When it rains...

The past two days have been cool and rainy, my favorite kind of spring weather.  I love the way the colors look so intense -- especially the new green leaves -- and the smell of clean growing things and how nice it is to have a cup of tea and look out the window...

Two interesting things happened to me on Wednesday afternoon, both at pretty much the same time.  Daniel and I had some errands to run at the University campus.  Of course just as it was time to head back to the car, there was a huge downpour.  After waiting inside for as long as I could, I wrapped Daniel snugly in a blanket, shouldered my purse and the diaper bag, and started to make a run for it.  We were stopped almost immediately by a young man we had never seen before who offered us the shelter of his umbrella and insisted on walking back across campus with us to the car!

The other interesting thing happened en route to the car.  A huge hawk flew right across our path, and on through the campus!  I have never seen a bird of that size up close like that before.

Today I had to go back to campus for a meeting and then Daniel and I hung out for a while before heading home.  It is nice for both of us to be out of the house, and with out new car it is not so difficult to get around.

Also today I baked bread and strawberry scones, cleaned the kitchen, and had a lot of playtime with Daniel.  I wanted to continue my spring cleaning project, but I have been so tired lately that I decided to take it easy.

Produce:

small red potatos

grapefruit

apples

mushrooms

red peppers

spinach

Meals:

pot roast with roasted potatoes and asparagus (for company/leftovers)

potato and egg pie with leftover summer squash and salad

mushroom yogurt pie with spinach

bulgar stuffed red peppers, salad

hamburgers with salad

chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli

Produce:

nectarines

lettuce

cilantro

bananas

mushrooms

white onions

grape tomatoes

cucumbers

Meals:

pasta with roasted veggies and salad (x2)

beef stew (from freezer)

chicken fried rice (x2)

tacos with cilantro black bean salsa

Friday we are setting off to visit Amos's family in Ohio, so we don't need a lot of meals.  To use up the cucumbers before we leave, I think I will make cucumber sandwiches for lunch one day.

The warm weather has officially started -- we are all wearing our summer clothes and sweating in the humidity, and it is not even March yet!  Having lived in New England for most of my life, I don't think I will ever get used to this!

It does have its benefits, though.  Yesterday on the way to Ash Wednesday mass, we saw a cherry tree in bloom, and the daffodils, those cheery harbingers of Spring, have been out for a couple of weeks already.

 image by fleecetraveler from flickr

Today has been a slow day.  After caring for a sick husband for the past week and having two nights in a row with very little sleep and no nap, I have not been up to much beyond the basics and playing with Daniel.  I did manage to get some bread together, continuing my flirtation with rye flour.  This batch is made from my fall-back bread recipe with the substitution of 1/2 cup rye flour for some of the white/wheat.  We shall see how it comes out -- it certainly smells wonderful, and it hasn't even started baking yet!

Daniel is, as always (ok, usually), a delight.  His uneaven bottom front teeth give him the most adorable lopsided smile, and he is enjoying the range of sounds he can now make.  This afternoon we had a little conversation.  He would make a sound and I would echo it back to him, back and forth for about ten minutes.  He can also move with astonishing speed around the living room, and has developed an interest in venturing down the hall!  I have to keep a close eye on him even more than ever!

Something pleasant before I go to bed:

Meal Plans

Produce:

yellow peppers

cameo apples

oranges

eggplant

sweet potatoes

bananas

Meals:

lentil soup (from the freezer)

beef stew (ditto)

pasta with steamed veggies

chicken soup (x2)

pork roast with roasted sweet potatoes and greens (whatever is on sale)

I also want to bake banana bread with some over ripe bananas from last week and (if things calm down around here) make a Moosewood apple crisp with the cameos which requires orange juice which I will squeeze fresh (we really have a lot of oranges).

I am glad that I have so many things stashed away in the freezer for this week, since between Amos's sickness and Daniel's troubles I really have my hands full.  We also have to make a trip into down town to get a copy of Daniel's birth certificate to take to the airport on our trip to Ohio next month, and my husband has a paper due (he is not going to get it in tomorrow, but hopefully before the end of the week he will be up to writing again), and I have not done the food shop for the week.

We have been praying that God will help us to rely on him more and not be anxious, and he is certainly testing us this week.  I guess that is the danger when you ask God to help improve your character -- he gives you what you ask for!

I am working on a post about Lent, but that will have to wait for another day! 

Last week my best friend from college (the maid of honor in my wedding) came to stay with us.  We had a great time, playing with the baby and going out to lunch and talking to all hours of the night.

She left on Saturday and now I am struggling to get back into my household routines.  This process is complicated by the fact that my poor husband has been ill with a fever, head ache, and intermittent stomach pain since Friday, and last night Daniel started having trouble eating and sleeping.  He has scarcely nursed all day, and has only napped for 10 minutes since 7 am after an interrupted night of sleep.  He does not have a temperature, fortunately, so I am hoping he does not have the same virus as his father.

I have managed to make some progress today, tidying and airing out the bedroom (which had the musty feeling of a sick room) and evicting my husband from the bed long enough to straighten the sheets and fix up the pillows, baking bread (rye whole wheat, which is the new favorite around here), and doing some laundry.

I am going to try to feed Daniel again, and then set to work disinfecting the door knobs and light switches, and making my shopping list for the week.