Just wanted to share one of my Mister's Father's Day gifts. {Yes, I'm aware that I'm a week late on this post... summer and all}. When I saw this, I just couldn't resist, seeing as how we have 3 little piggies of our own! So I bought this print here from Sanya of Horse Drawn Carriage...and settled for putting a good number of her other prints in my Etsy favorites...for now.
As a pretty {ahem, ridiculous} die hard Harry Potter fan, it seemed almost essential that I go to see the exhibit {which I believe will be in NYC until September, if you're interested in attending}. It was kind of surreal to be able to see all of the actual costumes + movie props that I know only too well from watching the Harry Potter movies again + again. However, being the good Harry Potter addict I am, enough is never enough! In spite of all of what WAS there from the movies, I was bummed to have not seen more on my favorite characters like Narcissa Malfoy {they did have her wand, my fav. wand by far}, Sirius Black + Bellatrix Lestrange {they had their Azkaban costumes, wands + clothes from Order of the Pheonix}...and ofcourse Severus Snape, *le sigh* {we did see his wand, costume + Potions Book from The Half-Blood Prince}.
{Ahem, "Fifi-mione" as the Fif likes to be called...}
While my brother + the little Folk had "fun" eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans {in actual disgusting flavours like earwax, vomit, earthworm, rotten egg, sausage + dirt among more normal jelly bean flavours} and chocolate frogs, I was more than happy to enjoy a nice late lunch before heading home. It was such a great birthday gift for the Fif + a most excellent way to spend Father's Day!
Oh, and if you are so inclined {+ are as much a Harry Potter fan as I am}, here is a fun online test to find out which House at Hogwarts you would be sorted into. My Mister is a Hufflepuff...and me...well, I wasn't surprised with which house I was sorted into, but maybe I'll let you guess anyway? Post me your guess + let me know where you were sorted, just for fun! 
Hoping your weekend + Father's Day celebrations were just fabulous!
xo.
To all the dads {especially my Mister}, who hear this phrase many times a day and respond in stride, rather than running to hide...
Yes, this Queen Bee has been list making, baking + crafting away in preparation for the party, which will hopefully be just the bee's knees! Sorry, I just can't resist the bee humor. As for the photos, well, even some of what looks completed still has some finishing touches that need doing...and there are a couple of items that still have yet to be started! Nothing like waiting until the last minute...oh, I think the next few nights will be late ones! I have to give a huge thanks to my Mister...how many husbands would be willing to spend an afternoon cutting faux flowers + wire to make bee wings... or would stay up until midnight painting stripes on clay bees? You rock honey...I'll have to think of a way to return the favor.Have a wonderful weekend!
xo.
I personally, have a horrible reaction to anesthesia and I have to confess that after being poked + prodded at through pregnancy after pregnancy...well, I got such satisfaction that for once, it wasn't ME who was about to undergo a "procedure". Here is where the chicken coop comes in. While my Mister's tooth extraction was a success, once we got home the combination of not eating, his minimal experience with having been "put under" and perhaps too much anesthesia...well, he got up from a nap, his blood pressure dropped and passed out he did hitting the back of his head on the kitchen island. This kitten lost a couple of her 9 lives when I found him fumbling amongst the pools of blood on the floor {sorry for the TMI}. Thank God my neighbor just happened to drop by and having been an intensive care nurse, she took over. 
So I'm getting my chicken coop...and chickens! I had been wanting them for a while but I think my Mister felt so bad about what happened with the head thing, he just caved in. Actually, he jumped to say yes, knowing that it would make me so happy! Traditionally, a Vegan doesn't eat or use ANY product that comes from an animal...but as I had written before, I do indulge in the occassional egg and I do not raise my littles on a stict vegetarian diet. I am so excited that #1, when I do have an egg, it will be my own, organic-fed/ pesticide + antibiotic free egg. #2, my littles will be able to bond with the chicks and help raise them, care for them + collect eggs, etcetera. And #3, that my littles will have the experience of seeing + developing a respect for the food that we eat, where it comes from and the animals who provide it. For not living on a farm, I think it is a pretty awesome experience. I'll be sure to post more on this new adventure of ours soon!!
xo.
So Sweet...my teeth hurt.
Well, this bread just happens to be a little slice of heaven! It is made from the same basic Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day recipe we usually use...and we roll out our portion of dough similarly to when we made the Olive + Rosemary Rolls. Only this time, instead of savory, we opted for adding a sweet Nutella filling...and instead of cutting the dough into little rolls...we shaped it into...well, a little halo. Very apropos, don't you agree?
Ofcourse, there is the obvious David Sedaris book club pick { I have yet to begin it...but I am looking foward to it all the same...as the author is quite brilliant}.
And then there are these other few books, the first of which was given to me at Christmas time...
...and then there are these next two that I picked up on Amazon.com....
I am particularly fond of The Encyclopedia of the Exquisite by J. K. Jenkins + Let's Bring Back by L. M. M. Blume. In additon to putting together a wildly interesting book of wonders from years past...well, I thought Blume hits the nail on the head particularly well when she talks about us nostalgic types, who on a regular basis are left to endure the extermination of our "sepia drenched outlooks" by the world's absorption in all things "faster, newer & better". I've so enjoyed learning about {or being reminded of} things, activities + traditions that I had lost track of; the elegant little indulgences that enrich our lives. I'm so looking foward to my quest to incorporate more of these things into my modern life. A challenge? I prefer to think of it as a bit of Carpe Diem; Inspiration! 
And this last book, Bike Snob, is a little something I picked up for my Mister around Valentine's Day...since he is, without a doubt, a complete bike snob. {Sorry honey!} Such a fun + witty little book... I've found myself cracking up while reading just a passage here + there. A must have for anyone who is...well, a bike snob!
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So with that I bid you all happy shopping + reading. There is nothing better, in my ever so humble opinion, that a great something to read at your fingertips...especially in hardcover. After all, what can be more wholesome than a book? Shop on my friends, shop on!
Have a wonderful weekend!
xo.
While I have used my new kitchen toy for a few other meals in the last week...the lemon hummus wasn't actually something I got around to making! {The hummus was on sale in the store, so I was pretty stocked up}. However, we DID make the Olive + Rosemary Rolls...
We used the same Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes recipe whose praise I have been singing for some time now. It is unbelievably good...and easy...and consistent! We used the basic recipe + rolled the portion of dough out in a thin oval shape. Next, brush inside with E.V. Olive Oil, add olives + sprinkle with rosemary. Finally, we just rolled the dough up, cut it into pieces + allowed it to sit a little while. When it was baking time, we placed the little rolls on the "pizza stone" seperately, swirl side up {like mini cinnamon buns}.
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These were just amazing! Bread is something fun that everyone can get involved in making, however these little beauties came out so exceptionally "professional looking", don't you agree that they would be perfect for serving or bringing to a dinner party?!
So I leave you with a couple of quotes:xo.
Over the last few years, it has been tradition that the kiddos pile into our bed on Valentine's Day morning where we would exchange cards, some little gifts, candy {ofcourse} and lots of hugs + snuggles. But like many things that change as our littles become, well, not so little...Valentine's Day fell on a Monday, when everyone had school + work...so we had to nix the whole eating- candy -in -bed routine. At first I was slightly bummed about this small, yet significant change...but as it turned out, celebrating in the evening proved to be a very fun time!
:: The littles; sitting amongst their Valentine's Day spoils...and really, how can one have a Valentine's Day without little conversation hearts? ::
:: A healthy treat sent by Pappy & Cam ::
:: For the coffee lover; a glass pour over...{with red base, for the holiday ofcourse!} ::
:: Who would have guessed how thrilled I would be with a new Food Processor?! An essential tool for any self respecting vegan! ::
:: Worry not, the tiniest member of this clan was not forgotten. Yes, that is a lollipop his is eating...at night. Kind of terrible...but atleast I didn't post the picture of him laying down with it! ::
And I couldn't resist a quick pic of my Valentine's Day outfit! I had to teach at the college yesterday and thought for sure my Mum would have something to say about my not wearing red... but alas, I came up with something! I can't help but be giddy over my Valentine's Day gift...I remember a time when I had told my Mister that if he ever bought me an appliance for a holiday he would be in the dog house, big time. Almost 8 years + 3 kiddos later...ah, how times have changed! The day was a wonderful success, spending time with all of my Valentines. I'm looking foward to a day off with my Mister today...we have plans to give the food processor a whirl making some lemon hummus to go with a delicious Olive + Rosemary bread recipe we are trying out. Sounds delicious, right? 
Prologue: This week was a bit sucky before it even began as this time every year = MONEY {i.e.: BIG car insurance payment due + Years worth of homeowners Insurance due up front}.
** le vomit **
Monday began like any other: slightly chaotic as we began a 6 day work week for my mister and full week of school for the littles. In addition to the other expenses, the Monks had broken {beyond repair} his glasses while sleigh riding over the weekend...and of course his frames had been discontinued + the warranty had expired, so that meant a whole new eye exam/ glasses purchase {gulp, SO EXPENSIVE!}...LOVELY! After teaching class over at the college that Monday, my clan ended up heading to one of my BFF's for an impromptu playgroup...which, incidentally, ended in a trip to the ER for me + the Monks. Apparently there was a Kung Fu lesson taking place in the playroom that resulted in 5 stitches to the eyebrow...via a headbutt to a knee. This was our family's first major injury type episode/ ER trip...not my favorite way to begin the week, but we survived.
Mid week offered us an ice storm...I suppose mother nature decided to mix it up a bit and give us a change from the massive amounts of snow we have had this winter. This wintery mix really did nothing to help us find our rhythm during the mid-week, so in between delayed openings at school, lectures to prepare and shopping to be done for a PTO Dinner Dance that Friday night...well, need I say more?
I have to say that the PTO Chance Auction "Dinner Dance/ Fundraiser" was more fun than I expected it to be! I really had a blast getting all dolled up, "semi-prom-meets-cocktail party" style. Unfortunately, just as the night was comming to a close, we recieved a call from my Mum saying that our smallest of guys, the baby Liamb, was getting sick! We rushed right home {hence, why there aren't any pics of me in this beautiful outfit!!} That night we got about 3 hours of sleep {in 20 minute intervals}...and spent the rest of the weekend trying to recoup what we had missed out on.
As it turned out, the baby Liamb wasn't puking due to a virus, but rather to the teeth that are bursting through his gums with a vengence. He was {IS!} miserable and has spent every chance he can get curled up on my chest with his tush in the air like a cat! Needless to say, the weekend was rather uneventful. Well, it was uneventful for me...my poor Mister got stuck picking up all the slack, as only a Mama would do for the little tooth boy.
So while this clan is usually {knock on wood} a pretty healthy + sturdy lot, we were chock full of injury and illness this week. Oh, I almost forgot, just for fun, I fell on said ICE right outside our back door on Sunday...HARD! My iced coffee went flying + I froze in pain, crouched like a cat, just yelping becasue I had smash landed my knee into our icey brick back patio. It was not as bad as I thought, although I did manage to scrape my kee though my jeans. I did start to tear up later when I realized that my fall had initiated the tiniest of pulls in my favorite jeans...which will most likely develop into a whopping WHOLe... in my favorite jeans.
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So that's the week in review. The Monk's stitches are out, my knee felt well enough to exercise on + the baby Liamb is smushy, but not crying or puking...so I guess that is a plus! Please, tell me I'm not the only Mama who has had a week as psychotic + non-stop as this one! While the saying often seems to uber-cliche, it is so true that when it rains, it pours! But you know, if this is the worst of it, then I guess I don't have THaT much to complain about. So far, our week has started out pretty nicely... however, I'm looking foward to some warm sun {thanks groundhog!!}, some healthy livin'...and a whole bunch of more regular posts on this here blog that I have missed so much!!
Wishing everyone lots of GOOD!
xo.
