this moment...

inspired by soulemama....

hudson is 8 months old!!!

okay, in all honesty hudson is just a few days shy of nine months old. you know how it goes, right? i don't have to explain? okay, good. now on to the photos:













the last photo just kills me. i hear all the time that hudson looks a lot like lucy. well, there you have it. two peas in a pod.

this month, hudson is:

~ pulling up on anything and everything
~ doing the speed crawl
~ shrieking in synch with his sister. most commonly over breakfast.
~ showing off 3 new teeth (with 3 more on the way--somebody help me!)
~ doing "so big" with arms stretched out above his head. okay, he only did it twice. but i'm counting it.

hudson is going to be one of those kids that just barrels through the world. at least, that's my take on the situation. bull in a china shop--that's my boy. gotta love him. and that hair is to die for, if i do say so myself.

cheers! nine months is just around the corner!

home again, home again...

we are still tuckered out from our 4-night stay at our very favorite river. family, friends and food about sums up the whole of it--everything good. so good. we shared camp with wonderful friends who have children the same ages as hudson and lucy. hectic at times, no doubt, but for the most part we pulled off the whole "nursery in the dirt" thing. our attempts to further "green our routine" while camping were pretty darn successful too, if i do say so myself. look for details in an upcoming post.

now on to the photos... like i said, we're tuckered out. i'll let them speak (mostly) for themselves.

fresh-picked blackberries from a bunch of wild bushes on the river... a babies best friend!

best way to keep a melon cold? throw it in the creek, of course!

camping with kids must have #01: a big tub, filled with creek water and left to sit in the sun. the end result? a warm bath at nighttime and extremely happy babies!

true friends share bacon...

this curl gets me every time...

camping with kids must have #02: a pack and play for each child. we brought one and borrowed one. end result? naptimes actually happened--meaning jeremy and i were free to lounge around a bit as proper campers should.

camping with kids must have #03: a dutch oven. okay, i didn't bring a dutch oven (and i suppose it's not really an essential) but when you can have fresh, warm peach (and blueberry) cobblers, well... why wouldn't you?

camping with kids must have #04: a high chair. total lifesaver. on many accounts. we borrowed a folding model since our wooden chairs at home don't fold. yes, our truck was packed to the gills. but i was able to put hudson down--somewhere other than the dirt. priceless.

our best attempt at a self-shot family photo. they can't all be winners, can they?jeremy and i also celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary on the trip--while my parents celebrated their 32nd. champagne was enjoyed. cobblers were made. decorations were hung. fun times.

three cheers for summer! camping is a ton of work, but somehow always worth it in the end. that's my take on it, at least. and with that, i'm off to continue recuperating...

weekend homework...

we're headed away for a extra-long weekend. fun, sun. water, dirt. for this valley girl, camping is when summer finally becomes authentic. this being our first time with two little ones, i am a bit worried about some of the logistics, but all in all i'm sure things will shape up fine. photos to come!

as for the homework, well, you don't have to make your own whipped cream while i'm away, but if you happen to have cream, sugar and vanilla on hand... well. let's just say i think you should go ahead and do it.

we haven't bought store-bought whipped cream in well over 2 years. really, the homemade version is just that simple--and just that good. make sure to slather it over something delicious! see you soon!

taking it back (way back)...

i recently bought a set of vintage keystone diapers. these diapers, also known as safe-t di-dees, are regarded as being the first snapping diaper. basically nothing more than a 4-ply contour diaper with a few snaps, but certainly a genius invention for 1950, when most mamas were still folding up flats and securing them with safety pins. for a fun read, here's an original newspaper article hailing keystone diapers, and the working mom behind the invention.

my favorite quote from the article? mrs geeslin says:

"if our third child hadn't been a boy, the diapers never may have come about." "for you see," she says, "he crawled away every time i got the pin at the proper angle... and i grew tired of being left just holding a pin!"

unfortunately, even snaps don't always help me with this wiggly worm, but i do appreciate mrs. geeslin's sentiments.


and of course, here's baby hudson in his new (old) safe-t di-dee diapers...




cute, simple and one-size. functional, too. what's not to love?

simple summer side dish...

i have been making (and chowing down on) this easy dish ever since a good friend brought it to share at our fourth of july dinner. makes good use of all the green beans available at the market. only a few other ingredients needed. to top it all off, it can be made well ahead of time. and it tastes absolutely delightful!

green bean & feta salad

1.5 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

for the vinaigrette:

1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 tblsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried basil, crumbled
1/ tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

plunge beans into rapidly boiling water; boil about 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. strain and place into an ice-cold stop bath. drain again and pat dry. make the vinaigrette: combine all ingredients, with the last being olive oil. drizzle in slowly while whisking until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

arrange green beans on a platter, top with vinaigrette. sprinkle evenly with feta, onions and walnuts. refrigerate or serve immediately. enjoy!