Pesto Pizza

So I never thought Jordan and I would be 'those' people. The kind of people that grow, make, and eat pesto regularly. However, with my basil plant that is about all you can do. The first time I made basil, I followed THIS recipe. We simply put it on pasta and paired it with some bread sticks. Jordan was worried that two cups of basil wasn't going to make a lot of pesto, it made about 3/4 cup, but.... a little bit of pesto goes a long ways. We had leftovers for a couple of days. It was the perfect amount.

For my second harvest of basil I decided to make pesto pizza. It was AMAZING. I followed THIS recipe, but added my own variations to go with what I had available. The pesto sauce on this pizza was a little bit different. There was added broccoli and it didn't have any nuts. Nuts are expensive, so that was a plus.The changes I made to the recipe were that I added some cooked chopped chicken and I made my own pizza crust. I didn't end up pre-baking my crust, but that is what Jordan complimented the most.

The only changes I will make to this pizza for next time is to add a little more tomato to the top. For my size of pizza one tomato wasn't quite enough. 

OH.... feta cheese is so so fantastic. I already knew this, but I thought it was way to expensive. While it is moderately expensive, after buying it after this time I don't think I will have issues purchasing it again.

My Gardening Obsession

I am admitting that I have a slight gardening obsession. Jordan and I have had a garden every year since we have been engaged. The first 2 years it was in a little community plot a few miles away from us. Jordan and I really love to work hard together. If I have an idea of something I want done, but either don't have the know how or strength to carry it through, I am lucky enough to have a 'handyman' as a husband that always finds a way! Although I enjoyed that garden and the tomatoes that it gave us, I am so happy that I now have a garden in my own yard.
We moved into an apartment complex where the landlord gave the tenants permission to tear up the side yards and each have our own plot. Last year, we got an overload of tomatoes and a few HUGE summer squashes. It was fun, but a lot of tomatoes went to waste. This year, I have a plan to plant less and to can the extras! (another 'fun' little skill that I think will be an advantage to me now and in the future)
After tilling the dirt and picking up rocks and weeds, I planted some early spring crops that I am already starting to harvest. I have lettuce, broccoli, spinach, onions, kale, peas, and I just put in a few carrots.

My lettuce and onions!

Broccoli, you can see my baby spinach in the left top corner too

Kale and Peas

 My latest invention is the pea trellis. As my peas grew taller they started to fall over and even vine around my other plants. I knew I needed a trellis, but I didn't want to spend to much money. After a little bit of Pinterest researching I put together a make-shift trellis with scrap wood and twine. In the end, everything cost less then $4 and I have over half of the twine left. I tested this contraption against the rain and wind and it stood! Hopefully it will help my peas to have a good harvest.
As soon as this rain lets up we are going to start our tomatoes! We are ready for a summer of salsa!

Finger Puppets

I have grown up talking to babies. They say that talking to babies, using normal vocabulary in a slightly higher pitched voice is vital to an interactive baby and improves language development. None of that 'fake' baby talk for me. Babies are going to give you imitations of words and sounds: gaga, dada, cooo, etc. so why would we talk in their language. They are trying to mimic us, why do some have the desire to mimic them! I love chatting with Madison, I tell her things that she might like to do when she grows up,I tell her that she is beautiful with crazy hair and a cheesy smile, and I even sign to her when she wants milk, takes a bath, or we go to church or the park. However, I try my very hardest to use real words and correct sounds when I tell her stories.

However, sometimes talking to a baby gets boring and old. They don't really have meaningful contributions to the conversation and therefore it can get exhausting to be the only one talking. When I am bored, or even Madison is getting restless or ornery I have found that props work! I made finger puppets! They always catch her attention and give me something new to talk about or prompt me in my creative story telling skills.

 These finger puppets are made out of  felt, puffy paint, googly eyes, and a fabric glue. ( and of course you can see the random pipe cleaner tail on the cat) I love projects that use felt because it is so cheap, easy to use, and comes in a variety of colors.

I used the same back pattern for all the puppets so that they would be the same size. I then just drew out or free handed a front if I needed ears or paws, cut out different colors, for noses, horns, or manes. Then did some gluing. The last step is using the puffy paint for the finer details. Then all you have to do is let it dry.

A little hint of how the back of the puppets look

Super easy! Super fun! The only hazard are the googly eyes. Toddlers love to chew on them and could possibly choke.

I love these little puppets. I try not to over use them so I don't get bored or tired of the. It also gives me practice using different voices for different characters. Definitely not my forte, but I am getting better.