The Big Garden Reveal

After much time spent planning, building, and hauling dirt, it is finally time for our new gardens to make their debut appearance. Drumroll please....

The long gardens will be vegetables and a few flowers planted using the Square Foot Gardening method. The smaller gardens will be mostly herbs and strawberries. I finally got to get my hands in the dirt and have planted some peas, carrots, radishes, onions and lettuce.

We have been having quite a bit of rain lately, which has made the grass nice and green (perfect for munching, says Merlin). Though it was still pretty cloudy this evening, the whole family, Merlin included, got out to enjoy the mild weather.

Noah had fun playing some ball with Dad while Merlin hopped around between the garden beds, and I tried to keep him from getting bonked by the wayward ball.

We must extend a big "Thank you!" to Grandpa Ted and Uncle Mark for their hard work building the gardens, and John for allowing us to help him get rid of all the cedar boards that were taking up room in his shop. We owe you all a fresh tomato or two!

-Jen

"It's Raining, It's Pouring" by Noah

It's raining, it's pouring.

Staying inside is boring.

I got a new suit,

so I tried it on . . .

don't I look adoring?

A Hard Day's Afternoon

I've been thinking lately that I should start putting Noah to work since he's getting closer to saying some common day phrases, such as "Wha dit ju du?" and the ever so popular "ut oh?" Coincidentally, they could be used quite well while troubleshooting technical issues over the phone. So, I decided to take Noah with me to work Thursday, since it was 'Take Your Kid To Work Day.' We grabbed our afternoon Cheerio snack, shined our 'shuewz', and headed off to work. Noah got right to business when we arrived by listening in on some conference calls while manning the desk and reviewing some code I had just written in my office. We had to adjust the headset and raise the seat a bit.


We saw some other kids hard at work decorating sugar free cookies, making some colorful masks with markers and paint, and placing some stickers on some bowler hats. We saved the Tyrannosaurus Rex tattoos for later. After a long couple hours jabbering to a number of my colleagues at work, it was time to call it a day and head home for dinner.


Overall, he did fairly well; however, I think he needs to grow into the role a bit more. He's got tremendous people skills and has a commanding presence in a group of people, but gets distracted easily by the sound of telephones. I'm sure it will get better in time.

-Curtis

Finally...

...we can venture outside without hats, mittens, winter jackets.

...the tulips are coming up.

...we have a new fence, which Noah enjoys peeking through to watch the neighbor's dog.

...the lilac bush is budding.

...its Spring!

Inspiring

Just in case you have not seen or heard of her yet, I would like to share with you the performance of Susan Boyle, a 47 year old woman on Britian's Got Talent. Currently unemployed, she spent 20 years caring for her ailing mother up until her death two years ago. This was her moment to shine, and she taught everyone in that theater (and many more since) not to judge a book by its cover. See her amazing performance here.

I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables

I dreamed a dream in time gone by

When hope was high and life worth living

I dreamed that love would never die

I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid

And dreams were made and used and wasted

There was no ransom to be paid

No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night

With their voices soft as thunder

As they tear your hope apart

And they turn your dream to shame

And still I dream he'll come to me

That we will live the years together

But there are dreams that cannot be

And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be

So different from this hell I'm living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

An Easter Photo Shoot

I believe that if you are the owner of a white rabbit, as we are, it is practically mandatory that you take an Easter picture with the rabbit and your child. Well...we tried. I did not even try edit these pictures and they are all blurry, but here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Take one: Noah tries to bribe Merlin with a carrot, but then notices the basket with new books.

Take two. Disinterested in the carrot, Merlin decides wheatgrass is not very appealing either and takes off for the kitchen.

Take three. Noah apparently does not care for his new book, and neither does Merlin. He takes off again. I try to catch him, but fail, doing a belly flop onto the carpet instead.

Take Four: Curtis tries to coax rabbit and toddler out from underneath the piano.
Take five: Desparate for just one moment of stillness, we offer Merlin some applesauce, but he turns it down and tries to hop inside the Easter basket.

At this point the phone rings and I get called in to work. That is probably a good thing, because who knows how long this circus would have continued. Maybe we will have better luck next year.

-Jen

Wooly Goodness

I just finished a up new sweater for Noah, perfect for Spring's cool, not-quite-warm-enough-to-go-outside-without-a-jacket weather. It is made from the natural wool that we got while visiting a local sheep farm. I think it makes it just a bit more special knowing that we met the sheep that it came from.

I searched for quite a while for a boy's raglan pattern with no seams. I finally found the Runaround Raglan pattern by Sarah Fama, which is available for download on Ravelry. I like the simplicity of the pattern, but love how the cables give it just a little pizazz and make it more interesting than a plain raglan.

Very appropriately, Noah's current favorite book and song is Baa Baa Black Sheep, which he requests by name (Baa Baa!) several (or a hundred) times a day. He even got me a ball of black wool for my birthday, wrapped up with a note that states it is to be used to knit him a black sheep. I also got some yummy hand-painted yarn from Noah and Curtis. I don't know what it will become just yet...

...but it sure is nice just to look at and squish in my hands!

-Jen

Today I Learned...

Do not put cereal in your toddler's yogurt, because then he will eat it with his hands instead of the spoon.

(Sigh...)

-Jen

New Kitchen Tools

While baking an apple pie today I got to use not one, but two fun kitchen tools! The apples were peeled and cored in minutes using the apple peeler/corer I got for Christmas. Then, the crusts were sealed nice and tight with the wooden pie crust crimper made by Dad.

Here is the final product, along with a pie-crust cookie with cinnamon for Noah in the shape of a horse. There was a also rabbit, but we ate him up for lunch. Yum!

We ate such a huge dinner tonight that we have not even cut into it yet. Hmmm...I think it is time for a snack...

Sewing, Take Two

Since completing my first sewing project, I have been wanting to make Noah some pants. I picked up some fabric a couple weeks ago, but was still without a pattern. Yesterday I decided to just make my own. To be honest, I have never used an actual sewing pattern, and the thought of finding one I liked, purchasing it, and then figuring out how to read it seemed more difficult than just making my own. I was amazed at how fast I finished these! It takes me a week or more to knit pants for Noah. I finished these in less than two hours, and that includes measuring him and coming up with the pattern!

The surprising thing was that they actually fit pretty decent. It was a gloomy morning, so not the greatest for picture taking, but I managed to get a couple action shots as I chased Noah around the living room while he mowed our carpet with his wooden reel mower (aka Karpet Klacker).

Somehow, the stripes on his rear came out perfectly symmetrical. I have no idea how that happened, as I certainly did not plan it that way!

So cute! Uh Oh, I think sewing may become my new addiction.

-Jen