MAN! Look at the difference from this morning and this evening. The sprouts have nearly tripled in length.

As for the taste, I tasted a few. They taste like the bean sprouts that you get in the supermarket with a slight starch flavor from the lentil itself. Interesting.

I am thinking about adding some salt to see if that would change the flavor at all. Might eventually add some dressing or vinegrete or something. Do you all have any ideas if I want to eat them by themselves.

These lentils are sprouting nicely. I rinsed them and drained them. I am curious how they are going to taste. I am going to give them one more day before I taste them.

I have drained all the water and rinsed them thoroughly. I placed them on the kitchen counter out of direct sunlight. I dampened a paper towel and laid it across the top of the glad container, just to keep some of the moisture in.

Some of the lentils have split and I believe I see a couple of tips sticking out. They should be sprouting very soon. Shouldn’t be more than a couple more days till I can eat them.

I have been doing a little research on growing your own sprouts. Above is a hand full of lentils that are soaking in water over night. I will show you what happens tomorrow. Below is one of my favorite videos on the subject of growing your own sprouts.

From what I have read, sprouts are one of the worlds most nutritious super-foods. They would be great to be eaten in salads and pastries and many other recipes.

This is prety much my garden this year. I have two types of tomatoes, peppers, brussel sprouts, bush beans, and Sunflowers. Everything is in pots except for the Sunflowers. I am excited about how it is going to come out this year.

These are the tomatoes. I have a beefsteak variety and a roma variety. This year I have planted only one plant per container. I did this because of what happened last year.

My Spinach has sprouted. I should be able to cut something from it in about a month. I’m excited.

I am pretty sure these are the Brussel Sprouts I planted. The only other thing they could be is the bush beans I planted, but I am pretty sure these are the sprouts.

My Sunflowers are a little bigger.

INGREDIENTS

1 (7.25 ounce) package uncooked macaroni and cheese

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup margarine

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

12 buttery round crackers

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cook the macaroni according to directions on the box. Remove from heat, drain, and add soup, 1/4 cup of the margarine, sour cream, shredded cheese, and the cheese packet from the box. Do not use milk as directed on the box.

Pour in a small casserole dish and top with crumbled crackers. Melt the remaining margarine and pour over the crackers. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

1st Anniversary - This is the Paper Anniversary. I feel that this is something that should be though about carfully. There are few gifts made out of paper that would actually make good gifts for your spouse. A book would be nice, but only if it was the right book and your spouse actually liked to read. She May also enjoy a subscription to one of her favorite magazines, but I really don’t think that is something that she would appreciate on your first anniversary.

One of the coolest things I think you could do that shows you Love her with your time is to fold 1,000 cranes or flowers using origami. The Japanese believe that if you fold 1,000 cranes, you will have one wish come true. You could fold those cranes and offer her your one wish. She may find that romantic.

Another romantic idea is to write a letter to her. Not just any letter. Fill up an 80 page notebook with how much you love her. Make to where it will take her a good hour to read everything that you have written. She may not read it all, but she will appreciate that you took the time to think about her so much.

2nd Anniversary - Cotton is a traditional gift for this anniversary. You could give her clothes of some sort. One idea is to buy her a beautiful dress and take her out to a fancy restaurant or a night in a hotel somewhere.

3rd Anniversary - You should get her Leather for your third Anniversary. A leather jacket is the first thing that comes to mind. I am sure that if you put your mind to it you could think of other things that you could give her.  There is always a leather bound book, wether it be a journal of blan pages for her to write her memoirs in, or a leather bousnd scrapbook for her to treasure her most intimate moments. You could also get her a pair of leather boots or offer her a saddle, a trip that contains a day of horseback riding and a beautiful picnic in the park. Be creative. I am sure you could come up with something interesting.

4th Anniversary - Fruit or Flowers are simple but powerful gifts. When you spend time looking for the perfect florial arrangement, something that will touch her heart with beauty. I suggest if you can, go even bigger. Buy her a yard full of beautiful flowers. Spend all day outside while she is gone, even if you have to pay for a day at the spa for her, and watch her face light up when she gets home. I don’t think fruit will be appriciated unless it is a frit that she just loves to no end and that baybe you have bought her a tree that can be planted in your yard.

Another thing you could do to give her fruit is to take her toa u-pick field and let her pick a bushel of strawberries. Then you find a little secluded spot in the field somewhere and share a few strawberries with chocholate on them. she will love it.

5th Anniversary - The Wood Anniversary is one that will lend itself to a lot of creativity. There are so many things that you could het her. Furniture that she has showed interest in like a new jewelry box would be great (especially since you will be getting her plenty of jewelry over the next 55 years. You could find some kind of wooden decoration (a grandfather clock would be an enormous gesture if she likes those sort of things). I have even seen little figuringes that represent you and your spouse that she just may be touched by. You could take her out to a local park and plant a tree together.  Keep thinking.  There are many more ideas that you could come up with.

6th Anniversary - It is hard to beleive that Candy and Iron are both traditional gifts to give on your 6th Anniversary, but they are. You could give her a box ov expensive chocolates on this anniversary, buy why stop at that. You could take her to your local Hoffmans or othe chocholate making factory.  Have them make something on the spot for her that is just for her. She will feel special. I know that the Hoffman’s that we have gone to has a beautiful garden that couples can walk through and enjoy while they are enjoying their chocholate, or waiting for it to be made. They will also let you watch as the chocholate is being made.

7th Anniversary - I am not sure why, but Wool and Copper are the traditional gifts to give on your 7th Anniversary. I am guessing that the reason that wool would make such a great gift is because before there were really good heaters inside homes, people had to keep warm by wearing warm clothes. Wool would be a great way to keep warm in the winter. The first thing that comes to mind for a gift made of wool would be a pretty wool sweater. She may like it, she may not. It all depends on the kind of woman she is. You could also take her to farm that has sheep. Take her out to feed and pet the sheep. Let her get to know the animal whose wool was used to make her sweater. It would be an interesting date. Not one that would be easily forgotten.

Copper is a little trickier. This metal has grown in price over the last year or so. most of what it used for today is circuit boards and water pipes. It is not something that would make a really good gift unless you know what you were looking for. If you look around, you should be able to find an ornament or something fuctional for the garden outside made out of copper.

8th Anniversary - Here is another strange one. Bronze & Pottery are the traditional gifts to give on your eighth aniversary. Bronze is an easy one. There are plenty of people out there who will bronze all kinds of stuff for you. Find an object that represents your love for each other. I would even like to see a rose bronzed. Then mount in on some kind of plaque or in an acrylic box of some sort. Pottery could be anything from a pot to a statue to a chimnea for the back portch. get creative. There are all kinds of things you can get each other.

9th Anniversary - Pottery two years in a row? I know, it is rather strange. but I guess that is why they give you more than one option on the 8th and 9th years. You other option would be Willow. For me, that means a tree. What could signify a strong relationship than a tree that you start together from a seed. You take times watering it and making it grow. Then together you find a place where it can grow in peace and not be disturbed or cut down. I guess you could also find some kind of furniture that is made out of Willow, a headbord for your bed maybe.

10th Anniversary - I know what you are thinking. What am I going to get her that is made out of Tin? Well, there are several things. You could get something practical like a tin roof carport. OK, that isn’t all that romantic. Most canned products are made out of tin. Buy a case of her favorite canned fruit. That’s not romantic either. They make some great little statues or figurines out of tin. Go to the Art district in your city and look for a peice that she might like. Hobby stores or Big Lots  carries a lot of that stuff. What about this. A Tin of her favorite chocolates. (or even 10 Tins of her favorite chocolates.)

What about Aluminum? This is also a traditional gift for the tenth anniversary. Any kitchenware you can get in aluminum. Salt and pepper grinders, wine racks, spice racks, coffee makers and so many other things. You could buy her an ultra light bicycle that is usually made out of aluminum. Light fixtures are sometimes made out of aluminum. I know, not romantic either. How about a nice romantic candlelight dinner with wine/champagne in an aluminum ice bucket and aluminum goblets to grink from. 

11th Anniversary - Steel? You could always buy her a new car. There are also a number or lawn decorations she might enjoy. Cutlery for the kitchen is always a nice gift, but could be misunderstood as a sign of agression. A lot of newer homes are being built using steel instead of wood.

12th Anniversary - Silk / Linen: This one is pretty obvious. I think a new set of silk sheets for the bed and a night to break them in is something you two could do together. You might also get her a nice silk robe that she can wear after a nice long bubble bath. Make sure the air smells good with a few lightly scented candles. (I like the ones in the jars. They are less likely to start a fire.) Turn on some beautiful romance music (something soft, quiet, sets the mood). Make sure you shave and groom yourself appropriately. Yes, you have to brush your teeth.

13th Anniversary - Lace is a rather sexy year. There are so many things you can buy for that beautiful wife of yours. You can get something of your liking that she can wear for you on your anniversary night. If you don’t want to go that risque, you could buy a soft lacy robe. If you want to be boring, you could get her a lace table cloth or shower curtain but I am sure the first few things I suggested would probably go over better.

14th Anniversary - Ivory… This is something that can be a little expensive, especially if you go for the real stuff. The killing of elephants for their ivory tusks are not very politically correct these days. You don’t really want to be a part of supporting the illegal poaching of elephants just for their ivory. You can however buy plenty of imitation ivory. They make all kinds of things from handheld mirrors to jewelry to pipes and the like. I would search ebay for ivory. You are sure to find something. 

15th Anniversary - Crystal is the traditional gift got your fifthteenth anniversary. There are a lot of ways you can go with this one. You can buy her some kind of expensive dinnerware with crystal centerpeices. There are many different ornamental gifts out there of animals and dragons and the like.

If you want to be funny, you can get her a can of “Crystal Lite” from the grocery store. Just make sure you buy here something else that is memerable, like a crystal charm on a silver or white gold chain.

20th Anniversary - China… This one could be fun. Since you bought her a crystal dinnerware five years ago, you could go out and find even fancier dinnerware that would only be used when company is over.

You could take her to see China the pro wrestler… oh wait, she not performing anymore… at least I don’t think she it.

I this one is my favorite one for this aniversary… Take her to China to see Bancock and the Great Wall of China. You could take her to see the temples and the monks. You could treat her to true Chinese cuisine, not this americanized stuff we have here in the states. 

25th Anniversary - Silver… I like silver. You can get a lot of things in silver. Things like bowls, tea kettles, candlestick holders, jewelry, silverware, figurines and so much more. You know your spouce better than I do. Get her something that she would appreciate.

If you want to be creative, you could get a silver car or silver fish or a t-shirt that says Quicksilver. You’ve been married 25 years. You should know what will make her feel all fuzzy inside. Buy it in Silver.

30th Anniversary - Pearl necklases have been the traditional gift for may years. By now, you probably are able to afford a real pearl necklace. If you are like me though, you wife doesn’t really like pearls. They make her feel old. So you might take her to a beach front and find a place that lets you open an oyster to try and find a pearl. You usually will. That experience in and of itself will

35th Anniversary - Coral is a strange gift. There are a number of things that you can do for this gift. First you could actually buy a peice of coral. It can be for a fish tank or some kind of decorative peice. It can be part of a brush or a mirror or something of that nature.

I think my favorite idea is to take her to the beach. Spend time walking in the sand and looking for coral that may have washed up on shore. Then take her on a boat ride to the coral reefs out off shore. Make sure it is somewhere that is exotic and has plenty of exotic marine life. Take her out in the water snorkling. It will be beautiful and something that she will never forget.

40th Anniversary - Can you imagine her face when you give her a real Ruby on your 40th anniversary? Rubies are not that hard to find and you can find them at all price points. Like diamonds though, the bigger and clearer the stone, the more precious it will be. In some cases large, clear rubies are more rare and more valuable than diamonds. By this time you should be near if not already retired. You should have a decent sized nest egg hiden away somewhere. Make your 40th anniversary special and get her that ruby pendant, necklace or ring. She will love it.

There are a few other things you can do. You can take into the mountains and pan for rubies. There are places where you can pay to sift through soil to find precious stones. This could be fun if you have never done it before. You could buy her a pair of ruby slippers and tell her you are going to take her to oz. Then take her out on the town and show her a really good time. 

45th Anniversary - I had a little trouble thinking of a gift for this anniversary. The traditional gift is a Sapphire. The obvious choice would be a peice of jewelry. That is always a great gift to give your wife. Jewlrey allways pleases.

There are a few other things you can get her. There is the elegant Sapphire Martini Gift Basket that you can search for on the internet. Sapphire is a color. You can find numerous items that are in the color Sapphire.

50th Anniversary - By the time you have reached your 50th anniversary, you haveprobably bought her numerous peices of jewelry made out of Gold. Well this is the time to make it special. Buy something extravagant. Maybe a Gold Watch or a Golden Goblet. Something that she is not expecting. There are many different things that are made out of gold or at least have the color of gold.

Imagine giving her a gold ingott. A 99.9999 percent gold bar of gold. That would be something that she would never expect. Not only that, but it would be something that would contnue to go up in value.

55th Anniversary - Emeralds are similar to rubies. They ca be more valuable than diamonds in their purest forms. They are not as sought out as strongly as diamonds and I believe they are more interesting to look at. Get her a ring or a bracelet.

Find one of those emerald growing kits and tell her that you have been growing these emeralds just for her. Take her to Washington DC to the National Museum and look at the Emeralds.

60th Anniversary - Diamonds are the purest stone on on the planet. They are beautiful, especially when they are cut by a masters hand. Buy her the stone you should have bought for your engagement. Make sure it is twice or even three times the size of the one she already has on her finger. Diamonds are forever and they mean so much to her.

Do You Have any Suggestions for Anniversary Gifts? Please Leave a Comment. I Would Love to share them with everyone Else.