i am under no disguise

I am invigorated. Today the wind is whipping, the sun is shining, and I found this fabulous guide of places to eat in Atlanta. I feel indebted to the Amateur Gourmet for highlighting some of Atlanta's best gems, and for imparting some knowledge I wasn't aware of - Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock cooked (and lived) together when Watershed opened. Who knew?
Okay, so the spinach seedlings have come up.
They migrated from their rows, probably due to my enthusiastic watering, but at least they're coming up. I woke up one day to an overcast sky and transplanted the seedlings back to their neat rows. Most of them seem to be surviving. And then there are the potatoes that Luke planted. They are gorgeous.
I apologize for the lack of pictures. Our camera seems to be lost in limbo right now. Which means that we can't find it so I can't show you everything that's new around here.
Evelyn sent us some music - Neko Case's new album "Middle Cyclone" and "Alpinisms" by School of Seven Bells. Seriously good stuff. She always knows what I will like, even though we haven't seen one another in years. She just knows my heart, I suppose.

In baby news - Finn can roll over from his back to his belly. It's so adorable the way he just flips over, easy as pie. He's trying new foods, most of which he seems to hate, some to the point of gagging. The faces he makes convince me that the pureed banana (or avocado, or carrot, or applesauce, etc) is actually terrible, and I try it, but it tastes good to me. I guess if the only thing you've ever had is milk, how could you be expected to suddenly like all these different flavors? He'll get the hang of it, I'm sure. He does better if I allow him to feed himself, though he usually gags himself with his spoon. I know I'll never remember these days of trying new foods, when a few years down the line he'll be asking for pizza every night.

In baking news - I made some cookies but they were quickly devoured. I made pancakes for breakfast, but the same thing happened. Natalie brought me a loaf of day old bread, so I'm planning bread pudding. It's a favorite around here. If I can ever find the camera I'll show you what's going on.
Again - so sorry about the lack of photos.

you are my sanity

The Farmers' Market is open again! Saturday was the first day - I arrived with a cranky baby and hungry husband, both of whom stayed in the car while I braved the chilly, windy grey weather for the first Farmer's Market of the year.
Here's a picture of my loot.

Pussy Willow (that I'm hoping will sprout roots so I can plant it), a half pound of oyster mushrooms, two bags of tender spinach, and a dozen beautiful, brown, fresh eggs. All organic and local. Can't get any better than that!

The oyster mushrooms are my favorite.

I've never touched, smelled, or tasted such fresh and delicious mushrooms. I've never had mushrooms from Missouri. My step-dad is a mycologist (he studies mushrooms), so I've had some mushrooms that he has foraged in Iowa and Nebraska, but these mushrooms are from Missouri. They have such a nice weight in my hand. They feel soft, smooth and bouncy.


The spinach is nice, too. I got two bags so I could take one to my friend who's currently in labor. Being in labor generally prevents one from attending the Farmers' Market, so I picked up some eggs and spinach for her. I'm splitting the bag of mushrooms with her, too.
I chopped up some spinach, stemmed and sliced some oyster mushrooms, and sauteed them in some olive oil and sea salt. I served them alongside scrambled eggs, and that's what we had for dinner last night. It will probably be my lunch today, too. Sauteing the mushrooms and spinach really brings out the sweetness of the spinach and the salty, earthiness of the mushrooms.

And of course, since it was Saturday, I was making the requisite biscuits and sausage gravy.
I took some pictures of the biscuits but they all turned out blurry. Trust me when I say they were the best batch yet.

Oh the simple joys of fresh flowers, fresh food, and family time.

and love will steer the stars

Gosh, where have I been?
I think that new header is getting me down. It's just not what I want, but I spent so much darned time on it that I hate to just rip it down. I might, anyhow.
I completely rearranged our bedroom. It looks and feels a thousand times better.
Also, we went camping.

Finn's first camping trip at age 5.5 months. He fared well. He seemed to enjoy staring at the flames. The campfire is always my favorite part about camping, too.
Speaking of Finn, he just keeps growing. He will not be a baby forever, so I try to soak up these days, when he is small and snuggly warm. I just adore watching him sleep, or even better, napping alongside his sweet, chubby self.

Look at those creamy, luscious thighs!

In other news, God has been blessing us tremendously (as usual) and it looks like we're going to make it, financially, even though Scott's hours have been cut back and we have to pay for his tuition. And my tuition, for the fall. I'm going back to school this fall, with mixed feelings. I don't feel like going to school any more, this year off has been so nice, but at the same time, I only have one year left. I'm praying it will pass quickly and that I'll maintain a good GPA. I'm thinking about (someday) getting a master's degree in library science.

That is the next-to-last slice of the Orange Poppyseed cake I baked a few nights ago. The recipe is from The Silver Palate Cookbook, and is one of the only recipes that didn't intimidate me too much to try it. Then again, not much can ever stand between me and a freshly baked sweet treat. It's what I live for, among other things.

What can I say? It's good to be back.

spring and by summer fall

I suppose this is a new post, but it's more like an amendment to the last one.
Twice now (or has it been three times?) I've made buttermilk biscuits from scratch. Scott is desperately in love with biscuits and sausage gravy, so I make it on Saturday mornings. He says it's the best day of his week.

Once you get the hang of it, they come together pretty quickly. They still don't have the height or flakiness I prefer, but they are very good. Especially later in the day, when they're cold, split open with some local rhubarb strawberry jam.

I'll be making a batch on Friday because our camping plans have turned solid, and I want to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast on Saturday. So I'll take along the biscuits, and make the gravy right there, over the fire. Along with some mocha pot coffee, our good friends, a baby and a dog - what more could we want?

faded from the winter

Natalie and I have begun the garden.
On Monday we relocated the compost, cleared the mulch off of one bed, and broke up and aerated the soil in that bed. I found a tiny sprout, you can see it here.
The weather is supposed to be suddenly beautiful tomorrow, and continue that way throughout the weekend. We are planning a tentative friday night camping trip, and I'm hoping it turns into a concrete plan.

The only news around here is this amazing bouncy seat. As you can see, it's hard to get a picture that's not blurred by bouncing.

It hangs from a doorway and entertains the baby long enough for me to make dinner or get a shower and dry my hair. What a blessing. Finn just bounces and squeals.

I'm gearing up for a new project. There's a scarf my mom gave me - she knit it, but it turned out an awkward width, so I'm going to reclaim the yarn and use it for something else. I have a scarf in mind to try out. This Thursday is our first meeting of The Club, in which a few women gather and knit and sew at my place. We obviously need a new name, but for now it's pretty comical to use such an ominous title for our gathering.
Hopefully by then I'll have some batteries in the camera so I can document our fun.