Householding

We haven't had too much time these days- mostly due to Chris' intense schedule which requires him to be in bed by before 9:30 pm. I am an early riser at 6 am and every morning for the past 2 months, Chris is gone and out of the home before then. 

This leaves me to do all of what I call the "maid work." One day on my day off, I truly felt like I spent the entire day planning out very strategically, how best to maximize house work. The dishes were cleaned, the kitchen was scrubbed, all surfaces were vacuumed. All the while, load after load of laundry was being washed. The weekly meal plan was established and off to the store I went to purchase and lug home a weeks' worth of ingredients in our reusable grocery bags. I believe 3 separate store employees asked whether I "needed help" with all the grocery bags.

I joked to Chris that when he came home that day, that it must have felt to him, that the "maid" had come while he was gone, as the home was in complete order, clean clothes filled the dressers, and a warm meal was prepared. 

I spent a lot of the morning cooking today, also a day off. Some of the preparation was for our meal this evening: lentil meatballs with basil pesto, and other preparations were made for meals several days away. 

With all the tough work planning, cooking, and cleaning can be, it is delightful to enjoy a gourmet lunch that did take some time to prepare, but with flavors that are well worth the effort. Above, a delicious baby kale and roasted sweet potato salad. 

That ye olde time again

We enjoyed ourselves this past weekend at the King Richard's Faire. It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed so quickly since were were there last time! Though we weren't able to spend as much time at the faire this year, we still had just as grand a time. Strolling through the canopy of tall forest trees and the beginnings of a fall breeze adds greatly to the wonder of the faire, and the medieval music of bagpipes and pipes adds to the mythical feeling of the times. 

Of course, we could not forget about the faire food. We learned from our mistake last year that one roasted turkey leg per person is by far too much. So, one turkey leg per two people it was!

This year, we were not alone and I'm glad E was there to join in on the forest festivities.

We arrived to the faire early this year and the long lines we experienced last year for the bloomin' onion was not an issue at all. We enjoyed our fried onion while watching children try their hand at the best ride/game at the faire: the Dragon Joust!

Finally, who can forget about "peasants' bread"? Warm fried dough with sweet powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Don't let the stifled smile fool you- peasants' bread is pretty much Chris' reason for going to the faire each year!

Summer Ride

A wonderful bike ride with dog. You can read more about the adventure here!