And so it begins...again.

This day is never easy for me.  But my babies were all so excited that I had to be excited with them.  Jolie is a big 5th grader.  She is at a new school now.  She was so ready!  She is my grow-up- fast girl.  Asher was apprehensive.  He couldn't sleep last night and sang a song about butterflies in his tummy all the way to school.  He was so brave though!  If you remember Zaddok last year, you would be so proud of him this year!  He barely ever looked back.  He was happy and walked right in to his desk.  No tears!  What a difference a year makes.   Here are the traditional pictures. 

 

 

 

 

This guys has no worries.  One more year home with mom and dad before pre-K.

We got to take Jolie's friend Merik to school this morning.  This made the day even better for Jolie!  They had the same hairstyle and didn't even plan it.

Bye big girls.  Wish I could hold on a little longer.

Sweet boys going to school together.  Praying wonderful things for you this year!

And my little 4-month-old girl!

"My toes are amazing!"

Pizza for breakfast???

Yes!!!  You can do it and feel good about what you are feeding your kids.  I had a conversation with a friend about this and decided to find a recipe.  A quick search lead me to this site.  So like all good cooks do, I completely disregarded the original recipe, took the parts I liked and made it my own!  So here is what I did.  feel free to be an artist and make something that works for your family!

The original recipe calls for canned or boxed biscuit dough.  That is sufficient if you do not have a recipe you like.  I happen to have Matt's grandmother's recipe.  (I might include it at the end of this post.  Let me think about it.)  It's easy and allows me to make the dough half whole-wheat.  I made the dough and then pressed it into a greased and floured cookie sheet.  I pricked it with a fork to keep it from puffing too much.

Then I began browning some beef breakfast sausage.  (We do not eat pork but there are tons of healthy alternatives to pork bacon and sausage so we don't miss out on anything!)  Use your discretion here as to what meat, if any, you will use. 

As the meat was browning, I used my time wisely to chop and slice my veggies.  Being that we are coming to the end of our groceries for this pay period, I used what we had; tomatoes, jalapenos and onion.  In the future, I plan on using spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers.  Or I might do spinach, thinly sliced squash, and feta cheese!  Or I could do a sweet version with apples, cinnamon, walnuts and honey.  Oh my goodness!  So many choices. 

Because I can, I buttered the dough before putting it in the oven at 375 for 5 minutes.  Yes, that is real butter.  What else is there?

 This is after the crust has pre-baked for 5 minutes.  I did a layer of sliced tomatoes, which I think makes a lovely base for the other ingredients.  Then I piled everything else on top.  Half of the pizza was no onion or jalapeno because my kids don't know what's good.  After the meat and veggie toppings I sprinkled some mozzarella cheese on top to hold it all together.  Then I put it back into the oven at 375.  I let it cook 10 more minutes and then took it out of the oven again.

Now for the fun part.  I cracked some of our fresh eggs right on top of the pizza!  I know, it seems weird.  But trust me, you want to do this part.  Crack the eggs all along the pizza.  Salt and pepper them and stick the whole thing back in the oven.  I let it cook at 375 again for 10 more minutes.  at this point the eggs were still a bit liquid.  So I turned on the broiler and let it brown a bit and cook the eggs through. 

I wish I would have gotten a picture of my kiddos eating it up.  They really loved it!  So did Matt.  Now next time I make it, they won't like it anymore.  That's the way it goes.  But it was fun to watch them enjoy it this time!

Favorite Flavor

Here is my pesto-making blog!!  The recipe follows my pictures.  Hope some of you try it.  It is delish.  I had it on sauteed squash yesterday.

This was the start of the season.

This is the same plant grown and stripped.

The leaves are here soaking to rid it of bugs and dirt and to plump it up a bit.  This is how pesto begins!

I always toast the pine nuts first.  Low heat is best as they burn easily.  It only takes a few minutes but it adds a lot of flavor. 

Previously I had processed Parmesan cheese and garlic.  Then I did the same with the basil leaves.  I added them together with salt.

When the basil is rough chopped and everything else is added, you drizzle in olive oil.  Continue to process until it looks well emulsified.

I freeze my bounty in small canning jars.  Isn't that green beautiful?

Before I close the lid, I cover the pesto with olive oil.  It will add a layer of protection from frost and keep the pesto from discoloring.

Pesto

2 oz Parmesan cheese processed or shredded

3-4 cloves of garlic processed or crushed

1/2 tsp salt

4-6 T of toasted pine nuts (you can also use walnuts!)

3 cups basil chopped

5 T extra virgin olive oil (1T extra to cover in jar)

Process cheese, garlic, and salt.  Reserve.  Add basil and rough chop.  Add back in reserve plus pine nuts.  Process together as you drizzle in olive oil.  Put into clean jars, ice cube trays or freezer bags and cover with oil. 

This has nothing to do with pesto but everything to do with a sweet and chubby baby and her new Bumbo!  It makes me smile.





Join the fun at Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

Naked basil and seeds!!

This is my naked basil.  :)

Here is a big bowl of future pesto!  (there will be a blog!)

My sweet Asher taking a break from mowing.

Jolie is picking tomatoes for me.

She is perfectly content in the shade.

He is such a stinker!

We are in harvest mode.  It has gotten so hot that everything that can go to seed is going to seed.  Lots to collect!  Here we have two kinds of lettuce, carrot and cilantro seed.

We cleared the lettuce bed and will hopefully plant some cool-weather crops soon!

You have heard of sheep dogs.  This is a baby dog.

This boy is harvesting fruit from a jujube tree.  There is nothing that I have found to do with this fruit but he wanted a job.  So he picked.


Even though it's little, I am thankful for the harvest this year.  I spent very little time working for what we got.  But this season has been so sweet in other ways.  Growing children, healthy family, a sweet new addition to our crew, lots of time together and a daddy who is able to work to support us. Thank you God for so much bounty!

Saving Summer

We are coming into one of my favorite parts of the summer season, harvest!  There is a bounty of whatever made it to this point.  this year we have been blessed with zucchini, cucumbers and melons.  Our peppers and tomatoes are still slow.  I am hoping for a fall harvest there.  I am looking forward to putting up more food as the season runs on. 

I got a Cuisinart food processor!  You cannot believe the difference.  I have had a couple of lower-end processors.  This one is amazing!

Even though we have had squash bugs like crazy this year, my faithful zucchini plants have kept right on producing.  So we save what we've got.

I kid you not, this happened in a matter of seconds!  Wonderful little machine.

We also had lots of carrots.  They were ridiculous.  So good!

Most of my home activities are interrupted by this.  A sad and sleepy girl.

Even her big sister couldn't make it better.

I did manage to get a ton of veggies shredded and sliced.  Slices for stews and casseroles.  Shreds for bread, sauces, and whatever I want to hide a bit of extra garden nutrition to!

I made this mix of zucchini and carrots.  I think it will be quite handy.

These babies are freezer bound!  See you again this winter.

A very late 4th blog

The 4th is my favorite holiday.  There is not the pressure of gift-giving, there is no turkey to fret over.  It's a cookout with family and an opportunity to just be together.  You can wear flip-flops.  You can eat ice cream.  It's easy like that.

Why the face Livie Lou??

Dress up clothes and good company!

My brother-in-law George had a gift made for my grandparents.  Here is the moment that they saw it! 

Papa was very proud.

Hey kids!  Where ya going?

Come back!!!

Run girls!

Oh you little sillies!

Grandma and Papa were proud.  We love you both so much!  Thank you for loving us and always being such precious grandparents.  You made my childhood so special and fun.  Grandma with tea parties and beauty shop.  Papa with early morning breakfasts at the Dutch Inn and feeding the horses.  I can still smell the oats!  You are both such a big part of my life.  I am thankful that my babies get to know you and love you too. 

Papa Joe doing his traditional baby hold.

This is George helping load up the new sign.  Thanks for being so thoughtful!!! 

Nana and Papa Joe loving on Micah.

Liv trying to love on Micah who is done being loved on.

Papa and Levi having a talk.

Kiddos decorating the wall.

Hi my Jolie baby!

Nice icing face Zaddy!

Hey!!  Quit looking at me like that!

Just hanging around.

Cousins are the best.

All of the cousins waiting for the fireworks to start.

Here you can get the idea of how my life flies by me.  Look at all of that movement!

I sat in the dark that night with my eyes closed, listening.  Fireworks were exploding all around.  You know the big ones that shake your core?  Those.  They were beautiful and for a split second, terrifying. 

I held my baby close and thought.  I though about the mothers holding their babies close as they listen to real bombs explode around them.  Moms who wonder if they and their babies will survive the night.  Their terror lasts.  

Tears fall as color streaks the sky.  I thank God that I don't feel that fear.  I thank him for the safety and security of this place.  But I also ask him to guard those who's country has betrayed them.  The families who fear.  The children who have lost parents.  The moms whose arms are empty.  I have no delusion about my place in this world.  I am very blessed.     

The horizon grows dark again and the crowd cheers in appreciation of the show.  We all head to the safety of home and the promise of coffee and conversation.  I know that tonight we will sleep in safety but that no day is promised.  We have to live in this moment and trust in his ways.  

I love the 4th...