More Jelly!

A new fruit is in season and we are back at the jelly making! Saturday we all went out to the farm to pick blueberries! Sadly I forgot my camera, but don't worry, there are lots of blueberries left to be picked so there will be a few more chances for me to snap some pics. I have thought about taking the kids blueberry picking, but all the blueberry farms (i don't really know what they are called) are about an hour away and it is so hot that I knew it would not be worth it. Then a couple of weeks ago I found out that the farm has blueberry bushes! All this time and I never knew! I am definitely glad we did not make the hour drive to pick blueberries because the kids only lasted about 30 minutes, but we had a blast. Let's be honest, it was really Murray and me picking the blueberries, but Ella and Miller loved holding the buckets and dumping the blueberries from one bucket to the other.

So, what do you do with all these blueberries?


Make jelly of course!

Ella has grown to love making jelly! She was the official blueberry crusher today.

Ella was very diligent about stirring the blueberries until they came to a boil (don't worry I was right by her and made sure that she did not get too close!)


Other news in the Lee Household:

Sara Wells can now hold her bottle. Growing so fast! Makes me so sad, our little baby is growing faster than seems possible. Sara Wells loves sitting in this chair with Murray and drinking her bottle. This is their little spot.


Our little Ella has become quite the photographer. When Murray got home from work today Murray grabbed the camera to take a picture of him eating this banana. Very artistic!



Our new batch of blueberry jelly

***Photo curtesey of Ella

Pesto Part One

Now, just because this is called Part One does not necessarily mean there will be a Part Two, but you never know...

A couple of months ago I tried a recipe for Pesto Potatoes and Peas. Of course while I was cooking Ella and Miller were running around in and out of my legs, screaming and chasing each other. During the chaos I forgot about the potatoes and let them roast too long. The recipe called for tossing the roasted potatoes with pesto and sweet peas. But my potatoes were so cooked, tossing was not an option. So what do you do with overcooked potatoes? Make mashed potatoes of course! This ended up being one of our favorite recipes. (I do not even begin to claim that I am good at taking pictures of food, but when it deals with recipes I always like to have a picture to know what my end product will look like. I promise it is way better than the picture makes it look).


Pesto Mashed Potatoes
10-8 red potatoes cut up in bite size pieces
1/3 bag of small sweet peas
2-3 spoonfuls pesto (depending on taste)
parmesan cheese
1/2 & 1/2
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the potatoes in salt and pepper and olive oil to coat. Roast in oven at 400 degrees until very golden (probably between 40 minutes to an hour). Roughly smash the potatoes, I like them to still be pretty chunky in this dish. Add peas, pesto, parmesan, 1/2 & 1/2 and salt and pepper. You do not need to add very much 1/2 & 1/2, just enough to make it moist. Probably about 1/2 cup of parmesan, but it is really up to you how much cheese you want. I always go by the rule that it is pretty hard to have too much parmesan! Be sure to taste because you may want to add more pesto. Cover with a parmesan and bake for about 5 to 10 more minutes. Enjoy!!!

Basil, Basil, Basil

One thing that has really taken off in our garden is our Basil! I definitely want to try to use everything in our garden. One of the best ways to use a lot of basil is to make Pesto! I love pesto and cannot believe that I made pesto from OUR garden!

Our basil is huge!

It was definitely a family effort. Miller picked all the basil for us.

Ella loved putting all the ingredients in the food processor and "pulsing" the ingredients.

I love cooking with Ella and Miller, but it is very different. Something that should take about 5 minutes stretches into 30 minutes. And something that should be relatively easy, little mess ends up looking like a bomb went off in the kitchen. My gut reaction is just to do it by myself where it will be quick, easy and little mess. But, oh how much I would be missing! Not only do I hope Ella and Miller develop a love for cooking, but I also cherish all these memories! All the messes are definitely worth it!

Here is what the kitchen looked like after making a simple pesto.

The final product. Cannot wait for all the yummy dishes to make with this!

Pesto Recipe:
2 cups basil
1/3 cup pine nuts (can use walnuts for a cheaper option)
3 minced cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the basil and nuts in the food process until finely chopped (if using walnuts and they are not chopped, pulse the nuts a few time before adding basil so the nuts are chopped small). Add garlic and pulse a few more times. Slowly add olive oil in a steady stream while food processor is mixing ingredients. You will probably have to scrape down the sides a few times. After mixed well, add parmesan and pulse a few more times. Season with salt and pepper. And there you go! Delicious!!!

Just for a Smile

Look Who is 6 Months Old!

Hard to believe, Sara Wells is already 6 months old! Time flies! Oh what a sweet baby Sara Wells is. She is so happy and so laid back. Sara Wells absolutely loves her brother and sister. Where ever they are, she wants to be there and twists her neck to watch their every move.





Sara Wells is almost sitting up on her own. I know within the next couples she will be a pro at it. It makes me so sad that she is going through these stages so fast, but I am also so excited to see what is coming next. Every day we meet a little bit more of her personality. I cannot even imagine what our world is going to be like when Sara Wells starts moving and disrupting Ella and Miller's world a little bit more.

One thing that the Lee children love is TV. I think Ella and Miller would watch TV all day long if I let them. Sara Wells is seeming like she is going to fit right in with her brother and sister.


(18 lbs 10 oz, 27 1/4 in)

4th of July Weekend

We made it back to the lake! We headed back to the lake Saturday afternoon to make it back just in time for our magnificent Frito Misto night. The weekend was filled with family, fun and food (lots and lots of food).

Stephen and Alex were the "fry masters" of the night.

Have you ever seen so much food???

Uncle Murray's first time to hold both babies.

Of course Ella did not let that last long. She could not handle somebody else holding the babies without her!

Ella's cousins are teaching her young how to be a cheerleader.



The whole crew

I just love the way Miller is looking at Ella in this picture. So sweet! He just loves his Ella!


Grimly and Sara Wells

Change of Plans

So sad, we had to leave the lake before all of the 4th of July activities began. Yesterday when I got Sara Wells up from her nap she felt extremely hot and when I took her temperature, it was 102! This morning it had not really gone down and Miller had a fever too. Since Chloe and Fitz were coming this afternoon, I knew we needed to come home and let the house clear of germs before the babies came. Sadly we all packed up and headed home.

I think the kids were actually pretty excited to come home. I can understand, it is always nice to come home after you have been away for awhile. However, I was just looking forward to being at the lake with everyone and was so excited to be there with Murray. Anyways, we are home and finally with Murray and it is very nice to be home, together! The first thing Ella did when she got home... put on her dress up. Within 5 minutes of being home, Ella had already had a wardrobe change.



Thank goodness Sara Wells' fever broke tonight (exactly 24 hours) and we are hoping Miller's will break tonight so we can head back to the lake tomorrow night or after church Sunday.