wednesday washday.

Boys are so dirty.

You would be amazed about what I find in the bathwater.

Gravel practically.

I am always stunned by this and other boy things, like:

perpetual knee holes in jeans.

hidden treasures in pants and coat pockets.

curiosity.

rough and tumble.

courage to do things I would be afraid to try.

and other things... new discoveries daily.

I love my boys.

They keep me on my toes.

They keep me young.

the first pop of spring.

For the record, I love spring.

something from nothing.

Scrappy-ness was instilled in me at a very young age. Finding ways to make somethin' out of nothin' is a sweet pastime of mine. Imagine my joy when we had leftover puff pastry scraps from making chicken pot pies!

Add a little cinnamon and sugar, and place the strips onto a cookie sheet:

Happiness is dusted with sugar:

400 degrees for 10 minutes brings you:
Of course, being scrappy like that means presentation is very important. Don't these treats look like expensive french pastries in:
A reward for young dinner-finishers:
Alas, it's a hard choice. Which one has the most cinnamon-goodness?

from the archives.

I had a craving for merangues today.
But, it was humid outside-- and cloudy. So I just looked at my old photos and dreamed.

Remember, you can't go wrong with stiff peaks.

And, this kitchen is not equipped with the fancy-schmanchy. I just piped these babies out with a ziploc and one of my cookie press tips. The three hour wait in the oven is the hardest part!
Magic Meringues
-3 egg whites at room temp.
-1/4 t cream of tartar
-3/4 C sugar
-1 t vanilla
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, tin foil, or silpats. Beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Increase speed to high and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar beating until stiff peaks form. Mix in extract and food coloring (if desired)..Spoon meringue into pastry bag. Pipe desired shapes. Bake for 3 hours or until dry and crisp. Cool on baking sheets. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Can be made the day ahead.

swing baby.

picnic is our middle name.

Even better when you can do it all through February!

having our just desserts.

We reveled in the warm weather today.

Dinner outside, hours of sweet play time in the grass in our bare tootsies, and chocolate covered ice cream.

It was almost warm enough for the sprinklers. Almost.

A sweet day, made even sweeter with a little:

Such a beautiful interlude to summer.