My skirt.

I made a skirt.  Awhile ago. But I was too shy to wear it. I don't know why. I feel self conscious when I wear things I make. I fear they will fall apart and I will be left naked blushing. Well, I decided to wear this skirt on Thanksgiving this year with my boots and decided to just go with it, and to be ME (all simple and homemade...who cares)!! I really loved this fabric when I saw it because it reminded me of a Van Gogh painting. It is a simple skirt with an elastic waist! 

Love,

Mon <3

Maxfield Wants..

Well maybe mommy does...but I'm sure he would like them too!!!

I want...

From sailonbaby on Etsy. So cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Mon

Leggings

I have been wanting to try to sew leggings for the girls, and finally did! I found this tutorial and gave it a shot. They are unbelievably easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If my sewing machine wasn't acting up it wouldn't have taken more than twenty minutes or so!  Hazel has demanded more, so I should be very busy in the near future :)

Happy to be sewing again, let's just hope and pray my sewing machine begins to behave herself!!

Love,

Mon

Baked Oatmeal

There are those mornings when you need a "big warm hug", in the form of a comforting breakfast and for me, today was such a day. I have tried baked oatmeal before and didn't have much success, but was excited to find a simple recipe that was quite lovely. Everyone was fed & happy! The oatmeal was quite delicious!!!

I snapped a pic of my breakfasts. My baked oatmeal with cherries, homemade bread with butter & honey, and coffee. The girls giggled to one another and said "She's taking pictures of her breakfast" (accompanied with a "hee hee hee")  They think I am insane :)

Love,

Mon

Things I'm in love with...

We are reading this book as part of our literature lessons and we love the stories so very much  (I probably love them the most, the old English, the witty stories, the lessons you learn...oh I do heart them)

and we love this one as well...

Having a delightful time over here ;)

Apple Pie

We recently picked a WHOLE LOT OF APPLES!!! I made a pie with some of them that came out really delicious. I usually like to use this recipe that has almond flour in it, suggested by a dear sister (who is a fabulous cook/baker), but I was out of almond flour. I instead found this recipe, and used organic butter and organic vegetable shortening...while it came out nicely I think I will stick with all butter in the future. To be honest, I did eat the majority of the pie, as I have discovered my girls are not really pie people and my husband is never home. Mind you, I always ate one slice at a time (in a single day), I promise. Who says you can't drown your sorrows in pie?!?! Who says? Just Kidding, but really....I do love pie.

Lots, and Lots of love,

Mon

Learning

I bought the cutest kid knitting needles for Hazel. Not sure if she has the coordination to fully knit quite yet but we are working on it together. I cast on for her, of course, but she seems to be catching on. With her personality, she wants to finish it right away so explaining to her that knitting takes time has been interesting.   We are working on a Barbie blanket!! A friend at work said that she would knit Barbie blankets for her girls, and I thought with it being Fall and all, they might appreciate some warmth. :) I figure a few minutes now and then won't burn her out, and I'm mostly holding the needles and having her loop them through. It is kind of stressful on my part, not gonna lie, but it is teaching me patience!!!

Lots of love,

Mon
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An artist in the making.

We recently visited an art museum. An unconventional little field trip on a Sunday. Yes, a Sunday!!! One of our favorite little art museums has a deal where admission is free from 9-12 pm on Sunday! So we went to an early service at church and visited the museum after. I was alone with the three kids, so I was so apprehensive, however all was well! We had fun admiring art and even going on a little nature walk!!! During our visit, we made our way through the still life/portrait section. I explained what that term meant, and Hazel listened intently. You see, Hazel Rei loves art!!! She loves art of all types, coloring, painting, drawing, etc!!!! She was completely in her element, and loved every minute! So later that day, I noticed that Hazel had done this...

We talked about it, and Hazel explained how she had done "portraits" of her two favorite dolls!!! How amazingly cute is this????????????  <3

Love,

Mon

Goat Cheese I love you!

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND CHIVES!!!!!!!!!!! HOLLLLLER.

This was the day that goat cheese completely rocked my existence. I've always know that I liked goat cheese, who doesn't???? It is wonderful, creamy, and delicious. But this recipe solidified why! I mean they were amazing. Please try them. You will not be disappointed. We served them with our soup for dinner, and we all loved them!!!

Love,

Monica (aka bread freak)

Wishful Thinking

Anticipating Fall....hoping for brisk weather wrapped up in sweaters and wearing my beloved boots...only to be left hot and cursing the lingering summer. Oh bother.
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It starts with bacon.

(Sorry, my photos are not always the best. Hooray for bad lighting, but they were delicious. I promise )

So, my five year old daughter seriously loves bacon. Like a lot! She always wants it and suggested that we have BACON for dinner one day a couple of weeks ago. I don't mind bacon (in moderation and I usually don't eat it...how funny), I prefer the uncured and more natural types, and I had some so I thought I'd incorporate it into our evening meal. We also had corn in our fridge, sweet-lovely-local-fresh corn so my first thoughts were revolving more along the corn chowder type recipes. I stumbled across a recipe for corn pancakes on my most fav food blog. So I thought I would go with that, and make it like a savory, evening, type breakfast thing.  So I made home fries, like of the roasted variety with onions,  and green peppers, and then cooked the bacon....the main ingredient of course. These pancakes were so delicious! I urge you to try them...please!! They are the ultimate comfort food, slathered with fresh organic butter and maple syrup.  

Enjoy!
Love,
Mon

Jade's poor baby doll.

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Baby lion wearing.

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peach cake

Let me first preface this post by exclaiming vehemently that I AM NOT A GREAT CAKE MAKER!!! Furthermore, I am NOT A GREAT CAKE DECORATOR EITHER! So there, I got that out. Now you will understand why the cake I made for Joe looked like a nursery school student slathered frosting all over it with their fingers! I try though, I have this thing about store bought cakes...while they may look all put together and stuff, I feel a homemade cake is so much more meaningful! I hope to get better at it!!!  The family and I went out to pick peaches one afternoon, which was lots and lots of fun, and since Joe's birthday rolled around the same time and he loves peaches, I decided to make him a peach cake. Well, actually I decided to make him peach cupcakes with this recipe found here!  I absolutely love the blog the recipe comes from, it is truly a favorite. Anyhow, when I made a  batch of the cupcakes, I decided to bake off the rest of the batter in this super cute, teeny, tiny little cake pan I bought for Hazel's first birthday cake.  I had planned to deviate from the cupcake recipe, and make a marscarpone frosting, which I found...here. While, I do indeed need a cake decorating lesson, I thought I'd share because the cake was super delicious!!!!  Joe was happy!!! In the future, perhaps I will make the cake ahead of time, so that I may have time to decorate it without a crying 6 month old, and fighting 3 and 5 year olds (and a hot and humid house, an enemy of frosting...so I've discovered) to contend with...perhaps!!!!

(the birthday boy with his cupcake)

Love,

Mon

It is sure going to be hard to say goodbye to fresh tomatoes from our garden. As summer is drawing to a close, it is just a fact of life. That is one thing I will look forward to next spring. Now, looking forward to pumpkins, fires, knitting, baking, and other lovely fall activities.

love,

mon <3

cucumbers

We grew that.

We were able to grown a couple of cucumbers so far. They have been yummy! The kids love to eat them as a snack.  The excessive heat hasn't helped our garden much...also the fact that I unknowingly planted all tiny tomatoes...but it has been fun!!! Making salsa from your own tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro is nice!! YAY for vegetable gardens.

Love,

Mon

How you know your raising a hippie.

When your five year old uses the term "essential oils" in a sentence.
Love it
<3

Blessings.

A very sweet friend allowed us to partake in her CSA share for the week since she and her family were going out of town. I was so excited since we've thought about buying a share ourselves.  I was so happy to see the beautiful produce we received and cannot wait to incorporate them into our meals.  Can't wait to share what we come up with!!!  Thank you friend for blessing us this week!!!!

Love,

Mon

Converse

Mommy & Baby! <3

Spelt Bread

My new love <3

Spelt Flour!!! I use it to make my bread now.  This blog should be renamed, FAT GIRL ADDICTED TO  CARBS...PLEASE HELP, or something along those lines. Because yes this is another 'bread' post! I absolutely love bread. I heart bread, way, way, way, more than desserts or even chocolate. This does not help my current weight situation but oh well. I thought I would share my beloved spelt bread. Yes, I heart it so. It is so rich, so hearty and nutty, it is absolutely wonderful. I use the basic bread recipe that I always use but use whole spelt flower instead. My recipe is as follows:

1 cup warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup milk

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 1/2 cups whole Spelt flour

1 cup all purpose flour (I use the King Arthur, unbleached, unbromated kind)

I start by pouring the 1 cup of warm water in my kitchen aid and sprinkle the yeast on top. I leave it there for 5 minutes. After the five minutes I add the oil, honey, milk, and salt and mix it.  I then add all my flour and switch to the dough hook. I knead the dough for 6 minutes. I then add more flour as needed to get it to the correct consistency. Enough so the dough is slightly firm and can be made into a compact tight ball. I then place it in a large bowl with a drizzle of olive oil on the bottom, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it alone for 1 hour. At the end of that hour I take the dough and roll out to a rectangular shape and roll into a loaf shape. I then place it in my oiled loaf pan, cover and let it rise for another 30-60 min.  I bake @ 350 for 20 minutes uncovered, then 15 min covered with foil, and 5 additional minutes after I brush it with either butter or olive oil. I then remove it from the pan after allowing it to cool for a few minutes then let it cool for a bit more before I slice and devour it.  Try making it, you will be like me and never go down that "bread" aisle  at the grocery store again!!!!!!!

I have found that with my new Spelt recipe I do not need to add gluten, which I have in the past when using whole wheat flour. I also found that it rises so much quicker than wheat flour so I need to watch it a little more so it doesn't flatten. Read more about the benefits of Spelt here.  

Here is my beloved bread...

It goes so lovely with...

and....

Love,

Mon <3

Intriguing

Flower Essences.....

For me...
White Chestnut: "For those who cannot prevent thoughts, ideas, arguments which they do not desire from entering their minds. Usually at such times when the interest of the moment is not strong enough to keep the mind full. Thoughts which worry and still remain, or if for a time thrown out, will return. They seem to circle round and round and cause mental torture. The presence of such unpleasant thoughts drives out peace and interferes with being able to think only of the work or pleasure of the day." - Dr. Edward Bach

Aspen: "Vague unknown fears, for which there can be given no explanation, no reason. It is a terror that something awful is going to happen even though it is unclear what exactly. These vague inexplicable fears may haunt by night or day. Sufferers may often be afraid to tell their trouble to others." - Dr. Edward Bach

YOU?

Ballet, then burgers!
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The Ballet.

Dad's surprise for the little girls...a night at the ballet. <3
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Beautiful Weather.

Spending the day fishing. <3
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dinner rolls.

Tonight I needed a little something to round off our dinner. Since I do indeed have my hands very full with three small children (one very, very, very small) I searched online for an easy and quick recipe. I found a recipe that seemed to fill my criteria.  I didn't use shortening but opted for butter, and used white whole wheat flour. When it was all mixed I was a bit put off by how goopy it was....but I just went with it. I baked them in muffin tins and was actually surprised at how yummy they were. Quick, easy, and simple..just how I like things!!!  The girls loved them!!! Yay for rolls!! 

Oats, Oats. Oats!

(No those aren't hockey pucks, they are my attempt at a "healthier cookie")

I mentioned to my chef husband that I wanted to make a healthy oatmeal cookie...and he of course rolled his eyes and said "cookies shouldn't be healthy". Since I am needing to lose about a zillion lbs, and occasionally have a sweet tooth I knew I needed something that would help my situation and that I could give the kids without feeling too bad.  I found this recipe online and decided to give it a shot. I added golden raisins, dates, and almonds to my version of this recipe...and I split up the honey ratio in half with applesauce. I agree with the Chef, this isn't quite a cookie, although it is mostly healthy. If you want a decadent, buttery cookie, well this is not it. Well what is it then? I agree with the recipe description it is almost a supplement. It has healthy oats and nuts in it! I know Joe will not come close to ever putting one of my cookies in his mouth...but the outcome with the girls is:

Hazel-Loved them!

Jade-Ate half of her cookie!

Mom-Loved them!

Love,

Mon

Somewhere only we know.

Our new little spot, where we can go...so lovely...feels like it is somewhere only we know even though it is not! We are now members of Longwood Gardens, which is a gorgeous place of flowers, plants, and peace.  Looking forward to spending lots and lots of time there in the coming months. While it is still rather chilly, it is nice to spend time in the the vast indoor gardens and pretend it is nice and warm. Soon it will be!!

School Chair.

The things you find in your basement that you have long forgotten and can be very useful!
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French Bread

We are planning to have BLT's for dinner so I made some french loaves. This will be special BLT's with special tomatoes, special bacon, and now extra special fresh bread. This recipe is so easy, if you love bread as much as I do, please try it.
Love,
Mon
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Princess hair.

I'm not good at "hair". Just look at my hair :) Hazel Rei (err I mean princess Hazel Rei) requested princess hair. She interpreted her vision in great detail. When I say great detail, I mean GREAT detail. She was happy! It amazes me how particular little girls are, especially this one! So I'm continuing to work on my hair skills! Have a beautiful Tuesday!
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Cookies!!!

This is the second day of what appears to be a baking streak. Yesterday I made a peach pie after purchasing a large amount of peaches at a wholesale produce store. I have eaten a lot of pie since yesterday. I am ashamed :( So I have no idea why I had the desire to bake again today. I looked up a recipe for almond cookies since I love almonds!!! <3 I also have a jar of almond butter and was super excited to find a recipe that incorporated almond butter and maple syrup...double, double yummmmmmmm!!!!!

Maple Almond Butter Cookies

I used this recipe but changed it up a tiny bit.

1/2 cup natural almond butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons melted butter (the recipe online used vegetable oil)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup unbleached pastry flour (the recipe online used whole wheat pastry flour which I did not have on hand)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped almonds

I mixed the almond butter, maple syrup, butter, and vanilla extract in the kitchenaid.  In a separate bowl I mixed the dry ingredients. I gradually added the dry ingredients to the almond mixture, then added the chopped almonds.  I baked them at 350 for about 10 minutes. 

The result = delicious!!!!! The house smelled beautifully, you would not believe!!! The girls loved them and I suggest if you love maple syrup and almond butter as I do...try it out.

Lots of love,
Mon <3

Montgomery burger night!

Gourmet burgers we are calling them. I felt ambitious so I decided to try to make buns. I am somewhat addicted and fascinated by bread making. The idea of flour, water, yeast etc combining for wonderfully delicious results makes me happy. Anyhow, back to the brioche buns. As you can see, my sizing is off. Maybe they don't look gorgeous and perfect, but they are really good!! I was nervous and ended up making a variety of sized buns from the big momma on the right to the normal sized ones on the left. I hope they will be prettier next time but I am happy! For my first shot...not bad. I did have some issues with the recipe. For some reason I had to add more milk. I think it was ok though. Mmmmmm I <3 bread! Now for the burger feast!

Love,
Mon

headband.

I made Hazel Rei a little headband that she loves to wear like a hippie. She wanted a flower on it so I tried my hand at knitting a rose.  It mostly came out like a ball but it could be the yarn was maybe a little too thick! It was a fun & super easy project!  Hazel loves it!

I also made Jade one too, except made a little bow.

Love,
Mon