Spring Break

Spring break has come and gone...with very little hint of actual spring.  Weather.com says that we're supposed to be in the 50s for the rest of the 10 day forecast, and I am so very ready  for that.  Actually, I'm ready for low 70s.  I'm ready for flip flops and bermuda shorts.  I'm ready for walks outside (perhaps an occasional run as well...it is  one of my 2011 resolutions to run a 5k...we'll see).  I'm ready for flowers.  I'm ready for green.  I guess what I'm saying is that I am so very ready for spring.

My perennials are just starting to peak through the mulch. It's almost time for those flowers, green, and spring.  I just wish it would hurry a bit more.

Do you think that a beautiful springtime yard (as seen in the link above) will make people want to buy my house?  Cuz it's for sale if there are any takers out there.  And the yard really is beautiful.  And huge.  Sound tempting?  Wanna tell all your friends?

The only bad thing about potentially (fingers crossed!  wish me luck!) moving is that I can't have a garden this year.  Not the flower kind.  The vegetable kind.  One of my requirements for the next place is a yard that will have some place for a garden.  In all honesty, I don't really care if that some place is the front yard.  I just want to grow some tomatoes.  And peppers.  And zucchini, and yellow squash, and butternut squash, and cucumbers, and potatoes, and kohlrabi, and raddishes, and asparagus, and eggplant, and rhubarb, and raspberries, and strawberries, and maybe some beets.  And some fresh herbs. Or at least part of that list. 

Instead...this year I plan to do some containers.  A couple tomatoes, a couple peppers, possibly zucchini and cucumbers, and definately a trash can full of potatoes.  I figure that I can start them here, and then move them...if, of course, I'm lucky enough to be moving before "harvest".

I've been reading up on container gardening a lot lately.  I had as one of my resolutions to read 12 non-school books, and I've already finished 5.  My intention was for these 12 books to be thought-provoking novels of great depth.  But, I think that these should also count.  2 books on container gardening and 3 books on canning and preserving food.  And yes, I do think that the cookbooks should count. I did read them cover-to-cover...and besides the first half of all them was tutorial.  Am I huge dork for reading cookbooks?  Probably.  But that's just part of my charm.

On a final note...here are my babies.  I mean big girls.  Evaline is even pretty much potty-trained.  That was our Spring Break Project.  Who am I kidding, though, Evaline pretty much potty-trained herself.  Cora...well, Cora is a different story. 

This was our conversation last Thursday morning: Me - "Cora, you've got a decision to make.  Do you want to wear the big-girl-panties or diapers?"  Cora - "Panties!"  Me - "Ok, you do realize that this means you will HAVE to use the potty, right?"  Cora - "Ok.  I wear diapers."  Ok.  Cora's wearing diapers.  She is, however, absolutely thrilled for her sisters potty-triumphs.  Jumps up and down.  Claps.  Gives words of encouragement and shows just as much pride as Evaline does herself.  But doesn't care to try it herself. Not. One. Bit. 

Ah well.  I'm pretty sure that all of my students at school are potty-trained...so I have every confidence that it will happen when she's ready.

One final thing that I'm looking forward to?  The day when both of the girls will look at the camera and smile  in the same shot.

Here's a great one of Cora:

Evaline's a doll in this one:

This was the best we could do to get them both looking decent:

Wordless Wednesday

Story Time

A few weeks ago we bought a box of Cheerios, and stuck to the inside front of the box was a "freebie" - a small book.  According to the box, there is a whold "collectible" series - but we just have this one.  This book - Jump - is one of Cora's favorite things in the whole world.  To make things even better, she has started reading aloud to us.  And now...to you, too:

One more thing - I wish I had kept the camera running for just half a minute more.  At the very end (in case you don't speak Toddler) she noticed that her hands were dirty (from playing outside) and she needed to wash them, dropped the book and ran away.  She ran to the sink in her play kitchen, where she grabbed her scrub brush that we gave the girls as a toy and proceeded to scrub away.  Totally Ian's daughter.

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Wordless Wednesday

Sick and Tired

That's been our last two weeks.  First the girls were sick...something else that they broght home from daycare.  Some icky version of the stomach flu.  They passed it on to me, and I was stuck in bed for an unbelievable four days!  Who get that kind of sick for four days?! Luckily, two of those days were over last weekend so I only had to miss two days of school.  Then, as soon as I was feeling better from that...I developed a cough that went straight to my vocal chords and I got laryngitis for the third time in the past year.  I immediately went to the doctor, he prescribed some strong antibiotics, and I was feeling better by Friday (yesterday).  I hate being sick. 

I should have known it was coming, though.  You see, I was about three days into a new workout routine.  I got a Zumba game for my Wii.  Although my body doesn't really move that way (sober, at least), it's pretty fun...challenging, but fun.  I also have a Biggest Loser game for the Wii, and it has good workouts and yoga.  My plan was to alternate the workouts...but....well, everytime I get about three days into a new workout routine I get sick and my great plans of being back in shape get blown out the window.  Maybe I'll be able to get back on track this week.  I'll start....Monday.

Speaking of getting back in shape...the weather was a balmy 40 degrees today, so we decided to venture out.  I think this was the first time that I'd been outside longer than it takes to walk to my car since November.  I was ready for a walk.  It was still a bit chilly, so we didn't go much further than around the block the long way...but it was REALLY nice to get out of the house.

Here are the girls all bundled up for the first walk of 2011 (luckily, they are still perfectly fine with sitting in the stroller for walks.  I'm not looking forward to the day when they will want to get out and walk, too. That will totally screw up all of my walking-for-fitness plans.).  They picked out their own outfits (and so that begins...)  Please notice that Cora's hood does not match her jacket.  Also notice that Evaline's hat is on backwards (she put it on herself).

Before we went for the walk, we spent some time this morning making some bars.  I'm so happy that the girls are old enough to begin to cook with me.  Right now, they are old enough to stand steadily on the chair and mostly just cook next to me.  But they are really good at dumping flour or whatever into the bowl.  Want the recipe for these?  Check out my other blog...I should have it up sometime tomorrow (Sunday) evening.

And now I'm off to start a new book.  One of my New Year's resolutions was to get 12 "for fun" books read this year...and I have yet to finish a single one.  I'd better get cracking!  I'm starting with I am One of You Forever by Fred Chappell.  I'd never heard of it before...but it comes highly recommended from Ian.  If I finish it, I'll let you know how it goes.

Wordless Wednesday

Growing up...

The girls are getting bigger every day.  But not just bigger...older. 

Talking.  In real sentences.

Telling jokes.  Funny ones.

Potty training.  At least for Evaline.

Doing things by themselves and for themselves. For example:

Evaline wanted to put on her pants by herself this morning...

I guess Mom is still needed for some things.