Cooking, Crayons, and Care Packages

This past week, we have:

Made homemade bath crayons!

Eaten lots of meals at home:

I made homemade chicken noodle soup with oven braised garlic brussel sprouts.

I used this recipe.

David has cooked a few meals out on the grill.

I've made homemade {nondairy} banana muffins.

We're not allergic to milk or eggs, but this is a great recipe

when you find yourself out of eggs,

like we were. : )

Those muffins were so, so soft and moist. 

Biting into them, it felt like eating cookie dough.

Dreamy. : )

I used this recipe to make them.

And I have, of course, made meals and snacks for Harbor.

I've considered taking a daily picture of his meals, not only to document them, but to show you some of the strange combinations he loves.

Point in case, mac and cheese with olives. : )

I suppose he needs that food to keep up his energy

 for marathon train track building!

{Disclosure:}

Harbor has a huge closet full of clothes,

but those camo sweats are his "favorite",

so you may end up seeing them a lot.

As in, like every post. : )

He also needs lots of fuel to rip open big care packages sent all the way

from home sweet home in Arkansas.

We've been burning calories today ripping up the landscaping in the front yard.

Those sad bushes were so overgrown, so unsightly, and so.. not me.

Pictures to come soon! : )

Our Garden

When we lived in Arkansas, we owned almost two acres in the country.

We had room to roam and romp.

Here in the city, our property taxes are actually higher.

And included in that price tag, we have no backyard.

Despite this, David has been working on a raised garden plot for our family.

It is plenty big for the three of us.

It has been tenderly built and filled with nutrients.

with the best workers in Detroit.

After all, they are Southerners. : )

The garden has been raked and aerated.

And David has constructed a small irrigation system for ease of watering.

PVC piping, connected together with a hose attachment, and drilled with systematic holes

will provide my boys with outdoor work  fun all summer long.

Seeds have been planted.

Had it been my way, I would have opted for plants.

But, alas, David likes to do things the hard  old fashioned way.

{Grin!}

And I, obviously, wasn't consulted on the matter.

: )

Busy hands make light work.

Cherry tomatoes, Big Boy tomatoes, broccoli, kohlrabi, cucumbers, green beans, and peppers.

Right off the back yard, we can protect our garden

from hungry seagulls

and the neighborhood foot traffic.

With lots of sunshine...

And {TADA!} water!

Our little seeds will sprout and grow!

We only need to make sure..

that a certain helper doesn't make mud pies

while Daddy is at work and Mommy isn't watching! : )

Earth Day

We spent a cold and blustery Earth Day

 in Toledo at the zoo.

Riding the rides,

strolling the manicured grounds,

interacting with the wild animals,

and snuggling on park benches.

Hope you had a great Earth day and a restful weekend!

Junk Mail

It's Friday! And David has the whole weekend off- a miracle!

For our anniversary, we kept it really low key. Last year, for our 10th, we were living in separate states. He had moved to Michigan to house hunt and Harbor and I remained in Arkansas, as I finished teaching. He had flowers sent to my classroom and a new pretty rock for my ring finger hand delivered to me at home.

This year, we agreed to keep it easy. We went out to dinner and I awoke the next morning to find a sweet card with a small handwritten paragraph and a new box of Sharpies.

I'd say after eleven years, he knows what my makes my heart beat fast.

Handwritten Sharpie cards for everyone!  You can thank David. : )

This past week, I've made David and Harbor blueberry muffins for breakfast and packed a bag so David can grab them on his way to work. Since he has to be in his office at 6:00 a.m., I am honestly not getting up before him and presenting him breakfast at the table. Mind blowing, I know. {Grin!}

 I do feel better when I can add these yummy blueberries to the mix though. 

Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.

For one of our lessons this week, I have been working on the word "favorite." I gave Harbor the junk mail from the mailbox and told him to only cut out his favorites. After he cut them out, we went over each piece and he told me why he liked it, etc. A few food items were ones he doesn't like {avacados}, so I had a great chance to teach him again about the word "favorite" and what it means to him.

It was a fun lesson and Harbor especially enjoyed using the glue

{a favorite of his, no doubt!}

A few days later, we covered a cracker box with paper, used cardboard to make handles and a whistle and made a train. We stuffed plastic animals inside and took them on a ride to a few important places. They visited the laundry room and helped me start a few loads of clothes, mainly. : )

Do you see a theme here.. using trash and junk mail as toys?

Making our own creations is just way too much fun.

David's raised garden bed is soon to produce curly little tendrils of sweet plants.

We can't wait!

We spend a lot on fruit and vegetables every week. I put out the groceries from this weeks shopping trip and couldn't help but think that soon we will be picking our own cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, kohlrabi, green beans, and peppers.

David built an irrigation system to keep it watered and all the seeds have been planted.

Now, if we can only keep the frost away. Oh, Michigan, warm up for me, will ya? : )

Have a great weekend! 

Toldeo, Ohio

A few weeks ago, we left Michigan for Toledo, Ohio to spend a day at the zoo. Our year membership to the Detroit Zoo had expired, so we thought it would be fun to buy one at the Toledo Zoo instead. Since we live so close to so many big cities, we are trying to see and experience as many different places as we can.

The weather was warm, but breezy.

Harbor and I tried to keep busy while David

stood in line to buy our year membership passes.

We have been to a couple of zoos- Little Rock, Tulsa, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Detroit.

I really like the Toledo Zoo. It is a close tie with Kansas City for best thus far.

The polar bears were extraordinary! So, so close!

Right as the carousel started to move, I was afraid I would miss my chance to take a picture, so 

I barked, "Smile", and this was his "on demand" smile. : )

He is such a funny fella!

David and I kept laughing under our breath at Harbor's glasses,

which didn't look so 80's on the rack at Target.

They reminded me of a Rick Astley music video.

I loved them on Harbor. : )

We ate an overpriced  pleasant lunch at a large cafe on the grounds. Because really, don't we all really just want a $9.00 hotdog? : )

The upper eating areas were made to look like cages, as if  you were an animal in the zoo. We ate upstairs, and I felt so claustrophobic people watching out of those little bars. 

Harbor's favorite place was a big kid's area with a tree fort and even an outside beach area with water to splash in for the warmer months.

He climbed a spider web.

And donned a bee suit, complete with wings, and scaled a huge honeycomb.

It was a perfect family day.

My favorite part- the silver back gorillas.

{and being with my boys}

: )

And eating that $9.00 hotdog.

Because now, it is just a funny memory from a perfect day!