Natural Easter Eggs

This year, instead of using an old PAAS kit from the dollar store, we tied flowers, leaves, grass and weeds onto the eggs tightly with string and then boiled them in water with lots of onion skins. The trick is to use a lot of thread, wrapped around and around. There are more instructions here.

They turned out very pretty and 100% non-toxic, especially when the eggs come from the organically-fed chickens in my parent's backyard.

Lou's Brew

AJ got to work this weekend brewing a special beer for Louisa's first birthday. It's an orange summer ale and smells delicious already!

Bottling the Beer

Moving the beer from its second-stage fermentation carboy into the bottling bucket where it mixes with more sugar, which will carbonate the beer once it's in the bottles.


AJ getting set up to fill the bottles, after spending a long time sterilizing them all and all the equipment. Note his homemade bottle drying rack to his right.


Filling the bottles.


Capping the bottles.


Capping was fun.


Now we wait three weeks for it to carbonate, then we enjoy! We ended up filling 29 12oz, 4 16oz, 4 22oz, and 1 500ml bottles... assuming none of them explode during carbonation...

Bruno Rules the Backseat

Crozet Christmas Parade

December 6, 2008, 3 p.m. Crozet Avenue & Three Notch'd Road.

Home Brewing

Breaking in the home brew ware with the Appalachian Brewing Supply Anchor Steam Clone last weekend.

Boiling water and steeping the grains.

Dissolving the malt.

Adding one set of the hops.


Quickly cooling the brew.


Pouring the brew into the first stage fermenting container.


Watching the temperature...

...and now we wait! (and drink beer to save the bottles!)

Louisa's Newest Sweater by Mimi

From the adorable Debbie Bliss book.

Halloween