I'm Laura Ingalls Wilder, Yo. I mean, Y'all.

Recently we've been making some changes.  Some big, some small.  But changes none the less.

One of them, is getting back to purchasing local fruits and veggies.  We were members of a CSA for about 1.5 years, but due to the structure of the program near us - it wasn't working out.  So we stopped and went back to buying our produce at the grocery store.  It didn't really take long before I was once again immensely frustrated by the cost, the quality, and the stickers that all said something like "from Chile", "from Argentina".  No wonder the quality sucks.  No wonder the tomatoes resemble more of a sponge than a beautiful tomato.  No wonder the apples are bruised and mushy.  No wonder the broccoli is already flowering.  Gah.
Lucky for us, one of the best farmers markets in the state is just a mile and a half away.

Our first trip looked like this:

60lbs of produce for $55.
All local, all deeelish!
Also, all of that produce (except the onions)
was gone by Saturday.
So, no, we didn't over buy. 

I made a huge batch of salsa for our neighborhood block party with a quarter of the tomatoes.  The others I turned into a batch of my own pasta sauce!
I couldn't find a single recipe for home made pasta sauce that didn't say "now dump in two cans of tomatoes".  Seriously.  NOTHING.  Not one recipe could take me from tomato to spaghetti.  So, I wung it.  {It's make up your own grammar day.}

First step:
dump the tomatoes in boiling water for about 4 minutes.
Then drain, and take off skin. 

Step 2:
Put tomatoes back in the pot.
Add (home made) veggie broth, onions, garlic,
peppers, seasonings. 

Step 3:
Let simmer and stew for 2[ish] hours. until reduced and saucy.
See the line of where it used to be? 

Step 4:
Use a portion to make eggplant parm.

This past week, we bought 40lbs of peaches and last night I spent the evening washing, peeling and slicing them.  Then, we put them into freezer bags {time to get a vacuum sealer set up.} and will be able to enjoy them through "The Long Winter".  [In case you're wondering - 40 lbs makes enough to eat fresh peaches for a week and then about 20 quarts of sliced peaches.]

Other things I've done with our farmer's market hauls:

Zucchini Canoes.
Yum.  Like, times a million.

Zucchini sticks.
Mix panko, parmesan and italian seasoning.
Coat sticks, bake.  

Jalapeno Hush puppies.
Follow recipe.
Watch your arteries cry.
But enjoy every single second of it.

We had "appetizer" night.  The zucchini sticks, the hush puppies, and various fruits.  Eaten on a blanket while discussing some family plans.  Which mostly consisted of us telling the boys we're cancelling their birthday party...

Now, I just need to learn to can and I'm set.  A true pioneer... or something.

For those who care.

I got my new camera last week.  Oh my goodness.  I'm. In.  Love.  I wasn't sad at all to see my other camera go.  Though, that may have had more to do with the fact I sold it for $175 than anything else... 


So, I spent a lot of time researching a new camera.  There are a lot out there.  Luckily, the fact that I already have an incredible $800 dollar Nikon lens helped me narrow my choices down...  To Nikon.

Eventually the wallet allowed me to get the one I've been drooling over for a while.  The D7000.  It's fantastic, and lives up to every five-star review on the interwebz.  (I only read a couple of less than five-star reviews - and most of them were complaints about shipping time, not the camera itself.)

I decided to take a sunset walk with the fam to flex it's low-light capability muscles.
Here's what I got.

f5.6
ISO 800
(Don't remember shutter speed...but it wasn't slow.)
The sun was completely set 13 minutes later.
Not a lot of light - and LOOK at this!
The only editing was some contrast fixes in camera. 

I'm in love.  Thanks Hubband.

Saturday Silly.

Quick background:

B-rox reads.  Everything.  Anything.  He reads - period.  (Is it redundant to put the period after I wrote period?) 


His Gramma and Pa-hat bought him his favorite book last summer, "Reptiles and Amphibians".  It's a four hundred page book on just about every reptile or amphibian on Earth.  He reads page by page - and can recall just about any fact he's read.  Trust me, I've tried calling his bluff.  He can flip to the page, shove it in your face and say "told you so" quicker than the Sahara can melt ice. 


Conversation between the boys:
Kenny:  Why do mommy's have to have big boobs to feed babies?

B-rox:  Well, I was reading about the Frilled Neck Lizard the other day and I think it's their defense against predators.

Uhm... Yeah.
My kids need to worry if boobs are my defense against predators.  Because, if you had to rank my "defenses" on a scale of McLovin' to Vin Diesel - I'm a Paul Rudd.  No lie.  

What's on their mind?

I like to "interview" my kids every now and then.  I think it helps me get to know them better.  Because kids change ALL the time.  I sit down during quiet moments and ask them random questions.  I've never thought to write it down before because I've always felt like it was sort of a personal exercise between us.  Then Hubband and I had a conversation about a fourth(?) grade project where he said he wanted to have three kids and drive a mini-van. (He's SOL on that particular notion.) It's fun to look back on that stuff and see how you changed throughout the years.

So this morning, during my "coffee time", which is usually their "entertain yourself" time, they sat on my lap and we interviewed.  They call it the "imagination game".  I took notes on my phone and am glad I've decided to write it down.  They're not going to want to miss some of the answers that that hour on my lap produced.

1. If you could be an animal - what would you be?
B: An Orangutan.  Because I like the name and how they have really long arms.
K: A chicken.  Because I like how they go bok bok bok and I like to eat eggs.  


2. If you could go on vacation right now, where would you go? 
B: Africa.  That place is cool.
K: Starbucks, then McDonalds, then Panera.  {Hungry much?}

3. If you could be a piece of clothes - what would you be. (what color, what's on it and why?) 
B: A shirt.  It would be yellow with ghosts on it.  It would be a zip up short sleeved, because it's hot in Africa.
K: Shoes with rocketships.  So I can go fast. 


4. If you had to eat one food every day for all your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners - what would it be? 
B: Bananas.  Because orangutans like bananas.
K:  Macaroni and cheese.  Because it's my favorite.  You make it awesome, mommy.  


5. If you could be a plant or a rock, what would you be and why?
B: Rock.  Because I'd be a whistling rock.  That would be my defense against predators. {Rocks have predators???}
K: Plant. Because I'd be a blue plant.  Plants are alive, not dead like rocks.  


6. If you could drive - what kind of car would you drive? 
B: An off road racer.  Because I like to go off-road and I like to do it fast.
K: A fast car.  Like a Corvette.  So I can match Daddy.  


7. If you could have a pet - what kind of pet would you have? 
B: A bug.  Half ladybug - half butterfly.  I'd call it a lady fly.
K: A zebra.  I'd ride it to work and black and white are awesome colors.  


8. What do you want to be when you grow up? 
B: A rockstar that sings about crazy stuff.
K: An astronaut.  {In light of the recent NASA developments - I prompted him to give me another answer.}
 A Table. 


9. How much does that job pay? 
B: $165 an hour  {Must be an indie artist...}
K: $55 dollars an hour to be a table.  {Maybe I need to look into this being a table thing...}


10.  Where do you want to live when you grow up? 
B: In Borneo for a while. Then when I'm old I'll move to Nigeria.
K: At home with mommy and daddy.  


11. Do you want kids?
B: Yes.  95 girls.  All twins.  {A Siamese in there somewhere then?} 20 boys.  All twins.  {At least he's cutting his baby momma's work in half?}
K: Yes.  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten. (On his fingers)  All sisters.  


I like my kids.  They're funny.

Thursday Thidbits.

Tidbits are for Tuesdays.  THidbits are for Thursdays. 

The other day some pre-paving work was going on behind our house.
I woke the boys up from their nap to sit out on the deck.
AND eat ice cream with cookies on top.
I am the coolest mom, ever. 
Ok, maybe not. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but B-rox has
decided that he LOVES coffee.
He steals it, sneaks it
and on the weekends gets a couple of ounces.
Here's the kicker:
He likes it black. 
(No "Airplane" jokes, please.)

Last weekend we were looking for something fun to do after dinner.
Couponing to the rescue!
Rango had a $5 dollar off the video coupon.
Safeway had a special where:
Buy the "Rango" dvd or blu-ray get:
Free box of Pop-secret
Free bag of Hershey's kisses
Two Free Lipton teas.
Plus, an extra $3 dollars off the video.
Total: $38 dollars.
We paid: $19
Yay family movie night.
Even if the tea was disgusting. 

Paving day!
(Finally)
Steamrollers, dumpers, skid steers - OH MY!  

Little brothers are awesome, right?
(Braxton asked if he could put his head there so Holdeezy could grab his hair.)

Random picture of a Beluga Whale.  It mysteriously
appeared in my photo album on my phone
while Hubband was documenting my Tri.
Weird. 

At the Firefly Festival, learning to roll down a hill.
Because this kind of stuff is important.
They ask whether you can or not on college applications.

"Look Mom, I'm a big boy too!"

Tradition.

All my kids get baths in the sink.  They just do.  

I think he enjoyed it...

I picked up this water table at Target the other day for 60% off.  Just $20!  (I also got a GIANT amount of the boys' Christmas shopping done in this particular clearance sale.  Score one for a less stressful holiday/birthday season.)

Lolz.  That's all I can come up with.

It's a hit.  

I love that they can be near me - but not underfoot during dinner time.
Thank you Target, for the awesome steal.
Now, if only this heat wave would go away so they can handle being outside
more than 10 minutes at a time...

I love sales...