Summer vacation

This certainly has been a busy summer- I looked up and saw that I haven’t even had time to write a blog post! These past few weeks have just flown by (which is a big surprise, based on past experiences). After making a “Summer Schedule” late this spring I thought I had all my bases covered, but we haven’t even had time for the things I was making time for!!! Here's a brief look at my summer thus far:

We had a Birthdays’ Party (for the both of us- our birthdays are one day apart), which included Mushroom Cakes (they were sooo cute! and tasted even better!); Chips and Dips; little Rolled Sandwiches and a Poked Cake (!!!), petit Croissant and hamwiches and a lovely Fruit Tray one of our guests provided (which was demolished in record time it was so good!)

We went to ComicCon as volunteers, and had a marvelous time!

This was the “floor” Wednesday Night- it’s the commercial part of the convention, and it’s only a fraction of the crowds you will find on thur, fri, sat and sun because it’s Preview night- this crowd is mainly the volunteers, vendors and exhibitors.

And this is the restaurant where we recovered every night- Con can be an ordeal, and you only survive by taking care of yourself! The Meyer Lemon-Buttermilk Panecotta is divine! And the Pesto-Chicken-Goats Cheese Pizza is the best thing on the menu- aside from the Gnocchi, which is okay but lifted into the divine by the mélange of yummy vegetables it’s served on…

This is a very tired little garden- it’s the end of July, and very hot right now- and only going to get hotter as the summer wears on I’m afraid. So, the feedings of Liquid Seaweed have increased to ever two weeks, the watering happens in the cool of the morning (so they don’t steam and wilt in the heat of the day), and a good cleaning is on the books for this weeked- I’ll take all those pots over to the side of the balcony and sweep all those cobwebs, dead leaves and dirt away and make it all fresh, happy and shiny.

On a slightly side note- the tomatoes and zucchini are coming along just…not very fine. It’s too hot, and the pot isn’t big enough for the three of them. We have tomatoes and zucchini, just not a lot of them. Once the harvest comes in I’m thinking of switching over to beans and carrots for the winter, maybe some lettuces too. Interestingly enough, the mint is going gangbusters, even with all the heat…

Then there’s all the movies, walks, library trips, dinners, crafting and game nights (yaay! game night!) that just filled the month right up to the brim with fun, activity, healthy eating and more fun. And so I find myself on the eve of August saying good heavens! it’s time to get back to work (thank goodness), offering a toast of gladness to a month of successful fun, frivolity, and successful endeavors- and looking forward to another month of all that and more…

hey, you faeries get offa that tomato- it’s not ripe yet!!!

A Second Breakfast Celebration

Happy Second Breakfast! It was a wild party- all the Dwarves showed up, shedding their scarves and hats hither and yon. Even Gandalf dropped by- he left his bag by the bookcase! I hope he remembers to come by and pick it up before the movie premiers- he might need it for his opening scene…

While they were planning their route to take on the Dragon Smaug, I noticed somebody eavesdropping by the door…

Do you see him? Bilbo is such a little fellow, he fits in with the Hallway décor!

 

 

 

Thorin insisted on writing up an Itinerary for the festivities, which Bilbo updated with a few necessary items, namely the Washing Up, which any good Hobbit can tell you is Very Important for any impending adventure preparations!

I suppose you’re interested in learning what they ate whilst planning their epic journey, eh? Well, there were a few things laid out…

Bunting makes a good, cheerful atmosphere for any planning party…

 

 

 

There were Sausages, nicely plump and browned in apple cider…

There was a good dish of gruel (requested by Bombur as an appetizer), and a plate of Cheese and Pickles…

A proper pot of Tea with a plate of Scones for Gandalf- notice that rather ostentatious saque by the bookcase…

A few boiled eggs for the youngsters Fili and Kili, along with a few choice jams, jellies, and mustard …

and lastly a beautiful crusty Beer Bread set out with a full crock of butter was set out for Thorin’s enjoyment.

  Gandalfs traveling bag caused quite a stir-  everyone had to go get his to show of their skills!

 

 

 

A bit of bunting was strung up to give a bit of cheer to the grim proceedings, and Gandalf threw a bunch of maps and travelogues on top of the bookcase when he sat down..

For some reason Bilbo has a model of the tavern The Foot and Fang on his bookshelf…

 

 

 

A few hours later they all took their leave after many “thanks’”  “lovely party’s” and several suspicious lumps in their sacks. Upon closing the door I discovered every last crumb had been swept up and even the heel from the loaf had been taken. Hrrumph! I don’t know whether to be glad- no leftovers to pack away- or despondent- no leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Oh well, at least now I know to make a bit more for next year’s party.

Thank you for stopping by our little Second Breakfast celebration- have a Great Weekend everyone!

Weekend Booking and other things…

Whew! That was a crazy, whirlwind weekend, wasn’t it? Appointments, family visits, heavy rainstorms, no grocery shopping, a garden overhaul, and some last minute-but-really-good! booking:

The King Arthur Whole Grain Baking book- I’ve loved this ever since it was first hinted at, even if they faked me out and printed the regular-flour-cookbook first. Baking with whole-wheat is so tricky without help- stone biscuits and rock pancakes was on the menu at our house when I first tried baking with it! Ah. . . now it’s feather-light whole wheat scones and faerie cakes. (no, not faerie-in-or-is-a-cake! You faeries get outta that flour bin right now!)

Delia Smith’s Christmas- English Tradition Christmas, with time-charts! How much fun is this? I’ll be dreaming over this one for the rest of the year. Apricot Orange Chutney, Mince Pies and Pheasant Terrine! Okay, maybe not the Pheasant…

The Foster’s Market Cookbook- I check this one out from the library every spring and summer to ogle the luscious pictures of farm-fresh veggies, dreaming of opening my own restaurant someday, which oddly looks just like Foster's Market does in this book…

And I scored a hardback edition of The Best of Martha Stewart Living Great Parties! These are all so much fun to browse through for ideas, without having to dig out my collection of old magazines. I love that they have collected all her party layouts and Good Thing’s section from a few seasons of the magazines and bound them into a book- they’ve done this with a lot of the categories from the magazines. I especially like the Christmas ones. Great resource, and lots of fun to just flip through, dreaming of spring parties.

Lastly, I wanted to note here that I have officially started the Couch to 5K exercise program today. It went great! The stretching guide is the best part- it helped fix the first calf muscles cramp I’ve had in years (!!!), and got my heart rate down to where I didn’t need a nap after I got back from my run. (eep! I just went for a run! Who is this girl?) Go me! Actually, I will get going just as soon as I can peel myself off the floor- I haven’t done anything like this in about 5 years! Wish me luck…