I love Sundays because we usually don't have any plans. I make a big breakfast and then clean the house first thing before the kids get "squirrel-y".

Sunday has also become "baking day", and it's often the day that I undertake some big new cooking project since I have more time. Today, along with my usual loaves of sourdough bread, I made chicken stock. It made the house smell wonderful all day as it simmered. I am especially proud of this batch because I was able to use the first bunch of parsley from my new herb garden!

All of my tomato and basil seedlings are finally in over at Dowling. I ended up having a LOT more room than I thought I would because my neighbor told me I could keep the basil seedlings grouped together...so I filled in with marigolds that I got for 1.99/four-pack from the neighborhood garden store.

I read that marigolds help keep insects away from plants...though I admit I have no idea what kind of insects or what kinds of plants...

Today was full, but wonderful. Perfect sunny weather. The kids had fresh milk and melon for breakfast while John and I had oatmeal and fresh eggs from our new CSA.

John played Go Fish with Snacks, picked more flowers with Sissy, and went to check on his truck, while I started the Weekly Home Blessing, hauled the tomato and basil seedlings outside, baked two loaves of sourdough bread, soaked cashews and almonds for crispy nuts, and made lunch for the kids.

Sissy "peed on the potty" for the first time ever today--a very big deal!

Late this afternoon we all went to Dowling to clean up our garden plot and pull a few weeds before grilling local, organic brats for dinner and finishing up the last of the cream on some more organic strawberries we found at the co-op. Yum!

John and the kids picked a huge bouquet of lilacs for me today. John calls it "Extreme Lilacs"...and for good reason. I love that I can smell them from the next room.

Sissy also picked a bouquet of lily-of-the-valley to put next to her bed.

John and I had a rare date night tonight. We walked to Craftsman where their food is 99% local and sustainable. It's a little pricey, but worth it to feel good about what we're eating and to support a local business whose philosophy we strongly believe in.

I started reading Jenna Woginrich's Made from Scratch last night and I love it.

Homemade pizza for dinner tonight. We finally got the pizza stone to work without the crust sticking to it. The only "missing piece" for me now is the black olives. (I finally found pastured cheese and pastured pepperoni!) Now I just need to find black olives I feel really good about, instead of the ones I'm "settling" for from Wh*le Foods.

Organic strawberries and cream for dessert.

The kids and I spent the afternoon enjoying the back yard.

They picked dandelions and played in the dirt while I pulled weeds, trimmed and bagged branches, tended the pansies and the strawberries and, finally, got to relax in my favorite lawn chair under the sun umbrella with one of my new cookbooks.

I tried cooking beans in the crock pot all day today (I think it worked!), and I'll try rhubarb in the crock pot tomorrow.

We are still enjoying the lilacs that John cut for me from the yard a few nights ago--there is no better heavenly scent!