For the primary cook in your house, Watch this video

sign me up!

most mothers are the cooks in the house -we need a little help making it happen sometimes. why not make your life a little easier? this gives you more time to enjoy with your family and less time stressing over "what's for dinner?"

i love to cook, i don't like stressing about it though.

who's spookin' ready for HALLOWEEN?

i am always ready for my favorite holiday........... i wait patiently every year for it.

visit this site to get in the witchy mood, or get some ghoulish ideas:

http://fall.about.com/od/halloween/Halloween.htm

i gotta know.....

sing along to sister bear's favorite new song by wanda jackson "i gotta know"! discovered while listening to papa bear's new cd. sister bear calls her by her last name, "jackson" and wants to go see her in concert. my kid's first concert.. wanda jackson, who knew?

MUSIC THAT MATTERS TO HIM
Artist's Choice: Bob Dylan
Starbucks Entertainment
http://www.allalongthewatchtower.dk/phorum/read.php?1,360881

-my baby's got an old soul....

"Well I thought that you were a wantin' romance
But all you ever do is dance dance dance
So I boppity bop the whole night long to the knocked out music of a jukebox song
One thing I gotta know I gotta know I gotta know
If our love's the real thing where's my weddin' ring

Yes we rocked and rolled till the broad daylight
You're a little too pooped to kiss your baby goodnight
I know you've had it when the rockin' is through
So I let you go home what else could I do

One thing I gotta know ...

[ guitar ]

Well I thought that you were a wantin' romance...
When you're on that floor you're cool man cool
But when it comes to lovin' you need to go to school
You know I'm longin' for a weddin' day but all you ever do is play boy play

One thing I gotta know ..."

for you cheese lovers.....

have you tried this kind of cheese yet? mmmmmm, whole foods carries it in their specialty cheese section. it's too die for if you love cheese as much as i do! i had it for the first time the other night in a salad from carrabba's. i had to search it out immediately!! i used it grated in our salads last night for dinner and in our frittattas this morning for breakfast. it's very mild. and my new favorite cheese of the moment. i've added a delicious description of the cheese and a recipe for you to try it with........ buono appetito.

Salted ricotta cheese from Sicily.

Ricotta Salata is one of Italy's most unusual and least understood sheep's milk cheeses. The milk curds and whey used to make this cheese are pressed and dried even before the cheese is aged, giving this pure white cheese a dense but slightly spongy texture and a salty, milky flavor -- like a dry Italian feta.

Despite its name, this is not ricotta as Americans have come to know ricotta. In Italian, ricotta simply means ""recooked."" It is a cheese-making process rather than a specific cheese. This ricotta is also a salata, or ""salted,"" cheese. Sicily, because of its abundance of sheep, is justifiably famous for its sheep's milk cheeses.

Use ricotta salata to dice into salads of all kinds--particularly pasta salads and spinach salads, or serve with fresh or grilled vegetables, beans, and fruit. Its firm texture makes it perfect for tossing. Also try ricotta salata crumbled over garlicky sauteed vegetables, tomato-based sauces and bean dishes.

and now here's a recipe for you to try from a long time favorite recipe source of mine; epicurious dot com:

A young sheep’s-milk cheese such as Italy’s ricotta salata or pecorino Romano (which is easier to find) is best for this salad. Other good choices include Italian Toscanello and Manchego from Spain, which are also made from sheep’s milk.

Servings: Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

1 large shallot, minced (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

10 cups loosely packed arugula
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, halved lengthwise, cored, very thinly sliced
3 ounces ricotta salata or pecorino Romano, shaved into long strips with vegetable peeler

Preparation

Whisk shallot and lemon juice in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 15 minutes to blend flavors.

Combine arugula and sliced fennel in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat salad. Add shaved cheese; toss gently and serve.

Sister bear's all time favorite song.....

this is the song i would put on to calm sister bear as a baby.....
now it's one of her favorite songs!

sister bear sing it, "don't worry about a fing, cuz every wittle fing gon be alright..."

it just so happens to be a song played on her favorite channel; sprout pbs kids
in between the music being played, they say "SPROUT PLEASE!" but sister bear says her own thing, "SPROUTIES!"

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
-Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914

Sister bear says....

adorable words from sister bear.....

when she doesn't want to eat "whatever" in the moment
mama bear: "sister bear, want a bite of mommy's_______?"
sister bear: "no thank you, it's too spicy"

mama: "sister bear, do you want to go take a bath?" (or any question where she doesn't want to do something)
sister bear: "no thank you, maybe to-motto"

when i am reprimanding her and i have to raise my tone with her....
sister bear says: "mama, don't make that sound" or "mama, don't make that sound, baby's sweeping"

when sister bear wants to be held because she's tired, sad or upset. she asks me in her sweetest voice:
sister bear says: "mama, i wan hold-joo" or "will you hold me?"

when sister bear is asking me of something i've already said no to and she continues to put in her little request:
sister bear says: "mama, do you hear me?"

when brother bear is just cooing or making his little sounds:
sister bear says: "what is he saying?"

Turn back the clock

Eat to Stay Young
(click on the title "Turn back the clock" for 5 more great health ideas)

Did you know that yams have a natural estrogen that helps keep skin firm, and that green tea is not only high in the powerful antioxidant EGCG, but those who drink it on a consistent basis have less sun-related skin damage? Turn back the clock with these supermarket finds to keep you feeling and looking younger.

Protect Your Heart Like The Mediterraneans
Just three months of Mediterranean-style eating in one recent study improved blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol in people at high risk of heart disease. Olive Oil, leafy greens, nuts, tomatoes and red wine are just a few common ingredients in Mediterranean food that are rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals and vitamins that keep you looking good from the inside out.

magical moment

the very moment we connected as a complete family.. . a joyful moment in time never to be forgotten. the love just continues to grow.

here's the moment captured beautifully on video:

FAY should we fear you?

well, we are back from our little road trip. not realizing we were driving into what we later found out was a "tropical storm watch" headed towards charlotte county. hmmmm, what were we thinking? vacay! until i dropped into my local grocery store in my old neck of the woods, to say hi to tom in produce, our favorite balloon giving friend. he mentioned the news and i couldn't believe it. when i got to the car i told papa bear and once we got to our friends for dinner, it was the hot topic of the evening!

well, we decided to stay an extra day to see how things were going and eventually get back in time to be out of the storm. we made it, taking our back way through clewiston and away from the highway and "alligator alley" a death trap on a normal day. we made it home safely, even though we drove through some bad weather, we found it thrilling and sang along to the hum of our own voices; papa bear in the front driving, while sister bear and i harmonized in the backseat. brother bear had his usual snooze all the way home while pearl nervously and restlessly paced around the truck -she doesn't enjoy road trips like she used to in her more youthful years. we made the best of it!





we had a great weekend; visits with our great friends stacey and gregg for dinner at their home, they also were generous in letting us stay in their vacation rental -so lovely. stacey is a dear friend of mine! sherry was in town from california gathering the rest of her things, so we had some time together, not enough time -i miss her already.

it was great catching up and seeing familiar faces that i love. we went to noppy's and had a yummy starbucks run and silly moments with family -stuggy misses you noppy.

then on sunday we went to our old church for some grace and fed our souls some goodness. sister bear was very happy about being back at church, since we haven't found one near our new place yet.

sister bear got to play with some old friends, one day it was with logan and the next day we went over to our wonderful friends, the smiths and sister bear played with isabella while papa bear and i had great conversation with renee and chris. sister bear was given her first "dress up" costumes handed down from isabella. these are very special and will be played with using nothing but whimsical make believe and a magical imagination. sister bear also loved meeting her new pals, "the lizard friends". they lived outside the bedroom window of where we were staying. she watched them climb up and down the glass and decided that they were a baby/daddy pair. notice one of the last photos posted of her in the window. stacey, you should appreciate seeing this.... thanks again, for creating a blissful place for us to call home away from home for the weekend.

papa bear got to take our boat out a couple of times, once with pearl and the other on the night of a full moon -awwwww peaceful paradise for him.

brother bear giggled everywhere we took him, he even enjoyed the music and singing in church. he traveled around in mama bear's snugli as much as possible!

i feel refreshed and loved being with my loving little family. as sister bear loves to say while hugging her brother and mama together, "i love you guys!"

Nostalgic Americana!

Drive In Theaters....... something I have been thinking about taking my family to lately. I came across this and discovered it's just miles from my house. This is a childhood fave! Do you remember your first time to a "Drive-In"? ..and the many times after? Find out where your "Drive-Ins" are in your town, we can't let this nostalgic Americana die out. It's one of the great gems of our childhood, being a girl born in the 70's.

+*=+*=+*=
Florida had gotten an early start as a Drive-in state.. way back in February of 1938, hosting one of America's first drive-in theaters (in Miami); adding a second one when the Atlantic Drive-In opened in Jacksonville the following year. By the end of the next decade, 20 more Drive-In cinemas would open up, and the boom was on.

And less than 10 years later.. the number of Florida's Drive-Ins had multiplied 7 times over. By 1955, there were more than 150 outdoor theaters flourishing within the state. As true for the majority of the American states, the peak years for drive-in theaters in Florida were 1955-1959, after which their numbers began to decline.. although the descent (rate of attrition) was more gradual in Florida than elsewhere.

By the close of the next decade, Florida was still supporting about 120 drive-in theaters, and even as later as 1979, there were still 115 drive-ins in operation. Unlike most of the American states, a severe decimation of their numbers had not occurred until the late 1980's.

Presently, in contrast to the peak years, 94% of Florida's Drive-Ins have gone DARK or even been demolished (although it still remains as one of the better Drive-In states in America), with 10 that are still open, and for northerners accustomed to Drive-Ins open only seasonally.

great crafty idea!

From:
Martha Stewart Living

If you hate the idea of grappling with vacation memorabilia after a trip, create a keepsake as you go. Pack a hole punch and a loose-leaf ring to string together maps, postcards, and other souvenirs you collect on the road. When you get home, make a cover by affixing a sticker to the front and rubber-stamping a title on top.

we're on a mini.....

be back on monday!

happy birthday GRANDPA!

we love you and hope to see you real soon! happiest birthday wishes....
love,
mama bear, papa bear, sister bear and brother bear

we kissed our farm goodbye for the day!

it was time to go and pick up our pottery that we painted a week ago.


back home at the treehouse....

the display of painted art is so proudly introduced by our local artist herself, sister bear!

these hands are her gifted tools that collaborate well with her extraordinary imagination....


up close and personal she kisses her lovely art..



sister bear's new morning cereal bowl, painted by mama bear with love. inspired by one of our favorite little restaurants in englewood, florida named "food is love".

brother bear can't wait to be a bit bigger and show us his skills and join in on the fun!

for now, he IS a little piece of art!

for a little video clip of sister bear loving up her new friends, just hit play:

little mommy

sister bear celebrates breastfeeding awareness month!
age: 2 1/2







CELEBRATING "World Breastfeeding Awareness Month"
http://gypsiestreehouse.blogspot.com/2008/08/world-breastfeeding-week-2008.html

it's raining, it's pouring....

the old man is snoring......

i love days like today. rain rain rain all day long!

only bad thing about it is, we owe books back to the library that are due today. oh! and pearl our sweet dog shakes like a california earthquake from the thunder in which i find thrilling. i feel so bad for her, she'll never get used to it.

Breastfeeding Art!

I came across this lovely art while doing a little research on breastfeeding. I found it to be very clever and tasteful in her expression. Please enjoy and continue to celebrate "World Breastfeeding Awareness Month":

"For everyone who partakes only of milk

is unskilled in the word of righteousness,

for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to

those who are of full age, that is, those

who by reason of use have their senses

exercised to discern both good and evil."

-Hebrews 5:13-14

 
Source of Photo: Click Here
CELEBRATING "World Breastfeeding Awareness Month"
http://gypsiestreehouse.blogspot.com/2008/08/world-breastfeeding-week-2008.html

wax on... wax off...

back at the treehouse.....

it's nice to be sitting in my kitchen enjoying my quiet cup of coffee, alone.

sister bear is in her highchair eating and brother bear is in his swing.. swinging and dosing off to sleep. it's a nice moment to catch up. we had a weekend of "lets get this house in order". i always feel so productive when we have a weekend like this. with recently moving and having alot of our things in storage it has been a gradual process of loading things in, unpacking and then having the award winning sense of knowing where to put it all.

papa bear is a genius when it comes to rearranging a room 7 times over and then finding that perfect placement. who knew that chair could live there? or wow, i never imagined we could put a table over there. it's amazing and very helpful. i have enough puzzles in my mind. i know he does too, he's just better in that area than i am. i'll hang the pictures on the walls and create dinner, now i always have those puzzle pieces in my back pocket.

yesterday was one of those "CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!" days. i say this to papa bear when i just need a breather. he knows and always gives me the "aw" release... and then i can resume the chaos and feel as if i was actually abducted by the calgon gods for a moment. they don't keep me for very long, but i can't complain, they come when i need them.

so i have baby bear in my arms, i am backward bending into the washer to transfer clothes to the dryer, sister bear needs "something NOW!" and i am organizing the kitchen, remember we are in "unload and find a place for it" mode. so as i am onto my next task, i have this problem with being rachael ray when she collects all her ingredients for her recipe and stacks it all in one bowl doing it in one swoop, to save herself the time from making multiple trips back and forth to the fridge and cabinets. well, lets add that i am also accident prone and usually make a mess along the way of cleaning a mess maybe that has already been made by my two year old. so i had a coffee can of hot oil cooling on the counter and it had cooled down and now i was making my way to the fridge with it. trying to recycle! ya! well, maybe not so much.. remember, baby bear in one hand and sister bear still screaming at me for her "hello kitty movie"! i grab the can of oil, thinking, "i am going to cross this off the list once i get it in the fridge".. and as i place the lid on the can and (slow motion) i open the fridge door, guess what happens? yep, the can slips from my grip and it's if i decided to impulsively wax my kitchen floor in the middle of madness and chaos for the heck of it! i wanted to lay in it and scream and cry and kick my feet around like a BIG BABY! it stunned sister bear and hello kitty went out the window. sister bear says to me, "mommy, it's ok, daddy will clean it up." that sounded so nice except that papa bear was at the store replenishing our essentials for the week. tomorrow's monday, we need our orange juice, moosey (what we call milk in our house) and yogurt in the morning.

sister bear does know what to say to make me feel better in moments like this...

dinner time....

it's time to say good night... i have to start dinner for my family.. it's "leftovers-potluck" usually fridays are "out to dinner" night. HAPPY FRIDAY and enjoy your weekend.

peter, paul and mary

"I'm leaving on a jet plane"

All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn
Taxi's waitin
He's blowing his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

I'm a leaving, on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing

Every place I go I'll think of you
Every song I sing, I'll sing for you
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

I'm leavin on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, let me kiss you
Then close your eyes, I'll be on my way

Dream about the days to come
And I won't have to leave alone
About the time I won't have to say..

Kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

a song very reminiscent of my mommy and i. i am carrying on the mother-daughter tradition and shared it with sister bear this afternoon. we sang and danced to this very lovely song. i can still feel the carpet under my feet as a child when i danced to this song for the first time. it's timeless. the song played on my mother's record player, a sound i will never forget. i visually saw the jet plane in the sky and discovered in that moment.. my love for travel

kiss and makeup

read this.. this just came in from a friend of mine. speaking of green. go figure.
i'm attaching the link, so go read what i'm talking about:

http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/kiss-and-makeup