It's SEW easy ... Ha!

After a whole month...yes, a whole month...I am finally finished sewing Iris' bedroom curtains!  You didn't know I was even sewing any for her room, did you?  I painted her room last summer to transition the room from being the baby nursery to the little sister room and the color combination changed from bold green walls with white stripes and orange polka dots to a light turquoise with lavender stripes and various coordinating accents.  Well, let me tell you, the painting was the easiest because the coordinating accents have proven to be incredibly difficult!  One awesome thing we did was convert a dresser to a bookshelf for her and we painted it the same lavender that's on the walls so that really helps the turquoise pop and balances the blue of the room with the lavender stripes.  I found the idea on Pinterest (surprise, right) and Book did all the hard work to convert it.  It definitely was not as easy a project as a lot of pinners make it look.  Dang, I just looked for pics and can't find any.  I know Book has a bunch so I'll write another post about that project later. 

Anyhoo, back to the curtains.  I was searching, searching, searching for the "perfect" fabric for her and just kept finding the wrong things.  I was really frustrated because finding B3's curtain fabric was so easy!  It took me a long time to finally admit that I was quite possibly searching for a "perfect" that did not really exist for 2 reasons: 1) it had to have a lavender background and lavender is not a "hot" color right now and 2) Iris is very back & forth & up & down & all around regarding things she likes at any given time.  Oy.  Once I accepted I was not going to find "perfect" fabric, my search was made easier and I pretty quickly decided on one of my "fall-back" fabrics that I had identified as a potential winner over the summer.  Here it is:

Now, I just have to tell you that I've sewed several sets of curtains at this point.  I've sewn the dining room valances and I also B3s curtains for his room.  Curtains are easy.  Just a series of straight lines and ironing and such.  Easy.  Unless you mess up like I did.  I was incredibly frustrated with myself for making this project difficult.  First, I measured incorrectly.  Yes, you read that right.  I broke the cardinal rule of cutting - I only measured once!  Luckily, my mistake wasn't so terrible that it couldn't be accommodated with some design changes because I cut the panels only slightly too short (and not as wide as I initially intended but they still turned out all right). Second, I was working only during Iris' naps and a bit here and there after dinner and the little snatches of time versus just spending 1 or 2 blocks of time on the project caused me to make mistakes due to rushing or being tired or whatever the case was.  I ripped out a lot of stitches which I'm embarrassed to admit.  The design initially had me making 4 simple rectangular panels but since I cut the length too short, I ended up adding a 3 inch ruffle to the bottoms.  This mistake turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the ruffle actually makes the curtains super cute and definitely feminine.  Although, since I'm confessing here, I hate sewing ruffles!  They're easy in theory but take a lot of time and patience to execute and my machine hates them!  I'm serious.  My sewing machine does not like any bulky fabric bits!  Grrr. 

A few things to note: the stripes don't have anything in them yet because I have not yet decided what to put in them - thinking about bunnies and butterflies but not totally committed yet, you can see a corner of the dresser Book turned into a bookshelf, the coat rack in the corner is currently Iris' closet because we have some funky closets in this house (1940!) that we are still puzzling over how to reconfigure to accommodate the kids.  In short, the room is taking shape but very slowly.

Ok, so the big reveal!

BEFORE (with funky lighting, hmm)

AFTER

AFTER (other window in room - no before pic)

Ups & Downs

UP - Iris is potty trained!  She is very proud of herself and her new big girl panties.  Way to go, Iris!

DOWN - We were going to fix up Book's car to make it drivable/safe for me and the kids to ride around in while our car is in the shop but it turns out Book's car is going to cost a lot of money to fix up.  :-(  Only after he began to get cost estimates from the mechanics did he realize that the brake line is now completely shot which may mean the fuel line is too.  Ugh.  (SIGH) Now we are discussing the whole cost/benefit analysis of sinking the money into his 2000 Honda Civic with almost 200,000 miles on it or investing in a decent used car.  It's always something, isn't it?

UP - B3 has his 1st hockey game on Saturday morning!  He has no idea.  LOL  I mean, he knows he has a game but he hasn't quite grasped the whole win/lose concept (surprising considering how smart he is in so many other areas!) so it's not as though he's entering this game experience with a competitive drive.  Regardless, it is going to be a bunch of 4-6 year olds who have just learned to skate playing against a similar group.  I am sure it will be hilarious!

DOWN - The weather!  Look, people, I love (really love!) winter but we haven't been able to spend as much time outside due to the incredibly low temperatures and everyone is ready to be free of these 4 walls!  That said, we did get a ton of snow last night/today and the kids & I did get out and play and it felt so good!  Although, in fairness, I did a lot more shoveling than playing but they still had a great time and I was just happy to be outside.

UP: We took Iris ice skating for the first time on Friday.  She and B3 were almost exactly the same age for each of their first times on the ice!  Anyhoo, she had a blast and was pretty good for her first time.  Book even let go of her a few times and she didn't fall right away.  lol  There was no one at the rink with us (ok, only a few others) so we were able to get out the skating helper things (no idea what they are really called) and she liked being able to scoot around with it.  I'll leave you with some adorable pics of Iris & B3 skating!

Awww!

Mama!  Take a picture of my "hockey stop".

Rockin' it!

Can you tell she's having fun?

Miss Independent

Fun times on the ice!

I know, not an ice skating pic but he's having so much fun playing in the snow.

If you're still reading, I just want to quickly share a few B3isms ... 1) he says badana instead of banana - I know I should correct him but it's so cute and I haven't brought myself to yet, 2) he says am-ant when he is asking me things like "am-ant I a good skater, Mama" - of course, he should say "am I" but, again, it's so darn cute that I haven't been able to make a big deal out of it yet.  I know there was one other one I wanted to share but I can't think of it right now so that's that.

Clutter, Compost, & Kids

Small Notebook, one of my favorite blogs, is frequently posting about how to manage and clear clutter from our homes and, ultimately, from our lives.  Recently she posted about "tupperware" clutter and about pantry  clutter.  If you're interested in simplifying, I recommend the read.  I am constantly struggling with clutter but, recently, have finally accepted it is ok to have fewer storage containers, especially plastic, and welcome the extra space in my cabinets.  On the other hand, when it comes to my pantry ... well, let's just say that I have a bit of a "squirell" complex.  I seem to derive true satisfaction from a full pantry and sometimes even get nervous when I use the last (or almost last) item from the pantry.  Example?  Beans.  If there is only 1 can of black beans in the pantry, I will likely choose to cook something without beans so that my supply is not wholly depleted.  That's crazy, right.  I mean, even admitting it to you I know it's crazy.  Luckily, Urban Cowboy has been helping me to get over this "squirell" complex but I don't find it easy and I'm definitely a work in progress.

Did you know it's National Compost Week?  Do you compost?  No?  We do and it's pretty easy and yields good results.  It truly helps keep our landfill waste down and we have begun to use our compost in our garden to supplement the soil and help our plants grow more happily.  If you can and have in an interest, I encourage you to try composting.

Urban Cowbaby showed us her newest trick this weekend.  If you say to her (or Little Man, or anyone else) "wash your hands" or "clean your hands" she actually does the sign for it!  It's hilarious!  And, as far as we know, this is something she just picked up in every day life because no one deliberately taught her to sign "wash your hands".  She's so amazing!  Little Man continues to amaze, too!  He has recently begun to have alphabet conversations with us in which he wants us to ask him what letter "fish" (for example) begins with and then he replies "dog" or something else equally silly.  The reason this is amazing, though, is not because he actually thinks fish begins with the letter d but because he knows, as he's saying dog, that d is wrong (and if pressed he'll confess it's f) and he believes he is telling us a very silly joke.  So, isn't that amazing?  My almost 3 year old is already telling me jokes!

Crunchy Clean & A Happy Green Life

Recently, I found a great sale on an all-natural, grey water safe, laundry detergent called A Happy Green Life.  Typically, I use Crunchy Clean but Green Baby Bargains was selling A Happy Green Life for dirt cheap and shipping was completely reasonable so I decided to give it a go.  That said, I really like it.  It works as well as Crunchy Clean does which is the part I like because, frankly, Crunchy Clean is the best damn laundry detergent I've ever used.  So, both Crunchy Clean & A Happy Green Life do a fantastic job cleaning our clothes without leaving any chemical residue and without irritating our sensitive skin.  With Little Man, I was pretty viligant about removing food stains, dirt stains, etc. from his clothes but with Urban Cowbaby I haven't had as much time or energy to devote to stain removal.  Good thing Crunchy Clean and A Happy Green Life take care of all but the worst stains for me!  What the detergent doesn't get out, the sun does!  So, all in all, I would happily recommend either detergent for use in any home. ** I should mention, however, that I have not used A Happy Green Life for diapers.  I continue to loyally use only Crunchy Clean for our diapers for 2 reasons: 1) it works and works well, and 2) using the same detergent exclusively could potentially increase the resell value of the diapers.**

I'd like to share a few more thoughts on both detergents:
- Crunchy Clean is expensive BUT it's a great product, buying it supports a working from home mama, and just recently they announced a new $5 flat rate shipping fee which signficantly helps with cost management.  Oh, and you get a ton of loads out of each purchase!  I mean, A TON!  We buy laundry detergent approximately once every 4-5 months and that's with doing 2 loads of diapers a week & lots of clothes/towels/etc. loads.
- A Happy Green Life also supports 2 working from home mamas and BOTH detergents were created to provide an alternative to chemical laden, corporate, mass produced detergents and follows in Crunchy Clean's path in terms of tons of loads per purchase.
- Upon beginning use of an all-natural laundry detergent I have noticed our colors stay bright longer, our clothes need replaced less, and I use less detergent per load than I would with a conventional detergent.

If you haven't tried these products or any type of all-natural detergent, I heartily recommend that you do so!  You will be pleased with the results and the quality of the product!

PS This post was NOT sponsored by either Crunchy Clean or A Happy Green Life

Shameless

I was driving home from my parents yesterday afternoon and spotted a lawn filled with Little Tikes toys - they were placed out by the road as if they were garbage.  I drove by and thought, "wow, I wonder if they're selling those toys?' and I drove a bit more and told myself I'd be a fool if I didn't go back and check it out to see the prices.  I turn around and park at the end of the driveway and realize these toys are being GIVEN AWAY.  Yes, people, they were FREE to anyone who wanted them!  Yea!  Now, it was clear they've been stored in a barn for quite some time and they desperately needed a bath but each item on that lawn was in excellent condition, nothing broken, no cracks, not even a hole in a wheel or anything!  I spent 15 minutes trying mulitple configurations to get both the shopping cart (above pic) and the car (below pic) into my car but despite the large cargo area I couldn't swing it because I had the jogging stroller with me.  Arghh!  I decided to take the shopping cart as it is what would fit and call my parents and beg a favor to have them come get the car.  This was a bit risky, I might add, because I was already a good 15 min. away from my parents and it was quite possible they couldn't get there in time if someone else came by with the same thoughts as me!  Luckily, my mom did get there in time and now Urban Cowbaby is going to be ECSTATIC when he realizes he's the proud, new owner of his very own car!  He was playing on one of these things on Saturday and was completely obsessed!  He's going to love having one at our house!  Already, he's in love with his little shopping cart and spent yesterday afternoon pushing around a spare newspaper and his water cup!  Too cute!  Ah, yes, I am a shameless garbage picker but it was so worth it to get good quality toys, in good condition, for FREE!  3 cheers for continued use of a perfectly good item vs. clogging a landfill!

PS - I hope some other lucky person/family scored on the art table and picnic table that were also being given away and were in excellent condition!

Shalalala - Live for Today

WHAT ARE YOU LOVING TODAY?
Today I love:
- my hair!  During pregnancy my hair actually looks good more than it looks bad which is a total switch from when I'm not pregnant.  I'll be a tiny bit sad when it starts going back to its normal non-pregnant state.
- Sirius radio!  Totally transforms my driving experience!  It's part educational RE: who sang what & when and it's part thrilling to be able to choose the genre I want to listen to in that moment.  Rarely in the old car did I crank it up - but in this car I crank it up all the time!  I'll be sad if/when we don't have Sirius anymore.
- my new piece of furniture!  I wish I had a pic to show you ... the link's been deactivated already ... I did modify it a bit though, to make it more open and it needed a really thorough bath and I need to buy new door hardware for it.  Overall, I think it's going to work for us and I'm super-pleased!
- my husband!  I've been slightly hormonal (read: psychotic) lately and he appears to still love me even after I've had a temper-tantrum over a random thing ... except, Urban Cowboy, if you're reading this, yesterday's tantrum wasn't hormones and it wasn't random, either!  LOL
- blooming daffodils & hyacinths!  Now, if only it could get warm enough for the other flowers to start their thing!
- texting!  I didn't know what I was missing before!
- my garage sale pile!  It's getting bigger and bigger and hopefully I won't have to bring any of it home with me.  I need less stuff to manage, keep organized, or store.
- my sewing machine!  Last weekend I sewed a new bathroom curtain while Urban Cowbay napped his afternoon nap.  Soon, his big boy bedroom curtain fabric will be here and I'll be able to get started on that project.
- my awesome family and friends!  'nuf said and that love is all the time, you know.
WHAT ARE YOU LOVING TODAY?

Truly Random & Misc.

1st:
The 2nd round of pregnancy nesting has begun to rear its ugly head!  Yesterday alone I decided it was time to get back into the swing of things and really utilize Urban Cowbaby's 2nd nap to get stuff done.  I sewed 2 t-shirt bags and a cover for my sewing machine.  I also reorganized my office supplies and was able to condense/clean out the bins a bit and now only have 1 bin & a few decorative baskets vs. 2 bins and the decorative baskets.  While I was working on that I realized I could absolutely condense my stationary/papergoods into one box and so have that on the agenda for tomorrow's naps.  And I did all this while also getting some laundry done.  Go me!
2nd:
I've decided my job is like a boyfriend you're not sure you want to keep around ... you know what I'm talking about - some days/weeks it's all going along fine and you're, like, "oh, boyfriend/job, I love you and want to be with you" and then, bam!, other days/weeks something occurs to make you question everything about the relationship and where you see yourself and it in a year(+) but you're not quite ready to pull the trigger and say, "die, relationship, die!" so you stick around to wait for the next "nice" period while you wonder if it's meant to be or not.  (SIGH)
3rd:
I recently discovered the reason why I did not like thigh-high pantyhose is because I've been wearing the wrong size!  Apparently, and I guess this is likely to be obvious to everyone but me, if you have the right size on they're actually comfortable and even (dare I say it?) likeable!  Now I know why L prefers them over regular 'hose.  That said, this discovery was also accompanied by admitting defeat & acknowledging what I've known but fought since jr. high times ... I have fat thighs.
4th:
Urban Cowbaby had his first in-public temper tantrum.  We're talking the works: crying, lying on the floor, refusing to move from the spot he was in, announcing to the world that he was "biting" which was followed by him biting himself and attempting to bite me.  It was slightly stressful, I have to say.  But, my mom was with us and she kind-of helped by allowing me to walk away while she stayed nearby.  Once he realized I wasn't paying attention to his antics, he quit the tantrum and moved on to something else.  I guess we're getting closer and closer to 2, right.  LOL

Fabulous 2nd Hand Finds!

We went to a flea market on Sunday morning (post-pancakes) with my parents and we found all sorts of cool stuff.   We found 2 vintage (mid-60's), matching Easter baskets for Urban Cowbaby and UCB2 - only $5 total!  Apparently, the grandma had been saving the baskets all these years with the intent the grandkids would take them but now the grandkids are grown and not interested.  Their loss, my family's gain.  A total bonus find was a toddler-sized table/chairs set in excellent condition - originally priced at $25 but I asked if she would take $20 for it and she said yes!  I've been looking for a little table/chairs set for some time but kept finding either cheap/crap ones or super expensive ones.  This set is perfect because it's sturdy, it's clean, and it came with both chairs (another problem I was having)!  (see pic below...) What's more?  Well, my mom was so excited we found it that she volunteered to buy it for us and so we got it as a gift (plus a few other toys to keep at her house)!  I think the lady selling the table was happy it was going to another family because her young son was with her and he was clearly too old for it and both mom and son seemed a bit nostalgic over it.  Cute, right.  Then my mom surprised me with my old bath ducks that I used to absolutely love and couldn't take a bath without!  She found them when cleaning out a closet and cleaned them up to pass on to Urban Cowbaby & UCB2.  Love it!  Ok, so I'm going a little crazy here with my list but I still have more to tell you about...I also bought some very classic and clearly vintage (late 50's - mid-70's) Golden Book's for our children's book collection.  They were selling 6/$1 so I bought the 6 best condition books they had.  Urban Cowbaby adores books!  He is always asking to be read to and we're always trying to make sure there are a variety of books to read.  It's nice to know the stuff we bought isn't going into a landfill and that we'll get a lot of good use out of each item.  It's also nice to know we didn't have to spend a fortune to acquire any of the items we purchased.  Truly, fabulous finds at the flea market this time!  Yea!

Urban Cowbaby, with his new "camera" face, enjoying a raisin snack at his new table...

Our new table/chairs, vintage Easter baskets, and my old bath ducks...

My old bath ducks-there is actually a blue one, too, but Urban Cowbaby ran off with it...

L.L. Bean's Water Hog - PRODUCT RAVE

About a month ago I purchased the Water Hog entryway mat from L.L. Bean.  This is a product I had been watching for about 6 months to decide if I wanted to shell out $30 for a piece of rug for our back entry way...seems to me like $30 is a lot when, previously, I had been spending somewhere between $7 & $15 for rugs for the back door.  I read almost every review available through the L.L. Bean's website and a few from some other websites and the basic consensus was this is the best entryway mat you could ever purchase.  Finally, I decided to just do it.  Did I get sucked in by the hype and was I ultimately disappointed?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  This damn rug is the best $30 house purchase I have ever, ever made!  It is worth every penny and, honestly, I would even consider paying more considering how happy I am with this product.  What do I love about it?  Everything ... but I'll share a few details with you: 1) it is a dirt magnet!  Seriously, people, it traps dirt like nothing else I've ever seen, 2) it absorbs a tremendous amount of water and the "fabric" (is that what it is?) keeps dry on top so your feet don't get wet unless it's really, really soaked.  Since we live in NEO, I value this attribute considering the amount of snow/slush that we track into our house on our boots!, 3) it cleans easily - a couple swipes of the vacuum and voila! it looks like new.  According to the product description, you can also hose it off but the weather hasn't been nice enough for me to try that out yet.  Overall, I wholly recommend this product to anyone looking for a workhorse entryway mat that can stand up to NEO winters.  2 thumbs up to L.L. Bean's Water Hog mat!

Graham Crackers RECIPE - Finally!

So, in the fall...or was it summer...I posted about the Graham Crackers I made and how delicious they were and how much Urban Cowbaby enjoyed snacking on them...I promised the recipe and never remembered to post it!  Oops!  But, today I was craving them and now I have a fully functioning kitchen again so the itch to cook is very strong and I brought up the recipe for review...that's when I remembered I had forgotten to share it all those months ago!  Here it is:

Whole Wheat Honey Graham Crackers


2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour


½ cup sugar


1 t. baking powder


½ t. baking soda


½ t. salt


¼ t. cinnamon


4 T. honey


¼ c. water


1 t. vanilla


1 stick butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt stick of butter in a pan on the stove. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon

4. Add the liquids: honey, water, vanilla and melted butter.

5. Stir well until a nice ball of dough is formed.

6. Cut two pieces of Parchment paper the size of the cookie sheet.

7. Lay one piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet.

8. Place the ball of dough on the parchment paper.

9. Lay the other piece of parchment paper on top of the ball of dough. Squish dough down a little with your fist.

10. Use the rolling pin to roll the dough between the pieces of parchment paper. Roll until the dough covers the whole cookie sheet

11. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Cut rolled dough into 2 inch squares, or cut shapes with cookie cutters, being sure to separate the shapes from the surrounding dough a little.

12. Bake in oven for 18 minutes.

13. Turn oven off, but leave crackers in the oven to get crisp.

14. Remove from oven after 30 minutes to one hour. Break graham crackers apart.

15. Store in a air tight container.

Wii, Wii, Wii - All the Way Home

If you know us, you know we fall more in the "delayed gratification" crowd than we do the "instant gratification" crowd.  And, if you know us, you know we rarely have the most recent and latest and greatest gadgets!  So, just this week we finally caved and purchased a Wii.  Now, this is not a new Wii - in fact, it's a (minimally) twice-before owned Wii so it's not as though we spent 3 hours in the freezing cold waiting in line outside some big box store on Black Friday dying in anticipation of this purchase.  The catalyst for our Wii purchase was simply being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right person. 
And, I just have to tell you, it's money well spent!!!  I think we've already got our money's worth out of it just by laughing our heads off with our family and friends over Thanksgiving weekend!  Not to mention, we can stream Netflix movies through our Wii and that is practically a stand alone reason for us to love it and be so happy with our purchase.
I have to tell you my favorite thing about our Wii experience, thus far: I love that it was previously owned by our friends and we get to hang out (in Wii land) with our friends whenever we want.  It's hilarious to be bowling and see our friends playing on the next lane or to see Urban Cowboy's dad watching a ping-pong match.  Hilarious, I tell you!  Oh, and I also love that I beat Urban Cowboy in Wii Golf a few times - the glory was short lived because now he kicks my butt but it's nice to know that I did beat him a few times!  LOL
Yes, people, that is the most exciting thing going on in our lives right now.  Ok, well the most exciting that I'll share with you because I'm sure you don't want to be bored with details of the in-progress kitchen renovation project.  Also, I realize it's been awhile (again) since I've written and that's because I don't want this to be all about the kid and, lately, it's been all about the kid on my end.  ;-)
Later 'gators!

Can I live by this?

One of my favorite blogging mamas posted the following quote:
"use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
I find this quote to be tremendously profound.  I like to believe, as do many people out there, I have the capability of simplifying my life and reducing the amount of stuff I have and consume which, therefore, will reduce the level of stress in my life by minimizing clutter and needless decision making.  Yet, somehow, at least once a week I find myself looking around my house wondering a) why everything I own doesn't have a home and b) why I even continue to own specific items?  It's difficult to not become attached to items or to rationally say "I am not likely to use this - I will not bring it in my house or keep it".  Recently, I got a bug up my behind to clean out my cosmetics/lotions and I filled up 1/2 the bathroom trashcan with stuff...that's all it was, stuff that was taking up space in my bathroom cupboard.  When I was done do you know what?  I looked back into the cupboard and was completely dismayed by the amount of of stuff that remains!  The worst part of this?  When I was pregnant with Urban Cowbaby I got the same bug up my behind and did the same thing and somehow, 15 months later, I do the same thing all over again!  Of course, in my defense, less stuff to choose from did result in less stuff in the trash.  I recently participated in a garage sale.  I made $17 and I didn't care because the friend who hosted the sale was very gracious and agreed to coordinate a charitable organization to pick up the stuff that didn't sell to be donated or sold to people who needed or wanted it.  Yet, could I easily participate in another garage sale to get rid of more stuff?        Sadly, yes.
So, I repeat the quote:
"use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
Maybe I won't make this my mantra but maybe I will make a more conscientious effort to apply this rule to my life and consumption habits.  Maybe I'll even succeed and maybe, and this is a very big maybe, someday I'll look around my home and be happy that a) everything I own has a place and b) every item I own I own for a reason.  Maybe ...

The CSA Update and Misc. Domestic Goddess Observations

CSA
You all know we joined a CSA this summer and you know from previous posts (and in-person conversations) that it's been a really fun, often challenging, culinary adventure.  We have learned a lot about our tastes and have developed new loves for foods we didn't know it was possible to love (e.g. squash or yellow plums).  If you are considering a CSA keep the following in mind: a) know you will waste some - I think it's inevitable - b) be committed to not wasting any at all and your waste will be minimized, c) know you will be forced to break out of your eating comfort zone and be positively open-minded about trying new foods or new ways to eat foods, d) share! - we have been a bit guilty of not doing this enough, e) learn to preserve "leftover" produce for fall/winter use - this also helps minimize the waste!
DOMESTIC GODDESS
Two nights ago I made banana bread completely from scratch for the first time.  I always mean to do this but we never seem to have enough "bad" bananas in the house and most banana bread recipes call for about 5 over-ripe bananas and bananas don't last long enough in our house for me to amass that many!  So, we had bananas at a work event and they didn't get eaten so I brought them home ... in fact, I only had 3 but a co-worker suggested I make up the difference with apple sauce.  Well, we haven't eaten any of it yet, but I have to say, it smells and looks just like everyone else's banana bread.  I'm hopeful it's yummy too!  Then, the next day, I also made a peach cobbler from scratch.  Apparently, I'm the only person in the world who a) doesn't know how to peel a peach, and b) doesn't own any bisquick.  I used Paula Deen's recipe since I was sans bisquik and I think it turned out ok.  It was seriously labor intensive, though!  Prepping the peaches was its own job and then I also didn't have any self-rising cake flour so I had to create the equivalent substitute.  Whew.  Hopefully, the recipient enjoyed the end result because I made it as a thank you "present:".  One another thing to note regarding both the banana bread and peach cobbler, they're both really, really fattening!  These were not caloric lightweights, let me tell you.  I think I'll reserve both recipes for special occasions when we want to splurge a bit.

Our 1st CSA inventory

Hello.  As promised, I'm going to update you with our CSA contents.  We picked up our first box this weekend - well, honestly, my best friend picked it up for us because we were out of town - and we're amazed at how much stuff we got.  We got:
lettuce (it's purpleish-reddish), spinach (a ton!), radishes, 1 dozen brown eggs, 4 sausages, 4 sausage buns, cilantro, 1/2 gallon of milk (not homongenized - it's yummy!), 1/4 lbs of local blue cheese (it's extremely mild), 1 dozen pink lady apples. 
Yesterday, we made our dinner and we used the following: spinach/lettuce/cheese/radishes for a salad and Urban Cowbaby had homemade apple sauce for breaskfast this morning.
No pictures - maybe next week when we pick it up ourselves.  :-)