Just Because...

she's beautiful, and because her dad's a pretty talented photographer. Thank you, God, for all the good things in life.

Berry Good

Early this morning we went berry picking. E was tired, and wanted to nap, but my mind was made up to find some strawberries and pick as many as possible. Who could resist this glorious goodness above? I'm hoping to freeze most of them, and possibly make some jam, if I'm feeling ambitious. We'll see.

E did well for the most part, but she melted down at times. This would be a great little outing for kids a little older. What a great way for children to see where their food comes from, and a great way to keep them involved. I'm noticing E loves to help out, and feel like a "big girl". :)
Here sits the 10 pounds of strawberries that we picked. I have no idea to know if this is enough or not, but it'll do for now. Yummy deliciousness is what this is. :)

Skin Deep

Hey you guys - I discovered a really neat website the other day. Go to Skin Deep and type in one of the products you're using on your body.... this site will tell you how toxic it is. It wasn't very surprising to me, as I've known that many of the facial/body products (makeup, shampoo, soaps, etc) house ingredients that aren't healthy for you. Still, once you see it on paper how it can affect your body, well... it's a little more eye opening.

Just another reason to be a more educated consumer.

Let me know what you think of the site.

Mint Tea Punch

Since I bought mint at the farmer's market, it's been fun trying to incorporate in different recipes. I tried a punch over the weekend, and it was a hit amongst family. It's kind of a like an iced tea (which I don't like), but much better. :)

I found it on allrecipes, but here is the recipe:

Mint Tea Punch:

3 c. boiling water
12 sprigs of fresh mint
4 tea bags
1 c of white sugar (adjust to taste)
1 c orange juice
1/4 c lemon juice
5 c of cold water

Place tea bags and mint in pitcher, and pour boiling water over them, letting them steep for about eight minutes. Remove and discard tea bags and mint leaves, squeezing out any excess liquid. Stir in sugar until it's dissolved, then stir in orange and lemon juice. Pour in water and ice cubes.

Some Outdoor Fun

We spent as much time outside as we could this weekend. What beautiful weather to welcome the first day of summer! I hope summer stays FOREVER. :)

Every time I see this picture, the word "joy" just pops in my head. This photo (all were taken by L, of course) just made me realize how blessed we are to have such a wonderful life, and such an amazing daughter to remind us of that!
E's footprints in the sand. Aren't those little feet cutest little feet?!! So precious. :)
This is E's favorite thing about the beach. Rocks. She loves picking them up, feeling them, throwing them in the water, putting them in her mouth, carrying them around. She's so curious. All of the time.

Hope that you all had a lovely start to summer!!!

Farmer's Market Junkie

I love farmer's markets - really I could go every day of the week, and just enjoy all of goodness surrounding me. Of course, it wouldn't be budget friendly for me to do that, so it's a good thing it's not an option. This is what I bought at the BC Farmer's Market... I'm looking forward to CVX starting their market soon, so it'll be more convenient to go.

I bought rhubarb, spinach (which is SO yummy), tomatoes, mint, and green garlic. YUM.

Garlic-y Goodness

This was a meal that I made initially for a family in our church. It was a simple dish to make, and it called for six cloves of garlic-y goodness. What could be better? It is a vegetarian dish, which could quickly be remedied if you added chicken.

I did use fresh spinach that I got from our local farmer's market, but quickly ran out so I had to go out and buy from the store (which did NOT look as nice by the way). Anyway, the dish was yummy.

Please forgive the poor photo - my photography skills are limited, and the babe was on my heels. :) Here is where I found the recipe. Enjoy!!