favorite saturday

Saturdays have always been my favorite.  Saturdays in the summer are even better because of our morning outing to the Farmer's Market.

Every Saturday morning from May to November, a pretty boring parking lot in Evanston is transformed into a full on bounty of delicious food, flowers, cheeses, meats, eggs, people watching, and entertainment.

We are not super early birds when it comes to the market.  We show up at a reasonable hour with our bags in hand and ideas of what might be ready that week.  Eloise guesses "peaches" every time we go but, of course, they only show up for a few delicious weeks in the middle of summer.  We have our favorite farmers (like this one, and this one, and this one too) that are there week after week and we know who has the best sweet corn and the best blueberries.
 
I was remembering today that at the last market of the year this past fall we were saying goodbye to some of the farmers and I had a big old pregnant belly then.  They said "see you in the spring" and I couldn't believe that I would have a 5 month old baby the next time we would see them.  Well, we did, and now she usually joins us on our weekly outings too.  I love taking the girls to the market.  I love for them to see and smell and taste all the fresh food, to understand the seasonality of food, and to have an idea where food comes from.  I was a little proud of Eloise today at the market when she held up a bunch of green herbs, smelled them, and said, identifying them correctly, "mom, do we need any cilantro?"  It was sort of the same kind of pride I felt a couple of weeks ago when she asked me what a Frito was.

There is always one or two or three people performing in different parts of the market.  Today were three of our favorites:  a bluegrass band, a guy playing guitar and singing what seemed like the entire Beatles collection, and Annie the tap dancing lady.  Annie is Eloise's favorite.  She has her own little stage that she brings with her.  She wears super awesome white and gold tap shoes and she taps to great old timey songs that she plays on a little speaker.  Eloise is totally in awe of her, as are most of the kids gathered around.

The market is a great community event that truly shows you your  community.  It never fails that we run into a neighbor or two, someone from playgroup, our favorite librarian, friends we've met at the park, or someone from the coffeehouse.  We can chat about what looks good this week and what we'll be making with all the goods we're scoring.  This week it looks like we'll be making jalapeno jelly, sweet corn and goat cheese salad, carrot salad with feta, and about 34 dishes that use peaches.

 I feel very lucky to have such a great market so close to us---Chicago Magazine just named it the Best Suburban Farmers' Market.  A nice honor, but we already knew it.

custom made bouquets while you wait

summer's bounty

Annie, the tap dancer and Eloise, the #1 fan

shoppers

this week's haul

reunited

Just returned from a weekend family reunion in Ohio.  It was the first one in 12 years.  We had a blast.


This was my mom's side of the family, the Nichols family.  We had almost everyone with us this year to celebrate.  Harry and Jessie Nichols, where it all began,  had 4 children that had 13 grandchildren that had 14 great grandchildren.  All were present to celebrate except for one person.  My Aunt Terry just began a two year stint with the Peace Corps in Togo Africa.  She was terribly missed but also terribly admired for what she is doing.  Hi, Terry!

Harry (for whom Harriet is named) and Jessie are my grandparents.  They are no longer with us but could still be seen and felt everywhere throughout this reunion weekend.  We could see them in the many, many games of Bridge and Liverpool Rummy and Rummikub.  In the homemade cinnamon rolls, swiss chocolate squares, and lemon bars.  They could be seen in (and blamed for!) all the freckled skin and sweating heads and curly hair. They were felt in the creativity, organization, and leadership of putting this weekend together. They were present in the trash talk about who makes the best chili sauce. I could see them in new friendships formed by second cousins meeting for the first time.  They could be heard in the yelling and the shouting and the more yelling and the more shouting.   I could feel them in the quieter moments too, in the hammock or the yard.  They could be heard in the traditional good natured ribbing we do to each other.  They were there in the competition of the never ending volleyball game in the pool. They were present during the memorial prayer service as we all joined together in song. I could see them in the sparkling eyes of the 5 new babies that joined our family this year.   Mostly though, mostly, they came to mind during the laughter.  There was so much laughter.

Neither sets of my grandparents are still with us.  I would give anything for them to be able to meet my husband and to know my daughters.  Since I can't do that, I am so glad that all of us children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren can come together to celebrate and to honor them simply by being together.  I know that they would be incredibly proud of what they saw this past weekend.

We left some "Nichols Family Reunion" cards at their site at the

 mausoleum just in case they wanted to play a few hands.

*

hot hot hot

Yesterday was really hot.  Last year's summer was so cool we never really even got a chance to get going.  This year it has been sunny, humid, and hot, just like summer is supposed to be and I'm loving it. We've been going to the pool, and the beach, and the park but yesterday I just couldn't get motivated in the afternoon to get all the gear together for an excursion.

We had to water the garden in the evening so Eloise begged to run through the sprinkler.  Perfect.  I told her she could just go in her underwear like we used to do when we were kids, but my little modest mouse would have none of that.  She went inside by herself to change and emerged wearing a pair of swim shorts and nothing else.  Perfect.

Of all the activities that we are always doing, places we are always going, I think her running through the sprinkler on a hot summer night was one that brought the most joy to her face.  She was all alone too.  I was taking some pictures with my phone and holding Harriet in the sling but Eloise was completely and totally entertaining herself.  Sometimes I have to remind myself, it is the simple things that we remember most.

sitty upperson

The other day while on facebook I was looking at newly posted pictures of my cousin's baby, Lucy.  Lucy was born about a week after little Harriet and is just a doll.   In these pictures I was looking at she was sitting up!  I hadn't even tried that with Harriet.  I kind of forgot that she could maybe be sitting up at this point.  Well, when I got her up that morning we had a bit of a boot camp.

Later that day I was sitting with her on the blanket, she was an old pro by then.  Eloise happened by and I said, "Hey, check it out.  Look who is sitting."  Her reaction was priceless.
She gasped, "Oh my gosh, Harriet!"  she came over, bent down to give her a big hug and said, "Congratulations!  You are sitting up, big girlie girl."  Then she turned on her heel and ran up the stairs shouting, "Mom, I have to go get my camera!!!!" So fun and sweet seeing Eloise's reaction to her little sister.  She was so proud.  These are the pictures she took.  Amazingly, none of them actually show Harriet sitting up.

raspberries

Last spring we planted two little raspberry bushes that we picked up at Home Depot.  We have a partly sunny spot in the back of our yard along the fence where the soil is kind of crappy but there is plenty of room.  I think my husband's dream is to eventually have the entire area filled with raspberry brambles so thick that we need a wield a sword to get out to the garage (picture the prince coming to the castle after 100 years in Sleeping Beauty).

I have to admit, I never really thought they would take off.  I was under the impression that growing any kind of fruit was really difficult.  Not the case at all.  We planted those two teeny shrubs, covered with a little compost and water and that was about it.  They did amazingly well considering the lack of attention they were given.  Last year we got a handful of berries but this season they have come back with gusto.  The plants send out shooters and fill in all the space in between with new bushes.  This season we have had quite a few berries with a delicious sweet and tart flavor.  Pretty soon we'll be all brambled up.

Our crop has not been so plentiful just yet that we could bake a pie or cobbler.  We mostly go out in the morning, pick what has ripened and throw them on our breakfast which, for me, is the same every single morning:
Stonyfield Plain lowfat yogurt (the best flavor in my opinion, and believe me I have tried them all)
Kashi GoLean cereal
a few crumbled walnuts
and whatever fruit is in season and in our house (or garden at the time)

There is something so fun and decadent about picking your own food and eating right then.  I would definitely recommend trying to plant some raspberries next year if you have a spot.  You won't be disappointed.

fresh picked

the bushes

And speaking of Raspberries...Harriet is enjoying making a few of her own these days...

 "thbbpthbpt!"

musicality

In my head I am a really great singer.  I love to sing.  I love to belt out tunes in the car, around the house, anywhere really.  In reality, I cannot sing.  I think my daughter is now facing the exact same situation.  We have been listening to the Glee soundtrack a ton---like every time we are in the car, around the house, anywhere really.  She belts out all the tunes and loves the ballads just as much as Gold Digger and Bad Romance.  When I was getting her up from her nap the other day I stood outside her room and heard her singing, "You and I defying in gravity..." at the top of her lungs, missing all the right notes and barely replicating the tune.  When I came in she said, "Mom, don't I sound just exactly like Rachel?"
"Yes."  I lied.  "I thought Rachel was actually in your room singing with you."
 Bless her poor little tone deaf heart.

I decided not to feel sorry for her because even though she may not be on American Idol someday she can still spend a lifetime loving music and singing to her heart's content.

I grew up in a very musical family--and by musical, I mean we listened to, saw, and sang just about every musical out there.  I remember my parents taking us to see all we could handle:  Grease, Oklahoma, Oliver, Music Man, Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, way too many to count.  We all went to see Fiddler on the Roof in the movie theater and afterwards we went out to Peaches (remember Peaches?) to buy the album.  (oh, and I don't mean "album" like a generic term for all music collections.  I mean "album" as in the record, lp, on vinyl, remember those?)  We all were just so in love with singing and dancing and acting out scenes and songs from the movie.  Once, while visiting some relatives we thought it would be a great idea to put on a show for them so we donned dishtowels for our head coverings and went into Matchmaker, Matchmaker from Fiddler.  ( I think I was about 5)  Our relatives thought it was adorable but were wondering why we were singing and talking with British accents.  My mom explained that we had purchased Fiddler on the Roof:  the London recording.

I thought every family had a "no singing at the table" rule but as it turns out, we were the only family I know that needed one.  I loved growing up in a house filled with music.  The best part about cleaning the house back in the day was being able to rock out to Linda Ronstadt and Carly Simon while doing it.

Eloise is now loving a variety of music and musicals herself and she has already treated us to some great performances.  We have done Mary Poppins to death and now are into The Sound of Music, and of course, all the Glee songs.  It is hilarious to hear her singing the words that she thinks she is hearing.  I never correct her because it is just too precious to hear her sing "when you see my face, hope it gives you help, hope it gives you help".  I am counting on the fact that most of the lyrics are way over her head.  I am basing this on the fact that I knew and sang all the words to "Tits and Ass" from A Chorus Line when I was four years old and had no idea what they meant until I was about 17.  Still, it is a little unsettling, I'll admit, to hear her singing all the words to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance--I think you know what parts I'm talking about.

So far we have one very happy daughter that can't really hit the right notes but loves to perform, just like her mother.  We are holding out hope that the second daughter will sing more like her father--him with his self proclaimed Perfect Pitch.  In the meantime, we'll just be jamming in the car, around the house, or anywhere really.

this is the "thumbs up" she gives every time a good song comes on

belting out a tune in the car