What's Cooking?

It must be due to the fact that my mother is a kindergarten teacher, but I always seem to be drawn to children's books. Recently, I was given a copy of the new "Family Fun" produced cookbook "What's Cooking, A Cookbook for Kids," and I can only say how cute it is. The cookbook is based on the theme of the recent Pixar video "Ratatouille," which I highly recommend. In it you will find rat-shaped chocolate, Eiffel Tower sundaes, and even the famous Gusteau's Ratatouille. My only complaints regard the cake section, which doesn't give recipes at all, but merely offers up ideas on how to create rat-themed cakes.

For a full list of recipes, check out "What's Cooking" on Common Kitchen (www.commonkitchen.com) an up-and-coming website for foodies.

Graduation Day

Well, it's official - Noah is done with school, possibly for good! "What's next?" you might ask...check out commonkitchen.com for an introduction to his newest endeavour. Congrats, Noah!

Mother's Day in Goshen

Mother's Day brought us back to western Mass this year for a day full of boating preparation. While sailing did not quite come together, we still managed to get on the water. Noah's family was able to supply a canoe, and we borrowed a small rowboat that my dad built last summer. The wind proved to be a bit much, but it was still fun to be in the DAR again.

Gardening, Second Generation

The success of last year's garden convinced us to expand into a second raised bed this year. We started on an extrordinarily warm day in April and followed the same steps as last time: digging down, building the frame, and filling it with better soil. A few bags of Goshen compost were a great addition, and hopefully we'll have some very happy plants in a few weeks!

Gardener Turned Wedding Planner

A swift turn of events...from gardening to wedding planning! As my sister's wedding comes closer, I've decided to put my green thumb to use. Here's a bit of fun with Photoshop to experiment with dress and flower colors. We all loved this blue and white bridesmaids dress, but we'd already decided on fall colored flowers, such as red, orange, and rust. Will the blue fit in? Let me know what you think of these possibilities.

Oh, and yes, I do have too much time on my hands. A little creative editing has put my other sister in place of the Ann Taylor model.

Rain Delay

I know April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but this week seems like it might be a little bit excessive. Rainfall is expected to total about 3 inches during the next 24 hours, and this is expected to continue through Thursday. In an attempt to protect the seeds we planted last weekend, Noah and I worked into the dark last night making a clear plastic roof over the garden. Our hope is that it will shed the rain without blocking any potential sunlight and protect our little seeds from washing away. We'll keep our fingers crossed and wish all the marathoners good luck tomorrow!

Return of Spring

It's April, and spring has finally returned to Medford. With temperatures 10-20 degrees below average, I've had a bit of a late start this year, but today marked the beginning of gardening. I spent today preparing my soil, and then had some help from Noah in seeding our first vegetables. We planted peas, spinach, lettuce, carrots, and white bunching onions. Earlier this week I started a few other things indoors, including tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, but these heat-lovers won't see the outdoors for quite a while now.

Let the gardening begin!