Planting

After a stop at Starbucks this morning, my friend and I took off to the greenhouse. She has a nice big garden to stock with vegetables and herbs. And I, after such great success with my indoor herb garden last year, was out to start a new, bigger indoor herb garden.

Note: my blog is not, nor has it ever claimed to be, a photo blog. Therefore, I did not feel the need to go retake my pictures after I realized they were blurry and not-in-focus.

Last year, if you'll remember, I only had one planter (the front one). Obviously, I have stepped it up a little. Why? Because I love cooking with fresh herbs! They add a tremendous amount of flavor to veggies, sauces, and any other dish! The cashier actually asked, "Are you going to cook with all these herbs?" Why else would I buy them???

First, I have 2 basil plants. Basil will be used for pesto, caprese salads, and tabbouleh - all great summer dishes! Last year my basil was out of control, so if you ever need any I'm sure I will have some to spare.

Actually, the oregano is an herb I wasn't planning to plant. I don't use it all that often, but I will put it in pasta sauces and on pizza.

Next is the flat-leaf or Italian parsley. I use this is lots of dishes, including tabouleh. It has a great flavor. My parsley also went crazy last year, so I'll share!

I really wanted garlic chives, but in plant-form they only had onion. I think these will go well on baked potatoes, but not really sure what else. Any suggestions?

Next are 2 coriander plants - aka cilantro! This is my favorite. I just learned today that the leaves of a coriander plant are what we call cilantro; the seeds are what we use when we say, "coriander." Anyway, this will be used in our homemade indian dish, among other things. It's hard to not love this herb!

Finally, we have spearmint - another all-time favorite. It will also go into tabouleh (notice a theme) and into iced tea. Plus, I may just go smell it every once in a while. I put this one in a pot of its own since my last spearmint plant grew into an insane bush. Hopefully, I will use it more this time!

I really did want garlic chives. So, I bought seeds. I have no idea how to plant them, so I just scattered them in this pot. I'll keep you updated on what happens...if anything!

When I think of my childhood summers, I think of fresh vegetables - mainly cucumbers and tomatoes. I loved going out to the garden and eating cherry tomatoes off the plant. So, I got one cherry tomato plant for outside. This variety is actually an orange tomato and is super sweet. It is more like dessert than veggie. It is going to be hard to wait until for them to grow!

I'm so exited to watch my plants grow. I'm even more excited to use them!

Slow Down!

The past two weeks were a blur, so it was very nice to relax in Kansas and not think about everything that could, should, and would get done when we came back home. I'll admit that the first night home I was overwhelmed with everything. "What is 'everything'?" you ask. It's pretty much life in general, but I will save those details for another post.

Christmas Eve and Day did not feel like Christmas. I blame the fact that I got too anxious at Thanksgiving. I put up my tree and played Christmas music too early this year. By the time Christmas came, the "magical feeling" was gone. That doesn't mean we didn't have a wonderful time, though. I won't go through all our gifts or the details of each day, but here are a few highlights:

The movie we went to on Christmas Day was perfect. We I was momentarily disappointed when we found out Marley and Me was sold out at the first theatre. We did find tickets, however, to an older theatre. This theatre did not have the stadium seating we have all come to love; nor the comfy seats and up-to-date decor. No, this theatre was decked out in a retro-blue color to compliment the peeling off-white walls, the seats were bouncy, and the floor sloped. But, none of us cared because the tickets were $1.50 less than the nicer theatre and there were only about 20 people occupying the teal seats. Enough about the theatre, though. The movie was hands-down one of the best movies we had seen in a long time. Even my brother, the skeptical, pouting, 19-year-old, embarrased to be seen going into a PG family movie, was laughing and enjoying himself. In the end, there was not a dry eye to be found (even I, who never cries at movies, was bawling). A must-see, in my opinion.

The day after Christmas could not have been more beautiful and unexpected. The temperature reached 69 degrees in Kansas City and we walked the plaza without our coats! The plaza lights were pretty and the atmosphere is always fun.

The musical we went to on the day after Christmas was surprisingly good. I wasn't sure what to expect from a kids-musical titled Seussical, but it was great! We laughed and enjoyed the talents of the actors/musicians. It would be a great event for children, as adults were the minority in the theatre, and I have had one of the songs in my head ever since!

The Rook game we played was fun. I am always looking forward to playing card or board games. Sometimes, Richard and I are horrible partners, but we were on a roll and winning each round. We finally lost let my parents win the last hand.

We got back home on Saturday night. It was great to be back in church on Sunday. I hope you have that same feeling about your church. It just feels like you are home, once you are among your church family.

I can't believe 2009 is days away, but I am ready now.

A New Discovery

I consider myself a faily intelligent woman. For instance, I can tell you where your sternocleidomastoid muscle is; or, tell you how many carbons are in a benzene ring. I can explain how carbohydrates are digested; or even tell you how many sharps are in the key of A. Those things, I can handle. The simple logics of everyday life, I seem to have trouble with.

So, how it took me 2.5 years to discover that I could watch DVDs on my laptop while Hubs studies, is beyond me.

For two and a half YEARS, I have had to forgo watching TV, let alone DVDs, while Richard studies. We picked our apartment particularly due to the beautiful office for him to study in. It has glass, french doors leading in from the living room. We didn't realize, however, that these glass doors would not block sound at all. So, if I have a TV show to watch, I mute during commercials, and sit really close to the TV when it comes back on so that I can keep the volume low (sacrificial love at its finest, is it not?).

Last night, I popped in our latest Netflix to watch and heard a reminder from the office to keep it low. I mentioned that I wish edI could just hook some headphones up to the TV and Hubs said, "Why don't you just watch it on your laptop so you can use your headphones." He said this so causually - duh.

Genius of an idea, dontcha think? Wait, it gets better. Not only can I watch DVDs at a normal volume, but I also can watch them from the comfort of my own bed. It might have taken 2.5 years to make this connection, but you can better believe I will be making it worth my while for the next 3 weeks of studying.

Forty-five minutes later, Hubs found me under the covers, headphones on, DVD playing, sound asleep.

Hand-eye coordination, please

Remember this hobby? I had high hopes of using it to make a few Christmas presents. Since those hopes were smashed in the realization that the skill did not just "come" to me naturally, I'm free to tell you about learning to crochet.

I thought learning to knit or crochet would be great for making scarves, blankets, etc. First things first, though; I had to buy the supplies. Michaels should have a huge sign that says, "Beginners: buy this stuff" so that one would not get overwhelmed by the floor-to-ceiling baskets of yarn and numerous different needles and hooks. As a true beginner, I chose the softest yarn I could find and medium sized needles and hook.

With the first stitch, I learned that hand-eye coordination is a must. However, as I watch my teachers with their hooks, I realize my hands cannot put in action what my eyes are seeing. Not to mention, I am not good with right and left directions. Wow - frustration at the max. Twenty minutes later, I completed my first row of 20 stitches - a whopping 17 minutes after everyone else at the table. At least I kept the others amused with my outbursts of frustration.

I didn't help that I picked the coziest yarn out there. That stuff is for the pros. It frays and strings apart really easily.

The second row was not any easier. Actually, the second row took another hour to complete. Hands-cramped and eyes-crossed, I completed 2 more rows before leaving. I learned only 1 type of stitch and my crocheting at this point is very uneven. And as for the knitting, if I am having trouble with just 1 hook, we can just imagine how using 2 needles would go. Thus, no handmade gifts this year. Bummer...I guess I'll just have to go shopping!

When I got home, I practiced for two more rows and it seemed to be easier with every stitch. I don't think it is a lost cause, and I will keep practicing. I at least have the basics and hopefully I can learn some different kinds of stitching so that it isn't such a boring product. Don't laugh at it, but I took a picture of my progress:

Yup, that is all I got accomplished in 2.5 hours of HARD work. Big sigh.

Things for Thursday: weather, hobby, movie, politics

The weather lady kept saying this morning, "It will be extremely cold out today - in the 40s." If the 40s are extremely cold, what will she say when it is in the single digits in January? I thought it was quite nice when I walked outside this morning.

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I am trying to learn a new hobby. I can't say what the hobby is, however, because I hope to make some Christmas present with the new hobby. So, if you know what I am trying to learn and know how to do it, let me know. If you think I may be making the Christmas present for you, don't even ask what the hobby is that I am trying to learn, because I may not be able to learn it in time for Christmas.

Are you wondering why I even brought this up?

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It is rare that I actually laugh out loud during a movie. Last night, Hubs and I watched "Get Smart." I watched this show on a regular basis as a kid and was looking forward to seeing the movie. I was not disappointed. We both laughed out loud during the movie! There are similarities between this movie and the old TV show, but it isn't exactly the same. However, I think you will like this good, clean, fun movie. Now I might have to rent some of the old shows for fun.

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The elections are over and you all know the did not turn out how I hoped. Am I mad? No. Upset? No. Scared? Not really.

It is such a privilege to live somewhere in which we have a say in who our leaders will be. I had my say; as did the rest of America. My hope is not built on the President, in Congress; not even in this country. My hope is built on Christ and God remains on His throne.

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
Romans 13:1-3

Relax, finally

I spent a lot of time alone this weekend, and I am NOT complaining. I have wondered what a weekend without absolutely any plans feels like - now I know. Here is what I was able to do:

I woke up without an alarm.
I leisurely shopped for belated birthday presents.
I drank coffee while studing, in depth, for one of my Bible studies.
I was able to read up on a hobby I'm thinking about pursuing.
I baked some pecan sticky rolls.
I sort of cleaned.

It was nice to spend time doing relaxing things. I might have to start making this a habit!