Ode to Swiss Chard--

We have been growing Swiss Chard. It's beautiful growing in the bed, and in the south...it's the thing to have. If you are southern, you love the stuff. We decided to grow some in our garden, and tonight was the night to harvest and enjoy! Check it out!

Here it is growing...see, beautiful! So colorful and lush looking. And I'm throwing in some extra pictures as well...look at our beautiful garden. Yes, it's March 1st. :)


Katelyn LOVES the peas. We actually haven't ever eaten these for dinner, cuz they never make it all the way inside before they are eaten! Yum!

Brussels Sprouts...I think I'm going to like these, Mike is not as sure!
One of our beautiful garden beds! Yum!!


We found two recipes that we thought we would try. There are two basic ways to fix Swiss Chard--you can make it into something saucy (and serve with noodles, etc), or steam it down with garlic, bacon, etc. We decided to try them both.


(Wertlet with the chard...and a chocolate face!)

It was fun to cook something new...it felt very culinary school and southern.
Here's our finished product...it even looks pretty on the plate!



And the verdict is...drum roll please...

It tastes just like dirt smells...very earthly...an acquired taste (which we're not going to bother to acquire)...something we would eat if we were starving, but not really by choice...we'd rather have the space in the garden for something else, anything else!

Here is dinner...after dinner. It ended up being a cold cereal night, afterall! :)

I've been sucked in...

I'm sure you've probably seen this on other peoples blogs...we'll, I've decided to join!  Here's what you do...

Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or maybe even some creation I haven't even invented yet (but Heaven knows it will most likely be totally fabulous and creative... :).  I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

* * *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!* * *

Happy LOVE day!

We had a great valentines day!  We worked like crazy all day, then enjoyed a really great dance in the evening.  I'm finally feeling better at night...maybe I'll be a night owl once more!

We went grocery shopping, cleaned out the garage, and got some more dirt and supplies for the garden.  We're all ready to do our spring planting now!

Saturday night our stake hosted a Sweethearts dance.  We hired a babysitter, for the first time ever (a good supply of babysitters in YW's, don't you know), and headed to the dance.  We had a great time!  They had yummy food and a fun dance instructor.  We came home to yummy creme-brule (thanks Elena!) and bed.  Yeah!

Sunday produced an unpleasant confrontation at church, which still has me a bit reeling, but things are looking up today!  Katelyn is happily watching sesame street, and I'm sending some pictures to Grandma via wally world.

Happy day everyone!

11 Weeks on Valentines Day...

P.S.  Grandma sent us a Valentines Day package...my favorite part...the candy...Katelyn loved the balloons!

If you were Katelyn for a day...

If you were Katelyn, just for a day...you're day might look like this...

First, you would floss with Daddy, every morning and every night

(I guess that would be very first and very last...)

(Mike is a religious flosser, and every morning and every night Katelyn and Daddy floss and brush.  She loves it....'foss...foss...teeth...brush')

Next, you would go destructo on Mom and Dad's bathroom every morning while Mom got ready...your favorite thing? Mom's make-up!

You and Mom would watch Seasame Street most mornings...and you love to get 'cozy!'

(Mike taught Katelyn 'Cozy' and now anytime she sits down, which doesn't happen often, she has to be wrapped up in some sort of blanket, even our tablecloth.  Cozy!)

If it were Sunday you would go to Nursery and color pictures...here is Katelyn's first nursery picture! :)

You love to help cook....especially stir and pinch salt.  Yum! Banana Bread!

.

You have mastered the use of silverware, and consequently lunch is very independent and messy!

Every day, when Dad comes home from work, you go to the garden and pick peas.  Yum!  

After dinner, we play!  Katelyn's favorite game is to 'sneak.'  Check it out!

Bedtime is 8:00, and you have to have snuggle bear.  Tomorrow is a new day!

Did you know?

Did you know that the temple has a special stash of crackers and juice on hand?  A stash that they call their 'fainting stash?'  I didn't either, but I do now!

Today was fill the temple for our stake. This is a great thing where the members are encouraged to make sacrifices and attend mulitple sessions in order to 'fill the temple.'  Mike took the morning off work, we dropped off Katelyn, and headed to the temple.  All went well, until about sealing number 4.  I just slumped over on the alter, then fell to the floor. Mike caught me, I'm told.  I came to a few seconds later, but I was lying on the ground and was suddenly nervous that I was immodest! 

And then I discovered the special 'fainting stash.'  Apparently this happens often. :)

Finally...stuff that's blog worthy!

Howdy one and all!  I finally have some blog worthy news...although I suppose if I would take more pictures of Katelyn, I would have blog worthy news everyday!

One of the first exciting things....another SUCCESSFUL dumpster diving event!  I swear, I have absolutely no shame!  And now I have Mike dumpster diving...(actually, not so much dumpster diving, as taking things off the side of the street before the garbage man does!)

Check out this great find... A TABLE SAW!  

Mike saw this as he was driving home from work last week.  It had a sign attached that said "I've been replaced. Take me home."  Sweet!  It didn't have a blade, so we haven't tried it out yet, but the motor works well and my husband is a brilliant engineering so I'm confident he could fix anything wrong with it!  Yeah! And, check out our new edger...8 bucks on craigslist...sweet!~

Saturday we spent most of the day on our yard, well, mostly the garden.  A neighboring city was giving away free Christmas Tree Mulch (mulch they made from all the Christmas trees they collected), so we headed over in the morning and filled up our truck (love having a beater truck), and came home and mulched the garden! Its so beautiful!  (Ignore the bags of stuff.  We're prepping the ground for spring planting, and are storing our extra fertilizer there until we need the spot)

Vinyl lettering is going well.  It's so fun to design and see our stuff come to life! And we're on our way to getting a website. My friend from my Young Womens growing up is designing it for us, and it's going to look so great! I think it's been more work then Elena or I, and probably even Danielle, thought it would be, but it should be really helpful to have when were all done.  

We're trying to find a vinyl company here in Houston to save ourselves some shipping, so if any of you know of a place, let me know!

Young Womens is also going great!  We had a etiquette dinner last night, and it went so well!  It was our first combined activity that didn't completely fall apart at the seams!  Yes! Maybe we will figure this thing out!

Tomorrow is a baby doctor appointment, so I'm sure I'll have more to report then. I've been feeling so much better then I expected to! Nights are not so fun, but it doesn't really interrupt my everyday functioning (except for my poor husband, who gets a lump-on-a-log wife all evening!)  Dirty diapers about do me in everyday, but I'm so lucky to have Mike who changes every single one when he's home. I'm a lucky girl!  I'm still making it to the gym... and although my pants are starting to not fit, I'm still losing a few pounds! Pleasant side effect to only being able to each fruit and pasta, I suppose.

Love you all! Enjoy the update!