North Beach, MD. Day Trip.

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted.

We've been soaking up as much Summer as we can.

Lots of Gardening.

And, honestly, I've been a bit worn out from all the referring I've been doing. The girls adore each other, but they squabble A LOT. Nye-Nye starts Pre-school soon, so it will be interesting to see how that changes the dynamics between the girls.

No large Vacation for this Summer, instead we've had several Little Adventures.

North Beach was one of them.

Neither Papa Bear and I had ever been to North Beach before, which is surprising since we both grew up in the area.

In fact, I had never heard of it before I read an article in the Washington Post that mentioned the town. 

North Beach is a tiny, very low-key Beach Town complete with a Boardwalk. There are no serious waves, which is just right for our kids at this age. There is a lovely pier, perfect for fishing. There are nets that keep out jelly-fish and large fish. And, there is the cutest two-story ship play-ground right on the water's edge.

The best part?

North Beach is only 40 miles from our house.

We left house at Anala Bear's Naptime and arrived in time for Lunch. We played for a few hours,washed off, ate some funnel-cake and drove home at 4 pm. 

Everyone had a blast.

We can't wait to go back.

Supposedly there is a terrific Farmer's Market/Art Fair/Classic Car Show every Friday. We are going to try and hit that up one Friday in September, while the weather is still warm.

It was definitely worth the money. Beach fees for Out-of-County Residents are $15 ages 12-54 and $8 for ages 3-11. The Beach was super clean, the facilities were decent and we didn't have to deal with being stung by jelly-fish. We are thinking about getting a Season Pass for next year.

Breakfast. This Week.

Over the last year, I have insisted that we all sit down and eat Breakfast together. It's been a really nice way to start off our Mornings. 

Don't get me wrong, many days it takes every ounce of strength I have to drag my exhausted body downstairs and make some food. Nye-Nye is usually whiny and only wants to cuddle. Anala Bears is always getting into something. (Or locking me outside like she did yesterday). 

And, Papa Bear has merrily taken himself downstairs for a leisurely shower. I try not to get too resentful.

It's not easy. But, it's totally worth it.

This week I felt particularly Creative, so we had some extra-nice meals. On the Menu?

Cheesy Eggs with Black Beans, Bell Peppers and Sorrel topped with Crab Meat.

Cheesy Eggs with Thyme, Sorrel and Crab Meat.

Labneh, Cucumber Tartine with Mint and Basil (and eggs).

Rice Cake topped with Sunflower Butter and Dark Chocolate with a side of Melon and homemade Farmer's Cheese with Mint, Honey and Chia Seeds.

Most days it's just Soaked Oatmeal or Poached Eggs with some Fruit and Yogurt. 

Nothing like an itty-bitty Garden right outside your Kitchen window to bring a little Inspiration to your cooking!

Nye-Nye LOVED making the Tartine. The photo is of her own Tartine that she made herself using our own Cucumbers, Basil, Mint and ONE Cherry Tomato. Can't wait to make it again!

Hope this inspires you to make some yummy Breakfast this Weekend. 

Enjoy your Weekend!

Claude Moore Colonial Farm Summer Market Fair. July 19-20th 2014.

This time of year it's so hard. There are just TOO MANY cool things to do.

I can't believe it's time for "Claude Moore Colonial Farm's Colonial Summer Market Fair" already.

We have been to two Market Fairs over the last few years and it is hands-down my favorite event in Northern Virginia.

The volunteers do a phenomenal job with authenticity and food (and beer) is top-notched. They have killer meat-pies and veggie-pies, baked olives, roasted chicken among other things. 

There is plenty too do, but it's not too overwhelming to go with small children (like the Ren Festival). They always have a Kids Area with a few interesting activities. 

Everything is very reasonable and the site is quite lovely.

Claude Moore Farm has three Market Fairs a year. Their Summer Market will be July 19-20th from 11 am - 4:30 pm.

Tickets are $7 for Adults and $3 for Kids.

More information can be found here.

Here are a few photos from the Autumn Market Fair that I never got around to posting.

These two were my favorite from the day.

Settling In. Part 2.

One of these years I will finally paint the dresser we use as our "Landing Pad." I painted all the drawers before our last move (you know when I was pregnant and chasing after a 20-month-old). Obviously, I never got around to painting the rest of it.

One of these years.

My husband HATES this piece of furniture with a passion. But, it's very useful. First drawer is where we keep phone chargers, nail clippers and other random items. Second drawer has our address book, swimsuits and heat packs. Third drawer is full of the baby's cloth diapers and the bottom drawer has all of our gloves, hats and scarves. Where do you keep all that kind of stuff? I'm curious.

We have been putting our Key/Wallet/Junk Basket up high this time. Too high for our 14-month-old's curious hands (and mouth). One of her favorite things to do in our old house was to grab that basket and take everything out. ID's, pens, keys, sunglasses were scattered everywhere. Over and over again. It's new home is on the Driftwood Shelf I made with my Mama. So far, it is out of the reach of our Little Climber.

I am excited about our Wedding Certificate's new location. It's in a nice prominent spot in our Living Room. Perfect for whenever I need a reminder of the vows I made to Papa Bear and all the wonderful folks we have rooting for us.

I painted our giant Shoe Cabinet white. It was a big change from it's previous green incarnation. I hung the Collaborative Painting (Nye-Nye and I made right before she turned two) right above it. I think sometime soon, we'll be working on the painting again.

The nifty broom hook contraption finally got put up. The girls got it for Christmas, but there was not a good place in our last house. It's been a real hit with both girls! They both loving taking off the brooms and mop. My 14-month-old hasn't been able to figure out how to put them back up, but the three-year-old has become an expert.

The Garden.

How I LOVE my Garden.

It's itty-bitty. But, so thrilling to watch it grow.

My eight boxes of potatoes seem to do be doing well. It will be interesting to see how many potatoes will have grown (when I finally dump out all the soil).

The cucumbers have been going crazy climbing the fence. I just sprayed them with a mixture of milk and water to help fight some Powdery Mildew. I'm crossing my fingers that they will recover.

My beautiful cucumber plant in the front-yard appears to have wilt, so I will have to pull that out. I'm sad because it had grown so large and was looking so pretty. I'm not sure what I am suppose to do with the potting soil since I don't want to contaminate any other plants. Any ideas?

The zucchini plants have gotten massive. But, none of my 4 pepper plants have gotten very big, they should be getting enough light. 

It's time to tie up the tomato plants again.

And, okra! We have okra! I'm not sure when the pods need are ready to be eaten. But, we appear to have at least one pod that must be ready. 

The sweet potatoes in the front-yard are doing so much better than the back. I can't wait to dig them up this September.

And, lastly, my Amaranth. It's hard to believe I only planted the seeds 6 weeks ago. They are so tall already.

I swear watching my plants grow is as exciting as watching my girls develop. Every day is something new!