What have I been up to?

Not blogging that's fo' sho!  :)

Summer has been glorious, hot, fun and whirlwind-esque thus far!  I WISH there was a way to push the slow motion button on time to soak up these sunny carefree days.  

Here's a photo highlight reel of what I've been doing instead of blogging:

Celebrating my mom's RETIREMENT!  Woo-hoo!  Now if she'd only listen to reason and become my live-in nanny . . .

Swinging.

Praying with all my might that my children won't injure themselves while fishing.  Every time Chloe cast her line into the pond I cringed that the hook was going to snag her skin somehow. 

Gardening, weeding, watering, picking and canning. 

Experimenting in the kitchen making homemade wheat thins, mayo, and wheat tortillas.

Dressing myself and children up like cows to receive free food from Chick-Fil-A.  Moo!

 

Eating at good ole Milwaukee favorites like George Webb, Pizza Shuttle and Kopps.

Snapping self-taken pix with my super cute grandma poolside.

Getting good and sandy on the shores of Lake Michigan.  You're really not having fun until there is sand in your diaper (or underwear).

How's your summer been thus far?

Back to blogging

We've been home from vacation now for a week and I have yet to blog! Currently, I have SEVEN posts started but none completed. Ugh. I hate that unfinished feeling.

Lately I sit down to blog and even though I've already envisioned what I'm going to write, I inevitably lose my motivation.

So, in an effort to jump back into blogging and breathe some new life into the horn family chronicles, I'm stealing borrowing a play from my pal Jenny's playbook.

Instead of posting a detailed entry on a single subject, here's a smattering (great word, eh?) of our recent activities and endeavors.

1. Jam making: I've impulsively entered the world of home-canning! Unfortunately, I made a big mistake and left too much head space in the jars. So, now I have to re-can it. Shouldn't be too difficult though (famous last words). Thus far I've made 9 pint sized jars of luscious homemade strawberry jam from fresh-picked locally farmed berries. I simply can not describe how much yummier this jam is compared to store bought stuff. I have visions of canning much more yumminess this season!
   
2. Picking, picking, picking: No, I'm not referring to my children's dirty habits of booger removal. Lately I've been picking local farm fresh produce and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Picking, shelling, cleaning and EATING our food straight from a local farm has been highly addicting. Thus far I've picked strawberries, peas, and two varieties of raspberries. Blueberries are next on the picking agenda.
   
3. Solomon: He's growing fast, folks! Coming up on his 10 week birthday tomorrow already and weighing in at 13 lbs 7 ounces. Solly is quickly transitioning from newborn to a full-throttled infant. He's cooing and smiling up a storm. I'm a sucker for his grins! Not sleeping consistently through the night yet but I'm hopeful that milestone is around the corner. He's had several 5, 6 and 7 hour nighttime sleep stretches but our recent vacation messed him up nicely. Grrrr.
   
4. Gardening mania: We are gardening full-force this year and I couldn't be more excited about it! Since our backyard soil is awful, Matt built 11 raised garden beds. Five big beds and six smaller ones. One of the beds is exclusively Chloe's and she's growing carrots, beets, radishes and peas. The rest of the garden is planted with leaf lettuce, zucchini, squash, cucumber, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, eggplant, blueberry bushes, asparagus and I don't know what else. I was in the throes of post-partum zombieland when the garden needed to be started so Matt was the motivated sower and chooser of seeds. I also have a small potted herb garden which includes basil, oregano, mint, thyme, and cilantro. It is pure delight to pick fresh basil for quiche, pasta sauce, or caprese salad (one of my summer faves). I feel like a moron for not knowing what the plants look like which yield the foods I've eaten for 30+ years. It's educationally liberating and empowering in a weird way to be able to identify the plants, leaves, flowers, and fruits which give way to familiar veggies. How very sad that the process of growing, planting, and cultivating has been so completely removed from food consumption! I'm certain the average American kid thinks food comes from the grocery store and is clueless regarding the steps necessary to produce said food.
   
5. Summer schedule: Matt is a teacher. You know what that means, don't ya? THREE full months off each summer!!! WOO-HOO! Having Matt home most weekdays is an incredible and indescribable blessing. I am so spoiled. And thankful.
6. Potty training: Clive is potty-trained! Mostly. He's still working on going #2 consistently in the right place. Somehow, our vacation to Wisconsin helped rather than hindered our potty-training efforts. Though he had his share of accidents while we were away, Clive did surprisingly well. And now he's in big boy undies all day long and rarely has an accident! Still doing diapers for naptime and bedtime of course. I realize we're still a long way from Clive being fully trained but this is an encouraging and positive step towards that end!
7. Vacation: Had a spectacularly enjoyable time visiting the family matriarchs in Wisconsin. We were away for two full weeks and I am amazed at how well the kiddos adjusted to new routines and settings. Loads of pictures chronicling our visit in FB.

So now we're all caught up! Ah. And now I can retire to bed in peace. :)

What have you been up to in the month of June?

August update

Hello, all! We've had an incredibly busy month and it's not slowing down! Hence, my recent blogging break during the month of August.

We're still coming down from the emotional high of Chloe's 4th birthday and the recent visit from my mom and gramma. See a zillion pictures of her genteel tea party birthday here.

Matt and I also celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this week. Since my mom and gramma were in town we got to go out on a date. Woo-hoo! We crammed a movie, dinner, and putt-putt golf into our date night. And if you're wondering, Matt creamed me at golf. He's so cute when he plays putt-putt. He acts just like a pga pro lining up his putts and reading the greens. I prefer to use the whack-the-ball-without-thinking method. :) Which explains why I lost miserably.

Matt got me a super fabulous anniversary gift -- a car radio that works! Yay! We've been 3 years without a radio in the car. And let me tell you that music in the car seriously helps the kids when traveling. We're all enjoying the gift even though Clive was a bit confused at first (he kept looking around to see where it was coming from).

We're gearing up for the fall semester and getting excited (and a little scared) about the new schedule ahead.

How was your August?

Summer treats

One of our favorite summer treats is watermelon ice. I'm too much of a cheapskate to buy popsicles plus I hate the fact that they're just sugar and water.

SO, our summer alternative is watermelon ice. It's super easy to whip up and a great way to use up every last bit of a monster watermelon. Our small family usually can only eat 1/2 a ripe watermelon in a few days. Instead of throwing away the 1/2 that gets overripe and mushy, I chop it into chunks and throw it in the freezer on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. After the chunks have frozen (1-2 days), I transfer them to a gallon sized freezer bag.

As you can see, Clive heartily enjoys watermelon ice. :)

Check out the recipe below and make your own batch for instant summer refreshment!

What special summer time treats do you make to beat the heat?

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Fruit Ices

1/2 cup each, sugar and water
2 Tbs. lemon juice
Fruit of your choice (see options below)

1. If you're not using bagged frozen fruit, freeze chopped fresh fruit on a plastic cutting board or a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
2. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, then boil until sugar is dissolved. Let cool; stir in lemon juice. Place frozen fruit in food processor and puree while slowly adding sugar syrup.
3. Transfer to container or ice-pop molds and freeze or eat soft.

Fruit:
5 cups strawberries (or 20 oz. frozen bag)
3 cups sliced peaches (or 10 oz. frozen bag)
2 cups blueberries (or 16 oz. frozen bag) plus 1 banana
4 cups diced watermelon
1 cored fresh pineapple
4 cups seedless green grapes
4 cups diced cantaloupe
4 cups diced honeydew

Life in fast forward

August? How CAN it be August already? This weekend when we started Chloe's calendar afresh for the new month it struck me that our remaining summer weeks are waning.

As I get older it seems that time goes by more quickly than ever before. Do you find that true?

Our summer has been packed full of activities. For the last 2+ weeks we've had my in-laws here visiting. Tia Becky joined the crowded house this past Friday. We are thoroughly enjoying living, cooking, and laughing together in our small home. It feels like we're a multigenerational family from years past as we function cooperatively to keep the household running. I'm certainly going to miss their help around here!

For us the month of August holds a smattering of playdates, visits, and activities including Chloe's momentous 4th birthday. Agh! How can my baby be turning FOUR? Again, I note the passage of time in fast forward mode.

How is August shaping up for you and your family? During our unscheduled August days I hope to squeeze out as much summer as possible! Wading pools, bike rides, and grilling galore!

Sunhat poll

Yes, I am still alive. :) My in-laws are here visiting so blogging has become last on my list of priorities of late.

Quick question for you, how many of you wear sunhats regularly? I am a stickler about making sure Chloe and Clive always don their sunhats whenever we are outside. And of course they look doggone cute in them too.

I have a big ole straw sunhat that I wear occasionally but I don't always remember it. When I do wear it I've noticed that I am usually the only mom in the park wearing anything protective head covering. What's up with that?!? Why are we so concerned about our children's sun exposure but not about our own?

Hence my poll below . . .

Vacation pics and snippets

Since I'm pumped about getting to bed before 11 tonight (yay for Clive finally eating some solids and sleeping longer!) I'll give you the highlights of our vacation thus far in bullet points. I feel like I save time when I'm not using a verbose format. :)

• Chloe has made two sand castles on various Lake Michigan beaches.
• Clive is the smiliest, easiest, happiest baby in the universe.
• I'm eating way too much cheese.
• Chloe's tummy does not agree with the sour tastes of rhubarb.
• Peanut butter kiss custard. 'Nuff said. :)
• Chloe got her hair cut. It's 3 inches shorter now and she looks like such a big girl!
• We are making a royal cluttery mess of my mom's condo.
• Clive is becoming a pro at bottle-holding and toe-grabbing.
• Chloe is a dancing, singing, head-phone obsessive, imaginative, lovable nut.
  
• Though it's tough to be away from home with two little ones, I'm loving being around family and friends.

Summer Schedule

It's hot and humid here in Northeast Ohio. It's finally starting to feel like summer!

Our summer calendar is pretty filled already.

Here's how our summer breaks down:

• Weekly summer story times at the library for both kiddos
• Weekly summer Bible study on Monday evenings
• Bi-monthly playdates with Bible study ladies and their kids
• Monthly Girls Night Out dates with Bible study pals (This month we're doing a fondue night! Woo-hoo!)
  
• Two week vacation to Wisconsin in June
• In-laws visit for most of July
• Wedding in August
• Chloe's 3rd birthday in August (can my baby be turning three already?!?)

What are you up to this summer? Any vacations planned?