The Little Basil that Could

Finally the rain has gone away! It rained every day this week here in Southern CT and it has kept me from tranplanting my plants and starting some others. Today the sun was out partially so I took advantage and ducked out of work early to get home. I dragged my husband to the local Home Depot and Walmart to get a few supplies. This included the soil and orange juice to mix some sangria with (you cant garden without a drink in your hand, its just not polite). So I took my overgrown starter cups and put them into Recycling bins that I "found" during a storm, now they look like tiny plants in a big garden.

I really like using the Recycling bins because they are a good depth and have holes in the bottom for and drainage and they're portable. They work very well for Tomato plants, but this is the first year im using them for herbs. I learned this trick from an old lady that I used to watch garden in stiletto heels a few years back while living in Boston. I envied her for gardening in heels, she is a true Queen in my book. Since I use more basil than any other herb I grow I put it in a decorative pot that I picked up at Christmas Tree Shops for $1.99 a few years ago. Excellent investment.

May Showers

So my plants are growing ever so nicely, but unfortunately the weather is not cooperating (it has rained everyday this week) and I cannot plant them in the ground yet. I am off from work Thursday so my plan is to plant them, rain or shine. This is a picture of Lola with the plants. I swear one day I'm going to get home and find them all over the kitchen from her playing with them.

I am stoked that in less than a month Dan and I will be taking a road trip with his sister Crystal (Open Door #4) and her boyfriend Anthony to the Brooklyn Flea for Smorgasbord. While we are there Crystal and I are going to try to go to Four and Twenty Blackbirds, a pie shop. Since being a pie baker at a former job I LOVE going to pie shops and trying out new pies. Stay tuned for pictures and commentary!

Sun and Sangria

Today is a beautiful day! Its about 70 degrees and sunny in Ct today. Perfect day to sit outside, read and book and drink Sangria. Since it was such a beautiful day, and the forecast has half a dozen more beautiful days ahead I decided to put the plants outside to get lots of sunlight and heat. Most of the the spinach plants and a few chive have started to sprout. Hopefully with the warm weather this week, all of them will start to grow.

Baby Plants

As I mentioned earlier this week I started my garden. Its still chilly out (we have a frost warning tonight) so im starting them indoors. I started Spinach, Basil, Oregano, and Chive. I do not start my own pepper or tomoato plants, I have a wonderful grandfather-in-law that starts those for me. :)

Since there wasnt any growth in 2 days I only have a picture of my cat (Chimi) eye-ing the plants.

I know im going to walk in from work one day and see them all over the floor. I cant wait for the weather to get nice and I can put them outside full time. Few more weeks...

Urban Gardener living in the Suburbs.

I started my garden today. Since we are in the new apartment I can actually put my plants in the ground this year. Last year, when we were living in Boston I only had a 3x3 fire escape for my garden. This meant I had to put everything in pots, but this also made them portable. I was lucky because the escape got strong sun 9+ hours a day. Here is a picture of last years garden.

It was my first try at being an Urban Gardener. I was pretty sucessful, but I learned a few things along the way. I had a problem with what I thought were bugs eating my raspberry plant. Eventually, I caught a huge rat chowing down on the tomatoes. I didnt eat anything else that grew in my garden but I was proud of my accomplishment anyway.

So, this year I live in a two family house with a backyard and a small deck off our dining room. I am still going to put some of my plants in pots so that they are portable but my sunflowers will do better in the ground.
Today I started the seeds. The weather is pretty warm but still not warm enough to keep them outside permanantly. I set up a table (or storage bin) in my office because its warm. Im still an Urban Gardener, even though I live in the suburbs. Yay spring!

Truly Happy

Its been almost 2 months since ive posted but its a full two months. I have been getting more comfortable at work and im actually starting to like it there. I work with a great group of people who are hard working quirky people. I didnt think I would fit in at first but im starting to see now that they are just as quirky as they are. The position I took when I moved down here was that of an "ATL" or Assistant Team Leader in the Bakery. This was a big promotion for me which came with big responsiblities. I have 27 people under me and keeping them all happy is deffinitly a challenge. Although everyday is challenging in its own way, im starting to find my way and im learning alot of about managing and leadership. Im learning how to deal with team members who fight and lie, steal and manipulate their way to getting exactly what they want. There is never a dull moment in a Whole Foods Market bakery.
Since moving back to Ct ive never been happier. I have a huge apartment which im getting to decorate slowly, I see family once a week and ive been hanging out with my good friends from high school again.
This weekend I am making the a baby shower cake for my good friend, Bel. She is super excited about being pregnnant and she is having a boy. She got marreid 3 weeks before Dan and I did last fall and I couldnt be happier for her. Although I am nervous about this cake (I dont want to dissappoint) Im sure I will do a good job on it. Picture will follow soon after.
I love being near family. When we lived in Boston we had to plan trips to see family. This would entail taking time off of work (at least 2 or 3 days) and then packing and traveling the 150 miles to Ct. We would leave the kitty cats for a few days and get a friend to feed them. I always felt guilty about leaving them for so long. Now we can go to someones house for the afternoon or dinner or have them over for coffee or something like that. Last week Dans sister, Crystal (Open Door #4) and her boyfriend, Anthony came over for dinner. We had such a good time laughing and talking that they stayed till almost midnight. Then Dan and I went over to his grandmothers house for dinner on Sunday for her birthday. My mother and I went to lunch last weekend and went thrift shopping up the coast. I love being close to these people. I have never been happier than I am living here. I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends around me, I dont think that my life could get any better than this. <3

Mellow Yellow

We moved into the new apt earlier this week and now I have the overwhelming task of decorating it. We went from a small two bedroom in the middle of Boston to a huge (well huge to us) two bedroom, two story townhouse in suburban CT. Im thrilled that we have two bathrooms but now I have to figure out how to decorate it.
Even though I am an angry little one I love the color yellow. Its so inviting and happy and makes me calm. I have been watching alot of HGTV and im trying to take some of the advice in decorating from them but I just dont think I have an eye for it. Im trying to make it a new hobby for me. We'll see how this plays out.

Idiots.

I thank God for giving me a breed of people that I call "Walking Contridictions".
I have a co-worker whos name is Lucy . She is approx. 30 years old and has 3 children with her "husband". They have been together for at least 12 years and own a home in a nice neighborhood. She was unhappy with her name because she is one of 10 women in her family to be named Lucy. She decided to changer her name to Mary. She thought that it was a beautiful name and it would bring her a new relgious identity, since she is very active in her church. So she legally changed her name to Mary and insisted that people start calling her that.
Now I have no problem with someone who wants to change their name because it makes them sleep better at night. I have a problem with people who claim to be so "holy" that they change their name to a biblical name and have three children out of wed-lock. Girl screaming "Oh God" and "Jesus Christ" while youre getting your freak on doesnt count as praying. Mary was a virgin and clearly youre not.
Youre not fooling anyone, hopefully not even yourself.

Fate or Free Will?

The big move from Boston to Ct is less than 1 week away. We are packing up the apt and moving down there for a few reasons. 1. To be closer to our families. We are both family people and really miss having the luxury of going over there for dinner on a week night or meeting someone for coffee. 2. Make more moolah. Dan and I are both pastry chefs and people of our experience are a dime a dozen so we dont get paid as well. The need isnt as great in Ct for sweet professional but we get paid more-like 40% more. We still dont make a great living but its a work in progress. The cost of living is about the same but you get more for your money. 3. Its time for a change. The fast paced life of Boston is starting to wear on us. We turn into monster Massholes when we get behind the wheel and honk and scowl at everyone in our way. We are aging more quickly with this kind of stress on us, both finanacially and mentally. We do not have children but I do not want to raise them in this city. We used to gauge our sucess on how far away we got from our hometown of New Haven, but now we have grown out of that school of thought and turned it to caring less about how others view our sucess. It was always a competition to be the first to move out and get a good job and who has the better degree or to get married. But now I see that if I just live my life and enjoy the people around me I will be viewed as sucessful and people will look up to me. I have my "shit" together in the words of one of my co-workers. This move is going to be a big adjustment for us even though we are optomistic about it. All I can do is have faith that everything will work out for a reason.
Is this our fate or our free will? Are we making this happen or was it suppose to happen all along? Did we have to go through the storm to enjoy the sunshine or has the storm just begun?
Soon my posts will be less intense and more about the shit I see and my point of view on it. Like my kitty cats and the crazy ass shit they do.

Bittersweet Chocolate

SO..this is my first time blogging. I dont know if anyone will read it but in my opinion life is too short not to say whats on my mind and I have alot going through this thick head. I am rough around the edges, I do not let people walk all over me and you either love me or hate me. I am outspoken and not afraid to tell someone what I think, even if its not what they want to hear.
I hate moving. Im in the process of moving because I got a promotion at work and its in a different state. Its bittersweet. Its a good thing because I like change, and I feel that putting yourself in an uncomfortable position forces you to learn and grow. Also, my husband, Dan, bitches that I never take any chances. So I saw a postion posted on my comapnys website and decided to apply. I never thought I would get the position but I did. Not because im not qualified or deserving but because they dont know me in that part of the company. But sure as hell I got the job and so we move next week. Even if it is for a good reason, I hate moving. I have too much shit and have decided that I need to simplify things. I have donated alot of my "shit" and I hope that someone else will find a treasure in it as I once did.

Once the move is complete I will be living in a town that I have never lived in before. I hope that I can explore new bakeries and see new flavor combonations that I havnt seen before. I am a professional baker and I am always looking for new recipies to try out and learn from. I will be posting my findings and thoughts on everything from baking to my cats and everything in between that I want people to know. I am an aquired taste like bittersweet chocolate and im not afraid of who I am or what im thinking.