Sunday, May 22, 2011

Square foot garden

we decided to try our green thumb out this spring and plant a garden.  now i say green thumb with tongue in cheek because i am not very good about remembering to water the few plants we already have so taking on a garden will be quite a challenge.

i did a little research and decided that a square foot garden would be a manageable introduction to the world of gardening for us rutherfords.  so first we had to decide on a sunny spot.  in our very tree-shaded backyard this was bit of a challenge, but here's the designated spot.
so first we had to gather our supplies....several bags of miracle-gro garden soil.
and wherever there is dirt, these jokers are not far behind.  check out their gardening tools of choice.
we bought weed block to put down at the bottom of our square foot garden to keep out weeds and grass.
and to make our garden project even easier, we found this raised garden kit with all the wood pre-cut and ready to go!
it was quite easy to put together and it looks so cute!
the next part was a little tougher, that's why i let this cute guy take over.  it's important to have a level place for your garden so that when you water, it will soak in and not run off.
the back part of our backyard is a little sloped so it took a little digging on the higher end to make a level bed.
next we placed our our little raised bed kit in and covered the bottom with the weed block.
and then we poured in all the dirt.  the boys particularly enjoyed this part!
burrito and noodle took their little hand trowels and leveled out the dirt.  once that was done, we divided the bed into 12, 1 foot sections and decided where we would plant each vegetable.
we let the boys dig the holes to plant the plants, and it was so cute to watch how serious they took their jobs.
and here is the finished product!  we planted a roma tomato plant, a grape tomato plant, cilantro, okra, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and lots of onions!
and later we added a hanging strawberry plant.
and here is a recent picture of our garden.  we won't win any contests but our plants have grown and they are starting to produce!
and some fruits of our labor....grape tomatoes
 a roma tomato
and a strawberry!
if nothing else, our kids have a better appreciation for where food comes from, and they no longer think it just appears at the grocery store.  i am excited to use some of our produce in our homemade salsa that we make weekly.  we've had a really great time watching the plants grow and checking on them daily.  in fact, burrito came running in today to tell me that we have a little baby bell pepper finally growing.  this is such a fun family project, and i'm glad we jumped in to try it out.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

burrito's acting debut

our school's 1st grade class has performed a production of peter rabbit for the past 22 years.  when john first started working there 4 years ago, we took the boys to see the first graders perform it then, so we knew how much fun it would be for burrito to participate this year.

there was quite a dramatic build-up to the passing out of parts this year and all burrito kept saying was "i just don't want to be the tree, i just don't want to be the tree, any part BUT the tree."  i think the picture below pretty much reveals the part he received.  there were some initial tears but several sweet friends encouraged him by telling him that the tree has one of the funniest parts in the play.  he enters and exits to quite the comical musical accompaniment.

honestly, i think he knew the tree would garner some attention and that is probably why he didn't want THAT part! :)
the set was so cute and handmade by one of the art teachers at our school.
and here is burrito making his grand entrance.  notice the look on his face....a little embarrassed i would say.
 and this is what i would call the "stage fright look!"  ha, ha, but he really did do great!
 once his big tree part was over, he made a quick costume change and joined the bunny chorus.
 i love all their little expressions here.
 and here he is as a bunny.  i really love the lesson behind peter rabbit, especially at this tender age.  peter's mother told him to stay out of mr. mcgregor's garden or he would end up on the farmer's dinner plate.  such an important lesson of obedience and understanding that there are reasons for the rules we make!

you did a great job burrito, and we were so proud of you!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

mother's day tea with noodle

i had the privilege of attending a mother's day tea hosted by my very own noodle a few days before mother's day this year.  his class worked very hard to make this very special for us moms.  they even escorted us into the room and led us to our seats.
they had prepared special treats for us.  first was this sweet little flower arrangement.  the label says "mom, you're 'out of the box' beautiful!"
he also made me this placemat.  it reads, "i see flowers blooming bright in the sun.  how will i choose just the right one? mother's day is coming and it must be right.  to say i love you with flowers so bright."  and the flower is his handprint.  so cute!
all the children prepared each of us a plate of snacks first and then they also joined in eating the goodies.
they closed our special tea with a performance of singing.  it was so cute and fun.  i just love my little noodle!

and just for fun, here is the link to my mother's day tea with burrito when he was in pre-k.