The Not-So-Secret Garden.

If you follow me on Facebook, which most of you do, you have been subjected to posts about my small garden.  I have never really attempted to have a garden, so I've been very excited about its successes.

First, there is nothing that beats eating food you've grown yourself, in terms of eating veggies.  Throw in some DIY veggie dip (just a packet of ranch dressing mix and an 18oz container of plain greek yogurt), and it's a fantastic afternoon of snacking.

Second, a garden is something I can share with Elliott.  Most of my hobbies are not 2-year-old friendly.  Crochet involves scissors, as does scrapbooking.  School certainly does not interest a toddler.  However, he has enjoyed watering and caring for the plants from the beginning.  He's obsessed with watering plants.  Both grandmothers have purchased little watering cans for him so he can help them with their flowers.

Here is our garden, or at least the plants we put in the ground.  Everything else comes up every year whether we like it or not:

Sunflower: My sunflower is really my pride and joy of the garden.  I cultivated it from seed, and despite somehow killing its greenhouse-mates, the sunflower came through strong and tall.  This is Elliott's plant.  When we water, I fill his can up and its a perfect amount for the sunflower.  It looks like it is getting ready to flower soon, which will be really exciting.

Sunflower plant today.

Planting day!  I got the seeds for $1 at Target.

Basil: My mom has been a big help with the garden, purchasing the rest of my plants as Mothers' Day gifts.  Basil can weather the heat of a PA summer and the occasional days when I forget to water.  I haven't "harvested" any basil yet, but it smells amazing.  PLUS: I have an adorable metal bird that helps me find it amongst the insane vines from my tomato plants.

Adorable basil marker (Jo-Ann Fabrics)

Can YOU find the basil?

Tomatoes: I have two varieties of tomato in my garden, cherry and beefsteak.  Tomatoes love sun apparently, because these suckers are tall and out of control.  I'm learning about determinate and indeterminate plants (indeterminate has vines), and about pruning.  I had to tie my beefsteak plants up so the vines grow up and not all over the poor basil.  My cherry tomatoes need to be re-staked entirely, since the cage I bought was cheap and couldn't handle the robust nature of my plant.  I've harvested 9 cherry tomatoes, but there are A LOT of tomatoes appearing every day.  Elliott is happy to help keep the tomato population under control.

Beefsteak plant in the quality cage.  It's almost 6' tall.

Ripening vine (these tomatoes have been eaten).

One of many fruitful vines.

So far, my first foray into gardening is a mild success.  Next year, I would like to expand my garden.  In addition to tomatoes and basil (or the pizza margherita garden), I would like to add peppers, potatoes, onions, mint, and one other herb.  I may even get crazy and add lettuce.  My Pappy has been advising me here and there.  He has always had an incredible garden.  He and my Oma lived off of a garden before it was cool and Pinterest-y.

Thanks for taking a little tour!

- M.

Two.

Today, Elliott Zachary is two!

Chatting on the phone.

Mike Wazowski grape platter

We had a party for him on Saturday with family and some friends.  It was Pixar themed, and he had an Up themed cake.

I find it difficult to believe that the little guy playing with his new Woody and Buzz dolls is two.  Sometimes, he seems older.  We joke that he's been two for a while.  I can't believe that two years ago, we were sitting with him in the ICN, learning to be parents to a kid on the outside.

Us as a new family.

Wooo!

E on his first birthday

We are such lucky people.

- M. & J.

Meal Plan: June 24 - June 30

Ugh.

I'm in a meal planning rut.  I have a number of go-to recipes, but I'm starting to look for some new, simple meals.  My summer class starts tomorrow too, so I need simple and something that travels well.

In that spirit, I'm going to try to post my meals for the week to inspire my readers (Hi Mom, Sara, and MJ).

Last Week:
 - Monday - Chicken Parm (Jason makes the most amazing chicken parm in our cast iron skillet)
 - Tuesday - Quesadillas (I went meatless with black beans)
 - Wednesday - Cayenne Lime Chicken with Rice and Mango salsa (one of my favorites)
 - Thursday - Burgers and red potatos
 - Friday - Dinner at J's parents
 - Saturday - Wendy's (we eat out so little anymore, and we had spent the entire day out and about)
 - Sunday - Dinner at my parents' house (Dad's burgers!)

This Week:
 - Monday - Nancy's Chicken Salad (It's not for sandwiches; it's a chunky salad with very little mayo)
 - Tuesday - Tacos (Beef tacos with DIY seasoning)
 - Wednesday - Crock Pot Pork BBQ (Jason cooks!)
 - Thursday - Cheesy Crab Soup
 - Friday - Breakfast for dinner (Pancakes, eggs to order, and bacon)
 - Saturday - Out of town
 - Sunday - ? (We almost always end up with leftovers, an invite out, or dinner with our parents, so we'll just move meals around if need be)

I only want to eat cold things for dinner, but that's pretty difficult.  The chicken salad was the perfect dinner for last night, so if you have any similar suggestions, I'd appreciate them.

- M.

The Sleepy Chef's Workstation

Jason has developed a passion for cooking and baking over the last few years, and it is hopefully going to grow into a business in the next few years.  He bakes something good at least once a week, but it made our kitchen table into his workstation, meaning that we didn't have a kitchen table.

A few months ago, we purchased an Expedit bookshelf from the "as-is" section of IKEA.  It had a small cosmetic flaw, but is lovely otherwise.  We thought we'd use it as a bookshelf (duh), but over time, Jason realized it would make a wonderful kitchen storage piece.  

This weekend, my dad and Jason put on their toolbelts and got to work.  The biggest project was attaching the wheels.  They bought strong, silver wheels with locks.  

In total cost: 

 - Expedit bookshelf (AS IS): $35 (normally $90 for the 8-unit)

 - Expedit cabinet door: $20

 - Expedit insert with drawers: $25

 - 6 locking wheels: about $5 / piece

IKEA makes kitchen islands and carts with wheels, but nothing like this.  Even if we had bought the largest cart with wheels, we would have spent at least $100 more!

Really, it's just a matter of attaching the wheels evenly on the bottom of the bookshelf.  With the wheels, it's the perfect height, and when we don't need the extra counter space, we can roll it to the side.  

It's already in use!

The wheels.

- M.

Buzzing Around

I like schedules, especially, oddly enough, ones that other people dictate.  I can negotiate with myself to the point of getting nothing done, but if something outside myself is riding on getting a task completed, I'm motivated.  I like having solid deadlines.

This personality trait is something I'm trying to overcome.  I need to be more of a self-starter in my home life.  At school?  Well, graduation is my deadline and the sooner that happens, the sooner I get my life back.

I made a chore schedule (today was laundry day!), and Jason and I meal plan each weekend so we avoid getting lazy and eating out.  The only reason I've eaten out in the last week is because I went to Tyson's Corner with my parents and sister on Sunday.  As a couple, we probably won't eat out until possibly Saturday since we are going out of town.  However, we're going to a picnic, so we may not need to.

I have a list of things that I would like to get done before my summer class starts in a few weeks, and I made a lot of progress in the last week:

 - Started all of my commissions.
 - Started Elliott's crochet blanket for his big kid bed (for whenever that move happens...we're not messing with a good thing)
 - Purchased supplies for some DIY projects
 - Created meal planning cards (grocery list on the front, procedure on the back).
 - Cleaned out my closet and donated items (my sister benefitted with TWO dresses from White House Black Market).
 - Worked on school work

Nothing really completed, but I have finished the last few days feeling that the day was well used.

This isn't a recipe blog...but:

Tonight I made a crock-pot dinner (Chicken Lime Tacos) and a yummy dessert.

Chicken Lime Tacos

Ingredients:
 - 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
 - 3 T. lime juice
 - 1 T. chili powder
 - 1 c. frozen corn (or canned)
 - 1 c. salsa
 - tortillas
 - (optional): tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, cheese, sour cream

Procedure:
1. Place chicken, lime juice, and chili powder in slow cooker on low for 6 hours.
2. Shred chicken and stir.
3. Add corn and salsa.  Let heat through.
4. Top with deliciousness and serve.

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:
 - 1 medium can of black beans
 - Water
 - Brownie mix

Procedure:
1. Drain black beans and rinse both beans and can.  Preset oven to 350 (or what your mix recommends)
2. Replace beans into can.
3. Fill can with water (with the beans inside).
4. In a processor, bullet, or blender, puree beans and water.
5. Mix in with brownie mix.  Do not use oil or eggs!
6. Pour into pan (I used a 8" x 8")
7. Bake for time recommended for pan size (mine took about 40 minutes).
8.  Let cool and enjoy!

I also put some sprinkles on, but that's because the blog I got the recipe from showed the brownies with sprinkles and it looked so good.  These are very fudgey and dense, so be aware.  They are REALLY good with ice cream (kind of like Dairy Queen's Oreo Brownie Earthquake).

Have a lovely week, and see you back here soon!

- M.

Craft Blog

I've decided to move my craft posts to a dedicated blog, so check it out!

Crafts Ahoy!  will have posts about crochet (duh) and other craft projects, including some DIY projects and inspiration.  Once I start creating patterns, one can find / order patterns through the site as well.

Enjoy!

 - M.

PS: I'll link certain posts from here, but I'd love some followers on the craft blog.  :)

Fire Under My...Well, You Know.

Last month, on "Like Singer With a Y:"

 - Megan was recovering from a wicked eye infection.
 - All three of us (and our two favorite sitters) were getting over a stomach virus.
 - Megan was pulling her hair out over candidacy, teaching, and everything in-between.

One month later, you are looking at (reading about?) totally different people.

Candidacy Exam
The candidacy exam was easily among the most intense academic experiences of my life.  Three hours, no less than 2250 words (mine ended up being around 2500), and three questions to exhibit ones qualification as a Ph.D. candidate.  It was a really surreal day.  I got to school an hour and a half early to do a final round of studying and to avoid getting stuck in traffic (it rained ALL DAY that day).  Only three other people took the exam in the morning with me, so we were able to spread out in the computer lab and really focus.  When I initially looked at the questions, I did not feel confident, but I just started writing about what I knew, and I later filled in the gaps.  Afterwards, I went out for lunch with Becky, gave my final exam to my students, ate dinner, read all of Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, and waited for the evening session to let out.  We all went out together after, which was fun, despite how angry and tired we all were.

Long story short: I passed, and I am now a PhD candidate.  Whoo!

Health
My eye has been problem free for a month and a half, allergies have been out of control, and we all recovered from the stomach flu.  Elliott took the longest, and we even took him to the pediatrician, who put him on the BRAT diet.  Bread Rice and Toast.  No milk.  That was the hardest part.  Milk was upsetting his stomach, but he didn't understand that and wanted the comfort of milk.  Poor E.

Summer
Academic summer has begun!  After I finished grading, I went to Philly for a friend's bachelorette party, which was a much-needed release.  I've read two books for fun!  I read Kaling's memoir, and I just finished The Help, which was very good.  I started J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy last night, and I love it already.  I love books about intrigue in small British villages, or just the everyday lives of fictional Brits.  If you are looking for a cute read that fits that description, also try Deric Longden's The Cat Who Came In From the Cold, not to be confused with the mystery novel.

My mom and I planted two tomato plants last night, so I'm hoping to have some cherry and beefsteak tomatoes come July and August.  I could eat summer tomatoes all day, especially with a little salt and pepper.  Mmm.

Finally, I've been organizing my office to be craft / dissertation central.  I just finished a project that I would post here, but it is a gift for someone.  I'll post it later.

Those are our updates!  I'll try to update more often now that summer has arrived in our house.

- M.