The beginning of a dream

I got Elle (let's be honest...and me) a pottery wheel ($25 at WalMart). I have been wanting desparately to learn how to use a pottery wheel for years and years and hope to some day have a set up in our barn for a wheel, but in the mean time this will have to suffice.

Elle LOVED it. We were a total mess, which of course is always fun, and she was pretty good at it. (A little heavy on the water...)

We made this as a toothbrush holder for her bathroom.... she accidently broke it the next day...

Here's what the box looks like if you're interested. (again, I think it was $25 at WalMart...doesn't come with batteries though). I will say, the end product can't hold water though... so although they show a vase and a mug and plant pot... don't plan to make those if you want to use water in them. =)

Pinecrest Gardens

 

The kids and I went to check out this place about 35 minutes from where we live. It is BEAUTIFUL. All of the house plants I see sold in stores in WA.... are here, growing in magnificant splendor; making the ones back home look like they are barely surviving.

This is "Swan Lake". Amazing right?

Look at that swan! If someone would have asked me if I had seen a swan before I would have said "yes" with an "of couse" attitude. But after seeing this.... I realize... I couldn't possibly have ever seen one before... I would have remembered how HUGE they are! Just miraculous.

ROAR!

This was their "petting zoo". I was a little disappointed in this aspect to say the least... but the pigs that were there were super cute and the kids enjoyed seeing them. I can't wait to get pigs on our farm. I have been researching ones that are really good with kids and how to care for them so they don't stink. Yummy bacon!

Those are turtels behind the swan...

Bug

Here's my little man. It's not the greatest nickname, but somehow "bug" has really stuck. I called him "my bug-a-boo" early on and that resulted in "bug"... I love it. I love him.

Little One

In keeping with my daughter's ability to give our animals Indian names (remember the chicken's named "yellow on top of his head" and "broken bill"?) She changed "Betty" to "Little One". She is a really good hamster, hasn't bit anyone yet, in spite of the less than perfect affection my 2 little ones (pun intended) give her. Christian puts his toys in her cage and trys to tickle her, Elle pretends she's a baby and also enjoys how funny it is when you hold her upright like a person would stand and watches as her little legs and feet try desparately to touch the table which makes her look like she's running in place. It is so nice to have an animal around her. I really miss having animals. I am spending much of my time here reading up on and making plans for when we get back and how to really make a go with our small farm. I can't wait! =)

Birdhouse

Yikes, it has been a while since a post! New camera batteries are in and I can now download my photo's of what we've done the last couple weeks.  Elle and I assmbled this birdhouse (I felt like a fraud... I would have never considered buying a KIT before...but no saw or scrap lumber here in our condo...) She had so much fun and we talked and planned where we would put it when we got back to the farm and what kind of a bird she thought might make it their home. The kit was $10 at WalMart if anyone is interested...

Elle pool story

The kids and I went to the pool this afternoon. It has been rainy and "cold" (60 degrees or so) here the last week or so and the pool is not heated other than by the sun, so it was FREEZING! (felt straight out of a hose... which would be fine if it was super hot, but it was probably mid 70's and windy) Elle didn't mind and still wanted to swim, since she missed it from a week of it being too rainy and cold. So the kids played in the water for a while and Elle pretended that there were sharks and I was the "protector" and saved them from the "sharks". After about 5 minutes and everybody was shivering and bright red (from the cold) with purple lips we went to lay on the warm lounge chairs to warm up.

I saw Elle holding my empty water bottle heading toward the pool, so I say, "Elle, where you going?"
Elle: "I'm thirsty."
Me: "Where are you going to get water from?"
Elle: "I'm just going to get it from the pool."
Me: "No, you can't drink the pool water, it has chemicals in it."
Elle...stops, looks at me, looks at the pool very carefully and back at me....with concern in her voice, "How many legs do "chemicals" have?"
HA! =)

Gobble Gobble

We made turkeys! Elle made Christians a Jamacian turkey with beads on his feathers. =) And Elle's is 4 "fingered" (she is still getting the hang of using scissors to cut on the line) and 3 legged... They had a lot of fun (well, Elle anyway, Christian just kept trying to eat the glue and suck on the feathers...). We talked about how when we were back at the farm we'd raise some heritage turkey's. Elle is really excited. Happy Thanksgiving month! =) We are so thankful for our family to be all together.

The New Critter

Well, we didn't even make it two weeks and we have a new little critter. We got the kids a hamster. Elle named her "Betty." She is a sweet little hamster that so far has been extremely active and great entertainment for the kids...and us...not to mention MUCH less work and "overhead" than our other beloved farm animals.

I really do think that children need animals...And let's be honest, they are wonderful "baby siters". =)

Cast Iron Skillet Steak

I never think food pictures look nearly as good as real life....maybe it's because you can't smell a photo...

I want to preface this post with the statement that I do not consider myself a very good cook. I haven't done it enough, I have always tended to just do what I knew and not really branch out much. I don't know the "rules" of cooking or the basic "ideas" or anything like that...I was just never taught it and haven't taken the time to learn them. But it is one of the things I am working on here in Miami... and tonight... tonight I really out did myself! =) The most incredible steak I have EVER had, sauteed mushrooms, and mashed potatoes/carrots.
I got the long wanted cast iron skillet here and have loved cooking with it... feels sort of old fashioned for some reason... I couldn't find a broiler pan at any store here (odd?! Target-no, Walmart-no, grocery store-no...) and we aren't allowed to have a BBQ at our condo so I had to figure out how to cook steak in my cast iron skillet. I looked at a number of websites and a couple food chat forums. There seemed to be quite a dispute between salting your steak first or not salting it first, but everyone agreed that upon removing it from the fridge, it needs to sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. (I never knew this). I decided to just salt my salt a little- with Coarse Kosher salt.- there was a consensus that table salt should NOT be used. I heated the oven to 500 degrees with the cast iron skillet in it. This oven here takes FOREVER to pre-heat so this took the full 40 minutes. In the mean time I cooked bacon until it was crispy and sliced some Monterrey Jack cheese.
 I also started the mushrooms. I used about 2 Tablespoons of butter, 1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil, 1/2 teaspoon of Balsamic Vinegaret (sp?), 2 cloved of garlic minced and 1/4 of an onion sliced, then added the mushrooms- about a Cup and a half... wasn't quite enough for 2 adults, I would do at least 2 Cups next time. I had these is a fry pan on the stove between medium and low- a little closer to medium.
Once the oven was preheated and that skillet was, literally, smoken hot- I brought it out and put it on an already HOT burner (burner on high, turned on about 2 minutes before putting pan on it) on the stove top and put the meat on there (by the way, this was new york strip steak, but I'm sure the same method would work with T bones or other kinds of steak). Everything I read told me not to move it once it was placed on there, the point is to sear the outside to hold the juices in. So after about 2 minutes (my steak was about an inch and a half thick) I flipped the steak and did another 2 minutes on the other side. Then I put the oven on Broil 500 degrees. (It was already so hot from heating the pan it didn't take any time to pre-heat) and put the pan with meat in the oven. I cooked EACH SIDE for about 4-5 minutes and this gave me a little more than medium well done... you would have to adjust your time based on how you like your meat and how thick your steak is. As soon as I pulled it out of the oven (and cut in to it to check that it was done to my liken) I put the slices of Monterry Jack cheese and bacon peices (that I had cooked and cut up earlier) on top so the cheese would melt. It was INCREDIBLE. I honestly do not have too much to compare it to, I don't normally order steak at resturants or anything, but it was JUICEY, not chewy, flavorful and in my humble opinion, tasted DELICIOUS.
The mushrooms were also remarkable, although I must admit I have only had sauteed mushrooms one other time in life and they were soggy, I liked these with a little firm texture still to them. (they took about 20 minutes on the stove top). REVISSION: I have had sauteed mushrooms another time... Shantrel mushrooms our friend, John, made us... THOSE were incredible... a completely different playing field, so they didn't even occur to me in thought about this... he sells to the local stores in Olympia, and all over Western Washington and does cooking samples for them... incredible...
Yummmmm...

Elle's Imaginary Friend

My 3 year old (nearly 4) has an imaginary friend... or two... Before we came to Florida this was the friend she talked about raccoons with, the friend she had "circle time" with and taught how to do things like sit quiet, write her letters or clean her room, etc...
There were a few times it got a little confusing when Elle actually BECAME the imaginary friend who had an imaginary friend named "Elle"... (did you catch that?) Yes, when I would speak to my daughter, "Elle, what do you want for lunch?" She would say- "no, no mom, I am NOT Elle, I am Tootsie (or whatever the pretend name was for the day), thhhaaaaat's Elle." (with a point to the blank space beside her). "oh, I see" I would say...
Well, now... Elle's friends and dolls speak "Spanish" and she interprets for them... it is histerical! She'll throw and "uno" or a "dose" or "dainata" in the string of absolute jiberish and it's "spanish". Too funny... she LOVES to correct me when I pretend to "understand" what they are asking for... who knew the world of imaginary friends was so confusing?! I really hope we meet some families here soon so she can have some REAL friends. =)

History of Thanksgiving

Elle and I took this rainy day without or van (they towed it! accidentally...) to start to learn about the history of Thanksgiving. Maybe it's just me but I have a real void of that knowledge other than the photo images that are marketed of Indians sitting with pilgrims at a big table loaded with food with a boat in the background that says "Mayflower" on the side.
I thought I would share what we learned and if anyone else has anything to add please do! I have a new found passion to learn about the holidays our family celebrates and to educate our children on the real heart of what they stand for.
I got this information from about 5 different websites and then sort of put in my own words... http://www.history.com/ was the main site used.

After 66 days on a boat 102 passengers came over from Plymouth, England in September 1620. They first landed in Cape Cod-far north of their intended target, the mouth of the Hudson River. They mainly stayed on the boat (the Mayflower) all winter and were quite exposed to the elements and come spring, only half of them were still alive.
Upon moving ashore in the early spring they were greeted by and Abenaki Indian who spoke English. He came back days later with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the pilgrims (who were desperately weakened by illness and malnutrition and lack of knowledge of the new territory) how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish and avoid poisonous plants and insects. He also assisted them with an alliance with the local Wampanoag tribe.
In the fall of 1621 Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory harvest, including the Wampanoag Indians. The event lasted 3 days. Turkey may or may not have been served. It is more likely that lobster, seal and swans were on the menu... certainly no pies with the depletion of the pilgrims supplies since the earlier fall season.
During the American Revolution Continental Congress designated one or more Thanksgiving days/year. In 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States. In it he called Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country's war of Independence and successful ratification of the US Constitution.
John Adams and James Madison did similar during their presidencies.
Other facts:
In 1817 New York was the first state to officially celebrate the holiday.
Sarah Josepha Hale- author of "Mary had a Little Lamb"- was credited as one of the most individuals responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday.
Ben Franklin wrote in a letter to his daughter that he was disappointed that the national bird was not chosen to be a turkey- as he had hoped- and was to be a bald eagle. He wrote of the eagles "bad moral character".
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 2nd Monday in October in Canada.
And lastly... the heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds!!! Jeepers! =)

Have a wonderful November. May it be full of thanksgivings and shared times with family and friends. I encourage you all to create a new tradition this year for yourself/your family.

veggie-speghetti

I love my new cast iron skillet! I made this for dinner in it last night. I have never made speghetti like this before but really liked it, so I thought I'd share. Here's what I used:

1 lb ground beef

1 Cup of sweet corn

1 Cup of diced green pepper

1 Cup of diced orange pepper

1 Cup of  sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 Cup of diced celery

1 jar of roasted garlic speghetti sauce

1/4 Cup of Sugar (I always put sugar in my speghetti...yumm...)

This is enough for about 6 adults, so adjust accordingly. I browned the meat first and then threw everything else in and cooked for about 15 minutes. The veggies were still real crunchy (which I like). You could cook those separate for a little bit if you wanted them softer. Or you could keep it on the oven on low for an hour or so and that would soften them. (Michael didn't get home for dinner until almost 2 hours after he thought so it simmered on the stove for him for a LONG time and his veggies were softer). So just cook your noodles and drain them, pour some of this on, add some parmasean  cheese and woo-la! =) It was really easy, pretty fast and a really good way to get a lot of veggie's in. I would have added black Olives too if I had had any. And I thought about carrots too, (didn't have any) maybe grated?... next time... Enjoy!

Braclet

Elle made me this braclet. She is really in to tying knots these days.

I got her a bunch of craft stuff when we first got down here. She has been making all kinds of things.

I maybe should have re-thought buying the bells.... she certainly knew where I was all day. =)

Observations

There are A LOT of bail bond locations here. HUGE signs that say "drug dealers destroy communities" and "Meth Kills"... Olympia has huge signs that say "Plant a tree" or "Buy Local".
Olympia...bring your own bag to the supermarket is a staple for many families...here...it is almost a contest to see how many bags they can give you at the store...one can of tomato soup for one bag...one bag for the chicken noodle...oh and this huge case of 24 soda's with a sturdy carboard handle- let's throw that in a bag.
Olympia... "poop scoop stations" EVERYWHERE... bags for your dogs provided at every park, at many points. Many along sidewalks, etc... here.... I think someone would look at you the same way as Olympians do when you DON'T clean up after your pet- if you DID....disgusted...
Olympia- recycle stations everywhere- electric car hook ups in parking lots... Our condo- (nor anywhere else that I have seen) No recycle option and a $50 fine for putting cardboard down the garbage shoot.
Washington beaches...windy and cold even on the nicest of days. Beaches here... let's just say I had rollarbladed nearly 4 miles and the kids in the stroller  when they wanted to play in the sand and I was happy to stop and dip my feet in to cool off.... not even REMOTELY refreshing... in fact I think the water was hotter than the inside of my rollarblades! White sandy beach, paddle boarders and wind surfers everywhere.
Olympia...travel 4 miles...takes maybe 7-10 minutes... Miami....15-25 minutes
Olympia...umbrella's are used for rain...Miami...umbrella's are used for shade from the sun. I am yet to see if it is mostly "foreigners" (people who did not grow up here) that use the umbrella's here... I know in Olympia- not many who have lived there their whole life ever use umbrella's... I myself have NEVER owned one except when I was a child and used it more like a boat in the puddle or to fly like Mary Poppins rather than to cover my head.
Cold packs...the kind you can freeze and then use in your cooler and then re-use. Next to impossible to find here....here-where a cold day is 75 degrees... I went to 6, yes six, stores (Grocery stores, home depot, walgreens, etc...) to try and find some for Michael's lunch cooler for work...NONE had them, 2 had never even heard of them. I finally went to Wal Mart thinking that they would at least have them... they did! They were about the size of...well, even smaller than my fist! I had to buy them out of the 15 they had just to be able to keep one cooler cool! Is it just me or shouldn't those be a staple here?

Ballet

Hungry for interaction with other kids, since we have no friends here, Elle is taking ballet. She had her first class yesturday. The teacher was excellent, very clear spoken, fun, made eveything a game or a story... Elle really enjoyed it. The other kids have been in the class since early September so for the most part they had the motions down, Elle sort of reminded me of myself when trying to do work out videos... as soon as you figure out what to do, they move on to the next thing!  HA! But she enjoyed herself and half the fun was dressing up in tights, tutu, and ballet slippers and getting her hair all put up (yes, she IS my daughter...WAY more girlie than I ever was). She got to do some tap too. Loud shoes... a child's dream...a mother's nightmare....=)

On the way home from here there was a TERENCHAL (sp?) down pour! I had the wipers on full blast and still couldn't see 5 yards in front of me. The roads became rivers in just a few minutes and there was thunder crashing and lightning stricking all around us. It was incredible. Poor Michael was working in it...but it was pretty spectacular. I love thunder storms and this one was definately the most dramatic one I've ever been in.

Children's Museum

The place was PACKED. I could hardely believe it. Elle was enthralled (sp?) with all the kids. I think there were at least 6 bus loads of kids there from schools, plus all the other individuals. I have still never been to the Children's museum in Olympia so I have nothing to compare this to, but it other than how packed it was and you couldn't hear eachother even from 2 feet away, it was nice. Elle really enjoyed it. I think it'd be even more great for 5 year old's and older. It was not stroller friendly and it was tough on my own to keep my eye on Elle and chase Christian all over the place-as he is in the "run away" phase and could care less if he stays where he can see me/I can see him. They both LOVED driving the remote control boats in in the pool, there was a puppet show of the 3 little bears that Elle really enjoyed. Elle even went "fishing" off a boat and caught three "fishes"- she was so proud of herself... and me too, those fish are tought to catch! (the magnet kind, with the magnet "hook" and magnet in the fish's mouth) The best part of all, that I need to create at our place is the pretend grocery store. They had little carts, all sorts of fake food, real registars and check out stands. She absolutely loved it. She could have played that for hours. I think I am going to start saving food boxes and cans to tape back up and set up a store for her. Christian enjoyed putting things in and out of the cart as well.