Tomato

I am obsessed with GIMP. Seriously. Also this is a tomato from our garden. It was delicious. 

Knitting and Such

I did it. I bought a nice camera. I got it at a really good price and it was the first thing that I have ever bought on EBAY. It was really exciting. I found that I was really competitive about it. I was like if that mother f*cker bids higher than me... Cyber-rage; weird. So that was fun. The camera hasn't arrived yet so I am obsessively tracking it on the internet. Imagine the days before the web. Like when you would write a letter and send it with some stranger who was passing through on a horse and then four months later some other traveler would bring you the four ounces of Molasses that you ordered...

I have been working on my knitting projects recently. I stopped by my local knitting store and they showed me how to do the coolest edging stitch on a hat. So neat looking. Also the woman manning the store showed me this really cool website: http://www.ravelry.com/ . It's like facebook but for knitters. So many wonderful patterns...

Well I don't really want to post anymore photos until I have my new camera, but I have a couple cuties...

I left Joel this note:

.....And when I came home he had responded: 

Cute Right? 

Heading Home

I am heading home for a little visit soon. I am so excited. I love the farm so much. While I am there I am going to do a million things.

-play with my nieces and nephews
-say hi to the cows
-go on a canoeing trip with my sister
-help my parents in the garden
-eat and eat and eat
-jump on the trampoline
-swim in the pool
-pick food from the garden

I cannot wait to see my family. Family is the best. As my parents get older I value the time that I spend with them more and more. It's crazy to think that they won't always be there.

From the top:

-Scallops at christmas time
-Taco Fillings
-The kitchen at night
-My mom at farmers market
-My sweet sweet parents
-Laundry drying indoors
-Sink in the upstairs bathroom
-My parents bedroom
-Back of the house
-Trampoline!!!
-Greenhouse
-Barn
-Cows
-Compost pits 
-Milk in the fridge 
-Garlic from the garden 
-My parents record collection 
-Bathroom reads 
-Niece in the garden--photo credit Moriah Spicer 
-Just your average lunch at the farm--photo credit Moriah Spicer

Love in the 70's

My parents met in San Francisco in the summer of 1969. Their first date was a Peter, Paul, and Mary concert. You get the picture.

When they got married they didn't send out paper wedding invitations, instead they cut large rounds of plywood into large puzzle pieces and sent those out. They asked people to decorate the puzzle piece and then bring it to the wedding. When all the pieces were together again my parents planned to glue them together and use them for their dining room table. This didn't quite happen and the pieces are still in boxes in the attic. But we got them out the other night and I was so impressed and wowed and generally blow away.

Lucah Samuel Spicer

I am a strong believer that posting pictures of children on your blog is like cheating. I mean everyone loves kids. But this little one is so beautiful that I just cannot resist:

Ode to the Father

My dad is really cool. I didn't always realize this though. Actually I have only recently gotten out of the phase where I feel extreme embarrassment about my parents. I remember wanting to sink into the earth when I went anywhere with him. He would always wear the most ridiculous get-ups, Khaki pants cut off at the knee, a plaid shirt that predated the Jimmy Carter era, and some shoes that were dress shoes in the 40's, but closely resemble something like moccasins now. In addition to this, he is a farmer. I cannot remember how many hours I spent wishing that he had a normal job...he could have been a dentist…

I don't want this little vignette to get sappy, but I have really come to appreciate my dad for who he is. He is a farmer and he grows the most beautiful food that I've ever seen. He also milks our four cows, shovels the quarter mile driveway in the winter by hand, plays the guitar and sings like a boss, cans, writes the best letters, plays badminton like Lee Chong Wei, has a great sense of humor, and has a better work ethic then I ever will. This last mention is well illustrated by the following pictures. 


My pops hand sickled the field that he is standing in: 

Room Cleaning

Rooming cleaning is not my strong suit. I tend to let my room get to the point where it looks like tornado alley. About when I feel like I have to swim through an ocean of clothing just to get to my bed I decide that I should probably clean it. Here are some before and after pictures so that you can get the picture: 

Before

After

It was a difficult experience, and there are no pictures of the closet for a reason, but all in all, I am glad that I took the time to clear a path to my bed.

Almond Croissants

Yesterday I spent the entire day in the KITCHEN with my mom. What a fun time we had. We made a ton of baked goods and the best part about it is that I got paid for my hard work.

We made Almond Croissants, complete with homemade Almond Paste. I always feel a little intimidated when I make Croissants, but have no fear, they are actually hard to mess up. Also, I was super shocked when it was easy to make Almond Paste.

I will include a short description of how I made the Paste: Take one pound of almonds and put them in a food processor until they are the consistency of corn meal. Then mix in one and a half cup of sugar. Then blend in three eggs, three table spoons of cream, and a teaspoon of almond extract. The paste should be about the consistency of grits. Enjoy.

Here are some pictures of the baking extravaganza!!