Latest Obsession

A handful of dried cranberries in my salad.

Om nom nom.

Florida III

We put most of these back on the beach after collecting, sorting, and taking pictures of them. My mom developed a new game: scatter our unwanted shells on the beach (near our beach chairs), then sit back and watch who nibbles on them. A lazy, yet satisfying game.

The whole process of collecting, sorting and photographing is so wonderfully therapeutic. And it doesn't hurt that we did all of those things while basking in the Florida sunlight.

Week 2: Seed Sprouting

Check out the squash! All of the zucchini and squash sprouts are about two inches tall already, and it's only been 10 days since I planted them.

The basil, chives and tomato are peeking out of the soil, too. Teeny little sprouts—right on track.

The bell peppers have one questionable sprout (out of three pots). Not sure if it's actually a pepper sprout or something else random from the potting soil. We shall see.

No sign of the cilantro or parsley. Hmmm. Patience is key.

Florida II

Family + Florida

Just got back from a fantastic little vacation with my mom and my aunt Melissa. The mom spotted this heart-shell, and it turned out to be my favorite picture of the trip. But grrr, once again we forgot to get a shot of all of us together.

We got twice as many sunny days as we'd expected!
Lots of catching up, relaxing, and shelling.
Oh, and lots of grouper. ; )

Looking forward to future girls' trips when more ladies can join us.


PS Thank you Kathy & Terry for sharing your lovely home with us!

Surprise

Flowers for no particular reason are the best kind of flowers.

This little guy is ready to be potted. Thanks Scott : )

Week 1: Seed Starting

Three little planters of each — basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, tomato, squash, zucchini & peppers. I lined the box with plastic wrap and put a few seeds in each little pot (knowing I'll have to thin them out eventually). The pots are biodegradable so transplanting should be a breeze. After taking pics, I covered the whole thing with plastic wrap*, poked a few teeny holes, and put it in our big south-facing window.

Some things, like the squash, I'm afraid I might be starting too early in the season. Buttt if the squash does well, we may be gifting a couple of the seedlings to friends. I hear one squash plant is plenty.

Keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm going to be so excited if I even get one veggie out of this bunch.

Advice is still always welcome (especially if you notice anything I am doing wrong). I'm planning to post weekly progress : )


*Edit: should I take the plastic wrap off so the seeds have better air circulation? Don't want them to get too moist and then moldy. Hmmmmm...

Pine Nuts

I just learned a whole lot about pine nuts,
like the fact that they come from pine cones.

And did you know that you should refrigerate them?
Because I didn't. Oopsies.

I'd like to try an Italian pine nut cookie.
Deeeeelicious.

Seeking Gardening Advice

Last night I bought a bunch of seeds to start our backyard garden (basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, tomato, squash, zucchini & peppers). I'm a little skeptical about attempting to start all of these from the seed, but this blog post recommended certain plants for it. I'm starting them inside, just as the post recommends.

I'm feeling confident about getting the seeds to sprout, but now it's time to do some research about the part that comes next: transplanting, container gardening, vegetable gardening, etc.

Do you gardeners out there have any favorite gardening books? I've seen some recommendations for You Grow Girl and Grow Great Grub. Ever check 'em out?

Also, if you have any advice from your own gardening experience (Mom! Grandma Peggy! Avi!), pretty please share your wisdom. I'm excited, but wary of my black thumb.


PS I also just discovered that the April issue of Grid Magazine (towards a sustainable Philadelphia) is all about city gardening! Just grabbed my copy. You can actually see a virtual issue online if you're interested.

The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs

Oldie but a goodie. Appropriate for this lovely springtime weather.

The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs by The Be Good Tanyas.

"Well I love you so dearly,
I love you so fearlessly..."

Alma Mater Ranked #7!

The University of Delaware's Visual Communications program is ranked 7th out of all graphic design schools in the U.S.

Heck yes! Proud to be a Blue Hen!

Pedigree Commercial

Love this. Brilliant, really.

Via pica + pixel.

Ekta

Mmm Wednesday night delivery from Ekta was delicious.
Chicken korma and garlic naan, I have missed you.

Philly Flower Show

Note to self:

Want to go to the Philadelphia Flower Show next year with my mom.

Here is why.

Weekend in DC

Last weekend we drove down to DC to visit Courtney and Becca.
We crammed a lot into two days!

- Told stories and drank too many margaritas in Courtney's kitchen
- Played buck hunter and skeeball at Rocket Bar
- Walked around the mall all afternoon (gorgeous sunny and 50º!)
- Watched a group of dancing kids ham it up in front of the Washington Monument
- Discovered the best little restaurant in China Town
- Baked gooey butter cake on somewhat of a whim
- Watched The Hurt Locker, which had me on the edge of my seat
- Took a few photos near Courtney's neighborhood on Sunday morning

AND! We made it back to Philly by 2pm Sunday, which left us with plenty of time to explore the huge Asian supermarket, walk to Reading Terminal Market, do some laundry, relax, and watch the Oscars. An amazing weekend, I'd say.

Thanks for being an awesome hostess, Courtney! We had a great time.

February & March Birthdays

Happy Birthday Chris, Lauren, Bill, Dom, Haley and Greg!

Due to my blogging slump, I missed February, which was a doozy of a birthday month. So happy belated to Sam F., Dawn, Graham, Connie, Diane, Lauren M., Lorraine and Nitika!

Let me know if I missed anybody!
This birthday blog each month may be kind of silly, but I like it.