Fresh Easy Homemade Salsa

I have always wanted to make my own salsa and so finally, Ellie girl and I did! We used our own homegrown organic tomatoes and cilantro!! How exciting! 

Ingredients:

* A bushel of fresh tomatoes (I used my Cherry tomatoes because those things were huge! My Roma tomatoes weren’t quite ripened yet).

* 1 cup of tightly packed fresh cilantro 

* 1.5 chopped fresh Jalapeños 

* 1 large red onion

* 1 lime

* 1.5 Tbsp of fresh minced garlic

* 1 Tbsp of pink Himalayan salt

Instructions:

1. Chop and dice the onion and put it into food processor.

2. Slice jalapeños and place in food processor as well. 

3. Add tomatoes, minced garlic, cilantro, and salt to food processor. (I added my tomatoes in whole but you can also pre-chop).

4. Squeeze the lime juice into the food processor.

5. Blend it all together well in the food processor!

6. Voila!! Serve it up or store in a glass mason jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator. 

We ate it on our healthy version of tacos last night and mmm mmm!! Delicious and SO FRESH!! 😍

Smells so good!!

Harvest time!

Our Alone Time Vacay!

Eric and I spent a week alone together at the beach at Ocean Lakes Family campground where we had just spent a week as our family of 3 with Ellie. We remained in our bungalow and sent Ellie to Camp Grandcrew in a beach house with my parents and her cousins which was within the campground (because convenience and also I really love to be able to hug and kiss that baby if I want!) 

This was our first full week alone together since our Babymoon....well...that wasn't even a week long, so since, Seattle in August 2016. So it's been a minute. We have been blessed though with long weekends alone for romantic get aways and spontaneous trips!

We drank wine on the beach and frozen drinks, I read so many books, we went to a nice dinner, we cooked a lot together, we played games together on the beach, talked, dreamed, got silly lovey dovey like newlyweds and were plenty spontaneous. Oh I laugh as I sit here thinking about some memories we made! So fun. It was just so amazing to be alone together and be best friends and lovers free as can be. One night we snuck down to the beach in the dark and we even got to watch fireworks in the moonlight! 

We raced each other down the mat racer slide a the pool, we went down the tube together in a float, we floated down the lazy river together, got late night snacks at the snack shack, and went golf cart cruising looking at all the bungalows and campers and people watching, laughing, and making plans. 

There is absolutely nothing in the world like growing even more in love with the one who holds your heart. I've been loving that E for 8 years and to be able to say that my love still grows and I still want to look pretty for him and he makes me giggle and twirl, and I get lost in his dimples....wow he is really just such a blessing. Alone time for couples is a must. So so so thankful to have had that time...may have been one of the most incredible times ever because I was simply alone with the one I love most for a whole week. We really were made for one another. I love you, E!

Crab stuffed Grilled Cheese!

Now this little picture - to any random eye it would be like, "What on Earth is this?!" But to me, it is so precious. Eric would wake up early naturally every day and he would brew our coffee then head to the Beach to set up our spot. One morning, I was still asleep (I usually would go running but it was a rest day) and he didn't want to wake me and he didn't want me to wonder where he was - this is a way of saying, I didn't leave, I'll be back soon -snuggle my shirt 'til I get back. See, all our time together over the years, Eric has had many nights of third shift and trips. Third isn't common but whenever it did come up, Eric would leave for me a "pillow Eric" with his t-shirt to snuggle up to when I had to sleep alone. I used to work in surgery and leave the house at 5:30 and he would still be working that 3rd shift, but when I came home and he prepared to leave again, he would leave this for me. Luckily, I've had his snuggly body close to mine at night more frequently over the past year and so I haven't seen this in a while! It was more common to work 3rd before he went back to school. It was so special to wake up to because in our unspoken and unwritten language between us, this means, "I love you and I'll never leave you. I'm still here." It just warmed the heart. 

Our time alone together could not have been more perfect! 😍

Week 37 - Homeschool Preschool

 

It is the final week of 3k!! Now, homeschooling never really ends because we are always taking field trips, learning through playing, reading, counting, rhyming in the car, etc. But it was the last week of using my curriculum and lesson plans for myself to guide her in productive play and adventure and discovery.

She wanted to create candy with Play Dough as we did in February and once again, she wanted to "trick" Daddy into eating a piece of her "special candy!" He played along.

For our "Before Five in a Row" book this week and our final in the curriculum, we read "Goodnight Moon." I blogged about that specifically here. But, some concepts we pulled from the book to learn with were about the moon, space, and phases of the moon, fairy tales, telling time, listening to clues and deciphering riddles, using all the senses, rhyming skills, bible verse memory, art, and just so many things! 

We FINALLY finished our pine salve that we began months ago! We had to make pine oil first which takes time. The pine salve is incredible and I blogged about it also so you can look back and find that if interested. It's so medicinal and smells amazing! I love teaching my daughter about God's creation and how He gave all we needed and the knowledge to create things from His creation.

We did animal action cards in the yard which was amazing exercise and creative play!

We BEGAN a nature study on garden ants. We are going to circle back to it sometime this summer when we are home more. But, we did get started by reading a lot of books, conducting experiments, making observations, and playing.

We went hiking with several of our awesome friends and it was the best day in God's creation. This is Brasstown Falls in Long Creek, SC. The kids climbed rocks and trees, swam, and swung on a tree rope into the creek!

Ellie wanted to play mud kitchen. She made me "daisy flower soup." She made an apron (though she has two already) out of a pillowcase. So cute!

Now this next bit is a highlight to our last week of 3K. For our last class of the semester for Kindermusik, our precious teacher, Rosalind Cross, took us all on a field trip downtown to play out all the things the kids have been learning. There was counting, observational skills, hand and eye coordination play, meeting artists, song and dance, and......Ice Cream!! 

3K was amazing. I am beyond overjoyed I chose homeschooling! Every day I get to be the one to experience my daughter's joy, her pride when she tackles a new skill, help her overcome challenges, and I get to take all the love, snuggles, and laughs! I love our field trips, mornings reading God's Holy Word over breakfast, snuggling reading books, making huge messes, learning life skills, and surrounding her as best as I can in environments that are like minded and full of the Holy Spirit and not secular surroundings. I NEVER thought I'd choose this path but praise God His will is my desire and He knows best! 

4K, here we come!