Kitchen Countertop Fitz and Floyd Garden

Thanks to Marty at A Stroll through Life -  I am participating in Tabletop Tuesday.  We change the kitchen countertop accessories to reflect the season- previously- this corner was home to a few snowmen.  Since we moved last summer-we now have ample space and sunlight to garden- so it seemed fitting to use some gardening and spring items.

Here is the corner in its entirety- thanks goes to my husband for constructing the backsplash and adding the undercounter lighting.  You may click on the pics to enlarge them.  I am still  learning how to blog-excuse my inexperience.

The garden pottery pieces are Fitz and Floyd- puchased at Stein Mart in the mid 90's.  Recently saw some asparagus spears at TJ Maxx that would go nicely with this set.  The coke bottle is a vintage one and is included because my father works for Coco-Cola.  The plant is a janet craig dracenae and does fine in the low light location.  Candle and lentil seeds are a reminder to daily check our indoor seedlings.  Here are a few close ups.

Be sure to take some time and visit Marty's beautiful blog for inspiration.

It started with a can of corn

I am excited to particpate in Foodie Friday hosted by Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum.  Trying to find tasty and healthy recipes can be frustrating.    While flipping through several  cookbooks, I decided to combine a few to come up with a combination that both my husband and I would enjoy.  One of the items in my mix included corn- while strolling the aisles with my six year old "driving" the cart- I spotted for the first time Green Giant's Chipotle White Corn-into the cart it went.  We purchased the other ingredients and went home to start dinner.  Pleased to say it was a hit for both hubby and myself- six year old deemed it too spicy and not to her liking. 

Good for You Chipotle Bean Soup

* 1 teaspoon olive oil

* 1 large onion, chopped

* 3 cloves of garlic, minced

*2 cups of chicken stock

*2 cups corn kernels-your choice

*1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

*1 cup of salsa-I like medium

*1 teaspoon of chipotle chile powder-McCormicks' avail most markets

*1 teaspoon of cumin, ground

*1 cup of chopped, cooked meat- chicken or pork work well-use leftovers!!

*1 teaspoon dried cilantro

*2 teaspoons lime juice

Heat the oil on medium heat in a soup pot.  Add the garlic and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until golden- around 10 minutes.

Add the broth, corn, beans, salsa, chile powder and cumin, bring to a boil- then reduce heat and cover- simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in your meat and add the remaining items and let the meat heat through.  You may wish to add more spice or lime juice to suit your taste. 

Like most soups- it is even better the next day.   Looking at the picture- I realize that yellow corn would add a much better color than the white corn. 

Role Playing-St Patrick

We started our lessons the usual way today- spelling and handwriting.  (Yes- she is still in her night clothes- we tend to get sidetracked having her get dressed first-learned the hard way.)  When she was working on today's lesson- I glanced back at the first lesson and saw a dramatic improvement in her handwriting- sweet progress!!!  After completing our reading and math lessons for today -  we role played various stories of St. Patrick - information from  http://www.dlkt-holidays.com/patrick/about.htm

Seems she prefers the story about Patrick driving out the snakes more than the story about him bringing Christianity to Ireland.  You can see the snakes in the box below.  She acted the snake stories out several times- getting more dramatic with each retelling.  She politely declined photos of herself doing so.

Thinking it will be a good idea to have our own St. Patrick's day parade this year- complete with marching band and handcrafted shamrocks representing the Holy Trinity. 

The Daffodils are Coming!!!

Every year - a small, country church not too far from us -hosts a daffodil festival.  As you may guess from the festival name- there are lots of daffs and they also set up a small craft area where local folks display their handicraft.  The church also sells daffodils and bulbs.  Here is a link to their website.
http://www.wyemountainumc-daffodilfestival.com/photos.htm

  It is predicted that this year's festival will occur around March 13th.  Just in time for my dad and stepmom's arrival in Arkansas- talked to them and my stepbrother yesterday and we are thinking we will make the trip together and take lots of photos.  Eager to see what my brother's just a little over a year old's expression will be when she sees all the flowers.

Here are some past pictures from the festival.....

One of Arkansas' best kept secrets

Botkinburg, AR is about an hour and half drive from Little Rock traveling on US-65.  It is home to the fabulous Antique Warehouse.  Well worth your time to stop if you are traveling through. It will take quite some time to go through all the buildings- have to mention that not all have heat or ac.  Here are a few pics of some of their items.  They also have old china, antique clocks and lots of stained glass. 

http://www.antiquewarehouse.com/

An act of forgery

A few weeks ago- Lauren saw a cream colored kitten at the humane society named Pollyana that she really wanted.  The note above was written to me- supposedly by Dad.  Seems suspicious. 

Inch by Inch

Lauren and I sowed iceberg  and buttercrunch/bibb lettuce seeds inside today.  She was fascinated at the expansion of the compressed peat pellets and pulling back the netting to plant the iceberg (white seeds) and buttercrunch (black seeds).  After planting- we placed the plastic cover on the biodome and set the tray in a sunny windowsill and recorded our seeds and dates on our plant chart.  The countdown begins for germination.  We still need to purchase a grow light bulb to place in the garage.  We read that after the lettuce germinates it prefers to be in a cooler environment- our garage fits that requirement once we add a grow light to provide the necessary light.  Wish us success on our gardening adventures.  Plans for the garden include vegetables and a place for a cutting garden as well. 

The youtube clip is one I remember John Denver signing on the Muppets Show. When I taught the 5 year old Montessori class we used this same song for a spring play.  Sure many of you can sing along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3FkaN0HQgs