Monthly Archives: June 2016

Homemade Pizza

Homemade pizza is pretty amazing stuff. The very best part about homemade pizza is getting to be as creative as you’d like. Am I right? I love the endless amounts of combinations and flavors that everyone brings to the table. Me, I’m a HUGE veggieholic and could pile on the cheese, mushrooms, peppers, onions, olives, brocoli, etc. just give me all the vegetables! Mr. B loves stacking his pizza with meat, more meat and anchovies. Although, I must admit it took me awhile to get use to his salt-lick slices of pizza, but I eat it now ha-ha!

This is my go to crust recipe…it ALWAYS turns out tasty and has been a trusty keeper. If you try it for yourself, let us know what you think.

This past week on family/neighbor dinner night we made homemade pizza and topped one with cheese, homemade meatballs, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms.

The other pizza, per our guest request, was topped with cheese, jalapeños and pepperoni. We paired the two pizzas with a big Greek salad and a nice glass of red.

I adore and look forward to these evenings dinners in with our neighbors, what a treasure. The weather was beautiful and not too terribly hot, a nice little breeze floating through our windows. Bumblebee was hammin’ it up, per her usual, making all sorts of friends with anyone in her line of sight, mowing down on her fist… I just love my little family!

Backpackbees

First Father’s Day

I think by now you realize that our family love language is cooking and baking homemade meals to share and enjoy with one another, our friends and family. Im also certain, just as you suspected, Father’s day wasn’t any exception to that statement either. Yes, Bumblebee and I decided to show our love and admiration for Mr. B and his first Father’s day through his stomach. We whipped up some extra special homemade Belgium waffles, a side of fresh fruit and a good ol’ cuppa joe.

I have to say… nothing makes me smitten more with this man than seeing how much he loves our daughter! I love watching the two of them together. It’s the one of the sweetest thing ever, haha when she isn’t HANGRY, to see a new dad with his daughter. My love cannot possibly get any deeper than that.

Here is wishing a happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there! Our dad’s are an ocean away, so we could only call to tell them just how much we love and miss them over the phone. Boy do we miss them!

Backpackbees

French Press Friday: Sneaky

What if someone told me when I was 16 years old that in my life I would raise a blue-eyed baby girl and live abroad with my husband over 5 years away from everything we’ve ever known?

Never have I felt like I should stay rooted to a single place for the rest of my life. I love the world! I have far more than one favorite place to name and be.

I sit here swirling my coffee and ponder if our bumblebee will ever be attached to just one place, lay down roots, or will she identify herself just as her momma does… A “world citizen”? I suppose only time will tell.

My response to all of that….I’d say, LIFE, you surely are a sneaky little fox!

Backpackbees

Wedding Anniversary

Wowie! June is just the month of celebrations!! I love it!!

So what all are we celebrating this month? (Glad you asked)
Our 9 year wedding anniversary…. Seriously, 9 years?!
A birthday for Mr. B… Oh la la
A first Father’s Day for Mr. B…. Eek!! ((I cannot wait!!)

So yeah, I’ve got some catching up to do since I’ve already posted on the fun birthday celebration we had this past week. Apologies for the radio silence on the blog the past few weeks. We’ve just been living life over here.

(belatedly written via this blog) 9 YEARSSSS!!! Goodness….we sure have come so far in these past few years of marriage.

In the morning our dear neighbor dropped off a gift on our doorstep with the sweetest card. Mr. B arrived after work with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in hand! I’m still swooning over that sunflower!

Later that evening we celebrated our special day with our bumblebee at home. We dined on a fabulous sous vide feast of surf and turf, couscous and broccoli. Mmmmm! It was quiet, quaint and so very special.

Happy anniversary Beebs! To many more healthy and happy years spent with the two of you. Cheers!

Backpackbees

Birthday Celebration

Mr. B puts a limit on the amount of fuss and pizazz that I get to make over his special day, his birthday. He’s not one for parties, no dragging out the celebration, no telling the waitress while out at dinner (trust me…past experience he never lets me live down). His birthday request, celebrate one day, at home, a good home cooked meal, a favorite adult beverage (or a few) and his once a year praline ice-cream cake.

To me I feel that your birthday needs to be fussed about and you HAVE to drag it for at the minimum of a week, because come onnnnnn, it’s YOUR special day! Celebrate!!

So per his request last week we celebrated at home one evening with a good friend, delicious grilled rib eye steaks, foie gras, buttery scallops, hand cut French fries, a tomato cucumber salad with vinaigrette andddd of course his praline ice-cream cake. Mmmm-Mmmm!

Happy Birthday Mr. B. to the best dad and husband bumblebee and I could ever ask for.

Backpackbees

French Press Friday: Always

Random thoughts over french press this morning…

Random thoughts over french press this morning…

It’s remarkable how fast children grow so quickly into independence.

I find myself gazing into her eyes and feeling strangely that this little being has such an adult look in her eyes. It’s just at this moment she can’t verbally express her thoughts to us with our language yet, but certainly does in her own babble and coos. And then in moments of her fighting sleep, or having tummy troubles, or needing a diaper change, then I am jolted right back to seeing my baby, my baby bumblebee. That is when I see the childlike vulnerable, need and dependency in her eyes.

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” – Robert Munsch

Backpackbees