Look away, Joshua...

Just look away.  We all hate to find things like this in the fridge, right?  My husband... It pains him.  Of course, there are plenty of salvageable green onions there.  I'm not tossing those.  Just apologizing to them. Unfortunately, the spinach underneath is beyond revival.  

For better or worse, I can usually chalk this kind of loss up to a busy couple of weeks (including nightly swim team practice for my oldest daughter, right at dinner time), and good intentions gone awry.  I am glad to buy fresh food for my family, and I love to cook it, but dang if there just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes.  "Especially now that you're blogging."  Someone's thinking that, right?

Well, today is grocery shopping day, and when I hit the store later, I'll be armed with a menu for the next week or so.  Seems like common sense, yet it's one of those Super Mom strategies I rarely put into practice.  I also bought this new cookbook for support in keeping it simple.  One stop shopping!  One of my faults in the kitchen is over-lofty meal plans, imagining more time than actually exists, ending up stressed and at a loss for patience at meal time (when we could really use it the most 'round here).  I plan to use the recipes in this book as a jumping off point -- not gonna stress about following to a tee.  I'm super-excited about the minuscule 'prep' and 'cooking times' alongside most of these recipes, too.  Stay tuned!  I will share adapted recipes.

Knit-a-long!

 

Photos by Susan B. Anderson and from Susan B. Anderson's Ravelry page for this pattern.

I will be knitting the Frog and Turtle reversible toy from Susan B. Anderson's book, Itty Bitty Toys.  Highly recommended -- It's got projects for all levels and attention spans.  I've never knit a reversible, and all the toys I've done so far have been pretty simple, so this will be an adventure in stick-to-it-edness for me.  And I've got to stick to it because it's for Malcolm's birthday, coming up at the end of July.

Each time I sit down with a project, he asks, "Is that for me?"  It sort of breaks my heart when I tell him no.  SO, I let him peruse this sweet little book, and I told him, "Pick anything you want. I'll knit it for your birthday!" Is he spoiled because he's so supremely adorable?  Yes.  Was I over-estimating my knitting prowess?  Probably also yes.

However, I will not underestimate the power of inspiration:  At this very moment, Malcolm is outside in the backyard with me.  Older sister in school, younger sister napping.  He's got a wooden sword sticking out of an elastic belt worn around faded p.j. pants, tucked into cowboy boots.  He's lean, and his t-shirt sort of hangs off one shoulder, and, hopping around like only three year olds can do, his right hand battles the left... Right brandishing the wooden sword against imagined, though none-the-less sinister, baddies.  Supremely adorable.  I am delighted to put time and effort into a handmade gift for this boy.  He will love it, and give it life.  He deserves it. 

And, just because I am totally smitten, I am editing this post on Sunday to include another picture, taken today at a totally sweet birthday party: