THE beach

One month ago today I was packing for our annual trip to Florida panhandle to see my mom & dad. This year proved to have near perfect weather for us and fortunately, we were able to enjoy the pristine shoreline before any of BP's carelessness ruined it. And still crossing our fingers about that!
Thanks to mom and dad, we get to take a *free* family vacation each year to this little piece of Heaven on Earth. What a time we had!

First feel of sand on the toes 2010

It really stinks to have to share this beach with so many people, huh?

Sunset which is also dubbed as "cocktail hour"

Love this pic of my mama and Carver

With daddy's help, this is possible..

Made time for some rides at Pier Park

Spent every evening on the porch listening to oldies.

Mom & Carver had an impromptu dance party.

As the sun went down, a family game of Bocce on the beach.

Again, all those pesky tourists really getting to us!

Back to building sandcastles the following day..

One of my favorite mantras.

Date night by the seaside

First swim in the ocean

Really love this pic of my boys

Gampa & Carver

Until next year!

Beale Street Blues

We spent last week in a place called Heaven on Earth. The beach. Destin area to be exact. With my parents who now live there. I'm posting 2 blogs in reverse order. We missed our connection in Memphis due to delays so had 6 hours to burn with an almost 3 year old. I'm happy to report we turned our frowns upside down and made lemondade out of lemons.

We took a cab from the airport to Beale Street. Decided we might as well eat some of that Memphis style BBQ & hear some blues. We went to BB King's Blues Bar and ate some darn good pulled pork and ribs. Carver danced his little heart out which was exactly what we hoped for. Burn some energy, boy! And an 89 year old, 2 toothed man played the blues so sweetly. I felt special just being in his presence and watching him.

If we miss our connection next time, we know where we'll go!

Surgery Day

Carver had ear tubes put in at 18 months old. Since then, we've managed to avoid one single ear infection, however he's battled continous ear problems. So finally, after a little push from our ENT doc, we went back to the surgery center. They put him under general anesthesia, flushed his ears out and were able to finally see his ear drum and if any fluid was behind it. Alas, all is clear and well now. The tubes are gone, there is not crusted wax blocking his ear drum and hopefully we are clear from further ENT visits. We'll still be going back for a 2 week follow-up and hearing test.

We had to be at Strictly Pediatrics Surgery Center (which is awesome by the way if you live in Austin) at 6:45am for his 7:45am procedure.

In the waiting room with "Ducky"

In the pre-op room getting vitals checked

Precious in his hospital gown
Sweet daddy offering reassurance

All ready for the anesthesiologist.

He kept saying "when my turn?"

Oh I love this picture so much.

My sweet baby boy still waiting, but ready to get this show on the road.

FINALLY, my turn.

He had to go back alone and never hesitated for one second.

Proud mama.

This procedure is very quick. He spent the same amount of room in the OR as he did in recovery, coming out of anesthesia. When he had his tubes put in at a younger age, he came out so disoriented, crying, inconsolable. I was told to expect the same, if not worse, but he didn't even whimper. They gave him a popsicle right away and he ate it faster than he's ever eaten any popsicle in his life. Then he downed 2 ice cold apple juices the nurses gave him.

THEN he threw up. In the car. So no picture obviously and I know you are glad. He drank the liquids entirely too fast and couldn't hold it down. I was warned about this.

But once home and after about 10 Ritz crackers, he had a sudden burst of energy and became playful.


"Moooom, find me, find me!"

Humm....where's Carver?

Is that your tiny face I see?

There you are silly, boy.

Playing with your flashlight in your hut.

Then he threw up. Again. And again. So weird how a child can be so normal one second and sick the next. Atleast that's how he is. Poor thing, tried to run to the bathroom and got sick in the hallway instead. Then the sofa. He wanted so badly to keep something down.
After home-cooked Ramen noodles (HA) from yours truly, he was able to eat about 6 or 7 bites.

He had one final false alarm. I actually believe this was just a touch of drama.

But isn't still a pathetic picture, poor little man.

He eagerily climbed in bed for naptime.

I'm praying he'll get much needed rest and wake a new man. Let's hope.

From the garden to the table

I admit it's a bit embarassing that I'm writing so much about food on my blog. But it's more about the garden. About how we are growing our own food. The process of.....but I will admit, it tastes mighty fine too.

Remember the first picked zuchinni?

How about stuffed zuchinni as a side dish?

To go along with these beautiful beef kabobs nonetheless..

The squash on these kabobs are also from the garden. Apparently I was so excited about the zuchinni coming off first that I neglected to give the squash their own spotlight.

Here makes a (somewhat) healthy & hearty meal.

From our garden to our table!


Stuffed zuchinni

(Makes 4 servings)

Boil 2 zuchinnis for 10 minutes in a pot of water.
Let cool. Slice each zuchinni lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the inside of the zuchinni, creating a shell. Mix in a large bowl with bread crumbs, shredded mozarella cheese, diced bell pepper, a little butter. Scoop the stuffing mix back into each zuchinni. Top with more shredded cheese and broil until cheese is melted.
DELISH!

First pick

First pick off the garden. Look at these beautiful zuchinnis. As a side dish on tonight's menu, I'll be making my mom's stuffed zuchinni. They are yielding so quickly that I'm going to be making all kinds of zuchinni related dishes. Any suggestions, friends?

It's a very rewarding feeling to eat the food you grow. I'm loving it.

El Jardin

Remember those squash, zuchinni, tomato, pepper & corn plants a couple weeks ago?

Look at them N.O.W.!

Tomatoes ripening....I can already taste the fresh salsa.

The corn is almost as tall as Carver.

Gilbert removed some of the overgrown corn & we now have 3 strawberry plants.

Perfect for Carver & I, we are quite the berry lovers!


Can you spot the lone pepper?

While the flower first catches your eye, don't forget it is atop a zuchinni.

Look at that baby!

Stay tuned for a late May follow-up...