Crazed

I wanted to breath beach air. I didn't mean to freeze us. Yahoo weather said it was 62 degrees and sunny in Pacifica, but when I got there it was 54 degrees and windy. It was so cold it made my inner ear hurt. Blake ran around like it was summer and even waded in the water until I forced him to sit up in the sand with us. Reade was wrapped in towels and seemed okay playing in the sand right next to our blanket. Hot baths followed once we returned home.

How the heck do they do it? The surfers would jog around in circles to get warm before heading into the surf. One guy even had his dog go out with him. Poor dog and poor kids being forced into a chilly beach day:


I came up with the idea of re-purposing old board shorts into kids beach pants. I thought it would keep them a bit warmer since Northern California beaches aren't always warm:


Reade wearing his pair (a bit too short):


I really did enjoy how quiet the beach was:


Different kind of play:


That fog is so calming:


Taco Bell looked less like a fast food joint and more like a place where I would curl up next to a warm fireplace:


I am still working out the timing where the beach is that happy medium between shivering and sunburn.

Good Behavior

After weekend shenanigans...


it was time to get back to some good behavior.

Smoothies for breakfast:


Andrew's homemade croutons on salad for lunch:


And that simple something to get me through a Monday:

Friday

I didn't want to be bored today. In a selfish way, I didn't want this day to be focused around my kids. My dreams came true.

My friend offered to show me around a Korean market (super fun). Then, another friend was invited to shop along and we got to go out to lunch afterwards and talk about adult things (again, super fun). Here is my loot:


I went to an Open House in our neighborhood and got to see the finished product after a quick remodel by an investor. I hope we get some fun neighbors in there. A realtor sent a flyer around saying that his last listing got 20+ offers on it. Another realtor told me he had 15 on the last house he sold. Everyone is in panic mode to get into houses before the Facebook people drive the prices up even further. This tree is down the street, but I just wanted to showcase how alive the end of winter can be in California:


Ellen had stopped by to have some tea and it turned into an impromptu date night for us. We promised Blake he could watch Star Wars for the first time so why not turn it into a grandparent movie night? Andrew and I had a great dinner together and laughed when we walked by this store on our way to Peet's Coffee. I said, "What is it exactly?" Andrew replied, "I think it is a hipster bike store. Yup, it's a hipster store." Funny:


Full day. Can't say I was bored one bit.

Coousins

Erin and Holly came over for a mid-week slumber party. After dropping Blake off at preschool, we headed to Google for some breakfast. Erin hadn't seen Google yet so we thought we had to initiate her.

Walking around the campus:


Reade crying in the ball pit and Holly being happy:


Where are all the people?


Reade doing his best daddy impersonation:

Creamy

I finally chilled my ice cream bowl so I could make homemade ice cream for the kids. I can't believe how many ice creams contain corn syrup. Vanilla ice cream was my first choice, but Blake vetoed me so chocolate it is. I found a super simple recipe at this great blog (BAKEDBREE.COM).

I loved the fact I got to use my fancy cocoa from Penzeys Spices:


The kids feeling how cold the KitchenAid ice cream attachment gets after being chilled in the freezer for days:


You just add all ingredients together and pour into the mixer. Twenty minutes later you have ice cream:


I forgot the vanilla extract, but it still tasted good:


The kids didn't even notice my mistake:


*Andrew says the ice cream is too cocoa-y. I don't care since I don't eat chocolate ice cream!

Cheese

I gave Andrew tickets to a cheese making class at Sur la table for Valentine's Day. We made ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. The ricotta was made into an ice cream with chocolate shavings and sugared orange peel (yum!). It was a fun class with tons of people and lots of kitchen chaos.

Us at our station:


One of our team members stirring the mozzarella:


Andrew putting the cheese into the strainer to separate the curds and whey:


Time to heat up the cheese so we can stretch it into the mozzarella balls we see in the store:


Our ricotta and personal mozzarella cheese balls to take home:


Andrew's sister was in town and Papa David was such a great sport for watching all the cousins while we cooked and Ellen and Sandy hit up two farmer's markets. Super Grandpa!

What a gang:

Saturday

I am trying to remedy some of the empty, muddy spots in the backyard with seeds that will someday become plants. It is a lot to ask of a packet of seeds. First, they have to survive the birds. Next, they have to survive the kids. Lastly, they have to get reliable water from a certain somebody. Tall orders.

Buying soil:


Andrew just pulled out two loaves of sourdough bread that he made from his starter. I loved walking by the back door and smelling those loaves baking only to be stunned by the smell of chicken manure in the front courtyard when I rounded the corner. Pregnancy nose can be a blessing and a curse:


I need to dig deep within myself to find the energy to dig deep and plant these suckers: