Good Tidings

A fortuitous week all around with lots of good news to share!

1. The new kitchen design is working out beautifully.  We're still waiting on stools but the little kids have taken to standing on kitchen chairs pulled up to the island to watch me cook.  Better yet, they like to stand there and eat a snack while they watch.  Even better still, good, fatty, nutritious guacamole is becoming a favorite.

2. Though we continue to discover more annoying molluscum bumps on all of the kids, ZymaDerm appears to be working.  Roo's worst (and most obvious) patch of bumps is clearing up.  It didn't happen in the 30 days promised by the ZymaDerm guarantee, but they are exploding and vanishing now, about 6 weeks into treatment. 

3. Summer is here.  Our first CSA vegetable box of the season arrives today!  According to Angelic Organics, we're scheduled to receive purple and white scallions, various squash and zucchini, broccoli, oregano, cilantro, lots of cooking and salad greens, and the treasured single harvest garlic scapes.  I can hardly wait to get started.  Fresh organic greens salad with flank steak tonight, baby!

4. Last but certainly not least, Roo has reached another milestone recently - 21 pounds!  Dairy continues to agree with him and while it's still not his favorite food group, the addition of cheese, butter, and cream to foods he does like seems to be helping him pack on the ounces.  He's still no hulk for sure (but please don't tell him, especially if he's wearing his Incredible Hulk t-shirt!), but the pediatrician gave us the go ahead to wait and see before we have to go back to the food aversion specialist.  His next pediatrician appointment is in early July.  Do I hear 21.5 pounds? 

Not a bad start to summer.  Here's hoping the good tidings continue.

New Kitchen!!

Okay, we're waiting on the counter stools, the tile backsplash is still pending but here it is before...

And AFTER!!

Back in Business

Phew!  After a week of more strategic than usual meal planning, hectic restaurant outings where nobody actually ate anything, and doing dishes in the bathtub, our "minor" kitchen remodel is nearing completion.  This weekend we regained use of our countertops, new extra-deep, single-bowl sink, two stylish new faucets, and a brand spanking new garbage disposal in the island sink. 

The troops will be back today to finish up some patching and painting, to haul the debris and by god, I hope, to reconnect the dishwasher.  As it turns out, putting the endless stream of sippy cups into and out of the dishwasher is not the monumental chore it once seemed when compared with the alternative of carrying them to the river. 

The kitchen is glorious.  Opened up floor plan, glossy granite, shiny sinks, leak-free faucets, a sprayer that actually sprays, countertops that no longer grumble and shake in protest when we run the garbage disposal - marvelous!  Of course now we can't afford groceries but still totally worth it, don't you think? 

The very best part is that with our new super-island, the kiddos can get their hands into the batter without getting in the way.  At least that's the theory.  I'm looking forward to making dinner without three little butts propped on the counters between sharp knives and steaming pans.  I can't believe no one's lost a finger yet.  Now they'll each have a clear view from their own safe little perch on the other side of the island. 

I'll post some before and after photos when it's finished, with any luck later today.