Tuesday, March 16, 2010

New Reality


I took the day off early last Friday to pick up Oliver and head to the store for pot roast fixins. Jay was bringing Quinn home from school and this is her favorite dish of mine. I wanted to have something special for her on the first night she had with us that week. So as I was driving home down 6th street and Lamar I passed lots of old haunts and longingly watched the patrons enjoying their beers outside in the sunshine. I miss those old days of spending Friday afternoons at a long happy hour enjoying many (too many) pints. But then I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Oliver's pudgy little face smile back at me, so I got over it.

We made it in and out of Newflower with no problems. I scored lots of fruits and veggies on sale so I was super proud of myself for stretching our grocery budget a little bit more. But then, on a whim, I stopped by at Tuesday Morning to look for a bigger dutch oven. The one we have was a wedding gift - a smallish lime green Le Creuset that I love. It's just the smallish part that's the issue. We really need a bigger one. I was hoping to find a cheap Lodge cast iron dutch oven or something similar. Instead, they had the perfect grey 5.5 qt. Le Creuset marked down from $250 to $99. NINETY-NINE DOLLARS!!!! Oh man, in my pre-new house, new baby days I would have snapped that up. But with another one on the way and SO many other things taking priority, spending that $99 absolutely could not be justified. I think I shed a little tear - and of course instead of smiling, Oliver was tossing all of the nearby shelf items on the floor as fast as he could get his pudgy little hands on them.

I drove home feeling sad, but determined to make what we have work for our growing family.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Green Gate Farms


Taking day trips with the kids is one of my goals this spring. I am inspired by the blog posts of other families like this one who have taken their kids out to dairies, farms and orchards to gather their own food. I want my children to have those experiences too - but really never took the time to search out local farms. Well, I just discovered Green Gate Farms yesterday online. They are out east of Austin by Decker Lake. Their farmstand opens this month - that sounds like a great first trip out to see the farm animals and get some fresh veggies.

Other places I would like to go include some urban farms in Austin like Boggy Creek Farm, the lavender fields near my parent's house in Dripping Springs and out to pick some peaches and blackberries near Fredericksburg. This guide lists some possibilities.

Know of any other great places to take kids to explore where their food comes from?

Update: Jay just told me about a place out near his parents' house in Bastrop where you can pick strawberries!

Love, love love love love




There are a lot of regular clothes out there that would pass for maternity wear right now - that is until I am around 7 or 8 months along. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I really want to be wearing easy dresses/tunics and sandals. These two from here and here would be my first picks.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Duffle


Spring gives me bag fever and this duffle is awesome (from here).

It is so beautiful today. It feels like ages since I have felt the sun on my skin and can breathe deeply and relax while outside. This winter has had me cooped up, wrapped up, shivering and tense.

I am so grateful for the cycling of the seasons.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Nursery


I finally get a chance to decorate a nursery for Oliver and the new baby. I love this one from Remodelista. It pretty much has all of the elements of the one I've had in my head and is within our limited budget. I really like the simplicity of it, though I would probably paint the crib with grey milk paint and leave the changing table a natural wood color. I also love all of the storage baskets. The shelves and mobile are on my list.