"Check out my Muscles!"

CSA, Week 11

In this week's CSA box, we got green peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, onion, purple hull peas (or are they pink eye peas? anyone?), potatoes, corn, cantaloupe & garlic.

This week, I'm thinking these things look yummy: Pink Eyed Pea with Smoked Paprika, Texas Style Fresh Field Peas, Ratatouille, Eggplant & Ground Beef Casserole or some eggplant patties, from "The Essentials of Italian Cooking."

I'm looking for a tomato sauce recipe. Last year I used this one, but I'd like to try a new one. Anyone have any good recipes for tomato sauce

Be on HGTV

Every once in a while, I google something like "Be on HGTV" because who doesn't want a room makeover for free? (I'm really needing to pull some rooms together, but budget & inspiration are on hold!)

Anyway, today I found that HGTV is looking to feature some outdoor living spaces in Nashville. We have none to show (I don't think a rehabbed playset counts), but if you do, click here to find out more.

Looks Like New!

Lance has been working hard on some home projects the past few weeks. First, he installed some irrigation in the flower beds & veggetable garden. And yesterday, he finished freshening up our playset, which was looking a little sad & worn. Also, the ladder had broken a few months ago, so Lance put in a little climbing wall! Here's the before:After a pressure wash, and a few coats of solid stain, and some climbing holds, it looks like a brand new playset!!

Canning Lessons

My good friend Marge is helping me get together some "canning lessons" for anyone interested in learning. She's got some expert friend on hand who can come give us expert advice. Before she asks, she wanted to see if there would be enough people interested.

So...Wanna learn to can? If so, drop me a line! If there's enough interest, we'll get a lesson together. Hopefully we'll get this pulled together pretty quickly, since the tomato season is beginning locally! More info to come!

This Ain't My First Rodeo

Just getting home from my Granddad's 96th birthday in Texas! We had a great time! Traveling with kids is quite a chore! I hope we don't have to do that again anytime soon!!! Here are the two kiddos, first time meeting their great-grandfather. (Here's my granddad way back when. I always thought he was the handsomest granddad ever.)
And then we went to the 4th of July Parade. His FAVORITE part was the tractors. Go figure.
Me & my babies
My Uncle Don is a Corvette fanatic. For as long as I can remember, he's had one which he keeps super-shiny & clean. Ethan is having more fun than he's letting on.
>We went to the rodeo & Ethan got himself a light "saver." He loved it so much he fell asleep with it in his hand!
Ethan, his dad & papa (my father) watching his cousins on the mechanical bull.

Advice for my Babies

Lance & I have just started our list of Things We Want our Children to Know. Hopefully we'll combine it into a little book for each child, complete with a few additions from the grandparents. I was inspired by this blog, Prudent Advice for my Daughter (above image from here). Another website with the same principle (although a bit more edgy, perhaps) is Rules for my Unborn Son.

So...what are some things you would hope your children knew? Any that I should add to my list?

CSA, Week 9

This week's CSA gave us green pepper, zucchini, pole beans, blackberries, cucumbers, potatoes, corn, cauliflower, cabbage, garlic & carrots. I'm planning on freezing the green pepper, zucchini (shredded), pole beans (blanched). I've made some potato latkes, cucumber salad, and maybe I'll make some more bierocks with the cabbage. The CSA is lots of fun these days!
Ethan eating potato latkes (pancakes)!!

The Lake

Last weekend, we went to the lake with the McInteers & Adcocks. We had fun hanging out with them. It was my first time ever on the lake in TN. I went once when I was little with some family in TX, but that's it! As you can see, KB did not like the life jacket.Lance & E loved playing in the water. Ethan LOVED riding on the boat! A few more pics on Christine's blog.

Make-A-Wish Wall

Lance, his dad, & some other volunteer contractors just built this climbing wall in a little girl's home for Make-A-Wish. Doesn't it look cool? They just have to add some climbing holds & pads underneath.

Allergy Support & Giveaway

Hey Friends. For a while, we have been organizing a support group for Middle TN for food allergies. We meet every 2 months and have speakers talk about stuff such as research, psychological impacts of food allergies, etc. Our next meeting is Tuesday July 7 & we will have a nutritionist come talk with us & answer questions. If you would like to receive my email updates about meetings, please let me know.

Also, I have a super-cool giveaway on my food allergy blog, AllergySupport.blogspot.com. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment! Anyone can enter to win!! Please check it out!! (I mean please! No one ever comments on that blog - it's a ghost town!)

Am I Just Crazy?

Or have you ever thought your kids were so cute you could eat them?

CSA, Week 8 & My Garden

The CSA is getting much easier these days. But I'm bracing for the influx of okra which will soon be upon us. Here's this week's produce: cauliflower, yellow zucchini, garlic, potatoes, green beans, cucumber, cabbage, squash, beets, onion & green pepper.
This week's meal plan includes: The Most Awesome Zucchini Bread, my Grandmother's Baked Squash recipe, Corned Beef & Cabbage, Mashed Fauxtatoes, and Roasted Beets.
(The Cauliflower, Zucchini, Beet & Squash recipes are all in the Climb Nashville cookbook, if you've got it!) I'll probably freeze some of the green pepper.
And Look at all these flowers from our garden! What beauty!
Finally, here's the aerial shot of our veggie garden, with a few flowers thrown in. We've got some tomatoes, corn, blueberries, peas, lettuces, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, herbs, pumpkin, asparagus & squash. Can't wait to make homemade salsa from our tomatoes, peppers & cilantro!

Climbing Buddies

A few weeks ago, Ethan & his buddies from preschool went to the gym for a little early morning climbing & pizza. The gym was closed that day, so they had the whole place to themselves! Thanks for the break for the mommas guys! I can see more fun papa playdates in the future!

CSA, Week 7

Another fun week of the CSA Yumminess. Tonight I'm trying Corned Beef & Cabbage. This week we got green beans, cabbage, blackberries, carrots, onion, cucumbers, zucchini, beets, greens, broccoli, green onions, some herbs, radishes & onion. (Anyone know if the greens are a lettuce, or mustard greens again? And is the yellow veggie a Yellow Straightneck Squash? Or something else?) Any CSA subscribers get any other fun stuff this week?

A CSA Tip for my CSA Buddies: You can always look at the Cook's Thesaurus to help ID your Veggies!

(Background Noise right now: It's amazing how funny "Underwear" can be for 2 Three Year Olds. Will it ever end?)

Our Song

KB & I like to sing. Here's the song that we usually sing together.
Secondary note in the video: This perfectly illustrates Ethan's behavior since KB was born. If I've described to you how he "won't leave her alone," this is what I'm talking about. (Notice, some part of his body is touching her the whole time.) He's not mean to her, but he is on top of her all day. It's like she's an amusement park ride. Any advice for this type of behavior? It requires so much constant attention. I've asked lots of people, and I don't know anyone who has this type of relationship between their kids. I hate to discipline too much, because it come from a place of love. But I've really gotta figure something out. Advice? You guys are the best.

Moving On

Here's a more pleasant post to keep at the top of my page. The adventures of the Brock children. Here's a lovely scene from my life - carrot juice spilled ALL over the counter, cabinets (in the cabinets too!), the floor & all over Ethan. This picture does not adequately capture the mess. Believe me, it was fun to clean up.And do they look like they love each other or what?

Stupid Internet World

Well, I'm mad at the internet for making information so easy to spread. Today I am in the unfortunate position of having to tell the whole planet my heartbreaking news that our baby's heart has stopped beating. As surprised as we were to find out about the pregnancy, we are even more shocked to find out that at 12 weeks, there is no longer a heartbeat. Even though the pregnancy was unplanned, we were so excited about having a crazy, wild house full of kids so close together.

If you would remember us in your prayers, I will be having minor surgery on Friday morning. Although I have had a previous miscarriage, I have 2 wonderful, beautiful babies who I love dearly. I hope my story is somehow helpful to someone out there.

CSA, Week 5 & 6

The CSA has been tough for me this year. I was ready to do the planning & adventurous eating that it requires, but then came a pregnancy! Now my tummy does not want to try new things, and I am in constant need of a nap! So I've been giving away lots of veggies this year. Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon & ready for the challenge again! So here are the Avalon Acres 1/2 Shares for the past 2 weeks.
2 Weeks ago, we had several kinds of lettuces, peas, green onions, cabbage, kohlrabi, swiss chard, broccoli, potatoes, strawberries, and garlic snapes. This week, we had purple cauliflower, carrots, onion, potatoes, some herbs, cabbage, lettuces, tons of peas, peaches, green onions, garlic snapes, and some other type of green.

Coldplay & Snow Patrol

Remember when cameras weren't allowed in concerts? Those days are long gone - everyone was taking pictures & video last night at the Coldplay concert. Those guys put on a good show! See that guy up front? That is Chris Martin, yep, right there in front of us. Taken with my phone - no zoom lens or anything! Otherwise, I would have had a super-close up for you! Any of you guys there too?

Party of Five

Lance accuses me of having a boring blog lately. But I haven't sewn or done anything crafty in ages. I haven't gotten fully back in the swing of cooking. Ever since Ethan has been able to eat more foods, I've been taking a big ole break from cooking...everything. Most days I've been napping as much as possible. The reason? Looks like pretty soon we're gonna have another one of these guys!! Suprise part two? The due date is Christmas Day!!!

Now that the cat's out of the bag, can I stop sucking in my belly now? Since I was pregnant just like 2 minutes ago, this 3rd baby is really out there!

Free Fun in the Summertime

Ms. Cheap is out with her Summer Fun Guide again! I must warn you that it's not as thorough as in past years.
A few highlights include: Free movies in the park, Free Days at the Frist (June 27 is the next one), free visits to the Fire Station, and visits to the Dyer Observatory.

Click here for the photo slideshow. And check Ms. Cheap's page for more updates.

Church Garden

Our church has started a vegetable garden this year. The purpose is to share the crop among those who work in the garden, as well as to help church members who are experiencing a financial squeeze right now. It's a bit difficult for me to get down there with the kids, but last night the whole family went. If you go to church with me & want to volunteer time, let me know! Ethan had a really good time & we'd love to go down with some other families if we can get schedules to coordinate. This week in particular, lots of work needs to be done. (The garden got a late start.)Ethan workin' the shovel. Katie Belle mostly sat there & tried to eat dirt. We tried to keep her contained in the Bumbo, which worked...a little bit.

Katie Belle Walking

Well, this might not seem like much proof, but our little baby has started to walk! It's hard to capture these fleeting moments on camera, but we got a few steps in...She loves to stand up and see how far she can go. I'm wondering if this is a sign that she's gonna be a little competitive with her brother?

CSA, Week 4

In this week's CSA box, we got broccoli, radishes, deer tongue lettuce, red leaf lettuce, spinach, peas (snow peas?), garlic snapes & some sort of herb which I can't identify. This week will be a much easier cooking week. Ethan LOVES peas (right out of the pod!)

I didn't do much cooking last week, so I have a bunch to catch up on though. Last Week's CSA had: mustard greens, lettuce, kohlrabi, green onions, strawberries & cauliflower. I think that's it. So I still have to cook these guys! I think I might make this or this recipe for mustard greens. This recipe for Roasted Kohlrabi. I immediately sliced & froze the green onions to throw on baked potatoes later, inspired by this guy. I tried a cream of cauliflower soup, and didn't much love it. Last week I made Kielbasa & Cabbage, but loved using the cabbage to make Bierocks.

Cardboard Testimonials

Last Sunday at church was awesome. It's very moving to know many of these people & their stories. I'm so thankful for their courage & boldness to share their stories.

Otter Creek Cardboard Testimonials from David Rubio on Vimeo.

Radishes

Believe me, I've tried to like radishes. But so far, I have been unable to figure out a good way to use them. This is about the best use I have come across. Doesn't it look adorable?

If anyone has a favorite radish recipe, please share!!! I can handle about 2 slices of them on a salad, but that's as close as I've come to anything resembling enjoyment.

CSA, Week 2

The CSA has started again! We were out of town for week #1, but here's our 1/2 share for Week #2. We've got radishes, green onions, strawberries, lots of lettuces, cabbage, and kohlrabi.

So here's the question for you...Would you like to see what my csa is giving us every week? Or not? I have to lay it all out to split it up with my mom every week, so it really only takes a sec. Let me know if you are curious & I will keep the csa posts coming!

Beach Trip

We had such a great vacation last week with our playgroup. We mamas have been getting together for a few years, and our kids love each other. I can't believe we could all make it! Dads were there too, although I don't have a picture of them! Lots of pictures to follow.

For the record, I don't love this picture of me, but all the other ladies look beautiful!Ethan loved the beach, but thought it was "too sandy." :)Cash, Mary Michael, Katie BelleBelieve it or not, this is the best one of Ethan. He is not a fan of picture-taking...Or hand-holding.Miss Heather got them to all be still for a minute!Digging in the sand was such fun with friends!Daddy & KB. I love those little teeth!KB is a squirmy one.Are they cute or what?...Seriously!

Beach Babies

We are just getting back from the most fun vacation with friends. (Clearly, KB was not happy here.) More pics to come!

How To - Salad Dressing

I was excited to find this "How To" on my CSA's blog about Salad Dressing. I've been enjoying making some using oil, vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and sugar. But I love all these ideas! You guys have any homemade dressing faves? Below is reposted from Avalon-Acres.com.

The Science of Salad Dressings

I can't wait for all those early harvest greens. True story. I haven't bought a bottle of salad dressing in over 2 years! OK, I still need Hidden Valley Ranch occasionally for dipping, but once I realized how easy it is to make my own dressing, I said goodbye to Newman's Own forever. Vinegar and oil. The most boring items on the salad bar. They sit, shoved in a corner, unused. While all the tasty dressings are downed by the bucketful. At home, it's a different story. Vinegar and oil are King and Queen. They are the building blocks for tons of tasty dressings that break down into several interchangeable components. Master one and you've mastered them all.

Oil • Vinegar • Citrus • Seasoning

That's it! Let's break it down further:
Oil - Any oil works, but I almost always use Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). Grape seed oil or canola will also work. I sometimes mix in sesame oil or chili oil with the EVOO for extra flavor. Quick recipe for garlic infused oil - Crush a garlic clove in a small bowl and just cover with oil. Put it in the microwave uncovered for about 15-20 seconds until you hear it sizzle.
Vinegar - Red wine, white wine, balsamic, white balsamic (new favorite), cider, rice wine etc.
Citrus - You really can't go wrong here. You'd be surprised how good a little fresh squeezed grapefruit can be.
Seasoning - Here's where your creativity can run wild. I usually start with a little S&P and sugar. Sugar interacts great with vinegar and is the secret in a lot of great dressing recipes. Chopped herbs, dried herbs, mustard, steak seasoning, soy sauce, honey, granulated onion and garlic, Cajun seasoning, dill, etc.

Just about anything in your spice rack and herb garden can add flavor to your dressing.
The proportions really come down to taste w/ a few general guidelines:Use about 1/2 the amount of vinegar as oil. A 1:2 ratio. If you don't have citrus, thin your dressing with a little splash of water. Use about the same amount of salt as sugar. When I'm making dressing for 2 I usually use about 1/2 teaspoon of both. Using raw garlic? Make your dressing about an hour ahead of time for a more mellow flavor. However, sometimes I like the bite of fresh garlic, but I'm weird like that. That's it! the possibilities are endless. Here are three combinations to get you started:
Garlic infused olive oil, small amount of sesame oil, white vinegar, fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, honey and toasted sesame seeds.
Garlic infused olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, S&P, sugar and lots of finely chopped flat leaf parsley and basil.
Garlic infused olive oil (are you seeing a trend here?), balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, S&P, sugar and chopped toasted walnuts or almonds.
OK, 1 more tip: Like the creamy dressings? substitute 1/2 mayonnaise and 1/2 sour cream or yogurt for the oil. Reduce the vinegar ratio to 4:1 and thin w/ citrus and/or water.