The Baby, The Camera, and the Wardrobe

eight months.

I'm more tired than you
As I reach down to tuck you into bed
I've got to find your bear and the tiger
That sleep beside your head
This love that I feel is ferocious as a lion
So brave and so gentle that I almost feel like crying

It's a great big world
It's a great big moon
It's a great big sky
And a great big love for you

Then I tell you a story of a lion who's your best friend
He gets you into trouble but he brings you home safe in the end
Some day all these stories may come to life as true
When a child of your own can wake that lion in you

It's a great big world
It's a great big moon
It's a great big sky
And a great big love for you

(David Wilcox, Pierce Pettis)

"All dogs go to heaven....but Saint Bernards go to hell."

-Grayson

my little arteest

ART CAMP!
This was G's special week-long activity this summer just for him. S went to VBS for his week long activity and G wasn't quite old enough to attend, so this was his special treat. They'll both get to attend soon at a community church with some friends.

As for Art Camp, he loved it! And I love watching him enjoy being creative. His favorite piece was the crab on canvas, but I loved these blossoms!
His canvas is now on display in his room, where he proudly gazes up on it :-)

Get-Away

a few weeks ago we took a get-away trip to chattanooga. we had tons of fun...it's one of the boys'

favorite cities. of course, my animal lovers wanted to hit the aquarium first.

i know it doesn't hurt to have the mighty tennessee running through the middle of your city, but jamie and i again wished our city council could get their act together and learn a thing or two from chattanooga. but that's another post for another day!

on the walking bridge

i love this one of my little men

another hit was coolidge park. they have a super fun water fountain and a beautiful carousel, which the boys rode twice ( and would have many more times had the fountains not been calling)! the boys made sure not to let baby brother feel left out. they would run in and out of the fountains towards him to make him giggle. above is a photo of g running back to make silly faces.

on one of the stone animals that encircle the fountains

m's first carousel ride...he's holding on for dear life!

after that day of fun, we headed up to the bluff view art district (mommy and daddy's pick) where we hit some of our favorite haunts like tony's. we could live on their calamari, wine and bread alone! and then, it was off to rembrandt's for yummy treats!
we highly recommend it if you are planning a trip!

good and good for you

the other day i got stuck in Anthro during a rainstorm. not a bad place to get stuck during a shower, if you ask me. while there i was perusing one of their many interesting cookbooks and one in particular on superfoods. a salmon recipe jumped out at me because i'm always trying to find better fish recipes. i had not yet found one for salmon that i just loved...until now.

this is mostly from memory of what i read and a couple of other things filed away from previous recipes...and it's not exact, sorry! but if you love salmon, try it!

you'll need: 1 lg. lemon, extra virgin olive oil, capers, red pepper flakes, chardonnay, kosher salt and pepper, and of course, salmon.

with a microplane, zest one large lemon into a bowl, then add the juice from that lemon.
after that, whisk in extra virgin olive oil. i really have no idea how much, just did this until it tasted right.
then i added a hearty dash of crushed red pepper flakes and a splash of some Chardonnay we had on hand.

i purchased a large filet of salmon (skin removed) at costco and just cut it into 1-2 inch slices for this. put the salmon in a dish, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, and pour lemon mixture over and let it sit for a while. i maybe let it sit for 10 minutes.

heat an iron skillet over medium high with about 1 T of evoo along with 1-2 T of butter. once the butter is melted, place the salmon in the skillet.
fish cooks extremely fast so watch this closely! i let them hang out on one side about 2-3 minutes, then flipped them, poured in the remaining juices from the marinade along with 1 T. capers and then placed them in a 425 degree oven (still in iron skillet) for about 5 minutes (checking often to make sure not to overcook).

it was divine! i served it w/ Alexia Oven Fries with Olive Oil, Rosemary and Garlic (which conveniently cooked at the same temperature), because they are all natural and quicker than washing and chopping baby reds myself...and a mesclun salad with feta and pecans.

oh and sorry...the photographer forgot to take a picture of the finished product ;(

enjoy!