Five Things

It's been awhile.  The end of the "monthly baby post" has left me a bit uninspired.  So here's ten Five quick things that have been happening:

1. The garden is in full swing and we've got our first edible peas and beans!  Now we are headed away for the weekend and our elderly neighbor is going to be watering it for us.  Please don't kill it...please don't kill it...please don't kill it....

2.  My son has been saying lots of words lately.  The big difference is that with some of his words, I can really hear his voice.  He's always babbled a lot but now when he says "up" or "nap" or "meow", I can hear his tiny little high voice and I'm in love. 

3. I've had several discussions with friends about the challenge of cooking lately, and am wondering if anyone would be interested in reading some of my favorite meals?  I wouldn't proclaim myself a cook, but I do all the cooking in my house for every meal (we very rarely eat out) so I do a lot of it.  And I have my fair share of quick, box-free, normal-ingredient meals.  Anyone? Anyone?

4. Our washing machine had an issue last week.  It wouldn't drain at all and an error code came up (isn't it crazy that washing machines have error codes now??).  I checked the manual and found out that we are supposed to check the drain filter monthly for any debris that could clog up the line.  Monthly?? We've been using this baby for two years and have never opened this door.  So now you know too: check your drain filter, at least occasionally.  I managed to fix it by cleaning out the filter, even though it didn't seem to have that much in it; Thank goodness we didn't have to have it serviced! 

The small tube that is *supposed* to drain any water left in the line while you clean your filter, and the large plug on the right that has the filter behind it, where all the water came rushing out and ruined my box of dryer sheets.  I'm a pro, guys.

So THATS what's behind that little door on the left!

5. I made a quick update to this footstool we made several years ago.  I'm so tired of beige and boring, so I got a yard of this pretty blue pattern and stapled it right over the top of the old cover.  It clashes horribly with our safe green couch but I don't care.  Someday the rest of the house will match the footstool.

This is the most true picture I got of the color.  So pretty!

Such a perfect surface for trains and tractors and cranes to work.