The most moist, delicious, healthy, banana nut muffins have just come out of the oven. These are spectacular and made with all natural/whole-grain ingredients. I made half of the muffins plain and the other half with a crumb topping. Which one would you pick?
It’s snowing today…. the first day of Spring! After my post last night, remembering the first day of snowfall on the day Julian was born and now here it is again, on the first day of Spring. Isn’t that something?
There’s only one thing to say, “Hello baby Julian”.
It’s been eight weeks since our baby Julian left us. Eight very sad weeks. The winter has passed and spring has begun. The snow has melted, the snow that first started when Julian was born, is now all gone. As we look outside on our deck, it is clear and it reminds me of all the days when he was here and it was filled with snow.
Julian’s granite permanent marker is in its place at the cemetary. It sounds so strange to hear that it’s permanent. Up until now, I had some hope that one day I would wake up and this would all be a terrible, terrible nightmare. Even though it is a nightmare, it’s one that remains even when I wake in the morning. It’s one that I have to continue to endure everyday. This is real.
Our two other children really keep things going around here, they are more helpful to us then you can imagine, helping us smile everyday, lifting our spirits with their genuine, unconditional love. They are precious and a blessing to us, as are our dear friends and family.
So much has happened during these eight weeks. Many friends have had new babies, infants have grown into bigger babies, and some friends are expecting new babies. Life moves on and you have to grab a hold of it and embrace life as best as you can. Enjoy your family and your friends, enjoy your significant other, enjoy your parents, enjoy your children, enjoy all that is special to you and enjoy your time here on earth with everyone that you love. Your family and friends are here with you, they love you and need you and you need them too. Don’t be afraid to love, it’s what keeps us centered and truly, truly happy.
We will always remember him and always, always love him with all of our hearts. Please, take a minute, and help me send all of our love to our beautiful, sweet, baby Julian.
Tonight, at Lilliana’s elementary school, we are having an International Festival with food, crafts, music and entertainment from around the world. It’s going to be a blast. I am going to LOVE eating all the food, especially the Spanish, Indian, Italian and Portuguese and everything else for that matter! 🙂 Today is officially my last day of the cleanse and I will begin eating again. Well, I already did eat a couple of those pasteis de nata that I made, fresh out of the oven but who can resist those?
I made Pasteis de Bacalhau (fish and potato fritters) and Pasteis de Nata (custard cups) to represent Portugal. These two items are a staple in Portuguese cuisine and so very, very, very delicious. (I’m not biased, of course) Made with all natural/organic ingredients, no preservatives in these pasteis!
This was my first time making Pasteis de Nata. I made the dough from scratch and the filling and they were both fairly easy but a lot of work! I’ve been in the kitchen making these two dishes from 9am and it’s now almost 2pm! But, I have to admit, it was a lot of fun and quite an accomplishment to make the Pasteis de Nata. I’m looking forward to watching everyone enjoying them tonight. That will make me very happy!
Lucas was my official taste tester for both dishes and he LOVED them so I’m hoping they will be a hit with the kids tonight. No pizza for any of the kids at Lilliana’s school tonight, they need to eat all of this delicious food that parents spent time, energy and money making for them! After all, it is an INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL!
Now, it’s time to go outside and enjoy this beautiful day with Lucas. One question for all of you, what am I going to do with the leftover custard?
We discovered a new favorite soup tonight, Corn Chowder! The kids loved it and so did Mike, yum. So tasty and so hearty, you can’t go wrong! We served it with a side salad and some delicious Spinach and Cheese Bites.
Today is such a beautiful, sunny, spring day. Lucas and I went for a walk outside and I wished so much that Julian was with us. He would have LOVED this beautiful weather. It’s so sad that he didn’t get to experience any of this beauty. Thinking about him a lot today and always.
foodjules.com 