apple cake & a playschool birthday celebration!

last week we had our second birthday celebration at playschool. i finally made the apple cake i came to know and love when i was an assistant for sarah baldwin of (bella luna toys fame) at the ashwood waldorf school. I think the origianl recipe comes from the Three Rivers Waldorf School.
it's a wonderful recipe and easy enough that even the young children can do all the mixing themselves. although i handled the 1 CUP of pure maple syrup...you heard that right...ONE CUP...can you see how good this recipe is already!
you can bake in just about any size or shape of pan, although i prefer the bundt version...there is something a bit more festive about it's sweet shape to me.
the recipe is as follows (and it's eggless to for those with allergies)

{apple birthday cake ring}1 cup oil
1 cup maple syrup
1 2/3 cups apple sauce
4 tsp cinnamon

Mix above ingredients together

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

mix above ingredients well and add to first mixture
bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes in a circle pan. we love to serve our birthday cake with homemade whipped cream and fruit...this time we had blueberries the family had picked in the summer and frozen for an year round treat...yum!

bread day

adventures in canning...a duet

dear friend ~s~ had me over for a canning extravaganza this weekend and it was all i imagined it would be! we met on friday at the farmers market to load our baskets full of fresh farm goodies. the trip was short and sweet with both our little ones in tow (complete with their own baskets!) and our mothers were appened to be visiting too..fancy that.
little bits downed half a cookie and half a box of sungolds (so her mother's child!)
in any event we ladies spent the better part of saturday canning away. i learned so much! i have canned in the past with friends--jams, jellies, sauces...and watched many many seasons of beets go through my dad's kitchen...but this beets canning was much more hands on and less intimidating than with dear old dad at the helm!
many thanks for a lovely day!!!
and said friend was nice enough to break open a jar of beets from last season so we could get a quick taste! yum!

little ones garden

you see...we had some old old seeds, they had been on sale when i bought them years ago and shuffled from move to move. when we moved this spring i came across them and in the back of my mind i was thinking they might make a good first garden for out little bits. and so we let her go to town...pumpkins, squash, radish and peas...and as you can see a few are actually popping up! looks like there will be a late crop around here--and some thinning that will need doing...but t is kind of just glorious the way it is!

one of the best things...

about having my morning glory sign ups trickle in are the little gifts here and there...flowering basil- why yes...fresh eggs-of course!
only 2 more spaces left in our playschool-and as my mom said "whoo-hoo"
happy days of fall ahead...

sunny~side~up

open those windows throw open the sash

A perfect day is:
breezy (from the ocean, so a little foggy too first thing in the morning)
full of old and new friends
filled with the little squeals and scuffs of little ones underfoot
organized and helped along by loved ones
measured by how tuckered out everyone is at the end of the day
renegade carpentry tempered with an expert at hand (thanks j.s.!)
has unexpected twists and turns that lead you to a better place than the day before

what an open house we had. after much rushing around, a few unexpected visitors (not open house visitors but seperate visitors...strong and able to move playhousesin a single swoop...well almost), many hands a'helping, a little pep talk that could have been in french but wasn't....we opened our doors to the public.

we had a wonderful time sharing our home and the space we have worked so much on all summer with you all. we met many new friends and chatted with old ones. we talked chickens with children and drank fizzy lemonade. i hope everyone had as good a time as we.

and a special thanks to all my ladies who pitched in at the last minute with the little details of cooking and cleaning. xoxox

i had this very special moment where i stepped out onto the back back porch (which overlooks the backyard) and saw and heard all the children running about, i could just picture how much fun we are going to be having this fall!

one of the many

...home improvement projects i have yet to share with you all here. this one was kind of a last minute one that we knew just had to be completed. we have always wanted to "extend" the pantry and kitchen in some way...think "wish we had a root cellar" meets "summer kitchen"...
i popped over to chase's daily to see old friends and pick up a favorite lil basil plant of mine. mudroom complete and all are merry!

{this momentt}

releasing the hens!

{photos by stella photography}

imbuing spaces}

{peach blossom}
i woke early over the weekend, i had a project that needed doing. despite family colds and lack of sleep...this one was at the top of the list. little bits slept in as she often does curled up next to papa and i centered myself for some peaceful painting, with a side of *strong arms*. it was a wonderful quiet time in all this busy-ness around us which is getting the house ready for playschool, ready for us to live in it, the yard work and the stress that has crept up on us in these past few weeks.
i didn't think of any of that, i washed it away with thoughtful brushstrokes. i thought only of the children who might come to my house to be looked after and to just be. it felt like sacred work, and a slice of secret time carved out in the early morning was just the thing i needed.
at the risk of sounding overly silly, it was a wonderful way to start out the next chapter, the one where we settle in, have some summer fun and look forward to the fall with much excitement!