Artichokes, Kale chips and a Mango...

I'm back after a short break to visit my sister and her family. We stayed longer than we ever have and had a great time. We swam, went to the movie, enjoyed a nature walk that was not so enjoyable once my nephew H was stung by a bee, and just had fun being together. The girls played dress up while the boys chased each other through the house with nerf bullets flying. They built tents and played with water balloons. My kiddos got to join Hunter in his Cross-Fit class and had a blast! I'm now bugging Rodney to hang us some rings from the ceiling in the garage so the kids can do pull-ups. I got some great ideas on how to make fitness fun for the kids. Thanks Sis for letting us tag along.

Watermelon for breakfast ~ yummy!

Yesterday we went to the grocery store and I thought it would be fun for the kids to pick out a fruit and vege they had never tried before. The catch was they had to at least taste what they picked out; so after much deliberation they agreed on an artichoke and a mango. I picked up some kale; I've been wanting to try making kale chips. The mango was a huge success; they had it for breakfast this morning. The artichoke is still waiting patiently in the fridge (I'll be Googling "how to cook an artichoke" shortly.) As for the kale chips?

This health nut mama thought they were delicious! I have to hand it to the kids, they at least tasted them. I must say, for those of us living a low carb, high fat diet these little chips are perfect for those days when we need something crunchy and a little salty. Not only are they tasty, they are so good for you. Kale is rich in nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and E, fiber, calcium, manganese and loaded with sulfur containing phytonutrients which have been shown to protect against many kinds of cancers including breast and ovarian. The chips are super simple to make; simply wash the leaves, spin in a salad spinner, gently tear the leaves from the stem, place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes.

I hope you try them and if you do, let me know what you think ~

Chalk Art ~

It's amazing  how a bucket of chalk can bring so much contentment. I think so many times as parents we (or should I say "I") feel a tremendous amount pressure to entertain our children especially throughout the summer months; not only is this exhausting, it's also very expensive! We're so used to being busy that it really is an adjustment to just "chill out."

Despite the fact the wind has blown 30 mph everyday so far this summer, the kids still want to be outside. I would say the chalk was a nice change of pace from water balloons. (Our water balloon adventures came to a halt when we discovered our destructive sweet puppy had chewed up the water balloon nozzle and the hose. Yes, I tried to buy more balloons, but apparently Target buyers think people only play with water balloons around Easter time and I have yet to make it to my least favorite store...Walmart.)

I loved watching the kids being creative ~ even Sam got in on the fun and ate a piece of white chalk. :) As a mom I have to remember how easy it is to get sucked into the vortex that is computers, tv's and video games...our creative juices dry up quickly when they're not being used. I may meet some resistance, but everyone is so much happier when all that junk is switched off. The simplicity of something as basic as a piece of chalk, a new coloring book and colors, a set of children's water colors or *gasp* a good book might be just what you need to tap in to your creative side. I have several craft ideas in mind for us to work on this summer...can't wait to get started and blog about our creations!

Hoping for a drink of water...

Once again lots of things happened today that went unphotographed; basketball camp, playing in the blow-up pool at a friends house, enjoying a chocolate coconut mocha with a friend at Target. We do so many things during the day and I'm constantly on the look-out for "the picture of the day." I finally decided on the subject of today's photo just before sunset. 

This is our livelihood

This baby cotton could really use a good drink right now. Oh sure, it's irrigated or it would never have broken ground; what I mean is a really good drink from above. As I was taking this photo the clouds were rumbling and hopes for a rain was off in the distant west, but as I am writing this our rain chances are gone. We'll keep irrigating and this baby cotton will keep growing, but a good rain would make things a whole lot better...in the meantime we'll also keep praying.

So Thankful for our Freedom ~

On this Memorial Day I am so thankful for all the freedoms that I, more often than not, take for granted. I do not come from a military family and although I can name several extended family members who fought for our freedom, I've not been close to anyone who has served in recent wars. I have a cousin who is a Marine and another who is getting ready to start his career as a Marine and I couldn't be prouder of these two young men who find it important, deep down in their being, to fight for our country.

We were on our way home (almost home actually) when I realized I had forgotten to go by the cleaners, so I whipped around and drove the 9 miles back only to realize they were closed in celebration of Memorial Day. I knew this because I had read the sign when I was there last week, yet I was still slightly annoyed that I had wasted my time and gas (which is not cheap these days.) I grumbled for a few blocks and then I came upon a section of the road that was lined with U.S. flags...it was beautiful. I decided to whip into the bank's parking lot and snap this picture with my iPhone. All day long we had been griping about the wind. In fact, I think I woke up in a slightly grumpy mood this morning because the wind was already blowing, but because of the wind I captured the beauty of this flag in all it's glory. Because of this picture I've been counting my blessings; thankful I can drive to the cleaners only to find it's closed, thankful I can snap a picture of our country's colors flowing in the wind, thankful for the two young men who share parts of my history that are willing to risk their futures ~ thankful for too many things to count...

Our Tire Swing...

There are two things I remember always wanting as a child ~ a tree house and a tire swing. One day about 5 summers ago my awesome husband came home with an old tire and a long rope and before I knew it we had a tire swing hanging from a very old cedar tree in our front yard. Fast forward a few summers; the kids and I were sitting on a quilt in the front yard, under that same tree shelling peas when I looked up and pictured a tree house in the other cedar tree. All I had to do was mention how awesome it would be for the kids to have a tree house and a few days later big R pulled a trailer into the drive full of materials to make it happen. Two days later we were perched in that tree house high up in the cedar...you could see a long long way ~ it was so cool. 

I wish everyone could enjoy a shade tree and tire swing in the summer.

We were sad to leave our tree house behind when we moved last year, but one of the first things we did was pick out a spot just right for our tire swing. I've learned the last few days that it's the perfect place to hang out during these unbearably hot days of summer. It's perfectly shaded, the kids can play with the sprinkler under the trampoline (without sunscreen) and I can sit and enjoy watching them play (without sunscreen.)  We've gone through what seems like hundreds of water balloons over the last two days and if it weren't for all our beautiful shade trees we would be stuck in the house on these sweltering days.

I have the perfect view of our tire swing from my kitchen window. On those days when the kids are at school and I'm in our quiet home standing there doing dishes, my mind will wander into the future when our children are grown and the only thing swinging the tire will be the wind. For now I will slow down and enjoy the lazy days spent together under the shade, swinging on the tire...