Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
mom
Weekending
This weekend was one of those that will be looked back upon with fondness. While we normally spend our weekends close to home, this one brought us on many adventures. One where the hustle and bustle was completely embraced, and fun was truly had by all. Our hours were filled with alpacas (it was National Alpaca Weekend after all), pumpkins and retro amusement park rides. Yes, quite the eclectic combo.
Here is a glimpse into our two days of fun…
I hope you all enjoyed a lovely weekend as well. Have a wonderful week my friends!
A Walk in the Woods
There has been a sickness streak in our house over the course of the last week, so when Sunday greeted us with beams of sunlight peaking through the curtains, crisp air squeezing through the window panes, and a home bursting with people finally feeling well again, we decided to get out there and embrace the day.
We ventured to Atwood, one of my absolute favorite parks in our area. My oldest daughter has also discovered the magic of Atwood over the course of the last year, having attended a multitude of day camps at this fabulous preserve. So, when she shouted, “Ok, I’m in charge today. I’m your tour guide. Follow me. Let’s go!” We all followed close behind, eager for the places she was about to take us.
Without further ado, here is our walk through the woods, courtesy of our six-year old tour guide…
Kairos
Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Basil Lime Gimlet
Date nights do not often happen these days. Crazy schedules, shifting demands of the workplace and caring for two young children make it difficult for this mom and dad to have a few spare moments alone. That is why this past weekend was quite a celebration. We enjoyed a date night. With just the two of us. Alone.
We spent our time at an early evening movie, followed by wonderful Vietnemese food, and all wrapped up with homemade garden-inspired cocktails. It was a perfectly wonderful evening.
We wanted to incorporate our garden bounty in our cocktails in some way, so here is our best attempt to embody late summer garden freshness in a glass. We hope you enjoy this little treat as much as we did!
Basil Lime Gimlet
1 cup lime juice
1/2 cup water
7 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup sugar
Place the above ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly until the sugar is dissolved and begins to bubble. Turn off the heat, and allow the mixture to steep with the lid on for at least an hour. Remove the wilted basil leaves and pour into a glass container and place in the refrigerator until chilled.
When you are ready to enjoy your cocktail, fill a pint-sized Mason jar with ice. Add 1 oz. vodka, 2/3 cup of the basil lime simple syrup above, and 2 fresh basil leaves. Now, for that rustic chic charm, attach a lid and rim to your Mason jar and shake away. I’m telling you, it’s the coolest martini shaker on the market these days 🙂 Once your cocktail is properly shaken, remove the rim and lid, serve and enjoy!
*A note about all my recipes: I use all organic ingredients, local when available. I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified. All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished. All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.
Thoughts
Thoughts and prayers headed to those who need it today. Wishing you a peaceful start to your week, friends.
Kairos
Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Dairy Free Apple Crisp
Despite the fact the mercury is reading 85 degrees tonight as I write this, I am thinking Fall. To help force my most-loved season along, the girls and I decided to pick our first-ever crop of apples from two of our apple trees and enjoy them for dinner in our favorite baked apple form: a crisp.
Because my youngest is still on a non-dairy diet, I continue striving to find new ways of tweaking our favorite recipes to make them dairy-free. This recipe is one of those such experiments. I wanted to substitute the butter in a traditional crisp, without losing the earthy, creamy flavor I think butter brings to the table. I ended up using a combination of coconut oil, for the fat content, and whole wheat flour for the earthiness factor. The crisp turned out quite nicely, without any hint of a coconut flavor that sometimes makes its way into recipes where I substitute butter with coconut oil.
I hope you enjoy this yummy fall treat!
Dairy Free Apple Crisp
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Heat the above ingredients in a small saucepan until the honey becomes runny. Pour this mixture over 6 cups of sliced, fresh apples.
Pour the apple honey mixture into a 9X9 baking pan.
In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cut in 5 tablespoons of coconut oil. Crumble the oat mixture over the apple mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is crunchy and golden brown. Enjoy!
*A note about all my recipes: I use all organic ingredients, local when available. I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified. All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished. All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.
The Library
With the school year now in full swing, my girls needed a bit of space for all of that reading and writing goodness coming their way. And to be perfectly honest with all of you, mama needed a bit of cleaning and organizing to take place for fear that soon the entire house would become over run with toys. So, we decided to move a great many toys to the basement playroom, and move a whole lot of books into the upstairs playroom…creating ourselves our very own library. Complete with comfy reading chairs and all.
I must say, this space has become a new fav in our house. From reading books while nestled in their most-beloved chairs, to practicing math problems on their very own chalkboard, these girls are all set for many months of learning fun. And the best part of it all, is that not a single dollar was spent. Just a little elbow grease and strong lifting here, a touch of shuffling and organizing there, accented with just a tiny bit of creativity and we were all set. Now that makes this mama very, very happy.
At This Moment
At this moment, I am…
~thankful for a most relaxing weekend spent with dear friends and family, while celebrating a wedding in the most beautiful of settings.
~gearing up for yet another hot, hot day. Trying to get all animals cared for, and plants watered before the sweltering heat is upon us.
~glancing around my house this morning, realizing my day needs to be spent in the throws of cleaning. Being gone all weekend did not bode well for the cleanliness of this place.
~listening to the tomatoes calling out to me. There are not many, but those that are hanging out in the garden are ripe and ready to be processed. (I think today I’ll make some tomato sauce. Nothing like a little sauce simmering on the stove for multiple hours on a ninety degree day, right?).
~enjoying this book in the wee hours of the morning and late at night after the little ones are tucked in.
~staring at the growing pile of laundry in my family room. Apparently, I should be tackling that instead of reading the above mentioned book 🙂
~wishing you all a wonderful Monday, friends!
Making of a Home 