Taking Stock

Today is the first day of summer vacation for the girls. I had great plans to spend the day outside, but it is rainy and gloomy so I guess we are having an indoor day....not all bad. Seems like the perfect time to sit down for a moment and take stock....

Making: garlic scape pesto (this afternoon)
Cooking: from what came in my produce box
Drinking: cucumber mint tea
Reading: nothing, I need to pick up my library holds 
Looking: out the window at the flowers and the vegetable garden
Deciding: vacation plans
Hoping: for nice weather on the weekend
Enjoying: all the crochet projects I have on the go
Liking: the sound of my girls playing together
Loving: not having to make school lunches for a while
Pondering: my next challenge...
Listening: to podcasts - quite possibly the greatest thing ever
Considering: a trip to the farmers market tomorrow
Buying: nothing but groceries
Browsing: cookbooks, especially this one
Wishing: for a day free of responsibility
Wondering: how much more madness the world can take?
Marveling: at my daisies about to burst into bloom
Waiting: for the washing machine to finish
Cringing: at my dirty windows
Needing: a good conversation
Wanting: to decorate my bedroom, 10 years of blah is more than I can take
Smelling: a weird smell from my neighbor's yard
Wearing: leggings and a tunic
Noticing: that something ate my dill plant in the garden
Knowing: summer is going to fly by, it always does
Prioritizing: calm
Sorting: through the girls' clothes
Thinking: about what to declutter next (decluttering is truly addictive)
Celebrating: the end of school, the beginning of summer
Disliking: that my one eggplant plant has died...
Feeling: drained, but hopeful
Hearing: the strangest bird call
Embracing: the ordinary, or at least trying to

(writing prompts courtesy of Pip)

26/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2017."

Claire: off to Brownie camp for two nights...so excited!!!

Bridget: practicing cartwheels

Inspired by The 52 Week Project at Practicing Simplicity.

25/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2017."

With Daddy on Father's Day....so much love.

Inspired by The 52 Week Project at Practicing Simplicity. 

An Apple and a Little Worm

Well, I finished a little crochet project and remembered to take some pictures of it.....

I made this apple with a little worm for Claire's teacher as an end of the year gift. At one point in the year Claire had written in her school journal that she likes to crochet and her teacher shared that she too is a crocheter, so with that in mind, I thought a crochet gift would be the perfect gift for her.

And an apple for a teacher also seems fitting.

Pattern: Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton
Time to Make: A few hours

Lately....

Lately it's been especially busy on the home front. I honestly do not know where the evenings go...before I know it I am looking at the clock and thinking I really should get to bed.

I've spent many evenings of late, until the sun sets at almost 9pm (love that about the summer), in the garden. Our original plan this summer was to rebuild the garden along the side of the deck, to put a better edging around it and add a bit more soil, but a few not-so-fun and unexpected expenses (brakes, tires, water softener) ransacked the budget for that so we have had to make do with what we have. I've weeded and transplanted some flowers and I am happy with how things are looking. There are still a few plants that I am hoping will recover after being chewed down by the resident rabbits, so we'll see how that goes.

On the weekend I weeded the vegetable garden and planted some radish seeds. It makes me so happy to look out the kitchen window at the veggie garden growing so well; I love growing vegetables in the backyard.

I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen as well. I've made several recipes from my new favorite cookbook, Dishing Up the Dirt, which focuses on seasonal eating and is incredibly down to earth and approachable. I've loved each and every recipe that I've tried and have many more earmarked.

I have also been doing a little crocheting. I have a finished project to show you, I just need to remember to take some photos, and I'm working on a little owl friend for myself.

So there you have it, a little life update. With all the expenses of late, it feels great to just hunker down at home and tend to the garden, cook good meals in the kitchen (with my helpers at my side), and do a little crafting. Simple pleasures to fill the days.

24/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2017."

Two silly girls, off to school....only a few weeks left.

Inspired by The 52 Week Project at Practicing Simplicity.

23/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2017."

Claire: "I'm a happy person. I'm an optimist"

Bridget: Seeing you so disappointed, and knowing there was nothing I could do to fix it, broke my heart. You learned a hard lesson, cried some hard tears, and then (rather quickly) devised a plan to do better next time...

Inspired by The 52 Week Project at Practicing Simplicity.

Veggie Garden: Planted

It took some reorganizing of schedules and a race against the rain, but we got the vegetable garden planted. I've been reading all about the vegetables we planted, little tips and tricks to help them thrive, and I am so excited to work in the garden this year and reap the harvest.

In our one garden we have: onions, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, chard and arugula. The marigolds are there to attract the bees, and to look pretty.

In this other garden we have: black kale, curly kale, red beets, yellow beets, strawberries and radishes(we are growing these from seed).

As usual, things look pretty sparse to begin with, but as we know, it will all fill in.

If everything goes well, we will be dining on fresh veggies all summer long. I can not wait.

Aside from all the veggies, I also planted some Gerber Daisies. I've had these growing on the deck every summer for as long as I can remember and this years' flowers are absolutely gorgeous. 

Veggies and flowers, sunshine and rain....the garden is off to a good start this year.