So it’s been almost a month since my decision to become more green.  I am happy to report my herb garden is overflowing!  I would like to say this is because of my impeccable gardening skills but I think it is because of the dirt the nice lady at Walmart told me to buy and my son, Jack, watering and watching all our bounty grow daily.  I am enclosing a picture because I honestly can’t believe how fast everything has grown.  I made a great pork tenderloin using the rosemary, a pico de gallo using the cilantro, our salads have been freshened up with dill and we are making pasta tonight with the basil so all together it really has been a great investment.

Now to the veggie co-op.  I have figured out that this might not be the best route for our family.  When I (actually Martha) sat down and did the math we realized it costs $17/week for each of our boxes of fresh garden vegetables.  But there are two problems.  The first is we are a family of 5 and 3 of us are 13 and under.  There are vegetables in the box I have never encountered, such as kahlrabi (?) and while it is great to expose the kids to new things, they really don’t eat more than a couple of bites.  The second, and really the big problem, is we pick up our box between 4:30-6:00 p.m. on Thursdays.  I am not sure about the rest of the world but my kitchen shuts down Thursdays about 8:00 p.m. and does not re-open for hot food until Sunday evening.  Thus the fresh veggies are no longer fresh.  Call me lazy – or just call our family crazy but the kids (and we) are going in 5 different directions starting about 3:00 on Friday.  I think herbs which I can pick daily and are low maintenance are all I have thyme for at this point in life.   :)

admin Uncategorized

Martha never ceases to amaze me.  She is a vegetarian and while I believe she thinks I tell too many people, it is because I am in awe that someone can only eat vegetables and have as much energy.  Now, when you compare dress sizes (she is about a 4 and I am a solid 14) it should put things in perspective pretty quick.  Vegetarianism now seems to be spreading …our office manager, Ella, and her boyfriend both became veggies last year.  In an effort to keep up with all of these “greenies” I have joined an organic farm coop…and Martha copied me ~ I was thrilled to lead the way when it came to nutrition, even if it was just this one time.  (But as a side bar, I found out last week that she had never tasted spaghetti squash – in my small mind I thought every vegetarian had a vast knowledge for all things vegetable.  Mark another victory to this omnivore).

Nelle & Lizzy shares office space with another company, Putnam House (www.putnamhouse.com or www.putnamprints.com) which I have owned for the past 11 years.  (And for another lengthy side note, Martha was a realtor before we founded Nelle & Lizzy so she has another “side” job too).  I regress….for our office birthday celebrations we always do a potluck lunch.  They are becoming more of a vegetarian feast!  I always bring the plates and napkins.  But you probably could have guessed that.  So if you have any great ideas for potluck, vegetarian friendly, easy-to-make lunch recipes, send them my way!

Just so you know I am not a total loss to the green wave crossing our country, I bought an old wash tub at an antique fair last weekend and planted my own herb garden to try and spice up my family meals.  I am
enclosing a picture here.  It is two days since planting and everything is still alive….stay tuned. 

admin Uncategorized

I am the mother of a preteen girl which is wonderful and scary at the same time. Many of my friends have girls the same age and we support each other along the way.  A friend just came up with a great idea.  She has started a group called M.O.P.’s (Mother’s of Pre-Teens) and we had our first meeting last week.  As we sat around sipping wine and eating cheese and crackers we shared stories and insight about raising our beautiful, strong and increasingly independent daughters.  It was our first meeting so we discussed a myriad of subjects. In future meetings we plan to have guest speakers and narrow the discussion to one topic per meeting.   I encourage all Moms to tap into your greatest resource – your friends.  Start a group in your area…. it is very therapeutic and enlightening.

The group agreed the American Girl book “The Care and Keeping of You” is a great source for our daughters. It discusses the preteen girl’s body, body imagine and the changes that their bodies will be going through in the years to come. It can be ordered at www.americangirl.com along with other helpful books for girls.

admin Uncategorized