it's the most wonderful time of the year

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

A little early yet... but starting to think about Christmas cards.
With all my great pictures from  Emily Photography i'm getting started.
Here is 1 idea so far from Shutterfly.
I love their variety of cards and they such good quality. 
I really loved my card from last year so I am not sure if I'll be able to find something I like just as much or better.  But we're going to try.
about 3 months till Christmas....CRAZY!!!!!

Time Flies

Each day I have so many good intentions and make a to-do-list.
I seem to so often get side-tracked from this list.
Other things get done, random things (like today cleaning the fridge/freezer door handles).
It's all good but some days I just put too much on that list.  Too many things that need to get done w/o little hands helping.  The days seems to pass faster than ever.  Where is time going?  Can we slow down just a touch?  Love having full days but right now it all passes in a blur.
Right now is quiet.  3 sleeping kids.  1 husband who went back to work for a few hours.
A few moments to take some deep breaths.  Dessert for one?  I think so.

My Birthday Gift from Em

My dear friend Emily gave me the best birthday gift. A morning/afternoon in NYC so we can have a just girls lunch at a trendy NYC restaurant. We had decided to go to the ever-so-hip meatpacking district where there is plenty of choice. We spent time drooling over various menus and looking at all the options. We settled on Spice Market, a restaurant owned by Jean-George Vongerichten.


I love Asian food…my husband can leave it. I could not wait to have a quiet, delicious lunch. It was so exciting.

We arrived in NYC on a warm clear day. The sky was blue & we enjoyed our ride down the Henry Hudson Parkway as we made our way from the George Washington Bridge downtown. Traffic around the Holland Tunnel was terrible & after an illegal turn and not obeying the GPS we made it to our intended destination. We spent time browsing & exploring, (and coveting) many items in Anthropologie.  We walked the few blocks to the restaurant and were immediately enchanted by the hardwood decor and the staff uniforms. We were seated near the open kitchen and loved being in a quiet corner.

We read over the menu options trying to decide what to eat. It was quite the task trying to decide which of these delicious things we would sample today. In the end we decided on the following items to share.

Appetizers:

Spiced Chicken Samosas, Cilantro Yogurt.

Salmon Tartare, Soy Ginger Dressing, Avocado & Radish.

Main Course:

Halibut Cha Ca La Vong, Herbed Salad, Coconut Sticky Rice Steamed in Banana Leaf.

Dessert:

Thai Jewels & Fruits with Crushed Coconut Ice

Ovaltine Kulfi, Caramelized Banana and Spiced Milk Chocolate Sauce.

Everything was delicious. Em is not a big fan of raw fish but was a good sport and tried the tartare. She ended up liking it. We lunched for over 2 hours. It is a beautiful restaurant. Their website offers beautiful pictures and descriptions of the interior. It was a pleasure to eat there! I would go back in a heartbeat. Thank again Em for my great b-day gift.

Labor Day Adventures- Just Peachy

For Labor Day I wanted to go peach picking.
I ended up getting 25 lbs of peaches and an assortment of hot peppers.
Let's not forget about the 12 large baseball sized green tomatoes we picked off the vine.
What to do with all this produce.
I had dreams of jars of jam & jelly.
I've been busy.
I made 2 kinds of peach jam - one in the crock pot & one on the stove top.
I made hot pepper jelly that really has some kick.
I made a peach pie that is baking away right now. 
I made sambal, Indonesian hot sauce similar to Sriracha.
Ben has been asking for peach cobbler so that is coming yet.
I have an incredible peach cheesecake bar recipe but it is super indulgent.
I made fried green tomatoes on Monday night with plenty of tomatoes left.
maybe green tomato jam....or more fried green tomatoes.
Ben also had the idea for peach sherbet.  Looking up recipes & determining how hard/simple it would be to make.  Need a grocery store run first...I'm out of sugar & flour!

more consistent blogging

I really would like to be more active in my blogging.
I constantly have ideas for posts running in my head.
But alas time is not on my side.
I have 3 or 4 things I want to post about.
I hope to do one or two posts later.

There back & we are still here

Remedy Drive was back for another amazing show at our church.
As "event coordinator" I helped facilitate the event with several other people.
Concert was scheduled to start at 7:00 pm ~ after the rapture.
Needless to say rapture did not happen & Harold Camping has a lot of explaining to do.
The concert wsas AWESOME.  The energy amazing.  I was thrilled to be a part of it.

Loved it!  Thank you David, Dave, Corey & Timmy Jones.  You guys rocked!

Dear Ben,

Dear Ben,
I love being your Mommy.  Being the only boy is a special thing for your.  Your not the oldest or the youngest but you are the only boy and that is your claim to fame.  With being boy comes lots of fun stuff.  Bare feet if possible.  No shirts if possible.  Outside if possible.  You never seem to be bothered by stuff that bothers others.  You are an easy going kid.  But boy have you been testing the boundaries lately.  You are challenging me so much.  I love my boy but when tiredness hits you or you get frustrated its like my kid got swapped out.  You love to snuggle and get hugs & kisses from everyone, especially your "sugar princesses."  You love your friends.  Your "best bud" Andrew & you can play for hours with minimal guidance.  You have the ability to solve your own problems together.  I love how you love music.  You are a schemer for sure.  I love you.  I just needed to take a moment to reflect on the trouble you have given me this week & remember how much I love you.  I think you are awesome and have the best eyes that sparkle with mischief and emotion.  You are my boy!  love, Mommy