Kaniakapupu: The singing of the land shells

After our hike up the Judd Trail, we drove about 1/4 mile further down the road to find this jewel. 

It is the ruins of King Kamehameha III's summer palace. 

We had to hike down a short trail to find it.  It was built in 1845 and was a place for the King to entertain and to meet with the chiefs.  The biggest event held here was a luau attended by about 10,000 celebrating Hawaii's Restoration Day in 1847.

This was a stone pathway in front of the summer palace. When we got home I googled the palace and found this website Kaniakapupu .  Click on the name to learn more about this historic place on Oahu.

Some pretty flowers along the road.

Hiking the Judd Trail

Today we packed everyone up in the van and went seeking the Judd Trail. 

We went up this winding road which was breath taking.

We got out of the car and walked down to a trail.  We weren't sure which way to go but the trail followed along this stream.  We walked down and there was a small waterfall.  Little man just loves waterfalls. 

After enjoying the waterfall we continued down the trail.  It wasn't marked so we walked on and came to a dead end.  Where we just hung out for a while and played in the stream.

Then we back tracked and spotted the trail across the stream. 

We were so excited to find the trail sign.  The trail ends at a pool where I read is a great picnic spot. 

With three choices we choose this way...

My husband giving me a smile:)

We walked up the path for a ways and Little man was beginning to tire.  He decided this tree looked like a good place to rest.

Then we reached this forest where there was a wonderful cool breeze.  Singing birds surrounded us.  It was so peaceful.  The kids wanted to pitch a tent right there and stay.  At this point Little man was pretty tired so we decided this forest would be our picnic spot. 

Although we didn't make it to the pool it was enjoyable for the whole family.  We hope to do this hike again before we leave Hawaii.

Zucchini, Cherry Tomato, and Fresh Ricotta Pasta

This recipe came from Cooking Light magazine. It was delicious and with all of those veggies you can't go wrong.  When I first told my husband what we were going to be eating for dinner he said,"Where's the meat?"  After we finished eating we both agreed there was no need for meat. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 1/2 tsp sal, divided
• 6 quarts water
• 8 ounces uncooked fettucine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons small mint leaves

1. Combine milk and buttermilk in a small heavy saucepan over medium high heat;  bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat;  drain.  Place milk solids in a small bowl;  sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt.  Toss gently to combine.
2. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven.  Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and pasta;  cook 7 minutes or until al dente.  Drain.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan;  swirl to coat.  Add zucchini;  saute 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic;  saute 2 minutes, stirring frequently;  stir in tomatoes.  Combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta, and tomato mixture in a large bowl;  toss.  Top with ricotta and mint. 

Sundried Tomato and Fennel Chicken Sub

I have to say not having such a full schedule has given me back the opportunity to cook yummy food (something other than crockpot)for my family again.  I love to cook especially when I get to be a tad bit creative in the kitchen. 

Ingredients for chicken marinade:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil, Garlic seasoning
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 4 sundried tomato halves-chopped

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups sliced onion
• 1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
• 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 1 lb chicken breast- sliced thin
• sub rolls
• 1/2 cup tomato basil pasta sauce
• provolone cheese

1. First mix all of your ingredients for the marinade and pour into a ziploc bag.  After cutting the chicken into thin slices and add to marinade.  I would allow it to marinade for about 20-30 minutes. 
2. Once the chicken is marinaded take out of the bag and throw marinade away.
3. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat.  Coat the pan with cooking spray.  Cook the chicken until brown.  Once the chicken is cooked remove and set aside.
4. Coat pan again and add onion, fennel, and garlic;  saute for about 4 minutes.  Add the chicken and saute for about 3 more minutes or until vegetables begin to brown.
5. Lay the rolls cut side up on a baking sheet and broil until toasted. 
6. Spooon chicken mixture into each roll and top each with 2 tablespoons of sauce. 
7. Cut provolone cheese in half and place on top of each sandwich.
8. Arrange on baking sheet and broil until cheese melts.

Far Out Solar System

The last time Silly guy studied the Solar System was a couple of years ago.  There is just something about space that is facinating everytime we study it.  He made this Solar System model last week and was so proud and wanted me to share it on the family blog. 

The Start of Human Anatomy-Cells

Sweet girl has started studying the long awaited Human Body.  She has been anxiously waiting for this study.  While learning about cells, one of the experiments was to scrape the inside of her cheek and look at what we found under the microscope. 

She refused to scrape her own cheek but luckily she had a ready and waiting brother.  Here is what we saw... a cell (circle object-black on the outside).  Pretty neat! 

A Bouquet for You...Happy Mother's Day

“The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” -writer Jill Churchill

"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." - Lin Yutang

"Making the decision to have a child-it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." -Elizabeth Stone

"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." - Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont

The best conversations with mothers always take place in silence, when only the heart speaks. -Carrie Latet

That best academy, a mother's knee. -James Russell Lowell

Fun at the Picnik

I have tried to figure out Photoshop time and time again.  One I don't have time, two I don't have the patience.  I was reading about Picnik on a blog a while ago and gave it a try.  I loved the results of the editing and the ease of use.  They offer the customer  many different tools and effects.  The website is  user friendly and such a great price.  You can upload 5 photos at a time, have many of the features for free.  Or for around $25.00 /year you can upload 100 photos at a time, and receive premium features. 

When we went on our hike last week I was able to snap some photos of the kiddos.  I thought it would be

fun to hop back on Picnik and get creative.  Now I have to order prints. 

Silly guy and Little man -black and white

Silly guy-black and white

Sweet girl- black and white w/ the vingnette feature

Little man- 1960's feature w/ vignette

My 3 kiddos-auto adjust

Little man- auto adjust, vignette

Sweet girl-I think Orton-ish

Silly guy-cinemascope

Hickam Wetland Hike

Last Thursday afternoon the kids and I decided to take a hike.   We had never been on the Hickam Wetland Hike (located on the Air Force Base).  We thought it would be fun and maybe we would see something new.  It was a short hike but perfect for a weekday afternoon. 

Here are some pictures of our findings.

One of the trails along the hike led us down to the ocean front.  This was a short stretch of beach filled with these holes.  They are the home of the ghost crab.  This guy has to be pretty big. 

The kids were excited when they found tracks along the hike.  They found two different sets which were on different trails along the way.  When we got home we researched on the internet to try to figure out what kind of animal left these tracks(mongoose, dog, cat, ???).  We couldn't find anything so I told the kids when we make our next library trip we'll see if we can find a book about tracks. 

A couple of plant species along the trail. 

   

As we returned to the picnic area we found this wild animal.  He was a friendly little critter who was very proud of his antlers. He was too cute! I just had to take him home:)

Chicken Chipolte Cheesesteak

.    The sub was a little spicy. Thank goodness everyone in our house likes spicy food because it was delicious!  The recipe made about 5 stuffed subs. 

Ingredients:   1 can chipolte chiles in adobo sauce, 2 tsp of olive oil, 1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast, 1 cup of onion, 1 cup of red bell pepper(cut into strips), 2 tsp. bottled minced garlic, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, about 1 cup shredded sharp cheese, and sub rolls

1. 
   
   Take one of the chiles out of the can and mince.  Also, take out 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce.  Set aside.
2. 
   
   Slice the chicken breasts very thin.  Heat 1 tsp of oil in a skillet.  Cook the chicken until it is done about 4-5 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. 
   
   Heat another tsp of oil in pan.  Add in your onion, bell pepper, garlic, and thyme.  Saute for about 4 minutes.  Stir in the chile and adobo sauce.  Cook for about 30 seconds. 
4. 
   
   Add the chicken to the mixture.  Add salt.  Cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently. 
5. 
   
   Remove from heat and add cheese.  Stir until cheese melts. 
6. 
   
   Add the mixture to the sub rolls dividing evenly.
7. 
   
   Enjoy!

The Letter "B"

There is so many fun things to do with the letter "B".  It was enjoyable for me and my Little Man. 

• Playing with bubbles-which is always a favorite 
•  playing catch with balloons
• crawling like a baby race
• playing  London Bridge 
• Sing Two Little Blackbirds. For this song we made puppets. He wanted to sing it over and over again.  Even though the two puppets were identical he wanted to keep switching puppets so he could be both Peter and Paul-to funny.  
• Building with Blocks
• Look at baby pictures

Some more fun learning about the letter "B":

Little man sorted beans by color and size.  

  

 

He made his very own shape book. 

 

He made this butterfly magnet from a coffee filter, clothes pin, and pom poms.   

I made him a felt board.  He played a game of matching the bug to the flower.  I pre made the shapes with my cricut cutting machine and glued a piece of sandpaper to the back so it would stick onto the felt board. 

Making brownies!  Yum!!

Some books we enjoyed:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You? 

Spot Goes to the Beach

Happy Birthday, Jesse Bear!

Wheels on the Bus

My, Oh My A Butterfly! All about Butterflies

Baby Beluga

The Going to Bed Book