their first pomegranate

One of my favorite things about being a mother is sharing new experiences and information with my daughters. The other morning I had cracked open a pomegranate for Evelyn and Flora to taste for the first time. Evelyn just loved the juicy, little seeds; intent on picking up just one at a time and humming along to each bite. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see Flora's reaction, since she had decided to go back to bed after breakfast.

  She had gotten up at the crack of dawn and took a highlighter to the guest bedroom sheets,her sheets and got her hands on some gum while we were sleeping. After 'pow pows' and time-out, she decided she needed to go back to sleep and start her day over. 

But Casey told me that when she did wake up and had the plate of pomegranate seeds we saved for her, that she greatly enjoyed it. So it was a good experience, 'terrible two' antics aside. 

With Evelyn nibbling at my side as I took some photos, I told her that the pomegranate was a very famous fruit and that there was a story about it. Of course her curiosity peaked and she wanted to hear the story, so I told her the Greek myth about Persephone and the pomegranate. Have you heard it?

 Its a popular myth that I learned a long time ago.  It is about the lovely Persephone who is the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, who gets taken by Hades to the Underworld to be his bride. Demeter is so upset that her daughter is gone, she doesn't let anything on earth grow. Zeus realizing the severity of the situation, then sent Hermes to Hades to try to get him to release her, and finally Hades agrees. But before he lets her leave, Hades gives Persephone a pomegranate. After eating three seeds, it bound her to the Underworld and she had to stay there one-third of the year forever. So, when Persephone is in the Underworld, Demeter in sadness doesn't let anything grow, thus Winter began. 

Evelyn liked hearing this story that explained why there is Winter in such a fairy-tale way. And I liked sharing a mother-daughter moment over pomegranate,pears and coffee.

Have you shared in any 'first' moments lately?

xo

Amanda

a day in the life of..

.Morning in the field.

.the leaves have changed.

 .a beautiful golden sight.

.apple and blackberry pie.

.such sweetness.

.giving monkey a kiss.

."...and this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me" - excerpt from Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

xo

Amanda

I'm a morning person now.

It turns out that a mommy of two,who also happens to be a part-time student, doesn't have a lot of time to knit. So unfortunately I didn't finish my Woodland Stole in time for our little family vacation tomorrow. Oh well, it will make for a nice activity during the four hour car ride to Big Bear Lake. Plus, i'm pretty sure i'm gonna need two more skeins of yarn to even get the stole to the length I want it.

This pattern has been a joy to knit,and working on it has just added to the awesomeness of these past couple of mornings. Friday I enjoyed a quiet morning reading Kinfolk magazine, doing a little knitting and drinking some of the best coffee from my new french press. 

This morning was just how every weekend should start off- a family full of smiles and tummies full of freshly baked Pumpkin Spice bread.

I'm usually not a morning person- as in, i'm groggy and grumpy. But I've decided I have nothing to be grumpy about ( just look at that sweet baby face I get to wake up to!) and that I will be more patient and more chipper from now on. TA-DA! I'm a morning person now.

I'll be back Tuesday with a post on our trip!

xo

Amanda

Date Night// Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter

 The hubby and I decided that our date nights are too far in between-not wanting to burden our friends with our kids, (when they have their own to worry about) and Casey's random work schedule, its hard to get out and just be together. So, in an brilliant,all too obvious "ah ha!" moment, we decided to have a weekly Date Night at home. Once the girls are tucked away in bed, we will share a home cooked meal over candlelight. Quiet. Just us. Grown-up time. I'm sure most married couples with children find these last three things hard to come by. Well not anymore my friends! I'm gonna have a date with my husband!

I thought I'd share some outtakes of our evening with y'all, not only to share a yummy recipe, but to also inspire other couples lost in the daily routine of child rearing to put aside at least one night for a date. And after our two person soiree, we decided that we actually prefer this style of 'date' compared to going out- cheaper,more intimate, and I get brownie points for whipping up a delicious meal for my man ;)

 I made the Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter found on the 101 Cookbooks blog- a blog which will be my go to site for all my future Date Night dinners. Seriously yummy recipes and beautiful photography. 

Not only was the recipe DELICIOUS and easy to make, but once you drizzle the butter over the soup it looks so...Emeril Lagasse. fancy smancy. And it was oh so fun to drizzle a heart shape into Casey's bowl :) With a side of toasted baguette, one bowl is completely filling, and you will have enough left over for lunch the next day. (it taste just as good reheated) 

xo

Amanda