Garden Update

Tomatoes and kale

If you've followed me for a while (or if you know me), you know that I am not a skilled gardener.  Previous attempts at gardening were met with mixed results.  Sometimes the rabbits won.  We got a couple good years of blueberries before the bushes stopped producing.  We had one really great year of pumpkins followed by a couple bad ones.   We figured out what worked in pots.  

Slowly but surely, I've gained a little knowledge and experience.  My herb barrel is a summer necessity, filled with basil, cilantro, rosemary, and scallions.  I've given up on the blueberries, and I've given up trying to plant things without adequate protection from the critters.  My next-door neighbor has been gracious enough to allow us to use some of her raised beds.  Last year we had two, and we grew mostly tomatoes, which are my highest priority garden vegetable.  (Store-bought tomatoes are mostly just gross.)  We still had problems with the rabbits and deer, so we had to wrap the plants in netting to save them.  

This year, my neighbor said we could use all of the raised beds.  I got proactive and built fencing around each of them, and thankfully and for the first time ever, the animals have not been an issue.  I got seedlings from our community organic farm, so everything is organic and GMO-free.  It's been so much fun!  The kids love checking the garden every day to see the progress and picking anything that's ripe.  It's exciting when something new appears.  And with so much extra space, I branched out to vegetables I had never grown before.  So cool!

I got this eggplant later in the spring at the spur of the moment, since I had more space left.  We've already eaten one big one, and we have three more growing!  So easy and super fun.

The green beans were started in a paper cup by Aaron in his kindergarten class.  He brought his seedlings home at the end of the year, and we planted them in the garden.  It has grown like crazy!  We've had enough green beans for dinner several times already, and they're still coming!

Zucchini!  I've always wanted to grow zucchini but never had the space.  We have already had at least a dozen, and again, they keep coming!  We've had them grilled, sauteed, baked in bread, cooked in chowder...  So awesome.

We only have one butternut squash so far, but it's a beauty.  I'm not wishing Summer away, but Fall will be wonderful too.

Tomatoes!  We are getting about 15-20 cherry tomatoes a day, plus a regular-sized tomato every few days.  I think the varieties I chose are a little later, so I'm expecting and hoping that August will be full of tomatoes.  Until then, I'm happy to watch Aaron eat cherry tomatoes right off the vine.

We've also enjoyed a good amount of kale, a couple heads of lettuce (we lost a couple more to heavy rain), quite a few cucumbers (they've been overtaken by the zucchini at this point I think), and we have four big broccoli plants that I hope we get to enjoy in the Fall.  Hooray!

The Best Day Ever...

After a fun morning at camp, we headed to a nearby farm for more berry-picking and some surprise ice cream.  Aaron declared, "Mom, this is the best day ever.  Of the whole summer.  Well except yesterday, and going to the Cape, and the pool, and going to the lake will be awesome too.  But this is a really really good day."  

In other words, the boys are having such an amazing summer so far that he doesn't even know how to compare how fun every day is.  Lucky kids.

Around The Yard...

Day 28 of The Challenge.  Only pictures.

A Few Links

by liz rusby via flickr

I stumbled across some really great stuff online this week...

Why 43% of Women With Children Leave Their Jobs, And How To Get Them Back.  I thought this was a really interesting article, and a lot of the points resonated with me.  I haven't even been out of the workforce a year, and I don't plan on staying out for too long, but the question of what I can do while still balancing my family life is one that weighs heavy on my mind.

Johnny Marr performing The Smiths' "How Soon is Now?" on Jimmy Fallon.  Just for fun, because I am and always will be a fan of The Smiths.

Enjoy a flight over Africa while Listening to the music from Out of Africa.  Very random, but it's so pretty.  Even if all you do is play the music.

What Nobody Remembers About New Motherhood.  Do any of you feel this way?  I know so many people say that we forget the hard parts, so perhaps it's still too recent for me.  I can recall very vividly the pain of childbirth, and the exhaustion I felt those first few months.  I remember very well how hard some of those weeks were when I was low on sleep, dealing with a sick baby, and still having to go to work.  I also remember how my babies smelled (is there any smell in the world better than a clean baby?), how sweet those 2AM nursing sessions were, and how it felt when they squeezed my fingers with their chubby little hands.  And of course I know how amazing they are now.  But when a new mom tells me how exhausted she is, I absolutely understand and remember it all.

I am in total agreement with Joanna Goddard on this one.  And if you haven't watched New Girl yet, you should.

Indian Man Single-Handedly Plants a 1360-acre Forest.  This is just awesome, and it got me thinking about what my legacy will be.  A heavy topic for another day...

Life Lessons with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  Yes, sort of random too, but don't dismiss it just because it's written by a former basketball player.  It's a really great list!

Whoah!  Did I just publish three posts in a single day?  Crazy.  

Our Attempts at Gardening

Since moving into a house, I've been trying to learn a little about gardening.  With moderate success.  I definitely know more than I did a few years ago.  I also know that our neighborhood supports plenty of wildlife that loves to eat almost all the things I've learned how to grow.  Deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, chipmunks, and especially rabbits.  Who knows what else?  So until we commit to building a raised bed with a fence around it, we're going to have to keep our garden activities pretty small.  That doesn't mean we have to stop completely, though.

This year, we planted quite a few things, most of which were devoured.  The animals even got greedy and dug up all of my tulip and daffodil bulbs!  Sigh.  But what survived....a few gorgeous zinnia plants, with lots of bright pink and yellow flowers.  I adore zinnias and am happy that even I can grow them.  I will probably plant them every year from now on.  We also had a couple pumpkin plants that survived and seem to be thriving.  The pumpkins are still pretty small, so we'll have to see if we get any that are big and orange enough for Halloween, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.  An herb barrel, which has provided a nice supply of basil and cilantro all summer.  And a couple pots of carrots.  The animals ate all the ones we planted in the ground, so I planted some in pots, and they've done pretty well.  Relatively small, but I got impatient.  Baby carrots are yummy too!  The big boy and I decided we were tired of waiting, so we picked most of them last weekend and dipped them in ranch dressing for dinner. 

Although my gardening attempts have met some challenges along the way, I still think it's a worthwhile endeavor.  The boys love helping me plant and water, and I love that they know what a carrot looks like when it comes straight from the ground. 

Simple Wedding

Probably my favorite thing about weddings is how they reflect the personality of the couple.  At least good weddings do.  My little sister's wedding definitely reflected not only her personality and that of her husband's, but also their values.  They worked very hard to keep it as simple and as "green" as possible.

She reused my wedding dress, making it her own by adding some red accents.  She made her own bouquet using roses from Costco.   They used Paperless Post for their invitations.  They got married in an empty lot across the street from the coffeehouse where they met.  An acquaintance sang during the ceremony.  A friend was the photographer.  No bridesmaids, no wedding planner, no assigned seating and menu choices...  They kept the things that were important to them.  Open bar.  A bagpiper to play as the ceremony concluded (very nice touch!).  Emily's gorgeous hair and makeup.  And dance lessons, which I'll admit kinda cracks me up, but they really enjoyed them and are even going to continue.

One of my favorite things they did was a painting.  In addition to a more traditional guest book, they got a large painting canvas.  They used pencil to draw about 50-60 blocks, about 4-inch by 6-inch.  They set out paints and instructed everyone to fill in a spot.  They had it on display at their house all weekend, as well as at the reception.  It was fun to watch it take shape and see what people came up with.  I'm bummed I neglected to take a picture of it, but perhaps I can get her to send me a photo once it's completely filled in.  There were still a few open spots when we left.  It's very cool, and what a fun reminder of the wedding and all the friends and family who came to share in it.

Congratulations Em & David!

A little rain didn't put a damper on the ceremony.  It just added a funny and sweet moment during Em's vows when she thanked David for "showering" her with love.  

Community Farm

I am lucky enough to have a working community farm within walking distance of our house.  It is a popular destination for my little ones.  This weekend was their annual Spring festival, so naturally the boys and I attended.  The weather was absolutely perfect, and we had a great time.  All the typical farm activities - petting areas, hay ride, rock painting, planting, and enjoying good food while being entertained by some local kids.  Awesome.  I just wish I had room in the stroller for some plants!

Ecofriendly Doormats

The ropes used by Maine lobstermen were trapping whales, so they've been banned.  But!  They are putting the old ropes to good use by making these durable and super-cute doormats.  Good for the environment, good for the whales, good for the lobstermen.  I love the colors.  Another reason to wish I had a beach house.

Found at Daytrip Society.

Happy Earth Day! Barefoot Books

*Image from Barefoot Books

Happy Earth Day everyone!  You know, I wish Earth Day was more of a holiday than, say, Valentine's Day.  What is Valentine's Day anyway?  There are so many fun ways to celebrate Earth Day.  I've posted about Barefoot Books before, but it's worth doing again.  They are a fabulous bookseller in Cambridge, and I adore their books.  So does the big boy.  In fact, he very often chooses their books at the library.  Something about the illustrations definitely appeals to him.

Barefoot Books has a number of environmentally-focused books that would be good for any little one in your life.  Check out their collection here.  I especially love the sing-along books with music CDs.  We've been fortunate enough to get several in our local library, and we enjoy them immensely.

If you're interested, they also have a list of activities to accompany their books, a wonderful podcast on iTunes, and a couple videos as well.

Our Amazing Planet

This gorgeous planet of ours can do some awesome things.  I assume you've all heard about the volcano that erupted in Iceland last week, causing flight cancellations across Europe.  Take a look at some of the photos.  Simply stunning...

*All images from Boston.com

Aren't these gorgeous?

National Geographic photographs make my jaw drop. It can be easy to forget how amazing our world really is. I'm sure you'd agree, especially after watching Planet Earth. (You've watched that, right? It should be required viewing for everyone on the planet.) Check out these gorgeous pictures - you can use them as backgrounds on your personal devices or computer. Aren't they amazing?

All images from here.

Mango Leaf

*Image from Mango Leaf

Mango Leaf has some really beautiful bowls. And serving platters and such. All made out of environmentally-friendly bamboo. In a ton of fun, bright colors. Or in something more neutral if you'd prefer. Em, want one of these on your Christmas list?

The Botany of Desire

PBS is airing a special based on Michael Pollan's book, The Botany of Desire, on October 28th. From the PBS web site:
"Featuring Michael Pollan and based on his best-selling book, this special takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration of the human relationship with the plant world, seen from the plants' point of view. Narrated by Frances McDormand, the program shows how four familiar species – the apple, the tulip, cannabis and the potato – evolved to satisfy our yearnings for sweetness, beauty, intoxication and control."
It sounds interesting. Perhaps I'll DVR it and check it out.

Recycle - Crayons!

*Image from Martha Stewart

I'll admit that although I like looking at them, I will never attempt most craft projects and even organizing ideas. I'm just not the crafty type. But every now and then I run across ideas that are easy enough even for me, and this is one. Did you know you can melt your crayons and reuse them? I already have a growing collection of crayon nubs. I don't have super cool heart-shaped tins, but I'm thinking that's okay. I'm saving this one. I know A would love it, and I love that we can reuse our crayons and not throw away all those broken pieces!

Cute Ways to Reuse

I loved this post at OhDeeDoh about reusing clementine crates. A cute and simple and free(!) way of supplementing your kid storage and organizational efforts. Thanks to Lucky Beans for the photos!

Apartment Therapy is now in Boston!

*Image from Apartment Therapy Boston

Apartment Therapy is now in Boston! It is a good site for design ideas, but also for organizing, simplifying, recycling, and other inspiration. I like checking it out every now and then, and I particularly like their sister sites - the kitchn (what you'd expect...food inspiration), ohdeedoh (kid/nursery stuff), and re-nest (all about living green).

VivaTerra

I hate how many catalogs I receive, and I continue to add them to Catalog Choice. This has helped tremendously, but new ones pop up all the time. Every now and then, though, a new catalog comes along and I actually discover a company I like. VivaTerra is a great example.

From their web site: "Our name VivaTerra or living earth is inspired by our dedication to living in harmony with nature - for a healthier life now and for future generations." In other words, all their products are earth-friendly, and I've found that this is a nice site for unique gift ideas as well. I think I might have to put one of these balloon vases on my Christmas list. (In case you notice that my list gets pretty large, that's only because I like being surprised. ;-)

Of course I added VivaTerra to CatalogChoice as well, because it's simply not good for the environment to mail all those catalogs, but I'll continue to look at their online store for future gift purchases.

Recycle Those Old Cell Phones

How many old cell phones do you have lying around? Are you ultra-organized and efficient and have therefore turned your old one in every time you got a new one? If so, then congratulations and you can stop reading now. But if you're like me, you might have a few kicking around. In my efforts to reduce some of our office clutter, I discovered seven old cell phones. SEVEN! That's between me and my husband, but that's just sad. So I gathered them up and shipped them off to be refurbished and used in domestic abuse shelters or to be recycled (my husband's very first Startec I'm sure fits the latter category).

Here's the EPA site that lists info on how to recycle your old electronic equipment - cell phones, computers, printers, etc.

Summer foliage

I've said it many times, but let me say it again: I am not a gardener. I have no green thumb. That said, I am proof that even the most unknowledgable person can have some flowers and plants - even vegetables - in their garden. It is still growing, but we have some nice color and pretty flowers now. A few rabbit-damaged but still alive tomato plants, a couple bird-ravaged blueberry bushes, a couple pumpkin plants (can't wait for October!), yummy-smelling lavender, and lots of bushes and flowers whose names I will never know. (Sorry Mom!) The bottom line, though, is that it makes our yard a nice place to be. I even picked a couple flowers to bring inside so we can enjoy them in the house as well.

I don't mind pulling weeds and watering plants, especially when I have such a handsome helper.

Clean your plates!

As grocery bills rise, we can all use the reminder to be less wasteful with our food. This article in the NY Times tells us that we waste a ton of food every day (well, about a pound a day for every American, which is many many tons). Give it a read if you're interested, but the bottom line is that we still waste way more than we should. One fact that I was reminded of was that rotting food that ends up in landfills produces methane, a major source of greenhouse gases. There's really no excuse. Here are a few things we should all try to do to reduce this waste (and our grocery bills!):

1. Stay organized. If you plan your menus and take regular stock of what is in your refrigerator, you won't find yourself with a half-used tub of moldy cottage cheese. (I am ashamed to say that's what I found in my fridge last night.)
2. Pack your lunch. If you have leftovers, pack them for lunch the next day, or use them in the next night's dinner.
3. Compost. We haven't started this yet, but I'm interested in trying to find a way to do this. In the meantime, having a garbage disposal installed is an easy way to reduce the amount of food ending up in the trash.
4. Order Small Plates or Take Leftovers. When you're out at a restaurant, order what you think you'll eat. I know that portions at a lot of restaurants are ridiculously large these days, so in those cases, order an appetizer portion, share with a friend, or bring a container to take your leftovers home.
5. Make Banana Bread. Most farmer's markets and often grocery stores have sale racks for produce, where they put bruised or over-ripe fruits and veggies. This is such a great way to get a deal! You're not going to want to make a salad with them, but most of them are perfectly fine when cooked. Take bruised apples and make applesauce; use brown bananas in a banana bread (it's best that way anyway!); onions, potatoes, peppers, carrots...all fine cooked up a number of ways.
6. Serve What Kids (and You) Will Eat. I absolutely don't mean deprive them of their veggies. I just mean only put a little bit on their plates to avoid it being thrown to the floor if they find it repulsive or if they are simply full. If they like it or they're still hungry, you can always give them more. (Same goes for adults, by the way. You can always go back for seconds.)

There are lots of things we can do to reduce the amount of food that we waste. I definitely have room for improvement on most of these items, so I'll keep trying.