Gardening Makes Me Hungry

I am fairly pleased with us as a family. We actually managed to uncover, till and prep the garden beds on time! We even planted a few things. The rest of the seeds will be planted soon, and we have a few seedlings coming from a junior high fundraiser.

If you care about this sort of thing, we covered the beds with hay a few weeks ago (after clearing them of leaves, acorns and the largest of the weeds). We could have (should have?) done this after clearing them from the last planting season, but a few weeks of weed suppression is better than none. In order to finish prepping them, we uncovered each bed (moving the hay to the weed covered areas around the beds) and tilled (using a tiller rented from Home Depot) a bag of Ladybug Revitalizer Compost Blend into each bed. Then we just had to rake the soil relatively flat and water the beds really well and we were ready to plant. We planted corn (step one of the Three Sisters garden), red runner beans for the tee-pee and my much loved Baby Mesclun Lettuce Mix. By the by - most of my seeds come from Renee's Garden Seeds, and they produce beautifully.

Oh, and as step one of my personal campaign to make our wonderful little house a place that is not so visually disappointing, we cleared out a completely overgrown and hideous bed in the front of the house to use for flowers and herbs. Very exciting (for me). Don seems invigorated by my plans and helps as much as he can on the weekends. If only I weren't overtaken by compulsions to make huge and sweeping changes in the middle of the week! With some weekend help, I managed to get rosemary, lavender, sage, lemongrass, and a few snapdragons planted. On the "*huh* didn't quite expect that" end of it, clearing the groundcover and weeds from the bed has liberated the grass. New, tender shoots of grass are poking up happily every half inch or so. Um, I guess we should have tilled that bed when we tilled the garden because the roots for the grass are obviously deeper than the raking that we did and new soil that we put down. Oi. Live and learn.

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Both kids LOVE to be outside. Lily Ruth could play for hours in the garden, in her fort or running with her dog. Alec is crazy excited about the outdoors. He stands at our windows and stares out with fingers gripping the sill and eyebrows raised almost into his hairline in anticipation of going out there and putting everything he can see into his mouth.

All of this time thinking about and working in the garden means that I think about food even more than usual. Um, that's a LOT.

I've been doing my menu plans, but I've lost interest in sharing them. My recent lack of energy means that I can make good food, or talk about said food, but not both :-/

We've tried some new recipes, and have even loved some of them. I have started moving recipes that I like to my google drive. Maybe I'll just start sharing those instead :-)

Life (As Always) Marches On

It was a rough week, ya'll. Let's just say that everybody is physically fine... Well, everybody that lives in this house. The grownups are dealing with a situation that is not mine to share. This is hard for me. Writing has become my way of working through things. Taming the whirlwind of thoughts in my head and shaping it into a cohesive narrative calms me and focuses my thoughts. When the grownup stuff looms large, I tend to feel a bit isolated and silent even when surrounded by others. Telling the story out loud or in print means to me that I'm not isolated. That my voice is heard. Of course, I could always write it out and NOT share it, but my overtaxed brain tells me that I don't have any extra energy, so we won't be making time to do that just yet...

The kiddos are leaping right along with the glee of siblings who are much adored. As far as they know, it was just a regular week. A pretty good one at that.

Wednesday, I went up to Austin for my continuing education workshop. It was a really wonderful day. In addition to watching and experiencing some fun, cool bodywork,

Acro-yoga - I did not personally experience this :-P

Our instructors. Randy is laughing because Shane is muttering "don't drop me, don't drop me..."

Getting a bit closer than most people get with some advanced Shiatsu

The work comes back to me in waves - I REMEMBER THIS! I can do this!

I was completely on my own for over 10 hours. That has not happened in a VERY long time :-) While I was gone, Alec got to spend his first full day with just Daddy. They had a great time. They even managed to complete several errands AND get sister to and from Parent's Day Out and ballet class! *whew* I was thrilled and peeved that Daddy also managed to convince Alec that bottles are cool. Thrilled because he would have been one sad and hungry baby otherwise. Peeved because I have tried so hard with various bottles and strategies for AGES, and nothing doing. The ladies at Parent's Day Out have been worried and frustrated as well, because he wouldn't drink his milk from a bottle or a cup for them either :-/ One dang day with Daddy, and all of a sudden, he's a pro. Whatever. :-P

Thursday, I was pretty much useless. After a full day of stretching, lifting, pulling and breathing with intention, I was WORN OUT. I can't even remember if we made it out of the house.

Friday, I was loading Alec (still in his sleeper) into the car so that we could pick up Lily Ruth and head for 'school' when he threw up all down my only clean sweater. Hmpfh. Well played. ANYWAY - I may have ended up wearing layered tank tops and a cardigan in 30 degree weather, but he showed up at school in his pajamas. So there. After a good day at school for the kiddos, Alec D had his fourth tooth break through! Two up and two down. He has already figured out how to use them to actually bite into things - including me :-/ Nursing just got real up in here!

Saturday, I took Lily Ruth to the Frozen sing-a-long. That was BIG fun. We stopped at Target first, and got an Elsa dress to add to her current costume:

(Yep, a contractor trash bag for a cape and a pair of cat ears as her crown. She made it herself!) Then we went to the movie theater and sang our hearts out.

Yesterday, we ventured into the garden for a bit. I battled climbing vine weeds. Lily Ruth wove stories under the frame of her bean tee-pee. Alec ate hay and played with rocks. Hopefully the weather will be just as gorgeous next weekend, and we can get down to the business of tilling and planting.

SO, to sum up: Emotional whirlwind swirling just below the surface. Kiddos doing great.



Oh, and we still have to eat. This is a FACT. So here is the plan...

Monday:  Well, I wanted to make rainbow flatbread pizzas, but Lily Ruth said "No ganks. I like the picture, though. You could make it then send it up in the sky for God to eat after you make it." So I guess I'll make Red Lentils with Cauliflower andSausage again  


because it was soooooo good!

Tuesday:  Homesick Texan Carnitas Rachel Doyle's pin on Pinterest.



Wednesday:  Crockpot Gyros



Thursday:  Mushroom and Provolone Patty Melts



Friday: Family dinner night - definitely calls for Sriracha Broccoli  



Saturday:  Could you be in charge, please?

Sunday: Crapshoot!

Meh. :-/

After my internal / emotional drama and the external / ridiculous drama of Little Miss Tantrum, I didn't have a lot left over by the weekend, so there is not a whole lot to report.

On Thursday, just before the tantrum, we made horse sock puppets with Lily Ruth's friend Lola. They are awesome. If I remember later, I'll take a picture for you. As the tantrum wound down, I made paper lanterns for a string of fairy lights as a way to diffuse my insanity. This also falls under the category of "possible picture later".

On Friday, I made Jaden's Beef With Broccoli  for our family dinner. This is one of our favorite recipes, you guys. Even Lily Ruth eats a metric ton of this! I sort-of tripled (parts of) the recipe, and made fans out of the rest of our gang :-)

Over the weekend, I procured the rest of the supplies needed to finish new messenger bags for the kids! Now I just have to carve out the time to make said bags...

I also had Big Girl Dinner out with friends to celebrate a birthday, and our whole family unit (Dottie Dog included) went to a Super Bowl party at our neighbor's house. Dottie had more fun than should be legal. She played with the neighbor dog for hours, ya'll. She cried when we brought her home :-( To celebrate her social success, she ate the corner off of the coffee table while I nursed Alec this morning

:-/ jerk.

Oh well. We already know that we can't have anything nice. This just continues to confirm that.

On to the menu plan for the week...

Mon:  Easy roasted chicken, steamed asparagus, butter garlic noodles

Tuesday:  Red Lentils, Cauliflower and Sausage with fruit

Wednesday:  Mama's gonna be in class!*

Thursday:  Rigatoni with tiny meatballs

Friday:  Family dinner - including sriracha broccoli :-O

Saturday: Homesick Texan Carnitas (didn't make them last week - tantrum night)

Sunday:  eh. Crapshoot

That's my big plan for the week. That and sleep. I could sleep for a WEEK, ya'll!

Not that I'll get to. I'm pretty sure that these guys would not allow even a nap, never mind a week of sleep :-P

* I have to take classes to keep my massage license current. I get to take a class from my favorite Shiatsu instructor on Wednesday!!

New Week, New Plan

Menu plan, that is. I have more to say, but right now, it's Sunday night and I am too tired to post anything else...

Monday:  homemade pizzas

Tuesday:  Pork chops and Cauliflower Gratin

Wednesday:  Roasted chicken, quinoa and broccoli

Thursday:  Carnitas tacos and such

Friday:  family steak night

Saturday:  rigatoni with tiny meatballs

Sunday:  crapshoot...

Refresh, Renew, Reboot

SO, this time of year is alternately wonderful and hard for me. I love the renewal of the new year and warming weather, but I often (read: pretty much always) freak out around my birthday. I take stock, and find myself and / or my situation to be lacking in one or more areas. Then I fall into a pity party quagmire. It makes for a fun February. :-/

This time, I would like to preempt all of the whining and poor me-ing and just get started on the improvements and the moving forward. In order to make that happen, I am starting spring-type growth projects now.

This weekend, we broke in to the garden - the gate was sealed shut by climbing vine weeds - and started to clear out weeds, leaves and acorns. Don even started weed whacking the stepping stone path so that we can navigate safely ;-) I sorted out the seeds, drew up my new plan, and updated my spreadsheet... yes, I have a garden spreadsheet. I am a nerd who's brain reacts better if I enter information onto a spreadsheet then print it out and stare at it. I am who I am. As soon as I sort out the desktop and the printer, I will scan in this season's garden plan and share it with you. I know that you're waiting with baited breath. We still need to till, add soil revitalizers, cover the beds with hay for a few weeks to kill off weeds, and add new soil. THEN we can plant. *whew*

I have also decided on a few new projects to keep my brain occupied. I am going to make a new messenger bag for Lily Ruth - a slightly larger one that can hold her lunchbox or her ballet kit. Enlarging the awesome pattern from Craftbuds should be a good challenge for my nerd brain. I am also going to make a messenger bag (using the regular pattern) for Alec D. Yes, I know he can't carry it himself, but I need a bag of that size for his Parent's Day Out supplies, and I love to make stuff!!! Oh, sorry. I got a bit defensive :-P

Oh, and I am continuing to do good(ish) work with the meal planning. Last week, I didn't quite stick to the plan, and I didn't manage to do one big shop, but it was still very helpful. Here is this week's plan:

Monday:  Gnocchi with Sausage and Kale (didn't make it last week :-/)

Tuesday:  Pork Chops with Cheesy Skillet Rice and Green Beans (from Mel's 30 minute meals)

Wednesday:  Curried Lentils with Chicken and Potatoes

Thursday:  Jayden's Beef with Broccoli

Friday:  Family dinner night - I think that Grandmother is making chili!!

Saturday:  Post-Gardening PIZZAS!

Sunday: Let's just call Sundays "Crap Shoot Sundays" and admit that I cannot plan out that far, shall we?

I will leave you with a few images from our lives this week. They pretty much speak for themselves :-)

Sleepovers Vs Sleep

Oh Myyyyyyyyyyyyy. Lily Ruth had her first successful sleepover last night!

We attempted a sleepover with the same friend a few weeks ago, but we did it wrong, and it ended in a full-on screaming temper tantrum from Lily Ruth. Her friend Lola went home disappointed and confused. In case you were wondering, it is totally easy to get it wrong - especially the first time, and especially if the participants are 4 years old. We invited Lola to sleep over, then extended an invitation to Lola's 6 year old brother and wonderful mama to join us for dinner. We ended up keeping the kids up too late, and they were exhausted by the time they crawled up into the loft bed. We thought things were going well until there was crying. Lily Ruth was inconsolable, and kept insisting that she needed to sleep alone and she didn't know how to act at a sleepover. She was unable to articulate what (if anything) had happened to bring this on, and she REFUSED to calm down. Oi. Within minutes, she was shrieking at top volume. Lola's mom came to pick Lola up, and it took an additional 40 minutes for poor Lily Ruth to calm down.

This time, when the girls cooked up their sleepover plan, we decided to do it differently. Lily Ruth and I discussed in advance what we needed to do differently (just Lola, go to bed earlier). Then we went for it.

The girls were both happy when the climbed the ladder last night. We got them situated, and kissed them goodnight. The giggling started almost immediately. We decided not to intervene unless it got loud enough to possibly wake up Baby Brother... which happened twice... all of a sudden, it was 11 o'clock and they actually DID wake up Alec. I stormed in and demanded that they KNOCK IT OFF IMMEDIATELY AND GO TO SLEEP. I didn't hear another peep... until 5:30 am. Lily Ruth maintains that they did not sleep at all. I told her that I did not care, because they didn't wake me up :-P

Oh, and yes, you read that correctly. They woke up at 5:30!! They played fairly quietly in Lily Ruth's room until about 7:30. Then they flung themselves loudly into the living room and started watching movies on Netflix. *sigh*

They both had a marvelous time, and even after breakfast and Sunday School, they still wanted to play together. The mamas put the kibosh on that. They parted as happy, loving friends.

Six and a half hours is not enough sleep for 4 year olds. It might possibly be enough for a 40 year old, but this particular old lady was awakened multiple times by a teething baby :-( so nobody got enough sleep last night. Lily Ruth held it together until just after 2 pm. Now she's snoring on the couch. Alec and I napped in the rocking chair for a bit. Don is playing football on the playstation with glassy eyes. I'm sure we'll recover. Someday.

The only thing I have had the energy to do is stare at Pinterest for a while and come up with a menu plan for the week. Here it is! 3 of the 5 days planned are on my Pinterest board. The shrimp pasta is going to be a totally-winging-it-thing, and the risotto is already on this blog :-)

Sunday:  Sauteed Shrimp and Spinach in Creamy Sauce over pasta

Monday:  Crockpot Gyros (with salad)

Tuesday:  Tortellini and Sausage in a Cheesey Tomato and Cream Sauce (with broccoli and cauliflower)

Wednesday: Gnocchi with Sausage and Kale

Thursday:  Risotto with Mushroom and Peas (and grilled chicken)

Friday:  Family Steak Night (including Dragon's Breath sauce over something)

Saturday:  crapshoot - I'm outta ideas.

Happy eating, blog friends. Remember, Food is Love! I will leave you with this image of Alec D and Dottie Dog wrestling WWE-style:

Where Have You BEEN!?

WOW! I haven't published since July!? My poor, lonely blog. Just as I felt like I was really finding my voice, too! Well, I meant to publish all kinds of things. I even composed numerous posts in my head as I fell asleep at night... but, um, stuff got in the way. Stuff like THIS:

I absolutely cannot believe that 8 whole months have passed since the birth of Alec D. The time has simultaneously flown and dragged by. As a family, we have weathered extreme stress and experienced great joy. The act of getting us all through each day clothed, fed and relatively unscathed has left me a bit depleted. I was also sans laptop, and our desktop is ancient, unwieldy and in a terrible location, so I was unmotivated to sit and compose posts even though I have plenty to say.

I fully intend to tell you all about Lily Ruth and ballet class. I have so much to say about Alec the Titan. I opened an Etsy store. We even have a new dog!

But in the way of most new years, I am starting this one with a bit of resolution. I want to feed my family in a more organized manner. No more running to the store every day or freaking out after 5 o'clock when the store run hasn't been done and both kids are so tired that they are losing their minds. Plenty of people in this great wide world manage to keep this stuff organized. This is not beyond my grasp.

So here is my menu plan for this week. The main dish recipes (aside from the stuffed shells - which I make up as I go) are on my Pinterest boards :-)

Monday:  Spicy turkey burgers with oven fries and broccoli & cauliflower

Tuesday:  Stuffed Shells

Wednesday:  Chicken and mushroom farro risotto and asparagus

Thursday:  Philly cheesesteak green peppers and quinoa

Friday:  Family steak night

Saturday:  - I dunno. What are YOU having? -

Sunday:  - crapshoot. possibly nothing -

And I will leave you with this tidbit: Lily Ruth was sitting at the table with her great-grandparents and a veterinarian kit. Writing furiously and talking on her "phone", she wrapped up her business then turned to Grandmother. "When do you want to bring your dog in for his appointment?" Ruth replies "how about tomorrow at 3." Lily Ruth consults her paperwork and states firmly "it will have to be today. Tomorrow is my day off."