Wednesday's "What We Ate April 29-May 5, 2013"

Oooh-wee, did we have quite the productive weekend! We've been working on our yard for 3 weekends in a row now & it seems like every other second we've had we've either been planning our next project or shopping at Menards for the items we need. Finally, we are starting to see the light & all the joys & excitement that finishing projects brings. Unfortunately (for my husband), my list is till existent, but I think I'll give him a break for a couple weekends at least (maybe).

Over the past couple of weekends, we have ripped out masses of bushes, an existing fence, & have tore up a lot of our yard in preparation for a new fence. Our neighbor graciously volunteered his time to help John & man, did they work hard! We still have to stain the fence, & I've got a bit more painting to do (I painted our front door, just finished the railings & 2 flower boxes on Tuesday, but still have to paint our shutters & the foundation) & lots of gardening (John has 2 more flower boxes to build & the cucumber trellis, plus the actual veggie planting), but at least we now have a confined space where Ruby can play & enjoy the outdoors while we work.

Our primary reason for a fence was Ruby's safety, but also my sanity. I wanted to be able to garden without keeping a (literal) leash on her. She's a very curious kid & our yard is pretty much the size of a minivan, so it wouldn't take much for her to bolt out into the street. A fence gives her the opportunity to play as she will, but in a space that I can constantly (or not so constantly) keep an eye on her.

 We are now officially Americans who own a picket fence. What happened to us?

 The north side of the house with a view of our patio. No more bushes!!

 We have 2 gates to contain the wee one.

Check out all the landscaping I have yet to do...

Along with our busy project weekend, came some tasty summer foods. Friday hardly felt like summer around here (mid 30's & raining!) so we needed some serious comfort food to warm up, but Sunday we were able to enjoy grilling & eat on our little patio that we built in 2011. It was our first official meal out there since we built it (we just finally got a table & chairs a few months ago!) & I foresee many, many evenings spent out there.

Grilling is one of our favorite pass times. For real. Grilling is so satisfying & delicious (we are hardcore charcoal people) & it sort of forces you to sit back, enjoy an adult beverage, & take in all that summer has to offer you. It's quite lovely.

What are your favorite grill-able meals?

Sunday's dinner: steak & bell pepper kabobs on the grill with left-over cilantro lime rice & strawberries

What We Ate April 29-May 5, 2013
Monday: Breakfast pizza with grapes
Tuesday: Olive Garden's copycat Zuppa Toscana with cheddar scallion scones
Wednesday: Veggie burgers & asparagus on the grill
Thursday: Black bean spinach enchiladas with tortilla chops & salsa
Friday: We ate at our favorite local breakfast diner, Fayzes after a cold day working outside
Saturday: Fish tacos (tilapia, cheese, black beans, salsa, avocado) with cilantro lime rice
Sunday: Steak & bell pepper kabobs on the grill with left-over cilantro lime rice & strawberries

I also made a batch of carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, basic almond granola & whole wheat cornbread this week.