work to be done

Yesterday there were apples to be peeled.

bananas to mash,

lettuce to wash,

veggies to be stir-fried,

And that was just in the kitchen...If I look outside I get a little overwhelmed.

The chives are coming up, which is always a sign that it's nearly time to plant.

The beds have been turned and a fresh layer of compost has been raked in. (Thank you husband.) They sit ready and waiting. I haven't even ordered seeds yet. I may just buy starts this year.

I'm starting to get anxious for the growing season to begin. Reading this book has provided inspiration. Check out this awesome website for planting dates in your area (Sign up for free! You get customized planting schedules!)

The pool is completely thawed. It will need a good shock and vacuum. Looking forward to many, many days of floating there.

The snow is gone, and there is concrete to pour for a patio, railing to build on our deck, and lots of potted plants to revive.

Good thing I have many happy helpers.

Happy  First Day of Spring to you!!

grey and quiet

More wind.

More snow.

It's days like this that bring out the home body in me. I was happy that we didn't have to leave the nest.

Hard to stray too far from warm covers. Another benefit of homeschooling: we can tackle a lot of schoolwork in our beds or snuggled on the couch.

I was in the mood for something earthy and simple, so I made some egg drop soup for lunch.

It is so easy, and there really aren't any rules. Here's how I make it- feel free to embellish.

Saute some veggies (I like water chestnuts, green onions, and mushrooms.

Add 2 cups chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

In the meantime beat two eggs and pour them into a Ziploc bag.

Snip a tiny bit off the corner of the bag and slowly pour them into the hot soup, stirring all the while with a chopstick or a knife (not a spoon). The eggs will turned into "cooked ribbons" as you stir them.

Garnish with more green onions. Um, easy right? Warm goodness.

It was good with this roasted cabbage. Don't skip the fennel seed, it's key. Perfect for a cozy, quiet day. 

muffin monday

Washing walls (and painting them- I'll show you later this week!), tilling the garden, steam cleaning all of the window tracks, cleaning out cars, laundry, lesson planning...it was a productive weekend for us.

Carl is doing a bit of traveling for work this week. Knowing that I'll be flying solo for a few days sent me scrambling back to the kitchen to get some meals ready before he leaves.

I set Hannah to work on making muffins.

We gathered/measured the ingredients together.

I found a great one bowl "base" recipe that makes 12 muffins. We decided to make two batches of carrot/raisin and one batch of blueberry. So we had 3 bowls going. Honestly, it just is so easy doing it this way. It really doesn't take any more time to make 3 batches than it does to make one. Everything is out anyways. Why not just make a mess once instead of multiple times throughout the week?

I left her to assemble each batch,

and scoop them into the paper liners. She loves working in the kitchen- but can be a bit possessive. She fended off the other interested people passing by that tried to get in on the action. "No, you can't help! This is MY project. Maybe I'll let you eat some when they are done." 

We froze these raw in their pans, and then popped them out and into freezer bags. Then, in the mornings, we just pop them back into their pans and bake them! I like them better this way rather than baking them first and then freezing them. I think it's a texture thing.

I also made/assembled 5 dinners, boiled eggs for snacks, chopped veggies for quick munching, and made yogurt. I just cannot tell you the amount of stress this erases from my life. Everything feels so much lighter knowing that dinner is covered for the week. 

It wasn't all work this weekend. We watched this movie with the kids, and this one by ourselves. Which provoked the purchasing of these from zappos and this from itunes.

Yehaw! We're off and running!