Team Work and Strawberry Pie

My husband plants a garden for us every year since moving into our home. Has it really been 5 years???? We He plants zucchini, squash, basil, and tomatoes. I love supplementing our dinner with produce from our garden. And it's the only time of year that we have pesto on a regular basis. Between the basil from our garden and the crazy, huge bag of pine nuts Hubby buys from the store we have pesto coming out of ears before the summer is done. And I miss it over the Winter because it is just too darn expensive to buy pesto from the grocery store.

 This year planted corn in our garden per Boogie's request.  I'm hoping the critters do not eat all of it and save a few ears for us.  A couple of years ago my BFF gave me a few strawberry plants for my birthday. For the last few years only Buggy has been able to eat the strawberries.  There wasn't quite enough to make it from the garden to the house. She ate them all as she harvested them.  However, this year we have a bountiful harvest. So much so that I was able to make a pie out of what the kids picked over the last few days. And they are out today picking even more. Woot!

I caught them working together today as they picked more strawberries. Boogie sat in the garden picking and then would toss them to Buggy's waiting bucket as she stood outside of the garden. I also noticed that she scooted closer and closer to him so that his strawberries would make it into her bucket. It was subtle and sweet. And of course with a "woo-hoo" every time his strawberry made it into the bucket. I love these kids!

Update: ...aaaaaaand it just ended (before I could finish my post) with both kids screaming as Boogie tried to stop Buggy from attempting to eat one of the strawberries they just harvested because he wanted to save them all for another pie...ah, motherhood. It sure is a roller coaster isn't it?

Tossing strawberries into Buggy's awaiting bucket

See Boogie, over here!

My favorite dragon trainer enjoying his first strawberry pie. Ahem, he refuses to eat strawberries.  That apparently went out the window when he harvested his own strawberries, from his own garden, and Mama made him a pie.

Buggy eating her favorite fruit in pie form.

Yes, pie for breakfast. No judging!

P.S. You can also check out our most recent culinary exploit - making a "Thunder Cake".

Making Thunder Cake!

Buggy and I get a few moments of just the two of us right before her nap time. Boogie is in school, and Mr. Bananas is down for a nap. We've been taking advantage of this special time by reading a story before nap time. She gets to choose the story and get ALL of Mama's attention. It's been good for both of us.

Last week we read Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco, every single day before nap time. If you don't know the story, it's about a little girl who overcomes her fear of thunder storms while visiting her grandmother.  During this visit, her grandmother declares that it was a good time to make Thunder Cake. Throughout the story the little girl gathers ingredients around the farm while counting between claps of thunder and flashes of lightning.  Buggy has loved reading this book everyday, and it is one of my favorites to read.  

Last Friday we were due for some thunder storms and when Hubby went to the store, I sent him with a list of thunder cake ingredients. Buggy was so excited to make Thunder Cake for real!

It was so nice to take a break from regular chores and to do something for fun. To be able to make a cake and eat it all by ourselves. The big kids enjoyed helping me add the ingredients and could not wait for it to finish baking.  I put it in the oven before their baths and by the time they were done, the cakes were cooling on the racks. While they were cooling my brother called, and while I chatted with him, Hubby put the cake together.  We let the kids stay up later than usual to enjoy our tasty treat. Why not? Isn't this where memories are made?

I am so grateful for this time together. As the kids grow, I realize that it's now, the present, that I must relish. Too soon, they'll be grown and want to spend time with friends and not make cakes with Mama. Now is the time for making memories and enjoying ourselves. Who knows what the future will hold, but I know the present is pretty awesome!

My trusty Kitchen Aid Mixer 

Thunder Cake!

The inspiration behind it all :)