First Harvest!

We ate our first harvest from the garden today! It was a radish. A single, tiny, lonely radish we carefully sliced into four little pieces :-). Many of the radish's friends should be ready to pluck from the ground this weekend!

In other gardening news, we have plenty of green poking up through the soil. The spinach, peas, beans and sunflowers appear to be growing especially well. Sadly, the zucchini is nowhere to be found. (We planted the seeds over three weeks ago, so we should have sprouts by now. Right?) This past weekend we sowed our second crop of beets, carrots and lettuce. We also thinned all those cute little seedlings.

Gardening is turning out to be really fun. Our three-year-old especially enjoys helping mommy water the plants each morning. (She also enjoys digging up the plants. Yikes!)

Great Books for Children:

How Groundhog's Garden Grew

by Lynne Cherry

Gardening seems to be the topic of the moment around here :-).  Our family has shared much excitement this week watching tiny sprouts emerge in our backyard garden.  It's been fun and a terrific learning experience for us all.

Our family is also reading the following fantastic book:

Lynne Cherry wrote and illustrated How Groundhog's Garden Grew during several artist-in-residencies at institutions such as the Smithsonian Museum and Cornell University.  Cherry's illustrations are beautifully detailed.  Our family particularly enjoyed the pages depicting many types of sprouts!  The story "introduces children to the cycle of an entire gardening year: gathering seeds in fall; storing them in winter; planting in spring; weeding and watering in summer; and a delicious and bountiful harvest at Thanksgiving time."

I can only hope our little backyard garden grows to be as lush and green as Mr. Groundhog's ....

Big Excitement!

Sprouts!  We have sprouts!  Hooray!

We planted our garden a mere 6 days ago, so I wasn't expecting to see any green for another week or so.  However, this morning my little helper and I spotted tiny green sprouts poking through the soil!  We have a wee row of spinach and a few eager radishes!

I've started keeping a gardening journal to log these exciting discoveries.  The journal is nothing fancy.  I'm using a pretty notebook I've been squirreling away for ages.  (The notebook is perfect because it says "maison des gardins" on the cover.)  Each day I jot down the little things that happen and the work we accomplish in the yard.  Since gardening is a new adventure, I'm hoping the notebook will prove to be a handy record.

The Garden is Planted!

Didn't Ben do a great job building our garden beds?  

The veggies are planted and now we wait!  I followed the plan for "square foot gardening" and between our two beds we have about 30 sq. ft. of space to work with.  Today only half the beds are actually planted, though.  We'll successively plant the rest of the garden over the next few weeks in hopes of spacing out our harvest.

What did we plant?

Carrots

Radishes

Beets

Zucchini

Pole beans

Peas

Black Seeded Simpson lettuce

Buttercrunch lettuce

Spinach

Sweet peas

The kids and I will plant sunflowers at the corners of the garden this afternoon.  Next week I also plan to plant one or two tomato seedlings. This is all a grand adventure, so we'll see what actually grows :-).

Next on the list ... put up those gates to keep the bunnies at bay!

Make Saturday Morning

The flavour of our Saturday mornings has changed as of late.  Really, things simply haven't been the same since Bre Pettis stopped making weekend projects.  Bre's replacement was sadly uninspiring.

How glad were we when Make TV debuted on PBS this month? (It's also free online.) This show is fantastic!  Ben and the kids have been totally bitten by the maker bug.

They just have to, just have to make something.

Green Thumb (Not)

Calgary has been caught in a deep freeze these past few days.  I think the temperature is hovering at a balmy -20C this afternoon.  It's been cold!  Last week's chinook teased us into thinking spring might be just around the corner, but of course, we have several months of winter still ahead.  It is certainly a dreary prospect.

At least I can dream about an end to the snow, can't I?  This will be the first spring Ben and I have our own yard to contend with (for good or for ill).  I figure now is the time to decide what we'll do with it! Hopefully, we can get right to work in May when the city finally thaws out.

I've been reading a couple of excellent books (loaned to me by my Mom and my dear neighbour).  The first is a book I would gladly recommend to any Calgarian:

The Calgary Gardener: The Essential Guide to Gardening in Alberta's Chinook Country

I am only a few chapters in to The Calgary Gardener and I've already learned a great deal.  As anyone who's lived in this city knows, our climate is unpredictable (at best!).  I am slowly becoming more aware of our changing seasons and am learning the names of some plants that grow well here.

I've found the above book to be a great general reference.  (My book's pages are full of sticky notes at the moment.)  I've found terrific information on topics like composting, laying a stone path, hanging a gate, planting trees and caring for a lawn.  I love any book with glossy pictures and illustrated diagrams, so this one is tops for me!

Ben and I have also found this book helpful:

We referenced Lois Hole's book extensively when we planted a tree in our front yard this fall.  The book specifically features trees and plants that grow well in Alberta.  Ben and I plan to plant several trees in our back yard next fall and will again use the book as our main reference.

So, what do we have planned?  All my reading, research and pondering has led me to the following conclusions:

• The next couple of seasons we should focus on building good foundations for our landscaping.  (Work on the basics.)
• We do not have the time or energy for fancy gardening plans!
• Like most families this year, we are watching our budget carefully and our modest landscaping will reflect that.
• Vegetable gardens are a lot more work than I had first realized.

Slowly but surely, a series of goals are starting to gel in my own head. My natural tendency is to get carried away with elaborate plans, therefore, I am trying my best to keep things simple!  Here are the areas I think we should work on outside:

• Take good care of the front and back lawns.  (Aerate them in the spring, deal with the weeds more effectively.)
• Hang gates at the entrances to the back yard. 
• Stain the fence in a natural shade.
• Spread bark mulch in the beds along the driveway and around the tree.  Run plastic edging along the sides.  (I dug out these beds last fall.)
• Install moonlights in the beds along the driveway.  (We bought the lights last fall.)
• Plant two or three containers with annuals to brighten up the porch.  (I already have the pots.)  Buy a couple hanging baskets (an annual fundraiser at the school) to brighten up the back deck. 

I am still debating the wisdom of planting a small veggie patch.  Will it be worth the effort?  I've read that a tiny garden (only one square meter) can supply a family with salad veggies for the season.  A garden twice that size can provide a fair amount of vegetables.  Should we do it? Maybe I could plant a few tomatoes and peppers in a sunny pot out on the deck.  That sounds less intimidating to me!

I also have a couple of goals for next fall:

• Plant some bulbs in the beds along the front driveway so that next spring we can enjoy the colours.
• Plant three or four trees in the backyard.  (The trees go on sale 50% off in the fall.)

I am slowly coming to realize that "slow and steady wins the race".  We plan to live in this house for a long time.  We'll have many years to slowly build up the yard.  In a few years, when our kids are a little bigger, we may also have more time to devote to gardening.  Until then I will be satisfied with simple plans!

Welcome to My Bookstore!

I've been having so much fun these past couple days.  Yesterday I created my very own bookstore on Amazon.ca!  What could be more fun than choosing all my favourite books to share in one place?

Please click on over and take a look.  You can also access the store by clicking the image in my blog's sidebar.  I have read (or am planning to read) nearly every book in the store and will continue to add selections. Enjoy browsing the shelves. :-)

Grammar Geek

Do you care about grammar?  Would you like to write more effectively? Check out The Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words. 

(And there was much rejoicing.)

Just a Spoonful of Sugar...

This is a tip I read in Canadian Living last week --- and it really works! (It's especially helpful for all my pregnant mommy friends who can't take medication for colds.)

If you feel a tickle in the back of your throat eat some very dark chocolate, one composed of at least 70% cocoa. (I am not making this up.) The chocolate contains an active ingredient called theobromine which suppresses nerve sensitivity in the throat and reduces the urge to cough. According to the article "two ounces of dark chocolate pack the same punch as a dose of strong cough medication".

Ben and I both tried this remedy a few days ago and it totally worked.

Sweet!

Notes from the Trenches

A few days ago a friend sent me a very kind email. (She's a new mom who I enjoy spending time with and see far too seldom.) My friend wondered if we had any parenting wisdom to share with her and her husband.

My goodness! Ben and I have been parents for a grand total of five years. We've barely scratched the surface of this adventure called parenting! Our kids constantly throw us curve balls and test our limited abilities. We feel ill-equipped to offer any sort of parenting advice.

Therefore, I'll share my thoughts with the following disclaimer: Ben and I are far from perfect and our kids are not angels. We make plenty of mistakes. We definitely don't have this parenting gig completely figured out!

Here are a few things we've learned from our journey thus far:

• Hungry kids + Tired kids = Meltdown city. (The same applies to hungry and tired parents.) Regular meals and good sleep can prevent tons of aggravation.

• Routine is wonderful. Our kids thrive on it. We're not strict about keeping a minute-by-minute schedule but our days do have a predictable flow.

• Ben and I intentionally choose to socialize with families we admire. We're learning to make friends with parents of terrific teens. (We figure they have a lot to teach us. The proof is in the pudding!)

• Focus on the Family has hugely influenced our marriage and parenting. I often visit their website and we subscribe to the Canadian magazine. The FOTF podcasts are great too.

• Consistency is key. Ben and I always try to follow up our words with actions. (For example, no means no.) We don't cave to whining, complaining or manipulation. Giving in only reinforces poor behavior.

• Our kids need lots of hugs, kisses, snuggles and tickles every day.
  

• We try to keep our home clean and uncluttered. I'm naturally a neat freak, but I also think a tidy home helps kids feel peaceful and secure.

More to come...

Crafty Goodness:
Pop-ups Rock

Check out at this awesome video about pop-up books. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea looks terrific.



Our family's favourite pop-up book (hands down) is Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy. The book is a mind boggling feat of paper engineering. We also like Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art. I find it totally fascinating to learn how illustrators (and paper engineers) engage in their craft.

My Husband is Handy
(I Think I'll Keep Him)

Yesterday our furnace gave out. (Thank God the calendar says October and not February.) We have a programmable thermostat that turns off at night and warms the house again early in the morning. Tuesday morning our house never warmed up. We sat at a chilly 16C through most of the day.

Ask my husband to fix a computer and he will get the job done. Fixing things around the house is another story. Ben is no Bob Villa but he's slowly gaining handyman skills through trial and error. Last night my beloved pried the cover off our broken furnace, found a flashy error light, and did some serious Googling.

One helpful forum suggested giving the furnace circuit board a "sophisticated tap" with a screwdriver. My handy husband figured the advice couldn't hurt, so he tapped away (in a completely sophisticated manner). Sure enough, the furnace fired up and has been running beautifully ever since.

Who knew? Perhaps my beloved really is a handy guy after all.

Eight-Legged Friend

A rather large spider lives on our back deck. Her name is Claire. She's been with our family for several months and spends her days hidden in the corner of the house. At night she weaves her web by the light of the moon.

Claire is properly known as an orb weaver. We believe she is a cat-face spider.

Our spider friend is impressively large. Her body alone has grown to nearly an inch in diameter. Neither Ben nor I have seen a bigger spider in the wilds of suburban Calgary. We wonder if Claire will stay with us through the winter. Will she hibernate in the corner of the siding? Can she survive the cold?

We do not mind sharing our deck with this eight-legged friend ... just so long as she stays outside of our house.

A Little Visitor (Part 2)

As of last night, "Buggy" the bat was still alive. My heroic husband stayed up late constructing a lovely bat box for him. (I decided to go to bed.) Ben gently prodded Buggy into his new home, where he crawled up to the top and hung upside-down. Ben took it as a good sign. Since it was late and dark, Ben put the bat box out beside our fence but didn't hang it up.

This morning our entire family was very curious to learn Buggy's fate. Ben built the bat box with a hinged front. At breakfast time he went into the backyard to check inside the box, but alas, our bat had flown the coop. The box was empty.

We're hoping Buggy went out hunting bugs and stayed safe last night. I'm not sure whether he could fly with a torn wing. I hate the thought that a cat or some predator may have caught him. At any rate, Buggy was a wild creature and we didn't want to keep him in the garage too long. He deserved to be out and free. Maybe he will return to the bat box tonight. Who knows? We'll hang the box on our fence in hopes that a small nocturnal resident will soon call it home.

A Little Visitor

Our family hosted a tiny house guest last night. He slept in a shoe box in our garage. He was small, furry, and actually quite cute.

Our guest was a little brown bat.

Ben found the bat in his parking lot last night after work. It was lying injured on the pavement. (The bat has a torn wing.) Ben carefully placed the bat in a box and brought him home to show the kids.

We won't let the kids get too close to the bat. I'm scared he might try to bite if he gets frightened. Once the children were in bed last night, Ben went to the pet store and bought some meal worms. We don't know much about bats, but we thought the bat might eat the worms since he won't be out hunting flying bugs any time soon.

This morning the bat actually looks a bit better. (I wasn't convinced it would survive the night.) He is hanging upside down from the side of the shoe box, has had a bit of water and might have eaten a meal worm or two. If the bat lives through the day, Ben is planning to build a bat box for the backyard tonight.

Ben and I have talked about building a bat box for years. We think bats are pretty interested creatures, to tell the truth. They are impressive insect hunters. Ben read that a single brown bat can eat 1000 mosquitoes in a hour! Ben will hang the small bat box on the side of our fence and we'll see if the little bat will make it his home.

Link: How to build a bat house

The Not-So Virtuoso

So I've been practicing piano again, getting ready for my next round of exams at Christmas. Let's just say ... it's been a loooooong time since I've seriously sat at the piano. (We're talking years). The fingers, they are slow. I'm totally out of shape.

So I pulled out Hanon's trusty piano exercises for "the virtuoso pianist". If those babies can't whip my fingers into shape, I don't know what will. (Groan.)

While our youngest kids nap in the afternoon, our five-year-old takes a "quiet time" on our bed. He's a creature of habit and likes his own space, so this actually works very well. I've been playing piano while all the kids rest. This afternoon our son commented on my new practice regime.

"Hey Mommy! I really liked your piano playing!"

"Thanks, Buddy."

"You know what part I liked the best?"

"No. What?"

"The really fast part, right at the beginning! All the notes in a row!"

Our son wasn't interested in the fun stuff --- the children's songs I've been learning for my exam. Nope. He was into the heavy stuff. He liked the Hanon, all those scales and finger exercises.

What a crazy, crazy kid.

A Wee Bit Greener

Our new compost bin is officially operational. (Thanks Sandra!) Ben put it together the other night and I've started adding soil and kitchen scraps to the bin. For the time being we've placed the composter beside our lower deck, near the patio doors. We'll see if smell becomes an issue. However, I plan to compost through the winter and Ben thought the bin should be near a door. (No need to trudge through the snow banks!)

I have grand plans for our yard next year. (Ha! We'll see what happens in the land of reality.) Maybe our little composter will help make the yard a bit greener.

Dragon-licious

Yesterday at the grocery store we stumbled across a dragon fruit. The kids begged to bring the fruit home so we bought one for our family. "It's good to try new things!" our five-year-old insisted.

This morning I sliced into the unusual fruit for breakfast. How beautiful! I was shocked by the dragon fruit's vibrant colour. The outer part was bright fushia, surrounding a white inner pulp full of tiny black seeds. The fruit was a little bit like kiwi, with a similar texture. The flavour was mildly sweet.

Our kids gobbled up the dragon fruit, leaving nothing for Daddy to sample :-(. Our two-year-old especially enjoyed her fruit.

Gorgeous.

Rice crispies and dragon fruit --- the breakfast of champions.

Inspired by the dragon-y goodness.

A One Track Mind

No, it's not what you think.

For whatever reason I've become totally infatuated with books. I'm developing a serious addiction. Not sure why, really. I've always loved to read but this week the obsession has gone a bit overboard. My stash no longer fits neatly within the basket beside our bed. The basket doth spilleth over and my library card is seeing some serious action.

I'm pretty sure I'll never find time to read them all.

At least the piles look pretty.

Here are two of my latest acquisitions:

Mmm. Circus freaks.


Because the Amish are cool. Totally.

Word of the Day

Mastication, time for mastication
Mastication, time for me to chew

(Sung to the tune of Alouette)

I am amazed by the things our five-year-old learned in junior kindergarten this year...