Monday, May 26, 2014

Feeling much better today! I was able to make brunch for Brett and me. I made buckwheat crepes with fresh organic strawberries, almonds, powdered sugar, and a side of sausage.

Hamilton had a play date with Mozart and spent some time posing under a tree.

When we got home we worked on the front flower bed. Before... and after.

Helper dog

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Today started off slow with a belly ache, but I was able to rally in the afternoon and Erica and I took Hamilton to Lock 7 for a hike. We ended up going longer than we had planned because we got lost in the woods, and we also ended up very muddy.

I took a picture for my pictures of mushrooms collection

And we came very close to a chirping chipmunk, that somehow Hamilton didn't notice! He did notice a garter snake and tried to be it's friend or it's destroyer (not sure which), but it got away and I didn't get a pic.

We got the tomatoes planted in the garden, but I didn't get a chance to take any pictures yet! I did take a picture of the Robin Red Breast nest under the deck. You can see wee birdie peaking beaks!

Sunday, May 18 - Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Didn't take a ton of pics so I've combined a few days into one day. Sunday Brunch this week was peanut butter and banana stuffed french toast, sausage, and mango lassis.

I've got some wee tiny radish, lettuce, kale and chard sprouts in the garden but the peas aren't growing for some reason. My strawberry plants are making tiny strawberries, which I hope I can catch red before the birds do!

I put a catnip plant on the back porch for Monchichi, who is pretty certain now that he can go sit out and sun himself whenever he pleases. He can't do this without supervision, so I find myself sitting out too. Hamilton doesn't mind.

Hamilton is kickin' this day in it's sunshiny...

Hamilton had a playdate with Mozart. I love the Mozart in the background of this picture! Hamilton looks so serious and Mozart is rolling "WHEE!!"

They had some good rough-and-tumble puppy play too!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Today was HOT! 85 and sunny! Hamilton and I did some gardening tasks in short increments so as not to overheat. Hamilton helped me loosen up a pot of dirt...

...to plant some strawberries. We did this last year and only got a few between only having a couple plants and the birds and squirrels thinking they were for them, but the few we got were like candy.

I also planted some herbs; cilantro, dill, flat leaf parsley, and mint. Still need a few more. The chives from last year are coming back, and I imagine we'll have some others pop up in other pots too.

MY SEEDS CAME UP!!

No, not really. That would be cool though. I put in some kohlrabi and broccoli seedlings lining the path that still needs pavers. Speaking of seedlings, Hamilton decided he was the guardian of the seedlings, a position that requires one sit on the table under the shade of the umbrella with all the wee plants.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Brunch this morning was not feeling photogenic... but it was still delicious. Brett got the lawn mowed and Hamilton and I (*ahem*) got some things planted in the garden. We put in lettuce, kale, chard, radishes, snap peas, and shell peas. I already asked Brett if they've come up yet. (they haven't)

Brett and I took Hamilton to the Colonie Town Park for a nice walk. Hamilton loves hikes and trail walks. It was a beautiful day to be out!

After our walk we stopped a TCBY for some frogurt. Hamilton even got a little pup-cup (about 2 tbsp of vanilla)! He was delighted!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Busy day! Co-op this morning, then Erica, Christine, Hamilton and I visited with Mary and Mozart for a while. Hamilton had fun with his buddy, though it's tough to catch good pictures of them in motion.

We returned home to complete laundry chores and finish up another dress and romper for Fuzz.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Today was a busy day. I've been working on perfecting making smoothies with my immersion blender and cup rather than making a giant mess with the big blender. It's getting a little better so it isn't just making a big mess with the immersion blender, which, being an open container, means impressive sprays of purple to clean in the kitchen.

This afternoon, Hamilton and Monchichi wanted to sun on the deck. Monchichi, being an old man now (13 this summer!) is allowed certain special privileges, and sunning himself (supervised) on the deck is one of them. He enjoys sniffing the fresh air and getting toasty in the sun. So does Hamilton, but being a dog he always gets this privilege. Hamilton also got 2 miles of walkies at the town park today, including exploring the trails for a while, which is his most favorite thing. He's been napping ever since, though he did manage to rally long enough to eat his dinner.

Erica is having work-stress so she spent the afternoon at the house, and finished the dress she was working on for Fuzz' bday. It looks like an 80's party dress, most fantastically.

Tonight for dinner was Erica's request/suggestion of nachos. I can't justify why loaded nachos is any better or worse for dinner than tacos, so we indulge. It's corn tortilla chips with seasoned ground beef-ish, onion, bell pepper, and zucchini, topped with cheese sauce, guacamole, and lettuce. In Erica's case, it also involves pineapple salsa.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Today I had to work for a big enough chunk of the afternoon at my office to justify packing a lunch, so I made myself a delicious bento. It didn't carve Pokemon out of a radish or anything, but it was still colorful and tasty.

I took it all apart for photographic purposes. The top layer is fresh cut pineapple and raspberries. Then the small white tray is Rice Thins with Aged Cashew Cheese with Kale. That fits over top the compartment with carrots, celery, jicama, and bell pepper with some spicy avocado hummus to dip. Finally, some veggie booty on the side. After work today Hamilton and I went to the park and walked for a little over 2 miles. He was pokey at first needing to sniff each individual blade of grass, but then we got moving and he did well. We ran into his friends Molly and Sean, and he met a new scottie dog who was pleasant if boring. Brett got home a few minutes after we did and he helped me put weed blocker down in the garden, get the timbers set again for the path, and put up the trellises for the peas. I didn't get a chance to plant them, however, because it was then 7 and I needed to make dinner. Tonight's dinner was rigatoni with chick'n, spinach, and alfredo sauce. It was delicious! Here's the garden as of tonight, though it isn't much to look at. You can't even really see the empty trellises, just the stakes that hold them up.

Dinner Bell!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Tonight is book club night, which usually means baking day... but I am without an oven! Our oven was making a funky chemical smell and heating slowly and I finally got Sears out to look at it and it would have cost $400 to repair. OUCH! We only paid $100 for the oven used five years ago, so we couldn't justify spending that much to repair. While the oven still technically works, the repair guy strongly advised I not use it due to it being a fire hazard. I can use the stovetop though, so I made Peanut Butter No-Bakes. Yum yum. These remind me a lot of a Reese's cup with crunchy bits in them.
The recipe is simple...
Melt 1/2 cup butter/margarine
Stir in 2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Press into a 9X13 pan lined with foil

Melt 8 oz chocolate and spread on top.

Cut when the chocolate is soft set, then let it set the rest of the way. I also sprinkle a little fleur de sel on top because salt and dark chocolate is an amazing combination.

Book club was pleased.

My new oven will be arriving May 27. It's a 5 burner stovetop with a 15,000 btu power burner and a 5.1 cubic ft oven and a griddle. Only 3 wks to go until it's mine!

Monday, May 5, 2014

Finally enough of a break in the rain today to get the garden tilled. I told Brett that if Hamilton ran the world, garden tilling day would be a holiday since you can dig-dig everywhere and no one gets upset!

His dig-digging had to end when it was time to mix in the manure as he'd just had his Advantix the day before, and he can't be bathed for a bit! This year we eliminated the grass path in the middle of the garden because it's difficult to mow. I think we'll put down pavers over top of landscape fabric instead. I wanted to narrow the path anyway since one side of the garden was much wider than the other. Here's the freshly tilled square!

My seedlings are getting big and starting to spend days outside to harden for eventual transplant. They're getting big... Still tiny, hanging out under their grow light!

Kind of outgrowing the grow light.

Waiting to be put out on the deck for the day! Much bigger!

Hopefully we can get the weed blocker down and get my peas, radishes, greens, and lettuce planted this week! The sky will have to cooperate and not rain on us!