Pink and Greens

A few months ago our family decided it was time to try our hand at vegetable gardening.  First we built two planter boxes on the west side of our house.

Then we filled them with 50% dirt from our yard, 50% mulch from the store, planted a tomato plant, basil plant, two pepper plants, and sowed seeds for green onions, carrots and lettuce.

Then we waited.

And watered.

And waited.

And fertilized.

And waited.

And then.....there was an early frost and we lost the peppers, the basil, and nearly all the tomatos.  Sad.  We planted broccoli and cauliflower in place of the peppers.

And we kept on watering.

And waiting.

And then.....

Our garden actually grew!  We've harvested the broccoli, green onions, lots of carrots, and we've been eating salads twice a week since the beginning of January with all the lettuce we grew.

And we've got a whole new crop of flowers on the tomato plant so we have high hopes that they'll ripen before the weather gets too hot.  It's been a great family project and we're proud of the Pinks for helping every step of the way.

Hey Mom, I Want A Party, Too!

As February drew closer, P. grew ever more excited for her very own party to celebrate her fourth birthday.  She decided early on that she wanted a "Hello Kitty" themed event.  Once again, I drew inspiration from my friend M.M.'s blog.  Here's what I came up with:

FOOD 

I decided on a 'pink & white' theme for the meal.  We served strawberries, cheese sticks, pink fruit roll-ups, pink lemonade, and peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches on pink (yes, I made it myself and dyed it pink) bread.

DECOR

A neighbor of ours has a plotter at work and was kind enough to print off four poster-sized images of Hello Kitty for us.  (Thanks so much Mulfords!!)  We used them both as decor and for the games.  The girls colored their own pictures of Hello Kitty which were taped to the walls.  Then we added a banner, a dozen balloons, and stuffed a few Hello Kitty bags I happened to have on hand with tissue paper to put in the corners of the room because you can never have enough pink.

GAMES

"Pin the bow on the Kitty"

"Ring Around the Kitty"--P. held this Hello Kitty mask in front of her eyes while her party guests sang a familiar tune (Hello Kitty style) and turned in a circle around her:

"Ring around the Kitty,

Oh she looks so pretty,

Pink bows, pink bows,

We all fall down."

When the singing stopped, P. removed the mask and whoever had fallen down right in front of her got to be the new "Kitty" in the middle.

THE CAKE

Once again, I received a fantastic coupon in the mail for 50% off a cake from a local grocery store bakery.

THE GUESTS, THE GIFTS, AND THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

Thanks so much to all our family and friends who made this day a special one for our little girl.  Happy Birthday, P.!  We love you!

Head Colds, Go Away!

A plague of nasty head colds has recently descended upon our family.  Three out of three Pinks developed ear infections and two out of three Pinks ended up developing bronchiolitis.  Pictured below is a view of the mini apothecary that formed on our kitchen counter on account of all the medications and other devices that were necessary to rid our family of the microscopic invaders.

Although we had to add an additional two rounds of antibiotics beyond what is pictured here, I'm happy to report that all three Pinks are finally on the mend.  Hooray for Amoxicillin, Augmentin & Albuterol!!