and more rain.......

Will the rain ever stop????????

Peach and Raspberry Crisp

Besides tasting good this looked so pretty before I added the topping-I just had to take a picture!

Peach and Raspberry Crisp by Ina Garten

Ingredients

4 to 5 pounds firm, ripe peaches (10 to 12 large peaches)

1 orange, zested

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 cups plus 2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 pint raspberries

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, then place them in cold water. Peel the peaches and slice them into thick wedges and place them into a large bowl. Add the orange zest, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the raspberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid, add 1 more tablespoon of flour. Pour the peaches into the baking dish and gently smooth the top.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, oatmeal, and the cold, diced butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of the peaches and raspberries. Bake for 1 hour, until the top is browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator and reheat in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until warm.

Garden Post # 3

More progress this weekend on our garden.  We got the seeds planted that we are going to grow inside.   I think the girls just liked playing in the dirt and we might have a squash plant growing in the same pot as a cuke-but oh well. 

Abby made some great markers for the plants.

The plants are inside for now-it was so cold today!  My husband and I are making bets on how many days it will take for the cat to discover them and wreak havoc!

Garden Post # 2

Our plan is to plant the seeds in the sunroom and if they fail- we buy seedlings.  It does take up a bit of the kids play space, but if the plants are in the house they risk the attack of the Plumpy eating them all.   They will have to come in at night for a bit until it warms up, but I think we can just lock them in the bathroom.

We are going to plant our seeds two ways.  Check out how to make the newspaper starter pots.  You actually plant the whole thing into the ground!

My mom gave us this book to borrow.  It is dated from the 70's, but it should still work!

She likes it! She really likes it!

I think Abby likes her book sling.  She came home with this art work from pre-school the other day.

Rainbow Cupcakes!

When I saw this recipe over at Best Bites (check out their pics they are amazing!) - I knew we had to make them!   Ours may not look that much like the ones that Best Bites made, but they came out pretty good and they were super tasty!

I would say we had more of a sorbet colored rainbow!

The Garden. Post # 1

We spent most of the beautiful spring time Saturday outside building our raised bed garden.     This will be our first garden at this house.  My husband and I have done a small garden before when we were first married, but it consisted of his old broken hockey sticks for sides and we grew just tomatoes and hot peppers.  (Which when we hung them with dental floss inside the house to dry to use later to cook with- the one and only Plumpy ate them all!   I won't even tell you what the litter box looked like that week.......)

Anyway............ this year we plan to grow tomatoes, peas, carrots, cukes, lettuce, spinach, pumpkins, 3 kinds of squash and basil.   We picked a sunny spot in the back yard, used leftover lumber that we had and I think it looks pretty good!

The old owners had an above ground pool that killed all the grass.  Looks like a good spot!

No, my husband is not an engineer, he is just anal thorough .  Laying out the design with paint on the grass.

Worm hunting.

Digging out all the grass.

Worm catch!

The final product!!

Plumpy Stew

We have a joke in my house that whenever the girls ask (or whine) about what's for dinner, I say Plumpy Stew.  Plumpy is our cat and he weighs about 20 pounds.   Yes he is fat, but he is also big boned and tall, really he is......... Even though Plumpy Stew sounds like a sick joke, the girls think it is hilarious and come up with reasons why we can't eat Plympy Stew.  No MOM, he's to furry, No MOM, he won't EVEN fit in the crockpot, No MOM we can't b/c Livy loves him to much.  And that is an understatement.

See how big boned he is-figure Livy weighs about 23 pounds and Plumpy is just a tad smaller.

The Learning Tower

I have gotten a few emails asking me "What is that purple thing your kids are standing on while they help you cook?".    That my friends is the best invention since sliced bread!  The Learning Tower

My husband acutally built this one for them from scratch by looking at a picture of it online and talking to his brother who had one b/c they cost about $200 each (not in the budget at the time).  The platform is adjustable so it can be lowered as your child grows and it allows them to reach the counter, but the 4 sides prevent them from falling off.  I know if I had $200 I would consider the purchase of one of these money well spent!!

It also makes a great hiding place!

Grandma's Pumpkin Bread

Recently I have been trying to bake some of the recipes from my grandmother.   She sent this one in the mail to me last month and it came out pretty good with a few changes.  The recipe was given to her from a long time childhood friend, Catherine who passed away last fall.   She told me they had been best friends since Bible School.   My grandmother is now in her 80's. 

Grandma's Pumpkin Bread (Makes two loaves)

1 can Pumpkin (plain, not pie filling)  16 oz can.
1 cup oil (I used 1/2 cup oil & 1/2 cup of apple sauce)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 cups water
3.5 cups flour (I used 3 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of wheat germ)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Raisins, choc chips and nuts optional

Combine sugar, oil, and eggs.  Stir in pumpkin, water and remaining ingredients.  Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.  Bake 1 hour at 350.

Once again, my sous chef Olivia.  So helpful....................

There is nothing like hot bread right out of the oven with melting butter!

Vintage Dresses!

My mother recently gave me these dresses that I wore when I was young.   I thought I would display them in my 2 year olds room instead of just storing them away.  This also got me thinking...........  what dresses/outfits should I be storing away to pass down to my two girls when they are mothers??

I must have been about age 4?

This should fit Olivia for Easter this year!

This was given to me by my mother in law.  My husband wore this outfit when he was little.  She also passed down the really cool pink cat hangers.

Rick Charette Rocks!

Abby and I attended the Rick Charette Concert this past weekend and it rocked!   He sang all the favorites- Alligator in the Elevator, I love Mud and Bubblegum.   Now, let me just say that I remember seeing Rick when I was a child (back then he was playing campgrounds like Acadia National Park), but this 50 something (guessing his age) was full of energy and  had the whole crowd dancing on their feet!  Abby had a wonderful time and we jammed to one of Rick's CD's on the way home.

There is Al the Alligator- he must be pushing 50 too!

Homemade Granola!

 I saw this recipe in Country Living magazine for homemade granola.   Super easy and the girls had a ball making it.  So good over yogurt! 

This was a half batch.

Ingredients


1 container(s) (18-ounce) old-fashioned oats (6 cups)

8 ounce(s) sliced almonds

1 cup(s) dried cranberries

1 cup(s) chopped dried apricots

1 cup(s) light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon(s) salt

1 1/2 stick(s) unsalted butter

1/2 cup(s) honey

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients except butter and honey.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt unsalted butter. Stir in honey. Pour over oat mixture and toss to distribute. Spread granola onto a parchment lined baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until oats are toasted and sugar begins to caramelize, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely on pan. Transfer to an airtight container

Nothing else out there will look like this one!

This purse is one of a kind and hand made by my mom.  I love it and thought I would share.  Happy Friday!

Doubles as snack bag, diaper bag, purse etc. 

The reveal!

Abby's room is done! 

I will let the before and after pics do the talking!!

This was her room on the day we moved in.   Leftovers from the previous owners.

Artwork from my friend at Good Gravy!

The book sling!

My husband did a great job adding more storage, hooks and hangers for the closet.

Artwork from my friend at Barefoot by the Sea