Maxi Fortend

Yummy Pizza & Best Bread Ever!

So I came upon a book about bread at The Chef's Gallery called Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.

It's like $30 there, so I think, I'll check it out on Amazon.  Ends up being a 2 week wait.  So I am poking around on the author's website and blog and it looks so stinkin' good, I start looking all around for another online place to order.  End up going with B&N, I think - anyway - That's the power of a good blog and when you can't drive anymore - thank the good technological lord that we have e-commerce! 

So I have made the "boule"  and also the "olive oil bread."  We had friends over on Saturday night and I made pizzas.  And I quote "This is the best meal I have ever had here! Like this is even better than some of the fancy pizza places in town..."  Well, that can be taken a variety of ways ;) but, I chose to take it as a supreme compliment! 

I made BBQ Chicken, Quattro Formaggi, and good old Pepperoni for the little guys.  Of course I was so busy making them, I did not take pics.  But they looked great - just like the fancy wood fire grill places!

In the fall, the authors are publishing a "healthy" bread book.  I have pre-ordered (and I never do that...)

Off to volunteer with Max's summer camp tomorrow.  Our bus company is letting me tag along on the bus.  I think Max is still little enough where we can get away with this being "cool."  We are going to the local swimming hole.  Max informs me that he would prefer I do not swim.  HAH!  Like I am puttin' on a bathing suit in front of a bunch of 9 year olds!!  Wish me luck!

Happy Friday!

Every spring, Jill and I go to Bluefin on the north shore.  It's 4 days of hiking, eating and relaxing that I cannot miss.  This pic was from our last night - it's the view from the Bluefin Grill.  It had been drizzly off and on that day, but we were rewarded with a double rainbow!  

If you want to head up there with a friend - You want 16 - it has a full kitchen, living room and sleeping loft with 2 twin beds.  It's been newly renovated too, so it's nice!  Check their website, we take advantage of their buy 2 nights, get one free. 

Got to Lego of it...

Sorry - cute kid stuff will just be apart of my blog, cause I have a cute kid.  I have the right to be biased...it's the mom-deal!  Max has had a fascination just like any other kid with LEGOS!!!!  They are EVERYWHERE - only to be sometimes corralled in the ottoman in the living room or storage containers in his bedroom.  Not little storage containers, big ones...like those you store your bulky winter sweaters in!  I will never, ever forget the sensation of those little squares digging into my tender instep.  He'll make the big set, but more often than not, it's big-time imagination with just a handful of blocks.  Case in point - this lovely creation...

There's his clay dog he made with Kathi - he's got a kitchen, bedroom, bath, living room with flat screen TV and there's even a computer in the kitchen.  I wanted to capture at least one of these creations to represent the HUNDREDS he does!  He'll sit there for hours, talking out loud with complex scenarios, cast of characters..pretty entertaining listening for a mom!

Kids and Puppies, what could be better?

Will you play with me? 

First, we must find some toys!

No toys?  I'll just use you as a big puppy toy! 

Waiting patiently...

The other night I sat patiently...waiting...and then he would show up and the &*^%%$SDS** camera would not work!  He's the cutest humming bird ever!  (Just cause he is gracing me with his presence..)  So I need to get out the tripod, a glass of lemonaide and time to relax as I wait to get the perfect pic!

Also...we have babies!  More on that later!

First Flowers from the Garden

Well, 1/2 flowers and 1/2 "weeds" from the more wild parts of our yard!  Plus a pic of the Oscar-boy sniffing the dandelions.  Dandelions have since bit the dust with some really great weed and feed! 

Max's Music Show

A few weeks ago, Max had his big spring music presentation.  They used recorders, did sign language...all and all...very entertaining!

Grammie and Papa were able to come!  Here they are inspecting Max's desk..

 

Sleepin' on the Job

My second in charge was off to nap-land this afternoon. 

Take Pictures of People

NewOrleans_Hales_Oct08 055
Originally uploaded by Maxi Fortend

When you are out and about in your travels - taking pictures of the people around you can be a wonderful way to remember details of your trip. I took this one unobtrusively at the Cafe DuMonde in New Orleans in October. I reminds me alot of Norman Rockwell pieces - I think it's the hats. This place is open 24 hours and has the most wonderful coffee. This is one of my favorite shots from the trip.

Learned a bad lesson today - never just upload your photos from your memory card to flickr and then delete the card. I lost all the pics of Oscar and his first piece of celery exploration.

Side note - visit to the opthamalogist looks like I am pretty stable from my results from 1.5 years ago - so that is wonderful news! Stable is good baby!

Day 2 - Yup had to remind myself to blog

Here's a shot I found from this summer - part of the group that I took last September. 

 

So I have funny pictures of Oscar Puppy trying his first bite of celery, the camera is downstairs and pictures are still stuck in it.  Good one for tomorrow!

With feeling better and my UI claim has gone through so I am feeling more calm with a clearer head.  My morning is spent getting Max off to school, then heading downstairs to my office to search for jobs and contracts.  Those are few and far between, but a job application on line can often take 1-2 hours to complete by the time you get done with the cover letter and entering in everything from my resume.  The rest of the day I am learning new photoshop cool techniques for my klsCreative business.  I posted one of those from yesterday.  Did some more cool stuff today, but again, it's all on the downstairs computer!