It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's big, red and round, but I'm not talking about that jolly old elf, I am talking about that wonderful vegetable/fruit-- the tomato! It is that time of year again when the farm is overflowing with these guys in red, orange, yellow, green, even purple! I was so excited to go yesterday because I knew that they were waiting for me! Can you tell I'm excited? Every sentence so far has an exclamation point!



There was a time when I did not regard the tomato so highly. My mom would have to force me to gag them down. Gradually I began to accept them in salads, or cooked with zuchinni, but I wasn't exactly enthusiastic. But once I got married, Ed loved eating them so much that it made me like them. Seeing him enjoy them made something click in my tastebuds and all of a sudden they were delicious! I especially liked eating them with salt, but some dressing- french or italian, would also work. But I should qualify-- the tomatoes I am talking about are the garden variety. Literally, from the garden. In July and August when tomatoes ripen is the time to eat them. In January when the grocery stores sell the garden tomatoe's anemic, mealie cousins I avoid buying them unless a recipe absolutely calls for fresh tomato. But now, now is the time for gorging on tomatoes. And that is what I did. I recently was reading someone's blog where she was raving about a cherry tomato called "sun gold", so I was excited to see them on the u-pick list at the farm. As I went down the rows, I popped them in my mouth almost as fast as I put them in my little container. They are small and incredibly sweet- they may even convince my children to eat tomatoes.
I also got 4 pounds of regular sized tomatoes that I am excited to slice open to eat with salt. Ed and I found this recipe for a BLT last summer from a Spanglish- "The World's Greatest Sandwich", and we have been waiting for tomato season to eat it again. It is soooo good. Seriously, the name fits it. Maybe tonight for dinner...

The World's Greatest Sandwich

3-4 thick slices of bacon
2 slices monterey Jack cheese
2 slices pain de campagne (rustic country loaf), toasted
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
4 slices tomato
2 leaves butter lettuce
1 teaspoon butter
1 egg


1. Cook the bacon until crisp
drain on paper towels and set aside

2. Place the slices of cheese on one slice of the toasted bread
and place in a toaster oven or under a broiler to melt the cheese.

3. Spread the other slice of toast with the mayonnaise,
top with cooked bacon, the sliced tomato and the lettuce.

4. In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Fry the egg, turning over briefly when the bottom is set (keep the yolk runny)

5. Slide the finished egg on top of the lettuce.
top with the other slice of toast, melted cheese side down.
place the sandwich on a plate and slice in half, letting the yolk run down the sandwich.

July, in summary.

I am almost afraid to post, it has been so long! I think that if anyone is left reading this blog, it's a miracle! Anyway, since I have been absent most of July, I will try to catch you up. Beware! Lots of pictures ahead!

Ok, so to start off the month we went to Ed's parents' summer place in NJ to celebrate the 4th, as well as their retirement. We went to a parade the morning of the 4th, and then to a little town celebration where the kids ran a couple of foot races and participated in a peanut scramble. Later that evening we all went out to the Lobster Shanty to celebrate the retirement, and then finished off the night with fireworks on the river.

The next weekend we spent with our friends Bob and Aimee, and their daughter (who is one of E's best friends) down at their Brigantine condo. The weather was absolutely gorgeous all weekend, and the beach is my favorite that I have ever been on. You get to it by walking through the dunes, and it is flat and uncrowded. There are even tidal pools that form up on the beach (so it goes sand/ pools/ sand/ surf) that were perfect for K to play in, although she loved the waves too. The kids really enjoyed playing in the tidal pools as the tide came in, because they formed a little stream along the beach with a current that was perfect for riding boogie boards on. It was the best weekend of the summer thus far.

The next wednesday, the 16th, we left for our yearly vacation in NH where my family has a cabin on an island on Lake Wentworth. Although we had some nice weather, the majority of the week was rainy/ cloudy. On Thursday the weather hit the peak when there was a hurricane that came through the area with a tornado that touched down on the shore of the lake. Thank the Lord that he protected us!! Despite the rain, we had fun with my sisters Cara and Sandy and Sandy's 3 year old son Elijah. The kids liked playing together, and went in the water at every break in the rain. When we asked the kids before bed each night what their favorite part of the day was, N always said, "Playing with Elijah". After the kids went to bed at night we played games and talked, enjoying each others' company without the noise of children in the background. Finally on Friday, the day before we left, we had a perfect sunny day in which we took full advantage- swimming all day, and kayaking around the lake. It was unfortunate that we had to leave the next day, another perfect day, but we were ready to go home to running water, indoor plumbing, and showers!

We actually added an extra stop on the way home, spending Saturday night in Connecticut where Ed's brother Bill, and his wife Becky were having a party for their daughter Aubrey who just turned one. It was nice to break up the trip home, and visit with Bill and Becky, as well as join in on the celebration.

Sunday we returned home, and since then I have done 10 loads of laundry! We are getting back into the routine of being home. The kids were excited to play with their toys, and I greeted my dishwasher with a big long hug. Well, not really, but I was glad to see it again! Vacation is fun, but sometimes the best part is coming home.

Bloggy Vacation

Yes, I have been on a little vacation from my blog. Things have been busy this summer and I feel like I don't have any time to go on the computer anymore. I have been babysitting a lot, going to the pool, and away on the weekends to the shore. And when I have some free time I have been reading. I have a stack of magazines that is about a foot high (with issues from October!!) that I need to work my way through. But that is taking a back seat to a trilogy I am reading - The Mark of the Lion, by Francine Rivers. It is pretty good, at least it is easy to read, and interesting, but probably won't make my list of all time favorites. Anyway, the books are pretty long, so when I get a chance I sit and read. We are on our way out this afternoon, back down to the shore, and I hear a baby who just woke up from her nap, so I must go. I promise I will be back soon, and I will try to upload pictures to prove that we are busy, and I am not just a lazy blogger.

Well, maybe I am a little ;)