3.10.2013

weekending: making, planting, partying



this weekend started off with homemade peanut butter cups made for the occasion of welcoming papa home from his week away.  I don't think I'll buy peanut butter cups again, they are so easy to make.  melt chocolate (I used semi sweet ghirardelli chips), line little cups with a bit of the melted goodness, refrigerate until hard, add a dollop of peanut butter mixed with sweetener of choice (we used plain organic pb with a couple tablespoons of agave nectar), top off with remaining melted chocolate.  inhale as desired.

my fedco order arrived friday afternoon and really, it was perfect timing.  because it was spring here this weekend.  two days of full on sunshine and blue skies.  and do you see those prices for the seeds?  between $1.10 and $2.20 per packet and most of them are organic.  and they are a company I love to support.  a seed cooperative who stands up against monsanto and really gives a damn about customer service and has an amazing selection.


we made some progress on the beds.  switching out old rotten boards for cinder blocks.  at first I wasn't so sure about cinder blocks.  because, well, they are kind of ugly, right?  but now I love them.  I can sit at the edge of the bed as I plant/weed/whatever, I can plant things inside them, they aren't going to rot.  love them.  getting them level is what is making it take a bit of time.  these things are likely to be around for a while, and I don't want to stare at wonky beds forever.  a little wonky I can welcome and even embrace.  but obscenely wonky?  not so much.  we'll probably end up with the six main beds and a few more smaller ones here and there.  under the soil in one bed now sit lots of little teeny tiny parsnip and beet seeds, soon to be joined by an array of greens.  under the soil in some seed trays now sit quite a few onion, leek, parsley, kale, and pac choi seeds.  and as soon as we decide where they are going, the peas and potatoes are going in.  the bees are back there buzzing away, bringing in loads of pollen each warm day we get.  we're thinking of taking down the wire fencing around the hive and replacing it with a low step-over bamboo fence.  something to act as a barrier for the little ones, but that we adults can easily step over while holding an armload of bee paraphernalia.  and again, with the aesthetics, of course.



Claire's little red plastic dinosaur (named 'little floor') helped make the pancakes saturday morning.


I turned the cuff of a pair of loved-to-the-point-of-no-return smartwool socks into a cozy for my tea/coffee cups.  I actually just googled whether they're called 'cozies' or 'coozies' and apparently it is quite the debate.  I'm going with cozy.  as in, my tea is warm and cozy and this thingamajig is going to help keep it as such.


we went through a ton of tape this morning so that Claire could tape her little 'dots' to a bookcase in the office/classroom.  I tend to be scroogey with the tape, not wanting to waste it and all.  kind of like I used to be scroogey with bandaids when I first worked with kids.  like "oh, you don't really need one, it's not bleeding and anyway it needs the air" or some other lame line.  and mostly because I didn't feel like getting up and finding the first aid kit.  but then I had one of those lightbulb kind of moments and realized bandaids were magic and I've never looked back.  you need a bandaid?  sure!  how about two?     maybe an icepack to go along with it... just in case?  so that's me with tape now.  it is an amazing thing to her so let her have it.


we also attended two very fun three-year-old birthday parties.  both held at different equally awesome children's play places, the Treehouse and The Health Adventure.  one included grown up beverages for the adults and the other ended with C's papa bringing the fire truck over (his station happens to be across the street from the health adventure) for all the kiddos to climb on and around.  super fun.  though she mostly ducked and hid because she's not into big groups of people right now and seeing as how all the kids were gathered together around the big red truck, it wasn't her thing.  we had our own private viewing afterwards when we stopped for a visit on our way back home.  and speaking of her 'particularities' of late, a friend shared this ("46 reasons my three year old might be freaking out") with me and it is pretty darn funny.

man, I love this kid.  love, love, love.  yes, we have our challenges, our two-left-feet kind of dances, but  I suppose they serve their purpose too.


*weekending with amanda



10 comments:

  1. tape is in high demand here. high demand. and they go through it like nobody's business. also glitter. has she discovered glitter yet?

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    1. no she hasn't. but that's kind of my doing..... I haven't felt brave enough to go there yet. I suppose soon I should bust some out lest she be deprived. thinking maybe I'll start with those larger, heavier glitter dots that don't float around quite so easily.......

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  2. I remember being scroogey with tape and scissors that is why I bought double and hid my own stash along with the dark chocolate!! Love the photos!!

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    1. yes there is a roll of tape in the desk drawer that I haven't handed over yet. and some pretty washi tape as well. she has several pairs of her own scissors so she mostly leaves mine alone. mostly. and for sure there is a mama chocolate stash in a high up kitchen cabinet ;) thanks!

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  3. gosh...i'm terrible about the whole don't waste bit. sometimes i have to leave the room when i see bea trying to navigate a piece of tape 2 feet long. i cringe...:)

    also, the peanut butter cups...how much chocolate chips did you use? i could make these for this weekend --it's Bea's birthday!!

    oh, and i love the recycled smart wool. really, really smart.

    and i like your new banner. fitting for the times, i'm sure.

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    1. that's a great way to put it, "navigating" the tape. quite accurate, really.

      here's the recipe I followed:
      (filled about 2 dozen mini cupcake wrappers)

      3/4 cup creamy pb
      3 TB agave nectar
      9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semisweet chips because I had them on hand, thinking Claire may have preferred milk chocolate)

      -mix pb and agave (I suppose honey or maple syrup would be fine, too) and chill
      -melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, apply a layer of the melted chocolate to the bottoms of the cups (and up the sides a bit if you can), chill until it hardens
      -reheat remaining chocolate, spoon about 1/2 TB pb into each cup then cover with chocolate, chill again

      ENJOY! wish we were down the street and could bring Bea a little treat for her big day! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEA!

      thanks- wearing them for so long made me ever so smart ;)
      there is just something so endearing to me about that tiny little red plastic dinosaur.

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  4. lovely photos!
    but even more than that, I"m loving to hear about all the farming!
    XO

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    1. thanks, Cory!
      and I love that you're calling my backyard adventures farming ;) we are definitely
      using up the space we have though- added a hazelnut tree today, coming soon are a pear and a plum tree and more chicks.... good stuff. I mean, I do wish I could have a lemon tree too..... but oh well.
      xo from nc

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  5. I can relate to so many things in this post.
    Thanks tip about Fedco. I will look into them.
    Have you read the book The Dot by Peter Reyolds? Her dot taping reminded me of that book. And my daughter loves tape too.
    The PB cups look awesome.

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    1. they really are a great company. their catalog is so beautiful. thick, black and white newsprint with tons of quirky poems and random gardening tips. I have not read that book- I did see it once at our library in town though... will check it out!

      they were SO easy to make. and so so yummy. I am (very nearly successfully) limiting myself to one a day ;)

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