Archive for May, 2008

First bites

Now that we’ve introduced rice cereal, oatmeal, avocados, green beans, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes and carrots, I thought it would be safe to sneak in something a little sweeter: Bananas!

The verdict was still out at first…

But by the end of the dish, she was bouncing with each bite.

Ava Fix

First bites

Carrots!



…and potatoes…


Yeah, that’s right—two new foods at once. As my friend Lanis said, “That ‘one food at a time’ rule is just for your first baby.”

Overheard

Bec: Maybe the reason Olivia’s waking up so much at night again is because she’s going through a growth spurt.

Bry: Her whole life has been a growth spurt.

Sunday project

What is it about a gorgeous basket of strawberries that compels me to spend the afternoon in the kitchen?

Eight pounds of fruit, 21 cups of sugar and a few hours later, I have two dozen jars of strawberry jam. If I had any more time on my hands, this could be a dangerous hobby.

Garden update

Here’s the finished project, sans dirt, which will be delivered tomorrow.

We picked up five heirloom tomato plants, four peppers and about 10 different herbs from a couple of local nurseries today. We also bought seeds for zucchini, muskmelons, cucumbers and carrots. And, yes, Gramma, we will save a space for a Minnesota rhubarb plant.

The garden may already be too small!

Swingin’ sisters

A work in progress

Bryan’s friend Nelson recently started a landscaping business. He’s spending the day at our house putting in a raised-bed garden. They just got started about 30 minutes ago, but they’re making short work of this project.

We’ve missed having a garden the last two years. The sprinkler system makes adding one a difficult proposition, but the raised bed should mean that we won’t have to do much beyond working the top few inches of soil beneath the sod.

We watched how the trees affected the sunlight in this part of the yard last year, and it seems like this will be a good place–cool in the morning with full afternoon sun.

That’s the plan, anyway–time will tell!

First bites: Peas!


Green Scene

This is only our second spring in Kansas, and since we had a very hard freeze mid-way through last year there was a lot that we missed around our yard.

Fortunately, everything is so lush and green this year. I’m trying to fully appreciate it now, because it won’t be long until temperatures soar in the 100s. And, when Bryan gets the first $200 water bill sometime in July, he’ll remind me that this is Kansas, and things are supposed to be brown come summer.

So, enjoy!