McCoy Family: Hot, hot, hot!

We've been enjoying the (somewhat) lazy days of summer, though the last week has been blazing hot here in Fresno. We escaped to the beach for a long weekend, but it was back to reality come Sunday night. The house was 88 degrees inside when we got back... and Sunday wasn't even the worst day of the hot spell.

Our activity-of-the-day project continues. Monday was appropriately "P" is for popsicle and pool - perfect for a hot summer day. Norah got a Zoku popsicle maker for Christmas, and we've been having fun coming up with flavor combinations. Monday's creation involved chocolate fudge and bananas (hold the bananas for Dan and I and the chocolate for Maddie). The pops were delicious and enjoyed by all.

While searching for recipes for Norah's project, I found some decidedly more adult-friendly pops and also a whole book about "Poptails," conveniently available from my local library in e-book format. I think the mojito posicles may be on our 4th of July menu later today. Norah won't mind of we borrow her Zoku as long as we make something (else) for her.

Our super hot weather is making most of my garden sad, but it's making my tomatoes grow like crazy. Dan got me a dehydrator for my birthday, so now we have homemade "sun"-dried tomatoes to go along with the tomato sauce, salsa, bruschetta, salads, etc. We're thankful for the temporary slowdown of the zucchini and patty pan squash production, since we were running out of new ideas of what to do with those. Since I'm home a lot more now, I've really gotten into my garden this year and have expanded from the usual tomatoes and herbs to also include summer squash, butternut squash, green beans, Swiss chard, carrots, peppers, strawberries, onions, etc. It's giving me an outlet for both my creative and nerdy sides. (I think it also gives me the subconscious feeling that I'm still providing something concrete for my family.) Dan says I've gone down the rabbit hole, but I think it's really interesting to learn about companion planting, vertical gardening, edible flowers, and safer ways of managing weeds and pests. Plus, it's making us get more creative with our meals as we figure out what to do with our bounty. Dan and Norah are being really good sports about trying zucchini brownies, borage lemonade, and microgreens. Norah - the kid who refuses to eat most sauces (ketchup and syrup notwithstanding) - pops nasturtium and borage flowers into her mouth without batting an eye. And Dan - who was wary of most vegetables when we met - now harvests Swiss chard in the mornings for his omelets. Dan did draw the line at getting a chicken, however. (In reality, while I am on board with the concept of backyard chickens, those of you who know me know that I am definitely not in favor of cleaning up after said chickens. Not to worry Dan - chickens are not in your future!) Either way, I'm having fun and we're getting some good veggies in the process.

A few of our tomatoes... feeling overrun!

Not a chicken, but a goat instead

Maddie turned 11 months old on Tuesday, thus entering her last month of babyhood (sigh). She's a very adept crawler, so we seem to be a bit away from walking yet. She is, however, perfecting her climbing skills. She spent hours this past weekend at the beach house going up and down the two steps from the kitchen to the family room... which has given her the confidence to explore greater and greater heights. She has a curious streak, this one! While at least now she has figured how to get herself down, she's still definitely keeping us on our toes.

Norah and Maddie are becoming quite the playmates. Maddie just laughs and laughs at her big sissy, and she's still a pretty good sport when Norah "borrows" her toys (right out of Maddie's hands). While they were playing the other day, I snapped the below picture...