I have such a good son! It took him a day to learn how far he was allowed to push his car to in the front yard. I think that's pretty darn good! He's still working on the side/backyard. It's full of poison ivy and I just don't want to risk him getting it. And he taking lots of steps now and walking rather than crawling. I'm so proud of my little man!

Now that my garden is actually producing, I am sad to have to leave it behind in a couple weeks. I might get the lone eggplant harvested, but the yellow bells and the corn, I'll never see. I hope next year's garden grows like mad to make up for the past two years of unsuccessful ones. And I am enjoying the bounty of tomatoes that are just ripening now.

I do love me some Martha

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/six-things-to-do-every-day

I actually do all these but the last one. I sweep in the morning instead after cleaning the litter boxes.

Water

Water is the best movie I've seen in a long long time. It's not easy to watch, but completely worth it. I loved the Gandhi quote at the end that he believed for a long time that God was truth, but discovered that truth was god.

I value truth. Truth is god. Thank you, Gandhi, for reminding me of this.

Oh, I want this for my son's room! http://www.modernseed.com/dsfetsgc.html

Hedgehog

My son just before I woke him up removing the hedgehog from his head.

One of my favorite pictures from our Cali trip. This is at my first best friend's house. Her daughter is the one pushing Parker around. It was great to see Verna and Heather again and meet her kids. Parker had way too much fun cruising in that car!

First Crayons!

I took the plunge and got Parker his first box of crayons. I don't know about everyone else, but I adored crayons as a kid. It was my dream to have that box of 64 with its own sharpener in the back. I still remember the color names. Oh, the memories. However, Parker's still a little young to enjoy coloring. He tried to stick them in his mouth and then had more fun putting them away in the box. He also like to grabbing as many in his hands as possible and then crawl around the house. He's a little collector like his momma.

Soap

From Ideal Bite- SF

If 10,000 SF Biters wash with biodegradable soap rather than the usual stuff, in a year we'll keep 65,000 pounds of synthetic chems from going down drains and polluting waterways.

(I know what everyone's getting for Christmas this year!)

I Love Food

As someone who loves food, the battle against being overweight is a constant one. I don't make bad food choices, but what I cook just tastes so good...

I'm loving this blog in general and especially this post of hers-

I will have to add Animal, Vegetable, Miracle to the list of reads. Barbara Kingsolver is my favorite author and I love her even more after this book. I don't know if I could do what she did, but it's an inspiration. I loved the stories about the turkeys. I'll post more about them if anyone is interested.

And, erm, no one comments. I'd love to know people are reading my blog.

New Goal

My new goal is to try to post on one of my sites at least once a day something I am grateful for. I don't want to be thinking negative thoughts as often as I have been. My son deserves better than that. I wish our lives were different, but I can make them as good as can be for now.

I'm still hurt that my housemate is putting up a gate to keep him away from her, but since we got back, he's less and less interested in her anyway. He may only be 14 months (today!), but he's smart enough to know when someone doesn't want him around.

So my grateful moment today is for the fact that our insurance finally went through and my son was able to be seen by a doctor today and get his shots. Two months late, but at least they are done. And also that Parker did wonderfully well despite the two hour long doctor visit. He is really a good kid! He missed his nap during the wait so that makes him even more patient. I'm so proud of my big boy!

Wednesday Walkers

I was the only one who showed up! Again! It was such a beautiful day too. We hit Target with the rest of Parker's gift card to get Mom "What to Expect: The Toddler Years" and then over to Michael's to pick up some yarn for Christmas presents. Yes, I have to start now to get them all done! I'm not doing as much as I did last year. I way-overdid myself last year. So enjoy those special gifts you got! Things will be much simpler this year, but still personal and home-made.

I opened a seller's account on Etsy. I'll keep everyone posted as to when my store will open. I have a couple gifts to make before I can start on the shop's items.

Parker and I enjoyed our walk in the park. We stopped by the playground and he got to climb and then use the slide. He loved climbing up the slide the best. Still not walking but he watched a couple girls toddle around. Some day soon...and then I'll regret wishing he could walk. There is no fence here and lots of poison ivy. We do live on a dead-end street so at least the car traffic isn't bad.

Purses and Shoes

I spotted this purse at Target and my step-mom bought it for me! I might have wriggled at how happy I was. And I make myself sad at just how much I love this purse. But I do! I'll save the shoe post for later. I have to break you all in gently.

Thanks, Leslie! It makes me smile when I look at it and reminds me of the fun time we had during my visit.

Yum-O

My dad bought me this after he saw I was eyeing it at the market where we got the artichokes. I am having trouble resisting the urge to spray it on everything, including myself.

(I know the picture's blurry, but I don't feel like fussing with the settings on my camera.)

More from Quote Snack.

It's so important to teach our children about nature, how to garden, identify birds, animals and plants as well as to care for the environment. My son loves to be outside. Always has, even when it's steamy or freezing.

New Cali Food Laws

While I was home, I heard about the laws Cali passed banning soft drinks and fried foods from schools. I'm so glad! But at the same time, what have we come to to have to pass laws to stop this sort of thing? Parker's grandparents gave their other grandson Dr. Pepper in his sippy cup once when I was there. I'm still horrified. If the kid needs a sippy cup, he shouldn't be drinking soda. I don't know when my mom first let me have a soda, but it wasn't at the age of 3. More like 8 and only as a treat, not a dinner beverage.

Today's Quote Snack

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are So true.

Goop

I love this e-letter! And this week's edition speaks right to my heart. If you stumble upon here after this week, just do a search on her site for green living.

My Dad, doing what he does best. This was the evening of the abalone. Yes, he cooked them on the grill. Did I mention just how delicious they were?

Lucy Goose

This is my sister, Lucy. She was not allowed in while Parker was crawling around. She's not good with children. Don't you feel sorry for her? Look at that face! Sorry, lil Lucy!

It wasn't all about food...

but really, just the grocery trips made me drool. Produce, picked ripe with a short trip to the store. I forgot what fresh strawberries and nectarines smelled like. I kept wandering by the kitchen wondering what the sweet smell was.

This is a little food story of my trip. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thursday- Surf City Coffee in Moss Landing for a chai latte and then some fresh artichokes for the evening meal. We hit the SC wharf later for some calamari and shrimp salad. Oh, the memories. My mom would take me down there for "cocktails" when I was little. And it's close to impossible to find calamari that isn't fried anywhere else in the world. Honestly, we don't know how spoiled we are in SC until we move away. Speaking of spoiled, my dad grilled halibut that night. Yum!

Friday- My sister and her boyfriend requested grilled veggie pizza so Dad, Parker and I stopped by Trader Joe's in Capitola to pick up supplies- fresh dough and mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers and some lovely sunflowers. At the flea market, we found figs and those were delish smeared over toast. Sourdough in the Bay Area is famous for a reason. It tastes different and believe me, I have tried it all over the place looking for that "home" taste.

Saturday- The day of Parker's Party! We did grilled chicken, pasta salad a la Lauren and Leslie along with a fruit tarte from The Farm and festive cupcakes. I forgot to take a picture of the cupcakes! Sorry, Les! They were red, white and blue and very cute.

Sunday- Fresh local crab. Ok, my dad has the hook-up. Need I say more? Well, I will! Those crabs were soooooooooooooo good. I don't understand how anyone could want blue crab over Pacific. Maybe I fixed them wrong or got females back in Maryland. Whatever. I don't care. I just want Monterey Bay crabs forevermore. I was actually the last one eating. THAT never happens. I was savoring. And that morning, we found Mexican Payapa at the flea market for 2.50. I've paid much much much more when I can even find it.

Monday- I dragged my poor dad down to Capitola in hopes of some Pizza My Heart. They sold out like so many others, but have some new options and it was almost as good as I remember. I got pesta and ordered my dad the Big Sur. That was delish.

For dinner that night we had abalone. My dad has been diving for abalone my whole life. I didn't appreciate just how rare it is until later when I couldn't get any. So I requested some for my visit and I must say this was the best ever. Really. So tender, cooked perfectly. Thanks Dad! He also made Insalata Caprese.

Tuesday- We went down to Morro Bay to visit my aunt and uncle. Uncle Bill ordered us some oysters on the half-shell at a local eatery. Once again, I didn't think to take pictures! Those oysters were HUGE! And oh so yummy swimming in garlic butter. Then again, what doesn't taste good with that? Really? I had fish tacos because it takes Cali to do those right. My sister had a fried oyster sandwich with some dill mayo that tasted wonderful.

Wednesday- I was supposed to fly out and stopped by Erik's Deli for a Natural High to last me through the traveling. Fate stepped in and we had steelhead and artichokes for dinner. I think I like it better than salmon. It was very good.

I know I forgot something I ate. There was just so much. I was overwhelmed by the bounty despite having been raised on it. And I apologized to the produce clerks for fondling their goods. I meant well. I did.

I am back in Maryland after being bumped off my first flight. We had some errands to run and then a long baggage check-in coupled with an over-booked flight. I have so much to say, but it's going to have to wait until I have time! It was wonderful. All the visiting with family and friends and just seeing my hometown again.