Wow, my posts are getting fewer and further between. It's been a week since I last wrote anything, probably because we are simply busy with life. Here's what we've been up to this week:
Noah had a speech therapy evaluation. He doesn't ever say the consonants "G" or "K," and it's sometimes hard to understand him, so our pediatrician had recommended we get him evaluated, just in case. She said that she didn't think there was too much of a problem, but that if there were, it's better to start therapy early. The speech therapists were great, and after scoring the little test they gave him, they told me that Normal is within the range of 85-115, and Noah scored an 86. Basically, he is technically where he should be developmentally, and he should be saying G's and K's by the time he is four. They said that if he does not improve within the next six or nine months, they'd want to evaluate him again, but that he does not need therapy right now. In the meantime, we can work with him a few minutes every day on learning to hear the difference between T sounds and K sounds, for example. I appreciated and was thankful for the information they gave me. I always feel much better about any situation after I get some basic information.
Yesterday, Nathan hoed up the little garden plot we're preparing next to the house. (I use the term "we" loosely--Nathan is preparing it, basically.) It's about four feet wide and around ten feet long. Next step: buy a hose, soil, and plants! Yesterday I saw a watering can that I'm completely coveting, but it seemed a little overpriced, so I didn't buy it. I loved it, though, and after looking around online, I discovered that it is not as overpriced as I thought, so I think I'll go back and buy it--it was a bright yellow embossed metal one. Wouldn't you think that was super cheerful for a garden/backyard?
So what should I plant in my garden? Any suggestions? Tomatoes are a must. And I think we'll do zucchini, because it seems easy to grow, and I love zucchini in the summer. Sugar snap peas are also on my list, because I think Noah would like eating those right off the plant, and a big reason for planting this garden is to help him love vegetables/fresh food and to teach him about how things grow. I saw a TV show on the Cooking channel about growing strawberries, and I'm kind of mulling that over, but I don't know whether or not they'd be happy in a southern climate. I also have a separate spot for herbs (the winter freezes didn't kill my rosemary!), so we'll have some basil, for sure, along with whatever else inspires me when we go plant shopping. Does anyone out there have any suggestions or tips on gardening or which veggies & herbs grow well here?
There are a couple of women in my life who are pretty much like sisters to me, both of whom have known me forever and know me very well. Sarah is one of them. As luck and God would have it, we now live less than a mile apart. Sarah and I grew up singing together in choir at school and in college. We competed in vocal competitions, took lessons from the same voice teacher, and shared tons of experiences with each other through music. Well, this week we got together with our old choir teacher, Mrs. Crenshaw, who I invited over to my house for a visit. Wow, what a blast from the past! It was really nice to see Mrs. C., who started teaching me to sing 'round about second grade and taught me all the way through high school. And it was special to introduce her to our kids and to have her sing and play games with Noah. We'll have to do that again.
We tried a new church last Sunday, and we meant to try it out again today, but Janey was not feeling well yesterday and I wasn't feeling well this morning, so we decided not to go. We probably should have, though, since everyone seems to be fine now, at 11:30, though Jane still has a runny nose. Nathan and I agreed to listen to a sermon mp3 this afternoon while the kids are napping--hopefully they'll nap at the same time!
I have finally arrived at a point where I don't feel so overwhelmed with life: I'm more used to handling two kids, and although we still have some house projects to do (painting, hanging curtains, etc.), we've already done the bulk of it. Since I've gotten to this more relaxed state, I've been able to enjoy things more, like BSF studies (at first I wasn't too thrilled about adding homework to my harried life), contemplating new big projects like a garden, and seeing old friends, who I've kind of neglected since moving back eight months ago.
Tonight, Nathan is taking me out for Valentine's Day, and I don't know what we're doing yet. Looking forward to the surprise!
5 comments:
How fun about the garden and good news about Noah! When we were planning our garden, I looked up what plants grow well in our climate zone (according to Sunset magazine's guide, we live in zone 16, "one of Norcal's finest horticultural climates") and went from there. In Houston, our basil and Thai basil did really well, as did mint, thyme, and scallions (buy a bunch from the store, making sure they have roots at the bottom, and plant them -- you can snip off the parts you want to use, and they'll continue to grow). Lemongrass also did well, but the dill wilted and died almost immediately (even in the shade), as did cilantro.
Also, you're so lucky to live close by Sarah -- I would kill (not really) to have my best friend Julia live nearby. I'd even settle for the same state, or an adjacent state!
This reminds me of "Me Talk Pretty One Day." i think specialists and doctors are too quick to label children (and people) with disorders. did you know that the drug companies MAKE UP dysfunctions to prescribe drugs for? Anyway, besides my skepticism i think kids develop on their own timetable. my boy cousin with 2 older sisters barely spoke until he was almost 3 or something and when he did he came out with "wow look at that police car!" the kid knew how to talk- he was just lazy. he got everything he wanted with 2 older sister interpreters w/out having to ask. ;)
Liz, that's hilarious about the lazy talker!
Kim, thanks for the tip on scallions! Maybe we can make Mark's flatbread....
Texas Agri-Life Extension has some fantastic (free) resources you can check out about all sorts of topics. Here's their home gardening page http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/lawn_garden/
I edit and publish UGA's Extension publications and know they're a wealth of information. A&M's system is like ours -- expert faculty write the pubs, which are peer reviewed, and it's nice that they're tailored to your area. Check it out if you have time!
You'll want to read up on the varieties of zucchini - they take up a lot of space. There are some that are better for small gardens. Sugar snaps won't do well in the spring/summer garden, b/c they like cold weather. Wait until late August/early September to plant them. Corn was easy and rewarding for us, and you can plant pole beans, which are perfect for the small garden. Beans will continue to produce, so that's a plus. Radishes grow quickly - they're the first to be ready for harvest. Carrots did not do well for me in the summer, and I've never had success with herbs planted in the vegetable plot. However, they do quite well in containers, especially the basil. Cilantro and dill are cool weather herbs, so don't plant those until fall. My thyme and basil usually die in the winter, but sage, oregano, rosemary and chives have done really well - in fact I've kept mine alive for at least 3 years. You can plant red & white potatoes, but they must be seed potatoes, not from the grocery store b/c they are treated w/chemicals to keep them from sprouting.
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