Amaryllis Update

 

One of 7 bulbs exploded in flowers after hibernation.  I gave this one a gold sticker so I know it's the good bulb.  The others will need summer sun and fertilizer and we'll give them one more season to produce or it's onto the compost bin.  No sense keeping bulbs that don't produce!

Enjoying Earth Day

My last Earth Day post was 2022, and I can honestly say not much has changed, I made yogurt today and worked on my seedlings by taking them outside for their first hour of sun to begin the hardening process.  

I assessed my spring garden plants, the garlic is tall and happy, shallots look grand.  Carrots did not sprout at all.  Lettuce is peaking out and might have sent a starter shoot into another bucket, will transplant that later as it gets bigger.  No sign of spinach, and forgot where I might have planted it, the plant coming up where I thought it was appears to be related to buttercups after a picture google search, not sure how reliable that is but it's definitely not spinach.

Shallots

Garlic

Next steps for seedlings - plant Jalapeno, Poblano, 2 more Butternut Squash, and some mystery peppers that I think were my favorite snack peppers from last year and I forgot to label the bag!  

New project - I've been working on turning purple sweet potatoes into powder.  One 3 ounce bag can cost up to $20, and I can see why, it's super labor intensive!  First we bake it for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 in a glass container with lid, then puree it (removing the skin first), then spread thin on parchment paper and put in the air fryer dehydrator setting for 8-10 hours on 100, it must be completely dry and not like fruit leather.  If it's too thick then it won't turn to powder. After the drying process is complete, break it up into small pieces and pulverize with a mortar and pestle.  To get this jar, of probably one ounce, we've done 3-4 sheets in the air fryer and spent significant time pulverizing.  I've tried using the food processer but it makes a mess, doesn't turn it to powder, and the little pieces it makes can be done just as easily with the mortar and pestle.  It's a great stress reliever, we find ourselves doing it for 10-15 minutes each day so it's a slow progression but at least we're not throwing out these wonderful items.  The powder may look fine in the mortar, but use a sieve to make sure it's actually fine.  If we continue with this, I might try getting a spice grinder.

Here's a great guide to making purple powder if you prefer  a step by step guide: https://www.alphafoodie.com/how-to-make-ube-powder-purple-sweet-potato-powder/

Recently I've been making homemade granola, I'm still buying the oatmeal from Aldi, I'd like to find a source where I can buy it wholesale in a container I bring to cut back on the packaging waste.  

As with most homemade endeavors, it takes time, but the result is usually much better tasting then store bought alternatives and we know what's gone into the product.  Even if you are not convinced about global warming, making homemade foods saves money and I think we can all agree on that!  

New York Toy Fair 2025

This trip marks my 2nd visit to the New York Toy Fair in the 24 years I've been working in toys. The plush toys I work on are for Disney stores and parks.  Toy Fair is a showcase of toys that range from gift store items, collectables, baby, and toys of every style.  

I was invited to go because I had client meetings!  Toy Fair is the place for meeting old friends and making new.

I live in Maryland, so a plane ride would take just as long as a train because first I need to drive 1.5 hours to a major airport, then wait an hour to board, for a one hour flight, then when I get to New York, it's a 45 minute Uber or Taxi ride into the city.  I decided to take a train, because it would drop me off 1 mile from the Javit Center.

The Amtrak train ride was nice, it took about three hours from Harrisburg, plus the one hour drive to Harrisburg.  I got there with about 30 minutes before the ride.  I made the mistake of not checking for parking before, and parked at a local hotel, later I found out there is Amtrak parking for the Harrisburg station.  

Despite being a fairly seasoned world traveler, I forgot to turn off the wifi signal on my phone, therefore the maps app was not navigating correctly.  So as I tried to walk the one mile, I kept getting confused, and eventually went the wrong way heading into town rather than out of town.  It was 20 degrees with windy conditions, my nose was running, and it was just disorienting.  Combined with the fact that I had a client meeting that I was going the wrong direction and running late for.  My boss asked why I didn't just take an Uber.  I thought that would be unreasonable for a one mile distance, but I was not versed in walking with that level of cold, wind, and snotty confusion.  

Thankfully, once I finally got there, the wonder of being at the Toy Fair set in and all was fine.  Photos of New York taking during my mad dash through the streets:

Photos at Toy Fair

Notes for future travel to New York:

* Turn off wifi when using maps

* Park at TransitPark at Harrisburg station

* Take an Uber when pressed for time

Happy 13th Birthday to Violette!

 

Washington D.C.

 The last time we went to DC as a family was to visit the Bible Museum pre-Covid so it was probably 2019.  I remember the kids were young, but no one was in a stroller, so Evie would have been 5.  Most didn't remember it, so we realized we need to fit in DC trips more often.  It was a major childhood memory of mine, and it's a shame to live this close and not have good memories of DC.

We took the subway in from Shady Grove, then walked around a bit before having lunch.  I had to give up my nail clippers when we went into a gift shop associated with the White House because it had a tiny curved nail file.  I set it outside hoping to remember it on the way out but forgot it when we all got hungry at the same time and rushed out to find that taco place we'd passed by.

We settled at the Museum of Natural History after lunch and stayed for hours!  I was astonished at how much the kids enjoyed it.  We literally stayed until closing, then took the subway back to Shady Grove.

It wasn't quite peak season for cherry blossoms, so I took magnolia photos.

Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum

My husband is on a quest to take the kids to all locally well known tourist attractions.  Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum is locally known for it's candy selection and room full of elephant items ranging from plush, furniture, figurines, and historical pieces.  The outside has interesting gardening features with an assortment of elephants throughout.  The kids enjoyed our visit and we'd go back if in the area.