Seven "Better Late Than Never" Takes

Linking up with other quick takes here.

Most of these are actually from last week, but last week was just more interesting. Unless you are really into potty training sagas, that is. (We're all just trying not to get high off the carpet cleaner fumes here...) So, without further ado...

Teeth!

What are these things in my mouth?!?

I don't want to attract the evil eye of the teething gods, so I'll just say that the first one was a total surprise, and the second one (showing up the next day) was only slightly less so.

Surprise Irises

I always thought that irises looked different from tulips going into the ground, but I suddenly have four iris plants in the same row as the tulips we planted last winter, so I have no other explanation than that someone at the cheap Aldi bulb-sorting facility got lazy. Hey, I'll take it.

Tulipomania*

I should probably be attending to my current, rather pathetic-looking garden, but we took a trip up to Holland, MI over Memorial Day weekend, and there were still enough tulips in bloom to get me thinking about next spring. I took home an order form from the tulip farm there, and got totally lost in pictures of all the different varieties. It's hard to believe they're all the same type of flower. I started a Pinterest board, so you can tell this is totally a serious enterprise and not an exercise in time-wasting.

The Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference

The conference is the family business (in a non-money-making sort of way), so I've been there to work since I was a kid, but, with a three-year-old in the house, this was the first time I was interested as an attendee as well. I went to a very relevant talk on discipline by Ginny Seuffert (and her fantastic Yonkers accent), caught part of Catholic Icing's talk on preschoolers, and brought home a good used copy of Noah's Ark by Peter Spier (it was on my mind after Kathryn mentioned it), and The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane (review coming, but the short version is: it's perfect, go buy it). We also tried to bring home a Holy Heroes CD, but it got left in Minnesota, so we'll have to wait for that until Grandma mails it.

Popsicles

One of Bean's aunts saw these and thought of us, so now we're on the hunt for good recipes. I have my eye on Peach Bellini pops, but I should probably start with something for the kiddo. If you have any favorite recipes, I'd love to hear about them!

Baby birds!

Some robins are nesting in a juniper topiary in our front yard, where there is juuuust enough space between the branches to catch a glimpse. Bean is quite enamored, and keeps asking if their eyes are open, and giving ideas of what they might like to eat.

*Yep, it's a real word.