Self-Portrait Series - 5 (Project 358: Day 232)

Day 232: Self-Portrait, August 2011

Project 358: Day 231

Day 231: Tracks

Hot Fun In The Summertime (Project 358: Day 230)

The other day, my mom and I decided to make the most of the hot summer weather and take the kids to Bertha Henschel park in East Sacramento. Located on 45th Street between A and B, Bertha Henschel is a real gem. In addition to standard playground equipment, basketball courts, a soccer field, and picnic areas, there is a small fenced-in wading pool for children 7 and younger. On one end of the wading pool is a giant, mushroom-shaped fountain that dispenses a constant stream of water for children to play in. The kids had a blast and my mom and I had a lovely time relaxing in the ample shade watching them play.

Unfortunately, due to dwindling city funding, the pool at Bertha Henschel park may not be open next summer. Volunteers are working hard to raise the $22,000 dollars necessary to save it (yikes!). It would be a real tragedy if this pool were to close. It is obviously well loved by children and parents alike; the place was packed.

If you'd like to help out, all fundraising is being funneled through the non-profit Gifts To Share. Send your tax deductible donation (Tax ID # 94-29285546) to:

Gifts To Share, Inc.

915 I Street, 5th Floor

Sacramento, CA 95814

(Please write "Bertha Henschel" in the memo line.)

Or donate online www.giftstoshare.org by clicking on their "Donate Now" link and then designating Bertha Henschel Pool in the "Program Designation" tab.

Note: all money raised will remain with the park even if the City is unable to fund the pool. The money will then be used for desired park improvements.

I do so hope that we are able to keep the pool open another year. Just look at the fun we had...

Day 230: Pure Delight

Photo by my mom (KP) (Edited by AS)

Photo by KP (Edited by AS)

Project 358: Day 229

Day 229: Maxton James, Storm Trooper

Various Edibles (Project 358: Days 222 - 225)

I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to Purslane, the weed that is slowly but surely taking over my backyard. Thus far, I have not put up a fight, for three main reasons:

1. It's kinda' pretty.
2. I find weeding to be a remarkably unrewarding task: it's never ending! And,
3. Turns out, it's edible! And, apparently, quite nutritious.

Although considered an invasive weed in most parts of North America, Purslane is eaten as a leafy green throughout much of Europe, the middle east, Asia, and Mexico. It can be eaten raw, stir-fried, sauteed, or added to soups and stews. I plan on trying it sometime this week, after two whole summers of telling myself I should. If we like it, I think I'll try cultivating some in a pot. It is a succulent, and a hearty one at that. It should handle the move well, I think. Then I will feel better about allowing my husband to attempt to eliminate the "weed" from the rest of our yard. I can tell that it's starting to stress him out. (And he calls me OCD. Ha!)

Day 222: Edible Weed

And now, what we lovingly call Breakfast Face, a morning favorite these days among the children of the house:

Day 223: Edible Face

Day 224: Fail. No photo. (D'oh!)




And finally, all this junk food (below) can only mean one thing...

Day 225: Edible Junk

CAMPING!!! Details in a future post.

Garden Perks & Pest Control (Project 358: Days 216 - 221)

Day 216: Tofu Scramble

For the breakfast pictured above, I followed this Tofu Scramble recipe from the Happy Herbivore. Within the vegan community, recipes for tofu scrambles abound. This is the first one I've tried and I have to say, I feel no need to look further. Doesn't it look just like scrambled eggs? The taste and texture are very similar as well, making it a great option for vegans craving a hearty breakfast. The link above takes you to HH's basic scramble recipe, to which she encourages you to add whatever you have on hand in the way of veggies, herbs, and legumes. To mine, I added red onion, jalapeno, sun gold tomatoes, and heirloom grape tomatoes, all of which were picked from my garden, save the onions. If I'd had black beans on hand, I'd have thrown those in too. On the side, I had half a sprouted wheat bagel and a small bunch of grapes from my parents' garden. This meal was immensely satisfying and kept my hunger at bay far longer than a bowl of cereal ever could.

Day 217: Apparently, Peppers Require Patience

Pictured above is a Blue Jay Bell Pepper plant. We planted this in our vegetable garden last year and it proved to be very productive. At the time, I remember reading on its tag that the peppers ripen through purple to a deep red color. However, they remained purple for so long that we eventually grew impatient and picked them prior to their turning red. A part of me even doubted the validity of that claim. They're not ever going to turn red, I thought, those silly horticulturalists don't know what they're talking about. So we ate every single one of those Blue Jay bell peppers while they were still purple. And they were good! The walls were on the thin side and they could stand to be a little sweeter, but overall, we were just super stoked to be eating food that we grew ourselves and for that reason alone, they tasted great.

As we planned out our vegetable garden this year, we decided once again to go with the Blue Jays. The plant proved to be as reliable as it was last year, producing fruit long before our other pepper plants. This time, I decided to wait it out. And I'm so glad that I did. Our first beautiful Blue Jay started out a lovely shade of amethyst. As the weeks went on, the color started to fade and eventually turned to yellow, through orange, and into the lovely red shade pictured above. The whole process took over two months! We finally ate it a few days after this photo was taken and boy, was it worth the wait! I'll never be impatient about my peppers again.

Day 218: Natural Pest Control No. 1

Day 219: Vegans Can BBQ Too!

Above: zucchini, red onion, Anaheim chile, and Blue Jay bell pepper (in red!) lightly brushed with BBQ sauce and grilled to perfection (all but the onions were from our garden). Veggies served over a bed of quinoa with vegetarian baked beans and fresh cantaloupe on the side.

Other great options for vegan BBQ: polenta squares, potatoes, marinated tempeh and portobello mushrooms, veggie burgers and veggie dogs, corn on the cob, and seasoned eggplant slices. When it comes to summertime grilling, it's not just the omnis that get to have all the fun.

Day 220: Natural Pest Control No. 2

Day 221: Eggplant Chana Masala

Ingredients:

3 large onions, roughly chopped

4 - 5 garlic cloves, minced

1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon curry powder or to taste

1 - 2 teaspoons cumin or to taste

1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained

2 (14-ounce) cans peeled tomatoes, drained

1 can vegetarian chili (Health Valley and Amy's make good ones)

1 large handful chopped fresh cilantro (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions:

Saute the onions and garlic with the oil, curry powder, and cumin in a large pot until the onions are soft or translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, and saute for 5 minutes longer, until lightly browned and softened. Sometimes the eggplant will absorb a lot of oil, so you might need to add more to prevent sticking. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and chili. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. It will get watery, but then reduce to a thick, stewy chana masala. Add more spices to taste. Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve.

The above recipe is taken from The Kind Diet, written by Alicia Silverstone, which I received as a birthday gift from a dear friend and fellow vegan. I highly recommend the book to anyone interest in dabbling in a vegan diet. Alicia's writing style is friendly and accessible and she manages to present the many reasons to go vegan convincingly without being pushy or preachy. The second half of the book is packed full of incredible recipes, including the Eggplant Chana Masala pictured above. This is the first recipe I've tried from the book and it did not disappoint. Rich, hearty, and satisfying, it is also incredibly easy to make and still tastes great the next day (or several days later - the recipe makes a lot). I served it over a bed of wild rice with a simple herb salad on the side. The only thing that could improve this meal is some warm, buttery naan. Man! Why didn't I think of that?!

Slice of Life (Project 358: Day 208)

Whoops! I just realized I skipped a day! So. Rewinding back in time a bit to Evan's first solo trip to Sebastopol...

On his last day at Grandma Kim's house, it was decided that Stephen, Elinor, and I would make the drive to Sebastopol to pick Evan up. This ended up resulting in a mini-date for me and Stephen when we were offered the chance to go to dinner while Kim watched the kids. Deciding where to go was simple; we'd been wanting to try Slice of Life, a local vegetarian restaurant, for quite some time after reading a review of it on Vegansaurus.

At Slice of Life, they pride themselves on being, "The natural choice for vegan, vegetarian, American, Italian, and Mexican cuisine." I would have tried the place even if all they served was vegan sandwiches, but American, Italian, AND Mexican veggie cuisine all in one place? AND a huge selection of breakfast entrees served all day long? I'm sold.

The decor at this tiny, hole in the wall joint is typical for casual, veg-centric eateries. Tibetan prayer flags hang from the ceiling; paintings by local artists cover the walls; the furniture is dated and was most likely purchased second-hand. But who cares about any of that? What really matters is the food, right?

Day 208: Slice of Life

Stephen and I sat down, ordered a couple Lagunitas IPAs and reached for the menu, fully unprepared for how overwhelming its contents would prove to be. I started to get a little anxious as I tried to pick one thing from the seemingly endless list of delicious sounding options...SIX different types of house-made veggie burgers...veggie melts and tempeh BLTs...vegan lasagna...vegan pizza...pancakes...burritos and more! It just went on and on and on and the ONLY way Stephen and I were able to finally make a decision was by telling ourselves that we would return, again and again and again, so that eventually we would be able to try it all.

It was actually kind of funny. At a typical restaurant, meaning one not specifically catering to the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, it's usually pretty easy to make a decision about what to order because the options are so limited. Eating at a restaurant such as Slice of Life or Cafe Gratitude is such a wholly different experience (You mean I can eat anything on the menu?), it can take a little getting used to.

Mmmm....food.

I ended up ordering the special of the day, Tempeh Tacos, pictured below. I don't know what they marinated the tempeh in, but it tasted like mole; rich, complex, and smoky. On top of the tempeh was an enormous pile of beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, sprouts, and vegan sour cream. This meal was so good I ended up eating the entire thing, leaving only about half of the side of brown rice on my plate. This was a mighty big meal, but since it wasn't loaded with a bunch of nasty animal products, I felt great afterwards, totally free from the bloated, heavy feeling I used to get from eating Mexican food made with meats, cheese, and lard. This meal also inspired me to start looking for a vegan mole recipe that I can make at home. I found one for mole seitan, but have yet to try it. I'll be sure to blog about it when I do.

Tempeh Tacos

Stephen ordered The Works Burrito: beans, rice, steamed veggies, tofu, and vegan sour cream in a whole wheat tortilla, topped with homemade salsa and guacamole (pictured below). As unremarkable as it looks sitting there, all alone on its plate, this burrito was super satisfying and full of flavor. Still, I'm glad I chose the tacos.

"The Works" Burrito

We definitely plan on hitting up Slice of Life again the next time we're in Sebastopol. I'm dying to try the pizza as well as the vegan lasagna and, one of these days, we'll take the kids there for a big ol' plate of vegan pancakes. I hear they're delicious!

Project 358: Days 209 - 215

Day 209: Fail. No Photo.
Day 210: Fail. No Photo.

I've been writing that so much these days, it almost feels silly to say that I'm still taking part in the project. Except, after taking a moment to figure out exactly how many days I've missed, I discovered the number is only 15. Out of a total of 221 days so far, I'm thinkin' 15 misses ain't bad. And so, I continue on with the project for the remaining 137 days. In fact,  I think I'll challenge myself to make it there without missing any more!

Onward!

Day 211: Miss Mazzy's Birthday Crown

Evan, and his lifelong friend Mazzy, were in the same parent participation preschool class this past year and, as  participating parents, Mazzy's mom Keri and I were strongly encouraged to take on duties that went beyond the requirement of helping out in class once a week. The job I chose was that of "social coordinator" which, as it turned out, really just involved making crowns for the children whose birthdays fell within the school year. I thoroughly enjoyed this crafty task but was saddened by the fact that I wouldn't be making one for Mazzy, as her birthday is in August. So, Keri and I decided it would be fun for Mazzy if I made her a crown anyway and brought it to her 5th birthday party. Pictured above is Miss Mazzy's crown. I may have put a little more bling on hers than I did the other children's, but can you blame me? I mean, she's practically my neice! I wanted that crown to sparkle as much as she does. (It doesn't even come close.)

Day 212: Volunteer

This little green friend pictured above was not planted by me, nor anyone else that resides in my home. He volunteered himself as an addition to our garden, right smack in the middle of some irrigation tubing. Still, we decided to let the little guy grow. I'm still not sure what he is, though. At first, I thought cucumber, because the leaves are similar and, much like cucumber, this plant has those delightfully "grabby" little curlicue tendrils. But then the thing bloomed and I realized it couldn't be cucumber; the blossoms were much too large and resembled those of zucchini. Except, zucchini doesn't have the curlicues, so I'm confused. Our little volunteer continues to grow at an alarming rate, but has yet to bear fruit. Anyone out there have any idea what it is? (I'm hoping it's winter squash!)


Day 213: Fail. No photo.

Day 214: Adventure Village

A week after Evan's two night visit to Grandma Kim's house, he had the chance to do it all over again. This time while he was away, we decided to take Elinor to the Granite Arch, a rock-climbing gym in Rancho Cordova. She's always been a climber and we thought she might have fun with a little bouldering at the gym. We chose the Granite Arch over Pipeworks (where Stephen and I had a date earlier this year) because they have a play area for kids that they call Adventure Village. It turned out that Elinor was not the least bit interested in bouldering, mostly because she was intimated by the size of it I think, but she had fun playing in Adventure Village, pictured above and below. That said, I don't think we'll be going back. The climbing and bouldering areas were very nice, but the play area didn't look very well maintained and, with shredded old tires used as the floor covering, it felt really dirty (Elinor's face, arms and hands were dark grey by the time we left). I mean, sure it was bouncy, and I'm all for recycling, but old tires? In a playground? Seems kind of, I don't know, toxic? Anyway, we definitely didn't feel the experience was worth the $9 drop-in fee. Live and learn.

Whoa, trippy.

Peek-a-boo!

One of the best parts of having Evan gone for a couple of days was watching him come home and give his sister a HUGE hug, lifting her off the ground and squeezing her with all his might. As much fun as he had at Grandma Kim's, he missed his sister. And she missed him. Having one child may be simpler, but man I'm glad I had two, if only for moments like that. And this:

Day 215: Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

So Long, Brudder! (Project 358: Day 207)

When Stephen's mom proposed that Evan come stay with her for two nights at her home in Sebastopol, we had no reservations, save one: that Elinor would feel left out and want to come along too. As it turned out, her reaction to the news was quite the opposite. When Grandma Kim arrived to pick Evan up, Elinor practically pushed him out the door, delaying the process only briefly to do a thorough safety inspection of the vehicle before sending him on his way. It became clear immediately that she was quite content having Mommy and Daddy to herself. And though I experienced occasional pangs of sadness due to the absence of my first-born (this was the longest I had been away from him, ever, in all  five years of his existence), overall, I relished the experience. How wonderful to be able to focus all of my attention on Elinor, as I had with Evan for nearly two and a half years before his sister was born.

Stephen was working the first day of Evan's Grand Adventure, leaving just us girls at the Silack house. We started our time together with a nice long nap, which I realize doesn't sound very exciting or like a very good use of our time together, but oh man, I wouldn't change it if I could. We slept, snuggled together in my bed, for a good two and a half hours before I woke up. I  tried to rouse Elinor at that point but she must have been quite comfy because she slept for another 45 minutes! When she finally awoke, it was time to head to my parents' house for dinner, as we usually do one night out of Stephen's 48 hour shift. Our evening there was relaxed and fun and Elinor, not having to compete with her brother for attention, was far less clingy and whiny than usual. As we made our way home after dinner, it became quite clear to me that Elinor wasn't going to bed any time soon. She had, after all, had an unusually long nap very late in the afternoon. So, instead, we put on our jammies and cuddled up on the couch to watch Toy Story 3, for the eighteen-bazillionth time, before heading to bed. 

The next morning, we slept in. Until nearly 8 am! And just as I was starting to think, I could get used to this just girls thang, Stephen came home. He'd slept all night at work (miraculously) and was excited to start our day, just the three of us.

First stop: Rubicon Brewing Company for lunch. Now, Stephen and I have been known to take our children to restaurants on a fairly regular basis. We don't take them to "nice" restaurants where our children would be considered a nuisance to other patrons, but we don't hesitate to take them to family-friendly establishments, such as the Old Spaghetti Factory, Burr's Fountain, or Celia's Mexican. The children tend to be pretty well-behaved during these outings. Even so, they are children, both under five years of age, and the length of time they are willing to (or capable of) sit(ting) in a chair is limited. Which is why I was so delightfully surprised when Elinor allowed us to sit and eat and drink and talk at Rubicon for nearly two hours. She was so fun and adorable, ordering her own food (grilled cheese, carrot and celery sticks, water) and entertaining us with her colorful imagination and seemingly endless range of facial expressions, of which only a small sampling are captured here:

(I forgot to bring my camera, so all photos were taken with Stephen's iPod Touch.)

Day 207: Evan? Evan Who?

Want some, Mom?

After lunch, we decided to check out Art Beast, an art and imagination studio for kids located in Midtown Sacramento. This place is super cool, filled with every kind of art medium you could possibly imagine, as well as musical instruments, costumes, and toys for imaginative play. AND, every cent you spend there (drop-in admission is $8 per person, they only charge for one adult per family, and children under one year are free) goes directly to  Tubman House, a local nonprofit serving young homeless parents and their children. They also offer punch cards and memberships at discounted rates, have a wide selection of cool classes such as dance, drum circle, and yoga, and you can have birthday parties there! Overall, it is totally awesome. We had a blast and will definitely be going back sometime soon. Some pics from our time there...

Perplexing Costume

Overheard in the costume room:
5 or 6-year-old boy in Buzz Lightyear costume: I'm Buzz Lightyear!
Elinor, still in street clothes: I'm Woody.
Boy: Doesn't Woody wear boots?
Elinor: I'm pretendin' my tennis shoes are boots, OKAY?!

(Oh, Elinor, be glad you have an older brother. As tough he is on you sometimes, he has, in turn, made you tough.)

The boy in the Buzz Lightyear costume seemed satisfied by her response and they ended up playing together for quite some time. I love that Elinor can hold her own with the big kids.

Eventually, Elinor was able to get what she really wanted: the Buzz Lightyear costume. The girl is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and can often be found jumping off of couches or chairs, beds or playground equipment yelling at the top of her lungs, "To Infinity and Beyoooond!"

Happy girl.

Painting in the Arts & Crafts room.

One of the walls in the art room was covered with a giant piece of plexiglass for painting. Not wanting to waste any paper with my "art" I opted to paint on the plexiglass and ended up being really glad I did. It's hard to explain, but the paint goes on so smoothly, it felt very satisfying and soothing to me. And, when you're finished, it washes away easily with water. Now I want Stephen to install something similar in our backyard for the kids (okay, for me too). That way, the kids can paint to their hearts content without wasting a single sheet of paper. And if they paint a masterpiece I simply cannot part with, I'll just grab my camera and take a pic!

Elinor, your daddy and I so enjoyed our special time with you. You've got our hearts, little girl, no doubt about that. Thank you for being you.

We love you, Elinor Rose!

Project 358: Days 202 - 206

Day 202: Fail. No photo.

Day 203: Summertime Snow

Day 204: Evan Art (Buzz Lightyear)

Day 205: Fail. No photo.  (Seems I'm getting lazier these days...)

Day 206: My, How He's Grown!

Evan recently had the chance to spend TWO WHOLE NIGHTS at his grandma's home in Sebastopol ALL BY HIMSELF! The photo above was taken the morning she came to pick him up. Looks just a wee bit excited don'tcha think? On his lap is a map that he drew showing Grandma Kim how to get to her house from our house. Elinor felt it necessary to do a thorough safety inspection of the vehicle before their departure. She's like a mini Stephen.

Upcoming post: how we spent our time during our brief journey back into the relative simplicity of life with one child.