Easy Iced Mocha

I've been living off of iced mochas the last few weeks and have been a bit on the jittery side as a result. But they are so yummy and super easy to make! Here's how I do it:

I have one of those 24 ounce Tupperware beverage shakers that I make my coffees in. You'll need:

A packet of Starbucks Via or Nescafe coffee OR 2 tsp of instant coffee
Sugar to taste (I use 2 tsp)
Water
Chocolate milk OR chocolate syrup and white milk
Ice

Here's how easy it is:
Put packet of coffee and sugar to taste in shaker.
Add about 5 ounces of water and stir in coffee and sugar.
Add about 6 ice cubes.
Fill the remainder of the container with chocolate milk (or you could substitute a large dollop of chocolate syrup and skim milk to save calories-it's just as good).
Put lid on container and Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture.
Enjoy!

The recipe is easily tweaked to your tastes-you could use only white milk, more or less sugar, etc. Let me know what you think!

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Fair Fun!

William went to the Union County Fair last year, but he didn't remember anything about it. So this year was another series of big firsts:

First time on a ride without mommy

First funnel cake and lemon shake up

First time finding out that ducks are delightfully fun to watch . . .

but pigs aren't, and they smell!

First kiddie coaster, ridden 5 times

all in 94 degrees, with heat index up to 109

First time discovering the joy of the ferris wheel, and the breeze that it creates.

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After around three hours the ride tickets were gone, the weather had us swooning, and William was ready to go home. Seeing the fair through his eyes was sheer joy.

Throwing the Proper Picnic

One of the joys of this summer has been that William is old enough to appreciate things that he didn't appreciate before. He notices wildflowers, fields with rolls of hay, and he is fascinated with ants. I have also introduced him to the joy of eating and lolling about outside. Some cheese sticks, Capri Suns, crackers, coloring book and crayons, magazine for mama, and of course a largish blanket and we are golden. I have learned in my time on this internet, however, that I am going about this whole picnic thing all wrong. Observe.

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A suitably idyllic spot is necessary. Our view of the pool probably doesn't qualify.

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One must overload a car, preferably vintage and of European descent, with much more than one could possibly need so to induce spasms of uncontrollable luxury in all participants.

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A gramophone seems to be a requirement, and when bringing one, one must ignore the European car rule and somehow bring everything on a bicycle. To show dogged determination.

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Why use a quilt when you could use the estate's priceless wool rugs? Don't forget the Wedgewood china.

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I'm betting no goldfish crackers were served at this lunch.

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We do have the art of lying back and staring at the clouds down. The practice of laziness is easy to learn.

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Oh, and this is just too cool. Please, I want a quilt tepee.

I hope you've enjoyed your lesson in the proper way to picnic. Be sure to invite me to your next impossibly beautiful, flower laden spread, as there will be a test.

They Make Me Happy:The Garden Dreaming Edition

The promise of:

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Tiny sprouts turning into fragrant flowers

Fresh tomatoes - that don't taste like cardboard At All

That old rose myrrh smell wafting into the windows

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Trips to the garden center, dreaming about fantastic Victory Gardens

Peonies heads to large that they fall over onto themselves

Vases full of daisies

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Hens and chicks, my grandmother's favorite

Seeing my grandfather's irises grow tall and proud in my garden

Muscles sore from digging and tilling

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Walks on trails smelling of honeysuckle

The heavenly experience of brushing up against catmint and lavender

Butterflies, hummingbirds, ladybugs, and caterpillars

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Photo: Moon Rising

Will watching the moon rise from his favorite vantage point.

August Break: Light

Cicada Song

Yesterday, we bombed the house for fleas. It's just one of those unexpected perks of being a pet owner in a state where the flea population is at an all-time high. We had to find somewhere to go for at least 5 hours (4 for the bombing, 1 for the airing out). The kids went to their grandparent's house and Tim had to run errands, I decided to accompany him.


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Did I mention that I had one of my all too frequent headaches? I really was in no shape to be running all around creation. Truth be told, I spent much of my day in the car, air conditioner running, wasting gas. But for as long as I could stand it (as the weather was stifling hot) I layed down with the windows open, looking at the power lines and listening to the cicadas sing to each other.


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I've mentioned that I have a love for cicadas. I love their high pitched buzz that permeates the air from July through September. That sound that makes me think of children jumping into swimming pools, people sitting on rockers on the porch, fanning themselves with whatever they can get their hands on, and that gives me permission to feel lazy from the heat.


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I love finding cicada shells on the trees, although I rarely find them. Here in Ohio, we have annual cicadas and 7 year cicadas. When that 7th year hits, it is Amazing the number of cicadas that emerge! You walk outside to find maybe a hundred on your car, and in wooded areas you can't walk without them hitting you mid flight. Cicada song gets Loud those years!


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I spent my time thinking about this insect that emerges from the ground every 7 years, just to mate, lay eggs, and die. What purpose could they have? I saw something on television that if you look at a tree ring, you can see that the trees received more nutrition during that 7th year as the dead cicadas and nymph shells fall to the forest floor and provide nutrients to the soil. And omnivores and carnivores, such as civets and waxwings may get the most calories and nutrition of their entire lives in year 7. Oh, and they let us know that summer truly is upon us with that sound. So a creature that seemingly has a meager life actually has a great impact on the world around it. Yet another example of the amazing web of life that God has created on this earth.


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Yes, I am fascinated with the cicada.

Dog Days

It seems the dog days of summer are upon us. The high today in my neck of the woods was 101 F. Now that's what I call hot. Air conditioning has been cranked up, the fans have come out. And those that are outside find other ways to cool off.

The sprinklers are turned on, the pools and beaches become crowded as everyone takes a dip to cool their skin. A little sand between your toes perhaps?

Shorts and sundresses come out of retirement. Sleeves and pant legs disappear.

Our feet even get into the action with flip flops, sandals, and my preferred method, barefootin'.

We get our first tastes of pink lemonade and lemon shake-ups, little girls set up lemonade stands, and sweet tea tastes even better.

And if all else fails, I recommend becoming as inert as possible. A hammock or patch of sand works quite well.

Welcome Canis Major. May you bring memories and special summer days to us all.

Photos from We Heart It

I Love: Lazy Summer Days

::ice cream that melts faster than you can lick it
::cold, cold sangria

::swimming in the pond with the fish nibbling your toes
::drying on the dock, the sun warming your skin

::dining al fresco
::vases full of wild flowers

::picking daisies
::wearing flip flops at every possible moment

::picnics full of fresh strawberries and wine
::lying on the ground, picking out the shapes of the clouds

::blowing bubbles and catching them before they fall
::running through sprinklers

::putting dandelions under your friend's chin to see if they like butter
::Sunday drives that last for hours

::sand between your toes
::skin that smells like cocomuts and chlorine

::your own private place
::lying in beach chairs reading silly romances

Photos We Heart It

Hello, Mister Sun!

Well, hello, Mister Sun! It's so wonderful to see you again!



While I realize that you just went a little further away, it really was too far of a journey this winter. And a bit too long.



But you have returned our way! And flowers and flip flops and giddy birds and bees are soon to follow!



Oh, and I must say that I do enjoy your rays shining down on me. I have been a bit deficient of Vitamin D, which is not really the greatest thing, but you have come back to cure me!



Please stay around for a while - say 6 or 7 months. And do have a chat with Old Man Winter. He really was a bit over the top this year; could do with less of that!



Welcome back, Mister Sun!

All photos from We Heart It