a victory garden



David and I, in an effort to conserve and save, are attempting to eat all local foods and nothing processed this year. This means baking our own breads, spending more time at the farmer's market and growing more food. All of which we are extremely excited about! This spring we're planning to turn much of the back yard into an edible landscape. The video above is from Eat the View which is a campaign to turn the white house lawn into a victory garden similar to the days of Eleanor Roosevelt. We want to encourage you to grow a garden as well and also please sign the petition at Eat the View to tell the Obama's you'd like to see a garden at the White House.

belated

I knitted this blanket as a Christmas gift for a certain someone who might need to keep his lap warm while eating ice cream. Perhaps now it will be a Valentine's gift instead.

s u n d a y

wake up, get dressed, let dog out, drive to the arroyo seco, walk cash, drive to petco: buy dog food, cat food, and 2 new toys for cash (one of which has been gutted and squeaker removed already), drive home, eat breakfast: oatmeal courtesy of dave with fresh fruit and decaf tea, plan menu for the week: thai black cod with beets and broccoli rabe, chicken biriyani, pizza with arugula and grape tomatoes, sweet potato and corn bisque, and fettuccine with pesto and grilled shrimps, drive to farmer's market, drive to whole foods, drive home, make lunch: leftovers with salad from the garden, wash dishes, clean out refrigerator, let dog out, clean out left side kitchen cabinets, let dog in, make two trips to the composter, make veggie broth for the week, start it to boil, clean out right side of kitchen cabinets, make another trip to the composter, clean out kitchen linen drawer and refold linens, strain veggie broth, make bread for the week: whole wheat apple sauce with aid of bread machine, wash dishes, check clock, 4:45!!, take shower, cook dinner: black cod, wash dishes, drive to movie theater, watch slumdog millionaire, drive home, take bread out of machine, help dave interpret directions on spanish hot chocolate package, boil eggs for tomorrow's breakfast, watch sag awards, blog.

7 years later

While we were in London, Dave and I celebrated a milestone of our own, SEVEN amazing years together. We decided the night called for something special and made reservations at The Ledbury in Notting Hill. It did not disappoint. If you're ever in London and find a reason to celebrate this is the place to do it.
(thanks to Jon for the photo!)

parting gift

Well, Dave and I made it home. (Have you noticed I start a lot of my sentences with well? I have. If you want someone to blame, it's my grandmother Mary Lou's fault.) We were on vacation to London and Barcelona in case you were wondering. The vacation was lovely (that's me speaking brittish), and I promise to post lots of photos and interesting tidbits. So we're home, which is also lovely. What's not lovely. My broken iphone. Nope. Not lovely at all.

resolving

Although I made a lot of lists last year, none of them had to do with resolutions. So I thought I would start with the easiest change in 2009 and actually make resolutions.

1. get licensed - the oral test is scheduled for july giving me no excuse to be prepared
2. learn spanish - i want to be able to converse with the neighbors
3. grow more - ideally enough that the grocery store visit becomes a thing of the past
4. make more - i should really use the sewing machine for more than just pillows
5. unpack - sad but true, we still have boxes unopened from our move into the house in 06