Active Baby

Summer provides lots of opportunities for keeping busy. There is:

all the yard work
summer concerts (though the food and beverages are sometimes more interesting than the entertainment)finding new ways to use familiar objectsand exploring your town on wheels or by foot

Seafood Linguine

I made seafood linguine recently. I consulted a couple of recipe books and then did a little of my own thing. It was really easy and FAST and amazingly delicious.

After putting the water for the pasta to boil, I started sautéing some onion and some garlic in olive oil. When the onions were translucent, I added in some parsley, salt, pepper, white wine, chicken broth, and saffron. I let that cook for a minute or so and then added in a couple of chopped tomatoes. After cooking them for a few minutes, I added in scallops, shrimp, and clams.I cooked it all until the clams opened and the shrimp were pink. I then added in some more parsley.Tossing the whole thing with the linguine and adding some Parmesan cheese, we were ready to indulge.Elías really liked it :)

Birthday

Elías celebrated his first birthday on June 4th. Instead of a cake we had whoopie pies.He got a piece of one, and ate it so fast that this is all I got to document it.I made him a shirt with a one on it, and I also made a fabric banner that I hope will decorate many more birthdays for years to come. My idea for the shirt is that I will do one each year until he is twelve, and then make them into a quilt. It's hard to believe that a whole year (and then some!) has gone by already. He has brought such joy and happiness into our lives, he really is a blessing. I am looking forward to the coming year as he masters walking, running, and climbing, and continues to learn how to communicate with us. It will be a year of discovery, I am sure.

Walking

Father's Day

Father's Day was a lovely day. We went out to brunch, took the bikes down to Steamboat Days, and then Juan played soccer as usual in the afternoon.
I had hoped to get Elías on the carousel, but I never have any cash on me, and Juan thought he did but when he went to open his wallet, he realized that E had emptied his wallet out earlier that morning (a new favorite activity). So, no ride for us. We had to bike back home so Juan could get to soccer. His present, by the way, came early this year in the form of a new bike, which he has taken all the way to WI on several trips already.Elías still enjoyed all the sights, sounds, and smells of the fair, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Crayons Rock!

Mama Hoot can whip you up some amazing items for your little one. She has recently opened a shop on Etsy, and happily does custom orders for everything from tee shirts, dresses, and diaper bags to shopping cart covers. She is also selling crayon rolls and crayon buckets, and is doing a give-away right now for either a roll or a bucket, per the winner's choice. I encourage you to head over there and check out the goodies available.

Here is the giveaway official info:
This Giveaway is open to residents of the United States and APO/FPO addresses. The giveaway will end on Wednesday, July 7th at 11:59pm PST. Each entry is assigned a # and the winning # will be drawn by random.org and announced on this blog as well as emailed.

Recent Knitting

I have slowly been working my way through my yarn stash for about a year and a half now. I am not one to buy yarn just because I like it; I need to have a project in mind for it. Thus, my stash has never reached out-of-control proportions. However, sometimes I get yarn for something and lose interest in the pattern or realize the yarn and pattern don't jive, or end up not needing that last ball after all. I also get yarn here and there from people and don't immediately have something in mind forit.

I had the cardinal hoodie in my Ravelry queue for about a year and one day in Marchsuddenly realized that I had enough yarn in my stash to make it. So, I began a project that took me until about a week ago. This spring I was very busy with the dissertation, so rarely gave myself time for knitting. It really is a pretty quick project. And it felt so good to use up that yarn for something so nice. That's the best part about working from your stash: the surprises that arise when you get the perfect combo of pattern and yarn- without having to spend any money!
Alternately, it is also thrilling to buy new yarn here and there to get new color and texture into your collection and anticipate the project you want to use it for. My neighbors recently had a baby, and they are big into giraffes. So, when I bought Susan B. Anderson's Itty-bitty Toys, I knew one of the first projects I would be doing.Susan's patterns are always full of tiny details that really make her projects special.
This giraffe has an embroidered face, a pom pom mane, tail, and horns (Do giraffes have horns? What are those things on their heads?)
And spots, of course!

Sunflower Chicken

We visited Lawrence, KS at the end of May, and the first meal I had in town was at the Free State Brewery. I got the Sunflower Chicken. It was so good, I had to give it a go at home. Here's what I did.

1. Take two boneless, skinless chicken breasts and marinate them for an hour in buttermilk, sesame oil, and soy sauce. (I used buttermilk because I had extra on hand).
2. Mix 3/4 cup each of barley, brown rice, and wheatberries into 7 cups of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 min to an hour.
3. In a saucepan, mix a cup of sherry with a tablespoon of miso, boil on medium-high until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, then add it to the simmering grains.
4. Once sherry/miso reduction has been added to the simmering grains, chop up your veggies. I went with the following, adding more than the restaurant had.One package of shitaki mushrooms (8oz?); a handful each of chard (with veins and leaves), napa cabbage, and baby bok choy; three carrots, cut match-stick size; snow peapods; 1 red pepper, three cloves of garlic and an inch or so of fresh ginger.
5. With about 15-20 minutes left of the grains cooking, I heated up a couple of tablespoons of canola oil and threw in the carrots. After a minute or so, I added the greens, garlic, and ginger. Another minute or so I added the red pepper, snow peas, and mushrooms. Cook until desired tenderness, then get the veggies out, reserving as much oil as possible.
6. You can add a little more oil if you think it is necessary, heat it up and then add the marinated chicken breats, cut into inch-sized pieces. Brown them and cook through.
7. Mix the veggies, chicken, and grains all together, adding in 1/4 cup or so of roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds.
Enjoy! I served my sunflower chicken with homemade rhubarb lemonade, but a nice wheat beer is good, too.

First Mother's Day

We went big for my first mother's day. I got a necklace, brunch, a book, and a massage. It was a really nice day.

The Long Haul is Over

Well, it's finally done. I successfully defended my dissertation on May 18th. I won't get my diploma until January and can't walk until next May, but the important thing is that all the writing is done and all the paperwork turned in. I can officially sign my name with Ph.D. on the end of it, if I want to.

So, we're home for the summer and I think I will have time to resurrect this blog. There's lots to catch up on. Our trip to Maine and Spain over the winter break, another trip to Maine last month, E's one-year birthday, our trip to Lawrence, KS...

Stay tuned! There's lots to see coming up!

My parents came down to Boston for the day to attend my defense. Meridith watched Elías during the process.Then we met up with Julian and Kira to celebrate with pizza and margaritas.I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers and some sparkling cider by the river.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. We had visitors from Maine and Boston come to celebrate with us. This house just seems cozier when it's full of people.We had lots of good food over the course of the week. In fact, so much so that we had a lot of pie and ice cream to finish off when everyone went home.

Everyone got a chance to hang out with Elías. Bebe and Elías took a nap together.Bumpa and Elías got a walk in.
And Aunt Meridith and Uncle Eben got lots of play time.Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too!