A Recipe: Summer Bruschetta

Strawberry season is upon us and with it, the hunt for recipes to utilize the harvest. In my hunt, I found this oh-so-yummy recipe that I just had to try immediately.

Amazingly, it mixes 2 of my other favorite recipes from last year: Insalata Caprese Bruschetta and my favorite summer salad, Strawberry Spinach.

Here is the recipe I adapted from Shutterbean:

Strawberries, hulled & sliced
Goat cheese
Aged balsamic vinegar
Basil leaves, shredded
Crostini, sliced
olive oil

Slice your strawberries and set them aside in a dish with a tablespoon or 2 of balsamic vinegar. (A full quart of strawberries would be about 2 tablespoons of vinegar.)

I simply brushed the bread with olive oil on both sides and threw it on the grill on medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side (until lightly brown).

After it is browned, spread on some goat cheese, a few sliced strawberries and a bit of shredded basil. (I also dribbled a bit of the reserve vinegar from the strawberries for a bit of added zip.)

This will be added to my summer recipe repertoire for our cookouts and gatherings. My girls even loved this bruschetta (although Annika would not eat the basil as she was convinced it was spinach!)

Check Shutterbean out for some other delicious recipes. If she is not in your blog reader, she should be.

Hope

I got a small tattoo last night, but behind it are many larger meanings.

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” -Albert Einstein

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”

“May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human enough hope to make you happy.”

“Hope is the dream of a soul awake.” -French Proverb

“Hope is not a dream but a way of making dreams become reality.”

Words are just words, but if you believe in your words, they become a tangible reality.

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Thank you very much to Stina, an amazing artist on the seacoast of NH. She does a-may-zing, feminine art in a calm, relaxing environment. (If you have any tattoo experience, you know some shops can be a bit... overwhelming, loud... not my thing.)

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A bit of tattoo inspirations from my archives:
FYeah
Tattoo Tuesday: by Sweet Danielle
Tattoo Snob

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Rest of my sleeve, thus far, thanks to Doug, Bonafide Tattoo. Apparently, if you are looking for some nice script (as my 'Down Home Girl') he is the guy in NH. I have actually had other tat artists recognize his script on me and compliment it.

Top ten people who send me stalkers.

I have never done this, but I think it would be nice to recognize the top ten sites that refer people to my blog. I mean how would I be one of the most popular blogs in the world the US New Hampshire my house without people spreading the love???

Without further adieu:

10. Tip Junkie- pretty much the go to site for the crafty Momma.
9. Musings of a Twin Mama: Ever since my sister-in-law became pregnant with my niece and nephew a couple of years ago, I have been very intrigued by the life of families with multiples. (Do you read Girls Gone Child???) How the hell do people do it???
8. Gone West, Love Isolde: One of my oldest friends... er... our friendship is old, she's not... or that would make me old... anyhow... she has made a wonderful new life on the opposite coast, becoming a stepmother of a teen, traveling here, there and everywhere, all while navigating the ups and downs of her first pregnancy.
7. Pinterest: I was shocked to see all of the things from my blog that people have pinned. (Thank you, LZ, for the pin!)
6. Decorating Your Way
5. Peek Into My Noggin'- Danielle is one of my most favorite women in the world. She balances work, being a fantastic mother, keeping a beautiful home, cooking delicious food, having fun in all the moments of her life... I adore her.
4. Crafty Nest: Cool home design ideas on the cheap.
3. A Wrinkle in Time- I have the pleasure of knowing Kam in real life and she is smart, funny, talented and a real sweetheart.
2. Curbly- One of my most favorite design sites.
1. Gluegun Crafts


Thank every single one of you! I really do appreciate the love.

Darwin's Theory

Is this sign necessary? I mean if you are going to pick up a hitchhiker across from the county jail... wearing a jumpsuit....

Hula Hooping Momma Getting Fit

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On St. Patrick's Day my friend, C., and I stopped by a local consignment store. We spied some fun hula hoops and C. challenged me to play a bit. I was surprised at my ability to hoop with a real life hoop (not the itty bitty kind you find at Walmart) and at how quickly I felt the workout throughout my body...

...and that is where my hooping journey began. I went out the next day and bought all the necessary supplies to make my very own hoops:

That's it. Irrigation tubing, connectors and a hack saw. (I used some pretty tape to decorate. Unfortunately, I later discovered that duct tape gets pretty beat up when the hoop hits the pavement.)

Next, I just started practicing. I search videos on YouTube and joined HoopCity for more detailed instruction. All 3 of my daughters have since joined me and Ariana & Annika can actually hoop pretty darn well. What a fun way for us to play together, get exercise and have fun.

Just yesterday, I started my first hooping class through my local rec. (Our Racquet Club also offers classes with the same instructor.) It was a gorgeous day to put my toes in the grass and spend an uninterrupted hour getting some much needed exercise.

I think I have discovered an exercise routine that I will actually stick with. I can envision myself on my deck in the sunshine spending an hour here and there getting my heart pumping while the girls either join me or I can keep an eye on them as they run around the yard.

Sunday Citar: Family Tree

“A tree is known by its fruit.” -Proverb

We spent a fantastic weekend with my in-laws last weekend celebrating Easter, my mother-in-laws birthday, and the coming of spring. It is always fun for our family, especially the kids, when we get to spend time at the in-laws since they have cousins all around the same age.

I grew up with around 30 cousins- so I am fond of that familial bond. And I am reminded of that joy from my own childhood as I see my girls playing with, cuddling, laughing with and thoroughly enjoying their cousins.

The overall feeling of peace and contentment felt reminds me that a tree is known by it's fruit and I am happy to have created new branches on this particular tree.


Do go see Tabitha for more Sunday Citar.