Photos retrieved from a tide pool

I know you were all thinking that in typical fashion Ruth has gone from consistent blogging to falling off the edge of cyberspace but 'tis not so. I just dropped my camera in a tide pool. This was at the end of a very fun Saturday spent with Bill's parents the weekend of August 18 and 19. So we've gone a couple weeks without a camera. But though my camera is broken (tip: if you drop your camera in a tide pool rinse it first with fresh water and then let it dry out), I was able to retrieve these photos from my memory card. Below Zoe, Grandpa Dave and Lizzy roast marshmallows over the grill. After grilling we often make s'mores. A treat that is equal parts yummy and fun.

One of the best things we did with Bill's parents was bike around Mission Bay. We rented bikes at a place called Cheaprentals and they are as good as their name. I rented a bike with a baby seat which Will loved.

And Grandpa Dave and John rented this great bike. Sometimes Grandpa would leave before John was quite on the bike but John always seemed to jump back on even in motion. They made a great team.

Afterward we had Lunch/Dinner at a Korean barbecue place. One of Bill's colleagues introduced us to this place and it is becoming a family favorite, especially with Grandpa Dave who is considering designing his own table with a barbecue pit in the middle of it. I'm all for that. It would be really handy for s'mores. If you look closely you will see the grill in the middle of the table.

The next day there is one more photo I would have liked to have taken but alas my camera was no more. John left to use the bathroom during dinner and was gone longer than necessary. So Bill went to check on him. In a moment we heard Bill hollering from the bathroom. We thought they were upset dad yells but it turned out to be astonished dad yells. John was wearing the toilet seat around his neck. It had broken off and the obvious thing to do if you are John is to put it on like a necklace. Of all the weekends to drop my camera in a tide pool.

This week's highlights-Sun. Aug. 12th

Now that John is potty trained we finally got out of the house and did some fun stuff. Like going to the beach with the Patinos on Tuesday. There were lots of jelly fish and I was stung by one on the neck while boogie boarding but it wasn't too bad about like a bee sting. Zoey had me take a picture of her with one but it didn't look like much-- except maybe a blog of purple jelly.
I thought this picture of her with Sofia is much cuter.



At some point I noticed that John had joined gaggle of girls and then later that they were burying him in sand.
His annoyed look by the way is not at the girls but at his mom for making him take the towel off his face and sit up for a picture.


After we came home from the beach we had a bunch of watermelon chunks that hadn't been eaten they were all mooshed and juicy. I threw them in the freezer and the next day we had watermelon slushees with dinner. This was a really sweet watermelon and so I didn't add anything but water and lime juice and they were oh so good. We made them again Friday night this time I added sparkling water hoping to get a slurpee effect and while it worked it was subtle. If you want to try this at home we used about 1/4 of a seedless watermelon to make six slushees or slurpees or whatever you want to call them. The yummiest and healthiest slurpees ever.

P.S. Note: Bill is not wearing a tie. Bill now only wears a tie to work on Tuesdays the only day he sees patients. The rest of the days he just sees rats. Curious? You'll have to check back in a week or so.

Sunday Dinner with Blueberry Tarts

Dinner: Coq au Vin (French chicken stew), green beans,
red potatoes, crusty bread, mini-blueberry tarts

Guests: Isa Sabey and her daughters: Chloe and Lily
(Ben is at a Conference in Quebec)

Not only are Zoey and Chloe a good pair because their names rhyme but because they make excellent blueberry tarts. I haven't made these tarts for a few years not since the great blueberry picking outing in Texas. I forgot how simple and delicious they are. Recipe to follow.

Isa and Ruth

The Sabey's are another great family in our Ward. Isa is a massage therapist and modern dancer and lots of fun to talk to. Ben is getting his PhD in music composition. He is out of town for a couple weeks at a music conference where one of his pieces is being performed. Which surprised me because somehow I got the idea that Ben's music is so cutting edge and avant garde that it wasn't the sort anyone really listened to. I guess sometime when he is in town I'll have to invite them over again and have him play something for us. Chloe is 3 and Lily is 1.

The secret to Will's blueberry blue eyes: eating lots and lots of blueberries.


Mini Blueberry Tarts
from Martha Stewart Kids

1 cup plus 2 T flour
4 T powder sugar
6 T cold butter
2-3 T cold water

Mix flour sugar and butter in food processor. Slowly pour in water until a dough forms. (The recipe has you chill the dough at this point. I just ignored that.) Roll out on a floured surface till dough is slightly thinner than a 1/4 inch. Using a biscuit cutter or bottom of a glass cut out 2 1/2 inch rounds and press gently into mini muffin tins. If needed clump extra dough together and roll out again.


I did this step Saturday night and put the muffin tin in the freezer. That way we didn't have too much of a mess on Sunday but if you just can't wait for blueberry tarts you can storm on ahead.

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t freshly grate lemon zest
2 cups blueberries

Mix together and spoon into tart shells. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool for about 20 min. Scoop tarts out of the muffin tin with a spoon. I have no idea how long they keep. I've never seen them stay around more than an hour.

In theory you could make these tarts with frozen blueberries but it wouldn't be the same.

As promised: Pictures from Lizzy's birthday

So it's been more than a month but I still thought you'd like to see the pictures. For more about the party read Lizzy's blog. (I just like how pleased she sounds about the whole thing. About as pleased as she looks in this picture.) I made the aprons in pink and brown floral.

Zoey making an eclair. Below: The girls were having too much fun to pose for a decent photo.

Sunday Dinner Aug. 5, 2007

Beef Stroganoff, cherry tomato salad, peas and carrots, multi-grain bread
and snickerdoodles for dessert

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Hooray for bribery. John has gone more than a week without a potty training accident. We are all so pleased and highly recommend the M&M method. Thank you, Gina. Also this week I introduced a new form of bribery. Lizzy has been spending too much time on-line looking at Harry Potter sites. (Not keeping up with this blog as you may have noticed.) So in a moment of genius I said she can only spend as much time on the computer as she practices the piano. I've never heard Lizzy play so energetically or so often. Sorry no more pictures from this week. But I've added some pictures from Lizzy's French cooking birthday party in June. Ruth