
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Garden Totems

Kathy's gardens are beautiful and these totems are a perfect extension of the beautiful blooms that brighten up the neighborhood every spring, summer and fall.

Steve's Fathers Day Sanctuary


For Father's Day, the kids and I unveiled our meditation garden as our gift to Steve. The bricks were left over from the patio that was torn out to build the 3-season room. Before laying the brick we had to clear the space (do you see those thick plant like vines in the background...) we layed plastic, I wheel barrowed load after load of the bricks to the site and Jake and Shaye created their design. We ordered the hammock chair from Hammocks.com and we purchased the Buddha from Target.
Steve loves it and it expanded our usable backyard space to include much appreciated relaxation options.
Friday, May 8, 2009
All Things Spring





The BIG 13! birthday party came later in the week. A 12 girl sleepover with chocolate fondue.
The new 3 season room was a perfect place for all the girls to hang out. Being spring break week we had lots of time to set up.

Jake's birthday was 2 days later, tax day! And, that's Leslie's mom's birthday too! Leslie, you are soooo good at keeping up with your blog. I love it!! And, as much as it may not seem so, since I am so bad at keeping up with mine, YOU INSPIRE ME! To the Patty's of the world, I am sorry I am so sloooow.



And then there was me. I had the worst allergy attack of my life and spent our whole vacation week congested and sort of miserable. But, nothing tops the love of my family and the joy I receive from them so it was a good week nonetheless.
We are in the final weeks of school and now looking forward to the summer. Can't wait to see everyone. We love you.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Eating Well and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Barbara Kingslover is one of my favorite authors so I naturally picked up her last book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - A Year of Food Life, eager to read. To my surprise, her story is part memoir about how she and her family make a promise to only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it.
As I read, I sometimes felt this premise seemed plausible but at other times, absolutely ridiculous. I did actually wonder living a life where our family could pre-pare (i.e. store, freeze, can, preserve) in season fruits and vegetables to eat in the deep freeze of winter.
While I did imagine this feat as doable, I also was drawn back to reality by the simple fact that preparing food for my family sometimes seems next to impossible. Jake still verges on not wanting any of his foods to touch on his plate, Shaye hates Chicken, a staple in any household, and Steve would simply love to eat take out if he had his choice. Myself, well, I have the fantasy of eating well but coming home after a long day on my feet, making a turkey and cheese sandwich on toasted rolls is a feature menu items for us. But I try. I love to make new seasonal recipes from Bon Appetit, my favorite magazine. I try to make dishes on the weekend that can take me into the week...Spinach Quiche, soup - I recently made a great Creamy Tomato, last night, to my surprise, a Stir-fry Steve and Shaye loved - Jake was at a Student Council Meeting -he would not have liked it.
So, I fall back on family favorites often and am grateful the food store is around the corner to offer a world of variety any season of the year. Here is one of our favorite family recipes filled with some nutritional extras the kids know I sneak in but don't seem to mind. If you make them for your family, I think they will enjoy them as much as ours.
Bon Appetit!
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins - A Northern Alviene Favorite.
1 stick butter - room temperature
3/4 cup sugar - I use raw cane sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of flour - I use whole wheat white
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas
1/2 cup yogurt-sometimes I'll use probiotic keifer
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/2 chocolate chips
Pre-heat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs (in a stand mixer if you have). In separate bowl sift dry ingredients. Mash banana is separate cup, add yogurt. Add dry ingredients with butter mixture till just mixed, add bananas/yogurt, vanilla and nuts and chocolate chips. Blend just slightly, add nuts. Spoon into lined muffin tins. Bake approx. 35 mins.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Jake's Wrestling Season Ends


While I did not like that he didn't eat the morning of a weigh in, we packed him bagels, peanut butter, and powerade to eat right after he weighted in at 7:30 a.m. He began taking a multi-vitamin and nutritional soy drinks and he grew into a serious athlete. Jake ended the season at his last meet with a pin in the next weight class above his original weight! I proudly watched him at the edge of the mat and got pictures to share. Wrestling is a very rigorous sport but it taught Jake mental and physical discipline that I believe will serve him his life time. And, while I wasn't the fan of wrestling at the beginning, I now would like him to continue next year because of the benefits it brought him. Steve and I couldn't be more proud of his sense of self and the strength he possesses as a person.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Mid-Winter Recess

We started the week last Saturday, Valentine's Day with a performance at Proctor's Theater - a gem of an old theater that
generally draws Broadway plays - to see "The Five Browns." A family of 5, twenty-something siblings-playing 5 grand pianos, all trained at Julliard with incredible talent. We hoped it would inspire our novice two with their own piano playing.
Then on Sunday, Shaye and I went to my sister Sandy's house and spent our first day in NYC exploring SOHO with all its cool shops, street vendors and artists. Monday, Shaye and I went back to IKEA and added some pieces to the kids newly staged rooms with Ryan who then came home with us for two days (Ryan was off from school but Sandy was not). Tuesday we had lunch out and explored a new children's museum - for Ryan's sake. Wednesday we went to Hyde Park (about an hour south of us) to see the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and a tour of his home and then we went to the Culinary Institute of America for lunch. The campus was beautiful. Lunch was in the cafe/bakery. We had delicious soups, sandwiches and baked goods that truly were out of this world! In the same building as the cafe, you can walk around to see students through large windows preparing foods in various kitchens, lecture classes - (this one on Herbs) - and where the fine dinning restaurants are for hopefully a future visit. Thursday, I took the kids with one friend each snowboarding for the twilight ski that starts at 3pm. I like this time because the lift ticket is less expensive and I can still do things around the house before sitting in the lodge for up to 6 hours. But, I do make good use of the time when I am there and found a spot by the large fire place and did all my school planning for next week. Friday, a quiet day at home. Saturday we went to the New York in Bloom Flower Show at the NYS Museum which did bring the feeling of spring in the air.
Tomorrow we are back to school and our full routine. Our next break from school is April 13-17, the kids birthday week and I'm hoping we might be able to take a trip to North Florida for some location scouting... just out of curiosity and a visit with the Florida half of our family.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
What A Winter Its Been



We have had more snow this winter than any I can remember! My last posting told of all our snow days from school before Christmas. The week we went back to school after Christmas, we had 2 more snow days in the same week. Last week we had yet another snow day and yes, that means, OFF from school!! And then, that Ol' Ground Hog predicts another 6 WEEKS of WINTER!!!! We've been buried. BUT - THERE IS HOPE!
Jake told me this morning that everyday another minute is added to our day light time. We are just beginning to see Spring around the corner. But I won't jinx that since its a mere 4 degrees this morning.
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