What's Cookin'?

Our kitchen has been in factory production mode this month. Between goodies for the neighbors, potluck dishes for parties, meals with the family at home, parties we have hosted and my complete obsession with baking random things, the oven and stove have been puting in some serious overtime! I have been trying lots of new recipes and lots of old favorites and am finally getting around to posting them on my recipe blog. Head over there for recipes for everything from sugar cookies to enchilada soup to almond poppyseed bread a.k.a. my new favorite food. :)

So many people contribute such wonderful recipes to the blog and I go there first when I need some dinner inspiration! I know that I am always looking for new awesome recipes, so if there is anyone out there reading that would like to contribute, you can post as a guest (directions are in the sidebar on the blog) or send me your email and I will invite you to be an author. I just love the idea of sharing favorites among friends (and the idea that when people ask me for my recipes I can just give them the blog link so that I don't forget to send the recipe!)

Friday

Yesterday was Seth's day off.

We did a lot of stuff (errands, mow the lawn, etc), but the most important stuff...

Took a morning walk together (including Callie) at this lovely park/trail in Holladay.

BBQ-ed hot dogs and had a picnic lunch outside.

Picked up Bucca Di Beppo take out, spread blankets all over the living room floor and had a "picnic dinner" in the living room while we watched a movie.

Of course, popcorn was involved.

Seth's days off are like holidays.

Happy.

Thursday...

After 2 phone calls were interrupted by screaming children, we learned and role played

how to properly interrupt mommy when she is on the phone.

"excuse me..."

Gladly, it is working.

We went to Old Navy and Carters to get some random stuff

that I forgot when I did our summer clothes shopping.

We stopped at the distribution center for Seth.

And we (finally) got the wire from Michaels to turn our portrait frame into a landscape one so that I can hang up the 16x20 picture that has been precariously perched on our entry bench for over a month. Since the kids were fairly well-behaved, they each got to pick out a colorful sand pail.

I love summer.

Finally made it to the library for some new reading material for the kids.

Back home for reading books, lunch, naps and playing outside.

Whipped up a very random, very Greek dinner:

I was craving lemon rice...so I started that...and I had a bunch of asparagus that needed to be used asap, so I steamed that. And then I was at a loss.

Called my mom for inspiration and she suggested mixing the asparagus with the rice and adding some feta and canned chicken. Decided not to, but the mixing idea and the canned chicken inspired a new creation: Greek Chicken Salad Toss.

diced tomatoes, chopped asparagus, feta, canned chicken and Greek dressing

It was fabulous...and I am clearly quite proud of my concoction in the face of another night eating corn dogs or quesadillas.

Remembered why I really need to get back on the meal planning bandwagon!

Ate popsicles while sitting on the tailgate of the car...which the kids thought was fabulous...but was really meant to motivate me to unload the stuff out of the back of the car.

Books and books and more books.

Goodnight for kids.

Sherlock Holmes for the hubs (and kind of me, though I can't admit to actually watching it because it is one of those intense movies that I can't get sucked into or it will give me nightmares) and working on updating my portfolio on the website for me.

And today we slowed it down a bit.

The kids played and watched the Princess and the Frog this morning

I caught up on video tutorials for my photography classes

and the baby girl slept and slept and slept

lunch at home (this is almost monumental lately)

a visit to Grandma Colleen's house to enjoy time with her in her gorgeous garden

(and get some peonies for the vase on my kitchen table - thanks Gram!)

naps...not much sleeping...but room time no less

dinner

reorganizing the girls room

baby toys are headed off to storage to make room for the

$3 dollhouse daddy found at a garage sale on Saturday

Bedtime did not come fast enough!

Talked and talked and talked to a very dear friend...miss you Ruth!

Yesterday we...

Went grocery shopping and to costco: me + 3

(never pretty but always neccesary - especially because I was out of Dr. Pepper!)

Costco lunch in the car

Met up with friends at the park - the kids went on a treasure hunt and found some pretty interesting stuff (nails, feathers, candy wrappers, Chloe's shoes that she kept taking off - kind of nasty actually)

Naps - all 4 of us - not quite sure what happened but I closed my eyes for a quiet minute sometime after 3:00 and woke up at 4:30.

Made pasta salad and packed it up in my new picnic basket...love!

Met up with Seth at Wheeler farm for a picnic

Ate popsicles when we got home

Worked together to clean the house...some little people got distracted playing, but they helped.

Updated the smileabunch photography blog and facebook page

(if you aren't a fan, go be one! There is a cute picture of my kiddos on there today.)

Defining Summer

If I had to define summer, I would say it is all about relaxing and playing.

Unplanned days.

BBQs any day of the week.

Trips to the zoo at leisure.

Popsicles and slurpees.

Sidewalk chalk and squirt guns and running through sprinklers in the backyard.

Toting what seems like an entire houseful of stuff to the swimming pool, just to spend an afternoon by the pool.

And we have been doing this...all of it!

Which begs the question...when does the relaxing part kick in?

Every day is packed to the brim, and a nap tucked in there wherever it will fit when we are lucky.

And while we have filled our days with fun activities and friends and sports,

I wonder if it would be more productive to sit in the backyard and do NOTHING:

just watch the birds tease each other playing hide and seek,

listen to the squirrel taunting poor Callie,

feel the cool of the grass sticking to our bare legs as we lay in the shade

...just be.

I tend to be more productive than I think I am,

but I really don't realize it until I start to tell someone about it. 

So I am trying a new exercise this week...

writing down the main points of what we do each day.

Then when the end of the day arrives and my head hits the pillow,

those 3 minutes before I drift soundly off to sleep,

I will know that it has been a productive day.

At least, productive with the things that count.

Yesterday we...

pulled out the swimsuits to make sure they still fit

laundry

dishes

sweeping

packed a lunch and a carload of towels and dry clothes

spent the afternoon:

soaking up (way too much) sun

drinking Capri Suns and Kool Aid

blowing giant homemade bubbles

remembering how to slip-n'-slide

running through the sprinklers

and jumping on the trampoline

with my cousins and their kids

We ate cereal for dinner...and that was good enough.

I'll be back later to share adventures from today...we've been busy!