:: rosa ::

eat

peck

rest

♥

a walk in the {water}park

today, i took ned & marian

to roaring springs waterpark

i would like to think 

that you earn a special place in heaven

when you take your kids to a waterpark.

have you ever tried a spudstick?

a spiral cut potato fried on a stick.

i recommend the sour cream & chive flavor.

i don't think this fits in the crazy sexy diet.

oh well.

♥

~daily ducka~

rosa stayed home alone.

we made sure to leave the radio on for her.

vegan cookie dough balls {from oh she glows}

~yum~

{perfect for summer because they are no-bake and frozen}

my friend emily told me about oh she glows.

a really great blog with loads of recipes.

and i immediately honed in on this one.

yes, you will want to try these.

whether or not you care that they are vegan,

they are outrageously delicious.

♥

rosa: the daily duck

here she is standing on marian

{who returned today from a super fun week with grandma & pa}

a well-balanced duck is a happy duck

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 6

our share this week

{marian is coming home from las vegas tomorrow ~ we miss her}

sunset lettuce head

pablo lettuce head

yellow onion

snow peas

sugar snap peas

kale/collard green bouquet

rainbow chard bouquet

broccoli

rosemary

oregano

fennel

garlic scapes

here is something i made from last week's bounty:

~chard scramble~

i chopped and sauteed scallions & garlic scapes,

then i scrambled eggs with chopped chard,

a little cheese, milk, salt & pepper

and added to the hot pan with the scallions & scapes.

{our farmer, casey, loves to pair chard with eggs}

♥

the daily rosa

{trying to peck my earring}

{maybe chaco would put this on their website}

and, one last thing...

happy birthday to our dear friend, jan.

l♥ve you, we do.

:: tiny hop ::

the daily rosa

♥

:: a few how-to's & an essay on boredom ::

:: zigzag shorts ::

 {from the etsy blog}

:: tshirt bracelets ::

{from family chic}

:: tshirt tote bag ::

{from instructables}

of these three ideas,
i have made the tshirt tote bags
{they are super easy & eco-friendly}
and i can't wait to make the tshirt bracelets
{searching for bangles at thrift stores next week}.
not sure if i will attempt the shorts,
but they are so darn cool.
{please let me know if you give any of these a try}

the following essay about summer boredom
was in our last school newsletter.
written by charles faye,
from the book parenting with love and logic, 2006 {loveandlogic.com}
Ah, the sounds of summer!  Birds chirping, the sound of the ice cream truck, and kids moaning, "I'm bored! There's nothing to do."  Despite popular kid opinion, boredom is essential for the development of healthy problem-solving skills and creativity.  Can you imagine the world today if Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford had never experienced it?  Some parents make the mistake of spending the entire summer making sure that their children are always entertained.  In the process, they steal wonderful opportunities for their kids to learn creative ways to entertain themselves.  They also create kids who selfishly believe that everything should be entertaining all of the time.  Wiser parents hand the boredom problem right back to their kids by responding, "That's a bummer, what do you think you are going to do?"  When their children answer, "I don't know," they simply give some suggestions and allow responsibility for solving the problem to rest on their youngsters' shoulders: "Some kids decide to draw pictures. How will that work?  Other kids decide to build something out of wood.  Others decide that they are going to do some reading.  Good luck."  If their children continue to complain, they pat them on the back and say, "When kids keep complaining that they are bored, it means that their parents aren't giving them enough chores.  There's a broom right over there."

my somewhat-related two cents:

this summer, in addition to fun stuff & boring stuff & duck stuff, 

ned & marian & i are cleaning bathrooms every day.

flylady style: swish & swipe

3 people in 3 bathrooms ~ it takes 5 minutes.

everyone feels like they've accomplished something worthwhile

and the bathrooms sparkle

{and smell like mrs. meyer's geranium, which smells like roses}.

♥

the daily rosa

show & tell {rocket}

yes, it is summertime,

but ned still loves show & tell.

ned found this nerf-like rocket at target.

he made it sail effortlessly through the store

over several aisles, and it was a mere $2.00,

so i said yes.

it flies almost too well.

the other day,

we spent half an hour rescuing it from the roof.

♥

~ the daily rosa ~
{she's one week old today}

we ate breakfast outside this morning,

and ned let her have a bite of his oatmeal

{after he was finished, of course}.

she LOVED it.

i ran to grab my camera,

and when i got back, she was IN the bowl.

rosa + water

♥

:: fruit smoothie popsicles ::

we make lots of fruit smoothies.

berries, bananas, peaches, pineapple, 

you name it.

i don't use a recipe,

just a balance of fresh & frozen ingredients

plus liquid {juice, milk, rice milk, yogurt}.

in the summertime,

i like to freeze a few for hot afternoons.

they are 100% natural, no sugar added,

no artificial colors or flavors.

if i bought these at the grocery store,

they would be pricey popsicles.

made at home, they cost next to nothing

and are super wholesome.

yum.

♥

the daily rosa

asleep

in the grass,

against my foot,

under a washcloth.

how to be really, really happy

1. find a best friend

2. do fun stuff together for 50 years

my mom & dad were here this weekend.

they jumped on the trampoline,

and took marian with them when they left.

{they will fly her back next week ~ hi, marian♥}

our house was the very last stop 

on a two-week road trip

celebrating their

♥ 50th wedding anniversary ♥

i asked my mom to sum up their trip:

We left Las Vegas, traveled to New Mexico visiting my sister, going on to Amarillo, Texas, to visit a friend.  On to Indiana to see our newest grandchild, son & wife, then to my childhood home to visit my brother & family.  We left from there as we did on our honeymoon to drive to Chicago where we spent 2 nights just as we did on our honeymoon.  

Since it was raining, we did not go to a baseball game as we did on our honeymoon.  From Chicago, we drove through Wisconsin & Minnesota to upper Michigan and Mackinac Island and then back to Marshall, Michigan where we ate at the same restaurant that we did on our honeymoon, this time with my Aunt Carmen.  

From there we drove to Goshen, Indiana, where we visited with friends.  When we were on our honeymoon, we returned to Goshen to live for the summer until your Dad went into the Army.  This time, we left Goshen and drove through Illinois, Wisconsin, South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore and then on through Wyoming into Idaho to Boise to visit you.  

After that, back through Nevada home to Las Vegas.  

18 days, 5915 miles, Lots of Memories.

they are the best.

i love them very much.

happy anniversary, mom & dad.

♥

p.s. here is the daily rosa

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 5

our share this week

{ned is solo this week because marian is in vegas, baby}

sugar snap peas

snow peas

garlic scapes {ned's crown}

red oak leaf lettuce head

pirat lettuce head

mustard bouquet

rainbow chard

scallions

chocolate mint

basil

fennel

and a blurry, but adorable picture of rosa

she went with us to pick up our share today

and got to meet the farmers.

♥

her name is rosa

and if she is a boy, we'll call her mr. rosa.

life has been so busy.

rosa arrived on friday morning,

then my parents arrived friday afternoon.

i've been sorta swamped.

more on their visit soon.

♥

:: day 2 ::

♥

:: new baby ::

look who arrived early this morning

{this photo is through the incubator dome}

so, so sweet 

♥

:: egg ::

we're on the edge of our seats

we noticed the first crack yesterday,

and although we can hear peeps from within,

progress seems a bit slow.

please send encouraging thoughts,

as hatching is very hard work.

don't give up little duck!

you can do it!

♥

:: cloth napkins ::

my new cloth napkins

are dollar store dish towels

♥

:: vitality :: green smoothies ::

i know that people everywhere are sneaking

spinach & kale into otherwise normal

fruit smoothies, but

have you tried this?

slightly sweet & refreshing,

and not at all gross, i promise.

toss in your blender & whirl away:

avocado

kale and/or romaine

cucumber

pear or apple or banana

water or coconut water

a little apple juice or stevia to sweeten

{protein & green powders are perfect in this, too}

dawn likes them, too.

read more about them here.

♥

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 4

our share this week

sugar ann sugar snap peas

forellenschuss lettuce head

big beautiful radishes

hakurei turnips

mizuna

spinach & purple orach

spicy mustard bouquet

kale bouquet

italian parsley

chamomile

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

here's what we ate for dinner tonight:

a big, beautiful salad

{we added chick peas, avocado, and poached eggs}

our favorite dressing recipe is at the bottom of this post.

♥