Since our return to the beautiful Northwest a few months ago, we’ve experienced many changes as a family. We’re now in a house that is twice the size of the Los Angeles apartment we were living in for the past 3 years, and we have a great big backyard. I guess its more of a side-yard, since it extends out to the side of our house, but nonetheless, it is SPACE! We’re so glad to have room for the kids to roam and explore. One little dream we had always talked about was our desire to plant a garden. Of course, that would have been pretty impossible challenging to do in Los Angeles, but now that we have the space and the rain, we got down to business and planted over 90sq feet of Square Foot Garden. These are the sprouted plants of: Arugula, Spinach, Peas (3 different varieties), Parsley, Romaine, and we just planted some new things this last week. This is a pioneer adventure for us, but we’re very excited what things will look like come harvest-time and we’re learning as we go!

Another exciting addition to our routine is the preparation and consumption of fresh homemade bread. I must give credit (for the baking AND the gardening) to my amazing husband, Kolby, as he’s been the superstar around here! We came across a book titled Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day, picked up all the supplies, and have been enjoying a variety of fresh breads, made by hand with no bread machine, every day for the past month. For those who think they could never do it, I say, “You can!” It is very easy, no kneading necessary, and the result is truly delicious. Just have a look at the pictures! We’ve had Challah Bread, Whole Wheat Artisan Loaf, Bagels, Little Brioche Donuts, White Sandwich Bread, Burger Buns, Ciabatta…yum, yum, yum. Give it a try!