Ever wondered what broccoli looks like as it grows?
Well, now you know. It looks like....broccoli!
Isn't it cute? A little broccoli floret is the start of what I hope to be a prize-winner.
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In other news, the Brussels sprouts plants are huge. However, there are no Brussels sprouts anywhere to be seen. Do I have dud plants? Does it take forever for them to grow the edible morsels? Tell me your secrets, Brussels!
Mr. Lemon Tree is doing fabulously...I hope to get some great lemons soon as I'm thinking of making some Limoncello as Christmas gifts this year, pairing it with a recipe or two. C'mon lemons!
We've got a squirrel problem at the homestead. Every morning you can
watch the legendary black squirrel run his routine around the fence
top on the left, up the tree an back down the fence on the right. He's
a busy squirrel!
Since we moved in, I've always found pieces of garbage and toys in the
mulch around the lemon tree. I often ask myself, "How on Earth did
that Lego go unnoticed all this time? Or that spoon, for that matter?
What the heck did the previous inhabitants of this duplex think mulch
was made from? Certainly not Legos, old yogurt containers and
electrical wire...Humm."
Today there was a toy airplane at the base of the tree. I know for a
fact that wasn't there previously. I've spent a lot of time at that
lemon tree!
I also spotted an oddity among the radishes this morning. Someone
planted an avocado in the row, as if it belongs there and was planted
right along with the radishes! Then I spotted a persimmon in a spare
plant pot holding some spare mulch. They're storing up for winter, I
suppose.
My marigolds? Well, they've always been the apparent best-ever
nut-burying trough. The poor things are scratched a new one nearly
daily!
Perhaps it's time to invest in some greenhouse-like plastic covering
or fencing, especially if I don't want avocados displacing my radishes
all winter.
We've slowly but surely been making our home look like it houses adults. Curtains, plants, matching wood stain, pillows.
Thank goodness for Ikea.
We intend to paint an accent wall in the living room, too, but just haven't gotten around to it for a few reasons: $$, we'd have to repaint since we're renting and selecting a paint color is much more stressful than I thought!
It started with curtains and pillows.
We bought the curtains at Ikea, which come with hemming tape (I'm sure there is a name for it, but can't think of it at the moment) so you can iron and shorten to your heart's content. That process took a while, with all the measuring, ironing, measuring, inserting the tape and ironing again, all before trimming the curtains.
Curtains and pillows weren't enough, so we moved onto the coffee table.
We inherited this table from Justin's friend Jason. Jason actually made this in shop class, or so I've been told. It's a good coffee table that's lived in Aberdeen, Pullman, Aberdeen, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Mountain View and San Jose. You can see a bit of the old color in my "Royal Wedding" post.
Instead of getting a new one to match our entertainment center (or is it a TV stand?), we decided to sand down and restain ol' trusty in the backyard.
Justin worked and worked to remove the stain, trying different types of sand paper, machines and goop. Just as he turned the table upright to sand the final leg, the leg SNAPPED. Well, it cracked and snapped.
Now, if my next move doesn't prove that I'm my father's daughter, I don't know what does:I ran in for the wood glue and tie-downs.
It took a lot of convincing, but I talked JT into it instead of quitting altogether or running out for a new table. We glued ol' trusty, wrapped the tie downs around the legs and waited for it to dry.
Thankfully it went back together and is as good as new. We just ask that you please do not sit on the table when you come visit.
After the successful sanding and restaining of the table, Justin announced his plans to restain many-a-pieces in the house.
"When I'm done with the table, I'm going to restain the small table in the office, then I'm going to restain the hutch, then the bookcase, then I'm going to...," said Justin.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa...I'd like to discuss these projects with you before you start sanding down all our furniture! I don't want each piece of furniture in the house to be the same color," I replied.
I'm glad I was around for his announcement, or who knows what he would have sanded ;)
We did decide to sand and restain my bedroom dresser. Now it matches the other dresser, side tables and headboard.
Yes, I can garden and drink beer if I want to. I'll even stop gardening to take a picture of Justin painting!
Look out, Team Thompson is growing up before your very eyes.
Before...while we were moving in.
After...we also got a new lamp shade to go with the brown pillows. Crazy, I know.
I've made this twice now -- once for when Drew was in town for dinner! -- and again on Tuesday morning. Well, Justin made it after I went to work Tuesday morning, so it didn't sit in the crockpot for 12 hours.
No matter who makes it at our house, this is a quick, yummy and filling stew that I've been eating for lunch all week! When I saute the onions and turkey, I also add in a diced poblano or other pepper to give it a bit of heat. I also use about 10 small (baby) red potatoes, halved, instead of 3 Russets, although I'm sure Russets would be fine.
When served, I top it with a sprinkling of grated cheese and fresh-snipped chives. For lunch today I stirred in some diced (homegrown!) tomato I had left over for a fresh twist. Zucchini or bell peppers may be a welcome addition, if you can eat bell peppers, that is. I cannot.
I see this stew being a regular for Team Thompson. I also see future, over-indulgent Christine adding on some sour cream, black olives and perhaps some Fritos. Tisk, tisk.
While listening this morning to a podcast of Joyce Meyer, I took away
the following important message for everyday life:
"This is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and
be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24 AMP)
While it's easy to say, "I'll be happy when..." or "I'll be happy when
they do..." it takes commitment to start each day determined to be
happy and hopeful, celebrating what has been given.
"There will always be something to steal your joy until you make a
decision to be happy now. Why would any reasonably intelligent person
want to think things that make them miserable? Be a person that's full
of hope -- hope is a joyful expectation." - Joyce Meyer
So...here I go: today is a newsletter day at work. The newsletter will
come together well and I'll have plenty of time to finish it,
presenting a final product that I feel is my best work. :)
Well, now you know. It looks like....broccoli!
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