To celebrate the one year anniversary of two of our most favorite people in the Universe, James wrote them both an email recounting his experience and thoughts during their wedding 365 days prior. He ended his email with the quote above. Oh how I feel this for so many of you out there.
In honor of what would be Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 112th birthday, my most cherished quote from Le Petit Prince.
Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.
And on that note, happy weekend to all.
Our first dinner inspired by our very own garden! So what if it is the bastard child of garlic, the Garlic Scape. It’s still homegrown!
I wasn’t sure what to do with these scapes, the swirly curly stems that grow out of garlic in the early summer months. All I knew is that they needed to be snipped to maximize garlic growth.
So snip we did.
After some Googling, I determined that garlic scape pesto sounded like a smart way to put these bad boys to use, guaranteeing that both baby and preschooler would also enjoy the meal. Who knew this swirly stem could be so delish!
Ingredients:
1.5 c. garlic scapes
1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
Toss all ingredients in a food processor and give ’em a good blend!
And PESTO! We served it over some whole wheat pasta with fresh parm.
Courtland approved. Very much indeed.
And I couldn’t be more pleased that this seemingly useless stem is actually quite tasty!
Photos: Courtesy of Ashley Weeks Cart
This week I saw the Williamstown Theatre Festival‘s production of The Importance of Being Earnest. My cheeks still ache from smiling throughout the entire 2 hour and 20 minute production. What a witty witty man that Wilde.
We’ve had the chicks in our lives for exactly 1 week.
We started with 15. We’re down to six. We had planned on keeping 12 after passing three on to a friend, but as they were getting bigger and I began breaking down the reality of 12 chickens, i.e. a dozen eggs a day, I decided that we needed to cut the flock in half or be chained to a life of daily frittatas and quiches.
Fortunately, a local family swooped in and took six of the girls off of our hands yesterday afternoon.
So here is our flock. Introducing: Dora and Boots, the black Plymouth Barred Rocks named by Sunny, Nemo, the lemon colored Ameurcana named by James, and Bunty, Babes and Edwina, the remaining three, named after my favorite characters in Chicken Run.
We took them outside for the first time yesterday, and I expected them to delight in this inaugural free range opportunity. But instead, this happened…
I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t adore that they took shelter on my leg. I now feel as though I can truly call myself Mama to a half dozen chicks.
Ah the power of imprinting…
When Addison was born we received many a purple cow themed package given our Eph roots. The fact that the nursery was decorated in a full blown cow theme only exacerbated the litany of bovine accessories and decor.
One of my favorite packages included this purple cow smock that Sunny has been putting to great use since she received an easel from Auntie Kimmy for her 3rd birthday. Also, this purple hippo towel, which, ya know, could be mistaken for a cow. And honestly, who cares, it is so sickeningly adorable!
It was thanks to this package that I was introduced to and fell in love with 3 Sprouts. Thus, when the opportunity to win some goodies as part of a blogging contest presented itself, I threw my writing in the ring. I could not have been more delighted to be named the winner of said contest! I asked 3 Sprouts if I could continue to share the love by showcasing how I’d put my winnings to use in our new playroom while also offering an opportunity for one of you lucky readers to win an item of your choosing.
Because 3 Sprouts is thebomb.com, they agreed!
And now our playroom is not only organized but outrageously adorable. Double win!
For Sunny’s “art area” of the room, I ordered up the purple cow wall organizer. It compliments her smock just perfectly, and is a great place to store pads of paper, stickers, crayons, colored pencils, etc.
I snapped up one of each of the storage boxes to hold our overwhelming number of stuffed animals and baby toys. They’re at Courtland’s level since the majority of her toys now live in those bins.
The two caddies I filled with less baby-friendly toys, such as Sunny’s array of cars and trains. They live on top of the bookshelf, a place Sunny can reach and Kaki cannot.
Pretty stinking cute, no? I absolutely adore this nook of the house.
And now, to keep the cute party going, here’s how you can win an item of choice from 3 Sprouts. That’s right ANY item you choose:
• visit 3 Sprouts
• leave a comment below telling me what your favorite piece (or animal!) is from the shop
• for an extra chance to win…
‘like’ 3 Sprouts and me on Facebook, then come back here and tell us you like us, you really like us! in the comments
• another chance to win…
follow 3 Sprouts and me on Twitter, then tweet the following phrase (then, come back here and share a link to your Tweet in the comments): Did you catch @tweetalacart & @3_Sprouts adorable giveaway? I just entered!: http://blogalacart.com/2012/06/3-sprouts
• and one final chance to win…
subscribe to my blog, then come back here and let me know that you’re reading along in the comments.
Make sure you enter a valid email address in the email section of the comment box so I can contact you if you win! The winner will be chosen next Wednesday, July 4th at 12pm EST. Open worldwide. Total Value: Up to $34.
GOOD LUCK!
Photos: Courtesy of Ashley Weeks Cart
James, it’s time for you and the girls to craft a video response.
“Naked Bummies in the Breeze” or “Kicky Kaks” both make optimal song choices for such a quest. You have your marching orders.
I shouldn’t be surprised that raspberries are her favorite food. She’s been rocking a raspberry on her arm since Day 1.
This is when she is the quietest and the least terrifying. My lord, how did she get so grown up so fast?
