Fresh From the Farm (Year Two)

Our CSA started deliveries this past Friday. My loyal readers might remember that last year's harvest started with arugula, spinach, and kohlrabi. We made pesto with the greens and used the kohlrabi in a casserole. This year got off to a bit of a different start: tatsoi (I'm not the only one who had never heard of that, right?), bok choy, and kohlrabi. Tatsoi and bok choy are both cabbage-y plants, basically. And you know what? I'm just not that into cabbage. I think I have given them a pretty fair try but so it is. We stir-fried the tatsoi with a little garlic and sesame oil. Zach liked it a lot; I had to work to finish my portion. Then we used the bok choy to make an Asian-style salad with sesame seeds, almonds, ramen noodles, carrots, water chestnuts, green onions, and a bit of chicken. I liked this better than the tatsoi but still, not a meal I could get excited about. Again, Zach was a fan.

Tonight, however, redeemed the week for me. I used the kohlrabi (which, I might add, was about three times bigger than last year's, if you saw the picture) in a soup with carrots, potatoes, and cheese. Yummy. That is my kind of food.

Awww

Can you tell he's laying on a heart-shaped stuffed animal? Precious.

Priceline Negotiator

Have you ever tried Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" feature? We did today and I was surprised to find it just as great as the commercials make it out to be. We are driving to a wedding in Iowa in two weeks, and we decided to stop in Chicago along the way, mostly so we can eat deep dish pizza. Our normal M.O. would be to find the cheapest hotel possible, probably in a boring suburb, but (influenced by the commercials, no doubt) this time we decided to figure out what a Super 8 would cost, then use Priceline to try to get a nicer hotel for the same price. I decided to request a 3 1/2 star hotel for $50. I was thinking "No way will this get accepted; I'll have to try again closer to our trip or maybe go down to 2 1/2 or 3 stars." But lo and behold, we are now booked into the Hilton Suites on the Magnificent Mile, which would normally cost $175+. All the rooms are suites, which means no hiding in the bathroom for Mommy and Daddy while Austin falls asleep, and I'm sure the view will be better than your average Super 8. Too cool!

**My excitement was tempered somewhat when I got on the Hilton website and discovered that their only parking option is valet for $50/night. (Really?!?!? FIFTY?) But we are fairly optimistic we can find cheaper parking in the vicinity.

Now the Real Fun Begins...

Just some pictures

It's been awhile so I thought I'd post some pictures of what Austin has been up to the past few weeks. His grandparents are probably getting anxious, after all.

Sometimes I think I put things away just to give Austin something to do--he loves to "unpack."

He is so happy to be mobile.

Getting along famously with the big kids at our end-of-the-year tuba studio party.

Being silly at the dinner table. I will unashamedly say we encouraged this behavior (for one night only) so we could get the cute picture.

A rare moment of sitting still.

Austin actually played happily on this blanket for about 30 minutes while Zach and I did yardwork. Then he started crawling around, playing with dirt, grabbing tools, trying to climb the porch steps...and we decided it was naptime.

More Home-Work

With our fabulous pantry improvements behind us, we continued to make our home even homier today by shopping for living room furniture. And we found some! It will take six to eight weeks to arrive, but here's a little preview with pics I pulled from the manufacturer's website. Our couch will be tan and the chairs (we got two) will be chocolate brown. Can't wait!

The couch:

The chairs:

Project

Zach and I remodeled our pantry today. Okay, mostly Zach. I emptied it and measured it but he did everything else. Anyway, this was an exciting day for me. Our pantry is good-sized but before today the space was just not used well. Too much empty space, not enough shelves. Every time I came home from the grocery store I would have to cram in my purchases, and if it didn't fit I ended up storing it on our guest bed. We finally did something about this and I am thrilled with the result!

Before:

After:

I went to the grocery store this morning and I could go again tonight and there would still be room for our food! So nice!