Four in Four Days

I can hardly believe that my baby is going to be FOUR (!!!) in only four days. We are busy planning and preparing and hoping for sunshine. We have family arriving on Thursday so posts may be light around here but I will have lots to share soon. I am giddy with excitement and thrilled to be celebrating such an amazing little girl.

Just Call Me Vera Wang

Stillwater in proper attire.

Grace: "You're right Mama. They can just call me Vera."

Maybe she has heard me say it a few too many times, but I just adore her skill (!) and love (!!) of making clothing for her animals, big and small. She can take a piece of construction paper, scissors and tape, and in lightening speed has new attire for her friends. It is amazing.

Hawk costumes for Kanga and Roo

In The Garden :: Paper Pot Maker

I am loving THIS Paper Pot Maker. I just hope we have newspapers for a long time to come. 

Loving....Klutz Chicken Socks Books

Klutz makes the best little activity books. Gracie loves her Super Scissors and Paper Puppy books (thanks Irene and Laura!) and has literally cut them into hundreds of pieces. I thought these also look great for spurring imagination and creativity so I may pick them up for a little girl who is turning four years old (!!!) in two weeks. Tissue please. 

**If you join their email list, they give you 20% off your next order. What a great deal!**

Slow Red Beans and Rice

I always seem to crave Creole food this time of year. Maybe it is the beginning of spring that puts an extra kick in my step, the spicier the better. This is such an easy and delicious supper and Mardi Gras beads make it even better!

Soak overnight in your slow cooker:

4 cups kidney beans

In the morning add:

1 Tsp thyme

1 Tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne or mild chili powder

2 red bell peppers. chopped

1 sweet onion chopped and sauteed

12 oz chicken andouille sausage (TJ's) thinly sliced

4 oz pancetta (or a ham hock) sauteed

Cook on high 6 hours, low 8+

Serve over brown rice with hot sauce and a crisp green salad with radishes and fresh spring carrots.

In The Garden :: Early Spring Green Fix Seed Collection

HAPPY SPRING!!!

We are WAY BEHIND in the garden these days. As in we have not done a single thing. Wow, does another baby change everything. This time last year we had a full garden, we were harvesting, jumping in puddles and already had home-sown tomato and pepper seedlings. We will be buying more seedlings this year but this spring seed collection caught my eye. 

Click HERE to get this fun seed collection and you will be harvesting in as little as 21 days!

Includes:

Parsley Italian Dark Green Flat
Broccoli Raab Organic
Kale Dwarf Blue Curled
Mache Corn Salad Big Seeded Organic
Mustard Greens Mizuna
Pea Snap Super Sugar Snap
Radish French Breakfast Organic
Spinach Bordeaux

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Happy 65th Birthday Grandpa! We LOVE you!!!

Gluten Free Max's Mud

I found a gluten free play dough that I thought some of our gluten sensitive friends may enjoy. Plus, we love the name Max!  We have made our own dough but this is a fun one that EVERYONE can play with.

Tickle Monster Kit

Check out this Tickle Monster Kit. What a fun way to brighten a day! Find it HERE

Spring Showers Bring Us Flowers

I love that you can see my three favorite freckles in this picture.

Her first freckle (lovingly known as Freckle #1) on her forehead,

her second freckle which appeared on her delicate hand

and the tiny freckle next to her tiny red lips. 

They melt my heart.

Sisterly Love

What are BIG sisters for?

They LAUGH.

They LOVE.

They PROTECT.

(A blazing fire on a 1/2 candle on a 1/2 cake)

10 Day Forecast

Rain, Rain Go AWAY! We want to get our hands dirty (muddy) in the garden and start planting seedlings.

ATTENTION FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS:
Upstarts Organics will have seedlings at the MP farmers market the first weekend in April for close to half the price as nurseries. These are, in my opinion, some of the best seedlings you can get.

High / Low (°F) Precip. % Today Mar 18 Rain 59°/44° 100 % Sat Mar 19 Rain 57°/45° 70 % Sun Mar 20 Rain 56°/44° 80 % Mon Mar 21 Rain 57°/45° 70 % Tue Mar 22 Showers 60°/46° 40 % Wed Mar 23 Showers 59°/47° 40 % Thu Mar 24 Showers 62°/46° 40 % Fri Mar 25 Showers 63°/46° 60 % Sat Mar 26 Showers 64°/46° 40 % Sun Mar 27 Showers 63°/45° 60 %

Six Months

I can't believe my little baby is already half of a year old! 

We had a little celebration here tonight but I will save that for tomorrow.

Em, I want you to know just how very, VERY much you are loved.

XOXO

Japan Tsunami :: How To Help

Here are some links to help those affected by today's tsunami in Japan.

American Red Cross

Save the Children

Global Giving

Dreaming of....

The Perfect Kitchen

Massucco Warren Miller via Stephmodo

&

The Perfect Shoes

Page 57 of the spring anthro catalog

&

The Perfect Adventure

Aloha Days at the CA Academy of Sciences including:

Paper lei crafts and coloring activities - all day in the Swamp

Displays about Polynesian voyaging and Hawaiian Marine Life - all day in the Swamp

Hawaiian music and hula dancing - 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm and 3:00pm in the East Garden

Island story time - 11:30 am and 12:30 pm in the Classroom

Marine life presentation by the Maui Ocean Center - 12:00 pm at the Science in Action exhibit

May a few of your dreams come true this weekend.