A Little Mold On A Sunny Day (Day 4)

Shouldn't more be happening?  The only thing in here that isn't organic is the bread (white bread- hot dog bun).

A Little Mold on a Sunny Day (day 1)

Today we attended the Young Author's Book Faire, where Lila Holler received a first place award for the book of poetry that she submitted to the contest.  At the Faire they had a Scholastic Book sale.  Bunny, in true form, bought a booked called Gross Science by Paul Beck.

This book is full of creepy, crawly, stomach turning experiments like creating a bacteria farm, balloons of stink, garbage smoothies, fake snot,  maggot roundups, slimy putty and a worm ranch!

It's pretty nasty.

We've only been home for a few minutes and Bunny is already pleading to make some stinky stuff.  Some things require a trip to the grocery store, but fortunately we have many of the ingredients that it takes to create several of the projects in our kitchen.  And oddly, I have never thought of them as projects, so much as things to avoid because they could likely poison us all.

But, that's just me...

Today, much to the delight of my 9 year old daughter, we grow mold!

Bunny filled a mason jar with strawberries, cheese, bread and lettuce.  Now we will take picture of it each day for two weeks, or until the whole entire thing is full of green and blue fuzz!

And lucky you, I'll be taking a picture every day so that you can see our progress!  :)

You're welcome.

If you are looking for THE BEST Halloween treat, I suggest mixing equal parts of candy corn, lightly salted peanuts and raisins.  

It's like, an explosion of unworldly deliciousness inside your mouth.  

MMmmmm... it's just so good.

I wish that I could pull it together to blog more lately.  I've just been really scattered and am having trouble bringing it back to center.

I've been having a lot of fun and I've been very active lately, but there have been too many schedule crazy days and not enough couch potato days for my tastes.  It's been company and friends and back to back parties.  I just haven't spent enough time in the kitchen, making fall stew and fresh bread.  In part, I think it's because the weather hasn't changed yet here.  Today it will be 102 degrees.  I long for those cool fall days...  I mean, I love California, but I do miss the way the trees change color and how nice it is to wear sweaters and jeans.  

I guess that it's probably good that I feel this way because it looks like we're moving to Dublin, Ireland after the school year ends.  I don't think that I've mentioned that in this blog before.  The possibility rose last April and for awhile it was only a possibility... just some talking.  But recently it's become something that is going to happen. It will only be for a year or two and when we come back to California, we hope to settle down, by a home, and stop moving.  I'm very excited to have the opportunity to live in Ireland for a bit and the kids are as well.  Jay, of course, is too.  The catch is that we are not going to bring our pets.  We are hoping to find people to watch them for the time when we are gone, and pay for them to be boarded there.  As we've been talking about going, the one thing that has made me feel a lot of anxiety have been the pets.  First, Sherbert can not fly, but my friend Siet has so sweetly agreed to let him live on her farm.  As for the others, the flight to Ireland is 13 hours and 50 minutes from San Francisco.  Both of my dogs are too big to ride up top and would have to be in the cargo hold. Once you add up the time that they'd get to the airport, be in flight and get through customs, they could be in their carriers for 20 hours.  This is too much.  and to have to do it 2 times in a couple of years... I think that everyone would be happier and safer staying in the states.  I love my pets and I don't feel comfortable risking their lives.  Sidney has seizures when she is very stressed and the thought of putting her through that makes me feel sick.  I know that leaving them behind is the right decision.  Though it breaks my heart to think of being separated from Sidney and I expect to have some very tearful days and nights because of it, I know that keeping her here is what is best and healthiest for her.  So, that's what I'm going to do.  

This week marks the beginning of pie season in our house.  Pie night will happen once a week (Friday night) until  Thanksgiving.  This week our friends Donna and Max are coming over to kick it off!  It's going to be a pie inspired evening and we're going to make savory pies and sweet pies... plus tons of sides!  I am really looking forward to it.  Pie night has been a really important tradition in our family, as important as Christmas and birthdays, as far as the kids are concerned.  It means a full day in the kitchen... tons of cooking and friends and celebrating.  It's the kickoff to our holiday season, I guess.  We usually pair it with the beginning of the show It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, though this year we are starting a week before it premiers.  

Things are still going really well in the gym.  I feel like I should be grateful to some sort of higher power for giving me the gift of learning to love working out.  I have never liked to spend my time in a gym before, but now it's as comfortable for me as getting a good night of sleep is.  When I don't go, my body feels kind of off and really gross.  When I do go, I relax, sleep better, feel good and am happier.  It's the best feeling.  At 36 years old, I am healthier than I have ever been.  

On that note, I am pretty excited to say that I am thinking about going back to school.  I found an 18 month program for nutrition and am considering becoming a nutrition consultant.  I have always been somewhat obsessed with food.  It's so fascinating to me.  The more I learn about nutrition, the more I want to learn.  I can't get enough. I'm most interested in eating to treat/prevent illness and "food is medicine" is like doctrine to me. I'd really love to work in a holistic doctors office or with a midwife in order to help others eat for their bodies and optimal health.  I believe that I have found my calling.  It sure did take me awhile, but better late than never, I suppose!  

Day 4 of my raw vegan cleanse

It's been a stressful couple of days, but I've stuck to my cleanse.

I'm four days into the raw vegan diet and have conflicted feelings.  I'm dropping weight like crazy even though I'm carefully tracking my calories and nutrients.  The only nutrient that I seem to consistently be at a deficit with is protein.  I've read that a lot of research shows that humans need far less protein than we consume, so I'm not sweating it.  I find it incredibly interesting that though I'm eating the exact same amount of calories, I'm losing weight very quickly now.  I'm 6 pounds away from the original goal that I set for myself.  My BMI is back within a healthy range.  I can fit into clothes that I never thought I'd be able to get over my knees again.  Of course, this didn't happen by losing just 4 lbs, but losing so much, so quickly is always noticeable.

I do not notice a difference in my energy level.  I've been working out 6 days a week- doing anywhere from 40-60 minutes of cardio a day and following up with weight resistance training when I have the time to.  With the holiday weekend I've had to work with Jay's schedule and have had limited time.  Usually I go while the kids are in school and I have all the time in the world.  It's probably too soon to see a noticeable difference in my energy level, but I have always been under the impression that it's immediate.  It's also possible that my energy level is being effected by my non-caffeinated state.

I've been pretty creative about the food that I prepare for myself, but if I'm being honest, I MISS COOKED FOOD.  I do think that I could be a happy vegan and will likely continue to eat a mostly plant based diet, but I really miss eating warm food.

I will definitely continue with this cleanse.  I'm excited to see how I feel at the end of it.  At the moment, I'm not too impressed though.  Outside of my crazy weight loss, I just don't feel much different and though I like everything that I'm eating, I wish that I could just eat a big hunk of vegetable lasagna or a bowl of steamed broccoli or a warm apple crisp.

Some of my complaints are growing pains.  The food that I'm making is unfamiliar and the preparation of it is time consuming.  For the most part I eat raw fruits and veggie during the day and then mix myself up a fancy dinner.

Last night I made raw spring rolls and I have to admit that they were just delicious!

Here's how you make the guts

1/2 head cabbage

1/4 head red cabbage

3 cloves garlic

1 medium sweet potato

1/4 up apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp raw tahini 

Put it all in a food processor and shred it to bits and pieces.  Wrap it in romaine lettuce leafs and serve with a side of stacked onion, tomato and avocado.  

Tonight, I made a raw gazpacho and am dicing avocado and onion to put inside.  Avocado has been a life saver for me.  It's filling and satisfying and nutrient dense.  And I love it, which is a bonus.  

Weekend Recipe

Try this easy, vegan smoothie recipe to start your weekend off right!  Bunny loves hers.

1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup blueberries
5 nice, big, plump, ripe strawberries
2 tbsp agave nectar

Toss them in your food processor and viola!

It's a whole meal.

First Day On a Raw Diet!

Today was a big success.

I suffered terribly from caffeine withdrawal yesterday and wound up with my head on the pillow by 6pm.  Luckily, I woke up feeling incredibly refreshed, and though I'm not 100% better, I am feeling wonderful in comparison to the way I felt yesterday.  Actually, I did 60 minutes of cardio at the gym this morning, which is my personal best.  In the past 5 days I've done 250 minutes and had resistance training 3 times.  Tonight, my head is still a little funky, but I hope to be back to myself by tomorrow.

I was shocked when I woke up this morning and ALREADY felt as though I had a few cups of coffee.  I just felt... awake.  Right away.  I didn't need an hour to a few minutes to wake up.  Is this what I've been missing for all these years?

I wanted to show a sample to my diet for the day, since I know that going raw can be a little bit scary and people often think of raw food as just salad.

My breakfast for the past few days has been a raw foods shake that my friend Amber gave me.

It's totally delicious and contains awesome stuff like hemp seed, gojiberry and flaxseed.  It's sweetened with Stevia.

I mix it with water instead of almond milk to keep the calories down.  One scoop has 90 calories, which is just about what I consumed in coffee each morning... so it evens out.

I had to eat lunch on the go, in the car.  Today was a huge errand day for us, so there wasn't time to make a proper lunch at home.

While doing our Whole Foods shopping, I picked up a banana, an apple and this raw pecan butter, which was more delicious than I can possibly explain in human words.

The pecan butter is really filling and it turned a mid-day snack into a satisfying meal that kept me happy until about 3pm, when I ate another banana.

For my dinner, I got creative.

I've been studying different raw foods recipes for the past few weeks and I think that I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.

Tonight I made a macadamia nut pesto using macadamia nuts, basil, garlic, EVOO, lemon juice, raw tahini and sea salt.

I tossed this pesto into raw kelp noodles, spinach leaves, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and served a side of raw, unmarinated, spicy sauerkraut.

This dinner was pretty good and very filling.  I thought that I might have a few grapes for dessert, but didn't have room for them.

Hunger was my main concern while starting this cleanse, but I really am not hungry at all.  The nuts and seeds that I added to my diet made it easy to get the fat, calories and protein that I needed to have a healthy day and they really filled me up!

I wasn't sure how this would go... but I think I'm going to be able to make it through two weeks.

Raw Food Cleanse

I am going to do something crazy.

From September 1st through September 15th I'm going on a raw food cleanse.

I've always been interested in eating raw, but I've never given it a shot.  I hear that people feel great when they do it.  I would like to give my body a break from caffeine, alcohol, processed food and animal products.  I do not see this as being a diet that would be something I'd commit to as a way of life, but I am interested in seeing how I feel on it.

One thing that has always prevented me from becoming totally raw is my addiction to coffee.  I am gripped by a nearly disabling anxiety when I think of going without my morning coffee.  Caffeine certainly has me by the ovaries, that's for sure.  So, today I cut back to just one cup of coffee and I'll continue to have one cup per day until August 29th.  On August 29th I'll give it up completely and on September 1st I'll go raw for two weeks.

Most people commit to a one month cleanse, but Jay and I are going into San Francisco to see his buddy play with Sondre Lerche and I'd like to be able to toss a few back that night.   Also, I think that two weeks will be enough time for me to feel the difference.

The last time I did a vegan 28 day challenge I ended up feeling pretty craptastic.  I was just sluggish and exhausted and struggled to feel full.  This time I'm going to incorporate more nuts and I was thrilled to read that pesto is A-OK on a raw foods diet.  I'll be eating way more than carrot sticks and celery.  And though I'm not going to go so crazy as to invest in a dehydrator, I might just grab a nice blender to make a smoothie to start my day!

I found this really great article that talks about the benefits of doing the type of cleanse that I'm planning to do.  I have a good feeling that this is really going to help me!

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

I am always trying to create alternatives to casein laden foods so that Bunny can enjoy some creamy, cheesy, delicious eats.  A few years back my friend Mathew taught me to make a mac and cheese casserole and today I modified his basic recipe in an effort to make it Bunny-friendly.  

It was so incredibly delicious that I wanted to share it.  Everyone LOVED it.  I topped it with a sprinkle of the focaccia breadcrumbs that I made yesterday.  The breadcrumbs just gave this casserole a little bit of crunch that was texturally nice!  My girls devoured it.  I have actually never seen Bunny eat so much.  I think that this would be really great with asparagus mixed in, but Bunny and Lila weren't feeling it tonight.

Here's what you need:

1 box elbow pasta- cooked el dente 

1/2 cup flour

3 tbsp earth's balance

4 cups veggie stock (I like better than bouillon veg base but you can use whatever you want)

1 cup almond milk

1 container  of vegan cream cheese

1/2 bag daiya cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup corn starch whisked with water (add if you need to thicken the cheese sauce).

Seasoned breadcrumbs 

Here's what you do:

Make a roux by whisking the flour and the earth's balance.

Add veggie stock and milk and mix over medium/high heat, whisking constantly.

Add cream cheese and daiya cheese, whisk until mixed fully

Add Salt and Pepper

If your cheese mixture is a little bit runny, add a bit of cornstarch that has been dissolved in cold water and whisk it on high heat until you've achieved the desired thickness.

Use a glass casserole dish and pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni noodles.  Top with seasoned breadcrumbs.  

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes!  

My girls were crazy for this!!!!!!  

Cooking for Dogs

I cook for everyone else in my family, why not add Groovy-James and Sidney Holler?

The dogs have been eating Fresh Pet Select dog food on top of a bit of natural kibble.  I like that their food seems "real" and not like a bunch of byproducts and fillers.  So, why not take it to the next level and start making them their food?

I've been reading up on it and as it turns out, Groovy-James and Sidney can have a similar diet to mine.  Other than not being able to tolerate spices and having to keep it bland, they'll be able to stay strong and healthy when eating plain white rice, peas, carrots and unseasoned, baked chicken.  So, that's what I have made them.  I will keep reading and accumulating recipes in an effort to change things up for them from time to time.

And they love it!

I think that I'll still add the kibble to their food to give it a little bit of crunch!  But they seem very happy with their homemade dog food!

I heart jars

I started my day with about a million ripe tomatoes.  Now, I love tomatoes, but I can only eat so many.  I've been reading all about canning and picked up a bunch of jars at the grocery store.  After jarring my tomatoes I felt positively inspired.  Yesterday I made my family a loaf of focaccia bread to go with their dinner.  I decided to use the leftover bread to make breadcrumbs.  We are having friends over for dinner on Friday night and I'm looking forward to using my focaccia bread crumbs then!  Also, I have been reading a lot about infusing olive oil with other flavors, specifically lavender.  So, I used one of my new jars to make a batch of lavender EVOO.  I can't wait to drizzle it over roasted red potatoes with a bit of fresh rosemary.  YUM!

Check it out!  I feel so proud.  And just think, in only a few short weeks pie season will begin.

Vacation Photo of the Day #12

What a nice day.

My mom's trainer came over and my dad made a huge lunch/dinner.

But first I went to the gym and did a 20 minute run on the treadmill using an incline of 4.0 and pushing it up to 6.0 for my last few minutes.  Then I got onto the elliptical.  I skipped weights because I was just spent at the end of my cardio.   I'm going to join a 24 Hour Fitness when I go back to California.  There's one that is pretty close to my house and it doesn't seem too pricey.  I'm going to pop in and see if they have any good membership deals going on.

Here are a few pictures from the day!

screenshot from the treadmill

 Me!  Very gross and sweaty after working out.  It's satisfying to me to see myself so red in the face.

And now for the food!

 Peppers stuffed with onion and yellow squash

 Appetizers

 Homemade Calamari

Vacation Photo of the Day Update #10

What an excellent day.

I was really dreading meeting with my mom's trainer today but it ended up being a great experience.  I went into the gym at 11 and worked out with the weights for a half an hour.  Then, I met with the trainer for another hour and a half and she helped me correct a few of the things that I've been doing.

I am considering joining a gym when I go home.  I've just really been enjoying going each day.  A couple of days ago I knew that I had to go and I didn't really want to.  I was just feeling emotional and the girls were being wild and I felt frazzled.  I just didn't feel that I had the energy.  I pushed myself to go and ended up having a great work out and feeling so much better mentally and emotionally when I left.

Recently, my friend Laura said that she wishes she'd be a stress-work-outer instead of a stress-eater.  I have to wonder if a person can turn into this.  When I'm at the gym I do feel as though I am doing something that is all mine.  It's one little chunk of the day that I have and am devoting to myself.  Oddly, when I was a smoker I used to feel similarly about cigarettes.  What a strange comparison.

Tonight my Dad took the girls out for shopping, manicures and dinner at P.F Chengs.  My mom and I ended up at a restaurant in Naples for a girls night.  It's called Sea Salt and we had such a great dinner.  For our appetizer we had a cold plate of raw oysters, shrimp and lump crab meat.  Then we split a beet, hazelnut, arugula and goat cheese salad.  I had ahi tuna with seaweed salad as my main course and it was DELICIOUS.

Check out this ahi tuna.

Also, as a side note, though I appear particularly orange in that picture with my mom, I'd like to state for the record that no artificial tanners or tanning bed lights have touched my body.  The pumpkinesque nature of my appearance remains a mystery.

Vacation Photos Day 3

It was a great day!  Bunny and I slept till 11 (which is 8 our time) and we're surely going to pay for it when we are up until the wee hours tonight!

After waking up we all headed out to the gym with my mom.  I got in a nice run on the treadmill and a bit of weight training while the girls met with a personal trainer.

After our workout we had some lunch!

 And then we headed back to the resort for a little swimming.  As luck would have it, no sooner had we put on our swimsuits and headed to the pool, the sky opened up and began pooring on us.  But that didn't stop Lila.

Here she is, dancing in the rain!

 The nice thing about swimming in the rain is that you get the pool to yourself!

When we came home we had an excellent dinner!  

Grilled tuna, steamed asparagus and yellow squash.  Yum!

Review Teaser: The Market Vegan

On August 8th The Rocky Holler Picture Show will be holding a giveaway and reviewing a new, vegan cookbook called The Market Vegan by Laura Gesin.

My review will be comprised of three parts:

1.) Organization

2.) Creativity

3) Recipe ease and user friendliness

In the meantime, I'll be on vacation in Naples, Florida with my children (visiting my parents) and trying different recipes from the book, taking lots of pictures and getting honest eater feedback from my family.  My family, except my father, who might actually be allergic to foods that do not contain massive amounts of animal products and/or HFCS (with the exception of peas.  I think that he DOES he peas).

These are the recipes that I'm going to make!  Mom, if you're reading this, prepare your pallet. 

For my appetizer, I chose stuffed mushrooms, which are something that I grew up eating and love.  They are my go-to for holidays and I'm always looking for a recipe that beats the one I have.  Store bought stuffed mushrooms can be pretty dodgy, so I'm hoping that this recipe is good.

There are a few soup recipes in The Market Vegan cookbook, and they all looked tasty.  I decided to try out the potato leek soup because it seemed like something that both my children and parents would eat (again, when I say "parents" I do not mean my dad.)  When I skimmed the recipe I noticed that it seemed "lighter" than most potato leek soups, which can be rather dense.  I'm interested to see what it tastes like.

I considered making two main course dishes that would compliment each other, but have decided to try a couple of contrasting recipes.

First, I'm going to make the vegan chili (just because it sounds so dang good) and then I'm going to try the eggplant and italian bread lasagna.  This will likely be the toughest for me to review.  I happen to make my own eggplant lasagna and really pride myself on how delicious it is.  It's something that my children love and is a favorite in my home, so I've set the bar pretty high.  If my family likes this, it will be more meaningful than some of the other recipes that I'm dabbling in (like chili) but have never made before.  I'm excited to try a new recipe (which is much different than mine) and to see if I'll be replacing my tried and true eggplant lasagna.

But, friends, because of the way that I am wired, the course that I am the most excited to make and review is DESSERT!  I will be making a peanut butter pie with vegan whipped cream!  This recipe is unlike anything that I have ever seen and, I believe, has the potential to be AMAZING!  I really hope that it is, because there is little that I love more than peanut butter in my dessert foods.  Holy smokes.  I CAN. NOT.  WAIT!!!!

And, of course, we'll need something to wash down all of these (projected) delicious treats.  You all know that Sangria is my favorite thing, right!  Well, there's a fancy vegan white sangria recipe in The Market Vegan and I'm looking forward to sitting by the pool and sipping a glass of it with my mom!

I leave for Florida on July 28th and will be back on August 15th.  I will definitely have a post up on August 8th that reviews The Market Vegan. I look forward to making all of these recipes and giving you an honest review of them.

If you like what you see and would like to be entered into the giveaway and become eligible to win a copy of The Market Vegan, please leave a comment stating the recipe that you are the most interesting in reading a review of.   You can leave a comment on this post and/or my August 8th post.  You can enter  more than once.  Each comment counts as an entry.  I will choose a winner when I return from vacation on August 15th.  

Camping in the Redwood Groves

 Jay and I have hired one of the older kids from our girls' school to babysit for us tonight.  She was Lila's first grade buddy and was on Bun's track team, so both of the kids are comfortable with her.  While I was arranging the night with her mom, her mom mentioned that they are big campers and have camped all over CA but always go back to a campground up north called Hendy Woods State Park.

Jay and I, being the  newly crowned spontaneous adventurers that we are, decided to head up there on one of his days off.

So on Thursday morning we set out on the three hour drive, up past the wineries and vineyards and into the mountains.  The only downside to Hendy is that in order to get there you have to drive on the windiest roads that I have ever encountered (and I grew up in Colorado).  I mean, they are, carsick, pukefest windy... and you have to be on them for over an hour.   I'm not going to lie.  It was rough...  Scenically beautiful, but rough.  Even Groovy James puked in his carrier.

Once we got there we at lunch and settled into the cabin that we rented.  Last week we froze while camping in Santa Cruz, so this week we opted for a cabin with a little wood burning stove.  It's funny, because as far as luxury camping is concerned, this site is WAY more rustic than the KOA, and yet our experience was so much nicer.

One thing that I love about these cabins (and I would NEVER have rented one otherwise) is that the bunk beds do not have mattresses or bedding.  They are just platforms.  So you bring your own air mattresses and bedding and use that.  Anyone who reads my blog knows how scared I am of bedbugs, so I can not imagine being able to sleep on a mattress that I didn't bring from home.  The very thought is making me feel itchy.

This is the little stove.  We only put two or three logs in it and it really got this little cabin warmed up at night.

It also has a little table and chairs.  There's a picnic table outside where we ate our meals, but I can imagine that this table and chairs would come in handy during the rainy season.

 The actual campsite felt like we were deep in Little Red Riding Hood's forest.  This is the kind of camping that I love. We could drive our car up to the site and have all of the comforts of home, and yet still feel like we were experiencing nature.

The Santa Cruz KOA sort of felt like we were 20 years old and camping at a music festival.  A good time, but not necessarily what I love the most when I camp.

These are pictures from around the site.  There were very, very few other people camping and while hiking we only saw two other people.  We had the feeling of having this park practically to ourselves.  There were a few tents and a few campers, but I don't think that any of the other 3 cabins were occupied.

It only cost $10 more to rent a cabin, so think it was completely worth it.

After setting up and exploring our campgrounds, we set out on a hike.  Our mission was to find water.  The girls put on their swimsuits and grabbed some towels and bottles of water, and we set out.

Unfortunately the dogs were not allowed on these trails with us.  I can see why.  There are all sorts of creatures that I imagine would stay far from humans but might feel differently about a leashed dog.  We put the dogs in their carriers and secured them in the cabin.  I felt bad about it... but it was for their own safety.

 The Redwoods are just breathtaking.  I happen to really like trees as it is... but these trees are incredible.

Somewhere in this park, there is a huge redwood trunk that a man lived in for a long stretch of time.  They call him the Hendy Hermit.  The next time we camp here it will be my goal to find it.  Our trip was so short this time (after all, we had to be home for our big date tonight) that we could only have one goal... and it was to find a river to play in.

But along the trail, there was a lot of playing to be done.

Finally, after hiking for about 2 hours, we made it!

And we were all wading around and splashing, feeling at one with nature when Bunny kicked over a piece of drift wood and a dead rat came floating out and heading down stream.

And then I freaked out and ordered everyone out of the water.

Yes, I know it's nature.  I am sure that there are lots of dead things in every stream...

But...

it couldn't have been any more nasty.

The image will be forever branded on my brain.

 This is a picture of Bunny going on and on about the discovery of the rat.  She would later tell us that seeing it had been the highlight of her trip.

 I had to take a picture of this tree.  I don't know why there's not a trail to it called, "Phallic Tree Trail" or something.

When we got back to our cabin I put out appetizers and started to cook.

We put out hummus and veggies, mexican 7 layer dip and chips and I got started on dinner.

For dinner I made baked potatoes, chicken breasts and salad.

I totally love camp-cooking on my little grill and eating outside.  While our kids munch on veggies, Jay starts a fire and I pour a glass of wine.

I think that I love creating home spaces when we are not at home.

 After dinner we took the dogs for a walk around the campgrounds.

The girls played and climbed on everything!

And we came back and roasted marshmallows.

 We are doing some serious roughing it.  That's our portable dvd player.  Bunny and Lila are chilling out in bed, watching icarly.

When it got chilly we started a little fire in the stove.

And Jay and I stayed up till the wee hours, sitting by the fire, talking.

In the morning we got up and I made breakfast burritos.  Then we started packing up and headed out with the dogs on a hike before starting the long trek home.  

Even though Groovy-James got sick in the car, I really think that the dogs both love coming on these adventures with us.  Also, I think that it's been great for Groovy, who tends to be very standoffish with strangers.  They are both very well behaved while we are away and when we get home they are always exhausted.  

Both of them laid like this on my lap, lifelessly, for ages last night.

This was a wonderful camping trip.  I can see how someone could really make Hendy Woods a home away from home.  I can't wait to return.  But the next time we go it will really need to be for longer than one night.  It's too long a drive and there are too many things to see and do there to spend that much time in the car.  

I am thinking of taking the kids back there in September for a few nights!