ideas/recipes for sweet potatoes in the morning.

Casey has a thing for breakfast burritos, so when I had the best breakfast burrito ever down at a little beach cafe outside of Charleston, without him, I kinda felt guilty. Well, last Sunday I recreated it and even improved it, with the addition of sweet potatoes. Should you care to try...


Sweet Potato Breakfast Burrito
adapted from the Lost Dog Cafe, Folly Beach, SC

4-5 sweet potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (peeled if you like)
1 red pepper, chopped
2 yellow onions, chopped
12 eggs
butter for skillet
shredded Monterey jack cheese
sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
salsa
tortillas

Toss veggies generously with EVOO. Spread in single layer on baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

In the meantime, beat eggs (as many as you'll need to feed your hungry mouths) in bowl. Cook in skillet with butter and Monterey jack cheese. Add black beans at end, just to heat a bit.

Place tortilla on plate and spread with layer of sour cream or yogurt, if desired. Fill with eggs, beans, roasted veggies. Top with salsa and/or hot sauce. Roll it up, if you can, and enjoy!


Sweet Potato Hash
from a cycling magazine, many moons ago

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet potato, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 small red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped veggies, season with S&P. Cook, stirring, until the potato begins to brown, ~5 minutes. reduce heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender to fork, ~10 minutes.

glorious spring!

"If I had made that morning myself I couldn't have done better. It was sunny, spring air, but it was that cool, spicy kind that keeps you stopping every few minutes to see just how full you can suck your lungs without bursting. It seemed to wash right through and through and make you all over. The longer you breathed it the clearer your head became, and the better you felt, until you would be possessed to try and see if you really couldn't fly."                                  ~from Laddie, A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton Porter

This first week of May was beautiful here in western PA. Just wanted to share a few pictures of the loveliness we've beholden, the fine handiwork of our creative God.

Saying goodbye to daddy. 

Marguerite de Angeli

Marguerite de Angeli

My first introduction to Marguerite de Angeli was at my grandmother's house when I was a little girl. I  found a very worn and tattered copy of Thee, Hannah in the guest bedroom, that room with floor to ceiling bookshelves on both sides of the bed and a walk-in cedar closet, packed out with wonderful vintage, dress-ups. 

I bought myself a new copy of Skippack School more than a decade ago, while visiting my college roommate out in Lancaster County. I recognized the sweet faces of the boys on the cover as being similar to those in Thee, Hannah.  Josiah and I have enjoyed this story, set outside of Philadelphia in Germantown in 1750, of pupil Eli Shrawder and  his school master and friend,  Master Christopher Dock, more than once. 

Despite my early acquaintance with Ms. de Angeli, I didn't fully appreciate her contributions to children's literature in the last century until, once again, at a used book sale I acquired an old library copy of The Door in the Wall. 

It is wonderful. We loved it. It is the story of Robin, a boy of noble birth living in London in the 14th century, who learns to overcome his crooked legs, a disability left him by an illness (probably the black plague that was sweeping through Europe at that time). He is rescued by Brother Luke, a kind friar, who nurses him back to health and teaches him how to use his hands in useful employment. But more than that, Brother Luke teaches him to care about others, to think about others, and to act courageously on behalf of others. 

One of my objects in reading with Josiah this year has been to read books that stimulate discussions about character. What character qualities do I want my boys to emulate, what do I want to hold up for them to strive towards? The Door in the Wall is a story about courage. Courage, from the Latin cor, heart, is "that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear." A quality I would be most pleased to see my boys display. 

It seems once a name is on your radar, it pops up all over the place, so perhaps I am the last person in the world to be aware of how wonderful the books are of this Michigan-born author and illustrator. I have since found two more of her books in my house, stuck on my shelves, by me, but unbeknownst to me.

By chance Marguerite de Angeli is not on your list of "authors and illustrators to look for", take this as a heads up. Her stories inspire noble thoughts and her illustrations are beautiful.