PDX+Local Chocolate=Moon "Stroke"

Maxx calls it Moon "Stroke".  
I have never corrected him 'cuz I think it fits... way better.
We sell these little overloads at work on a teeny tiny... teeny tiny scale...so I took Maxx to investigate and experience this proud local chocolate in its fullness.  

Holy chocolate cows!!!

How do you choose?

Strawberry!!!! Maxx's favorite dessert is chocolate covered strawberries...so a strawberry chocolate clown fish truffle...EASY!

...and a chocolate float to share.

Now, chocolate threw a straw with bubbles is just insane!!!!

...nada left.  :)  

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember...Amanda

One Small Change for March

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown

For our first One Small Change and in March, we are going to cook with whole foods and work on eating more seasonal and local produce for the month. I am so inspired by the others who have joined in and are making their small changes along with my friends and peers who teach and inspire me daily. Personally I have been making changes over time, but never dedicated a month to making that change, publicly posting it and having a follow up. (Thanks Cindy for the link!)

As a working mother, I find it easy to grab a frozen pizza and a salad kit on a hectic day...make macaroni and cheese from a box, vege bouillon cubes, and my favorite quick food is boxed (bagged) cereal for breakfast. I am not saying this may not happen, but I am aiming for it to be far less. In time with practice, the right tools and being comfortable I am aiming for "once in a blue moon", to quote Maxx.

This month will be about purging out the processed and welcoming in beautiful grains, legumes, local seasonal fruit and vegetables. This is going be about new habits and taking time to plan on my part, then working the plan.

I am reading the cookbook Feeding The Whole Family Cooking with Whole Foods (Thank you Lisa for bringing it in.)

I have a strong sense of cooking and a culinary degree, so it may seem to those who know me well... this book is very basic and simple. *smile* ...My goal. Living more simple and bringing wholeness and connection onto our table for our soul, our health, and yearly rhythm of the seasons. I also feel blessed and lucky to have a child that does not have food allergies and just follows me to the next culinary adventure. I want to lead, teach, and take advantage by nourishing him, so he, and his, may be able to enjoy the beauty in so many different foods also. My maternal instinct says cut out the processed and factory foods. We have been eating natural and organic foods for some time now, so this just seems like the natural progression and the right thing.

Another great thing about this book for me personally... is the handy dandy appendix meal planner...and recipes to help give just the jump start I need. Working through the recipes I will gain the knowledge and wisdom I need through this journey of change.

We have already incorporated and tested some of the recipes, so I have a little head start...little did I know about this blog that is inspiring so many out there to make one small change. *glass up* To March and to your One Small Change.

Autumn Harvest Festival

Our harvest festival this year was at a beautiful persimmon orchard on some beautiful land. 10/16/2009

Fresh air, open space, play, itchy hay, buzzing bees, crazy red ants, dirt roads, hay ride, story and a little history, picnic, harvesting our own persimmons, swirly tire swings, dressing scare crows, yummy picnic with schoolmates and new friends, father sun's beaming rays, sun burn, beautiful trees, wonder, games, local pumpkins, natural fun!









A perfect autumn celebration!

Black Berry Pickers

Today Maxx, Kurt and I ventured to a little bit of the country to pick black berries. Oh what a treat it was.
Maxx took this picture...
There was a magical house elf or fairy? They were not home while we were in the patch.
Look at this lushness!!! Deep breath. Fresh. Clean. Beauty. A dream.





Yummmm!
Oh and when we got out of our car we heard a rooster...Maxx, "They have CHICKENS!?! Was that a rooster?" Feeding the chickens was a winner. Now we want some chickens.


Some of our loot.
Texas heat...whew! Maxx found a fan. "I really need to cool down!"



A scorcher. A great day.
Thanks for joining us Dad!

A Quill of a Day!!

Today, Maxx had a rough morning due to our perfect rhythm being... well, "rocked".
The C.T.A. was on top of there game and the trains and buses were running smooth today.
Too smooth!

We ended up at school 20 minutes early and Maxx had some time to play with his new friends, free style. It was a beautiful morning and we had fun watching him play.
SLAP!!!
Maxx was down. He fell and scraped his knee. The school doors were opened...

Kurt wisked him off to wash up. He then was good and slipped into his slippers, and ran into the class room just like the past two perfect mornings. Kurt and I were out the door and headed to get some coffee... when we heard..."Mommy! Daddy!" We looked back and there Maxx was running out the main door. "I don't want to go to school, today!", he said. He then began to cry and lost his little mind...
He screamed and his head began to spin and the legs like little hammers kicking my shins, knees, and thighs while I am picking him up...he becomes limp, not wanting to be picked up. Something totally took over my child.

(Where did Maxx go? Who is THIS wild child? ...no, my Maxx is sweet and perfect and the easy kid...you know the cool little man...I don't know who this little person is.)

Oh my goodness, the scene, the work out, we were now in shoes we had never worn before. He was a mess to get back in that classroom door.

Whew...with the help of a grab from Miss Donkel, ( she got the screaming limp kicker...so sorry!!!) and the door shutting. Maxx was in!

Brows wiped...
Kurt and I back in route for coffee. We could hear Maxx screaming out the window, "Help me! Help me! I don't want to go to school!" Persistent, he is. Kurt and I kept walking in disbelief and knowing he was going to have another amazing school day.

While waiting on Maxx to get out of school Miss Allison and I met up and landed at the Swedish Bakery for a breakfast treat and coffee. Allison then picked out something super special just for Maxx.


What is it?

A porcupine!!! Awwwwwwwww How CUTE!!!
YUM!!!!


What an awesome treat, to see Miss Allison at the end of a beautiful school day, AND enjoy a chocolaty- cakey- and check out the almond quills!!!! A Porcupine delight!!!! Thank you for making our day!!

We asked how his day at school was..."It was good!" He then began to talk about going tomorrow and how he could not wait. (DOH!!! Little did he know... he has a four day break before the next day of school.)

On the way home he complained of his throat hurting. UH OH!!! (He did mention it last night...but I thought he was just trying to get out of eating dinner...and "crying wolf", like the little smarty pants he is...)
Little Mister Cranky Pants...might be coming down with a cold bug...

...maybe that explains the out his mind, out of control, slightly possessed kid I was dealing with earlier...in combo with new hair cut, breakfast refusal, new routine, excitement, newness, newness, and more newness.

...a "quill" of a day!!!

Stick to the list

Maxx could probably do the grocery shopping all by himself if I let him... he's that good.
When I write my list, I then draw the list for Maxx so he can help me...this also helps me stay on track.

"Heeey. That's not on the list!" "Thanks Maxx, your right!"

Every once in a while there will be something special in the isle that is very tempting to change our brands or add on, 'specially if it is not our normal store, but for the most part Maxx is dead on and really good about it.

My Dad should be really proud. I remember going shopping with him on Wednesdays. His list would be written with the store lay out in mind...isle by ise. My Dad is in and out in probably half and hour.

Lots of learning goes on when we do the grocery shopping. I love answering the questions and having the conversations with him. He really knows his stuff, I crack up when he gives me back the answers I have fed him the the past.

"What is this!?!"

"Why can't we get that?"

"It's not organic!"

"Yes! It's on sale!"

"Does it have high fructose, Momma?"

"But I like yellow no. 5."

The latest today...

"MSGeeeee!?! Awww! Why do they add that stuff? It looks like it would be very tasty!"

My all natural son...He's that good!!!

C is for Compassion

My dear sweet son is so compassionate.
So I might have a possible vegetarian in the works...
Once he understands what meat is.
I begin the morning's breakfast, open up the eggs and who do I find...?
Chick (Hicks)
Of course...how ironic...
Hey!?
How did Chick get in here?

Hey, Maaaaxx??

I did it Moam , Chick is keeping the babies company.
(Maxx has a new name for me "Moam" (like foam, but with a M))
...but Moam wait!
Stop! Noooo! Don't crack the babies!
Awwwww!!!
No. No. No.

For breakfast we had: cantaloupe and blueberry pork sausage with toast.

In separateness lies the world's great misery, in compassion lies the worlds true strength.
~ Buddha

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another and all involved in one another.
~Thomas Merton

Birthday Waffles!!!!

Miss Allison invited us over for birthday waffles this morning. It was a very special treat!!! Talk about a week of celebration. Man, oh man bring it on! ...no frozen waffles either...Miss Allison had a hot waffle iron, batter, and yummy toppings (choc chips, coconut, strawberries, blue berries) It was all so good.

We love Miss Allison!

Maxx got to meet Tito and Taco the cats, play on the porch, eat watermelon, choose what he wanted in his waffle, hunt for and play hide and seek with the cats, be in a 3 piece band, chase the birds, up and down stairs, race his cars on a side walk chalk race track, take a 15 minute walk, then look up at the trees and sky.






What a beautiful morning! So sweet, so thoughtful.
Thank you Allison!!

Poppa Lion is 40!

Happy Birthday, Kurt!
A true Leo

Traditional Leo Traits
Generous and warmhearted
Creative and enthusiastic
Broad-minded and expansive
Faithful and loving

On the dark side....
Pompous and patronizing
Bossy and interfering
Dogmatic and intolerant