long shadows bring...solstice

long shadows remind us that summer is in full swing. this weekend was summer solstice in santa barbara. we started the weekend with a fun night in the park, among family and other solsticers listening to the sweet sounds of various bands (including the infamous randy tico on bass) and surprise guest jeff bridges. saturday we took a gander at a few floats in the parade, but mostly introduced *our* newest sb member to the park and all it's vibrancy during this special time of year in our artsy town. sunday was spent in true summer-fashion, lounging in the backyard having a late and delicious breakfast with family...happy solstice.

braids

i love braids. a braided handbag strap, a scarf, material of any sort twisted and tied adding texture, weaving in and out. three separate pieces that come together to make an entirely new, more interesting visual. it might be that i'm missing my locks, but regardless of how the fleeting thought came into my mind, i was today reminded that i love them. below are a few images that capture the beauty of the braid.

braided wool :: christienmeindertsma.com

braided straps :: hollyhocksandtulips.tumblr.com

braided necklace :: milenachka.tumblr.com

braided bracelet :: myriammaguire.com

braided basket :: cmi.com

braid train :: weheartit.com

braided handbag strap :: nutsamodebadz.com

classic chunky braid, twiggy :: abeautifulmess.typepad.com

good morning muffins

little e can't have eggs and i often feel like she's missing out on the wonderful world of breakfast. how much would i like sweety to enjoy a fluffy pancake, french toast or just plain scrambled eggs. morning breakfast for e usually consists of oatmeal with blueberries bananas and pear. flax is our family substitute for recipe's calling for egg which allows her to actually have many of the breakfast treats, but just not quite at their full eggy-yummy-potential. i decided to find a muffin recipe that included some healthy additives of blueberries, yogurt and flax. below is the recipe i found on epicurious. next time less sugar, but i can't say any of us were complaining. the muffins were a huge hit: perfect for the little one and for father's day!

{good morning muffins}

1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour (recipe called for white flour)
1/2 cup organic cane sugar (recipe called for splenda)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp. cinnamin
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup frozen blueberries (recipe called for fresh blueberries, but i save those for her snacks!)
1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp. oil

mix dry ingredients, then mix in wet ingredients, place in muffin tin and bake on 375 for 20 minutes

enjoy.

e hearts papa

happy father's day to our favorite papa. we had such a perfect day of breakfast, swings, beach walk, naps, visiting with friends and just family of 3z's together time. we love you d. xoxo

playing their doggie-tug-o-war game with sweatshirt string

etsy in santa barbara

one of toni's creations, green frog made of recycled wool and cashmere sweaters

i happen to be a HUGE etsy consumer. i have purchased everything from husband's birthday tees, to organic cotton carseat strap covers, to fabric covered journals and jewelery on etsy. in fact all of my xmas gifts this year were from etsy (including all wooden toys for the 9 month old!). many of the stores are handmade items and are so unique. it feels good to support sellers who are using their creativity as a means of livelihood, or artists who just want to share their goods with the world. i secretly would love to have something i was good at making and style-it in a way that was attractive to shoppers! lately i've noticed santa barbara etsy sellers coming together and selling their goods locally. a few weeks ago at peanuts and then my co-worker, rina told me about tomorrow's gathering "space invaders 2," here's info on one of the seller's blog mary and the machine (tomorrow 4159 State Street, 11-7pm). what was so cool to discover is that g-ma t's good friend toni, is a seller!  

e's grandma t gave her the CUTEST softy several months ago, made by her dear friend toni. when grandma t  told me, one, that it was made by toni and two her process in making it - i was floored by the creativity and beautiful product. toni owns an online-boutique on etsy called sb retro. she finds gorgeous vintage cashmere and wool sweaters at thrift stores and recycles them via reconstruction (on her grandmother's 1940's singer) to make the cutest softies EVER. e has a purple kitty that is to die for and it's so cuddly. just have to spread the word about talented artists out there doing what they love!!

e xmas morning after opening her new rocking horse purchased on etsy

my green baby

 when i was pregnant,  there was so much excitement in the air for the arrival of our little being. my friends and family showered me with some great gifts. my dad was down in la, visiting my sister and picked up a great book to help me prepare (thank you dad!!). back then i had so much time on my hands. i was able to read it from cover to cover. green baby by susannah marriott. i read it with enthusiasm, ready to put so many of the green choices into play. if you're conscious about living ecofriendly, many of the suggestions, are those you may have thought about, but perhaps didn't know how exactly to execute (for instance the best way to handle, store, launder cloth diapers), or they are choices you already make in your household, like eating fresh, local organic food. there are great ideas on how to incorporate your little one in thinking green, like making recycling fun. the book breaks the green ideas down into levels of impact on the environment. allowing you to participate in choosing green, but at a level that works best for your family. many of the statistics i wound up quoting throughout my pregnancy, amazed by the footprint we are making on this earth while raising our children.

the great thing about this book still sitting on my bedside table 1.5 years later, is it's still getting use by little e. she LOVES the baby photos in it. she looks at a baby getting her diaper changed, a baby eating broccoli and a toddler recycling with his mama. the photos are beautiful and provide a fun picture-story-time when waking up in the morning. 

my green baby

macaroons, 1, 2, 3

i had no idea, until yesterday, how easy macaroons are to make. i had this strange craving and quickly looked to see if the ingredients were on hand. get this, all you need is coconut plus 3 additional ingredients. there is nothing like hot macaroons out of the oven on a cozy day at home.

5 1/2 cups of shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 can of condensed milk (14 oz)
2 tsp of vanilla (and or almond extract)
my personal touch melted semi sweet chocolate for a drizzle or dollop of goodness!

stir first three ingredients together, bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes and drizzle with chocolate

i seem to be enjoying this domestic wonderland, i've found myself in. cheers.

sunday supper = family

growing up, sunday nights were always a night reserved for family. we weren't allowed to plan activities in the evening or miss dinner for any reason. although dinner was big in our house every night (gathered around the table to share our days), sunday was something special. when my grandpa frank moved to town, he was over every sunday for my mom's meal. she always made something that took a little longer to prepare than the weekday dinners and never failed to leave a savory aroma in the air. the chores had been done during the day, the fun had been had with friends and sunday supper was the way to nourish and nurture the family with the new week ahead. i know now the importance of this weekly routine. 

it's engrained in me to carry this tradition on. with e's naps going so smoothly, i am actually able to get things done, without a munchkin on my hip. yesterday i had the chicken baked at 10:30am (love when the house smells of delicious food cooking in the middle of the day, holiday-esq exudes feelings of family togetherness) and macaroons done at the afternoon nap. after a busy weekend, all with different activities, we all came together and shared a sunday supper. i felt nourished, well rested and ready for the busyness ahead. (side note: the beauty of a baked chicken on a sunday, is it provides two more easy meals during the week....chicken atop greens and the carcass for chicken soup).

sweet potatoes for my sweet pumpkin

the wee one loves sweet potatoes. i'm often looking for new ways to prepare them, serving a dual function of being tasty for mama and papa too. i found this is the case for many parents. check out this recipe at smittenkitchen, to make it a little easier to digest i left-off the delicious thanksgiving relish and only included the goat cheese (with evoo and salt and pepper). however i can't wait to try it with *all* the fixings in the future. they came out super tasty. the next one i'm going to try is fresh sage from the garden browned in butter and stirred into cubed sweet potatoes with goat cheese. yummm. happy baking.

sweet potato rounds + goat cheese

a taste of the mediterranean in santa barbara

we're surrounded by spanish elements in santa barbara. architecture, rich history...fiesta. cadiz is a province in spain and now a restaurant in town. my husband and i recently had a rare date night and were lucky enough to spend it at cadiz. a friend of ours who moonlights as a server, enticed me with some photos taken of the interior and boy are we thankful she did! no sign outside, just a menu at the entrance. two hostesses graciously accommodated our wishes for seating location. the interior felt european, not in a quaint-historic-hole-in-the-wall sort of way, but more in an ancient-stone-high-ceiling-cool-on-a-summer-day-but-warm-and-inviting-at-night, sort of environment. the bar was full of couples eating and drinking and since we were there early only a few tables were taken scattered around the interior and exterior of the restaurant....and in true santa barbara fashion we ran into dear acquaintances - a pleasant surprise.

we started with oysters on the half shell, which were fresh and delicious

enjoyed a crab salad with cilantro and a mango coulis

followed by wild boar ribs, over polenta and a fig reduction

i can't forget the drink i ordered. woohee it was tasty! bourbon, burnt orange and another deelish ingredient that i can't remember, oops (it was that good!)

here are a couple of photos i captured. this taste of the mediterranean in our backyard is definitely recommended and will be a place we return to. (one more nod to spain).

chocomel sea salt bars

i have had a huge craving for smores lately. bought the graham crackers but not the marshmallows or the chocolate bars. i decided to make a sweet treat with what was on hand and did a little internet search with some ingredients. instead of following a recipe, i just got inspired and put my own twist on a couple of different ideas. below is what i made: graham crackers, caramel, chocolate, sea salt and dried coconut. they came out pretty tasty, so i thought it would be fun to share. (i don't think the dentist i saw today, would be happy with my post-visit-recipe...but the hubby was)...moral of the story = get creative!

line baking sheet with graham crackers

melt about one 3/4 cube of butter and (i think) equal parts brown sugar. (for true caramel you can add condensed milk, corn syrup and vanilla)

poor caramel-ish mixture of butter and sugar onto graham crackers and spread evenly
poor chocolate chips and let sit allowing them to melt, then smear
sprinkle sea salt and coconut (or if your prefer almonds or something crunchy)
allow to cool in the refrigerator, when hard, break and serve

full heart = glass half full

not much to say. just feeling blessed. thought i'd give a update on little e and summarize her favorite, topics, words and actions that blow her mama and papa away and often cause our hearts to be full.

too many words to list, but here are some that are significant or just plain cute!
bano = banjo
up = you got it (over and over and over again)
poo poo (she now tugs at my arm to let me know)
paw-ye = potty
ah-go-sveeng-now (i go to the swings now)
hi-yo = hello (grabs any telephone, remote or object resembling a phone)

actions
turns around to crawl down stairs
pushes your hand away if you try to hold her hand while walking
walks around with her dolly on her shoulder, rocks her, gives her a bottle or water
puts animals and dollies on the rocking horse to give them a ride
makes a yum yum noise to show she's hungry or pertending to eat
shows with her hands how the rain comes down (when talking about rain or singing itsy-bitsy)
bounces or bobs to music or songs
sits in laps when being red a story (and always hugs during a hug part of the story)
flips to the page where she knows the word ("sveeng" "boom,boom,boom")
puts her hand out for her papa to kiss, she sees a picture of him doing that to her in a book
goes through the family album and picks out every picture of emily and says "emi"
wants to look at emi on the wall of family photos (even when emi is there in person).
goes around the house and says no to things she's been told about
makes our technology wacky with one fell swoop
plays baby aps on mama's phone
goes to the ("paw-ye-o")patio to look for papa out side and the front picture window
**gives us the biggest hugs around the neck and slobbery kisses on the lips out of the blue**


topics
loves to listen to the potty book and flush the potty and say "paw-ye"
loves to go the swings and see the ("patos") ducks at the park
loves to discuss the birds in the sky and search for them, she can do a crow (caaw) and a dove (whowho,who)



we love you sweet girl.
(one additional 14month-love-of-hers, is to the play the "pano" (piano) and sing along. she first started playing with her great-grandma lu and now plays at her auntie jackies. the word and task is taking a close second to her love for the "sveengs.") ;)