Beets

Growing up I think I ate beets just once at an all-you-can-eat buffet. My mom didn't like them so we never had them. Spinach was the same way. My mom only knew one way to cook it and she didn't like it like that so she never made it. Some of you are already thinking that I really lucked out as a child. Don't worry as a picky eater, I was extremely grateful. However, I married a man that likes both spinach and beets. Crazy, I know.

So, I sent him into a farmers' market by himself knowing that he would probably have way too much fun. And I was right. He came out with plenty of fun fruits and vegetables and a bag of beets. He was really excited that he got beets. I wasn't so much, but I try to be supportive so instead of commenting on his choice, I asked him if he knew how to cook beets. He claimed to know how. Guess who wasn't home when it was time to cook the beets, not that he would have been all that helpful since I later found out that he didn't really know that much about cooking beets.

I panicked a little and pulled out my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook which I love. Apparently beets take a while to cook. I should have looked that up before I left it to the last minute. I ended up peeling, slicing, and then steaming them. Next time I think I'll start much earlier so that I don't have to peel and slice a raw beet. Have you ever tried it? They're tough to peel and cut, not to mention the color bleeds all over the place. It's a mess.

In the end they turned out just fine (fine for a beet, that is). They were a little late getting on the table, but my cute beet-loving hubby liked them. My vegetable lover wouldn't try them, but my picky eater thought they were okay, although he refused to eat more than a tiny taste.

Craftiness

In case you wonder where my love of crafts comes from, it's inherited. My mom often had projects going on while I was growing up. Mostly sewing, but she also knits and crochets and will pick up other random crafts just to try them out.

Despite a 16 hour drive between us, my mom and I still manage to connect fairly often. OK, we talk a lot. It's weird to have a full week go by and not have talked with Mom. In addition to catching up on life in general, we share our current craft projects and browse the web together. Yes, we check out craft sites while talking on the phone together.

I thought I'd share one of my mom's recent projects. When my daughter turned three, Nana gave her a tea set complete with a quilted picnic blanket and a family of rabbits to have tea with. The rabbits match the quilt, which didn't make it into the picture. It turned out really cute and my daughter was thrilled with it all. So thanks, Mom.

Valentine's Day

I realize that Valentine's Day was a couple months ago. I just never posted this and I want to because it's such a cute (and easy) pattern. I made two to go with the stuffed animals that we gave our kids for Valentine's Day. My kids are constantly turning shoe boxes into beds for their stuffed animals and then go in search of blankets and pillows to make them comfortable. I hoped that these hearts would make good pillows for any future animal beds.

The pattern is from Owlisyly and can be found here. And check out her Etsy store too.