Seedling Update

Just because I'm having fun chronicling these seeds...

Here are our seedlings at the end of Week 4...

And at the end of Week 5

Bread and Dirt

Yesterday we spent the day with the basics- baking some bread, digging some dirt. What a great day.

The morning started with sprinkling some yeast and salt over warm water.

Mixing in some flour.

Waiting for the soft, wet dough to rise.

After a few hours in the refrigerator, it was ready to be shaped, to rest.

Floured and scored.

Removed to the oven.

Retrieved, brown and crusty.

Sliced and eaten, enjoyed.

I used the method from "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day." Deb had made a batch of dough for me before, but this was my first go at it. So easy! After the dough finishes rising about 2 hours on the counter, it is ready to be stored in the refrigerator, for up to two weeks, just waiting to be formed into boule loaves, rolls, pizzas, even "sticky pecan caramel rolls."

If anyone is interested in making this (Christy? You know you'll love it), here is the link to the article I used.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx


Onto the garden.






The boys and I enjoyed the beautifully overcast afternoon digging in the dirt. I needed to collect soil samples to test to make sure that the beds are ready for planting. Ethan needed to find squirmy wormies, and Jack just needed to get dirty.



I was dropping some of my samples off inside when Ethan came running up to me.

Mom, I need some water for my flower.

Ok, Ethan, here you go.

When I went back out, there he was.

Watering his flower.

Oh, he was thirsty. Doesn't that look like a beauty?

There's two for you.

(meaning, here's another flower, to add to the other I already gave you.)

Didn't I tell you it was a pretty great day?

After the flower was cared for, Ethan moved on to his real love, worms. He found some beauties.

1. A couple of the garden beds that I had weeded just a week or two ago, full of weeds already, and one full of strawberry plants that will unfortunately be removed- we just can't give up that much space.

2. One of the unsuspecting strawberry blossoms.

3. A butternut squash from last season provided a winter of feasting to our little squirrel.

Jack trying to see the neighbor's dog. That boy loves dogs.

Today, Ethan helped test the soil.

All in all, life is pretty amazing. Also pretty amazing- how God is able to reveal Himself so clearly, so deeply, so quietly through the days spent with my children, even through time in the garden.

It was a pretty great day .

Jack

Does anyone else want to eat this boy up? Just wondering.

Springtime Snow

Last Friday we had a spring snowstorm. Todd and I were so excited, since we felt that the balmy January and February we had left behind had cheated out of the full winter experience. Todd got home from work a little early, and we planned the evening. Playing in the snow for the boys (I excused myself from this being quite content with my warm and dry status), while I prepared dinner and hot chocolate and snacks.

The fun continued inside with "snow cones." (or snow bowls?) We had an unusual dinner- the boys had dinner, snow cones, hot chocolate all at once. Having snack time during dinner? Pretty efficient if you ask me.

And ending with something very difficult to catch on camera- a real Ethan smile.

Jack in the Kitchen

A couple days ago, I got to spend some rare one-on-one time with Jack. Ethan is usually the one who gets to help in the kitchen, but it happened that I started making a cake (the Banana Friendship Cake from Jewels' site), and Ethan was content to amuse himself for a bit, while Jack seized the opportunity to help out like he sees his big brother do.

He mashed the bananas ( I wish I had some audio of him- "Mash, mash!") ...

did some taste testing...

was distraught when he realized the bananas were not the end product, but meant to be dumped into the mixer...

decided playing cars with Ethan suddenly looked like a better idea...

then thought that maybe he could have the best of both worlds...

but in the end was happy with his work...

and so was his brother.