Tag Archives: summer

July 19, 2011 · 8:35 AM

Meet our house guest – Lilly Bug!

Lilly Bug - our sweet little pixie. Photo courtesy of her mommy.

Our little Lilly Bug is here for a week of Nana & Papi time. This is her special week. She gets us all to herself. No sharing with her older brother. No fighting for attention or toys. It’s just us and Lilly for 7 days of quality grandparent spoilage. Well, our Boston Terrier Ziggy is here, too. He’s having to adjust to having a 2 year-old in the house. It has cut into his napping time, for sure. On the up side, his snack quotient has skyrocketed since he discovered that ‘under the highchair’ is the place to be. He’s digging that part. If I fail to post much this week, forgive me. We’re lost in Lillyland, and we plan to make the most of it. Now if you’ll excuse me, Dinosaur Train is on and we don’t want to miss it!

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August 27, 2010 · 8:23 AM

Hot Fun in the Summer Time

I think the extraordinary summer heat in South Texas has finally baked Ziggy’s brain. For the most part, he seems to be normal. He still snores when he naps. He still farts after he eats. He still tries to lick my feet as if they’re covered in melted cheese. He still snuggles up next to me on the sofa. Yup, he seems pretty normal except for one thing. He L-O-V-E-S to go outside during the hottest part of the day and lay on the concrete patio. What is he thinking?!?

Ziggy - Bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes

The Complete Package took our instant read thermometer out there to test how hot the concrete is in the late afternoon. It came back at 115F. I’m pretty sure you could smoke a brisket out there. Hmmm…brisket…oak chips in the pantry…weekend coming up…I think a plan is forming.

Why Is There A Camera In My Face, Mommy?

Sorry, Ziggy. Mommy got distracted. Don’t you want to come back inside where there’s air conditioning and your favorite rug under the ceiling fan? No? Are you sure? What if I got you some ice cream?

Did Someone Say Ice Cream?

Yeah, I thought that would get your attention.

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August 15, 2010 · 9:59 PM

Why I Love Summer

I love summer because I love farmer’s markets. I love and respect people who grow fresh veggies. There’s a magical place south of Houston in a town called Manvel. It’s known as Froberg Farms, and they are the reason I look forward to summer every year. Trust me when I say that summers in south Texas leave little to love. It gets really hot here, and oppressively humid. Imagine New Orleans or Malaysia but with bigger mosquitos. But I digress… I love the summer season because it and Froberg Farms provide me with my favorite meal of all time.

NanaBread's Favorite Summer Meal

I call it “Fruit Stand Blow-Out” and it consists of whatever I can find that’s at its peak. Here’s how it went down last night:

Fried okra – lightly dusted with flour, salt and pepper; simple is better here
Yellow squash with Vidalia onions – sauteed with butter, salt and pepper
Green beans with new potatoes – slow cooked with bacon and onion
Roma tomatoes – cold from the fridge and dusted with Nature’s Season Salt

If I’m ever incarcerated and asked to proclaim my wishes for my final meal, this is it. Only fresh corn on the cob could make this meal any better. Thank you summer and Froberg family for my favorite meal of the season. I wouldn’t change a thing. Oh, wait. Yes, I would. I’d have dessert!

Homemade Apple Pie - Oh, My!

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August 13, 2010 · 7:27 PM

Swimmin’ Like a Barracuna

Jonah Bear and His Moustache

This is Jonah Bear. He spent a week with us this summer. For those new to the NanaBread Blog, Jonah Bear is my angelic little pirate (grandson). He’s 3 1/2, and he rocks our world. Anyway, while we had him this summer, my friend Kaki taught him to swim. Kaki is a fifth grade teacher who also teaches summer swim lessons to little fish like Jonah Bear. We weren’t sure what to expect, this being his first experience and all, but he took to it like a duck to….well, water! He was a little anxious the first day, especially when he learned Kaki planned to make him put his face under water, but by the end of the second day he proudly proclaimed that he could “swim like a barracuna.” And he was right! We were invited into the pool area at the end of lesson #2 (after a total of one hour of swim instruction), and there he was – swimming under water to Kaki.

Jonah Swimmin' Like a Barracuna

I had to pick my jaw up off the ground! I couldn’t believe she could take a toddler and turn him into a fish in an hour, but by golly she did it! He was jumping off the side of the pool, going almost to the bottom, then swimming under water to Kaki who was at least 5-6 feet away. As each day progressed, he was swimming farther and farther across the pool. And by Friday, after five half-hour lessons, he was leaping into the deep end, swimming out to Kaki in the middle, catching a breath and then swimming to the other side and getting out of the pool. Then he’d run back around and do it all over again. His “show off” time on Friday lasted 45 minutes because we couldn’t get him out of the pool.

Jonah Bear Jumps In for More

The rate of speed from which he went from scared water weary toddler to mind-blowing aggressive barracuna (his term) was nothing short of remarkable. My baby’s baby is a swimmer! A cutie-patootie holding his breath and crossing the pool underwater swimmer. I’m telling you, either my sweet Jonah Bear is the smartest kid in the world, or Kaki is the best swim teacher in the world, or both. I’m voting for both.

PS – Special thanks to my friend Sheriee and her husband Vern for allowing us to use their pool all week. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy the mile-high apple pie! And a warm thanks to my other friend, Pat, who came out for show-off day to watch Jonah swim just because she’s nice like that.

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