It’s BBQ Time

I’m not used to doing anything special on Memorial Day, because usually I or the hubby are working. (Retail jobs… Big *sigh*…)  However, last year and this year we both were together and were ready for some BBQs!

One day, I would like to have a Memorial Day BBQ of my own, but I certainly do like not having to plan, shop or prepare food.  That doesn’t mean I didn’t prepare anything.  I volunteered for dessert.  I could never go to a BBQ empty handed. I wanted to make something light and fruity and most importantly, rather quick.  As much as I would like to hand make everything, I’ve begun to utilize the semi-homemade method for just about everything I cook or bake.  Last year, my friend made a delicious fruit tart for Memorial Day that I wanted to make this year.  Her tart was made with a homemade crust which was tasty, but with a toddler hanging off my leg, the quicker the better, so no homemade crust.  So I took her recipe, another recipe I found off the internet and a little of my own creativity and made a “Not Quite a Tart” Fruit Tart.  The graham cracker crust makes it not so tart-like, but it is a good substitute to traditional crust.  Here’s my recipe!

“Not Quite a Tart” Fruit Tart

1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust shell

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of sugar

3/4 tsp of almond extract, divided

1 tsp of vanilla extract

About 3 cups of fresh fruit (Your choice – I used peaches, blueberries and raspberries)

2 tbsp of apricot jam

1 tbsp lemon juice

Cream the cream cheese, sugar, 1/2 tsp of almond extract and the 1 tsp of vanilla extract together.  Poor into pre-made pie shell.  Arrange the fruit beautifully!  Warm the apricot jam, lemon juice and remaining almond extract in a bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Brush on fruit.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Voila! Done!  Take the tart out of the fridge a few minutes before serving.  Quick and easy, right?

*Note: I needed extra lemon juice to toss the peaches in so they didn’t brown.   It all depends on what fruit you want to use.

If you do want to use fresh peaches, here are some steps on prepping them for the tart (or for any pie or dessert).

Wash the peaches.  Cut an X on the bottom.  (This will help make them easier to peel. ) Bring a pot of water to a boil and put the peaches in for about 30 seconds.  Remove peaches with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl of ice water.  (I was doing other things, so they sat in the water for like a few minutes.) Remove peaches from water and begin to peel at the X using a knife.  The skin should just slide right off. Cut the peaches length wise, remove the pit and start slicing! Put slice of peaches in a tbsp or 2 of lemon juice, so they don’t brown.

The tart came out very tasty and everyone enjoyed it.  A perfect summer dessert.  Enjoy!

Sew Crazy

I’ve been a bit of a crazy sewing lady lately.  During naps and at night, I’ve been sewing away.  Thank god for Pinterest.  I still consider myself a beginner, but I’m getting better with each stitch.  I’d like to take this time to thank all the bloggers with their free tutorials!  So here are some of my favorites so far:

• Snappy Toddler Top by Prudent Baby

I sewed a few things before I got to this top.  It’s not difficult, but you need a little experience before you make this.  I really wanted to make Talula some clothes.  I can’t say I’m going to make ALL of her clothes, but it’s fun to make a few really cute items for her.  I cheated a little with the closures on the neckline.  Instead of buttons or snaps, I used velcro with a button on top to fake people out.  It works just as well.  The watermelon pattern is from Joann’s, which has become my favorite store.

• Tote Bag Tutorial by Craft Buds

The project itself wasn’t difficult, but it did take a few hours to do.  And I certainly can’t go wrong with ANOTHER tote!  I picked up some vintage upholstery fabric from a local antique store to make it really sturdy.  There are plenty of simple bag tutorial out there, but I liked this one because it was boxy and provides a big open space to fill with junk, er, stuff.

• Zipper-Free, Removable, Pillow Cover by mama and baby LOVE

I’ve been dying to get new pillows for the couch, but once I got the sewing machine, I knew I’d be able to make some for myself.  With Talula, the messy little toddler that she is, I decided to make pillow covers instead so I was able to wash them whenever she put her cute little sticky fingers all over them.  A great beginner project as well!  Joann’s had a fantastic sale for the pillow form and the fabric is also from the antique store.

• Grocery Bag Holder by A Few of My Favorite Things

I hate plastic bags.  For the past few years they’ve been stuffed in a shelf in the pantry until it’s so full they fall out every time you open the door.  I usually don’t get them when I shop, because I love my totes and reusable bags, but I do forget my bags sometimes and end up with some.   I do use them for dog poop bags, so I don’t want to get rid of all the plastic bags.  This holder is great!  I made mine with another vintage fabric.  Instead of elastic at the bottom, I made a drawstring. (I didn’t have elastic, oops!)  Another awesome beginner project.

• Summertime Wallet Tutorial by Midwestern Sewing Girl

An excellent beginner sewing project.  My purses and backpacks are mainly filled with Talula items.  Back in the day, I filled it with all sorts of stuff for myself (makeup, brushes, notebook, pens, contact solution, the list goes on), but I’ve condensed my section of my bags to just credit cards, money, chapstick and phone.  I can fit everything in a little pouch that was beginning to become really disorganized.  Receipts and credit cards and cash were in disarray, but now, no more!  I wanted just a simple organizer for cards and money.  I used some scraps I had from other sewing projects to put this together in less than an hour.  Now, when I go out by myself,  all I need to grab is this little wallet and my keys.  (Chapstick and phone fit in my pants pockets.)

• Double Sided Fabric Headband by Happy Together

Normally, I hate fabric headbands.  They usually drive me nuts, because they are too tight/too loose.  This one is just right.  It’s wide enough that it doesn’t slide off my head and the measurements fit my head perfectly.  Again, I used some scraps from another sewing project.  It took me about an hour to make.

Now, I just have to make some sort of organizer for all my sewing things…  Right now, everything is dumped in an empty diaper box.

By the way, you can follow me on Pinterest!  I’m always finding little crafts or recipes to make!  Maybe you’ll find something that strikes your fancy as well.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Breakfast in bed and a picnic at Washington Crossing… Must be Mother’s Day!  Happy Mother’s Day to all the mummies out there! Hope all the moms out there are getting pampered by their children and significant others!  I just wanted to share another TED Talks that I love.  Sarah Kay recites a poem about daughters and then gives a little talk.  Enjoy!

Goodbye Maurice…

“Where the Wild Things Are” was a favorite book when I was a kid.  I  have read it to Talula a hundred times already.  I have prints hanging on her wall of Maurice Sendak’s art.  When Talula and I go to the library for story time, they always start with a poem by Maurice from Chicken Soup with Rice.  I know he was 83, but he’s one of the brilliant minds that you wished would have lived forever.

It’s strange that I’ve come to the age where celebrities I’ve grown up with  are starting to pass away.   The first celebrity that passed away that affected me profoundly was Jonathan Brandis.  As a kid and early teen, he was my celebrity crush.  I watched all of his movies, was a dedicated Seaquest fan and hung his pictures on my walls, usually cut from Tiger Beat or some sort of teen magazine.  I was just starting out in college, and though I didn’t “crush” on him anymore per say, when I found out he committed suicide, I was devastated.  It was like losing an old friend.

Of course, as the years have gone by more celebrities, old and young have passed, and though most do not have a major impact on me emotionally like Jonathan Brandis did, I’m still sad that these people pass away.  Take Dick Clark.  I watched the New Year’s Eve show for years.  He was one of those guys that you though were going to live forever!  And Whitney Houston?  She was the first singing diva I really knew.  I wasn’t a hard core fan of hers, but of course, I knew the words to many of her songs just because she was so popular.

So RIP Maurice Sendak, Adam “M.C’ Yauch,  Dick Clark, Mike Wallace, Thomas Kinkade, Adrienne Rich, Davy Jones, Jan Berenstain,  Whitney Houston, Etta James, Ruth Stone, Andy Rooney, Steve Jobs, Amy Winehouse  and Elizabeth Taylor… (I know I probably forgot some, but those are few just from the past year or so. All of them were very talented people.)

Now, go out and read one of Sendak’s books.  You’ll love them, I promise.

Poetry Class with Skye Van Saun

I have to keep myself fresh and grounded when it comes to writing.  For the past couple of years, I’ve concentrated on writing poetry.  A few months ago, I saw in the mail a pamphlet for the Community School of New Hope-Solebury and took a peek without ever intending on taking a class, but there it was. “Poetry” taught by Skye Van Saun, a Dodge festival  poet.

I wasn’t familiar with Skye’s poetry before the class, but I certainly knew the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival.  It is often referred to as “Wordstock” to poets, because it is the biggest poetry festival in the United States.  It has been a long time since I’ve been, and it only happens every two years.   Seeing poets recite their work is a treat.  As much as I like reading them, seeing a poet recite their own poem can be even better.  The fact that Skye was asked to read at the festival means she is a really good poet.

Before I registered for her class, I Googled her and read some of her work and was sold.  Check out her site and a sampling of her work – SkyeVanSaun.com.

But not only is she a good poet, she is a good teacher.  From the first class, I knew she was going to be a good teacher. Last night was our the 6th and final class.  Originally it was only suppose to be 4, but the students (and Skye) enjoyed it enough to ask for an extension.  Now that the class is over, we all are planning to continue to meet up.  It’s become more than just a class, but a writing group.

The other class members, a diverse group of poets, are awesome.  To get perspectives from different people about the poems I bring to workshop has been invaluable.  The critiques are not cruel and malicious like I have heard some groups are, but positive criticism and helpful suggestion in order to better my poems.  Some of the best advice I ever got from a fellow writer (who is also a family member and friend) is that you should not write for anyone but yourself.  Don’t write solely to be published.   If you write to please someone else, you lose a part of yourself and what makes you a writer.  That does not mean I’m not open to criticism.  Plenty of the people have brought up things they thought should be changed and I have agreed with them.  But at the end of the day, I should be happy with what I write.

I walk out of the class being incredibly inspired.  So much so that I am compiling old and new poems for a potential book, as well as some poems to submit to more literary journals and magazines.  Hopefully, Skye will be teaching more classes in the fall. I’ll be right there, signing up for another one.

*Just a note:  Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival is this year! I intend to go and anyone who writes or reads poetry should as well! Check out the site for more info: http://www.dodgepoetry.org/

What I Love About My Job

It’s tough to be a stay-at-home mom (or working mom or work-at-home mom), but there are so many things I love about it.  With all the debate in the news about stay-at-home mom’s and with Mother’s Day coming up, I thought I’d list a few things I love about my “job”.

• I get to experience all the “firsts”. 

My hubby is sometimes jealous of all the first things he misses because he is at work, but as he puts it “I’m glad one of us gets to be there for all the ‘firsts’”.  I got to hear her first word, see her first crawl, first steps, first wave and well, every “first” so far.  How could I not be excited to watch this little being do a first of anything?  She gets so excited when she is doing something all by herself and I am there applauding her efforts and hard work.  The word “Joy” cannot describe what I feel when I get to see those moments.

•  I get to be a teacher.

I love teaching.  Eventually I would love to teach as a professor. I loved substitute teaching for elementary schools.

So it’s no surprise that I love teaching her new things.  I’ve taught her a few things in sign language, so we can communicate better while she’s still learning how to speak.  I’ve taught her to blow kisses. I’ve taught her what’s a dog and what’s a duck.  The list goes on.  I know as she gets older I will teach her even more like playing a musical instrument or writing a poem or how to knit.   It’s amazing to watch her learn and pick up things so quickly.  By far, she is my favorite student ever.

•  I get to pick my “co-workers”. 

She is a social little girl.  She loves to meet new people and so do I.  Both Talula and I enjoy play dates and hanging around the people we both get along with.  It’s also nice to be able to pick who takes care of her.  If I put her into a daycare, I have to take a leap of faith that all the daycare employees are going to have the qualifications that I would personally want in a person in order for them to take care of Talula.  Having friends and family take care of her

ensures that I know and trust the people who are going to watch after Talula.

•  I am the boss.

Well, Talula is partly the boss (haha), but seriously, I am the one in charge of taking care of her.  I answer to myself.  The hubby knows I’m doing what needs to be done and doesn’t question what I’m feeding her, who she’s hanging out with, etc.  The only person who rates my “performance” at this stage is me, and so far, I would have to say my performance as a mommy is pretty damn good.

•  I have the honor of spending my “work days” with the coolest girl I know… Talula.

I enjoy being with Talula.  There are difficult days, no doubt, where we both are just kind of burnt out or what not, but most of the time, I just like being around her.  She is so happy and always smiling.  She entertains me and I make her laugh.  I like being able to be a kid with her and play with toys and draw and run around and sing with her.  I might be mommy, but we are also playmates.  As with any job, you got to love what you do.  And I love being Talula’s mommy.  I know, I know, cue sappy music. But honestly, it’s true.  Some people say that “When you have kids, your life is over,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  It’s different than before Talula, but it’s better and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  She makes me happier than I ever thought I could be.  How could I not want to spend time with a little girl who loves me so much?  Those moments when she climbs in my lap and give me a big hug and kiss and just cuddles with me, makes my job the best job ever.

Pigs, Horses and Cows! Oh My!

The Howell Living History Farm is a beautiful place to go to.   Less than 10 minutes from our house and free admission and animals!  I’m there.

We took a self-guided tour around, stopping at all the barns and talking to the friendly staff about the place.  It is a working farm, but run the way it was run back in the late 1800s, early 1900s.  (Though one of the staff members admitted they do have a few tractors to help them maintain the farm since it is over 100 acres.)

We got to go in a chicken coop and see where the chickens lay their eggs.  (And when I mean IN a chicken coop, I mean literally IN the chicken coop. We were standing next to chickens as they were eating and laying eggs.) We met Daisy, the pregnant cow who is due in June.  She was just chillin’ in her stable, being large and lazy. (As she well should be!) The staff said she would be a dairy cow after she had the baby.  *Insert joke about Daisy sour cream*  We met the work horses that were just about to go plow a field. ( I believe their names were Jack and Charlie.)  It must be spring, because all the animals were either babies or preggos.

We even left with a little souvenir – The Howell Living History Farm’s own maple syrup.  Pancakes for breakfast tomorrow! Yum

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(Again, thank you Instagram for making my photos look amazing.)