Dear Plain 'Ol Grammy,

Thanks for the lovely hand-written letter you sent, and the money you sent for marigolds. I was actually pretty excited to have a couple dollars to spend on flowers because I just finished this book called Carrots Love Tomatoes, and it's all about companion planting. They suggest planting marigolds in your vegetable garden to kill nematodes in the soil. I went to the garden center yesterday and all the plants were reduced price!

I bought:
2 pony packs of marigolds (the circus marigolds are SO pretty!)
2 chives (which are good for your roses)
6 strawberry plants (are mutually beneficial when planted with bush beans)
1 spearmint plant (repels ants, and thus aphids. improves flavor and growth of tomatoes)
1 thyme plant (good anywhere in the veg. garden)
1 sage (improves growth of most vegetables in the garden)
and 1 seedum "voodoo" (which was just really pretty and goes in the flower garden)

I planted all of these while Luke was sleeping in the afternoon. It felt so good to add to my garden. These were all things I had on my list for next year, but I was able to put them in now! I am especially excited to see the chives help keep aphids off my roses because they are covered in buds and I don't want them to get eaten.

This afternoon I am going to Winnipeg for allergy tests. I'm glad to finally be tested and maybe discover some things about myself, but I never enjoy that much driving by myself. I'm considering going to the library this morning and getting a book on tape. That really helped Derek and me get through the long drive from California to Manitoba. We listened to three books on CD. That kept us awake in the warm afternoons.

I love you Grammy. Give Bud a kiss, and Blue a hug from me! We are all looking forward to seeing you in July. I show Luke your picture and say, "Graaa-mmy", and he says, "Gaaa-ng". He can't say the "y" yet. He does the same thing when he says "Daddy", it sounds like "Da-dn".

Missing you,
Laura
PS- This is Luke in a toque my friend Katie made him. I am excited to try the pattern you sent for the scarf. It looks beautiful.

Weekend in Review

Before

After




Luke's birthday party was a big hit with Luke. Even though the power went out for an hour right after dinner and we ate cake in the dark sans coffee, Luke didn't mind. We BBQ'd hamburgers and hot dogs, made WAY too much food (probably ate way too much food), and then enjoyed a most scrumptious guitar cake before opening presents. Cammy helped Luke blow out his candle, but Luke got to eat cake all on his own. Mara and Dan and Jen stayed later than everyone else, and the kids were having such a nice time playing on the floor while we visited, that we let Luke stay up an hour later than normal, and have a second helping of cake. You only turn one once!

Over the weekend Derek gave Luke a few more stair lessons and this morning Luke just took off down the stairs! He's got 'em mastered! Now I will only have to use the gate because I don't want him wandering into the basement without me, and not because I'm afraid he's going to crack his head open.

Speaking of cracking heads. This morning Luke pulled the corner shelf in our dining room down on top of himself. Thankfully my Mom told me to take my african violet off that shelf on Saturday just in case Luke ever pulled the shelf down. Still there was a CD player, a wooden kaleidoscope, a canvas painting and a wooden wreath. Can you believe it? Nothing hit Luke on it's speedy journey towards the floor. He came out unscathed, but very scared. I just about had a heart attack when I looked over just in time to see the CD player slide off the shelf and land right beside Luke! I'm wondering if he's learned his lesson and won't pull on the shelf again, or if we're going to have to exile yet another piece of furniture to the basement. What do you think?

Over the weekend Luke spent a lot of time climbing on his new John Deere, playing his Backyardigans guitar(which we limit to half an hour at a time so that Mom doesn't go crazy), sitting in his Lightning McQueen chair and rattling his Ten Thousand Villages gourd-rattle like a little dictator in his throne. He also spent an hour here and there putting on Derek's baseball cap, pulling it down over his eyes and then walking into walls and furniture. I couldn't help it, I laughed so hard the first time he walked smack into the wall! He turned around and laughed with me, pulled the hat down over his eyes and walked right into the couch. What have I started?

Now that Luke's a year old he can legally sit in a forward-facing car seat. We all enjoy being able to see one another.

Nothing Runs Like a Deere...

Grandpa Stan's idea of a rockin' good time.


Luke concurs.

The Big Day, The Birth Day

On Luke's day of birth I took a cinnamon raisin bagel to the hospital, as well as a Brother Cadfael murder mystery, my teddy bear, and a CD that Vernon Isaac made. I also took bathroom stuff and extra clothes, but those weren't nearly as useful as the first four things I mentioned. I didn't know what to expect with an induction, but it turned out to be a wonderful experience. I had the best nurse in the world, and my doctor stayed with me the entire time I pushed (didn't just come in at the last minute to catch the baby as I was told to expect).

I remember thinking what a beautiful day it was to have a baby when I entered the hospital. There was dew on the grass and the sun was shining in the wheat just outside my hospital window. Before long though, I wasn't noticing the weather. I sang along with Vernon until the contractions got too bad, and then I curled up on my knees at the head of the bed with my face buried in my bear. The next time I noticed the weather was when the contractions got more bearable and I was able to push. I was nearly passed out between pushing, but I noticed the weather outside my window because it was suddenly very dark, and there was lightning and thunder. It was beautiful. And just after Luke was born the sun came out from underneath the storm clouds and lit up the bottoms of the clouds. It was raining and there was a rainbow, and I held my son for the first time.


They're predicting a thunderstorm for tonight. Although it would be too bad if we couldn't sit out on our newly finished deck, I think it would be an appropriate tribute to Luke's entrance to the world.


Stay tuned for more video and pictures of Luke's big day! I'll be posting a few more things later in the afternoon, and then again on Monday. So check back soon.

Induced

Last year about this time I was dealing with swollen ankles, sleepless nights, aching back and Braxton-Hicks contractions. I was ten days overdue and feeling the pain of impatience mixed with the discomfort of twenty-five extra pounds. Although the doctor "induced me", I was "induced" to be induced long before the doctor was ready to induce.

Boys

The boy's side of the clothing department is maybe a third the size of the girl's side. The boy's clothing is simple and brown, blue or green...like a bruise. And the girl's clothes are so colorful and sweet, with little matching sunhats and sandals. The boys get two pairs of sandals to choose from. They better match your bruises.

The boy's toy section extends exactly the length of one aisle, and they include battery operated explosions, motors, and sticky goop to toss at windows and make stick to your ceiling. The girl's toys trail brightly across three aisles and sparkle and glitter and talk.

Even in the health department the girls are catered to, with six different girly toothbrushes to choose from, all covered in Dora the explorer, splashes of color and scratch and sniff handles. The boys are offered a Bob the Builder toothbrush.

It's obvious what I'm attracted to - the bright, colorful, sparkly, clean, girl things. But when I leave the store I remember that I have Luke. Luke, who runs towards the stairs when he sees the gate is down, who sneaks over to the cabinet when he notices the locks are off and ends up sitting in my casserole dishes. Luke, who sits on my closet floor trying to figure out how to put on high heel shoes, and who likes to sit for hours under the deck, putting rocks and dirt in his mouth. Luke, who enjoys his bath so much that he'll run, naked, as fast as his chubby legs will carry him toward the sound of running water.

I don't miss the scratch and sniff or the glitter very much when I remember Luke.

Success!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from my very successful photo shoot yesterday. This little girl just turned three, so this photo shoot was for her. If you haven't taken a look yet, here's my website.

Yesterday evening Derek and Luke and I went to the nursery and bought five hydrangea and seven veronica plants. Then Derek and Luke hung out inside while I planted! I got a little carried away and ended up weeding my vegetable garden, watering all my new plants, transplanting several things that were in the way of my new stuff, and visiting with the neighbor girl who came over and picked weeds out of the dirt while I worked. I will get out there today and take some pictures of my newly planted front flowerbeds!

This evening is my last photography class. Of all the classes so far, today I really don't feel like driving into Winnipeg...especially if I have to leave at 3pm. So I am debating skipping it. Except that it's my last one! Maybe I'll go, but I won't take pictures in to be critiqued, because that would mean leaving early to pick up photos....which I haven't even sent in yet to be printed. The problem is that it's a critique night, and so far I haven't felt like the critiquing is very helpful. It's very vague. It's fun to see everyone's photos, but I don't see the point of putting my own up. Maybe I'm a grumpy old homebody...already? That's not supposed to happen for another sixty years!

Tiny Dancer

Tribute to Luke's Father

In honor of his father, Luke made himself a shirt to wear on Father's Day that proclaims to all the world what should already be obvious. Luke's Dad is the best. Although some paint was consumed in the making of this t-shirt, no animals or babies were harmed.

Lawn's First Haircut

Yesterday evening Derek worked on siding on the pop out wall on the deck, I sat in the back yard pulling weeds, and Luke sat under the deck taste-testing river rocks. After about an hour of pulling weeds and planting a few wildflowers transplanted from Helene's yard, I was ready to go inside - especially since Luke had decided taste-testing rocks was overrated and he wanted to walk around the corner of the house where the neighbors just sprayed weeds.

Luke and I went inside and played with toys for a while and Derek stayed outside to work on a few other projects. I nursed Luke around 8pm and was going to give him a bath, but he fell asleep while he was eating! So we just sat together on the couch and I read my book. It's not very often this little guy falls asleep in my arms anymore and I wanted to enjoy it. Around 8:30 Luke woke up to a strange sound. It took me a minute to place it too - what was that? The lawnmower!

Hello lawnmower. It's been a very long time!

Inspirational Food

Lately I have been trying to cook out of the More With Less cookbook in order to eat more healthy, and save money. It hasn't been long enough to know if we are saving money, but I know that I am feeling better about how we as a family spend our grocery budget. And I feel better about what is going into our systems.

A while back I wrote about some delicious chow mein that I made that just got better the longer it sat in the fridge. And then last week I made Indian Chicken that got rave reviews from Derek, who is something of a picky eater. The More With Less cookbook has been wonderful the last few weeks in satisfying my desire for spicy curry and savory chinese, and satisfying the rest of the family's criteria for "edible food".

So here are the two biggest hits so far:

Indian Chicken(p186)
(I halved the recipe and still had lots leftover)

Heat in large skillet:
2T margarine
2T veg oil

Flour and fry until browned
1 3lb fryer, cut up
(I used leftover oven roasted chicken)

Remove from skillet and place in casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In remaining fat, saute until golden
2 med onions, chopped

Combine and add to onions, stirring to blend well:
3T flour
2T curry powder
1t ground ginger
2t salt

Combine and add to onion mixture:
1/3 C honey
1/4 C soy sauce
3C chicken broth or bouillon

Cook over high heat, stirring until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over chicken and bake, covered, about an hour.
Options:
Add 3-4C cooked drained chick-peas to casserole before adding sauce

Serve over rice.


Chow Mein(p.133)

Prepare and have ready:
1 lb pork, beef, chicken or shrimp cut in thin slices (again I used leftover oven roasted chicken)
3C celery sliced diagonally into long, thin sticks
2C onions, sliced
3/4C mushrooms fresh or canned
3C fresh bean sprouts

Combine in a small bowl and set aside:
1T fresh ginger grated or chopped
(or 1/4 t powdered ginger)
1t sugar
3T cornstarch
5T soy sauce
3/4 C soup stock or reconstituted bouillon

Heat in a large skillet
1T oil

Add meat and stir-fry just until done (mine was already done so I immediately put it in a separate pan and started with the vegetables). In a separate skillet, stir-fry in 1T oil each vegetable just until slightly cooked. Add each vegetable to meat skillet after stir-frying. Just before serving, reheat meat mixture and add sauce. Cook just until sauce thickens and clears. Serve hot with rice.

Anniversary Cake

Yesterday we had an anniversary party for Harv and Helene - 35 Years! This is the cake we had made for them and the picture I took that we are going to put in the paper next week. The calendar was a secret surprise present for Harv and Helene, and they really seemed to like it. We had a great evening and tomorrow I will post the video of Luke and Cammy tearing around the house giggling.

Is he doing what I think he's doing?

Isn't this outfit adorable? He actually left the hat on the entire time I was photographing him!


Yes. He's sucking his toes. And then he washes it down with a little milk! What a nut. We were out in the front yard pulling weeds last week and Luke kept walking down the driveway towards the street, so finally I got out the big recycle bin (about two feet by two feet, rectangle), and put Luke in it. I tossed weeds in and he sat with his head barely peeking above the edge, tossing the weeds back out over the side. After about fifteen minutes he got tired of that, so he squatted in the box, grabbed a handful of weeds, stood up with his hands over his head and gracefully dropped the weeds...on his head. He did this over and over! It was nice not to have to keep chasing him down the driveway. I actually got quite a few weeds pulled, although you wouldn't know it if you hadn't seen it before.

Drinking Problem

Some might call this a problem. Luke calls it opportunity! God gave you two hands for a reason.

Too Busy!

Too busy to write much today. I am working on this calendar for a secret somebody's birthday. Here are a few of the backdrops. I am so pleased with the backdrops that I can barely bring myself to put pictures on them!

Blueberries for Sal

Blueberries for Sal is one of my favorite children's stories. Yesterday we had blueberries for Luke! I made blueberry pancakes for lunch and Luke fed himself, which means blueberries EVERYWHERE! He was so purple and messy by the end of lunch that instead of wiping him down with a damp cloth as I usually do, I stuck him in the tub, undressed him and hosed him down. His hands looked like a newborn's hands the rest of the day, all pruny and purple.

This morning Luke started waking up around 6am, so I nursed him and layed him back down. After that he slept until 9am! Hurray! I got a full night's sleep. Midnight to 9am. We don't have much planned for today since I was counting on being exhausted, so we're going to do some laundry and clean up the house. Somehow the housework has gotten neglected the last four or five days. I guess it's been kind of a whirlwind with something every evening. Tonight we are taking it easy.

What Did You Do All Day?

Most recent achievement: Luke stands up without pulling himself up on anything!

We all know the story of the under-appreciated homemaker whose husband comes home at the end of the day and asks, "What did you do all day?" as if the wife has sat around eating bonbons in her pajamas all day relaxing, when the truth is she isn't out of her pajamas yet because she hasn't had a moment to herself to shower much less get dressed, and the bonbons were all that was readily available without any preparation, and in fact zero relaxation has happened since several hours before the husband even considered waking up.

That homemaker is not me. And that husband is not Derek. But the power of this story is in the truth of people's misconceptions about homemakers, mothers, and anyone who spends their days with children. As this two minute video so clearly shows, we cannot stay in one spot for more than a few moments. Before babies are moving independently they require constant supervision, but are fairly easy to tote around while you do chores. As soon as they are moving, you can say good-bye to peeing in private, doing the laundry without spilling soap on the floor, putting dishes in the dishwasher without the baby climbing up onto the dishwasher door and grabbing for the knives, or typing at the computer without little hands reaching up and pushing the page down button in the middle of your sentence and then throwing a tantrum when you tell them no and give them a different toy. Phone calls sound more like, "No, Luke. Sorry, just a sec-" instead of, "You've got to hear this cute sound Luke is making!"

As baby gets older his awake hours become longer, which means time to yourself becomes more rare. But awake hours also become less and less your own as you spend more time chasing down a deviant toddler. How funny to watch somebody else's child wander down the hallway and start pulling the toilet paper off the roll! Aren't they something, *smirk. How exhausting to be constantly closing doors, correcting bad behavior, and cleaning up the pile of food which is forever appearing beneath the high chair.

But don't get me wrong. It's not all tired feet and baggy eyes. It's also awkward moments of watching your child eat food off the floor in front of your friends, seeing your son notice his reflection in the television screen and laugh hysterically, cuddling up and reading a story before nap time, making snarky faces and hearing your baby giggle with delight, recognizing your child is holding the book right side up, and turning the pages from right to left (now where'd he learn that?), hearing little footsteps come walking down the hall, your child walking straight to you with their teddy bear held up over their head to be hugged, a tiny boy clinging to your legs with his face pressed between your knees asking to be held.

La Cucaracha

Below: The progress Derek and Harv made on the deck before lunch on Saturday!

Luke's vocabulary is really expanding. Today I'm certain he said, "La Cucaracha" while playing his maraccas. Not really. But he actually said, "Milk", when he wanted his sippy cup! And he's pretty good at saying, "A' duh", when he is "All Done".

Speaking of all done, Derek is hoping to have the deck and all the siding done next Saturday (except for the stairs off the deck). It's a tall order, but if he could get it all done in the next week or two, we can have Luke's birthday party outside (weather permitting!). We had frost over the weekend and even though I covered all my plants, two of my peppers and one of my tomatoes burned pretty badly. I'm still hoping they'll recover.

Tonight we are celebrating our anniversary with Harv and Helene by going out for dinner. It is nice to not have to think about making dinner. Although I made chow mein for dinner on Saturday and the leftovers have been SO GOOD. I am definitely making chow mein again soon!