Things are growing!

Last week, while I was on a fantastic girls' trip to Charleston, S.C., Mike & Kiernan diligently watered the plants. Upon my return - the beets and carrots were sprouting! I've been a bit concerned about the basil and cilantro, but both are still upright. We will finally be planting the tomato and pepper plants this weekend - and perhaps a few other items that we find at the Plymouth Plant & Bank sale tomorrow.

In addition to gardening, Kiernan has been making good use of his sandbox - including adding a few rocks, perhaps for texture?

Our cooking and baking adventures continue - this week included dinners of Szechuan Meatballs with Cabbage and Rice and Egyptian Edamame Stew with Couscous. I also baked up my first batch of macaroons last night. Mark Bittman is right - they are just about the perfect cookie.

These will be on sale at tomorrow at Plymouth!

Worms, Planting, and Compost!

They really do all go together ...

Kiernan has recently become obsessed with worms. After opening the garage one morning after a good rain, he noticed the worms that had taken shelter from their flooded ground on the driveway. He promptly went out to explore, and then sat down next to a small group and said, "Mommy, sit!" We eventually made it to daycare, only to find more worms on the sidewalk at Stepping Stones. Thank goodness one of his friends came along - otherwise we might never have made it inside.

Here he is checking out a worm this weekend in our front flower beds - and another of this particular worm.

Notably, Kiernan is also sad to discover dead worms, but quickly moves on to look for that possible live one.

We have finally installed our Earth Machine, a.k.a. the compost bin. Woody has stopped barking at it, so it is officially welcome.

And - we have begun planting! Thank you Sunrise Nursery & our neighbors! I have lots of questions, some of which are rather silly. And thank you for answering all of them.

The beets and carrots are in their pot. As are the rosemary, thyme, cilantro and basil. The tomato and pepper plants have not officially made it into their pot yet (it is still awfully cold at night and frankly, I might need two as opposed to one), but hopefully later this week they will move out of the house.

I managed to tame the climbing rose on our south-facing flower bed, which opened up the perfect space for the container garden. Here it is in its infancy!

The Friendship Garden

Before the Lawrence Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, we spent some time exploring the Japanese Friendship Garden on Mass Street. Here are a few fun pictures - enjoy!

Spring has sprung!

We have been spending loads of time outside this past week. Last Friday, Kiernan and I started cleaning up our front flower beds. Sunday, we did some work in the back yard, and - more importantly - Kiernan started a "collection." Currently, his collection of outdoor goods includes 2 acorns and 9 pine cones and requires two mason jars. He carries his jars around with him through the house. It is quite adorable.

Here's Kiernan finding a pine cone to add to his collection after dinner last night. (Eating on the back patio has also been a big hit this week - though Kiernan does get pretty distracted.)
















We are continuing our cooking adventures as well. This week's hits: Chilean Bean Stew and Warm Chicken Sausage and Potato Salad. Mike also tried his hand with brussel sprouts and parsnips braised with bacon on Sunday as an accompaniment to barbecued pork chops - delicious!

The Farmer's Market opens in just over a week - we cannot wait! And, the latest news flash: the Thursday afternoon market will be out in our neck of the woods. Fantastic. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!