So now I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with - we are picking one of these full every other day. Here is another family favorite tomato recipe.

Mom's Tomatoes & Mozzarella

4 large tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1 tblsp wine vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

3 tblsp olive oil

scallions

1/2 cup chopped parsley

pepper

fresh mozzarella

Mix together garlic, vinegar, salt. Add olive oil and mix. Pour 2/3 mixture over tomatoes. Scatter onions, parsley and pepper. Slice fresh mozzarella and place on top of tomatoes and pour rest of dressing over. Enjoy!

FINALLY! We have red tomatoes! For a while, I was doubting whether or not we'd be able to use any of the hundreds of tomatoes we have....they've been green forever, and it seemed like more just kept growing without any turning. But alas, they have started to turn. We actually went out and picked enough last night to make some Herbed Tomatoes with dinner. This is my grandmother's recipe and it is so yummy:

Memere's Herbed Tomatoes

6 Ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced (I do not peel mine, just slice 'em)

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 cup snipped parsley

1/4 cup snipped chives

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup vinegar

Place tomatoes in bowl, sprinkle seasoning and herbs. Combine oil & vinegar, pour over. Cover and chill for 3 hours, spooning dressing over a few times. Enjoy!

Want to get out a do something fun with the kids and support a great cause at the same time today? Head over to the CAWOOD Carnival for the Cure from 10- 3 pm at 1200 High Street in Eugene. Proceeds benefit the 2010 Eugene Race for the Cure. 

As a gold sponsor of the Race, CAWOOD has an enthusiastic team of employees who will participate in the Cure on 10-10-10 to support Komen's battle against breast cancer. Today's Carnival for the Cure is the kickoff for their fundraising efforts.

There will be a BBQ, carnival, kids games, dunk tank, cake walk, tarot readings, NWCU bike blender, City of Eugene Circus Arts, gymnastic activites, photo booth and so much more! So bring the kids and have fun while supporting a great cause!

Ok, so I have to post a blog about Colby, my oldest son. Today was his first day of second grade at a new school. What a trooper he is! He was up before his alarm went off and was so excited he was ready to go a hour before we had to leave for school.

I took this picture of him sitting at his desk just before he leaned over to me and said, "Ok, mom, you can leave now. I will be fine." and pointed towards the door. I must admit I got just a bit teary eyed at that moment. I'm so happy he had a great first day.

As a birthday gift for my daughter, I made these

cute little flower hair clips. They were super easy, and thanks to a clearance sale at Creative Crafts and Frame Shop, they were really cheap! She LOVED them...think we might have to make some more.

You need:

-Alligator hair clips - I got a package of 6 at Fred Meyer. You can also get them at any beauty supply store, like Sally's

-Grosgrain ribbon - I just used what I had in my craft stash

-Silk flowers

-Hot glue gun

-Brads or decorative pearls or gems - again, I just used random stuff from my stash

Here's what you do:

Open up an alligator clip, and run a bead of hot glue on the under side of the top piece.

Quickly place the ribbon along the glue, covering the clip.

Now run another bead of hot glue along the top of the clip - wrap the ribbon around and secure it in place. Cut off any excess. Here is what I ended up with:

Next, take your silk flowers and pop the flower heads off of the stems. It's easier to do than you think. Then, pop the middle of the flower off too.

You have a couple of choices here - either replace the middle with a brad, or you can hot glue the petal layers together and put an adhesive pearl or gem in the middle. If you want to use the flower center that came with the flower, just cut the plastic bit off that sticks through the petals, and hot glue them all together.

Then you simply hot glue them to your clips and voila!

Here is the birthday girl with one in her hair: