Kellie Castle

Today we headed to Kellie castle in Pittenweem-just a short drive from here. It was a beautiful day so we seized the opportunity to be outside, which we usually try to do on sunny days. My favorite part was seeing the Victorian walled garden with tons of flowers, fruits and vegetables (and roosters). I really want a garden...I may have to resort to foraging (there is lots of rhubarb around here and the blackberries should be out soon-yay). We also enjoyed strolling through the Woodland walk and playing on the Adventure playground. Aaron slept in his cocoon the whole time in the stroller so he didn't make any of the pictures. It was another check off the list!

Aaron's Baptism

Aaron was baptized this past Sunday and it was a really special day for us. We also got to share it with some of our good friends, the Adams as one of their sons was also baptized. 

Then a few days later we went down to Edinburgh to the US Consulate so he is now officially an American citizen! And his passport is on the way which means we can go home soon (just for a visit that is). 

Springtime Spaghetti

A quick and easy dinner that the whole family enjoyed. Thanks again allrecipes.com.

Serves 4-6

8 ounces spaghetti

2 tablespoons butter

1 large zucchini, julienned

3 large carrots, julienned

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, cook spaghetti for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the zucchini, carrots, and garlic until tender. Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and dill. Cook and stir until thickened. Mix with the cooked spaghetti to serve.

Mexican Bean Salad

For a delicious healthy summertime side dish, try this! 

from Allrecipes

Ingredients

          1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

          1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

          1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

          1 green bell pepper, chopped

          1 red bell pepper, chopped

          1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels

          1 red onion, chopped

          1/2 cup olive oil

          1/2 cup red wine vinegar

          2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

          1 tablespoon lemon juice

          2 tablespoons white sugar

          1 tablespoon salt

          1 clove crushed garlic

          1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

          1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

          1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

          1 dash hot pepper sauce

          1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, frozen corn, and red onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce and chili powder.

Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables; mix well. Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.

Andrew's Bday!

Andrew turned the big 3-1 a few days ago, so we had some friends over for cake & ice cream. Amelie was proud to wear her "party bow" and we had a fun time celebrating another birthday here in Scotland! 

All Smiles

Saturday evening fun with the iPad :)

Hay Visit

Andrew's parents just returned home from visiting. We had a great time with them and they were such a big help as always. Being a former art teacher, Pam willingly stocked us with art supplies and organized lots of art projects for Amelie. She also left many more for us to do so rainy days aren't looking so bleak to me anymore. Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of their time here because most of them were taken with their camera. But here are a few things we did while they were here.

Riding the train at Craigtoun Park

Ceres Highland Games 

(I later found out that one of Amelie's teachers plays in this pipe band!)

Posing in front of the bird feeders we made. These crazy birds here picked it clean in a matter of hours. 

Sponge painting!

6 weeks old!

My sweet baby! 6 weeks old and just perfect :)

Office

We are in our last year now and I realized I still hadn't captured Andrew's office. He's spent many hours up there and has cranked out a lot of work from that desk...gotta remember what it looks like 20 years down the road! Every time I go up there (which is very rarely) I see about 20 more books and I start to freak out about how we are going to get all these home. There are TONS. Yikes.

Circus

The traveling circus came to town 2 weeks ago so Amelie and I spent the 4th of July evening enjoying it with Jessica and Justus. I hadn't had any one on one time with her since Aaron arrived so I was eager to take her to do something special.  We had such a fun time and Jessica and I also had a good laugh at some of the performances (jump rope and flaming limbo were among our favorites)! 

Hodges Visit

We have been very blessed to have family visit since Aaron has been born. My mom came the day before he arrived and my dad followed a few weeks later. We had a great time with them and it was of course very hard to see them leave. But we are enjoying Andrew's parents here now! Here are a few pics form my parent's visit. 

Enjoying an outing at Allenhill

Feeding the deer at the Deer Centre

Walking with Gamma & Pop

Round at the Old Course

Loving on Aaron!