Green Time!

Spring is officially here as of today!  And so is spring weather with all of its ups and downs.  As exciting as the 70 degree weather may be, I k now that it could easily start sleeting on any given weekend.  

To celebrate the first day of spring, I would like to share with you some of the "green" things that have been going on around my house.  Every day I seem to become just slightly more of a crunchy mama.   I keep wondering if it is just a fad that I'm going through since I have lots of free time and if I'll gladly shove handfuls of goldfish and hot dogs down my children's throats someday when I have multiple children all of a young age.  I'll keep you updated. 

• I made soaked pancakes this week and they actually tasted ok.  As you may or may not know, soaking your grains before eating them is supposedly really good for you.  Read about it here.  However, the bread I made wasn't very good and the dutch baby was ok but not remarkable. Needless to say, I was rather skeptical about the pancakes but decided to give it a go.  I was pleasantly surprised that they actually tasted edible.  Now they weren't as good as my favorite banana blueberry pancakes and they aren't as light and fluffy as some others, but definitely good for a plain jane weekday breakfast.  I hope to experiment a little more with the recipe and possibly post a variation of it at some future point. 
• I have officially started my seeds!  So far my lettuce and some flowers have come up but the tomatoes and peppers are still a no show.  The tomatoes and peppers are what I really want so they'd better hurry up!  I also have plans to buy some rhubarb plants and start some squash, cucumbers and herbs a little closer to the summer. 
• On a gardening note, we are getting our tiny raised beds ready!



Aaron just set up this one and after this picture was taken, I put down wet cardboard boxes in the bottom and am now using it as a compost heap.  



The bed closest to the camera has been my wintertime compost heap and now just needs some dirt to top it off.  The other bed is currently hosting some garlic and will hopefully will soon be filled with lettuce as well!

• I just decided to try and start the switch from plastic tupperware containers to the pyrex glass dishes for leftovers and such.  I won't throw out all my plastic ones right away.  Supposedly, chemicals can leach into the food from the plastic and you aren't supposed to heat them up in the microwave.  I don't know if all this is true but Aaron uses the plastic containers every single day at work and even heats up his food in them.  I figured it was worth a few extra bucks to switch over since we use them so much.  Better safe than sorry...
• Our cow is coming this MONDAY!!!!!  I am one of those crazy people who accepted a job a couple hours a week with the sole purpose of paying for 1/4th of a meat cow! The flavor is so much better than most store bought beef, it is significantly cheaper per pound, and much healthier!  We hardly ever eat beef due to the price but now we will be getting several hundred pounds for less than $3.00/lb. I think it should be enough to last us for about a year. So excited!  
• The last point is more about spring than about green practices but I've finished Kira's dress...well mostly.  I'm considering adding an embellishment to the front of the dress and possibly making a hair bow to match.  I will post a picture though it may take a while as I'm considering saving this dress for Easter.  

What are you excited about this spring?  What steps have you taken to become healthier?

I'll just leave you with this last crazy picture.  Since I'm pregnant, I decided that I should be able to get away with wearing my husband's gray flannel shirt.  Super comfy and it reminds me of him.  I sent him this picture at work so that he would know that I invaded his closet (ok so he actually left it on a chair in the living room when he took it off last night to workout).  Who wouldn't want to come home and see a wife dressed like a lumberjack smiling like a crazy person?