Memorial Day Weekend

Afternoon lunch on the porch at 2pm.

Saturday morning early trip to Agway to collect our plants and seeds.

Breakfast out, twice.

Flower browsing and buying at Appletree Nursery.

Sun & Rain Showers throughout.

Humid days.

Black flies in full force.

First watermelon purchase of the summer.

Creemies after dinner.

Driving Sanbornton back country roads watching the sunset, looking at farms and sugar bushes, listening to various artists on NHPR.

Listening to 90's on 9 while he stained the trim on the sugar house, and i planted my flower boxes.

Charlie did some sleepy sunbathing.

Garden planning & planting.

Pulling out the row markers i bought in Williamsburg back in January to mark my rows.

An afternoon on the lawn catching up on my pregnancy journal, and planning my preserving strategy this season.

An afternoon at the lake, kayaking and exploring…..and well, napping too.

Sitting on my front porch thinking that this is my very favorite place to be, with my favorite guys.

Looking at the hay fields surrounding the house, the first crop will be cut soon.

Early to bed, early to rise.

A visit to the farm to collect some eggs and catch up.  Walking the raspberries and remembering fondly our wedding day almost 3 years ago.  

Time flies.

Oh this weekend.

All of our plans were canceled, and it turned out being just perfect.  

So much quality time with my love.

Summer Veggie Quiche

I made up a batch of pie dough last week and used half to make this summer veggie quiche.  I have always used a recipe from my mom's friend, but over time i have changed it up a bit.  What is great about this recipe is that you can clean out leftover veggies/meats from the night before and use them up!

Enjoy!

Summer Veggie Quiche:

Supplies:

1 cup sour cream

1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I like to use Cabot's hunter cheddar)

3 Eggs

1/4 cup of feta or goat cheese (either option turns out marvelous)

1/4 teas. Italian seasoning

A shake or two of rosemary

sprinkling of fresh Parmesan on top

2 cups veggies

1/2 recipe pie crust (I use This book's pie crust - it's a no-fail every time).

Method:

Prepare crust & preheat oven to 375.

Pre-cook hard veggies.  I like to use leftover broccoli from the night before so it is already nice and soft.

Place crust in 8.5-9" pie pan - poke holes in bottom to prevent bubbling.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.

While it is baking, mix sour cream, eggs, cheddar and feta/goat cheese in a bowl.  

Add in spices.  

Mix veggies in and sprinkle shaved or shredded Parmesan on top.  I like to put a few dashes of s&p as well.

Remove crust from oven, pour the filling in.  

Bake 35-40 minutes until the center is set.  (I stick a butter knife in….you will see some cheese on the knife, but if you don't see any gooey egg, then it is done).

Let set for 10 minutes and serve!

Veggie/Meat Variations:

broccoli, onion, red pepper (as shown above)

asparagus (cut to 1" lengths) & cherry tomatoes (cut in half)

bacon, onion & green pepper

spinach, cherry tomatoes & onion

cubed ham, onion & broccoli

Mushroom & spinach

sausage (fully cooked), green pepper & onion

Our Gardens: May 20th

May 20th:

Everything is in bloom.  I am itching to dig deep into my garden this weekend.  Although we do have a lot growing already around the property.  Everywhere i turn the air blows aromas of fresh cut grass, lilacs and fresh flowers blooming.  

Ah Summer.  Thank you for returning and rejuvenating me.

Our macintosh trees have leaves and pretty white flowers now.

The pear trees were fully flowered last week.

The peach trees are having a hard time waking up.  Jas said they always bloom a bit later than the apple.  I hope he's right and they did ok getting through the long winter we had.  This will be the first year we can actually eat fruit off of our trees.  Although they are still quite small and won't be able to support that much weight, it's still very exciting!

I spent the weekend a few weeks back weeding the strawberry patch.  What a job that was!  After doing so, spreading some fresh straw and hoping for the best, the plants are really taking off.  I noticed a ton of the ever-bearing are now flowering, while the June-bearing are just starting to flower.  I dare say in just a few weeks I'll be seeing some fresh berries start to emerge!

The blueberry bushes are looking ok.  We had quite the episode last season with Japanese beetles.  I was worried about them.  They look fairly healthy and I'm happy to see some are flowering out.  I plan to take some time this weekend to tend to them.

Our small rhubarb plant that we put in last year is doing well in the spot next the asparagus.  I'm excited to harvest some when the berries are out and make strawberry rhubarb pie!

Speaking of the asparagus.  I don't see it.  It's not up yet, and i know it takes three years to root, but i just don't see any.  Patience, I'm sure, will cure that.

Speaking of growing - by the end of the summer i won't be able to see my feet!

Our Summer & Pre-Baby Bucket List

As the flowers begin to open up to the warm and humid days, i find myself dreaming of our summer and all i want to accomplish and soak up.  It's such a special time, being our last summer, just the two of us, before we welcome the bambino into our world come autumn.  I'm so excited for all that is to come and to watch my middle section expand as the days grow longer.

Our Summer & Pre-Baby Bucket List:



Garden:

This year, we decided to move our vegetable garden out back and shrink it down quite a bit.  We couldn't keep up with the weeds last year, and we just had too much produce.  It would be one thing if i had more days at home to process/can/freeze, but the weekends just don't have enough hours in them.  I'm feeling very good with the smaller size and location this year.  I think it will be perfect for what we need.

Preserving:

We will be planting our garden this weekend, so my goal this week is to really plan out what we will need during the summer and what I'll need at harvest time in the fall for canning and freezing.  Looking at what is leftover from last year, I'm planning on tweaking some of my quantities.

Our Anniversary:

Before i found out i was expecting, i bought tickets to see Dave Matthews in Saratoga, NY for our anniversary weekend.  I have been feeling ok about it, but not great.  Well it just so happened that i won two tickets to a Red Sox game on the same night from work.  So we're going to head down to Boston for the weekend instead, go to the aquarium, see the sights and go to the game.  I'm so excited and feel so much better about this!  We'll go to Dave another year when the babe is on the outside (and at home with grandparents!)

Sugar, Sugar:

There is soooo much to be done before next spring to get ready for our first boil in the new sugar house.  Hubs has been spending every minute he has at home hanging lines, building stands, installing outlets & lights.  So many little things!

House:

We need to stain the back of our house.  It's sort of ridiculous that we haven't yet!

Organize the loft and make it a nice space.  It's currently such a mish-mash of things and furniture.  I kind of hate looking at it.  I want to re-decorate and make it a nice, inviting play space for the future.

Organize the upstairs bathroom vanity.  It's been pretty much empty since we moved in, waiting for little footsteps to take over.  Although the bathroom is decorated and is currently used as a guest bathroom, I'm excited to fill the shelves and drawers with little baby & kids things!

Camping:

I want to go camping at least once this summer.  I plan on buying a new tent soon, so we will be more comfortable.  I want to buy one big enough for when the baby joins us too!

Lake/Ocean Visits:

I plan on taking a day off some week and going to the ocean with Kate.  Also make a beach trip with Jas at some point too.  Then i want to get a bunch of lake time in at Sanbornton Town Beach!

Picnics:

Evening picnics by the lake.  You can never go wrong.

Nursery:

Hubs has to put one final coat of polyurethane on the baby's room some weekend when i am gone.

Install a ceiling light/fan

Paint the two Sheetrock walls

Finish the closet

Furnish & decorate!! (more details to come on my plans :))

Photography:

I'm scaling wayyyy back on sessions this summer.  I want time to relax and enjoy this pregnancy.  I want time to sew and make cute things for the baby.  I feel really good about this.  It all came at about the right time, as I'm feeling a little stuck with it.  I'm thinking of re-working some of the session options i offer.   Since it is a side gig (hobby), i want to have fun and feel inspired with it.  I also want to have time to be with my family on the weekends when the baby comes.

Vermont:

We'll be heading up to VT for the weekend of July 4th, as tradition has it.  Bristol, VT has one of the best 4th of July parades and celebrations.  It's one of my fondest memories from growing up.  My brother's kids are already part of this tradition.  It's so fun having the whole family together for a weekend to celebrate.  I can't wait for our baby to have this special memory too, and to join his or her cousins!

Marriage:

Just soak up time with Hubs.  Looking back i am so grateful we've had these last three years (married) to really fall into a rhythm together.  As much as i longed and dreamed of being pregnant and becoming parents, i also have really enjoyed spur of the moment plans, sleeping in, reading all afternoon and being free with my husband.  I can't wait for this next step and to become parents together.  That's one of the things i love about this blog community.  I read so much on how hard and beautiful it is during those newborn stages - and every stage after.  It's so good for me to know that there will be some really hard times, but everyone gets through them and really nothing is as important or special as your husband and children.

At sunset

Let the light of late afternoon

shine through chinks in the barn, moving   

up the bales as the sun moves down.

Let the cricket take up chafing   

as a woman takes up her needles   

and her yarn. Let evening come.

Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned   

in long grass. Let the stars appear

and the moon disclose her silver horn.

Let the fox go back to its sandy den.   

Let the wind die down. Let the shed   

go black inside. Let evening come.

To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop   

in the oats, to air in the lung   

let evening come.

Let it come, as it will, and don’t   

be afraid. God does not leave us   

comfortless, so let evening come.

-Jane Kenyon