family

the beach. again. this is where we hang out these days. it's just as if you feel more alive, in your body and mind. and as a family. (and the fact that i couldn't get everyone to stand still at the same time to take these photos as i had imagined, well, that's just my family).

esti chose this week's word, family. for more family time, see:
cecilia, anairam, nathalie et cetera, alexandra, fruenswerk, aris, aimee, jenna, and kristi.

nothing like a good bread

a while back i saw this amazing no knead bread on flickr.

i've been baking it quite a lot as it is easy to make and customize depending on what you have in the house in the house (nuts, flour, dried fruits etc.). and because it's delicious with a crust you just cannot believe, while soft and moist on the inside.

yesterday i made it with dried dates cut into small pieces and sunflower seeds. the flour was 3/4 all purpose flour and 1/4 rye. this morning i baked it and it was oh so good! i also strongly recommend the date/walnut combo. extremely yummy.

D and the kids love raisins in the bread. i'm not such a fan. but dates, that's another story! love it! here we can compromise.

if you want to do this bread, check out this article that includes the basic recipe. and if you feel like it, watch this video to see how simple it really is.


just out of the oven:



and on my plate:


as my weekend just began, here's to a wonderful end of the week.

corner view: from my backdoor

this is it. the glory of my back porch, and some of the garden. the messy part of the garden where we spent most days. i was planning to make it look a bit more calm, but organizing with three little boys around is a bit like a sisyfos task. i also wanted to take a photo in the soft, golden light that streams into the porch in the late afternoon and as the sun sets. but i wasn't home yesterday afternoon, so this is the morning view.

anyway, why so much explaining, this is the true story of my backdoor view, and after years in the city i cannot even begin to describe the happiness and joy it brings me to be able to just open my backdoor and enter this garden.

the shadow from the palm tree is the thing i love the most. it's moving around the garden and we follow it, with table and chairs and toys. and it looks like this giant shadow painting on the lawn. love it!

the view from my back windows - just because i love these windows:


for more backdoor - or window - views, take a look here:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, jillian, doobleh-vay

have a great day :)

this red monday: playful creation

most days we're outdoors. with a break here and there to be cooled off inside the house. the summer is hot and humid in israel. but a little shade and a little water makes it perfect. and it's a lot easier to be creative - kids' style - outdoors.

the kids are painting. on wood scraps, themselves and each other. then they jump into the little pool. i watch from the shade. assist a bit. what i'm not doing so much these days, is browsing the internet. so no other shades of red today. just more colors...


and thank you so much for all your lovely comments to last weeks cornerview. on a little side note i wanted to let you know that i myself love the fact that my kids enjoy being naked. they are little hippies, i tell you. most days they run around the garden naked too. and they don't seem to bother if everyone else are dressed :) my concern is more to put photos of naked children online. i had a bad experience with that some years ago.

wishing you a colorful week.

weekword: scale

scale down, 1:100. dream away.

other weekword participants: cecilia, esti, anairam, nathalie et cetera, alexandra, fruenswerk, aris, aimee, jenna, tiny red, kristi, sandra , julia, valentina and marie-louise.

have a magic weekend everyone.

corner view: the beach

until recently when we moved to the countryside, we lived right next to the wonderful tel aviv beaches. and we would go there almost every day. to play, to walk the seaside promenade. to have a coffee. breathe the fresh air. then we switched the seaside for the countryside. so now we have to drive. 10 minutes. which we do several times a week now that it's hot.

D grew up next to the ocean. most of the things he loves to do involves the beach and the water: wind and wave surfing, fishing, diving, beach volley, swimming. i'm not that energetic. at all! i love to stare at the sea, picking shells and beautiful stones, play with sand, read a book while listening to the waves. and, contrary to D, i also love the beach on a stormy, grey winter day. it never fails to make me realize that this world is such a mind blowing result of the playfulness of the universe.

the kids love the beach (they had no choice. their dad had their surf boards and fishing gear waiting in the delivery room). when they started to crawl, they'd head for the water, like little turtles following their instincts. today, when we get to the beach, they start to pull of their clothes as they walk through the sand towards the sea. and they refuse to wear swimsuits, which i tried to introduce (because i'm not comfortable with naked photos of them on my blog or on flickr. silly me). but they don't want to. they want to be naked and run through the water, lie in the warm sand, jump from the rocks, throw stones into the waves. they feel the beach, and watching them makes everything fall into place. i can't explain why, but it just makes sense.

that's the essence. then there's all the packing, planning, getting the kids together and get out the door with water, food, fruits, sun cream and all the other beach essentials. and the arrival at home, everyone covered in sand, warm and tired, with the smell of salt water from hair and skin. the logistics and the cleaning up. but it's all so worth it.

and if you're like me and just cannot get too much beach time, go ahead and spoil yourself with plenty more beach views from all around the world:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage,trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndale, samantha, Karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, , inna, daan.

this red monday: drinking hibiscus

cold hibiscus tea with lemon, cinnamon and sugar, served with lots of crushed ice. this is what i drink these hot days.

we have some hibiscus bushes around the garden, but i've been buying the dried hibiscus flowers at the market. wonder if i can dry ours myself... guess i can, right?

i made up the recipe as i went along, added sugar and lemon until i liked it. if you want to try a proper recipe, try this one from the lovely 101 cookbooks. here you'll also find this blackberry limenade. a tempting looking, deep red drink.

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other shades of red: the amazing photos from loou including this one with red and pink balloons. and i love these cute alice in wonderland shoes from tiny red.

but lately most of my red came from the light and the sky as the sun has been setting behind our orange trees. no photos of that. i tried, but couldn't do it any justice. so i leave that image to your imagination :)

have a wonderful week!