Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Walking Down A Path

"Some people like to make a little garden out of life and walk down a path."  
--Jean Anouilh


I am definitely 'some people.'  And in my little garden I like to plant lots of little pleasing things to enjoy along the path.  I'm home for summer now and I love it.  If you know me well, you know I like to be home most of all.  And I try to live in a way that will model to the kids how to enjoy the little things that make life the sweetest.  On Monday, we picked strawberries, as we have done every year since they were old enough to walk.  Tiny Pleasure: when you pick a perfectly ripe berry and it POPS when it comes of its stem.  The kids and I listened and laughed at those POPS!  
We picked 11 pounds this year!


Pro strawberry masher

Freezer jam--hit me up anytime!  We made 24 jars of it (and I'm making more on Friday). 

And of course, the BEST shortcakes--recipe below
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBS baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (that's one stick)
1 beaten egg
11/4 cup whole milk
turbinado sugar (opt.)

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine first 4 ingredients.  Chop butter into pieces and cut into flour mixture till crumbly.  Beat in egg and milk.  Butter 2 cookie sheets, or use Silpats or parchment.  I use about 1/4 cup of dough per biscuit, but you can make them as big as you want.  I also like to sprinkle a little turbinado sugar on top--for crunch and sparkle!  Bake 15-17 minutes till golden.  Serve warm with sliced berries and homemade whipped cream (whip heavy cream in your mixer until it starts fluffing up--add sugar to taste and a splash of vanilla)!

It is also very good for breakfast!
Since I haven't blogged in a super long time, here are some pics of pleasing things from the last month or so.  


OM and I took our kids to the Mother Earth News Fair at the Puyallup Fair Grounds.  They enjoyed the composting toilets booth very much and each took a turn on the eco-thrones.  Who wouldn't want to sit on a toilet seat in public??  (Oh, that would be OM and I.)

These two chatted each other up on the outskirts of the chicken-rearing talk.  Love it!

Piggyback rides, of course.

The Sisters made our annual pilgrimage to Lummi Island.  So lovely:

Nance has had this gorgeous embroidered shirt since high school; we all covet it.   How cute is she???
How are the chickens, you may wonder?  Well, they're doing great!  Here they are in their new fenced enclosure.  Isn't the grosgrain ribbon fence lovely and functional?  I really need help with a proper gate, though.  It's a PIA to get in there.  We have awesome new next door neighbors who love the girls and we have removed 2 fence boards so they can range over in their fenced backyard, as well.  It's like a chicken-share!   


Koa likes to hang on the coop's roof and keep an eye on the chickens.  

Fanny chicken!

Black Australorps are soooooo pretty!

It's hard work being a chicken shepherd!
And Koko Kitty isn't the only one who's been working around this joint.  Caroline is a good mommy to her Baby Alive and gave her a nice bath outside the other day.  And yes, of course I had to heat water in the kettle to offset the ice cold hose water. Like I said, she's a good mom!

And Jack got inspired by the big box of scraps I brought home from the wood shop at my school (thanks, Dirk!!!!), and made a sign for our yard (as well as for 2 of our neighbors).  My dad made him the awesome tool box here and he loves using his tools!  


Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Come again soon.  And come to Duvall and visit the Elliot-Allens anytime!




2 comments:

  1. Sure would love to find some tiny pleasures with the elliot-allen clan before the summer slip slip slips away......

    ReplyDelete