Back to the Kitchen

So, I actually had a lot of other crafty posts planned. Would you believe that I've actually made a skirt? And I have a whole other sewing project that I'm in the middle of, and will probably finish next week (the tutorial said it would take a half an hour :-p). I'm not necessarily starting to enjoy sewing; I think I'm just realizing that I can get cute stuff if I put up with it.

In any case, I think all this sewing craziness has been taking its toll on me. A few days ago, on a quiet evening with nothing particular planned, I went upstairs, put on my apron, and made lemon bars. I didn't take pictures. I didn't even plan to eat very many of them. I just needed to bake something. They were yummy, and Patrick's mom and sisters came to help finish them off.

So, in that quiet, need-to-get-back-into-the-kitchen spirit, I come to you today with (finally) another food-ish post. Today's guest star is zucchini. It will be playing the lead role in Zucchini Cornbread Casserole, which received rave reviews from everyone, including Patrick's grandpa (that's the highest praise, by the way, if he says out loud that he likes it).

The trick, I think, was making sure to drain the zucchini well. I read in some of the reviews that salting the shredded zucchini and letting it sit in a colander helps. I assume it did--I think mine turned out fine.

Bu the way, I used 3 1/2 zucchinis in this recipe, and there were still more in the fridge when I was done. Then Patrick's grandma came in with another bucket full of zucchini, squash, broccoli, potatoes, and cucumber. The garden is certainly proving its value.

You can see the full recipe here, but for now I'll just say you mix the zucchini with onion, eggs, cheese, salt and pepper, and cornbread mix. Doesn't it look yummy already?

Then you bake.

Here is the finished product, with more cheese on top.

It was such a fun meal--very garden-y.

Patrick made chili to go with the casserole, and it even included green peppers from the garden.

Well. That feels good. There's just something satisfying about making new and yummy food that people like to eat. It's double satisfying when it helps protect your fridge from a zucchini invasion. I think next we'll have to go with something like Blueberry Zucchini Bread or Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins. In the meantime, I'll have to work myself up to dealing with fabric and pins some more. Baby steps...

I Am a Nerd

I am a nerd--the kind of nerd who says "I'm doing well" instead of "I'm doing good." The kind of nerd who uses words like "debacle," "ambrosial," and "embouchre" in simple blog posts about her family.

The kind of nerd whose daughter will grow up speaking an archaic and forgotten language.

Case in point:

Every time I read this otherwise very cute alphabet book to Cambrie, I say very clearly, "B is for bear, whom I cuddle at night."

Google it if you think I'm wrong or crazy. Roll your eyes, if you feel so inclined. But the next time you read a teenager's text or hear some off-the wall phrase on TV and think, "What is this language coming to?"--remember me and my nerd-in-training daughter. We, along with the meritorious Lynne Truss, will be preserving that very language (and generating a great many eye-rolls) for generations to come.

You're welcome.

Being Crafty

The past two weeks I was able to spend a lot of time with Patrick's aunt Jen, who just so happens to be the Fount of Many Millions of Crafty Ideas. I like to look at and think about doing fun things, but she has this whole "Oh, that sounds cool, let me do that cool fun craft project for all three of my kids in the next twenty-four hours before we hop on the plane to Georgia" way of living. I mean, check out this birthday party she threw for her then four-year-old princess!

Anyways, I'm all for craftiness, but sewing and I have never been the best of friends. However, with the help of Jen and Patrick's awesome grandma, I found myself actually excited for a sewing project! Here's the little beauty:

Notice (in a girly, squeally voice) how all the colors match the crayons!! So cute!

I don't have a link to a tutorial, because Jen was the tutorial, but I can show you a few pictures of along the way! Most of the colors behind the crayons were scraps found in closets--we needed 24 total for a 24 count box of crayons. We made a long row of them because we were making five total.

Here we have Jen cutting out the background fabric--again I have no idea on the dimensions. I'm sure you can google it. Heck, I'll even google it for you. Here's one I just found. It doesn't have all the colors matching the crayons, though, so it's not as cool (though much easier).

Here are all five, cut separately, and layered nicely (because that's just what I do when I'm waiting for the iron to continue crafting).

And, skipping a lot of other steps (the ones that involve the sewing machine craziness) because it was getting really late and I was too busy to think about taking pictures, here is the end product.

Cute, right? I was so excited, though I'm glad I didn't have to do it by myself. Mostly, I just want to color now, like all the time.

Family coloring party!

What We've Been Doing

The past few weeks have been a blur of fun and crazy--four of Patrick's aunts and uncles on his dad's side (and their families) have been to visit over the past two weeks, and the fifth is on his way later this month. We've had barbecues, popsicles, and day trips galore, and though at times it got a little overwhelming for this normally chill and relaxed (note I did not say "chillaxed") small family of mine, it was still a ton of fun. We were sad to see all of them go.

So here's a basic run-down of the crazy cousin-ness that filled that time, and this house. First of all, here are some members of that group:

Four of the seven total kids under 10 that were staying in (pillaging, ransacking, filling with love and laughter--pick your verb here) this humble Georgian home.

They found a turtle. He had a number of names, including Fluffy and Booger.

Then, of course, they had to find him food.

Digging, digging, digging...

Where they kept the goods.

They also got to help in one of the most refreshing [euphemism] aspects of Patrick's job. 

...Car washing!

(We didn't tell their parents that they were being used as child laborers.)

We celebrated two birthdays at once. That's a 5 and a 9 year old, not a 59 year old, by the way.

We picked (and snapped, and cooked, and ate) green beans.
Photo courtesy of the fabulous Jen.

Cambrie played dress up in her second cousins' clothes. Including  (clean) panties and a bra.  Did you know you get into bras by stepping into them? Me, neither.

We even took a swing down to Patrick's mom's house, where Cambrie helped paint a carport. (Just kidding, all credit goes to Bryant and Marissa for that one!)

We really have had a blast, and this isn't it--let's just say my appetite for craftiness has been whetted, and not even the sewing involved could put a damper on it all! More on that a little later.

In the Pretty Garden

I promised an update on our little garden adventure, so here it finally is. The first thing I should say is that Patrick's grandma is a superwoman. She, to be honest, has been doing most of the work with this garden. She has this habit of sneaking down to the garden while I'm downstairs putting Cambrie down for a nap or while we're out running errands. We have no idea where she is, and when we think to look, that's when she comes in, with dirt on her shoes and in her fingernails and a beautiful garden to show for it.

Ready for the list? Potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, romaine, beets, beans, yellow squash, cucumber, zucchini, red  and green bell peppers, tomatoes, corn. Ummm, I guess I'm gonna learn how to eat beets.

I wish I knew more about gardening, because then I could be a little more proactive. I mean, I had to ask her to show me how to hoe. I'm pretty sure that is one of the most basic gardening skills, and I'm pretty sure Laura Ingalls Wilder knew how to hoe at Cambrie's age. And here I am, asking, "How close to the plants? Here? Do I just leave the weeds there? How deep? Ummmm, is this a weed?" *facepalm* I should at least know if something is a weed!

Not a weed--just a very pretty soon-to-be-cabbage.

Anyways, I did help plant at the beginning, and I did plant all five rows of corn, and I did thin those rows of corn  (doesn't that sound fancy? I thinned something!). I also tried to replant some of the hardier stalks I'd thinned out. Take it from me--it does not work so well. At least the rest of the corn is doing well!

Look how tall they are! And to think they use to be just tiny little seeds. Here is where you create-your-own-motivating-life-lesson.

I've also tried to help with weeding (when Cambrie wasn't running away up the hill, forcing me to retrieve her time and time again) and the watering. But in general, I kinda feel useless. I'm learning that my first personal garden will be far less ambitious. I need baby steps. Maybe like a tomato plant in a pot, or something. That sounds good.

We ran out of wire tomato cages, so this is what Patrick and his grandma improvised. Doesn't it look lovely and rustic? I like it.

I think the real problem is I just need to do more in the garden. I have a long way to go to become the super-woman that Patrick's grandma is, but I need to take more opportunities to watch and help her. I think that's the biggest thing holding me back--I don't know when plants need water, when they need thinning, when they need harvesting, what to do about bugs or squirrels or deer. But the more I do, and the more questions I ask, the more I'll know and the more comfortable I'll feel.

Do you see the cute baby broccoli? That is another incentive to keep heading down to the garden.

Until then, I'll enjoy the salads, tacos, and hamburgers we've been enjoying with our home-grown lettuce and look forward to the days of fresh garden tomatoes and zucchini for every other meal (and dessert).