Fancy Food. Not Camera.

This is a photo of Monday night's dinner.  Sweet potato mash paired with delicious roasted vegetables.  The carrots, beets, and brussels sprouts are drizzled with honey and Vermont blue cheese.  The sweet potato tastes as yummy as iced cream.   Seriously.

Side note: Matt reminded me of the Simpson's episode where Mr. Burns was at a party and playfully says "look Smithers, I am enjoying something that they call iced cream."  and I laughed.

Back to  it.  I absolutely LOVE a colorful dinner on an over-sized  white plate.  It is the perfect canvas to the art of food. I am a bit obsessed with dishes and have too many to count, but the white ones are my favorite by far. This summer I will be on the hunt for some dark wooden chop sticks to accompany my grilled salmon, layered with asparagus, on a white plate, during a balmy Sunday evening.

I am better at summer meals.  As an Arizona native I was lost without my grill in these negative tundra temps!  Winter vegetables frightened me.  An acorn squash looks like nothing more than an ornament to adorn my dusty front stoop at Thanksgiving until the sun rots it inside out and I throw it away.
Potatoes are a preposterous idea; way too many carbs for a west coast waistline.  Rutabaga?  What the heck is that?  Well it is almost April and snow is still in the forecast, so I have had ample time to get acquainted with these fine cold weather friends.  Acorn squash was not mastered but it has come in from the porch!

For Desert: blended frozen banana with a touch of almond milk.  Toppings: shredded coconut and raisins.

As for the pictures... I wish that my camera had a better capacity in which to capture the remarkable colors and textures that these dishes have to offer.  I am finding that I have a wee bit of blog envy of those who have an artistic eye for photography and a snazzy camera to match.  My photos come from my well loved iphone and I have absolutely no photo shop experience what so ever.  However, just because we don't have the best of the best doesn't mean we don't try, right?

Right!

Weekend Bliss.

Have I mentioned that I love my life.  Well I do.  And despite the frigid temperatures this weekend it was still a great one.  Mr. Witt and I decided that it would be a good idea to get our Saturday morning argument over with on Friday evening, going as follows:

                        Me: We need to clean the house, are you going to help me?

  

                        Mr. Witt: I don't want to clean, it is Saturday morning.

                        Me: Well it needs to be done and I don't want to do it alone.

                        Mr Witt: Okay, I will help you.

After that I smiled and we made our way to the Taylor house for a Friday night family dinner.  

To greet us; Bri and Baby Bea.  A pair to warm your heart.  

Noah and Gabrielle enjoy this toddler and it is so fun to watch my older ones coddle a little one!

Gabrielle dove right in; slapped her apron on and hit the kitchen,  
that a girl!  The baby mouth she wanted to feed was on the run so I believe she settled for the sweet little pretend baby in the cute plastic highchair. 

Ms. Beatrice was more interested in the cooking of the real kind.  She carefully stirred the Chili while noting that it was hot... This reminded me that Noah's first word was hot.  How I miss cooking with a toddler in my arms who just wanted to be with me.

How cute are these?  Fresh from the coop out in the Taylor yard.  You can see these lady hens HERE!

Bri sets the table and I warm the bread. The little one's find their seats.  I love the country table and the mix match bowls. It is a dinner fit for a village.

The main course is on the table.  Mr. Taylor dishes the chili while we watch the steam rise.  Despite the late March date the weather outside is perfect for this mainly wintry dish.

After dinner Noah got in a little Bea time.  I am always pleased with how kind and gentle he is with the little ones.  By the end of the evening the little miss was reaching out for him to hold her.  How seriously sweet.

That concluded the Witt/Taylor family gathering. We headed home with bellies full and tired children.

Thanks for having us!!

To add to the excitement this weekend, Bri and I got our Saturday chores done (me with the help of Mr. Witt) in a hurry so we could enjoy an evening out.  We headed to Church Street, the oh so popular place to be in Burlington!  We dined at the most quaint downstairs Vermont Brewery called Farmhouse. LOVE. We enjoyed wine and beer paired with a Vermont cheese board to die for!  Sadly we didn't get a turn at the dart board, but we hope to bring the boys along next time and get to the darts early!!







Sunday was a catch up day after all the fun.  A few errands, catching up with some family on the west coast, and filling the fridge with dishes for the week.   Now to fight the chilly weather and looking forward to a warmer more 'outside' weekend soon!!

Oh Mr. Witt, I adore you...

 For some reason the afternoon was eeking by yesterday.  My work completed and desk organized, time was not on my side.  I reached out to the only person whom I thought may be able to help.  Goes as follows...    me: dear Matt, please speed up this afternoon for me, I know you are busy, but if you would be so kind... <3  Sadly he was too busy because no message of rescue made its way thru the ethernet and I was forced bide my time for the remainder of the hour.BUT, much later that afternoon after I had forgotten about all my timely worries I received this note...     mattwitt1234: dear mrs witt - i love you with all my heart - as far as time manipulation is concerned, i regret to inform you that it is outside my capabilities, but please note that the depth of my love does have the ability to transcend both time and space.

I smiled.  

The Moon and I are not Friends.

This is how the moon makes me feel... 

like a zombie.

While some look forward to the beauty of the perigee moon that will grace this late evenings sky, I do not.  As lovely and bright as it may be I will be hiding under my covers in fear of its powers.  I have already created this monster...

I took this shot in mid argument, one started by the lunar pull of course.  I awoke crabbier than ever, tired, annoyed, ready for a throw down.  My husband's happy tone was met with a scowl and my children's joyful laughs only brought the covers up and over my ears...

this is quite the predicament this day... blech.

The moon and I are NOT friends.

Legion is with me.  He slept in.  He did not peak his head outdoors until after 2:00pm.  He has the bladder power no dog has ever known...  This is him on a pillow on my bed looking like he is afraid of that mean moon too.  This is why he and I are us.

At least the children seemed un-phased by the monster in the sky.  They have had a full day of comic creating, park playing, show watching, hot chocolate drinking day.  Good for them.  

Hopefully I will join you tomorrow kidos.

A performance...

Of course Mr. Witt and I were there an hour early.  Front row seats were a must for the show we had been hearing so much about!  We have had a fluttering butterfly around the house for a month or more anxiously awaiting her opening day. 

Two parents could not be more excited than the pair of us... Dressed in our best and seats taken we engaged in typical conversation.  How tired we really are, what will we do with the children during the summer hours, how will we manage to turn these crazy kids into respectable young adults.  Oh, the pressure.  We laugh and hold hands and I am glad to be there with him...

And then out she came, center stage!  How can I be this lucky this day?  Matt and I have spent many a shows squirming around trying to catch a glimpse of our little ones behind the tall ones.  Not this time and it was awesome! 

Gabrielle's voice in no way resembles mine.  I did not sing to my babies in fear that I would plague them with a lifetime of musical inabilities.  I am glad I made that choice because they both show great promise in the word of music, art, and theater!  They get that from their father.  Matthew's musical grace is one of his best attributes... thank you for passing it on dear one.

proud papa and star!

 

Who puts on such a show as this?  Why it is none other than one of those talented teachers that we all know and love.  The platform you provide for our bright stars is nothing short of priceless.  Thank you Ms. Sally for this treasured day.

director and cast

A Birthday and a Grams!

What is a grams one might ask?  

They are only the greatest gifts on earth.

How do I get one of these you may wonder?

Only the luckiest of lucky get a grams, and I am fortunate enough to get one as sweet as Ms. Jan.

One cannot just have such a thing.  It is not bought or made.  A grams is a carefully-crafted soul filled with kindness, caring and love.  She appears only when a child is born.

We love you grams for all that you are, today on your birthday and everyday so far!

Dearest Jan,

  Remember when you were our teacher and all the littles called you Ms. Grams?  What talent you have with these tiny tots, it is a priceless gift..

You are awesome at supporting our scout and you cook a mean Thanksgiving meal!  You and Papa are always there and so very dear...

Most of my favorite moments with you and the kids; have been the simple times just in your kitchen.

This picture brings such joy to our hearts and we all have you to thank.  

A Grams and a Papa and a house full of love; what a family you did make.

Happy Birthday Grams!!

xoxo

Muchness. Gone.

The sudden disappearance of my muchness  is no reason for concern. I prefer to see it as an opportunity to observe.  Why the sudden onset of puny? 

The universal forecast was dismal on the radio this morning.  A natural event shakes the earth.  It disrupts a day, a year, a lifetime. 

People are suffering.
 It is so far from here.
But I can feel it . 

On days like today it is important to count the blessings...

How fortunate I am to have this amazing life... it is overflowing with goodness and I am thankful.

A day and a night...

Introducing spring Gabi; a new haircut and a rock n' roll outfit....

First up, a trip to Auntie Kylee's salon!  Only a bestie can be trusted to chop these beautiful strands of blonde.  A much needed and very painful brush out was required before a shampooing.  The face says it all...

Gabrielle was all smiles during the big event.  I was slightly nervous and terribly proud; the courage and excitement in which Gabi displayed at the hand of change was admirable.  

A big thank you to Auntie Ky for being apart of this special moment.

Girls Weekend doesn't end there!!  Off to flatbreads to meet Grandma Mindy for so some oh so yummy organic dishes.  To our surprise she had just received a stylish do herself. GM was looking beautiful and sophisticated in her new wares and awesome cut while Gabrielle reminded me of Ramona, a dear character from a favorite childhood read.  Gabi exudes seven year old bliss and the pair together make pure joy...

Now it was time to burn off that root beer and TWO ice cream deserts with an old fashioned pillow fight.  Not to worry, it looks as though Gabi shows no mercy with her skillful blows but Kylee got in a drop kick and it ended in a tie.

Time to cozy up girlies, it is getting late...

 

One cannot resist a quick side trip to our favorite vegetarian restaurant Mint for a fuel up!  Two broccoli bowls please and a to go container for the boys, Thank-you!