CSA and visits

My dad just left from a two week visit to Maine from his current residence in Houston, TX. He beat the heat and brought some sun to us at the tail end. We did lots of fun things while he was here and Eliot thought he was quite a fun guy.

Here they are, Dad testing his linguistic skills with Fox in Sox.

Foraging through the woods at Broadturn farm on our CSA pick up day.

There is a little waterfall with a small pool on the farm property. The water is so high right now and it was so muddy to get down there that it felt like quite an adventure. I have had the desire to photograph Maine waterfalls for a while now. I have a great map (Delorme, atlas and gazateer) that shows their locations. No better time than now to start!

The chickens, ducks and turkey chicks at the farm have been growing SO fast. It is fun to check their weekly progress. This is from last week. This week the chickens are at their awkward teenager faze - in between baby fuzz and real feathers.

A stop to give the baby bunny some clover. I keep forgetting to take a picture of the pigs. I think I am always holding Eliot because I am paranoid he is going to touch the electric fence. Hopefully the sun will stay out for the vegetables to grow! We certainly started this on an off year, but I am happy for it just the same.

is it summer yet?

i dont recall seeing as many mushrooms as i have recently until later in the season but they are interesting just the same. eliot showed me this one he found in the yard. we have had lots of talks about how they are not for little boys etc..so, it took me aback when he came over and showed me one he had freshly picked. he was repeating my words of wisdom the whole time so at least it stuck a little bit, just not enough to overpower toddler impulse.

start with a haircut...

i need to start with the haircut. kevin was much more prompt about posting this on his blog but i had to add it here too, so cute. we went to 'ben the barber' in town. it is a small shop with one seat and a hip young barber. you have to wait your turn, he doesnt take any appointments. we arived early with one person ahead of us. eliot watched as he got his hair cut while staying very safely in my lap. when it was his turn he very bravely sat in the booster seat and held my hand through the whole thing (i did take a few pictures though). he had a very serious face on but didnt move a muscle. for the $8 it cost us i am definitely doing this again! no more mama haircuts for this little guy. the best part was the lollipop he got at the end. he talked about that for a long time.

gratuitous cuteness and he has ears!

a sunny day several weeks ago at my mothers house i dug out the 'tub' and he had a fun nude dude afternoon. we have been lucky to have sun the past two days, too. everyone is talking about it and it seems southern maine is getting their inner solar batteries recharged.


other updates include the headaches getting marginally better. im going to start adding in some eliminated foods soon to see what happens.

i am busily identifying plants for some foraging adventures. the few that i am interested in that are easily identify include: rose hips, wild chamomile, cat tails, clovers and honeysuckle berries with maybe a crab apple if i can find one. i feel a little weird collecting things in public spaces but i suppose it's fair game unless otherwise posted.

cheese withdrawl

i think i should rename this blog cheese withdrawal. i started a diet, about the time i stopped blogging the last time, to try and alleviate headaches. i get them a lot. they are not always bad but generally pretty annoying and after having one for 3 weeks strait i decided enough was enough and it was time to try something a little more proactive. so basically it is an elimination diet including cheese, nuts, sulfates and other headache trigger foods. so far it seems to be helping at least to minimize duration and frequency. i have a way to go before i start adding things back in. i do miss my old friend brie...

we just had a lovely visit to cape cod to visit with kevins family. here are some highlights. there were so many fun pictures, i posted a lot, but hopefully more will appear either here or on kevins blog.

eliots first lobster all to himself! thanks grandpa! he ate the whole thing.

the gardella boys at at the beach after building a fire. eliot had his first toasted marshmellows and campfire hot dogs. it was a really fun evening watching the sunset and relaxing.
some kite flying was enjoyed.
i love that time of day when everything starts to turn orangeish pink. so easy to take nice pictures.

we visited the heritage plantation while the rhododendrons were peaking down on the cape. it was the most opulent display of blooms i have ever seen. it was very unique, we will definitely have to make it a yearly trip.

visiting uncle tim on the roof deck in 'bostam' as eliot calls boston.

dr. eliot. i have a picture of myself doing the same thing with a toy stethoscope when i was his age. i will have to dig it up for belly comparisons.

the fam. boy does that kid need a barber! i dont realize how crooked i cut his hair until i see it in pictures.

and i have recently become rather obsessed with plant/tree identification.

easter etc..

i finally put the pictures together from out date night the other night. i am surprised it came out at all, and i wish i had done a full 360 but hey at least i got something.

easter was a lot of fun! i put an m&m in each of eliot's little eggs and made him a little bunny. he was thrilled! i was so happy that he liked the bunny i made. he wanted me to sing it a song, that is usually a good indicator that he likes something. ill get a good picture and post it.

we spend the biggest part of the day with 'regular' grandma and great grandma at grandmas house. he had a 2nd basket full of cars and cranberries and couldnt have been happier. and the aftermath of the afternoon follows...

jump!

*my brother found a link (click here) to the house with some pictures. i would love a tour!*

jumping, a new favorite pass time. jumping into a new season, new routines and growing up. we have been working out our new walking routes since we have moved. eliot seems to be keeping track of all of the good jumping and balancing spots.


this house is right along the western promenade along our walk. for sale! and you cant see the guest house off to the left. i was trying to figure out the assessed value but i couldn't find anything over a mil so i must have the wrong address. it is sort of odd seeing a for sale sign in front of a house like this.

little alaska farm

We took a drive up to Little Alaska Farm in Wales, Maine to buy some grass fed beef, pork and chicken. It was mud heaven for Eliot as he chased some unusual looking ducks and peered into the hen house. I had a wonderful chat with the owner and butcher and I look forward to visiting again in a few weeks when our stash is eaten up.

I have been trying to find a CSA that Kevin and I can agree on, too. I would like to give it a shot but he has a lot of reservations. If anyone wants to split a share let me know!

Kevin and I went to see David Sedaris read last night as a belated Christmas present from me to him. He is hilarious. I highly recommend "Me Talk Pretty One Day", you will laugh out loud guaranteed.

these boots etc...

some new boots.

a visitor from upstairs.

bath time in the new bathroom.

first veggies on the new (yay) stove.

april showers

april showers are starting a little early so we have been trying to find some constructive indoor activities. unfortunately crayons and play-dough are out because of their irresistible taste. watercolors work out much better. he was very proud of his painting and asked if i would take a picture. of course, how could i resist.





i think i am going to add some new side bar items and do some layout tweaking. so please, give me feedback if you love/dislike something.

dancing and sleeping

i took a little picture of eliot sleeping through his bedroom door. he is in a 'big boy bed' now. it is a captains style bed with lots of drawers for odds and ends and toys. it is a great space saver for us. he is so cute when he sleeps all cuddled up in flannel. a sweet little side note: out of all of his stuffed animals he has grown very fond of my old favorite, lamby. she is a haggard old lamb but he has connected with her. it makes me smile endlessly that she is receiving as much love now as she did when i was a wee babe.

our new 'front room' as we call it is our living room. it has bay windows that let in a ton of light. i hope i can get some seeds started in here (i bought seed starting mix and some awesome scented geraniums today). it is also very good for dancing and spinning.

a little party

we had a reunion of former residences of this apartment. it was a nice little gathering and all of the children played together amazingly well. we had a surprise visitor, a kitten from upstairs with no fear of children, that turned out to be the best babysitter for eliot. it was our first party since we have been here and despite only having one working burner on our stove the food came out great. once everything is put away i think we will have a proper housewarming.


i have been tweaking a recipe i found from Martha Stewart for pumpkin whoopie pies. a real maine treat! the recipe follows:

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie

3 cups pumpkin pure w/o spice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup veg. oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting

3 cups conf. sugar
1/2 stick butter
8 oz cr. cheese
1tsp vanilla

Directions

350 degree oven
in a large bowl whisk the dry ingredients
in a separate bowl mix the wets including the pumpkin pure and sugar
add wets to dry

drop and shape on a cookie sheet and cook until spongy and slightly cracked
approx 15 min.

My Variations

I added at least another tablespoon of cinnamon and heaping measurements of the other spices. Use a larger bowl than you would think, it puffs up a lot while mixing it. Instead of brown sugar i used slightly less granular sugar and a few heaping tablespoons of molasses.

for the frosting - be sure to sift the powdered sugar or it will clump up. it helps to use an electric mixer and be sure the ingredients are room temp. i cut the sugar by quite a bit and it still makes a ton.

the original recipe was for either 6 or 8 massive ones but i cut it and made 12 or 13 big ones.

i found the cooking time to be more like 20-25 min. even when small.

getting back

trying to get back into the swing of things...

the apartment is nearly box free. i have one kitchen box left and a few odds and ends boxes filled with mostly framed artwork to still put away. i would like to do a little more painting but i am not sure that will actually happen, at least with me doing the work. There is quite a lot of yellow in here.. which is nice and sunny but a little much when it spreads through 3 rooms. a few little things are still getting worked out but all in all this is going to be a great place. i will be sharing some before and after photos of the yard as we get working on that especially. and several crafty projects i have in mind.

the weather is getting relatively warmer and hints of spring. i havent put away the shovel yet but im hoping the dwindling piles of snow keep doing so. we took a trip to the lighthouse where we got married last weekend and eliot had a good time running up and down the wheelchair ramp and watching someone fly a kite. he is starting to really turn into his own little person lately. the stories he tells me are absolutely hilarious. im thinking about doing a weekly video segment 'interviews with eliot' to capture some of the more silly speeches. he still is perfecting the whining and crying in front of the mirror.. it is becoming a true art form.

little pieces of green are popping up here and there, too. a few crocuses have reared their heads but the only picture i have is very blurry as i took it while trying to chase eliot down the street. sneakers are a must when going for a walk these days.


and i thought i would come back with something silly...my first encounter with an elvis impersonator was a hoot. i couldnt stop grinning.. it was about the funniest thing i have ever seen. he played a mean air guitar.

...moved...

so we moved.. did i forget to tell you? goodness my poor little blog is suffering lately. i probably have another week or so before i can get back to it with regular postings but i thought i would check in. eliot is getting aquianted with the new place by lining up cars on every windowsill and running madly down the long hallway. i am getting aquainted by trying to organize some sort of pantry system and kevin has been painting and doing manly chores. once the chaos has settled i will post some pictures and get back to it. see you soon!

and the computer is toast

my poor neglected blog! we have been doing so much fun stuff over the past month like playing in the snow, christmas activities and family and of course in the middle of it my computer finally gives out. the good news is that it is only my video card and not the mother board which i had feared. so it is in the hands of a friend of mine who in exchange for some jeans mending is going to fix it for me. i bought kevin a lap top for christmas (which i am on now) but it hasnt been completely set up for image editing etc so its probably going to be another week at least before i get back to posting. see you soon!

as it gets colder

we get cozier. we have been making forts to play under. unfortunately he wont play under them alone so i have to squeeze myself under too. half in half out works sometimes but if he is feeling particular i get a work out.

loco

we have a little local locomotive just down the street from us. it is a narrow gauge railroad that runs short trips up and down the old working water front. eliot had a blast.


here i am all geared up for my most recent gig (the work function i mentioned). i really liked the flash diffuser all told and it only put me back about 25 bucks. the flash bracket was a pain because it kept coming loose when i held the camera to my side so the flash ended up flopping around. it was also hard to carry around two cameras at once without them getting tangled up. my shoulders were sore the next day! but all in all it worked out nicely.
thanksgiving was fun.. we went down and visited kevins family on the cape. eliot had fun and we ate a TON of great food. the pictures came out pretty marginal, probably because we were all stuffed and couldn't lift a finger to take a picture.

i have a few crafty things i've started despite putting my sewing machine away. i have loads of pictures 'on deck' to post about as i continue to try to get back to my posting rhythm. i keep finding myself getting bogged down in facebook looking at old high school friends profiles. i feel a little like a voyeur. it is interesting because you add people as 'friends' but the contact is so limited i wonder how many actual friends i will make out of it. i wonder if spending my time reminiscing about old friends has limited my quest to find more 'real friends' to go out and do things with. it is interesting i think.

cars and updates

here is an example of the car line ups. it is very sweet and, (sometimes) thankfully time consuming. they have begun to show up in pieces around the house instead of one large line now too. his favorite phrase is "car coming, mama!". i have to stop and look both ways before proceeding with caution. he also has been pretending to be a butterfly or bird so at least he is getting some varied creative play instead of just cars.

a few other updates.. i have put the sewing machine to bed for a little while to try and work on photography a little more. unfortunately, there is not enough space in our teensy apartment for both projects at once. i did find enough room in the closet for it all after a massive clear out of fabric so at least if i get the urge its not too far away. i have been SO tired lately i havent been getting much done other than cooking. eliot loves to help me cook, especially in the morning, so we have been doing a lot of baking. --look out ed! i have been improving my pancake recipe!

i have been trying to start a very low key walk/jog program to see if that will eventually give me more energy. i suppose the worst that could happen is it will burn off the extra pancakes.

i took out the bread bakers apprentice book again last night and i am currently waiting for some bread to rise. (potoato rosemary).

on a side note if anyone (heather?) could suggest a few useful homeschooling books..we have been talking/reading a lot on the subject lately.

off to find some rainy day activities to do!

a little rusty

well hello there! it has been a long time... i dont really have any good excuses, only marginal ones for the longest post lag i have ever had. my camera has been in fine working condition, in fact i rented the canon 10-22mm lens for a work job and had a great time experimenting with it. the family is all well, too.

eliot's new fascinations revolve mostly around imaginary things, trucks and sorting. i found a jar of seaglass i have been carting around for ages and he has been sorting and using it with all of his trucks. yesterday i had a grand plan of walking with him to the playground but ended up getting side tracked and spending the whole time outside in the parking lot 100 yards from the front door excavating piles of sand. despite feeling like the delinquant parent that was letting their kid play in a parking lot he had a great time.

i think i am going to sort of work my way backwards through some photos for a while.. this is a couple from halloween. we went to a little party at a friends house before going on the parade. eliot was sufficently freaked out by the noise and costumes.

i didnt get any great pictures of his costume but it was a little vampire suit that a co worker gave to me. i was some sort of zombie wife..but really.. that is pretty much how i look these days.
eliot has been getting his molars in for weeks now..he is a slooow teether. it is resulting in marginal nights sleeps again. i also seem to be suffering from a greater fatigue than i am used to. ive been going to bed by 8pm pretty much every night.. doesnt leave much time for blogging or really anything. i did start reading a new book called 'last child in the woods' by richard louv. it is a well written book about how children need free play in nature.

i also got a much needed hair cut. so many things have happened over the last month.. eliots birthday, my birthday, fall coming and going... so much. i am going to try to get back into the routine of blogging again, keep bugging me if i slack : ).