Birthday Pajamas

 

 Happy birthday pjs for my lovely niece, Eva!

I used Oliver + S's pajama pattern for the bottoms.  I shortened the pants for a Summer length.  The t-shirt is from Target and I embellished it with fabric from Riley Blake's Rainy Days and Mondays line.

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

 We went with some friends to pick peaches and blackberries at a local orchard. 

 Henry, the gentleman, picked one for Hazel.  It is her birthday this week, you know.

I think this is my favorite picture of the morning.  Look at that cute baby bump!  

 Henry helped himself.  Sol helped himself.  The boys may have taken liberties with the free samples.

 Lucy, my nature girl, found a little frog in the grass.  Amazingly, on our way back out of the orchard, she found the frog again, in the same spot.

 This little frog was a hopeful beacon of what our tadpoles might become.  Sadly, upon returning home from the day's activities, we found all of the tadpoles had passed on to Holier Spheres.

 Hazel was serious about picking her "dad's favorite, blackberries".

 Once Sol looked like this, it was time to call it a morning.

We ended up with over 11 pounds of peaches, two heaping pints of blackberries, zucchini and yellow squash.  Now, I have to figure out how to make freezer jam...

  I hope to make a return trip to this great orchard for late summer fruit.  It was so much fun!

Embroidery Attempt

I used Oliver + S's Ice Cream Dress pattern to make this shirt, but wanted to add a little something to make it extra special.  My grandmother taught me how to embroidered as a girl, and I was able to recollect enough of  those lessons to do a little daisy.  With all of this on the horizon, I'm feeling more embroidery projects to come!

Black Bean Dip Recipe

All my best recipes are made by accident! I started out making a pot of black beans for our taco bar at Isaac's graduation open house. Then Lizzie came to help on Saturday night and she asked if I was going to make black bean dip! So I decided to use that pot of beans in the dip. That is how I came to make this version of black bean dip and it was extra good!

3/4 cup chopped sweet onion

1 tsp chopped garlic

2 cans black beans

3/4 cup Pace salsa

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

juice of one lime

salt to taste, about 1 tsp.

Saute the garlic and onion. Combine all ingredients in food processor just enough to mix, 15-20 seconds. Serve with chips. In the past I have made this recipe as Becca taught it to me which is the same except without the sauteed onion and garlic.

Mango Jicama Slaw

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Hands down, this is the easiest and tastiest thing I've made all summer.  It is really hot here (have I mentioned it's hot?) and I've been packing this salad in our cooler and munching on it poolside whilst my little ones cool off in the tepid mid-June waters.  I think this salad has internal chilling properties which makes it the perfect thing to eat to combat sweating glistening (this is the South-- women glisten) in the sun.  I love how much flavor and texture you get with just four, seasonal ingredients. Four ingredients!  It just doesn't get easier than that!  

Yum, yum!  

Mango Jicama Slaw
1/2 jicama (peeled and julienned)
1 ripe mango (diced)
4-5 teaspoons cilantro (minced)
juice of 1 to 2 limes

Mix the jicama, mango, and cilantro together in a bowl. Add lime juice (to taste).  Toss and serve.

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