My little fruit patch

We were excited about the vegetable garden, and then we were offered raspberries. My excitement multiplied exponentially. Because I like veggies, but I ADORE raspberries. And the thought of having our own little stash growing all summer long in the backyard thrilled me to no end.

This wasn't going to be an easy project though. We have rocks all over our back yard. Rocks and overgrown bushes. It's terrible. Apparently the last owners wanted a very low maintenance backyard, and so they rocked all over the previous owners flower beds. And then they went bush crazy. It's a tiny backyard and there are over 25 bushes. No lie. We have dreams of removing every last river rock from our yard. One day we'll get there, so we started our rock removal program with the raspberry patch.Rory and I worked for hours on this section by the garage and got rid of 5-8 inches of rock, hauling them by tarp over to the rocks by our driveway. We found this drain thing that our neighbor Alison told us was put in because the garage used to get icy floors and the previous owners wouldn't be able to stop once they pulled their car in during the winter.

Since we also value the ability to stop our car in the garage and not just plow through to the other side, we decided we had best keep the drain. So Rory did some repair and we put some rock down over the tube and then wrapped the tube with some fancy material so that mud wouldn't cake the tube before the water could get through. Then we covered the whole thing with more of the same soil mix Rory had used for his Veggie Garden.

Ivar watched us the ENTIRE time. And he looked about as enthused as you would expect a kid would while watching his parents move rock from one side of the yard to the other. But he never complained. He's so good to us.Our plan is to post all of this River Rock on craigs list for free. If you or anyone you know is looking for lots and lots and lots of free rock, look no further! It's yours!And finally, thanks to Kathy Anderson, my life-long next door neighbor (until I was 17) I planted the raspberries. I realize they are WAY TOO CLOSE TOGETHER, but we were sort of banking only a third of them surviving. Turns out, the day I planted them was good and humid and the two days since have been muggy and wet and basically perfect for transplants. So it may very well be that I will have to find new homes for many, many of my raspberry plants. Either that, or we'll have the raspberries to feed the neighborhood all summer long.

Next up, rhubarb and dwarf blueberry bushes. Yum, yum and yum.

reservations for 14 adults, 7 babies

Well, I have terrible pictures, but I really feel like I had better document this one. On Saturday our birthing class had a six month reunion. We met at Tavern on France and were told that the back room charged a ridiculous amount of money to reserve. So the mom making the reservations just said, we'd be happy anywhere. We'll have 14 adults and 7 babies. And guess where they put us? In the back room. A risky group, to be sure.

It was a super amazing lunch. The last time we had seen each other, we had just watched a birthing video and were all 8-9 months pregnant. Six months later and everyone had their 5-6 month old in tow, looked confident and collected (I thought it was good we waited for six months...I know I wasn't feeling confident or collected a few months ago) and we all shared stories of labor, our favorite diapers, and how our lives have changed in the most amazing ways in the past six months.

Mother's Day

I just came across these lovely posts from last year, written by seven of my favorite women in the world in honor of Mother's Day. If you're new to the blog, be sure to go back and read the wisdom written by seven hard-working, honorable mom's.

For the intro post, click here.
For the final post, click here.

And click on the names for the following words of wisdom from:
My mom, Margaret Harrington
My sister-in-law, Stephanie Morris
My sister-in-law, Lisa Groves
My mother-in-law, Marlene Groves
My sister, Annika Larson
My sister-in-law, Sara Groves
My grandma, Velma Bredberg

the princess of whales

While with my nieces this weekend, I was explaining to Sonna, the three year old, that there was a girl who was going to marry a prince and that after the wedding she would become a real life princess. Sonna, who is very much in to all things pink, jewelery, dresses and princesses asked with big eyes, "Who is she?"

I told her her name was Kate and since my sister was listening I added, "and she is just a common girl, like you and like me." Annika groaned/laughed.

And then I asked Annika what she thought Katherine would be called. Will she be the Princess of Whales?

Sonna confidently blurted out, "Oh, I already know that princess. It's Ariel."

Get it? Whales? Under the Sea? That's funny stuff and a pretty clever and concrete three year old.

Triple L Farm

"I remember a time when families all lived together/
four generations in one house/
and the table was filled with good food and friends and neighbors..."

This is a lyric to one of my favorite Sara Groves songs all about friendship. We got to live this lyric out this weekend and it was perfect. We spent the weekend at the Triple L Farm, my brother-in-law Jedd's family farm. His sister Sara wrote about the weekend here.

It was one of those awesome weekends where you are always aware and so grateful that God created us for community. There were 25 people, many working outside painting, scraping, raking, cleaning and using chainsaws. Some were inside getting the next meal prepared or washing the dishes from the previous meal. Others were watching various combinations of the five kids under age five. The farm was filled with energy and joy. As Sara wrote so beautifully, we experienced the power and pleasure in the act of being connected to land and place, friends and family.

The farm is on the South Dakota border, a pretty windy part of the state and a perfect place to fly a kite. At one point this kite got stuck in the very, very top of a huge tree and Sonna (3yrs) recommended that Grandpa Paul just find a big, big stick to get it out. Thankfully the wind got the kite out for us.It was so good to have sister time. And I haven't seen Jedd look so happy in a long, long time.
The babies were especially sweet, interested in each others toes and socks and taking turns sucking on various toys. I can't believe these little cousins are already half a year old!

more homemade granola bars

Last year I made Starbucks granola bars to take to camp for a healthy staff breakfast. I have been thinking about them a lot lately because I eat a granola bar every day. A hearty granola bar hits the spot for this nursing mom. But my guess is that it isn't really the healthiest habit, especially when I really don't know what is in the store-bought granola bars.

So I looked for another recipe and hit the jackpot. I filled it with all good things, cut the sugar and they are divine. So good that the pan is almost gone (next goal: moderation). These things are so satisfying. I love peanut butter and honey and oatmeal and raisons, so really it would be hard to go wrong with a recipe like this. I made mine with raw almonds, raw walnuts and raisons and they turned out superb.

I found my recipe here, at a food blog called Smitten Kitchen. Yum. I'll be working on variations of this recipe for a long, long time. I'd actually like to try to add in a lot of the starbucks healthy grains (wheat germ, wheat bran and flax seed) to this new recipe. And today I purchased Agave Syrup to try to replace the sugar and honey. I'll keep you posted as I search for the *perfect* granola bar.

six months

What in the world. You are half a year old today, Ivar Nicholas. It just doesn't seem possible that it has already been half a year since we all met in that hospital room.

Strangely, all you’ve really known of the world is that it’s really cold outside. We’ve had a really long winter that set in the week you were born and today on May 1st, we had snow flurries! But stay patient, because I really think you’re going to enjoy the next six months of Minnesota weather.

You are learning a few new skills that will be helpful as we soak up the sun together. Just this week you mastered the art of sitting up on your own. Pillows are still helpful in propping you up as you tend to tip over if there is a toy too far out of your reach. But once face planted, you are good at pushing yourself up a bit and deciding to investigate the carpet you’re on, just as long as you’re down there anyway. I can’t wait to walk you to Lake Harriet, sit you up on a blanket in the shade and watch the boats, squirrels, runners and ducks.

This month you started eating rice cereal, carrots and sweet potatoes. You love your high chair and get very worried if the food doesn’t come to you quick enough. The first time I fed you with a spoon you already were trying to grab the spoon to get it to your mouth faster. It means that we cannot feed you without a complete mess on our hands… and your hands, and our sleeves, your sleeves, your face, neck folds and bib. It’s quite the production.

We still consider you to be the happiest baby on the planet. You are pure joy. You smile and everyone, laugh with your belly and have an ability to charm the socks off of any soul who makes eye contact. You are also a very agreeable baby, who rarely fusses and usually with good reason.
Best of all is how much love you are able to give back to me and your dad. You light up when you see us, laugh out loud when we come back into your presence after having been gone for while. There is no greater feeling than the one you give us every single day: that we are loved and that we are adored. I hope you know the feeling is very mutual.

little monkey

Last week Rory and I took Ivar to the Como Zoo conservatory. When there is still snow flying in April, it's a really good place to go and to remember what humidity is like. The flowers were stunning and smelled so good. But we didn't really feel the need to see any of the animals since we have our own little monkey anyway.

easter in pictures

diy(WYM): a baby tie

I was having trouble finding a baby tie for Ivar to wear on Easter. So I found a do-it-yourself tutorial on how to turn a grown man's tie into a baby tie. Now I love a good diy project, but I love a diy(WYM) project even more: Do-It-Yourself With Your Mom. Especially if the instructions include any sort of sewing steps. So yesterday my mom, who can do anything, got crafty with Ivar.

I have been hanging onto a tie of my Grandpa Harrington's since he passed away. Not sure what my plans were for the tie, but when I found this tutorial I thought there could be nothing sweeter than my baby boy wearing his great grandpa's tie, whom he never met, for his very first Easter. The symbolism is rich for me. Easter is a day that celebrates new life and resurrection and the eternal home where Ivar will get to meet his Great Grandpa John one day all because of Jesus' victory over death and the grave. Ivar is going to rock this tie. I'll post some pictures next week of the whole outfit.

The tie tutorial is found here. The hardest part was tying the tie backwards...and on the wrong end of the tie. Thanks to our family friend's Betsy and Daron for figuring that one out for us!

you have to admit...

...it is really pretty. I just took these at my next door neighbor's house. So lovely, Alison!

I've got gadgets and gizmos a plenty...

...I've got whosits and whatsits galore.

I love a good kitchen gadget. I am a sucker for a good infomercial. I love watching the vendors at the State Fair make their pitch as to why my life isn't complete until I own their product (Note: That claim was actually true. My life wasn't complete until I got my state fair knives.)

Turns out my love for kitchen choppers and blenders and citrus squeezers is actually genetic. I get it from my Great Grandpa Anderson. The french fry cutter above is from him. And so is the Food Glamorizer below. What does it do, you ask? It galmorizes.

When I was growing up, my grandparents gave all of their grandkids $25 for Christmas. We would get our check in the mail around Thanksgiving and then it was our job to pick something out, wrap it up and bring it to the family Christmas. We would sit in a circle and open our present in front of Grandma and Grandpa so that they could see what we purchased with their money.

In seventh grade I spent my $25 on a Braun hand blender. And guess what? I still have it, and I still use it. Best $25 bucks I spent in 7th grade.

So you can only imagine how excited I was when I got a gift card to Williams Sonoma from my brother-in-law Troy for Christmas. Talk about kid in a candy shop. I took my time with the card. I spent a whole lot of time on their website looking through all of my purchase options. As I worked in my own kitchen I wondered what would be the ultimate kitchen gadget to assist in my daily meal prep. I decided that the one thing I hate most in all of food prep is chopping onions. And so there, in the fruit and vegetable tools section I found it. It is the Professional Multi-Chopper. It slices. It dices. It is dishwasher safe. It is compact for storing. The only tears you will shed while chopping your onions are tears of joy. It is a bit loud as you slam through your produce, and you have to be a bit aggressive to get your potatoes through, but honestly the time this baby saves is awesome. And I know Great Grandpa Anderson would approve.

is there anything better?

...than a hand-written letter?I got this letter in the mail last week and I was so excited. I kept it on the coffee table this week and picked it up a few different times to read it all over again, because it is just so rare to get a hand-written, stream-of-consciousness thoughtful piece of mail. My goal for the weekend is to write a letter back to my friend Leslie in Nebraska. And to try to contribute a bit more often to the world of snail mail.

recent reads

A few recent favorites, from bottom to top:

When Elephant Goes to a Party Oh my word, I adore this book. It's all about manners and how to behave at another friend's house. I have a girlfriend who recently told me that she uses the Berenstain Bears all the time to reinforce to her kids how they are to behave/keep their room/tell the truth etc... This book is along those same lines and a great teaching book.

The Crafter's Devotional Delightful and so inspirational. My friend Shannon got me this book for my birthday and it fits me like a glove. Each day is a different creative prompt. Some days it has me writing, others making a simple craft... I will for sure have a bigger blog post about this one in the future.

The Pastor I am a fan of Eugene Peterson as a storyteller and this book showcases his gift through memoir. I loved reading about his childhood and all of the lily pads that led to him becoming a pastor.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child Lately this has been my baby help book of choice. I like how the book is so easy to use as a resource for each age and stage of Ivar's sleep schedule.

The Power of a Praying Parent Confession: I had judged this book by its 80's looking cover. But a few weeks ago Rory and I opened it up and prayed one of the prayers over Ivar and it was a really beautiful moment. The book covers all sorts of topics to pray over your kids, things that I wouldn't necessarily think of to pray without a bit of prompting. Topics like: attracting Godly friends and role models, following Truth and rejecting lies, developing a hunger for the things of God. It's good stuff.

How about you? Read any good books lately?