kitchen helpers

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That afternoon stretch from about 1pm to 4pm is tricky to navigate around here.  It is the time of day when I am grieving the loss of naps for some (who said that they could give those up as they got older?) and trying to find a bit of quiet for myself.  So, in effort to buy some of that valuable time yesterday- I gave the girls some helpful tasks.


Oil painting1


I have gotten rid of most of the plastic around here and so bamboo and wood make up the bulk of my cooking tools and cutting boards.  After several trips (literally thousands) through the dishwasher, they were looking pretty worn. The girls each got a little cup of mineral oil, basting brushes and off they went.  Warning** this is a very messy project!  Old clothes/aprons are a must!  We had to do a bit of swabbing with paper towels on some of the items because of the excess quantities of "paint", but all in all it was fun for them and helpful for me.  We were on a roll.


Zuc shredding1


Next, I trusted Emma to shred up the zucchini and store it for the winter.  She certainly did shred!  It became a race for her to see how quickly she could make one zucchini disappear.  Hannah's job was to measure green stuff into 2 cup portions (that's what my recipe for zucchini bread calls for) and put it in freezer bags.  She was gagging the whole time her hands touched the cold slimy "guts".


Zuc aftermath1


Thanks girls...I think.


Have you heard of this stuff?


Lighter bake1


It is a fruit puree that you can use in place of the fat (oil and butter) in your recipes. I found it in the baking isle at the grocery store. So far, I really like it!  It worked great in my zucchini bread recipe, and considering that it calls for 1 cup of oil (!!) I was glad to find an alternative.


My curtains are coming along SLOWLY and I am not really sure that I even like them.  Isn't that just the pits to invest time into a project that doesn't turn out how you had hoped?  After cutting 540 squares I am not quite ready to scrap this one yet though.

it is raining

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I have come to appreciate the occasional rainy day. (Notice I said occasional.) They are much fewer and far between around here and so when one comes along...especially on a Sunday, we enjoy it.


I made the girls cocoa- which for August, felt strange.  Hannah, being her mother's daughter, requested hers with "foamy milk".


Hannah's cocoa1


Laurel on the other hand, was still somewhat sleepy and just quietly nibbled her blueberry buckle and licked the chocolate off her face. This profile of her reminds me of my brother when he was little.


Laurel's cocoa1


I spent the day doing this:


Patchwork squares1


That's 540 squares you are looking at.  They will be patched together to make 3 curtain panels for our downstairs learning room.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I started out cutting them 2 at a time...and progressed by pushing my rotary cutter to the limit- 6 at a time!


I watched this movie.


Miss-pettigrew-poster


Then I watched it again, and again, followed by the director's commentary, followed by the deleted scenes. I loved it mostly for the scenery and costume...okay and maybe for the happy ending too.


Carl cleaned the entire kitchen including the enormous pile of dishes in the sink and the floor which he scrubbed on his hands and knees.  I think I will keep him.


Thank you all so much for the Anniversary wishes.  We have a special weekend planned in September.  My dad has graciously agreed to keep the girls for us while we camp out here.  Looking forward to that.


We are also looking forward to the start of our school year.  I am swimming in curriculum and books that keep coming in the mail. Who ordered all of this stuff?  Serious scheduling and planning will begin this week as all of our friends head back to school.


For me, it is still summer...even if it is raining.