as cozy as spring

happyhappyhappyhappy

Wow, it is so beautiful outside today. I can't hold back one second longer, I simply must plant my seeds today. I'm starting them indoors and it's probably still a bit early, but I'm nothing if not an emotional gardener.
So up first, for all you zone 8 guys and gals, corn, tomatoes, green beans, herbs, peppers. The corn grew remarkably well last spring (remember to plant in blocks). My summer crop was awful. Tomatoes are an absolutely necessary. I am terrible about keeping the plants labeled, so I can only guess what I like; Celebrity is a tasty and hearty mid sized tomato. I'm partial to cherry tomatoes, as the experience of eating a sweet, tart tomato from the vine while it is still warm from the sun is heavenly - and you get thousands. But, my 'very most favorite' tomatoes are yellow grapes and yellow pears. I wish I could remember a specific name, but every yellow tomato I've grown and eaten has been superior to the red.
The rest? I've never actually tried green beans before because our space is limited. I grow peppers in pots, just enough for tasty salsas, though bells are nice as well. The onions and potatoes are already in the ground. I still need a good pickling cucumber. And it's still to early for okra, but soon.

Herbs * Our oregano, parsley, and chives are already growing nicely. I need more parsley for the butterfly garden. I need dill because I love it. And Lucy is planting her own herb garden to tie in with her studies. Sweet Basil from seed is remarkably easy and remarkably prolific. I literally gave it away in garbage bags full one year (perhaps I should work on my packaging). Interestingly, my plant transplants have never done as well as my seeds. Thyme is also quite easy to grow from seed. And oh my mint - I secretly delight when I see the mint stretching into the lawn, though I know my husband hates it. The smell of the mint as I mow over it on summer evenings is amazing. So I silently cheer on the mint, "Spread your little tendrils. I won't tell!"

I don't like to give advice normally, but the best gardening advice I've received myself is plant what you eat. We're not going to plant fennel or peas because no one in our family eats these things. Also, if your space is limited, look at what you can grow better than the grocery stores. For example, carrots are usually fine and cheap (even organic) and readily available at the grocery store. Frankly, the carrots from my own garden were mediocre. So we skip carrots most years.
But then the emotional gardener emerges again and thinks every child should have the experience of sneaking an ear of corn while hidden amid 5 feet tall stalks on an early summer evening.
I'm off. My apologies to those of you with snow in your forecast.

American Idol

This show has never really clicked with me. It's mildly amusing if I have absolutely nothing else to do. But that almost never happens. My husband and daughter are fans though, and so the show is on at casa As Cozy as Spring every Tuesday and Wednesday. I roamed into the living room tonight pretty much all I have to say is that wow, Michael Johns is one handsome man (though, of course, not nearly as handsome as my own amazing husband). Everyone in the living room agreed that he was, as a human being, not bad to look at. I won't specify just who was in the living room at the time, just that it was unanimous. And he just happened to sing one of my favorite songs.

And that's pretty much the most interesting thing I can think of to post these days. It's a late February thing. I read around the blogosphere many others feeling uninspired. So I'll pop in from time to time and expect me back on a daily basis after Lent is over. I'll have my camera, my garden, and some new yarn by this time next month. For now, I'll just let things be. All is well.

Last Week I....

Last week I...
Realized I don't have a thorough understanding of some crucial slang terms and completely humiliated myself. So! If I ever said something really inappropriate to you, leaving you stunned, assume I had no idea what I was talking about. Also, why does slang have to keep changing? I have to keep calling people, "Wait, what does this mean?" It seems I've been wrong on many occasions. How does that mean that?

Last week I....
Let my father cut my hair. Do you hear my sisters gasping on the east coast, "No she didn't!"? Ah yes, I did. I also colored it with some random box from Super Target. It is short and sort of purple now. OK not really, it actually looks pretty. Dad, who it seems will jump at the opportunity to try just about anything, did a good job.

Last week I...
Completely burned out on homeschooling. Bleh. Sign us up at any school that will take my children. But I'm back now and very excited after purchasing paper and folders. A couple hours on the computer tonight focusing on the week's plans was just what I needed.

Last week I...
Let my husband take my camera on a business trip. It is no longer functioning. I checked with the camera shop today. They say it is gone. I have a new one picked out, but it is currently waiting in the shopping queue.

Last week I...
Mentally planned the funeral flowers for my grandmother. I drove to the hospital thinking she would be gone when I got there. She's OK now. I called her at her very own house on Friday and she answered the phone and I thanked God for the simple wonder of her presence.

I still am.

No title.

I'm just wrapping things up before bed. The kitchen is not quite as clean as I'd like but the children want stories. This week has been quite busy with family stuff. I may not be around for the next week or so. The pace of life is too fast for me to stop and sum it all up in a post. I'll be back when things slow down. If you could spare a prayer for my dear grandmother, though, it would be so appreciated. She is in the hospital right now, as feisty as ever, but physically worn out.
I'll be back later.

Seedlings

These are the larkspur seeds from my grandmother's garden that I planted a few weeks ago. I think I should have planted them in the fall, but no matter. I think they will be fine.

I am always buying seed packets and forgetting where I put them. To remedy this problem, I made a teeny-tiny seed tote. I printed out the little antique French seed packets I had onto fabric, then appliqued it onto some spring green corduroy. I used these instructions for a little lined bag. This was a bit of a headache. The printable fabric sewed up more like vinyl or something and it was sloppy looking. I tried to embroider up the sides for a more polished look and it's better but I realized my embroidery work is rather sloppy as well. So I thought "Why don't I practice proper embroidery while I'm on a shopping hiatus?" So I brought out my supplies. And then my son woke up and put an end to that bright idea.

February is just dragging on and on. I haven't seen a single robin all winter. We had such large numbers last year. We did have a cardinal couple arrive about 10 days ago. They hop around the sad brown garden every morning hunting food. I was flipping through my garden photos on flickr. An almost obscene amount of lush green, bright blooms, and butterflies! It's hard to imagine the gray bare branches will be so transformed in a matter of only a few weeks.

But this morning, looking at my happy little seed tote in my happy apricot kitchen, I can't help but smile hopefully. Not much longer now.

Geography Resources

Not really a post - just a note to say how much we LOVE flickr for geography studies. Check out this link for awesome photos of the Dead Sea. It's just free right there on my computer - amazing photos from all around the world. Do y'all remember having to go to the library and photocopy pages for reports? I feel the need to clarify now that I am not downloading photos from Flickr without permission because I don't do things like that. I am absurdly respectful of copyright. That's all.
And Google Earth. Love Google Earth. And isn't there a marriage of the two out there? I know we used it last year before my computer died, but I don't have it bookmarked here yet.

And Netflix! For great documentaries.
Now that's really all. Children are loud.

Oh Martha, you've gone too far.

Martha wrote about making yarn from dog hair on her blog this morning. She featured the yarn on her show.

What say you internet? Sweet or completely freaky?

I'm in the latter camp. First, I don't much care for dogs or cats. But I do love my children dearly and even then I wouldn't have yarn made from their haircut clippings. That's far too similar to fashioning a sculpture from their old fingernail clippings. I hope this isn't offensive to those of you that think this is a fabulous idea. But ewww. Really.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay
-Robert Frost

This is one of the poems I remember studying in college. I don't care much for poetry. Too much introspection makes me nervous. My Russian literature professor shared my opinion. After each poem he would stall and say resignedly, "Well, some things just don't translate well." We studied this Frost poem in February and my professor told us to notice the way the golden sunlight reflected off the newly emerging leaves.

Last week we hunted hellebores and snowdrops. It's early still, but I did catch the slight fragrance of hyacinths on the breeze - I couldn't place it at first, forgotten every year but still, so familiar. You can't capture that smell because you would also need to capture the feel of the chilly humid air and damp soil that enhance it. It's all so brief and precious. Frost was right. But I can't help thinking I like green better than gold anyway. I also think that proves the point that I don't really understand poetry.

Valentine Cakes

I saw the idea of cakes in a jar at Angry Chicken in December. That is such a cute way to package little cakes. I couldn't really think of a reason to make them, but would glance longingly at the mason jars in the stores. I offered to make dessert for a family gathering this week and thought these would be perfect.

I washed the half pint jars (little squatty jars) and oiled the inside surfaces. I poured about a third cup of batter into each jar, baked at 350 degrees for (?) 20 minutes? Oh so cute. I wasn't worried about shelf life or sealing the jars, so I layered on milk chocolate ganache as a topping.

I cut a circle of pink patterned paper to dress up the tops. These would make precious little Valentine's surprises for children. As I was drizzling - nay pouring, ganache over the cakes, I made up my mind to eat all twelve and gain 20-30 pounds overnight. In the end, I couldn't even finish one, they were so decadent. Ideally, I would bake them in four ounce jars. I know I used 4 ounce jars for canning as a teenager, but haven't found them in any stores. Perhaps this summer - for a picnic - can you imagine how fun? With red gingham paper toppers? !!!
I completely love this idea and cannot believe it never occurred to me to try such a thing. The internet is a wonderful thing. I can see Linus and Lucy (and two children to be named later) reminiscing one day (think A Time to Keep: The Tasha Tudor Book of Holidays) "And Mama would make the most delicious cakes in a jelly jar for Valentine's Day..."

At home this week

I set up a new/old desk in my dining room window. It's the warmest spot in the house and I had been sitting on the floor there for weeks. My dad made the desk years ago and gave one to each of the six of us. It's perfect for this spot. It's quite relaxing to sit over there with a pencil and paper, a cookbook, or lesson plans. No computer. Peaceful.
The art card is a George Washington print. See how on top of things I am? All lined up for next week (it's next week, right?). We'll read George Washington then as well.

I broke out my two skeins of Rowan cotton tape. I thought it was such a deal until I realized I needed new needles and that I had nothing to do with only two skeins and it was a discontinued yarn. So it's going to be either a single sleeve, a single leg warmer, or a tiny bag of some kind. It's a shame they don't make it because I love the way it knits up.

I'm made Shepherd's Pie last night - my own casual combination of ground beef, simmered with veggies and enough beef stock to make a nice sauce - top it all with mashed potatoes. This is my favorite make-ahead meal. I assembled the whole thing at 2:00 and heated it up at 6:00. And everyone ate it but yours truly, of course. We're having leftovers tonight with French Onion Soup, which is on the stove right now.

And here is a photo of the tiny sweater I knitted during last week's Lost.

It reminds me of this program a local radio station used to feature: Corporate Time Wasters. I loved the show. It was random listeners calling in describing how they wasted company time. There's nothing admirable about wasting time, but there is something quite funny about it. Perhaps because I am such stickler for rules of all kinds, this was particularly amusing to me. So anyway. The tiny sweater was a Mommy Time Waster of the most ridiculous kind. The pattern is from Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter. I still have the library book, but am going to order it as a keeper anyway because the patterns are simple and classic.

The house is clean, the lessons are done, dinner is planned. I'm going to get back to my hot coffee.