Spring has Sprung

Yesterday we finally got around to planting our asparagus bed. The seeds look like creatures from another planet. We should be able to harvest our first lot next spring. The plants last for about 20-25 years! So, it is an investment. Harvest is only for about 4 weeks, but it is supposed to be well worth the effort. Fresh asparagus is apparently an amazing culinary treat. There are some pics of very early salad greens and our well established garlic with some radishes peeking through as well. I have also taken a few shots of the rest of our flower gardens...the early spring view. Since this is our first spring here it has been so much fun watching the plants come up. Some of the bulbs I planted in the f
all, but some of them were here before us.

The Solar Oven

So this weekend it has so far been raining for 3 days straight. But, last weekend we had amazingly beautiful weather. It was about 80 degrees each day. We finally decided to bust out the solar oven Sami got for Christmas. We made rice and beans one day and a quiche the next. Sami even got burned it was so hot. We love it! This summer it will definitely get used.

On the House Front

So, as promised, I have finally posted a few pics of the house. Sorry, only 2 room thus far. These first few are of the living room area. We have an open floor plan so, this all connects to the dining room and kitchen. The bottom floor has lots of yellows, greens, and orangey-reds. A mix of earthy antiques and loads of house plants. I love painted wood furniture and also really like modern design. So this is my attempt at mixing these things. When you get to the shelves, those pics are upstairs.

Here are some pics of the upstairs den. This is where our TV is and my little craft nook. Very cozy.

On the Baby Front

Here I am 11 weeks in. Belly has just poofed out the slightest bit. Kinda looks like I just drank a lot the night before...ahhh those were the days. No one would ever notice the belly, but in my opinion I just look a bit fat. Guess I'll just have to deal with the world thinking I eat too many doughnuts until I actually start to look pregnant.

The Chandelier has arrived!

I am sooo excited that our beautiful dining room chandelier has finally been installed (thanks Ryan!). It really adds to the space, makes it more "ours", and is quite a nice piece of art. We have had it for several weeks now trying to decide whether or not we should attempt to put a hole in the ceiling ourselves or hire someone. We decided to hire someone for the job. Let's be honest, although we have some power tools, I am not fully convinced that either Sami or I should really be using them. Anyway, it looks amazing, and the patch from where the ceiling fan used to be is hardley noticable. I am going to attempt to just paint the patch and see if I can get away with it.

East Coast Flurries

I can't believe it has snowed again! I woke up this morning without expecting to look out the window and see what I saw. A fresh thick blanket of beautiful snow! I guess I was too busy this weekend with my head near the toilet to watch the weather channel. I managed to throw on my wellies and a jacket and stomp down to the creek (once most of the snow had melted) to capture a few pictures of our very full creek with a bit of snow in the background. It is lovely. I'm pretty sure the chickens are not loving then snow. They are all perched on the roost and have not set foot on the ground all day. At least they are getting along, thus far. In other weather related news, it is supposed to be near 75 this weekend. What a change! I must admit, although the snow is amazing, I am quite ready for spring to come. Especially since we have bulbs blooming and the cherry tree is fully pink.

Baby Chickens!

The baby chickens have arrived and are settling in to their new surroundings. We have Wini ( the Rhode Island Red). She is named after Kris Winiarski, my sister's boyfriend from RI. Then there is Black Betty (the back one next to Wini). And finally introducing Loretta and Agnus (Aggie). They are the Barred Rock stripey chicks. Henrietta clucked around them for a bit, but then lost interest. We hope to just keep them seperated for a few days, then put them on the roost with Henri. Wish us luck and pray that Henri takes to them.

Bread and Cheese

Well, I am officially in barf mode. I may end up having an alien child since vegetables are about the last thing I want right now. Very strange adjustment for me. But the bread and dairy food groups are being very well covered.

Ahseville Weekend

So, I apologize because during our 4 day mini-vacation in Asheville, I did not take one picture! I cannot believe it. Since getting a new camera for xmas, I have been pretty good. Not sure what happened this weekend though. We had a blast and it was nice to get away for a few days. Some highlights: many great meals, fun times walking around downtown and stopping in fun little shops, a nice walk in the NC Aboretum, we saw Lumenescent Orchestrii play (awesome show!), and managed to take a couple afternoon naps. Some lowlights: Unfortunetly I felt pretty sick all weekend. It was not so fun to barf on Vday in a fancy restaurant's bathroom, or have major vertigo and almost passing out on our hike. Let's just say that my gag-reflex was in full swing this weekend. On a happier note, the baby is now the size of a blueberry! We have our Birth Center Tour tomorrow, so I will report on that. I also really hope to get some house pics up this weekend.