Every Blooming Thing

I love hydrangeas, they are my favorite! In Utah, Chris planted two Endless Summer bushes for me...even though they didn't do so well in that dry, hot climate. I had to hand-water them most days in the summer to keep them from drooping, but it was worth it.

Our new house in Charlotte came with 2 already in the ground (among other things).
Big smiles!
Chris has been hitting them with Miracle-gro since Spring, and I finally found a vase that displays them correctly. 2 thumbs up for Ikea!

We also planted some hibiscus at our Utah house that I LOVED. They bloomed in July for a few weeks and I looked forward to it, short-lived as it was.

So, for Mother's day my cute family gave me a pink (with fuschia centers) Rose of Sharon, and for my birthday I got a white one with fuschia centers. I now have a little sunshiny corner of the yard that is all mine! And a sweet reminder that "they love me, they really love me!" LOL

They can eventually grow to 10" tall by 6" wide!


The best part about this variety is that they bloom incessantly ALL SUMMER LONG!


What are your favorites blooms in the summertime?

On a Date

The theme for the day: Kayaking!

Recently we joined a babysitting swap with two other families that have kids around the same ages as ours. Basically, we watch all 10 kids one Saturday, and get 2 Saturday 4 hour blocks in return. It's chaotic, but the kids really love it, and it's given us some time to actually have a date without the added expense of a babysitter. We've done dinner and a movie. We've done Sushi and Best Buy to shop for a new TV....and THIS time...we did something adventuresome, the kind of thing we love to do best. AND the other swap couple that wasn't in charge of the kidlets joined us! BONUS!


Do we look like we share 7 kids between us? No, I didn't think so either! ;)

We live a few miles from The US National Whitewater Center, home of the largest man-made re-circulating river in the world.

It also butts up against the Catawba River, where we practiced some Flat-water Kayaking.

Chris liked the off-shoots the best! We followed him everywhere, even to a septic smelling little corner of the river, where you had to practically lay back in your kayak to go under the pipe in the way....we turned around really fast though!

And because it's been a looooooooooong time since I've been kayaking, I didn't worry about my legs when applying the sunscreen, just like I do before a hike, except this time, I REALLY needed some. Owies. (at least I wasn't the only one) Chris says, "Take off your socks! Oh yeah, you already did. Chuckle, chuckle."

Summer Menus

Today is the last day of school! Summer is upon us, and so is my favorite dinner season. As much as I love the cool crock-pot days of fall and winter, my favorite food comes straight off the grill!

It has been much too hot already to think about firing up the oven and so I'm starting to come up with some Summer Standbys.

I love a good cook-out, but I don't love red meat (in all it's artery clogging glory) so much. I've also never had a lot of luck with Turkey Burgers. The times I've tried them, they've been too bland, flavorless and/or fallen apart all over my grill. No bueno!

However, this time, I found a winner! And, I thought you'd like to know about it.

Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers

• 1-1/2 pounds ground turkey (I used 7% fat)
  
• 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons finely diced onion
• 1 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, seasoned bread crumbs, onion, egg whites (I used the whole egg, only because the yolk helps the turkey hold together much better on the grill), parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form into 6 patties.
2. The preferred method is to grill these, but you can also cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). We also added a slice of reduced fat swiss to each burger as they finished up on the grill.
   
3. Serve with green leaf lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, and, if you roll like I do, homemade guacamole. (2 avocados mashed up, add a squeeze of lime, a dash of salt and a coupl'a tablespoons of fresh pico/salsa/tomatoes and you're golden).

What are your favorite Summer Standbys?

I'm PopUlar!

I feel like I'm finally coming up for air. My week of birthday started early this year. I got an email from a friend letting me know that a group of 35 ladies has purchased Wicked tickets together before I moved in, and someone wanted to sell theirs and go out of town, would I like it? The timing couldn't have been more perfect, the Saturday before my birthday. Chris has already seen Wicked, and I have wanted to go FORever! Early birthday present!

So, a smaller sampling of the group got together for soup, salad and breadsticks at the good old OG and on to the show! To say that I loved it would be a colossal understatement! It was amazing! I only wish I could've seen it with the original cast, including Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, or Guh-linda, depending on when in the performance we're talking about. That part was so obviously written for her!

While I was at the show and gallivanting with my girlfriends, Daddy was entertaining the critters on his own. He took them to the Latta Plantation and Raptor Center. They had a wonderful time, despite collecting multiple mosquito bites all over their bodies. They saw folks dressed in period wear, and got to see how a loom works, play old-time games, etc. Fun had by all, including Chris, who swears he was born in the wrong time period. How he wishes he could get up to a big breakfast, work the north 40, get his hands dirty and his brow sweaty for his living! (too bad I have no desire to be a farmer's wife, huh?)

And a few days later, my ACTUAL birthday arrived. Chris and Savi made the cake all by themselves, and it turned out delicious! We added whipped cream when we served it.

Chris and Gunnar picked out this fun wall sconce for me, it's now hanging over the fireplace! JUST what I needed. I also got some books from my girls (they know how Mommy loves a good read), birthday money from my in-laws (that I spent on some fun new summer clothing at Steinmart), a watch from my parents, a running magazine and magnetic measuring cups from one sister, and a sweet charm bracelet from another sister.

And, my biggest surprise, from my sweetheart, was a little blue box. The first of it's kind I've ever received. Inside, a gift card to Tiffany & Co. I think I'm gonna pick up this little number on a 20" chain later this week...




The kids got their faces painted at Sticky Fingers, the barbecue place where we had birthday dinner! It was a fun side-benefit to a fun night, that also hosted a torrential springtime downpour!
I feel so spoiled, and so loved. I don't get it when folks don't like getting older and would rather not even mention their birthdays. It seems the older I get (and the older my kids get), the more fun my birthdays are! My kids anticipate it so much, which is totally contagious. I am so grateful for loving and thoughtful family and friends who made this birthday extra special.

Hugs!

Fantastical Freezer Jam

...in 30 minutes! But you have to wait 24 hours to eat it...THAT'S the hard part.

Once upon a time....errrr.....20 plus years ago, I made jelly in 4H. Green Apple Mint Jelly. It was not incredibly difficult, but I didn't love the product. In fact, I think my Mom had that jelly on the shelves for years afterward. Ew.

The last few years, whenever I am in a nicer grocery, I find myself looking to see if they have strawberry-rhubarb jam. They never do. For some reason I love this combination of tart and sweet. Recently I heard from a friend that making freezer jam was very simple, so I decided to try it out. The product was DELICIOUS! And, it proved to be a pretty fun mother-daughter activity too.

Here are the raw ingredients for the yummiest strawberry-rhubarb jam you've ever had!

Add one, cute, masher.


Melt a TON of sugar and sure-jell together per instructions in package. Add water. Stir constantly until melted and bubbling.

Add mashed fruit, stir. (I also steamed the rhubarb for few minutes before adding to the berries)

What you need

4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 2 lbs. fully ripe strawberries and 1 lb. rhubarb)

4 cups sugar, measured into pan

3/4 cup water

1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin

Make It

RINSE clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.

STEM and crush strawberries thoroughly, one cup at a time. Move crushed strawberries into large bowl. Cut rhubarb into 2-inch pieces. Steam. Add to crushed strawberries and roughly mash. Potato mashers work great for this.

MIX pectin and sugar in large saucepan. Add water. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 min. Add fruit mixture; stir 3 min. or until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Road Trippin': Washington, DC

First of all, sorry to those of you who check the blog for updates and haven't seen any since Cinco De Mayo (at least you had a yummy picture to look at, eh?). We've been doing great, and in fact, been pretty busy with plenty to blog about...only haven't gotten it done. I'm hoping to catch you up a bit this week on our happenings.

Most of all, our recent "Educational Vacation" to our Nation's Capital, last week.

Chris has several days of meetings scheduled at headquarters (read: FREE HOTEL!) and we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to show the kids around DC.

We've been talking to them about it for weeks, I even picked up some books for the kiddos on the subject, and they were so excited!

Also, I have to say, they are PERFECT ages for some exploratory learning. The secret here is, have a plan, but don't be so rigid about sticking to said plan. ONE activity a day is plenty when the kids are happy! I let them chose a place per day, and the rest was gravy..if it happened, which most of it did.

The Critters in front of the White House. We had just had lunch (see below) overlooking the South Lawn of the White House while the Mexican Delegation came and went amid sirens and lights. This was our 3rd "walking around day" and they were still doing so great!

PB & J tasted SO good that day, after paying for over-priced museum food the previous 2 days.

This is the first time any of our kids have traveled by Subway. I'm glad their first experience was on the Metro, as the NY system isn't as clean and family-friendly. We did well for the most part. The last ride was a little hairy, we missed our stop because an elderly woman was between us and the door and had littered the ground with her grocery bags. By the time I convinced her that she needed to pick them up so I could get by (with my stroller and 3 kids), the doors were closing...and these doors are not the kind that reopen when you stick your arm in them, if you get my drift. Luckily, the next stop was where our dinner plans were, so we called and made arrangements to wait while Chris walked up to meet us....and everything was fine. But, whew, if looks could kill, I think that poor old lady wouldn't have made it off the train that night. Chris calls it my "stinkeye" look.

The Washington Monument was something my kids wanted tickets for SO badly. Having been a decade since my last visit, I forgot that you had to be there FIRST THING before the tickets were all distributed for the day. We missed out that day, and then the kids slept in (and I let them) the next day so we missed them again. Savannah, my little optimist, says, "At least we have something to look forward to next time we visit!"

Notice the skies, the first day was misty rain all day, the second was gray and overcast...but the 3rd was perfect and clear.

And speaking of the Washington Monument....did you know there was an Original Washington Monument, and it was more in the style of the Lincoln Monument? Neither did I!


Here it is! It's housed on the 2nd floor of the American History Museum. Very Neoclassical, don't you think?

And of course, we had to get a picture of the "Dum Dum" statue at the Natural History Museum. Just for fun.

Speaking of fun....the kids posed by their favorite animals, and it turns out there is quite a resemblance.




We had a great time in the evening with Daddy too. It was nice to be together during a travel week and have those worlds merge for a bit. We dined out, had ice cream in Old Alexandria, walked along the waterfront on the Potomac, and even saw Alice in Wonderland together one night. We love being a family!

Keep on Adventuring!

A Fiesta Staple

Non-fried, Fried Ice Cream

This recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma ('cept I threw in the cinnamon), back in the day I worked at a Mexican place called El Pollo Asado where I made this dessert in big baseball sized portions... That is a fun way to eat it. You basically ball the ice cream up and roll it in the cornflake mixture, wrap in Saran, then freeze. Perfect for your FiEsTa!

• 4 C crushed corn flakes (put in a lg Ziploc bag and roll a soup can over them)
• 1 C coconut
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 C sugar
• 1/2 C melted butter
• 1/2 gal. softened vanilla ice cream
• hot fudge and/or caramel topping
• 1 can of whip cream and maraschino cherries (for the top!)

Mix first 5 ingredients together. Press half of the mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Add softened ice cream on top of mixture (in dollops...if you spread too harshly the bottom gets disturbed). Spoon the rest of the mixture on top, evenly. Cover and freeze. When ready to serve, cut into squares and top with fudge, caramel, whipped topping and cherries...add your favorite toppings if not listed here...