Seagrape Leaf Rubbings, on Location

A new element found its way into our beach day - art, of course! Why haven't I thought of bringing a drawing pad and crayons before?

The kids took turns wandering up to a blanket in the shade... we made seagrape rubbings and drawings of the sunny beach and flowers.

I've said it before, this never gets old!

{this moment :: first lost tooth}

A simple, extraordinary moment to savor. Inspired by SouleMama.

On Fast Food (a call for ideas)

Although I love to cook elaborate meals, there are times when I need (or want) a meal quick & easy. Since traditional convenience foods are basically garbage, I've been working on developing a repertoire of fast real food.

Two mornings a week I work at my husband's business; often, I don't eat before I get the girls out the door and dropped off at camp/school/grandparents. There was a time I regularly picked up breakfast on-the-go (oh, the shame). But now, I pack a quick breakfast if I need to. A favorite: one hard-boiled egg (I keep a bowl in the fridge), fresh seasonal fruit, a piece of whole grain bread spread with homemade butter (I toast it at the office) and fresh-brewed coffee. Another easily-totable breakfast is homemade granola, yogurt & fruit.

I've also been working on developing go-to fast real-food dinners for those nights when "I just can't cook." A regular this summer has been a Rose-inspired meal of fresh gazpacho and a fritatta. The one above is filled with roasted veggies and goat cheese. Coupled with a buttery chardonnay, it tastes near gourmet and is ready in a flash (this dinner is fastest when you use gazpacho made ahead of time & leftovers as filling for your fritatta).

It's not so much coming up with ideas for fast meals that is challenging, it's the execution of quick meals made from real food ingredients (seasonal vegetables & fruits; fresh eggs, dairy & meat; minimally processed whole grains) that typically take an investment of time to prepare. I've acquired and implemented a few tips...

• Make double recipes of meals and freeze half for later
• After shopping, clean & prep produce and store it for the week for easy access
• Make a big batch of things like soup and granola for quick meals & snacks throughout the week
• Use the seasonal things you've preserved/frozen in quick meals (think canned or sundried tomatoes on pasta; or pureed frozen berries or jam on pancakes)

...but I'm in search of more. What are your favorite fast real-food meals? What tips & tricks do you use? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Summer School :: Camping

We did a little indoor camping last week, with a beach tent set up in our project area. The girls had so much fun reading camping books by flashlight, cooking over the "campfire" and taking turns being bear and scared camper.

Of course, we went for a hike at a local park and nature preserve, per the suggestion of The Snail. Joined by Rose and her two little monkeys, we traveled the boardwalk through an enchanting mangrove canopy.

Along the way, we collected lots of natural treasures, including root sprouts (found loose on the boardwalk), oyster shells and sea grape & mangrove leaves.
We also spotted bits of wildlife, with tiny snails and mangrove crabs occupying a lot of attention. After a picnic lunch by the bay, we brought our treasures home and made solar prints.

Of course, no camping theme would be complete without a few s'mores and some trail mix! Top book picks were Camping Day, Stella & Roy Go Camping and Quiet Night. Skills & lessons: reading, writing, adding & subtracting (trail mix is great for this), science and art.

Oh La La!

I found this tres mignon (very cute!) children's book at the library, Crepes by Suzette, written and illustrated by Monica Wellington. Je l'adore! The story is simple, but the layers are aplenty. The book takes you through the streets of Paris with Suzette and her crepe cart... the backdrop is made up of photographs of Parisian landmarks (think the Louvre, Luxembourg Gardens), overlaid with original drawings of Suzette's customers. Look closely... the customers are straight out of various masterpieces (think Matisse's The Dance and Van Gogh's Postman). It's a visual delight! At the end of the book, you'll also find a crepe recipe to make these French pancakes with your little ones!

Without even realizing it, I brought home two other books by Wellington on the same library trip. I love them almost as much! Zinnia's Flower Garden and Riki's Birdhouse are fantastic; I feel like I'm reading books written just for my little naturalists. Both are full of fun projects and ideas, as well as colorfully illustrated introductions to gardening and bird watching (two of our favorite activities).

All three books will soon be joining our permanent collection. Check out Wellington's blog, as well as her website for activities, recipes and coloring pages as sweet as her books!

Romance, Rejuvenation & Radical Homemaking

During my blogging break in May, my hubby and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway in Micanopy, Florida. This quaint little town was so enchanting, I've been meaning to share it with you here for weeks. We stayed at the delightful Herlong Mansion Historic Inn, where we took full advantage of an amazing second-floor veranda. Through Corinthian columns, it offered a splendid view of the Inn's gardens full of blooming jasmine, magnolia trees and old oaks dripping with Spanish moss.

One half of a long afternoon was spent here, stretched out on an oversized, cushioned swing, reading, talking, dreaming and sipping mimosas.

At night, after dining on locally-procured food, we retired to our cozy little cottage at the bed & breakfast, complete with a jacuzzi tub for two!

Aside from lounging and visiting the nearby Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings homestead, we explored Micanopy's array of antique and eclectic shops. I fell completely in love with the Mosswood Farm Store, which offers quirky and earth-friendly items ranging from recycled overalls to natural laundry soda to vintage butter churns.

This sign hung amongst vintage aprons, sewing baskets and knitting supplies; it reads: Mend it, darn it, sew it up - we have become a throwaway society, our landfills overflow with castoff goods. What if we could change? What if we could stop the waste? Maybe we could save the world one button at a time. Get out your sewing basket and mend your soul.

A wealth of books on natural living and traditional skills kept me enthralled, while sipping fresh-brewed organic coffee. Mosswood Farm Store was like the retail version of Radical Homemakers. (Have you read this book?) It was the icing on the cake of what turned out to be not only a romantic weekend getaway, but also an inspirational, rejuvenating and enlightening reprieve.

Summer School :: Water Birds

Image copyright 2008: Arthur Morris (birdsasart.com)

I felt like we hit the birdwatching lottery last week when we caught sight of some Roseate Spoonbills wading around a lake near our produce market. In all my life as a Florida resident, I'd never seen these in the wild. At the same spot, we saw Wood Storks, Great Egrets, Ibis, and an Anhinga (snake bird). The sighting was made all the more special by the fact that "water birds" were our summer-school-at-home theme for the week!

Image from www.pictures-of-birds.info.

Living on the west coast of Florida, we share our natural home with all sorts of gorgeous wading, swimming, sea and shore birds. In our travels last week, we also observed a Great Blue Heron (our backyard), Sandhill Cranes (a freshwater marsh), a Brown Pelican (the Bay), ducks (a pond) and Laughing Gulls (the beach).

Aside from birdwatching, we made origami water birds, read lots of books, studied field guides and attended a local author's reading of What Do You See, Mrs. Night Heron?, a poetic book inspired by our local bird population. Finally, a Bird Detective workbook produced by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission served as a great resource for Selby to practice her skills, including reading, writing, sorting, problem solving and charting.

What kind of birds are in your neck of the woods?