Waste Not, Want Not

During a Texas summer, everything struggles to survive. Not just the flowers, plants, and trees, but the bugs, the birds, the crawfish, everything. It is easy to sit and dream of bountiful gardens, fanciful flowers, and fruitful trees when the weather is damp and cool, but it doesn't take long for all those things to wilt under the big Texas sun.

However, despite the odds, some plants manage to produce a little something for all the trouble. In my gardening dreams, I have veggies and berries and herbs coming out of my ears, and I have more than enough to store up for friends, family, and fruitless winter months. Sadly, what my garden has managed to produce this year has been just enough to supplement the grocery list, not really enough to pack pantries and cupboards. It's been fun working garden veggies in to dinner menus, and watching Audrey pick a strawberry here and there while we explore the garden space, but alas, only the jalapeños have been plentiful enough to can.

That is, at my house, anyway (and this is my first year to have a garden... with a few tweaks over the dormant months, perhaps next year will be better). At my mom's place, however, her peach tree has exploded with fruit- an unpredictable phenomenon that the birds and bugs have not missed- and last week we picked every last tiny Texas peach that the wildlife hadn't already sampled. We sifted through all the (then) rock-hard clingstone peaches, picked out the biggest and best, and guess who got to take them all home? You bet... and happily!

22 pounds of Texas peaches, slightly under-ripe, made it to my house at the end of last week. The first step? Tricking the peaches in to ripening the rest of the way. The solution? A really big paper bag.

After taking the weekend to sit and mature, Monday rolled around, and they smelled like they were ready for business! I started reading up on ways to safely can peaches without a pressure-canner, and found two great recipes in a modern canning book. Batch number one: peach butter. Requirements: eight pounds of peaches. Roger that.

Now, here's a trick that- in theory- is supposed to make peeling peaches a breeze: if you dip a peach in boiling water for about 30 seconds, the peel is supposed to slip right off, easy-peasy. Ha. I sure tried that trick... with all 22 pounds of peaches. You know what? There's always an exception to the rule.

Boiling the little buggers

A dip in an ice bath

The whole operation

SO, after hand-peeling the 8 pounds of peaches called for in the peach butter recipe, I set the rest of the peaches aside (they will become brandied peaches today) and moved on with my operation. I swear, after the peeling is done, the rest of the process is really easy! That is, as long as your hand isn't cramped in the shape of a claw from holding a pairing knife in the same position for almost 2 hours... 

Eight pounds of hand-peeled Texas peaches

A little lemon, a little sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, and some time to simmer over low heat, and voilà! Summery peach love for those dreary Texas winters. That is, if I can resist cracking in to these beauties before then...

Eight pounds of peaches' yield: five 1-pint jars of peach preserves (aka peach butter)

Side Note: I processed these jars using the boiling-water method, and all of them did in fact properly seal, thank you very much. 

Color Color, Paint Paint

Audrey went through a phase recently where she wasn't really interested in art; she would ask to, say, color, we'd get all the supplies out, and she'd spend said art time handing colors to the closest grown-up and asking them to draw something ("Boo Heart?"). Needless to say, with all the artists in the family and me being one who dabbles myself, this was a disheartening phase. However, we still pulled out the stuff every time she asked, and recently, she has started coloring for herself again. I AM SO EXCITED!

I have always, always loved kid art. Not the scribbles-in-a-coloring-book kind, but the free-hand, imaginative, messy kind. In fact, as a social worker in schools, I'd linger in hallways decorated with art projects, tickled to death at 1st grade interpretations of snowmen, space ships, and who-knows-what. Upon becoming a parent, I received my very own kid artist... and now she's creating her own masterpieces!

She has always loved sidewalk chalk. This past weekend was a special treat: Mimmy and Pappy are in the process of finishing an addition off the dining room, and Audrey was allowed to color with chalk inside since the floors aren't finished yet. How exciting!

Mimmy and Audrey making scribbles

Mimmy shows Audrey how to turn chalk on it's side and make wide scribbles

Last night, we cracked out the finger paints. Some day, we'll make egg tempera and I'll show her how to use a paint brush. For now, we're sticking with the kind that is washable and non-toxic! Besides, she's a hands-on texture girl, and what could be more fun than going Pollock on her huge drawing tablet right before bath time (which was perfect timing)?

Masterpiece #1

Masterpiece #2

Now, what's awesome about these paintings is this: Audrey asked for each color as she painted, so they're completely her creations. I lined up the bottles of red, pink, yellow, orange, and blue finger paints, then sat her on the paper. I asked her what colors she wanted, and she would say, "Boo?" So I'd put a dollop of blue next to her. She'd smash and smear, then look up and say, "Pink?" or "Ornge?" or "Ret?" So here you go. Two finished masterpieces, both original creations without Mama influencing color or composition. Pretty cool. We'll be making this a regular part of our day. 

Lazy Summer Evening

I would love it if Audrey grew up able to appreciate the natural beauty around her, the feeling of growing something planted by one's own hands in lovingly worked soil, the simple pleasures from the fruits of hard work, and in general a natural life. I guess I better make sure I show her how it's done!

An evening visit to the squash and pumpkin patch

Audrey spots a wee summer zucchini

She dives in to retrieve her garden treasure

"Zooooo-keeeeeeeee-neeeeeeyah!"

Showing Mama her prize

Next stop: the strawberry patch

"Saaaah-beee-yee!"

Audrey ate her micro-strawberry faster than the camera could capture, but one thing is for sure: no matter how crabby she might be, a trip outside with Mama and/or Daddy in tow always lifts her spirits, and ours.

Twinkle, Twinkle

A special moment: Audrey sings Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with Mama.

Audrey Sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star from Kyle Ware on Vimeo.

Dylan & Brooklynn Visit

Mama and Jackie decided they needed to have a playda... um, I mean, Audrey needed a play date with Dylan and Brooklynn, so the Lightfoots packed up and came down to play with... us...

Brooklynn, Dylan, and Audrey dive in to the toys while the grown-ups get coffee

Audrey sorts beads, and Brooklynn climbs on the yellow digger

Dylan accessorizes

Slightly blurry kids in motion

Everyone heads outside after lunch

Destined to be pals

Our beautiful girls

A last bit of digging, then...

...on to the water feature! C'mon, Audrey!

Everyone loves popsicles in the pool...

...or by the pool

Tasty

Audrey helps clean up

We love playdates!

Translations

Audrey's vocabulary is expanding exponentially, and although I can much more clearly decipher what she's trying to say, many of her words are 'Audrey-isms,' or attempts at getting the point across in an adaptation of a word. I know it won't be long before they're clear and perfect, so in order to savor this special time, I will now try to phonetically record some of my favorite -isms and their translations.

Audrey-isms, 20 Months

Eye-aaah-too: I love you

Bah-fye: Butterfly

Lah Mo: Lawn Mower

Ah Sye: Out Side

Doot: Drink

Wah-lor: Water

Boo-bee-yee: Blueberry

Pano: Pillow

Keey-yee: Kitty

Kah-koh: Cracker

Soo Sahan: Shoes On

Bah-tit: Basket

Sah-pee: Shopping

Gooh Moh-een: Good Morning

Beh-tist: Breakfast

Fye-pace: Fireplace

Bah Toof: Brush Teeth (and sometimes Toothbrush)

Hah-noh: Hello

Wah-men-non: Watermelon

Pee Balor: Peanut Butter

Heh-hahk: Hedgehog

Ko-kama: Koala

Eh-fan: Elephant

Bips: Grapes

Dah-yee: Dolly

I could go on and on for pages with the words she says clearly, but it's always more fun to try and figure out what she's trying to say in her own language. Ironically, the practice I get in translating Audrey hasn't made me any better at understanding other toddlers. I still have to look to the little's parents when a garbled message has been spoken to me and ask, "Did he just say I have bees in my hair?" I have, however, become more patient, more open-minded, and a little more bilingual. I love my little Crumb Snatcher.

A Birthday... Kinda

I thought I would post a commemorative blog today to mark the one-year anniversary of this blog. Yes, I'm blogging about blogging. It just seemed noteworthy; there is a years' worth of pictures, tales, and tear-jerkers here, and all because I followed a whim one year ago today.

I actually had no idea that this little milestone was coming up... I was just going back through past postings (a virtual walk down memory lane, if you will), and before I knew it I had worked my way back to the very first post, which was July 13th. Hmmm.

It sure is a reality check to revisit the goings-on of yesteryear. Some of the things that were breaking news then seem today like they were just a few weeks ago. Also, um, where did all of Audrey's hair come from? Wow! That girl is wild and woolly... just like her mama... ha! I remember when those tiny little micro-clips would hold her hair...

Anyway, here's to technology and the developments that allow us all to step beyond cave walls, family bibles, and aging memories to record family history. Cheers.