Homebodies.

I am without a car today.

This may not be hard for some, but I like to make it out at least once in a day.

(Yes, even in this unbearable heat.)

But today we will be at home.

So far we've occupied ourselves by...

going for a refreshing swim



and making whole-wheat tortillas
(a first for me)

Whole-Wheat Tortillas

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup warm tap water

Combine flour, Baking powder and salt. Add olive oil and stir until well combined. Put in warm tap water 1 T at a time until dough can be gathered into a ball. Add more water if needed 1 T at a time. Knead on floured surface 15-20 times. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Divide dough into 10-12 equal portions and shape into balls. On floured surface roll out ball from center into a circle. Cook on ungreased skillet over medium-high heat on each side about 30 seconds or until puffy.
I needed quite a bit more than 1/2 cup of water and I only got 9 regular size tortillas out of this recipe. I didn't use any flour to roll them out and I rolled them almost paper thin. It was hard to get them nice and round, but I'm ok with that. And I browned them on my cast iron skillet, which in my opinion is a must have pan for browning tortillas. I was surprised how simple they were, and very yummy. This will definitely be added to my recipe book.

Maybe staying home all day isn't so bad after all.
At least every once in a while anyway.


Oh and for those who haven't heard (or seen) yet,




baby #2 is due to arrive in September.
Yes, Ellie will soon have her very own
baby brother.

My baby turned 2 today.

To celebrate,

Danny treated her to her very own mickey mouse pancake,
which she happily ate up,
ears first.



Yesterday was the party, complete with cone cupcakes (which I made thinking she'd love, but apparently she prefers them filled with ice cream), presents, swimming and all of her favorite people.

Happy Birthday Ellie.

A few moments ago

Ellie was enjoying some fresh
(and by fresh I don't mean clean)
irrigation.

(Thanks to our kind neighbors who turned it on for us, of course.)



This time
I managed to get her clothes off.


Last time
Dad did not.


Either way is fine with Ellie,


as long as she can use her big, strong muscles
"help"
turn it off.

And now we're in the tub.

Warning.

Leaving your child alone with a tub of cream cheese may result in this:

Of course it wasn't until she tried hiding from me that her face looked like this:


My fault.

Happy Anniversary to us.

A nice little camping trip was the
perfect way to celebrate.



Nice weather,
and hiking with a view.


And good company.
(Another nice view :)

That's my girl.

After making this for dinner last week,

Homemade whole wheat veggie pizza
(with mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers & spinach)

Ellie requested spinach added to her bread pizza (a frequent and simple lunch).

sliced bread, sauce, mozzarella warmed in the microwave

Enough to make a mom proud.

a happy thought

As I drove home from errands with a tired, on-the-edge little one in the back seat, wishing there was some sort of magic fairy waiting in Ellie's room to put her down for her nap,
I remembered I would be coming home to a freshly cleaned and vacuumed house.

(You can just make out the vacuum lines.)

Ahhh.
Yes, I am the one who cleaned it, but I had just forgotten until that moment.
It made my afternoon.
Nothing beats the look and smell of a clean house.
No, not even a magic fairy.