Quick Takes, Sunday Edition

Hey there, friends!  I'm sure that you're all shocked and dismayed that I'm not chugging right along with curriculum posting (not?) but there's lots to share in the realm of updates and I'm feeling in a chatty mood this afternoon.  So, let's spend the small amount of free time I have before Sunday night singing gig in some quick takes, shall we?  Back to ALL things homeschool very soon, I promise. ;-}

--1--

So, let's talk Mother's Day.

We had a busy day on the actual day without much time for celebrating.  But in the morning before church, I was awakened to all four girls waltzing into my room, dressed in their finest, saying "Happy Mother's Day!  Surprise!"  I was then brought upstairs to find breakfast ready and homemade cards and presents galore.  They had planned it all and executed it with very little help from Daddy, apparently.  Such sweet and thoughtful little ones I have.  Heart-eye emojis.

--2--

The day before Mother's Day was L's state gymnastics meet.  We split up as N had a soccer game at the same time, and since the alternative was sitting in the cold drizzle at the soccer game, C opted to join me and L.  She very patiently drew me pictures and sang songs and played I Spy during the actual meet, interrupted by me as I took videos and cheered for L.  By the awards she had run a little low on patience and then happily played Lollipops on my phone for the remaining 20 minutes as we waited for the officials to tally scores.

L took 7th on floor, 5th on bars, 4th on beam, and 5th all-around in her age group!!!  I was so beyond proud and happy for her-- it has been a year of hard work, and some ups and downs adjusting to the rigors of team gymnastics.  I was so grateful that she was able to see some of the fruits of her labor that day.  To be 5th all-around in the entire state-- pretty special.  She was so excited to come home and share the news with N and Daddy and it was just a great way to end her year-- she is still riding high.  It was awesome for me to watch her grace and maturity out on the floor, too... always a smile for the judges, cheering for her teammates, etc.  Wow.  She has learned so much this year!

--3--

Speaking of coming so far and learning so much, N has LOVED spring soccer and is doing an amazing job!  Unfortunately the above is the only picture I have of the season so far-- getting ready to give fives to the other team at yesterday's game.  It has been a really great combination this year for her-- she adores her coach and has really clicked with a lot of her teammates.  Hopefully I will get some videos of her in action at some of her remaining games because she is looking sharp out there!  In fact, her coach has nicknamed her his "little Viking" and has been commenting lately about how she really puts her horns on and attacks :)

--4--

This week was field day for C's preschool!

(They were kind enough to let ALL the girls participate :)

--5--

This week was also Girl Scout end-of-the-year ceremony.

L bridged to Brownies, and N "flew up" to Juniors.

We went ahead and bought C's Daisy uniform since she will start next year, and although she isn't officially part of things yet, she was right up there in front, saying the Promise and the pledge and everything with everyone, and the leaders were kind enough to let her do it.

It was a wonderful afternoon-- the girls presented all the projects they have been doing all year and they really have learned so much about civics, the environment, sustainability, etc.  I'm so glad they have this experience!

It was HOT at both field day and Girl Scouts and our poor baby I think nearly suffered heat stroke, with not much shade to be had in either location.

So when she decided to take all the spoons from the snacks table and sort them one by one at the Girl Scout ceremony, I just let her, because really, she was SO good considering it was 90+ degrees and right during nap time.

--6--

So these cookies have been made twice in the past two weeks.  As in... once per week.  They are super easy to make; I can whip the batter up in about five minutes.  They satisfy my craving for sweets in a sort-of healthy way, and it's a small batch so with the girls' and Daddy's help we can each eat 2-3 and they're gone, which means I'm not over-indulging for days on end after making them.

Would you believe that I had them all arranged on a pretty plate to take a picture, and by the time my phone was charged and ready to photograph, they were already gone?

Here's my substitute picture.

That's me when there's cookies in the house.

--7--

Another thing we have been making a lot of is tomato soup, with all the cold, dreary, rainy weather we had before the heat wave this week.  Remember this pic?

Yeah, the girls are fans.

I have been using a dairy-free CrockPot recipe lately and it has kind of been on repeat so I figure it has earned it's place on the blog.  Here ya go!

(originally shared by my friend Shana)

SLOW COOKER CREAMY TOMATO SOUP (DAIRY-FREE)

Ingredients

½ cup raw, unsalted cashews

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 large garlic cloves, minced or grated

4 cups vegetable stock (I have been using chicken bone broth)

1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes

⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Set aside.

2. Place the onions, garlic, vegetable stock, crushed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, and honey (if using) into the base of a slow cooker, stirring to combine.

3. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

4. When the soup is finished cooking, drain and rinse the cashews. Add 1/2 cup fresh water and pulse with the cashews in a small blender (I use the smoothie cup attachment on my Ninja blender) or food processor, until a smooth, creamy liquid forms.  Set aside.

5. Using an immersion blender, blend the tomato mixture until well combined and very smooth, about 2 minutes. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully ladle the cooked tomato mixture into a blender, working in batches. Make sure the lid is on tightly, cover with a towel, and blend until well combined and very smooth.

6.  Add the cashew cream to the pureed soup, stirring well to combine.

7. Serve hot, topping with scallions and basil if you like.

That's all I got!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!

(and for more quick takes, visit This Ain't the Lyceum!)