I can remember some soggy Memorial Day weekends. But a cold holiday weekend? This was a first.  My little guy and I shivered at his brother’s track meet. We tried to duck the winds and clutched our styrofoam cups of hot chocolate. It rained on and off.

After big brother won first place in the 100 meter dash, we all dashed to the car. We put the heat on to try to dry our clothes. There were no thoughts of opening the pool this Memorial Day weekend.

We woke up for the early game of catch-and-pitch baseball this morning. At least the sun was out. Maybe kids were inside too long yesterday from the rain. All the six-year-olds kept getting out of the dugout. It’s my job to keep them in there. My little guy single-handedly weeded one part of a back lawn. Picking dandelions. See him out there?

I saw a great cartoon in the paper on Mother’s Day recently. It said you know you’re a mom when you have dandelions in a vase. Kids see beauty in what is a weed. There’s my Mom vase.

The early ball game means we have breakfast after the game.  As we played, the aroma of coffee filled the air. It mixed with the smell of bacon being cooked on the grill in the snack bar. Parents sat in the stands with egg and bacon sandwiches wrapped in aluminum foil. When the game was over, I headed to a local Italian bakery.

 The guys were hungry and this bakery makes huge croissants. I’m also planning on making croissants myself with the help of this recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/bakers-croissants-recipe

The waft of bread-y smell is there when I open the paper bag. I made the right choice for a post-game bit of breakfast. The croissants are still warm from the oven.  The dog knows to park himself next to us. These croissants are very flaky. Dog gets an endless shower of flaky bits that hit the floor. 

These croissants have a firm outer shell. The interior is airy and light. The guys like to pull back the layers. It slowly reveals the inside where the croissant is doughier. Sometimes we have the croissants with our homemade berry jam. Today, we are  enjoying every buttery, rich layer all on its own. Just a cup of tea for me.

The guys headed off to go fishing. I caught up on the newspaper. The house was quiet. Just the sound of the birds outside, and the dog snoring, as he napped at the foot of my chair.

That’s hard work cleaning up after croissants. Check out our family recipe for berry jam.

The Guy’s Berry Jam

1 pint of blueberries

1 pint of raspberries

1 pint of strawberries

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

a few sprigs of fresh mint, leaves chopped

Directions

–Wash and prepare fruit.

–Cut the strawberries into bite size pieces and discard stems.

–Put all ingredients in a pot on a low flame.

–Boil down for about 30 minutes or until mixture is thickened. (Add the fresh mint towards the end of the cooking time to preserve the freshness and flavor.)

–Allow to cool and store in a jar. Jam keeps, in a refrigerator, for about a week.