Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Earth Day Week

Two weekends ago, Ruby and I planted our garden. This year, we turned the deck into a big patio garden with potted plants. My parents backyard doesn't really have anywhere to plant a real garden and this way when we find a house I can take everything with me. I've been waiting all winter to plant my garden. The idea of fresh pesto and off the vine tomatoes fill my dreams all winter long. Seriously. This year we aren't doing the co-op for a few reasons and I'm really going to miss it. I know my husband won't miss each weeks mystery greens on his plate at night, but I will. I'm already planning a stop by some local farmers markets to pick up some chard and collards. I'm salivating again.

The two people who taught me to love planting a garden are no longer just a phone call away for me to compare tomato species. And I can't just drive over to my grandmothers house to see how many squash and zucchini plants my uncle talked her into planting this year and then laugh about how she said she wasn't going to do it after last years overly fruitful crop. And I can't go by her house on my way home from work to find her outside in her "work" clothes, SAS sandals and sunvisor picking green tomatoes to fry me for dinner. And I can't talk about the latest Bon Appetite or Food&Wine issues with my Uncle Harold over a gourmet dinner that he made with fresh ingredients from out back. I miss them both terribly. Terribly. But I'm so glad they passed on their loves to me. So while we planted I couldn't help but remember them and be thankful. And because Mama Jackie always said to do it, I plant two of everything for cross pollination and use marigolds as bug deterrents. If she said it, I believe it.



So, Ruby helped me plant. I used the word "help" very loosely. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. We planted Better Boys, Romas, Japanese eggplant, jalapenos, banana peppers, basil, parsley, sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary and cilantro and strawberries. I've still got some okra and squash that I need to find a place to put in the ground. And I'm going to make one more trip to get some cherry or grape tomatoes because best friend Kelly loves them so much. It wouldn't be summer without her eating them straight out of the colander in the sink as we talk. Next year, or maybe even this year if I get around to it, I want to do some lettuce, greens, and root vegetables. And maybe some beans. My dad is working on starting a greenhouse at the lake property so with a little more research we might have our hands really dirty in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted. For now we will water and wait.

P.S. I have my eye on a composter for the back yard. And a pet bunny for all organic manure. Please pass this info to my husband if he should happen to ask you for suggestions for an appropriate Earth Day gift for his hippie wife.
This is what happens when you put a pretty pretty princess shovel full of manure in your mouth. Not fun!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Spring Break

It's spring break around here, which means that Korey is off for the week. Yay! Because I'm teaching college students this semester, my spring break was a few weeks ago so I had to work this week. Besides going to the lake last weekend and to the zoo we've mainly stayed at home and played. So the other day I heard Ruby and Korey playing in the playroom and walked around the corner to find the above scene. Yep, Korey's in the tunnel and Ruby is looking at him like he's crazy!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Welcome Spring!

Spring is here which means we have begun our weekend trips out to the lake house. Yay!! It only took us a few minutes to realize that this years lake activities will be much different than last year. Last year, our little one wasn't mobile and adventurous. This year, she is! She loved every minute of it and wore us all out!

Here she is last year on the Gator and then this year she's taken over the driver's seat. She climbs up there all by herself and bounces up and down to signal that she's ready to go. She'll ride for hours all over the property with her daddy Don and Bibby.


  I know her hat makes her look like a boy, but its better than putting SPF on every hour.

This is the view down the driveway-I love it! 
Always on the go!

Sharing snacks with her favorite two people...ok, favorite mammals.

That's why I love him!

Yesterday, I worked both jobs in one day. First I taught nursing students on an adult med-surg floor from 6-2pm. Then I came home, napped, showered and headed to the Children's Hospital to work from 5pm-1:30am. It was exhausting and I don't recommend it. But it allowed me to have all last weekend off so that we could go to the lake so it was worth it. Despite the double shifts, we had made plans to go to the zoo today while Korey is off on spring break. So while I was at work I called Ko to ask him to get everything ready. Because he's slightly ADD, he asked me to email him a list. So I did. Here's it is: (side note-as moms we do this every single day, everywhere we go and don't think twice about it, right?)

-Find a soft cooler bag that will fit in the bottom of the stroller.
-Make you and I a turkey(or whatever you want) sandwich.
-Make Ruby a PBJ-like half the PB and J that you put on last time.
-Put some chips in a zip lock for you and me
-Cookies in a bag for you, me and MJ
-2 cokes for you and me
-Plenty of goldfish in her little cup
-A fruit cup
-Yogurt
-Any other snacks that we have that she likes
-And a cup that won’t leak with milk in it-the thermos is probably best
-No straws, no glass-Zoo rules!
-Also can you take the tray off the stroller? I think she’ll ride better if she can see. Or we can take the   umbrella, except that the cooler won’t fit. But there may be lockers. Whatever you think.
-Also-we can probably consolidate her diaper bag into her little owl back pack. Diapers, wipes, pacis, boogie wipes. Either pink hat or braves hat.
-Maybe a water cup. Change of clothes.
-And we’ll need the camera. Man, her stuff weighs more than her chucky bootie!


This is his reply which made me laugh at loud:

How bout instead of all of these instructions we eat a hot dog at the zoo. Ok great. See you in the morning!!


I will commend him and say that when I got up this morning after just 4 hours of sleep, I was expecting to fork over an hours worth of pay on hot dogs at the zoo. But to my surprise, the cooler was packed, the diaper bag was consolidated and and the stroller was ready. Yay! Go Daddy!

By the way-I think its weird that they serve hot dogs and hamburgers at the zoo anyway. Seems like a vegetarian menu would be more appropriate but no one asked me.


 Ruby loved the petting zoo. Despite the fact that it was only goats and sheep, she would walk up to each one and say "mooooo". I'm pretty sure she would have stayed there all day. Zoe and Grammie joined us on our adventure. Sweet cousins-too bad they wouldn't look at me while playing with their goat brushes!

Because of spring break, it was REALLY crowded! So we enjoyed our perfectly packed lunches on the ground. I can't wait to go back on a school day!