Living Senses

What a Hoot

2011-11-27T12:15:00.003-07:00

Pinterest and I have fallen in love.
It's a good and happy love with only one downside. More to do than can ever be done. But I have been doing many of the things I've been pinning, so I really don't feel bad about stealing a glance at my pinterest feed every chance I get. I have several boards going right now, and my favorites are Happy, Merry Christmas and Little Makes. The first board is all about my Christmas "want to do" projects. The latter is all about making things with my little people. Yesterday we spent the entire day playing with my brother and his family. The kids rode horses with Papa and then played and played and played, and cried when it was over. As soon as they started getting bored I pulled out my craft project basket, and my sister-in-law Mary pulled out her uber cool papers, and we whipped up these owls. They are made from toilet paper tubes, paint, paper, and glue. This kids did the painting and a little gluing. Mary and I did the paper selecting.
We both loved the end result and we'll hang these little guys on our trees.
More Pinterest, please.

An Egg

2011-08-28T18:05:00.001-06:00

We have been patiently waiting since April for this moment. When I brought four little chicks home nearly 5 months ago I never thought the first egg would come. Even more doubt set in when I arrived at the coop to find two broken eggs earlier this week. But alas...we have an egg. A beautiful, speckeldy brown egg. I think this first egg comes from little Blacky Crow. This makes little Amelia quite happy. Hopefully this is the beginning of much eggy bliss!

Goose Creek Falls: Mostly Macro

2011-07-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

Our recent family foray into the woods was brilliant.

Campfires, s'mores, a gorgeous hike.

Sunny days, stormy afternoons.

The tiniest pleasures become GRAND

Wildlife sightings, hot springs, favorite mountain thrift stores, massive ice cream cones, the beach, fairy house building, and time for just relaxing.
Henry the 1964 Oasis back on the road after many years...this time will all of us tucked inside.No buzzing, beeping, ringing, humming.

Just simple togetherness.

Amazing what three days can do for the soul.

Almost 10 on the 10th: Berry Patch Edition

2011-07-17T17:39:00.004-06:00

7:30am
Chocolate doughnuts bribe the girls out of bed and we are headed to my bosses house to visit her amazing berry patch.

8:30am
Half a Flat
9:30am
Time for a break with Abby the puppy
10:30am
Still Picking

11:30am

Finally Finished: 32 Pints-16 for us and 16 for Her. It's a Good Trade. 1:30pm
Italian Cornmeal Cake with Berries and Fresh Cream for Dessert

2:30pm
Rest Time for Everyone
4:30pm
Making Raspberry Jam

Sisters and Cousins

2011-06-29T16:17:00.000-06:00

My little sister, Lindsay, and my Mom came to town for a week and we took the opportunity to play, play, play. Seeing all the cousins together was pure joy. Just like every other family we have our struggles, and it's not all perfect and happy all the time, but these little people are what it's all about. Watching them play together and build friendships with each other is priceless. the good

The Moms

Baby Lucy

Duck, Duck, Goose!

Build Your Own Sundaes for the June Birthday CelebrationAmelia telling us about feeding baby cousin Halle...how did I not get any pictures of the little gerber baby?!Three Little Boys (and the rest are all girls!)

Three Little Monkeys and their reading material in the carBye-Bye, Lucy
Ezra with his shades on the escalator
Saying goodbye is hard, but we'll all get to play together again soon.

N-I-N-E

2011-06-28T15:40:00.000-06:00

Last year I was worried that Hadley would grow too big to fit in my lap, and that has happened. She is up to my chin now and threatening to pass me by any minute. Sometimes that makes me feel sad. I know the little girl days are gone for good. But I also love spending time with her now. She is so witty and smart and happy( and just a weee bit competitive). Seeing her develop her own ideas and become exactly her own person is very sweet.

For her birthday she requested a chocolate cake with light blue frosting (her new favorite color). After freezing the cake and using a crumb coating I was able to pull off the light over dark without a bunch of black crumbs! Amelia added the candles and jelly beans all by herself and helped me wrap the gifts.
Since Hadley and The Mail Man shared birthday and Father's Day this year they headed to Wahooz for a rocking good time while Amelia and I wrapped gifts and decked out the house for the party. Blueberry muffins for breakfast, tuna sandwiches for lunch, chinese buffet for dinner and chocolate cake with blue frosting. A perfectly orchestrated (and very simple) day.
Since I don't do parties for odd number birthdays she is already planning the bask for next year. At least then she'll be old enough to help with the work, too! I guess there are a lot of perks to her growing up.

Team 10K

2011-06-26T08:15:00.000-06:00

(Mark (Dad), Trish, Heather, Mary, Andrea)
Running a 5K with my daughter, Hadley, was extremely satisfying and really fun. It totally fired me up and allowed me to see that my body was much stronger than I thought. Not only my body, but my mind as well. Before I even ran the 5K I knew I could go longer, so I started training for a 10K and recruited a team of friends and family to go with me. I fully expected to run slow, and honestly I had no idea if I could actually run 6.2 miles without stopping.

To be honest, I don't run. I jog. Slowly. And I wasn't sure if I could pull off doubling my endurance over a 6 week period. But I followed a training plan and sure enough I was able to do a test run about 5 days before the race.

The day we completed the Idaho Potato 10K was perfect. The weather was seriously amazing. We ran along the Boise greenbelt and saw goslings, flowers, blooming trees, a flooding river, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
As we were boarding the shuttle I realized that I had left my perfectly programmed ipod back in the car and would have to run without music. I was so upset as I really didn't know if I could do it, and I had spaced the songs out just exactly how I thought I'd need them on my playlist.
I ended up with much better entertainment as Trish ran with me the whole way instead. She could have run much faster, but I was so thankful for her companionship. Being able to talk to her for an hour and seventeen minutes without interruption was pure bliss.
When we started the race Andrea was going to just do the 5K loop and then stop. When we rounded the corner and saw her still on the track after the turn off it totally fired me up! She exceeded her own expectations.
My Dad finished his race and then came back for me and Trish and ran through again. Just before we got to the finish line he looked at me and said "beat that lady up there"...so I turned on the burners and flew through the finish line with tears streaming down my face and a huge sense of accomplishment.
Mary kicked all of our butts and finished in under an hour. She was there cheering for all of us as we came through.

Thank you running buddies!
I can't wait for the next 10K this fall.
I am not really compelled to run marathons or even half marathons, but I am interested in a sprint triathalon. I don't know when I'll find one locally, but the next time one comes up I plan on being ready. I like having a goal to meet with a deadline, and I really like working my body hard and feeling strong and healthy. More exercise, please! I hope I feel this way for the rest of my life. I certainly never saw it coming!

The Hen House

2011-06-25T14:02:00.006-06:00

Well, really it's turned out to be more of a hen/rooster house. Two of our little chicks ended up crowing despite much reassurance on the part of the salesman at the chicken store. He assured me that in all the years he has been ordering chickens from this particular breeder he has only gotten ONE ROOSTER. Whatever. One started crowing very young(the naughty one that kept getting out of the brooder box). At about 6 weeks old I woke up to crowing at 6am. Their brooder box was in the basement, which is exactly under my bed. I found a lovely farm home for him and thought my plan had worked out perfectly! I really only wanted three hens anyway. Then it happened again. The Mail Man and I were out on the patio a few weeks ago and we heard the unmistakable sound of crowing coming from the coop.

Our beloved Claire (formerly known as Lisette) was crowing. Of course this was the hen I was really counting on to be a good layer as Rhode Island Reds are notoriously predictable.

Ah well. The best laid plans, right?

I contemplated getting two more grown and already laying hens to add to the brood, but learning that they would need to stay separated for 3 weeks led me to decide I should just stick with the two I have left. We might not get enough eggs from them to meet our needs, but at least we won't have fighting and diseases to deal with. Maybe next year we'll add some more.

So now we have Madeline ( I love her subtle coloring and her tail feathers) and Blacky Crow( a seemingly very grumpy bird with pretty feathers) Let's hope they LOOOOVE to lay eggs.

The coop turned out just gorgeous and perfect as I presumed it would. I absolutely love the turquoise window that allows me daily access to letting them in and out of the coop into the run.The top window swings upward for daily access, and then the bottom doors open all the way to clean the coop. They have their very own window, which slides open to let them in and out of the run.At night they go into the coop all by themselves and we just shut the window to keep predators out. My friend had her chickens killed by raccoons about three blocks away, so we are being cautious.
I love that the coop is situated right under the tree house, which provides plenty of shade and protection from the rain, and looks really cool, too! Now all we have to do is enjoy them until about September when they should start laying.
Next year I'm thinking bee hives...we'll see how the chickens go first!

Batik Thank You Quilt

2011-06-21T13:36:00.003-06:00

I was lucky enough to be able to teach music at Amelia's preschool this year. Every time I go to her school I feel so thankful that the director chose our little town to set up shop. I go to many preschools each week, and lets just say I don't always feel very happy while I'm in some of them. Teaching preschool and running a daycare is really hard work, but this director is patient and respectful no matter what. She teaches the kids to solve problems peacefully, be responsible, and be aware of the world around them. It takes a really special person to do preschool well. We have that special person and her team is equally wonderful.

I also have a great love for children's art. Their natural creativity is so sweet and pure. One day I was at the school watching the kids draw and I decided my thank you gift for the end of the year needed to be a Batik quilt. My friend, Juanita and I set to work conspiring with the other teachers to capture the art while the director was out of town. I cut out 5 inch squares of plain paper and the teachers had each student draw a picture of themselves. To allow for a seam allowance I cut 6 inch squares of white Kona cotton and then Jaunita and I traced each picture onto the cotton using washable blue school glue. Here is a great tutorial on this method.Once the glue dried I used watered down acrylic paint to paint each square the color I wanted it to be. (Once I washed and dried the squares the color faded significantly) and then once the paint dried I scrubbed out the glue, washed and dried the squares, and stitched them together into a quilt. I loved the way the kids wrote their names as much as I loved the way they drew themselves. This is actually my very first finished quilt. I've made tops before, but I've never actually added the back and quilted a finished product before. It turned out really cute and I'm pretty sure we pulled off a good surprise for the director.

For Sarah

2011-06-19T22:09:00.005-06:00

Sometimes life is really flippin' hard. This past few weeks have been really hard all mixed up with really sweet at the same time, which is hard to discuss sometimes. I need to share the worst part, so that I can get on with the good, sweet, happy parts. This post is going to be really long.(This is Sarah and her family. Isaac, Rob, Sarah, Eli, and Jonah)
Many of my friends and readers are also friends with my childhood friend Sarah, (formerly known as The Domestic Goddess).
Sarah and I met when we were 9. School had already started when I moved in across the field of our neighborhood Jr. High from Sarah. I don't actually remember the day we decided to become friends.
I only know that it was permanent once the decision was made.
We were fast friends with pretty different family lives and extremely similar dispositions and interests. We both loved to bake and read and talk about boys, so that's what we did. We'd call each other and arrange to meet halfway across the Jr. High field that separated our houses. She'd come over to my house and help me weed our massive garden or finish my chores, and I'd escape to her quiet house to hide in her bedroom and talk about whatever. Sometimes we would have a little spending money, so we'd walk to a local candy store and buy a piece of chocolate, or hit the swimming pool on her side of the field.
Pretty soon we were headed to Jr. High. We wrote a lot of notes in Jr. High. Mostly about boys and not about baking or reading. Maybe about how much we both hated P.E. and how I hated math. I'm guessing we discussed how handsome our Social Studies teacher was and how mean the choir teacher was. We still met halfway across the Jr. High field to discuss certain social tragedies or crushes. We walked that field more times than I could possibly count between 4th and 9th grade.
We had different friends in high school and maybe didn't hang out as much any more, but Sarah was still my friend and we still talked about boys and social tragedies whenever we could. We also talked about God and prayer and social injustices. Then a family move my senior year took me across town and to another high school. We rarely saw each other, but we still kept in contact. I'm sure we still shared the dirt on our crushes and she definitely kept me in the loop on all the social tragedies I was missing.
Sarah went to Indiana for college and I stayed in Idaho, but my life changed dramatically. For awhile there we didn't talk much, and we even had a falling out of sorts right about the time we both got married. During the early years of our marriages we weren't in close contact. I thought about Sarah all the time. There were several occasions when I would wake up in the middle of the night with a tear soaked pillow, wondering what had happened to my best girlhood friend. I missed her and hated our separation, but we lived so far away from each other that I didn't know how to fix the relationship.
Fast forward a few years and we both had babies. I was visiting the grocery store in the neighborhood where we grew up and I ran into Sarah's Dad. He told me she had just given birth to her first son, Jonah, and she would be coming to town soon and I should give her a call and get together with her. I blurted out that I really missed Sarah and made a big fool of myself telling him that I wasn't sure she would want to see me. He looked at me and said unflinchingly, "Heather, call her". So I did. And it was like we'd never been apart. We laughed over our silly grievance and talked about how that time apart was just a necessary phase of growing up.
Sarah and I were always meant to be friends. We were meant to carry each other and lift each other up with life was flippin hard. To laugh and share so much joy as we raise our families together. To encourage each other when mothering is exhausting and inspire each other to be better.
We still live far apart, but thanks to our blogs and her visits back home, we get to know each other anyway. We are privileged to maintain our girlhood friendship, and I am constantly inspired by her devotion to her children.
Many people love Sarah.
Many other women gain strength from her and call her friend.
So imagine the rally of love that burst into flame on June 3, 2011 when Sarah posted a message on facebook telling us that she was headed to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis to meet her 5 year old son who was being transported by helicopter for a brain tumor.
When I read the words I stopped breathing.
My body froze and my head started humming. A loud, intense buzz that left me positively dumbfounded.

A BRAIN TUMOR is not something that happens in my world. It's not something I or anyone I know has to deal with. This won't end up to be what they think it is.
This. is. not. happening.
And then tears.
More tears and sadness than I've ever felt.
I read the Caring Bridge Journal updates with fervor and urgency, hoping and praying that there would be some tragic mistake and the horror of this diagnosis would just go away.
Sadly, this diagnosis is not going away. Yet. The brain tumor was safely removed, but it was found to be cancerous.
Little Isaac has brain cancer and I cannot fix this or make it go away. I cannot take the pain and suffering from my friend, and she cannot take it from her family. The one thing in this world every mother fears the most is happening to my friend, and I cannot come to terms with it.
This sadness is more than anyone should have to bear, and yet it is happening.
So, underneath the joy of holding my new niece, hanging with my sisters, watching my girls play with their cousins, running my first 10K, celebrating the end of another school year, another year of marriage, and watching my baby turn 9...is this sadness. I know it is not expected. I know that I am worth more to my friend if I am continuing to live life and nurture my family.
But I am deeply rocked by this tragedy. In the past 2 weeks I have felt sad, angry, terrified, hopeful, hopeless, confused and even happy all at once.
Now I am getting myself to the place of empowerment. I am building up an army of resources so that I can help Sarah find her way back from the Hell that is her reality. I'm flexing my creative muscles so that I can give joy and hope and strength and more love than my dear friend can stand. I'm feeling every feeling as it comes and hoping, hoping, hoping that this story ends the way I want it to end. And when it does we are going to meet in that Jr. High field and tell our kids how we met, and why we are bonded for life. We might even have to pull out some of those old Jr. High notes and talk about the social tragedies we endured.

My, oh my. How life seemed complex when we were 9, 12, 16, 21.

Oh, Yes We Did!

2011-04-30T17:21:00.002-06:00

Today was a great day. I'm so proud of that girl there in green.
Were it not for her, that girl there in blue would have never found herself on a track.
Running.
Running and completing a 5K for the first time in my life.
I just don't think it would have happened. I always had too many reasons why I could not be a runner. But thankfully it only took one reason to get my butt in gear and really make it happen. For being that reason she is my hero.
She beat me by 4 seconds today. Fair and square...I could. not. catch her.
And I tried.
I was hot on her little tail the entire time, sometimes we ran side by side. She let me hold her hand and she told me about how she was doing this to show the world that if we believe in ourselves we can do anything.
"An-Y-Thing", she said.
But she saved up some super human power and burned up the last hill without me. Somehow it made me feel so incredibly happy to be letting her go and at the same time chasing her down and knowing that I'll likely be doing that for the rest of my life. I'll admit to some adrenaline filled tears on that track today. A Mom can't help herself sometimes.
From Hadley I have learned so much about living life to its fullest and with boundless joy. I'm just glad my body let me do this, and I'm glad I stopped making excuses and just figured out how to play with her instead of just sitting on the sidelines. I hope she lets me play for many years to come, because I don't want to be left behind.
So, Hadley is my number one inspiration today, but there are others. So many people have inspired me these past months and years. Friends just like me who've decided they are gonna get a move on. Sisters who've been right where I am before with me watching from the sidelines and wondering when I would do something to make myself proud. My Dad, who ran with us today and pushed the jogger the whole crowded way, so I could be there with my girl, and so he could cheer me on like he always, always does.
Today I am Super Woman. Humble though my powers may be, I kicked some bodacious ass.
Great, Good Day!

News of the Un-Newsy Sort

2011-04-19T21:20:00.004-06:00

There's nothing big happening. Unless you consider everyday life big, which some do.
There are lots of good little things, which I'd like to remember.

The chicks are getting to be big and pretty sassy. One in particular is very naughty and seems to be a little more developed than the others, which might give her reason to think she can get away with naughty-ness.
I disagree.
Her comb and waddles are much more pronounced than the other girls so I'm really hoping she is not a rooster. Her name is Jenevieve. You can see Madeline there next to her (sort of).
Bonus points if you get the literary reference for their names. They have all been named now. Mostly by me since I'm the one taking care of them. I told the girls if they want to help me deal with the copious amounts of poop these girls deposit they can name the chicks. Amelia was game. Hadley was not, so now you know why one of them is named "blacky-crow" while the other three have french names. This little yellow girl is name Lisette because I'm freaking out about the patterns Liesl Gibson recently released.
Segue to my next non-newsy news...
I made this tunic from the Sew Lisette patterns released by Simplicity. This is called the Portfolio Tunic and I think I'll make several more and just wear them every day. Though one of my students remarked that I looked like a "German Shepherd" today. The 6th grade boy made sure to come up after class and tell me that he didn't mean the dog. He meant the kind of person who follows sheep. Huh? Huh. On the other hand I had a four year old from my preschool class tell me that he really loved my shirt and my shoes today. Why thank you, smart little man. I find it curious that so many of my students make comments about my clothes. I never know what to think about this. The look on my face was because Amelia took this picture and I was asking her if she could actually see me in the camera.
Turns out she could.
Speaking of Amelia she grabbed my attention the other morning by saying
"Mother, my masterpiece is complete."
Indeed.
It's supposed to be a screen free week for me, but I'm tanking on that goal. Maybe because I'm busy with a lot of other goals right now. I hit my 4 mile run mark last week, which shocked me and made me jump around on the track like a crazy person. But I jumped slowly because my legs were so wobbly by that point. I am thinking this made my crazy persona very believable to on-lookers. I am also about to complete 46 days of no treats. No chocolate. No cookies. Not even a cupcake on Amelia's birthday. The most sugar I've had in those 46 days came from my frosted mini wheats once or twice when I was feeling desperate. All of this running and no treat eating and calorie counting has resulted in some exciting things for me, but the scale plummeting is not one of them. That unfriendly thing is insisting on sitting tight. I'm good with it though because I took measurements and because my pants are too big.
So I will keep going because success feels pretty dang fantastic.

Spring Book...I Mean Spring Break

2011-04-05T17:08:00.003-06:00

I've been reading. A lot. Spring break was cold and rainy, so we spent our time reading and rushing outside for any bit of sun that came our way. It felt so good to get back to books and enjoy reading instead of watching T.V. at night.
I always wondered how people could read two books at once and then all the books I'd been waiting for at the library came up at the same time. So I read a few books all at once and it didn't bother me a bit. I found that I was able to immerse myself in each and every one in a different way. Some of them were awesome, but I also found a few duds.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (series of 3 books)
I read all three of these books in the span of about 6 days. I stayed up very late a few times and read while running on the treadmill because I honestly could not put them down. I was surprised that I enjoyed them as much as I did considering I don't normally go for Sci-Fi at all, but these books were great. A total escape from reality and so much fun to enter the world of young, boundless love. The commentary on government and war was also very interesting, but I'll admit I was in this for the romance the whole way through. I just wanted to know if it would end happily. I highly recommend the whole series.

2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
In my last post I was thoroughly enjoying this book, but I have since changed my mind. The characters were endearing and the plot line was passable. It just never amounted to anything really great. I thought the author spent way too much time lecturing on the battle of the classes and not enough time telling an actual story. If she had built up the characters the way I thought she was doing in the beginning and then moved on to develop a plot I would have really loved this book. But I gave it a 3 star rating because it just never amounted to anything worth my time.

3. The Paris Wife by Paula McClain
This was a 5 star book for me. I love historical fiction and I love France and the 1920's and 30's. Plus this book is about Hemingway's first wife, Hadley. Four things I love coupled with great writing and a very interesting story about real people that is totally based on historical facts made this a very enjoyable read. As soon as I finished I headed straight for google to find out more about this couple and their very brief, but monumental marriage. I actually never knew of a real person named Hadley when we named our first born, but this is a person I can handle having as a namesake for my daughter. She was strong and true to herself, and I loved reading about this period of her life.

4. Rococo by Adriana Trigiani
I used to love this author. Maybe I've grown up, and maybe she's changed. Big Stone Gap was the series that hooked me, but I have not read anything since that I even remotely enjoyed. This one only lasted for about 2 chapters before it went back to the library. Too bad. I like it when I find an author I love and can follow. Guess I'm still looking for another Barbara Kingsolver and John Irving.

Do you have an author you love? Do share! And Adrienne is hosting Turn the Page Tuesday again, so maybe she'll have some links you need to check out!

Little Peeps Are in the House

2011-03-28T16:02:00.003-06:00

Four Little Peeps

Two Adoring Peep Mamas

A lot of Peep-y fuzz

So much excitement! Amelia's birthday is tomorrow and since she is the one constantly picking up the chicken books and asking to sit down and read all about them I thought it would be fun to bring them home just in time for her special day. She is over the moon with excitement and pretty certain that we will be getting eggs right away. We ended up ditching the list when we got to the chick store. They didn't have exactly what I wanted, but they did have some good choices, so we went with what they had. Amelia could not bear the thought of leaving without the lil' ladies. We came home with 2 Welsummers, 1 Rhode Island Red, and 1 Maran. They will all be different looking and they all lay brown eggs. The Maran and the Welsummers lay dark chocolate colored eggs and the Red lays light brown. I might need to add and Ameraicana to the bunch for some blue/green eggs, but adding chickens to a flock can be tricky and might not be feasible. All of these breeds are very family friendly and easy to adapt to a backyard setting. We are hoping to get eggs in about 6 months as these little ladies are just one week old.

And just across the room from the Little Peeps are the seedlings. Two weeks old and nearly ready to start transplanting into deeper pots. Some of them are getting too leggy already because I sprouted them under the window instead of under the lights and they were reaching early. I'll pot them deep and they will be just fine.
Lots of life going on at our house! Now we just need some warmer days. It was snowing and hailing yesterday and the tulips aren't even contemplating blooming. Come on Spring!!
We're ready.

Quick Takes Thursday

2011-03-17T17:45:00.002-06:00

1. I chopped off 10 inches of hair yesterday. Technically *I* didn't chop it off. I paid someone very well qualified to do the job. It's been a long time since I had a haircut I liked as much. A very looooong time. I'm so happy I took the leap and said goodbye to about 1 pound of hair.

A before and after would have been really good here. My hair was down to the middle of my back, and it took a solid 12 minutes to blow it mostly dry.
2. I'm hoping that this hair cut will help me stay motivated to keep exercising.
I've been running (ahem) jogging and working really hard to train for a 5K next month so I can run with my daughter. Hadley loves to run! I'm not willing to be left behind. No sir-ee. Nothing kills my motivation to exercise faster than the realization that I'll have to wash and dry a mop of hair afterward. I already feel happier about getting all sweaty. (2.2 miles is my record so far)

3. Amelia is counting down to her 4th birthday. Yowza.

4. My little sister Lindsay had a baby girl on Wednesday. Un-named baby girl showed up nearly one month early and weighed in at 5lbs 12 oz. She is in perfect health and Lindsay is doing great. The obligatory Auntie Knitting is en route. Glad I finished early! Though she won't be wearing this anytime soon, little peanut that she is!

(This is the Easy Baby Cardigan by Joelle Hoverson, knit in Purewool, color Parisian)
I really love the moss stitch cuffs and this sweater was pure delight to knit.
5. Spring Break is in 10 days including the weekend. I'm pretty sure I need not express my joy on this matter. After spring break we have 7 weeks until summer break. Ditto to the aforementioned joy.
6. We planted most of our seeds last weekend. Spinach, peas, lettuce outside. Tomatoes, Broccoli, squash, zinnias, etc. inside. I have more to plant soon. No big farm this year, I'm focusing on what we have here and we're adding a few more beds.
7. The Mail Man is currently building a chicken mansion in the back yard. It's going to be awesome and we hope to move three chickens in this summer. (It's not really a mansion, but it's nice.) He's doing this for me because I don't think he really cares about getting chickens. Especially considering the fact that we get 1 dozen fresh eggs delivered every Wednesday by one of my piano students. I love that The Mail Man is willing to undertake such a project just for me.
What kind of chickens should we get? We want them to be nice and lay big eggs frequently.
8. I've been reading a lot lately. Well, really listening. I listen as I drive all around being a traveling music teacher and when I'm sitting and knitting. I love listening to books so much more than I ever thought I would.
I recommend:
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Not a happy go lucky book, but so incredibly real and what a phenomenal character. At first I didn't think I'd like her, but then I started discussing her with my friend Holli and really thinking about her on a deeper level. I realized this book was truly amazing for it's authenticity.
The Elegance of a Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
I am currently loving this book. It's set in Paris, which would be enough for me to fall in love, but the two main characters are just so great!!! I'll let you know if something changes, but I expect to he happy with this book from beginning to end.

The Little Sweater That Almost Wasn't

2011-03-04T09:24:00.003-07:00

This sweater was Trouble from the very beginning.
(Even if you don't knit you might find this story amusing)
(

When I bought the yarn I knew I wanted to knit The February Lady Sweater, but I didn't know that I had made a really poor yarn choice for this pattern (single ply merino= super pilly). So the yarn and the pattern sat in my closet for nearly a year before I finally made a decision to make a vest instead.

I figured that a sleeveless garment would pill less.

I don't know if I'm right or wrong about this assumption, but I loved this color of this yarn and I really wanted a nice work piece to layer for spring, so I chose a vest pattern called Juilet. I knit the top section and got started on the bottom lace portion only to realize that there was NO WAY I would be able to memorize and implement that stitch pattern.

The repeat is just too long and there are too many interruptions in my life. So I had a flash of genius and pulled out my February Lady pattern. Upon further inspection I realized that Juliet was very similar and I also realized that I could knit the Gull Lace pattern from the February Lady with much less memorization. Or so I thought. That's when the real frustration set in for this project.

I ripped this lace section back no less than 6 times before I finally figured out that I had missed a stitch on my life line row (which I thought was correct...hence the life line) and it was throwing off my pattern repeat no matter how careful I was. Blah, blah, blah. Still reading?
So, I finally arrive at the finish line. I've carefully measured every little bit of this sweater to make sure it will fit and I cast off with great joy and head to the sink for blocking. As soon as I start to wash this baby I can tell it is going to GROW LIKE A PREGNANT MOTHER.

Enter SINKING feeling.
(See that loving look I'm giving her? It's FAKE)

I swear. I cry without making any noise because I don't want my family to know that I'm crying about my knitting. The knitting they have watched me rip and re-knit 10 times. The knitting that is supposed to be my fun hobby. I'm defeated by yarn, but I lay the thing out to block and dry anyway. I go upstairs with a ridiculous notion that it might shrink as it dries and I forget about it for the day. The next day it's still pretty wet, but I decide to try it on anyway just to see. It's huge.
Really huge.
Stupid HUGE.
So then I do what any pissed off hobbyist would have done and
I THROW THE DAMN THING IN THE DRYER.
UH HUH.
The Dryer.
I figure if I stand there and watch it closely I might just shrink it to my perfect size, and if I screw up and leave it too long I'll give it to Hadley. Or Amelia. Or one of their dolls. Because WTH, it's ruined anyway.
But it worked. I felted that $&@&# sweater to fit me like a dream.
And then I wore it and loved it even though it almost caused me to quit knitting all together.
I'm calling it the February Juliet. It's a crossover hybrid.

Dear February

2011-03-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

At first I was so glad you were over. It seemed as though you'd been nothing but nasty, and considering you ended with the bang of 2 weeks of sickness, it's not hard to see why I almost cast you off without another look. You delivered every common illness I know. Pink eye, ear infection, colds all around, stomach flu...I didn't think I'd find the surprise of good stuff waiting on my camera when I decided to reflect on you. I'm glad there is cold hard proof this month because my photos reminded me that there was indeed good and happy stuff happening around here.
But March; Let's Roll.

Double Pixie Cuts for the Girlies. One blond, one brown. No more crying about the brush before school. Happy.

Cold, strawberry milk morning. Happy.

Self made necklace collection. Happy. Eyelashes on pink cheeks. Happy. Wee knitting projects. Triple happy.

A bald eagle sighting on the way to a snowy, fun adventure. Happy. This photo makes him look far away, but when we spotted him he was resting 20 feet from the road and we could see him very clearly. We actually turned the car around and headed back to take another look just in time to see him launch into flight. Amazing.

A snowy little cabin in the woods. Extremely happy. We loaded up the sleds and back packs to snow shoe into this amazing little cabin 1.5 miles into the back country. The kids did really well and everyone loved this adventure. We'll do this again for sure.
This doesn't even address the reading, knitting and eating we enjoyed. Okay, February. You were fine. You just need to work on your ending next year.

First Color Work

2011-02-10T17:27:00.005-07:00

I have always loved Scandinavian art, furnishings, and textiles. Not the really fancy end of things. I mostly love the peasant style. I really enjoy the patterns and simple colors, especially the heavy focus on neutrals with pops of color, swirly white curtains, and almost always...geraniums. Red geraniums in terracotta pots.
I have a book that I purchased many years ago (before I ever had a house) to use as inspiration for creating my someday home. (Creating the Look Swedish Style by Katrin Cargill). In fact it was in this book that I first spied and fell in love with Swedish Clocks. All this to say that as soon as I started knitting I decided I wanted to knit fair aisle sweaters and beautiful things like they knit in countries where winters are brutally cold. And Long.

But all that detail?
Meh.
Pretty sure I don't have that kind if patience, I thought.
Then one night I came across a pattern for a vest that I really loved. It included a simple patterned yoke, and I was pretty sure I could swing that level of intensity. Armed with some seriously beautiful yarn(Mirasol Miski 100% Baby Lama) and a very sparse pattern I started in.

And two weeks later it had all worked out just the way I had hoped.

I did have to rip out the neck line about 3 times because of my forgetfulness, but I was so happy when I tried it on and it actually fit. Perfectly. I wore it the next day with a nice white button up shirt and some navy trousers.
Did I ever feel proud. Do I ever feel proud.
I really love wearing this vest and I'm pretty pleased that I'll be able to wear it well into Spring because of the lack of sleeves. Next I'll take on a fully yoked cardigan, which I plan to knit in the round and steek (eek). For next winter. I know I need to take this kind of work slow and steady, but I'm no longer afraid of slow knitting. I now understand the concept of projects that take a season or two.

The Lacuna: A Book Review

2011-02-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'll start by saying that I don't think Barbara Kingsolver will ever write anything I don't love. I'll also say that I'm no good at writing book reviews. I have no idea how to fully portray the genius that is this book, but I think it's worth a read, so I'll try my best to convince you.

lacuna

A small opening; a small pit or depression; a small blank space; a gap or vacancy; a hiatus.
An absent part, especially in a book or other piece of writing, often referring to an ancient manuscript or similar.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver twines it's way through decades of history (most of which I know very little about) through the gentle leading character "Shepherd". We follow him from his boyhood in Mexico in the 1920's through his writing career in the 1950's. The narrative is told from the perspective of his journals, which were impeccably kept and very detailed. Along the way "Shep's" life intersects with many famous and curious characters from history. This is perhaps my favorite part of the novel. His character is fascinating, but I saw him as more of a vessel for Kingsolver's most elaborate and telling history lesson of all time. The span of history alone is daunting, but she depicts some wonderfully colorful characters and weaves them into the story as if it were a work of non-fiction.

As always Kingsolver writes with the mission of social justice and this work may be more political than ever. Themes of sexuality, working class, artistic freedom, freedom of speech. To be honest, she covers just about every social issue I can think of. All through this quiet, isolated figure, Shepherd. He's the perfect vessel, really. He has a presence, but it's more about delivery than it is about him.

While reading this book I found Frida on Netflix and watched it for the second time. As I watched I found myself looking for Shepherd. I really wanted him to be real so that I could hold this intimate view of Kahlo, Rivera, Trotsky and even Hoover's FBI administration as truth. This novel definitely left me wanting to know more about it's history and wishing I could read the novels Shepherd becomes so famous for writing. I marveled at the issues presented and became fascinated with the idea of comparing them to things happening now, like social media and it's role in frenzied political rhetoric. It lit a fire.

In the end I thought about how we are all just people on a voyage. We seek truth, justice, equality and love. Why do politics have to be so divisive? I just want to live free and allow others to do the same.

Simplistic way of thinking? Maybe so.

It's Turn The Page Tuesday. If you're looking for your next book to read, and I haven't managed to convince you...visit Adrienne. Surely someone over there has read something you need to get your hands on.

Out of My Circle

2011-01-31T07:27:00.004-07:00

I've become very comfortable giving handmade gifts to those I know and love. I usually don't even think about heading to the mall when gift time comes around because I have so many ideas for things I want to make and give. I enjoy the process and I like to think the people I share with enjoy their handmades. I hope that is the case, though I'm sure there have been a few duds along the way.

Recently it occurred to me that I don't really give a lot of gifts to people I don't know, so it's easier to predict what my recipients will enjoy. This hit home especially hard a few weekends ago when Amelia was invited to a birthday party for someone outside our circle of friends and family. I really knew very little about this family, but I woke up with the specific intent of making a gift for her to take to the party (I stayed with her). She helped me choose colors and assemble this Monster.

We both agreed that he was pretty cute, and I felt good about giving him, since both of my girls were sad to see him go. I even stitched a tag to him so he would seem more official.

And then it was time to open gifts and the table was filled with cardboard and plastic wrapping and this happy little monster was very much the odd man out. I wasn't upset by this. It happens at my house, too. My girls love their pet shops as much as the dolls and toys I make them. That's just reality.
Mostly I was just struck by how comfortable I've become in my own little world. My circle has people of all sorts, but they get me. They know they will be receiving something from my hands and either they love it or hate it, but they get it. That's comforting and for that I'm thankful.

Produce

2011-01-23T18:43:00.003-07:00

We had a very late frost here in Southwest Idaho this year. I believe the first really hard frost waited until the very beginning of November, but I could be mistaken, my memory is a bit blurred. Regardless of that frost date, I went out and harvested every single green tomato and bell pepper in my garden when I knew it was coming. I filled two huge bowls with each and they sat on my kitchen bar top all fall and even into winter. I'm still kicking myself for not photographing their transition. It was really fun watching them ripen a little at a time and the bowls just kept getting less and less full as the seasons transitioned.

In fact, this was a bowl of peppers we ate on New Year's Day. The very last of the peppers from my garden brought me all the way to 2011.
Still fresh and crunchy(they had to be moved to the fridge in the last few weeks). Considering the fact that most of my peppers waited until about the end of September to start ripening, I was really thankful that things worked out this way. I will start them outside much earlier and protect them from the frost if it continues, as it did last year, until June (!!!).
Peppers take a long time to grow and ripen.

There were also tomatoes.
This bowl of tomatoes was the very last of what I picked and watched turn and dwindle. They were not as yummy as sun ripened tomatoes, but they were a far cry from the store bought variety. Now I think we can just wait for tomatoes until July again. I see no point in eating plastic. Our salads can live without them and my pantry shelves are full to brimming with tomatoes in jars. Whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and pasta sauce (dwindling much too quickly for my liking.)
In the past I've tried storing the tomatoes in the basement all wrapped in paper and tucked away safe. Mostly they rotted, and I did end up chucking some of these as they softened before they were fully ripe, but overall they ripened slowly and we ate them as they were ready. Plus there was no tricky storage involved. Win-win.

A New Year

2011-01-19T12:30:00.005-07:00

It is still January, and as such, I still feel it's safe to share some hopes and wishes for 2011. I've set only one goal for this year, which is to enjoy a candle light dinner every night this winter.
With the whole family.

So far this has been such a pleasant part of our day. It's pretty amazing what light can do for our emotions, right?
Sitting down in this way together, both of my girls now old enough to contribute meaningful insight to the dinner conversation, well, it gives such a sense of well being.
Which is, in the end, my ultimate hope.

So, for this year, I hope to feel well, live slow, and keep moving forward.

I have to say that I am feeling my best these days. There are stressors to be sure. Days where plans fall to pieces and tears and frustrations rise. But these days I suddenly feel like me. I look at the middle school children I teach and see their awkward struggle, thankful that I have reached a place where my insecurities are largely a thing of the past.
I kind of love this age I'm wearing.
It's comfortable and feels awfully right. My family is strong and healthy. My work is busy and satisfying. My creative needs are met within each of my days. It's a fine balance. One I know is delicate and based on many things I cannot control, but within these days of mid thirty I feel like me is showing up in real color.
Here's to a year of more beauty in the color of the sky, the contour of their faces, his jovial ways, the words of books, the weave of yarn, the palate of fabric, hard work, and the order and rhythm of home.
(Photos taken at Winter Garden a Glow, New Years Day 2011)

Meet The Dollies

2011-01-10T21:40:00.003-07:00

(Brook Claire named by Hadley)
Perhaps my most ambitious project ever was making these two Waldorf Dolls for Christmas this year.
(Flower named by Amelia)
Their construction involved a great deal of secrecy and planning. And T-I-M-E. Holy wow, did they take some precious hours to complete.

(The back of Flower's hair...single crochet part with pig tails)
In the end they were everything I hoped they would be.

Because they are loved.

The girls take them everywhere, read to them, sleep with them, and give me great joy as they play with them.

So, the huge investment in time, materials, and hunched over neck pain= 100% worth it.
Specs:
Dancing Rain Dolls 16" Friendship Doll
(this link will take you to the closest pattern I could find still available)
Body Fabric: Organic Cotton Knit in Fair
(I bought 1 yard and only used 1/2 yard for both dolls. I also purchased my thread, needles and tubing though this site)
Stuffing: Cestari Craft Wool 1 1/2 lbs.
(purchased through a co-op group to save money)
Hair: Peace Fleece, worsted, Chickie Masla

I spent several hours studying different styles of facial expressions, hair and clothing before I started and I found some excellent tutorials on flickr for making the wigs and stuffing the bodies. I was extremely careful and slow with this project because I wanted the dolls to last a lifetime. I have two handmade dolls from my childhood and I still cherish them. I hope I've made these dolls well enough that my daughters can say the same. They can be hand washed and new hair can be made as needed over time. I also have several patterns for clothing, which I think will be fun gifts for Easter, Valentine's, and birthdays. Hadley is almost big enough to start helping make her own doll clothes as well, which will hopefully be a fun activity for us to do together.

Giving

2011-01-05T21:21:00.003-07:00

I mailed them with a bit of anxiety because I wanted them to

be loved.

When I heard her voice I could tell that they really were.

There's nothing like that feeling, and it doesn't always work out that way.

Project: Holli's Duffers
Yarn: Brown Sheep Bulky in Ink Blue
Needles: size 10.5
Raveled Here.

The Color Purple

2011-01-04T19:03:00.004-07:00

Last year for Christmas my sister in law Mary gave me some really beautiful bamboo/merino yarn in the perfect color purple (A color which I've found impossible to accurately photograph). Nearly one year later I returned the yarn to Mary and my newest niece, Halle. I think it's awesome that they get to keep the yarn in project form.Halle was born nearly two weeks late, so I had plenty of time to admire this sweet little kimono sweater before she showed up. I can assure you there will be more baby kimonos! Mary even sent me two pictures of her wearing the sweater and somehow I cannot find them on my computer anywhere. Trust me when I say that she's beautiful.
Project: Seamless baby kimono
Yarn: Elspeth Lavold Bambool
Needles: size 5 and 7 circulars and dpn's
Raveled Here

And for Mary I used my favorite hat pattern from Pepperberry knits. This yarn proved the perfect substitute to the cashmere and Mary will need to send me some photos wearing this hat. It's adorable on her. Project: Hannah Newsboy Hat
Yarn: Elspeth Lavold Bambool
Needles: size 4 circulars and dpn's
Raveled Here

Celebrating Solstice

2011-01-03T09:25:00.005-07:00

This year was our second to celebrate the Winter Solstice actively. What a special day it was! We didn't get up in the middle of the night to see the eclipse, but we did enjoy the full moon still present in the early morning. For us the Solstice is a celebration of light. We've begun adding this day to our winter celebrations because we (I) feel it's necessary to be thankful for the gift of the sun and light. We are still eating fresh tomatoes and bell peppers from our garden (!!) and our coffers are full this winter thanks to a bountiful harvest. So, we celebrate the sun and the beauty of the earth that fills us. Our solstice gifts are always handmade. This year I decided on the Pointy Elf Hat from Joelle Hoverson's More Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Such a great book!
These hats knit up in a matter of 2 hours (both), so they were the perfect last minute addition to our making.
Project: Pointy Elf Hat (2)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Burly Spun Ruby Red
Needles: Size 13 DPN

First Project of 2011

2011-01-02T17:25:00.003-07:00

There is a mighty backlog of fun projects brewing around here, so instead of starting where I left off and moving forward, I'll start with today.

Today I completed my first pair of socks that actually fit and make me happy. Well, mostly happy. I'm not totally in love with this yarn, which sort of reminds me of a Man's sweater ala 1990. Still.

This projects is very nostalgic for me because it was the first really technical project I ever attempted way back in February 2009. When I bought this yarn I was in a mid winter funk. Amelia had been sick for what felt like days, and I was really wanting something to take my mind off the gloomy weather and sickness. In the end, the project was not suitable for my skill set, and to the bottom of the knitting bag they went.
Now they are going to live in my sock drawer with glee. I hope they are a sign of things to come this new year. I feel a slowness brewing. A less frenzied, more purposeful sort of making and doing and being. I believe a well fitting pair of socks to be a perfect representation of this mindset. Plus, I want my sock drawer to look like a rainbow.
Project: Top Down Socks
Needles: Size 1 bamboo dpn's
Yarn: Berroco Sox Glamorgan 1420

The Angel and The Devil

2010-12-05T14:42:00.001-07:00

This year we had an Angel and a Devil for Halloween. Usually the real life roles are reversed...just sayin'.

One Perfect Day

2010-12-05T13:30:00.002-07:00

Snow Day Means

Waffles with homemade buttermilk syrup, shoveled walks, a sled ride to our favorite local coffee shop for hot cocoa, a snow fort AND the tallest snow man ever, reading, knitting, soup, warm blankets,

Contentment

Return

2010-10-09T08:49:00.009-06:00

Just before school began in August we enjoyed one last getaway to the mountains. The Mail Man had reserved a very special spot for us, and we had a most perfect weekend returning to the place our lives first began. 12 years ago we spent a chilly June morning digging out the hot springs (him) and sprucing up the cabin(me) for a quaint gathering of friends and family on our wedding day. This magic place was well off the beaten path, and there was nothing glam about that day.

But it was perfect. Kind of like this weekend with our girls.
We told lots of stories about our wedding day and they tried to understand why they weren't there. We soaked long and well in a freshly dug pool of natural hot water several times a day. We stayed up late at night to marvel at a myriad of shooting stars under a dark mountain sky(while soaking). We heard the lonely howl of wolves (hair raising), and ducked from scads of bats careening out of our little cabin's attic at dusk. We ate delicious food and spent plenty of time just hanging.We even took an after shot.12 years later things are looking pretty good. There's been plenty of rocky and even more happy. Most of all there are times like this. Memories that last forever and cast a happy glow over it all. This was just the return we needed.

Dear September

2010-10-04T09:33:00.010-06:00

You were all kinds of crazy and everything in between. You were new schedules and routines, a flush of gorgeous colors, a steamy, cluttered kitchen, the dirtiest stove around. You were Zinnias and flowering plants readying themselves to share seeds for next year. You were a garden literally bursting at the seams. You were a bit of yarn and even a little sewing. You were home improvement projects and reorganized drawers. You were school lunches every morning and you demanded clean laundry every week. You were the stomach flu. Twice. You were life in full, glorious color, flavor, and sound.

Quick Takes

2010-08-27T10:31:00.003-06:00

I just read my friend Sarah's quick takes and it made me so happy to know what was going on with her that I decided to ditch cleaning the bathroom and post a quick update.

1. I started a new job 2 weeks ago. I'm back in the classroom after thinking I wouldn't be doing that this year since the budget at my last job was cut and my position was eliminated. I found out about this new job the day before school started, so my world has been turned a bit skiddy whompus.
2. The job is at the school I was at before. My 6th graders now were my 2nd graders when I left. I love seeing their faces again and realize how much I missed teaching them and being a part of this school.
3. I'm still teaching preschool music in the morning and a few piano lessons. This means that starting next Tuesday I'll be working pretty much full time.
4. I feel guilty about being away so much. Amelia gets a lot more Daddy time, though, and this is not a bad thing. Plus, I still have all the school breaks and summer, so the financial stability is worth it in the end.
5. The garden is taking a major back seat. I can't do it all. If you live near me and you want produce please let me know. I would like you to come to the garden and help harvest. You'll get food for your efforts.
6. I'm knitting but not sewing. My current projects are all gifts, so they are super secret until they are delivered. I have a wish list a mile long and I'm wondering if I'll give myself carpel tunnel if I really knit everything I want to knit.
7. My bathroom is disgusting and I'm finding it difficult to get dressed in professional attire every. single. day of the week again.
8. How will I ever have time/energy to can peaches, tomatoes, pasta sauce, and freeze corn? I really, really want this to happen.
9. I'm not good at dealing with conflict or making mistakes. I made a mistake this week and I lost a lot of sleep worrying about the conflict that might ensue. I went to see my sister who does a form of therapy called EFT yesterday. She helped me work through all the reasons why I was making myself sick over this incident and the possibility of conflict in general. I finally slept and felt at peace last night. Thank you, sister. I really needed that. I'm going to keep working on letting go of my fear of conflict and letting go of the belief that I have to be perfect and never disappoint anyone.
10. I don't want my computer to be such an important part of my day. I love feeling connected to other people, and since I don't have time to hang out with friends, these connections keep me sane, but I feel a need to disconnect. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I'm letting go of a lot of my internet based interactions for the foreseeable future. Maybe just photos and a few words on the blog here and there. We'll see.

Be well, dear friends...I feel Fall coming on and I can't wait.

Go Local Week 12- Canning and Preserving as a Family

2010-08-23T12:18:00.004-06:00

Well, this is our final guest post for Go Local 2010. I hope you've gleaned some good ideas about how to use your bounty! While I had hoped to post far more recipes and canning/preserving tips, my garden adventures dictated otherwise.
The topic Holli shares today is something I've thought a lot about this summer. Holli brings us a blog about spending her youth in a steamy, summer kitchen with her family. I've often wondered if I'm torturing my children by making them help in the garden and making them entertain themselves while I can and freeze foods. I know they are learning valuable lessons, and I don't regret that, but sometimes I think they'll hate me if they don't get to just play all the time. Reading what Holli has to say cements my belief that kids need to learn how to work AND be given time to play. If they are going to be working, I'd rather have them right next to me over a steamy canner full of peaches and tomatoes than anywhere else. I don't think I'm ruining their lives by teaching them how to live sustainable, self sufficient lives. Though sometimes I'm pretty sure they would disagree. Holli needs no introduction. She's been here many times before, and most of you already read Feeding The Big Guy. Let's just say...welcome back. And thank you for sharing these memories.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------by Holli
Growing up on a garden in an orchard valley, I spent many many weeks of my childhood canning, dehydrating and preserving. Usually it was a family affair including the likes of one or more of my six siblings, parents, Grandmas, Aunt Char, even various cousins.

I have fond and not so fond memories of this reoccurring summer ritual. Preserving is a lot of hot work and as a girl, particularly a teenager, I almost always had 'better' ideas of ways to spend my summer. But, looking back now, I see how much I learned over the years, and I'm grateful I was 'forced' to participate in canning, dehydrating and preserving.

Below is a brief sampling of lessons I learned while preserving. Consider this my testament to the importance of work like this, and my personal urging that you make the canning, dehydrating and preserving in your home a family affair. Spats, complaints and general moans aside, it's good for the soul. Grab your partner, children, family members and friends, and start preserving bites of summer together to enjoy this winter.

Lessons Learned While Canning, Dehydrating, and Preserving

A sharp paring knife is absolutely essential.
A sharp paring knife must be respected.
Just get to it; procrastinating, dragging one's feet and complaining only make the process take longer and feel more painful.
A stitch in time, really does save nine.
Nothing smells as good as a warm kitchen full of hot, steamy fruit.
Teamwork, works!
Bing Cherries (and many other fruits) stain. Do your canning and preserving in "play clothes". Also, wear an apron.
Preserving is affordable, resourceful, and delicious.
Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, et al do not really exist (this I tragically learned the summer I turned 8 while canning peaches with my Mom and Grandma Brenner. I'll never forget the words they used, the way the kitchen smelled, or the way I felt upon hearing this news.)
Most of all, I learned how to can, dehydrate and preserve; skills that have been with me and will continue to be for decades.

-----------------------------------------------------------
I think August and September are pretty intense when you decide to make food a priority in your family. The gardens are bursting at the seams and the stove top is almost always busy preparing the fruits of our labor. I know it's worth it in the end. Once we get past the intensity of this season we get the calm. The garden WILL freeze eventually and then we will take a break and shift our focus elsewhere...for now though...the hard work of preservation is in full swing. For me it's a labor of love and the way to a more fulfilling life, not to mention a happier belly come December! keep talking about food, friends. It's important!!

Thank you for joining me in the Go Local Challenge this year. Sometimes I think it's a silly effort to continue this challenge every year. But people tell me all the time that these discussions and posts have helped change the way they look at food, or at least reminded them of the value of healthy, local, sustainable options for their tables. That's what I like to hear. I know I'm not changing the world on this tiny little blog, but I also know that I've changed a HUGE part of my own world for the better, and I think you for joining me in my quest. Eat well today!

Go Local Week 11- The Little Red Hen

2010-08-16T07:06:00.004-06:00

My guest today is Ashley of Mommy Long Legs. We first met while teaching at the same school. We were also pregnant together! Ashely describes herself as the worlds tallest Little Red Hen. As an English teacher Ashley was always coming up with the most creative assignments for her students. Spurred by her super long legs and a serious lack of long legged maternity clothes she just went ahead and founded her own company! You see when we worked together we turned heads walking our pregnant bellies down the hall. As if the bellies weren't enough she's 6ft tall. I'm 5 ft tall. You get the picture. But that's not why we're here! This year Ashley and her husband planted their first garden, and she's here to tell about it. Please welcome Ashley! (Go visit her website and tell all your tall friends where to get long legged maternity clothes!)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This year we planted our first garden. Since I have typically been known as the Botanical Grim Reaper, I knew this was going to be a challenge. It didn’t help that we were discouraged by many of our friends.

“It’s hard work.”
“It’s not worth it.”
“Your space is too big for beginners.”

When we landscaped our yard last summer, my husband had the foresight to leave a chunk of land 16x16 in a raised bed with drip line access.But, it was looking more and more like our nice plot of fresh earth would soon be paved over and adorned with a hot tub.

But I grew up with farm fresh veggies. My grandparents had a farm. I have many memories of summer days spent canning beans, beats and corn. I was determined to give my children the same memories I had growing up even though we are now “city folk.” I have also been inspired every year by Heather and her Go Local Battle Cry.

So, this was my first official garden...the one I owned, tended and harvested.

I learned quite a bit about gardening. But I’m more surprised at what I learned about myself and my family.
1. Babies can eat a lot of dirt when you turn your back to tackle the weeds. Surprisingly, they are just fine! (The kids...not the weeds)

2. I found myself hiding in the corn stalks while stuffing my face with fresh garden peas so as not to have to share with my children. I wonder if there is an AA group for this....“Hi. My name is Ashley and I was thrilled to discovered my children didn’t like peas so I could eat them all.” (But by “All” I mean the 8 pods that actually grew in my garden...so I don’t really have a problem...Right?!?)

3. Its good to have friends with bigger and better gardens. They come in handy for advice, borrowing tools and...veggie raids when your own garden fails to produce. (Special shout out to Rhonda, Heather, and Farmer Dave)4. Gardening is not as hard as everyone tells you it is going to be. Its really quite easy and incredibly therapeutic.

5. Speaking of therapy...We considered our garden a success before we ever had anything planted. If our marriage could survive an entire day of shoveling manure, without someone getting a sharp metal object to the backside, then we could survive anything.6. I’m a perfectionist. It was completely liberating to plant a garden, tend to it and then sit back and just see what happens. I was able to let go of the control to which I so desperately cling and just enjoy this little earthly experiment. I need to do this more with mothering my 2 young children.

7. I kept my gardening manual Close, but my Grandmother closer. My 84 year old grandmother lives nearby so she was available to oversee the planting, harvesting and preserving. After 50 years of managing her own gardens, I consider her the expert in gardening. Of course, she also waited for us to leave town, so she could go back and replant everything we did wrong. She wasn’t about to criticize, but she also wasn’t about to go a summer without fresh corn. Thanks Patsy.8. I cooked a dinner of stuffed zucchini (with tomatoes, basil, onions, & zucchini from the garden) with a side of cucumber tomato salad (also from our garden.) My husband...called me AWESOME. It felt AWESOME.

9. Cucumbers are more prolific than bunnies. Why didn’t someone warn me of this before I planted an entire row. I’m not ready to delve into pickling them, so we just eat them everyday, every meal, and beg our neighbors to take more.

10. Weeds are also incredibly prolific. Why can’t Mother Nature make my carrots grow at the same rate?

11. We were not successful in everything we planted. Our little space provided a few fresh veggies (not enough for preservation but enough to cook a decent meal or two). We were/are able to grab beets, corn, onions, cucumbers for a summer meal on the patio. We failed at peas, carrots, potatoes and pumpkins* Perhaps it might have been much more work, had more actually grown. It was a good way to ease into it.

12. Gardening is addictive. I’m accepting defeat with the carrots and tomatoes because I’m already thinking about what I’ll do differently next year. I can hardly wait!

In the end, I’ve learned a garden isn’t just about GROWTH. It’s about transformation. The real growth happened within. This summer, with a little work, a lot of luck, and my grandmother lurking about, we were able to take a tiny seed to a tall stalk and a city girl to dirt lover. In the beginning, I wasn’t originally sold on owning/maintaining a garden. But since tending to one, I’ve seen a change in me. I’m willing to take a chance, experiment, and shrug off failure more than I ever have before.

As for next year, my husband is still ready to put in a pool, But, I can’t wait to try...try again. I’ll put a little more calcium in for my tomatoes. A little softer earth for my carrots, and a little less heat for my peas. And then.....see what happens.

A disclaimer about pumpkins:
*Parents: Don’t get your kids all jacked up about growing pumpkins until you actually have them growing. Because kids will check every day for a giant pumpkin. And when they don’t appear, there is a lot of explaining that has to take place. We are lucky enough that dad the pumpkin fairy will arrive in October and buy grow a pumpkin that will magically appear overnight.
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Are you reveling in the bounty? August and September are the best months for produce, so eat up!! And then post about it because even if you think your friends are sick of hearing about local food they are not. When we talk about eating local it makes a difference, so keep talking people. Share a photo, a word or two about dinner your favorite vendor at the market, etc.

Go Local!!!

Go Local Week 10 - Use Your Bounty - Scalloped Kale and Potatoes

2010-08-08T22:18:00.002-06:00

Debbie (of The Loving Path) and I crossed paths a few short months ago. You know how it is in blog land. Someone new leaves you a comment, and you go visit their blog to see if there is a connection to be had. I've been pretty amazed at how many kindred spirits I've found this way. It's not that we're exactly the same, or even that we are mostly the same. This community is more about sharing a journey of self discovery and not feeling alone than anything else. Reading Debbie's blog has presented so many...hey that's totally me....moments. She is introspective and deeply honest and real. I like that, and I'm thankful for the self discoveries she shares that lead me to my own. Her photography is beautiful, and she shares some killer recipes like the one she is sharing today. If you have not met her through the challenge posts these past few months, I think it would be worth your while to stop by and say hello. If you get there quickly you will be able to see her up close and personal as she shares a series of self portraits. Something I would really like to challenge myself to examine as I work on total self acceptance this year.
Welcome, Debbie! Thank you for sharing your memories and gifts with us this week.
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Gifts From The Farm

When I was a little girl the part of of my summer I most looked forward to was the two-weeks spent at my grandparents farm. There is something about escaping the hustle and bustle of the city (and one's parents) for the silence and stillness of the county. I still love it to this day - the smells, (all of them) the sounds, the offerings.

By the time my brother and I came along, my grandparents no longer farmed their 100 acres. They rented out the land and so I never really experienced "farming" per se - but the things I did learn during our stays were every bit as important.

My grandparents had a huge garden. They grew a bit of everything. My grandma always said - "Every little bit helps." She had raised 4 children (three of which were boys and so of course she needed all the help she could get in feeding them.)

These words have always stuck with me. Gardening and growing my own food has become a big part of who I am. I suppose what I love most about this is the connection it gives us to the earth. And how simple, yet profound it is, to drop a seed into the earth and from that seed, feed yourself; feed your family.

Today, the vast majority of children growing up will never step foot on a farm in their childhood - maybe even their lifetimes. Farms no longer seem to be the way a family makes a living anymore. (Although, I believe this is changing. And, I believe it needs to change.) So if we are to teach our children about where their food comes from we must start in our own backyard.

I suppose this is one of the greatest gifts my grandparents imparted on to me: the knowledge of where my food comes from. It's not enough anymore to simply know it is grown. I think it's a matter of our very survival that we know exactly where it comes from, how it's grown, and what to do with it once it is harvested.

The summers on my grandparents farm were often spent in the kitchen. But first they started outdoors. We would collect all that we needed to put things up for the winter - beans and beets and pickles. We would walk to the chokecherry trees closer to the back of the property and pick until our fingers were purple. Then all this wonderful food joined us in the kitchen and Grandma taught me how to preserve. I still long for chokecherry jelly. If it wasn't for my farm experience I'm not sure I would be who I am - a farmer at heart - living in the city, growing all I can and doing my best to pass along this way of life to my son.
My son, Isaac, is only four. But he already knows where his food comes from - not a box or the frozen section at the grocery store - but from his own backyard. We grow a little bit of everything, just as his great-grandparents did. He walks out to the backyard, picks a carrot, washes it off (sometimes) and has a little snack. The beauty in this is inspiring.

Eating locally and sustainably are things that I'm passionate about. Sharing these experiences with our children can ensure that growing our own food becomes a way of life for them too - and not just something their parents did.

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Nights here are getting cooler and so I've been thinking of meals to warm us up come the fall. Kale and potatoes make an awesome combination in this yummy version of scalloped potatoes.

Scalloped Kale and Potatoes

- 1 pound fresh kale
- 5 medium-large potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups grated swiss cheese
- 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/4 cups milk
:: thoroughly rinse kale and shake off the excess water. pull leaves from the stems and discard the stems. (compost.) place kale in large bowl.
:: boil a couple cups of water and pour over the kale. using tongs, toss kale in the water for a couple of minutes making sure all the kale has access to the boiling water. remove kale from
hot water as soon as it begins to wilt and place in cold water to stop cooking process.
:: squeeze out remaining water with your hands. roughly chop the kale and set aside.

:: preheat the oven to 425 F. Generously butter a 10x10x2-inch baking dish other large shallow baking dish.
:: spread half potato slices on the bottom of the dish. spread on all of the kale, then the garlic and half of the cheese, half the butter and half the salt and pepper.
:: top with the remaining potato slices, cheese, butter, salt and pepper.

:: carefully pour in the milk and gently shake the dish to distribute. bake 50 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top is nicely browned.
:: Serves 2 to 3 as a main entree.

Serve as is - or with a fresh green salad from the garden. Enjoy!
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This is on my list for tomorrow night. I have lots of greens and potatoes right now, so it will be perfect. I'll also be visiting Debbie's blog for tons of great recipes utilizing seasonal produce and local food. Her recipe list is IMPRESSIVE and super healthy.
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It's August, folks!! The markets are CRAMMED full of gorgeous food. Please go a market or farm near you and support a local farmer. They will be very happy to see you. I promise.

Go Local Week 9 - Use Your Bounty - DIY Wine!

2010-08-01T22:55:00.006-06:00

I have this amazing (and very beautiful) cousin named Lauriel. She has an amazing husband named Andrew. Together they take on the most amazing adventures and feats. I'm so very happy that through the world of blogging we have been able to connect in a much more meaningful way than would otherwise be possible. When Lauriel first signed up to be a guest blogger she thought she'd talk about learning to can and preserve food. Then she mentioned something about making wine and I jumped on that as the subject I really wanted to learn more about. I've never made wine, and I don't know if I have the patience to let the fermentation process work it's magic, but this post is tempting me! (Right along with the lemon berry concoction they just posted about!). You'll love this post! And you'll love their blog called Building the Basics where they talk about their desire to build a homestead and be self reliant, books, music, art, running, gardening, Lauriel's love of new office supplies, pets, etc. They also show lots of pictures of the animals they share their time with including their newest addition, Lucy the Great Dane Puppy. She is cute. They are cool. Go visit!

And now for the wine......

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We have a new obsession in our house, learning about ways that we can be more self-sufficient. We have a long way to go, but we are always looking for ways we can make the products we like to use. Last year, probably while enjoying a glass a wine, we started talking about making our own alcohol. We researched a little bit, and discovered that after buying a little bit of equipment, home winemaking is fairly easy and can be done with tons of different produce. We’ve become a little bit obsessed really.

There are lots of books with recipes and directions, we have a few. We have also found Jack Keller’s Winemaking Website to be very helpful and it has millions of recipes! We also use Winemakers Depot to buy many of our winemaking supplies, they are an internet supplier who happens to live right near us.

So far we have made wine from:

A mix of apples growing in our yard

Peaches from our yard

Local apple juice from Haggen

Locally roasted coffee

Strawberries from Boxx Berry Farm

Cherries from Eastern Washington

Dandelions from our yard

Each recipe varies slightly, but they all follow the same basic steps.

Start with fresh flowers, vegetables, herbs, or fruit like these strawberries Add them to a food safe container and mash the fruit

Add the remainder of the ingredients. In this case, the recipe called for raisins. Usually you also have to add water, sugar, and a few other special wine ingredients. After the wine has cooled to room temperature, you add the yeast. The wine stays in this container for around a week, needing daily stirring. It smells great during this stage and makes a lot of noise as the yeast is eating all of the sugar.

Place wine in a carboy with an air-lock for several months. It will need to be re-racked several times, usually about every 30 days, to separate the wine from the sediment. Re-racking just consists of siphoning the wine from one carboy to another and leaving the bottom inch of gunk in the old carboy.

When the wine has cleared and the fermentation has completely stopped, it can be bottled. We used old wine bottles and beer bottles and made our own labels. We like the size of a beer bottle because it holds just enough wine for 2 glasses, just enough to celebrate a special occasion!

Then comes the hard part, letting it age at least another 6 months to a year. Winemaking is a long-term investment, no quick product here. Just this week, we opened an early bottle of our first apple wine that was left over from our makings last year. We finally got to drink our first glass of our own wine, it was delicious!

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Those frosty glasses of apple wine are beautiful, are they not?!
What is tantalizing YOUR taste buds this local summer?!
We had farm fresh eggs with hashbrowns made from my russet burbanks for breakfast this morning. Then we topped the meal off with some slicet pluots and apricots from the farmer's market. Eeee-Yum!

Yesterday Was Hard and A Garden Update

2010-07-27T07:16:00.005-06:00

Everything felt so good and easy on Saturday. Yesterday I headed off to the garden bright and early to do some weeding and check on the watering system. As soon as I unloaded and got to work the girls immediately started fighting and crying, the weeds had already managed to start their tyrannical take over, and squash bugs had killed three of my winter squash plants over the weekend. I stood there scratching my head and wondering what had happened! Why the sudden crazy? Weren't we just all good?

We settled in soon enough. The girls got busy playing without the tears (after some stern redirection) and I got my weeding done. Then it was time for lunch in the park and some rest. In the end we worked it out. Everyone except the winter squash plants. They are not okay. Today it back to business. I'll be picking some raspberries, scouting for pickling cucumbers and green beans, digging for new potatoes, and hunting for squash bugs.
Then we'll hit the local snow cone shack for a reward.
The following photos were taken on July 19th, exactly one month after the last photos I shared. Things change a lot in one month!Happy girls standing next to the Indian Corn, which is as tall as Amelia now.Cylindria Beets ready for harvest. These beets are long and thin. Great for slicing to make pickled beets!The view from the HUGE potato plants.Broccoli, peppers, beans, and The Three Sisters.Purple Hull Snap Beans! I love the lavender flowers on these babies and they are just about ready to harvest.

Go Local Week 8- Use Your Bounty- The Resurgence of Canning

2010-07-26T00:01:00.000-06:00

Today we are visited by journalist and friend, Meg. She recently worked on a column for the paper she writes for about the resurgence of canning. As part of her research she attended a seminar by Amy Pennington where Amy talked about her recently published book. Meg and I have so many things in common it's a miracle we never met when we lived in the same city growing up, but we've connected now, so all is well. Meg visited us last year for week six when she shared her first garden in her new home, and week nine where she talked about making hard choices even when it means putting yourself out there in the public eye. This year her guest blog is equally as informative. Thank you, Meg!! I hope we get to share a farm dinner together when you come through this Fall. For now, we'll stay tuned to the blog (Meg's Knitting Knot) for further updates on that garden of yours!

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From the garden to the shelf: the next step in growing & eating locally

As more people turn to their backyards and farmers markets for their meals, it seems only natural to take local eating to the next step: canning and preserving. Without it, eating local may seem pretty bleak in the winter months depending on where you live. For me in Seattle, the rainy, cold, gray days of winter aren’t made any brighter when the selection at the farmers market is very limited. But opening a jar of lovely red raspberry jam on one of those rainy, cold, gray days can bring back the warmth of summer – at least in a memory.

I’m one of those people who’ve recently started to dabble in canning. I don’t have any stories of canning in the summer with my mother and grandmother. That wasn’t their cup of tea. So I’m kind of on my own. But luckily I turned to a friend who had just that kind of upbringing: life on a rural small farm with a mom and grandmother who canned and canned. And then they can some more, you know, just because. (The first time I canned with her, she showed up at my house with nine different types of fruits. We canned for 9 hours. I learned the hard way not to send the farm girl to get the fruit because when she cans, she cans.)

I also recently took a canning class with local Seattle author Amy Pennington. It was fun and I learned a lot. One of the ways she suggested learning to can was by canning with someone who already knew how. Clearly, I’m on the right path. While my friend and I have only dabbled in jams (raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, peach, plum, orange marmalade, pluots, cherry and lemon vanilla), we have plans to expand our canning repertoire this fall. Canning tomatoes, pasta sauce and salsa are on our “to-can list.”

As I explore different canning web sites, as Pennington suggested doing, I’m realizing, you can pretty much can or preserve anything. While I don’t think I’ll be canning any types of meats

anytime soon, I am intrigued with many of the recipes I’m finding. With food safety is a concern, Pennington says it’s best to stick with reputable resources while first starting out. Since I’m doing a little exploring in the canning world, I thought I’d share some of the links she recommended in class and others I’ve found.

Happy canning! And here’s to recreating these sunny warms months in the dead of winter.

Market Day

2010-07-24T14:45:00.005-06:00

Today was my first day as a vendor at the Farmer's Market. After a week of long lists and very exhausting labor in the garden I woke up early with butterflies in my stomach. I put the lids on the blackberry peach cobblers I made late last night, threw on my clothes (thank heavens for hats and aprons), cut my herbs and flowers, washed the new potatoes, and loaded the girls into the van already stuffed with supplies and coolers full of washed, prepped produce. My Dad came by to help me get everything loaded up and be my partner in my booth.

I don't think my hands will ever be the same, and my heart is changed for good.

Growing food is a labor of love. Selling the food you grow to the community and connecting with the people who will fill their table with your produce is deeply satisfying. After just a few months as a market gardener I will never look at a potato the same way again. I don't think I can look back now...this feels so right. I know there will be devastating challenges in this endeavor, but I feel that everything I've done for the past few years has led me right here.This is all that was left at the end of the day. A very nice sampling of almost everything we sold. Baby carrots, Red Pontiac potatoes, Yukon Golds, All Blue potatoes, basil, rainbow chard, Cylindria beets, and Chiogga beets.
Now we celebrate.

Go Local Week 7- Use Your Bounty- Bumper Crop Skillet Supper

2010-07-19T06:49:00.008-06:00

Wow! Y'all really kicked it up a notch last week...as I was sitting at the lake with my brother and sisters you were posting away and leaving links. Nice Work!! Be sure to look at last week's comments and see what everyone was up to. We even had video on one blog.

This week you get to hear from me about using up a bumper crop of virtually any vegetable in a quick and satisfying way.
When we were little and our Dad had a huge garden out back we ended up with a lot of squash. Both yellow and green. Somehow this year I've managed to plant hundreds of plants and ended up with ZERO zucchini.
What?!!
Yes.
Zero.
But I do have some killer yellow summer squash going on and I spent over 2 hours freezing broccoli yesterday. We have broccoli, folks. It's yummy! I also found garlic and onions at the Farmer's Market, so it was time for the Mama Skillet of my youth. I also still have several pounds of local, grass fed ground beef in my freezer, and while we have not been eating meat at home, I didn't have any meat substitute on hand, so in went a pound of that as well.
The idea of this skillet is to use up what you have.Bumper Crop Skillet Supper

1 Onion, Chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 lb. ground beef or meat substitute
A variety of Vegetables such as summer squash, zucchini, green beans, brocooli, cauliflower, bell peppers, tomatoes, kohlrabi, spinach, etc. approx 2 lbs or more.
chili pepper sauce
tamari or soy sauce
parmesan cheese

Brown onion and garlic in 1 T. of oil.
Add meat of choice and brown. If you are using fatty meat (mine is super lean) you'll need to do this first and drain the meat fat and set aside.
Add sliced vegetables of your choosing, season with your favorites, and stir occasionally until they are crisp tender. I use garlic salt, sea salt, and black pepper.
We eat this supper in big bowls over rice or quinoa topped with a dash of tamari or soy, chili sauce and parmesan cheese.

What's your favorite childhood garden supper? What's your bumper crop this year? What have you been up to?
Leave us a comment with a link and we'll come visit!

Go Local-Week 6- Use Your Bounty

2010-07-12T00:01:00.002-06:00

One of the first times I visited the Farmer's Market in my town I ran across the booth of this lovely girl named Heidi. Her booth was called Ruth's Hands and I could. not. walk. away. Everything she had on display was so beautiful. I remember specifically falling in love with her goats milk soaps. Heidi's art inspires me, and she is striving to live an authentic life filled with meaningful things, which also inspires me. She and her husband have an amazing organic garden (gardens) in their backyard and they are active organic gardening enthusiasts in our community. I'm very excited that Heidi was willing to share some of her knowledge about gardening. Especially about something I've been wanting to grow myself! (And if you've ever wanted to spin yarn or knit you'd better get over to her blog right away!)

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Garlic

We just harvested the garlic we put in the ground last fall, and to me there is nothing quite as beautiful as bundles of freshly dug garlic hanging up to dry. Garlic is one of the most no-fuss crops you can plant, and in my kitchen one of the most useful.

You can plant in the fall for a spring or early summer harvest, plant in the early spring for a fall harvest. Something that a lot of people might not know is that you can use a fresh garlic bulb from the store for planting. You simply separate the segments of the bulbs and plant each one to grow into it’s very own beautiful head of Garlic.

You know your Garlic is ready to harvest when it has about 4 stalks and the tops of the plant start to dry out. It is always good to just check with one or two bulbs to make sure they are the right size. When you harvest it all your first instinct is to plunge them in water to get all of the dirt off of them. This is a no no unless you are planning on using the garlic right away. I bundle them up with twine and hang them on my porch for a day or two (as long as the temperatures outside are not over 90 degrees) until the outer skin is no longer soft. If you want a beautiful garlic braid instead of a bundle, this is the time to braid the stalks together while they are still green and pliable. The papery layers on the outside of the bulb form and then with your hands you can gently rub the excess dirt from the bulbs.

I bring the bundle right into the kitchen and hang it on a hook, pulling heads off as I need to use them.

Over the years I have developed this recipe after trying hundreds of different combinations of ingredients.

Garlic Ceasar Dressing

(base recipe)

1/3 cup Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (not concentrate)

1tsp salt

1tsp mustard seed powder

Pepper (or lemon pepper) to taste

2-3 cloves of fresh crushed garlic

1 T organic sugar, or sweetener of choice

Shake well in a pint mason jar and enjoy!

For a creamy dressing add 3 T of mayonnaise or silken tofu

My favorite Summer variation to this recipe is adding:

Fresh chopped chives, lemon thyme, and a whole pureed fresh tomato

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Heidi, thank you! This information is exactly what I needed to know and I can't wait until I can make my first garlic braid this fall. It's hard to be patient!! I will certainly be making this dressing as well. I can almost taste it!

What have you all been up to? Leave a comment with your link if you'd like! We'll come visit.

Garden Update-June 2010-The Baby Phase

2010-07-08T08:42:00.005-06:00

I made Sweet and Sour Chard from Simply in Season one night this week. The Grown Ups liked it. The Little's did not. It was beautiful in the pan, though.

Rainbow swiss chard is ready for harvest and should delight us all summer long. This is the center stem of the plant.

The babiest of baby carrots all washed up after thinning the carrot rows. These babies pack a pungent punch!

Baby, baby carrots and sugar snap peas make the most delicious stir-fry lunch. Everyone loves this!

The baby beets that come as a result of thinning are so beautiful they needed to become a bouquet. I have several varieties growing and they are so yummy as babies. The greens are wonderful steamed, too.

A 2ft. wide bed in front of the play area houses the vining plants like yellow summer squash, cucumber and cantaloupe. They are now crawling up tomato cages to keep them contained. The green sprouting things in the front of the beds are garlic. A new plant for me! Right now I have hundreds of babies on the vining plants and I think we will have an abundant harvest.

I had two carrots come back from last year. I decided to let one of them go to seed and see what happens. Carrots produce seed the second year after over wintering and this was learned by total accident, so if I get seed it will be serendipitous indeed. The flowers are beautiful, though!

Basil, lettuce and the devoured cabbage before I pulled it and fed it to the compost. This is the narrow 1 foot wide bed that sits behind our patio.

The peas in my backyard are abundant. I'm glad I planted both places.

The garden from the potatoes over. Not much to see yet.

Potato rows. There are four varieties growing here. These plants are double this size and covered in flowers. The yukons golds are giving us babies!! I harvested 6 just yesterday and decided to wait on the rest until after next week.

Beets. Glorious and abundant beets. 4 hours spent thinning and hand weeding the beets in one week.

Pea trellises. We got the peas in too late to see much harvest. Plus this method of tepees did not work at the farm garden like it works in my square foot gardens. We will need to revamp for next year.

The Broccoli Plants Have since provided about 12 heads of broccoli. We ate Heather grown broccoli last night for dinner.

I Really Heart The Oregon Coast

2010-07-06T14:39:00.003-06:00

We recently enjoyed a week at the coast.

Since we've been to this same spot for the last three years I found myself getting bored with taking the same old photos of the beach and our favorite destinations.

I'm not a heart person (jewelry especially) but I kept noticing naturally occurring hearts everywhere we went.

Of course I never tire of taking photos of these two sweet hearts.

The best part of our vacation was watching these girls play together. They are both getting old enough to entertain themselves with imaginary play for quite a long time. It's starting to become pleasant to drive long distances with them and explore new places without feeling stressed.

These are the cherries, juicy and red, that grew on the tree in our own backyard, and filled the pie on The Fourth of July

2010-07-06T08:09:00.007-06:00

Have you read the book The Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson? I recently found this delightful children's story at a little shop and bought it instantly. The illustrations and poetry make it perfect to read, repeat. Something that happens a lot around here.Of course I don't really require much goading to encourage me to make a pie. It just so happened that the cherries on our baby sour cherry tree were ripe just in time. A homemade cherry pie + fresh shelled peas + new potatoes + fireworks and sparklers=a great way to celebrate.

Don't forget to post your local food ideas this week! I need some inspiration and things are just starting to get interesting in the garden.

More book reviews at Some of a Kind for Turn the Page Tuesday...

Go Local Week 5-Use Your Bounty

2010-07-05T10:57:00.003-06:00

Have you met my oldest childhood friend? She's been here before, and many of you know her and love her as much as I love her. Well, maybe almost as much as I love her. When you grow up with someone and maintain contact with them for over 25 years you tend to be bonded. Sarah's friendship is a huge blessing in my life. She reaffirms me as a mother, inspires me as a woman, reminds me that everyone is human, and makes me feel lucky to have such a friend. If you have not yet become addicted to her blog, Life of a Domestic Goddess, you'd be wise to get on over there and visit. Your taste buds and your Mommy heart will thank you.

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I'm a seasonal produce junkie. I love all of it. Really. As soon as the first asparagus and strawberries are ready, I'm cooking and preserving them as fast as I can. And I can hardly wait for August when my tomato plants will give me juicy home-grown tomatoes almost daily.

But when I passed a roadside fruit stand in Michigan this weekend, I had to stop. I needed raspberries. They're my sentimental favorite.photo by Sarah

My childhood home was Idaho and my Grandparents had a ranch nestled in the mountains twenty-one miles out of town. I spent a lot of time there and would often go up with my Grandpa and sister for an afternoon. There was a huge garden and my favorite spot was the raspberry patch. My Grandpa showed me the right way to pick raspberries. "Get down on your knees and look up. That's where all the good ones are." And I'd happily pick raspberries, not minding the berry stained fingers and occasional prick by a thorn. I would take a container of raspberries back to my Grandma and if I was really lucky she would make a raspberry custard pie.
My favorite.

The funny thing about our human senses is that they can move us through time. When I eat a raspberry now I am transported. I'm a little girl again sitting on my knees in the ranch berry patch with my Grandpa.

I splurged and bought four pints of raspberries this weekend to make a batch of jam. I'm going to need to find just a few more. I think I need a raspberry custard pie soon.

Raspberry Custard Pie

Grandma Agnes Burkholder

Mix together:
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. half and half (can use evaporated milk)

Add after mixing:
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. flour
pinch of salt
2 t. vanilla

Line unbaked 10" pie shell with 2 c. fresh raspberries

Pour custard mixture on top of fruit.

Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes, lower heat to 325 and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until set. A 1" circle in the center is liquid but the rest is set well.

Serve well chilled.
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Thank you, Sarah!! I will be picking raspberries later this week to make jam. This pie will need to be on the list as well. I guess I'd better get back to the gym!
I hope your local eating is going well. Please share your experiences in the comments, or with a link to a post you've written about local food.

What?! No Elves?

2010-07-01T08:53:00.002-06:00

I'm joining Michelle in her No Excuses Thursday challenge. It's no secret that I'm a procrastinator, but I've really been working on this for the past year. I've licked some bad habits that have made my life a lot easier on a daily basis, but big projects still get me. Sometimes I just can't commit and other times I have no idea where to begin. Today I've made my summer list of go on...get it done projects. We'll see how I do.

1. file the to-file pile (6 months old)

2. finish the 10 year anniversary quilt I started (ahem) two years ago

3. re-organize my kitchen storage

4. paint the front door and entry area

5. have a garage sale

6. knit Hadley a cardigan

7. make new awning covers

8. re-do the piano/computer room

9. wash the windows

10. Organize photo storage

11. Renew teaching license and organize teaching materials

12. Use patterns and fabric to make some summer shirts for me

Today I'll tackle the filing.

How To: One Hour Strawberry Freezer Jam

2010-06-30T08:24:00.005-06:00

Once your berries are clean and ready to process using the method used (here) you are ready to make jam. For making jam you can prep your berries at the same time you prep your whole berries for freezing and store them in the fridge overnight.

This instant pectin requires no cooking and takes literally minutes to prepare once the berries are prepped. I especially like this brand because it calls for waaaaay less sugar than any other brands I've used. They've changed their recipe this year, and I'm not sure if I'll keep using this brand or spring for another more natural brand when I make raspberry jam later this month. The process for all berry jams is the same, so substitute whatever fruit you have on hand.

I make two batches at once without any problem. You mix together the pectin and sugar or splenda. 4 cups fruit to 1.5 cups sugar. I even used 5 cups fruit and it turned out great.

Mash the berries to the consistency you enjoy. We like ours a little chunky for added berry flavor.

Combine the berries and the pectin mixture and stir for three minutes.

Ladle your jam into any freezer worthy container you have on hand. I like wide mouth pint jars, but if you have a smaller family you could use smaller jars. Place the jars in the freezer after 30 minutes. When you are ready to use the jam pull it out of the freezer and store it in the fridge for easy usage. This jam tastes like berries instead of sugar, which I love.

We use our jam in the usual ways, but also as a sweetener for homemade yogurt and smoothies. A double batch of jam took me one hour. I made two double batches and ended up with 13 pints of jam. My total time including set up, berry prep, and clean up was 1 hour and 30 minutes.

How To: Freeze Strawberries

2010-06-28T23:28:00.010-06:00

A visit to our local U-Pick strawberry field is almost unavoidable around here. When I realized that we would be on vacation through the end of U-pick dates I recklessly decided to throw berry preservation into my week of nutz-o. Having strawberries in the freezer is worth the extra stress for me. Even though I know I could have picked up a couple flats for even cheaper at the grocery store I have peace of mind knowing that these berries were grown right down the street without pesticides, GMO's, or chemical fertilizers, and they required very little fuel to make their way to my door. My sister, her boyfriend, and me and my two girls picked 79.2 pounds of strawberries in about 3 hours. It was hard work. Strawberries grow close to the ground and they hide. Still worth the effort! Once you get them picked (or pay someone to pick them for you) the process of freezing them whole or making them into freezer jam is a cinch.

Here's how we freeze the berries whole.

1. Keep your berries cold. Once picked they need to stay very cold to remain fresh and not deteriorate quickly. Take them home to the fridge or coolers full of ice until you can get them processed. Pick when you know you can process within a day.

2. Soak the berries in cold water to clean the dirt and sediment away. It will sink and your clean berries will be floating at the top.

3. Set up your area with a sink full of water, a compost bowl to the side of your dominant hand, a colander for collecting berries on the other side and some sheet pans for freezing the berries in layers. You'll also need quart sized freezer bags and a permanent marker. I do not use a food sealer (yet) and my berries last just fine for a year.4. Hull the berries in one quick motion with a small pairing knife, discarding the hull to one side and the finished berry to the other side.5. Once you have a colander full of clean berries drained of their excess water you are ready to preserve. At this point you are ready to freeze whole berries, bags of crushed berries for sweet treats, or make freezer jam.6. Place your berries in one layer on a sheet pan (you'll use as many sheet pans as you can fit in your freezer space at one time). Freeze for about one hour or until firm to the touch. This will be enough to keep the berries from sticking to each other in the freezer bags.7. Label your bags before you fill them. The frozen berries will be hard to write on and will prevent the marker from working. I've tried it thinking I'd save time and just stuff the bags full and label them later. It didn't work.
8. Now put your bags quickly back into the freezer so they don't have a chance to start thawing at all. This method of "sheet freezing" allows you to select just the number of berries you want for your recipe. That's it!
Stats: One flat of strawberries is about 10-12 pounds and fills about 10 quart sized bags of whole berries depending on size. I brought home about 35 pounds (3 flats) of berries and froze 25 quart bags and made 13 pints of freezer jam. I also had some berries left for eating fresh and making spinach salads with all that garden spinach I had just harvested.
Tomorrow I bring you strawberry freezer jam my way.

Egg Shells: FAIL.

2010-06-28T23:14:00.002-06:00

In the interest of full disclosure I must inform all interested parties that my egg shell/slug battle has been lost. Upon returning from my week away I found my cabbages chewed to absolute bits. We're talking a very intricate and all encompassing lace pattern from top to bottom of every leaf. Slimy jerks. I guess egg shells need to be replenished frequently or crushed even more course. My friend suggested diatomaceous earth. Maybe next time I'll try that because these poor babies cannot be saved. There may be a positive not, though. The lettuce heads right next door suffered little to no damage. Maybe the cabbages were a sacrificial experiment?

Go Local-Week 4- Use Your Bounty

2010-06-28T00:01:00.000-06:00

This week we welcome a new friend to Living Senses. Michelle and I found each other a few months back and I was thankful to come across yet another kindred spirit. She knits. She teaches. She gardens. She has chickens and lives in the Pacific Northwest. You can read all about her and her adventures on her blog You Just Gotta Keep Knittin'. Today she's sharing her family recipe for pickles and some stories about gardening with her grandparents. This year I have about 100 pickling cucumber plants in the ground. I think we're gonna make ourselves some pickles and I will definitely be giving this recipe a try.

Thanks, Michelle!
-------------------------------------------------------------------I finally got around to sorting through the storage box of snapshots that I've been storing in the garage for years. Among the jumbled bits of my life ranging from the 1970's to the early 2000's, when we finally purchased our first digital camera, I found one of the many, many notes & letters that my grandmother sent to me through the years. This one is dated August 24 and mentions a visit from me and my oldest son's father, but does not mention my son, so it must be from before he was born-- 1993 or so. In it, my grandmother writes, Getting ready to pick cucumbers before they get too humongous. So pickling is in my future-- today or tomorrow.Me, my oldest son (now 15), and my grandfather digging potatoes in his garden.
When I was eight or so, my grandparents moved from a neighborhood in Seattle, where they had a small vegetable garden, to a five acre piece of land directly across the road from Sequim Bay in Blynn, Washington, where they tended two large gardens, a small collection of fruit trees, a greenhouse, and kept goats and chickens.

My head is filled with many vivid memories of dinners made entirely of local goodies-- decadent crab salads with just-picked lettuce, tomatoes & peppers from the greenhouse, fresh cracked Dungeness crab harvested from the local bay by my grandfather, barbecued salmon or halibut, also fresh caught with his boat, steamed new potatoes & sweet baby peas from the garden, strawberry shortcake for dessert made from the sweetest, most delectable berries picked just that day from the front yard plot.

Picking raspberries in my grandparent's garden with my oldest son.

I never thought to ask my grandparents why they grew so much food so abundantly, what, exactly, inspired them to create their own mini-farm after living in the city for so many years, but their bounty filled both my parent's and my pantry for years, as going for a visit always meant coming home with bags full of food-- frozen peas & corn & green beans, hunks of fresh caught fish frozen in blocks of ice, fresh eggs, jams made from home grown berries & fruits, and always, jars & jars of grandma's dill pickles.We all relied on those pickles being in the kitchen. Chopped up, they were a crucial ingredient in our tuna sandwiches, our pickle & cheese sandwiches, sliced on hamburgers, absolutely essential to our potato salad, the tiny ones saved and put out on the table to eat during special occasion dinners. The tiny ones my grandfather deigned to leave the house, that is; he kept the tiniest of tiny pickles for his own stash!As a little girl, I would fish pickles out of the jar that was always in the fridge, wrap one in a paper towel, and eat it out of hand as a snack, one after the other. My grandmother often referred to me as "the pickle face kid". My older son did much the same when he was a little boy. For at least 20 years, my grandmother supplied us all with unending jars of dill pickles, often growing all of the cucumbers in her garden, except for those years when the weather gods drove her to the local farmers to fill the rows of quart jars that always lined her pantry shelves.The original pickle maker!

I am the pickle maker now, although no one expects me to supply an entire extended family with salty cucumbers the entire year through. Looking back on it, it must have been a tremendous amount of work (although I hope not a burden!) to keep us all supplied. I only remember helping a couple of times with the production-- pickle season coming, as it does, in the early fall when I would have been starting a new school year, preoccupied with school clothes shopping and the like.
But I learned enough in those few sessions, and from looking on over the years, to still hear my grandmother's voice while I pack jars with obstreperous cukes, put the large ones at the bottom and the smaller ones at the top, doing my best to pack 'em in there, putting together a compact puzzle of rubbery fruits that do not want to bend to the shape of the inflexible glass jars. Boiling the brine & pouring it into the spaces left between. Screwing on the caps, but not too tight, finger tight, and submerging them into the boiling water. I think about my grandmother and her garden and all of the wonderful, fresh food she bestowed upon her family, handing over her love in armfuls of produce in doubled up brown paper bags, in jars and in freezer bags, and in never ending quarts of amazing sour, spicy pickles. I think about my grandmother, while I wait for the lids to pop, sealing tight.
I opened up our last jar of pickles that I put up a couple of years ago yesterday. This year will be a year for pickles. Here is our recipe:(click to enlarge)
(the numbers in parentheses indicate the amounts for a triple batch)
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Such a beautiful, heartfelt post, Michelle. Thank you for sharing your story. I know you've inspired me to make lots of pickles...even though I know pickle time will happen just about the beginning of the school year...homemade pickles are worth the effort.
Do tell...what have you been up to lately? A totally local meal? A fancy dessert? A visit to a market or farm? Leave a link to a post or share a story in the comments. And don't forget to click over and read the past three weeks. There are some really great things happening!

Go Local- Week Three-Use Your Bounty

2010-06-21T00:01:00.000-06:00

This week we are visited by the very talented and highly motivated Brenda of Phydeaux Designs. I really wish I had it in me to dig through the boxes of The Mail Man's memories so I could show you the picture we recently unearthed of these two at a 1980's party together. We're talking big trouble. BIG. I'm pretty sure Ms. Brenda was faultless, but The Mail Man? Dude.

I'm glad I get to be friends with Brenda, too. She is always inspiring and encouraging. I spoke of her last year as well when she posted about strawberries and ice cream. This year she has an equally tantalizing proposition. And if you are a business owner, a knitter, a cat lover, a gardener, a movie fan, a reader of books, or a fan of really, really awesome photos...visit her as she blogs her adventures on Phydeaux. There is something there for you.
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This is the year that I'm going to win the war. I've lived in the same area for nearly 20 years (hard to believe!), although I've moved across the driveway. Every year it's the same war, one I conceded years ago. The annual garden war with the moles.

There is absolutely nothing I can plant in the ground that isn't chowed down by those rascally ... rodents. They have 20 years experience in fine dining: tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, hot peppers, herbs, any root vegetables, lettuces and greens, corn, you name it!

So this year I got smart. And so far ... I'm winning the war.

I'm growing this year's garden in containers.

Yay!

This is brilliant on so many levels, including that it's so much easier on my back, I haven't had slug problems (yet), and I can hear the moles gnashing their freakishly long teeth in despair (hehe).

I started small this year, because (a) I wasn't sure this would work, and (b) our winter/early spring weather lasted really long this year. So I don't have fruit to show for my labor ... yet.

But when I do! I will be enjoying my favorite summertime meal every single day with my own homegrown tomatoes. I'm enjoying it now with my kitchen window grown basil and parsley, and beans and veggies from the farmer's market!

This is the perfect summer meal! I make a big bowl of bean salad every couple of days and then enjoy a big scoop over salad, under a piece of grilled salmon, alongside bbq chicken ... you get the idea!

Best of all, I never make this the same way twice. I started making more than 20 years ago, based on a black bean fuul, a Middle Eastern dish, usually with fava beans mashed up with olive oil, parsley, onion, garlic and lemon juice. And usually for breakfast. In fact "fuul" comes from "ful," Egyptian for fava beans!

I first ran into this recipe via one of my Moosewood cookbooks, with black beans, lemon, garlic, olive oil, parsley, with chopped tomatoes and hardboiled eggs. Now I make it with just about anything that strikes my fancy, but with the same core: extra virgin organic olive oil, lemon juice and zest, chopped up tomatoes with their juice and seeds, italian flat leaf parsley, fresh basil, and lots of fresh cracked black pepper.

This photo is the version I threw together earlier this week, recipe below! This is the perfect recipe for your summer garden: fresh beans and herbs, sunwarmed tomato, fresh picked and squeezed lemon. Yum! And when you dry your beans later this summer, you'll be able to enjoy this year round using your own bounty (try it with sundried tomatoes, too!). I particularly love this using the very last tomatoes of the season, with really condensed flavor.

Brenda's Bean Salad

Beans - black beans, black eyed peas, chickpeas, fava beans, lentils, any heirloom bean, etc. The photo above uses shelled edamame, black beans and chickpeas. Use about one cup of cooked beans/peas per person. If you use dried beans/peas, soak overnight and bring to boil in a pot of fresh water with a bit of salt, garlic and you can use ginger to help reduce gassiness. After it boils, reduce to simmer and cook til fork tender. I rinse really well after cooking to further reduce gassiness. If you're using fresh beans, blanch for a minute, then immediately toss with remaining ingredients. You can also use canned or frozen, same concept.

Pour a good amount of extra virgin olive oil (organic if you can!) into a big bowl, zest a lemon into the oil, and then squeeze that lemon in as well (I often use two lemons!). Whisk together with a good sprinkle of sea salt and several grinds of black pepper (fresh cracked only, please!).

Now crush several cloves of garlic (you can use garlic powder, but if you have garlic cloves, go for it!). The amount is completely dependent on your tolerance - I know to back off the garlic if I'm exuding its fragrance from my palms later that evening! Mince fine or chop rustically, add to the dressing, whisk some more!

If you're making a BIG bowl o' beans, be generous with the dressing.

Add the beans and toss well.

Tomatoes - any variety, chopped up as fine or as rustic as you want. I love flavorful heirloom tomatoes with this, but also love to quarter grape tomatoes for it - delicious! Key is to scoop the tomatoes along with seeds and juice into the bowl. Everything adds to the flavor!

Toss well.

Chop up your parsley, as fine or as rustic as you please. Don't be stingy - this is really really good with a LOT of parsley. If I'm making a huge bowl, I'll use the whole bunch. Parsley, besides tasting so great, is full of chlorophyll to "scrub" your blood - so great year round and perfect with your summer bounty meals.

Chiffonade your basil, rolling several leaves into "cigars" and slicing very thin (or if you're like me, snip with your kitchen shears).

Add your herbs to the bowl and toss well.

You could also add chopped red onion or minced green onion - if I'm adding a ton of garlic, I usually take it easy on the onion.

You could call it quits right here, cover securely and put in the fridge for at least a few hours to overnight (those flavors have some melding to do).

Or you could go crazy. :)

Slice up some of those zucchini from your garden. Chop up bell peppers. Add some more herbs. Shuck an ear of corn. You can add anything you like! I sometimes also add feta cheese - so good!

To serve, you can make this a main dish salad by tossing with greens and adding grilled shrimp, shredded chicken or pork, thinly sliced beef. Serve as a side dish. This is my favorite lunch - just a big scoop on top of a bowl of arugula.

This lasts me two to three days in the fridge - I often make one serving bowls thinking it will last two days (and eat it all for lunch the next day).

I hope you enjoy this and would love to hear about your own variations!
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There will be salad in this house for summer and lots of it!

What are you eating? What are you growing? Share! Leave a comment or a link to your local food related posts. We want to know!

She is Now Eight

2010-06-19T00:06:00.003-06:00

Dear Hadley,

You have always been illuminated. Your shine is bold and beautiful. I am amazed by you and humbled by your burgeoning self. You are fiercely independent (read: headstrong), impossibly creative, stunningly intuitive, seriously beautiful, cunningly clever, and so determined to be yourself despite our overbearing opinions. Making a list doesn't really cover it, but I feel compelled to assure you that I see you.
I see you and I am amazed by you every single day. I'm learning to trust your incredible mind and hoping I still have a chance to guide you in some small ways. Some days I don't even know how I should parent you best because you seem so impossibly big in your smallness. I worry that I won't know how to guide you when you come home with your problems. When you were tiny these things were fairly simple. Now you want earrings and make-up and high heeled shoes. I'm not ready for any of that, and you aren't either, so just knock it off. Stay small just a little longer so I can fit you in my lap and rock you and kiss your hurt and shout hooray when it all goes right. And if you insist on continuing to grow at this break neck speed I suppose I'll try to keep up.

I don't want to miss a minute of you.

Love,
Mom

A Little Knittin'

2010-06-18T08:28:00.003-06:00

It's crazy busy around here. Tears in the grocery store, call my sister and seek affirmation crazy. Between birthdays, anniversary, strawberry season, two gardens, Father's Day and vacation prep I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm very thankful that I have my Dad helping me at the farm because I would have let it all go this week without him. It's weeks like this that I'm so thankful for the meditative practice of knitting. Nothing soothes like needles and yarn and a lot of stockinette. Of course I finished this sweater about two weeks ago, and I've cast on for a new project now.

This sweater turned out great in many ways. I love the shape, the torso length, and the sleeve length. I love the buttons (though I'll use a better button hole method next time because these will not hold up for long.), and I love the color. This is Lion Brand Cottonease in Taupe. It's really easy to work with and it knits up a soft, luxurious fabric that is washable and good for summer. Lucky for me it's been cold around here, so I've been wearing this a lot. I learned waist shaping with this sweater. The one thing I do not like about this sweater is the yoke width. It is too wide, and it falls off my shoulders. I've had two expert knitters give suggestions for fixing this, and I have not had time to work on their suggestions, but I'm hoping to while lounging on the beach next week. HA! HA! We all know there will be very little sitting around, don't we?!If you have great suggestions for tightening up this neck line...SHOUT!! Now I'm off to throw a Hawaiian Luau birthday party for my 8 year old. Let's not talk about that number.

Slugs

2010-06-15T07:50:00.005-06:00

This wet, wet summer is inviting the slugs to my garden! They are not welcome here. Just look at the devastation they bring!! The beds they have devoured the most are very narrow 1ft wide raised beds full of Napa Cabbage and Green Leaf Lettuce. I've heard people use shallow pans of beer to lure the slugs to their drunken death, but my beds are a little too narrow to fit shallow dishes and plants. A friend suggested that I try crushed egg shells, and so far it is helping. Apparently they don't like the feel of the sharp shells on their slimy bellies. We save the egg shells for crushing and sprinkling over the garden anyway. This time we just left them on top of the soil and made them a chunky texture instead of crushing them fine. Crushing egg shells turns out to be a pretty fun project.

Go Local- Use Your Bounty- Week 2

2010-06-14T08:08:00.003-06:00

photos from top clockwise: 1. spinach and baby beet greens drying, 2. greens all bagged up for sharing. 3. The bottom of my sink after soaking greens. That's dirt. 4. spinach drying in the colander. 5. creamed spinach and baby beet greens. center: the white sauce for creamed spinach.

This week's post is all about spinach.

We planted a 2 foot wide, 50 foot long bed of spinach at the farm on May 1st. I'm not sure how many plants actually germinated, but our cool, rainy spring has made for some excellent production. Eating home grown spinach is nothing like buying it in the store. We've been eating it in salads with very little dressing and the girls never complain. It's so fresh and yummy that they don't mind. This week we really kicked up our production a notch, though. I harvested over 7 pounds of spinach and filled two turkey roasters and my biggest enamel bowl to heaping. If you live in a cool climate you can probably still plant spinach, but if you live where it gets hot, you'll need to wait until September or late August to get a fall crop. We'll most certainly plant again this fall for a preservation crop. We may even try row covers for next year and see if we can get spinach in the ground in late March.
Spinach is easy to freeze. All you need to do is blanch for 2 minutes and remove to a big bowl of ice water to stop the cooking (for 2 mintes). Chop it if you want it for creamed spinach or casseroles and then let it dry on towels a bit to reduce freezer burn potential and place it in freezer bags. Label with the date and freeze.
Last night I made creamed spinach (and baby beet greens) and everyone loved it. Before you turn your nose up you may want to try this recipe. It's divine.

Creamed Spinach
adapted from Simply in Season

6-8 c. loosely packed spinach
steam, chop and set aside
1T. Butter
1T flour
2 c. Milk
1t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
generous pinch nutmeg (my addition, optional, but so yummy!)

Melt the butter in a med. skillet over med-high heat and whisk in the flour gradually. Stir until smooth and then gradually pour in milk while continuing to whisk. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg and continue to stir allowing the sauce to simmer until it begins to thicken to a consistency you like. Turn off the heat and add spinach.
Enjoy!

What have you been up to? Leave a comment or a link!

Go Local 2010- Use Your Bounty Guest Post

2010-06-07T00:01:00.000-06:00

Hello Go Local fans! I've been putting together our list of guest bloggers this morning and I can assure you we will have a great series of posts coming this summer. Go Local guest posts and Mr. Linky will appear every Monday for you to link to your own weekly posts. You can link any day of the week. Posts will be added to the Go Local library so they can be referenced any time of the year. I'm currently working on indexing and labeling posts from previous years so the information can be found and referenced more easily.

And Now...
My little Sis, Rebecca brings us her Using Your Bounty guest post. If I do say so myself, Rebecca is one of the most dynamic, flexible, beautiful, creative, inspiring, loving, tolerant people I know. I love her way more than I ever thought I would when we were growing up, and I'm not trying to be mean here. When your little sister is only 13 months younger than you it can be a little annoying to feel you never have anything of your own. We did our share of fighting. These days I thank my lucky stars she lives just blocks from me and we get to share our lives with each other. She's the best and I mean it. You can read more about my little sister here.
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This week is my last week of teaching and I guess I got the cooking bug! I am gearing up for a busy but more to myself summer. I am going to be able to cook more-- and it's been a long time since I felt like I could focus on that... but knowing more free time is coming has moved me to action! That and the fact that my dad gave me some local ground beef, and my friend gave me some fresh rhubarb, and those jars of marinara I made and canned last summer have been calling my name...I am pleased to say my spaghetti sauce was totally local. My noodles were not-- BUT they were whole wheat! And man that sauce is good. I put a poblano pepper in the sauce recipe I used and after sitting in my pantry since last fall It mustered up it's own perfectly spicy kick. But the BEST part of the whole meal were the
wait for it...

RHUBARB HAND PIES. I saw this recipe on Angry Chicken TWO summers ago-- and have been wanting to make it ever since. So I FINALLY did! And I have to say they really are delectable. The perfect combination of sweet and sour topped with a chewy, crunchy crust-- add some tasty vanilla ice cream (not local) and I promise I will be making those hand pies again. Next time it will be with fresh homemade ice cream. So here is the recipe for the rhubarb hand pies.

From Angry Chicken
(originally posted here)

Apple Galette Crust:

1 1/2 C. Flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 TBL sugar

1 stick Butter

4 TBL Ice Water

Filling:

combine 4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Let this ruminate for a while so it all melds together and stir a few times

(I doubled the Galette crust recipe because one batch made only 4 small pies).

Roll galette crust out flat and cut out circles ( i used a big plastic bowl to get my shape-- put rhubarb mix in middle add cinnamon red hots- (my special touch) add dabs of butter- fold over, mash edges with fork, brush with milk and sugar, make some holes in the pies

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then 25 min at 350 degrees.

(see her picture for up close details of how to shape the pies)
Placing this pastry confection over another pan or on baking paper is advised as it makes a mess.
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Now it's your turn! Link away...

The People Have Spoken

2010-06-01T15:55:00.005-06:00

Well, no one was brave enough to shut me up, so Go Local continues for yet another year. I feel pretty good about continuing the cause of local food, especially since we are going to have a lot of really yummy, really local produce to eat and preserve this summer. In the spirit of keeping things fresh and fun I've decided the theme of Go Local 2010 will be Using Your Bounty.
A series of posts relating to the recipes and the preservation efforts of local eaters.

The stars of the show?
Well, that would be you, fine people! You are officially invited to leave a comment letting me know how much you'd love to write a guest post sometime this summer. I need 12 writers, and it doesn't matter if you've written before or never even made yourself known as a reader.
I'd like to post one guest blog each week just like last summer. Share a recipe you love, a story about preserving with your Grandma growing up, or your sister, or your son. leave a comment telling me you are interested in sharing the joy or sorrow of preserving food and I'll contact you to choose a date.Let's see if we can inspire someone to preserve something local this year! Of course there will still be talk of growing your own food, hopefully some interviews with local farmers, recipes for seasonal favorites, and Mr. Linky will be here to help us share all of the above with each other. You said that was one of your favorite parts, so this means that the more people who share blog posts the more fun we will have. Spread the word friends! The more links the more fun. Oh, and put the call for guest blogs out to anyone you know who might be interested in writing something! This call for entries is not limited to our circle.

Vote

2010-05-27T10:31:00.003-06:00

I'm getting ready to kick off the Go Local challenge again this year. I've waffled a bit on whether to do the challenge for 2010 and specifically on how to do the challenge. I know I want to keep promoting local food, but I don't know if you all want to participate in weekly posts, guest posts, interviews, how-to's, etc. I've debated skipping Mr. Linky since we didn't get a lot of links last year, but the links we did get were awesome. I've also debated setting up the guest posts again because they were my favorite part of last years challenge.

I've allowed anonymous comments so that you can say what you really think about this, and I would really appreciate your input.

Go Local takes a fair amount of time and I would like to see it grow and be meaningful. I would also like to share the challenge at my local farmer's market this summer, but I want it to be well organized and easy to navigate. We have a lot of gardeners, home preservers, and marvelous cooks in this group.

Is Go Local meaningful to you? What is your favorite part? More local resources links? More interviews? More DIY information about preserving and growing? More recipes? Shorter duration? Has Go Local run its course? Would you tell me if it had? All comments are greatly appreciated even if they are to inform me that you hate this challenge and wish I would shut up already.

Make a Plan

2010-05-27T07:59:00.001-06:00

Today is the last day of school for me. I have one more preschool music program and a piano recital for my private students, but the teaching part is complete. Tomorrow is Hadley's last day of school, and then summer really begins in earnest around here. I remember being completely exhausted by the time school started again last year, and this is making me nervous about summer this year. I'm hoping I can keep these girls busy enough that they won't fight all summer long while I'm busy working at The Farm. I'm also hoping they don't hate me for providing them the opportunity to live in the garden all summer. Looking at the calendar makes me tired. School starts back on August 12th (!!!) for Hadley, which means summer really isn't even very long. We have a vacation planned for a week of both June and July plus swimming lessons and art classes and a huge garden and the Farmer's Market and summer play dates with friends and a music camp and birthdays and and and and. Why do we call this kind of madness Summer Vacation?

I'll need one in September.

Interplanting the Three Sisters

2010-05-25T08:58:00.007-06:00

This year at the Farm we will be using an old Native American tradition of inter-planting winter squash, beans, and corn (the Three Sister combo). I first learned about this practice on an episode of Victory Gardens a few years back. I thought it sounded so great to have all that food in one small spot working to amend the soil, reduce the weeds, and provide the beans with a natural climbing station. I hadn't planned to grow corn this year because there is always so much surplus in the area that I never have trouble getting as much as we can stand to eat and plenty to freeze as well. When I decided to start the market garden I consulted with another spin farmer and he suggested Indian Corn. I love to buy the colorful ears and stalks in October to decorate my house, and I figured it would be fun to try growing an heirloom variety I had seen. I adore snap beans and knew that I'd grow them, and wanted squash, but it takes so much room in the garden that I didn't think I'd put much in. Then I remembered the inter-planting story I'd seen and it all came together. The corn leaches nitrogen from the soil like no body's business, and there is a lot of wind at the Farm, so by planting beans with the corn stalks I add a nitrogen fixer and a stabilizer all at once. By alternating my hills with winter squash I take care of the weeds and I grow everything in one small block. You need at least a 10' by 10' (we're planting 10' x50')space to really have effective germination for corn, and it should be planted in a block vs. a row to help with the germination process. (click photo to enlarge) This variety of corn (Painted Mountain) can also be ground into flour and used for making tortillas and other corn products. The beans are planted around the corn stalks when the corn is about 4" tall, and the beans can be any variety. Dried beans like pinto, black beans, etc or snap beans are traditionally used. I'm hoping to try a few different kinds of beans this year. The bean vines should be tilled into the soil once you pull the stalks and the nitrogen they provide will be ready for next year. I'll be sure to update my experience including the plants I ultimately used and their production results. I'm especially hopeful to have some help keeping the weeds down this year!

More information on inter-planting:
The Modern Victory Garden (includes a lot of other inter-planting ideas)
Renee's Garden (includes a great diagram similar to mine above to get you started)

Thanks.

2010-05-18T22:03:00.004-06:00

I feel a little sheepish sometimes. I wonder why it is I blog and why I feel the need to share my ventures in such a public way and then I remember. When I first started writing I took a lot of heat from a certain person about putting myself out here as if I needed the feedback and the accolades to feel better about myself. The truth is I do feel better about myself now than I ever did before. I think it's lonely to be a woman. My toddler is not much into patting me on the back to show her appreciation, and sometimes everyone hates dinner but me. There are days when I see only small people, whether it be in my classrooms or here at home, and they need me to be their cheerleader not the other way around. When I come here and share my triumphs and struggles I get instant feedback. Big horas and shouts of support abound, and it matters to me that I am connected to you in this way.

I am emboldened by your support and ever so thankful for the time you take to share your ideas and feedback with me. It makes a big difference. I am certainly guilty of drive-by blogging lately, but whenever I receive your comments I am empowered by them, so thanks. A girl couldn't ask for a more supportive community to share her dreams with.

Growing Along

2010-05-14T15:02:00.003-06:00

In addition to the farm we are growing our square foot gardens as well...and we added two more. Did you just call me crazy?

Well fine, but truth be told, I want produce right out my back door and the farm is 7 miles away. Besides, I'd already started plenty of seeds before I made the farming decision and they need a home. Starting seeds was such a mystery to me last year. The whole process seemed overwhelming and totally foreign. This year there was so much less guess work, and the time commitment was far less as well. I used the same organic, heirloom seeds from last year for almost all of my plants, which means my cost for seeds was cut in half between the two years. Seeds are pennies, starts are dollars. Aside from my peppers I will have started everything I'm growing in my back yard this year from seed. Peppers still scare me a little, as they can be a bit fussy. I'll save seeds from whatever fruit my plants bear and give them a try next year. Today I started hardening off my seedlings, which is a process that is still a little mysterious to me. I think it must be less complicated than I imagine, but it's scary. I started my seeds on March 10th. I'm waiting until at least May 20th to put them in the ground or whenever I've had enough time to get them properly acclimated. I used peat pellets to start the seeds and then when they were getting a little leggy I transferred everything into bigger pots. The Mail Man built me two shelves with grow lights in the basement. The yellow ropes are the pulley system for raising and lowering the lights as the seedlings grow. Grow lights are nothing special. Merely a cool and a warm florescent bulb in a shop light. You do need to be able to raise and lower the light so that you can keep your plants from getting leggy, which is a mistake I made last year. I started the light too high (it needs to be about 2 inches above the foliage) and my little guys shot right up. I thought I was such a good seed Mom until someone told me that I was growing leggy plants that would soon topple. I transplanted into deeper pots immediately and all was well. This year I have so many plants going I can't believe how cool it looks. Pretty exciting for me, but not very photogenic. Now it's time to do dishes and get a shopping list made. I hate to admit that I've been a terrible nutritionist lately. Between evening programs for all my little preschools and gardening tasks, we are not eating well. This is more than ironic to me, but I'm hoping that when school is finished things will get better in the kitchen.

Asparagus Week

2010-05-12T21:48:00.001-06:00

Our first local meal of the 2010 season happened on May Day, which was also the first Farmer's Market of the season. By the time asparagus season ended last year, I was pretty happy to be seeing some other veggies. I really love that crazy weed like plant, and never would have guessed I'd get sick of eating asparagus this and that. I was first in line to pick some up again this spring. We had local milk, eggs, butter, and asparagus to make this really yummy oven pancake. The cheese was from Oregon. There was also homemade oat bread with homemade blackberry jam, and pickled beets on the table. No one complained about eating veggies and the leftovers were really yummy cold for lunch the next day.Asparagus Oven Pancake
From Simply in Season
Doubled to make a dinner for 4 with leftovers

Preheat oven to 400F. While oven heats place 2 T. butter into a 9x13 pan and place in oven to melt. Swirl pan to grease bottom and sides.

1 pound asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces, steamed slightly and placed into bottom of greased, hot pan.

1 1/2 C. milk
1 1/3 C. flour
4 eggs
1/2 t. salt
mix in blender until smooth. Pour over asparagus. Bake until puffed and golden brown. 20-25 minutes.

1/2 cup finely shredded cheese
Sprinkle on top and allow to melt. Cut wedges and serve immediately.

Any veggies work here, and it makes a really yummy fruit pancake as well with a few additions. If you haven't bought this book yet...you might consider adding it to your library. It's still my favorite.
Monday we had local greens, asparagus soup, and Farmer's market ciabatta bread. Just as yummy as Sarah says it is...I even added about 2 heaping handfuls of spinach to the mix and the girls never knew the difference.

Love is Spelled F-O-O-D (and flowers)

2010-05-11T09:10:00.001-06:00

Mother's Day was decadent with food and time and sun and sweet kisses. The Mail Man spells love f-o-o-d. I like the way he spells especially when it involves strawberry filled crepes for breakfast, juevos rancheros for lunch, and strawberry daiquiris for dinner (there was food as well and it involved potatoes, cheese, guacamole, sauteed mushrooms and sour cream).

I didn't leave the house except to hang out in the yard and take care of some leisurely weeding, pruning and scheming. My nephew Ezra and stopped by to visit for a few minutes and I got to hug my sister and wish her a happy Mother's Day. I'm told Ezra calls me Hebber, which I find perfect. This photo was taken during the few minutes Amelia allowed Ezra to touch her toys without freaking out, and before her fever of 103 set in and caused her to be really, really grumpy (for just cause...poor little lamb).
On a more serious note I find that Mother's Day gives me an opportunity to be exceptionally mindful of my most important job (like nurturing my sick babe). On Sunday I kept thinking about the things I love most about my Mom and the way she nurtured me. She was always patient and good at listening. She fed us healthy food and told us it was because she loved us, which is what I tell my girls as well. I remember her telling us that she would not buy us junk food because she loved us and feeling so torked and confused about that. Mom also had the perfect fingernail length for back scratching, which she did whenever we asked. My Mom told me she loved me every day and always encouraged me. She still tells me that she is proud of me whenever she sees me, and it still makes me cry like a 13 year old girl who knows not who she is. I like making her proud and I try to remember to tell my girls how proud they make me. You know...just in case my love for them just isn't obvious enough somehow.

Happy Mother's Day to the many, many astoundingly strong, beautiful, creative, loving, giving, imperfect yet still way better than good enough women I'm privileged to know. Most especially to my own Mother who may not know just how much I love and look up to her.

Farmer Jane

2010-05-10T08:06:00.004-06:00

For two years my Dad has been trying to talk me into starting a little farm on his unused land. For two years I've talked myself out of the prospect of becoming a small scale farmer. This year his powers of negotiation worked. Now when I say small farm, I mean small. And when I say farm, I mean giant vegetable patch (and maybe flowers and lavender, too). There is no livestock as of yet, and we are not talking endless acreage. We are also talking bigger than a square foot garden. We're starting "small" this year so we can see what we're in for. By small I mean 1100 square feet. That's 50' by 60'. Enough space to spread out and get dirty.Enough space to need some true blue boots and shovels. The summer promises to be full of learning curves and triumphs. This weekend we tackled the first challenge while installing 1000 feet of drip line. Since the garden sits on a sloped portion of the land we can't flood irrigate. Planning out the watering system has been a big project, which I'm told will be our most expensive and time consuming up front investment. So here it is. Time for me to put my sweat and tears where my heart is and grow some food. If luck runs my direction I'll finally get the booth I've been wanting at the Farmer's Market now for at least 15 years. Even if that doesn't work out, we'll have plenty of food to share and preserve. For now I'm being paid like this: My girls are spending plenty of time running and playing with Papa as they discover the beauty of garden life. You'll see me tired and dirty a lot these days, but you'll also see me smiling as wide as I can smile at least most of the time. I'm guessing this here project will give the Go Local challenge the boost I was looking for. Prepare for more food talk than you bargained for.

p.s. We're using some of the key principles of Spin Farming, but without spreading our spaces out across multiple urban plots. So, we're calling it Living Senses Spin Farm. Nice ring, eh?

Quick Takes Monday

2010-04-19T15:07:00.002-06:00

1. The Farmer's Market opens next weekend. Wouldn't it just be silly for me to say that I'm excited?

2. I finished several little projects yesterday and realized my camera battery was dead. I also took a THREE hour nap. That's crazy stuff right there.

3. We went on a little mini hike to a waterfall yesterday and my camera battery was dead for that as well. It seems Amelia loves hiking as much as we do. She just kept telling us how beautiful everything was and she would have walked the whole thing if we'd have let her.

4. I managed to shop for and plan my whole week's worth of menus today. There is some good food coming up and I'm excited. I've had several requests for weekly vegetarian menus and I will post some of my menus as well as some fun recipes I've been using in the regular rotation.

5. I dream about sewing. I wake up thinking about what I want to sew and I go to sleep knowing for sure that tomorrow I will make the time. It still isn't happening. What's up with that?

6. The Mail Man is set on developing a family band. He wants us to play hard core rock and he routinely shares You Tube videos with the girls to get them excited about this idea as well. Lately the girls are always singing "I love rock and roll" By Joan Jett. Hadley heard there was a new movie coming out about her and thinks she would love to see it. We think she will have to wait several years to see this movie, but she can still keep singing her songs. Amelia sings "I love rock and roll, so put another dime in the juice box baby". For real. These little girls are my rock stars.

7. Natalie Merchant recently released a record called Leave Your Sleep. It's stunning. As far as making the argument that music can teach culture...this pretty much takes the cake. You can hear her on Morning Edition here. There are some songs posted there as well. I have not been excited about a new album in such a long time.

8. I've found myself arguing to keep music in school at two board meetings this month. I feel sick that all these budget cuts the schools are facing means less arts in our schools. I know reading and writing is crucial, but what about beauty, culture, and aesthetics? Heartbreaking stuff for me.

I have big plans to post more than one thing this week, so maybe, see you soon?!

Quick Takes Monday

2010-04-12T11:21:00.004-06:00

I'm joining my friend Sarah with her quick takes posting. I have things to say that don't always seem post worthy, but that I want to remember anyway. This seems like a nice way to post without the pressure of a photo or a project to share.

1. I have been working out steadily since November. I have lost very little weight, but I've noticed that my measurements have changed. I'm waiting for this change to be enough for me and focusing on the fact that I'm enjoying working out again. Just when I was feeling really good about my workouts I woke up with a lot of pain in my left knee. I couldn't work out with my usual class at the gym and I felt very discouraged and old. It's getting better, but it's still very weak and not ready for interval training. I do feel good that I actually miss working out really hard. I think that means something.

2. I've been getting very excited about sewing again. I've got a bunch of projects all lined out and ready to go, but I can't seem to get myself into the studio to make them happen. I need to download some This American Life to my i-pod so I won't feel so lonely down in my studio all by myself.

3. There are a lot of babies being born in the next few months, and I really want to knit projects for all these tiny, new people. The list keeps growing. I might end up sewing for people instead. We'll see.

4. My garden is coming along this year. I've got peas, carrots, green onions, spinach and lettuce out in the garden. In the seedling trays I have zinnia's, basil, broccoli, more lettuce, lots of tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, and parsley. I'll be buying some starts from the farmer's market for peppers, eggplant, and maybe even more tomatoes. This year has been much easier than last year in terms of knowing what I'm doing. I wish I had even more room to plant. I'm so excited for summer harvest.

5. We almost got chickens this year, but then decided we've got enough on our plates and we'll wait until next year. There are chickens in our future.

6. The month of April is flying by, and the month of May is scaring me already. There are many, many little performances coming up for all my little musicians and some bigger musicians. Once May is over I will be relieved even though I know I should be living in the moment and not wishing for the future.

7. Our vegetarian diet is still going well. We've eaten the grass fed beef from our freezer twice and I ate chicken on Amelia's birthday. Other than that it's been all veg. around here. I've been using two cookbook from the library that I love. One is Love Soup and the other is The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker. The thing I struggle with most is eating vegetarian and local. Most quick vegetarian foods are not from around here and local produce is scarce unless it's in my freezer or pantry from last year. Tofu, veggie burgers, rice, pasta, beans, cottage cheese, peanut butter, etc. I'm working this out with myself.

Wow. That feels much better. No more bloggy backlog. Maybe this will free up my creativity somehow?

Tulip Love

2010-04-12T11:18:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about why I love the tulips that grace my front beds each spring. Their candy dish colors make me endlessly happy, and then I feel sort of sad that they will be gone so soon. Then happy again to know there will be more tulips in a different shade and then peonies and lilacs coming right behind. I love flowers. They make an ordinary day seem special.

There Were Fairies~ Woodland Fairy Birthday Party Round-Up

2010-03-31T10:44:00.007-06:00

There was a flurry of fairy making in the week before Amelia's little birthday celebration. I was going for woodland fairy, and I'll admit I loved the process and the end result as much as she did. I found a great book at the library called Felt Wee Folk, which guided my process for making little fairy dolls from pipe cleaners, felt, wool roving, floss, wooden beads, and flower petals. The acorn top hats were just the perfect addition. (Thanks, Liz)Hadley ended up going crazy with the simple version for kids and made one for each little girl at the party. After the girls were in bed I put the fairy tree on the table and perched each fairy in the tree.

I also saw a wonderful idea for making fairy houses out of peat pots on another blog, so we set up a little house making station for each little fairy. The girls glued pom poms, flower petals, and stickers to their "houses". Then they each got to take a fairy from the tree and play while I set up the fairy tea party complete with tiny sized finger foods. I used simple lilly of the valley floral stems to make fairy crowns,

and a crepe paper butterfly kit I've had since Hadley was a baby to make about 25 butterflies, which were flying all over the living room.
I love birthday parties and celebrations. I tend to get a little stressed out, and I remember being so exhausted after each of Hadley's parties. I learned from that experience to keep things small and simple and also to plan ahead. We've set a rule that the number of guests equals the age of the birthday girl, and we only have formal parties for the even number years. Amelia has yet to have had an actual birthday party, so we broke that rule this year, and it was so perfect. We had three little fairy guests plus Hadley and Amelia. Amelia is pretty easily overwhelmed and she only got nervous when it came time for singing Happy Birthday, which she did not want.
When Daddy came home from work we all loaded up and went to Wahooz to play, then out to dinner with Papa J., and home for the real birthday cake, and opening presents. Then the thing I had been most looking forward to happened. If you have seen the book One Yard Wonders you will recognize this little fabric house.The moment Amelia opened the house she was transfixed. I was over the moon with excitement to present it to her, and I was praying that she would love it. She didn't even want to eat cake because she was so busy playing.

It hasn't left her side since. She even sleeps with this thing.

The Mail Man contributed the tiny walnut tree furniture, so it was a perfect collaboration. Her adoration is a relief because this project took a large number of man/woman hours to create. Between the house, the furniture and the dolls (the little boy is missing from this picture) I would say a whole day's worth of time was devoted. Plenty of time to think about my little fairy and how much I love her. Last night she said "Mom, I really want to have another fairy party the next time a party comes around."
Mission accomplished.

Little Miss Mil'

2010-03-30T09:51:00.006-06:00

Three years ago we brought a little munchkin home from the birthing center and found that two of the tulip bulbs we had planted (read: The Mail Man planted for me because I was too exhausted) had bloomed. One red and one pink. In my mind they were a gift representing the two little girls who would now live in our home. They have not bloomed this early again until yesterday when there was one pink tulip just in time for Amelia's birthday.Life changed a lot for our family when we became four. There were sleepless nights where full, dreamy slumbers had been for some years. There was the sharing of time for Big Sis, and there was joy and exhaustion all at once. Amelia has always been a little bit worried. She thinks about things thoroughly, she reacts intensely, and she loves deeply. Her favorite thing is food. Eating is pretty much her passion. She requested eggs and honey toast for her breakfast yesterday. She also loves cheese and fruit, but she's not picky. She's my kid who will eat anything we tell her is yummy and believe us. She'll do almost anything for a treat, this one. Except potty train. She needed to do that in her own time frame and treats were not a motivator. She takes great pride in her achievements and thrives on praise when she gets it right. Amelia is a lover. She tells us all frequently that she loves us sooooo much. She could sit and listen to books for hours and will not sleep without them. This year she learned to converse (she now tells stories about when she was little during dinner conversation) potty train, sleep all night, and ride her tricycle. She adores big sis and really tries hard to keep up with whatever Hadley is doing. Amelia was my best garden helper last year. She took a great interest in everything going on outside, and helped me plant all of our seeds this year again. She really loves being outside as often as possible. Right now Amelia is a fan of all things tiny, which made fairies the obvious choice for her birthday celebration. This little girl keeps us on our toes for sure. Every day is a new adventure, and we love being a part of her journey. Here's to another exciting year, Amelia. You're the best. Two Weeks OldOne Year OldTwo Years Old

Three Years Old
p.s. Amelia has recently become very fond of whispering secrets. The other morning she woke me up and whispered in my ear..."Can you share your pillow with me? I can't find mine." Now how could I resist that request?

A Little Lace

2010-03-19T14:19:00.005-06:00

I've been knitting. In fact as far as crafty ventures go it's about all I've been doing. I have not been knitting all day every day, though. I'm getting my act together where my time is concerned, and making an effort to only knit when the girls are in bed, or when I am not with them, and when my house is clean. So this sweater represents about 30 hours of knitting over the course of 1 month.

I'm pretty damn proud of myself for completing a big girl sweater that actually fits. Can you tell how proud I am? Hadley helped me with the photo shoot and since the serious faced photos were turning out totally goofy I decided to go with goofy on purpose.

This sweater is the pullover version of Peasy. I bought the yarn to knit a sweater for myself exactly one year ago. I'm not only proud of the knitting in this sweater and the hundreds of thousands of stitches that went into its construction, I'm also proud of myself for obeying my yarn diet rule and not buying more yarn in the name of focusing on the projects I already have the materials for. This diet applies to my sewing supplies as well. So far I'm being very good.

Here is another stash buster project. This is the Phydeaux Art Deco Lace Neck Cuff. I learned that I can only knit lace at night when no one else is around. Once I was finally done ripping (3 times) and got myself through a couple repeats this was easy peasy and turned out so lovely and soft.
Project details for Peasy here. Neck Cuff here.

Little Vintage Treasures

2010-03-19T13:29:00.005-06:00

I recently participated in the Vintage Swap 2010, and my partner was awesome. She sent me a whole treasure trove of vintage goodies, which suit me just perfectly. So far I've participated in about 5 swaps and had the best partners. Here's some of the awesome loot Sandee sent my way. (You can see what I sent her if you follow the link.)Vintage Ric-rac and yo-yos (BIG LOVE)!French Embroidery Floss and a colorful crochet doily.Vintage buttons, thread, a pin cushion, and a dress making book.This big patchwork heart, which is perfect for a potholder on my kitchen table. It's so sweet I'm not sure I want to use it, though.
Thanks, Sandee! I love my treasures.

Little Makes

2010-03-06T09:05:00.006-07:00

I spy bags for little hands

Family Photo Memory Game for Little Minds

Walnut Shell Houses for little Ladies...intriguing to the little person, but far too scary to actually touch with her own little hands.

Felted Sweater Horses for Little Rides

Pin Tucks and Polka Dots for Little Sisters

These days it's the little things that matter. Little projects that fit nicely into little windows, so I can spend lots of time doing the things that really matter.

Not Buying It -Meat

2010-03-01T07:52:00.003-07:00

Today concludes our first month of not buying meat. We've been eating a vegetarian diet as a trial for the month of February, and it turns out we are sticking with it for the foreseeable future.
I like meat. I made a list of my favorite meat-y foods just to take a good look at what I'd be missing. Here's my list: ribs, hawaiian pizza, cheeseburgers, pot roast, chicken korma, spaghetti and meatballs, bacon, and shepherd's pie.
I like meat. At least I like the idea of meat.
At the beginning of the month I was wishing it repulsed me, but it didn't. So why make a change? Well, I suppose it's been a long time coming. I was a vegetarian for 6 years during college up until Hadley was born, and then I just got lazy and started taking the easy route back to the dinner table. We've still maintained a very low meat (and almost exclusively local) diet around here, but lately we've been feeling the pull to make a significant change. Shortly after we started our trial run I watched Food, Inc. and that sealed the deal. Even the local meats we've been limiting ourselves to no longer seem appealing, so we'll have to support the farmers in another way.
Of course I've been studying about the nutritional needs of my children, since preparing meals for myself was pretty simple back then. So far the girls are not missing meat or asking for it at all. We'll see what happens when Amelia sees a hot dog.

Some great veg. resources I've been enjoying:
All Recipes: this recipe for vegetarian korma is bomb diggity good. There are hundreds of vegetarian recipes available on this site.
Feeding the Big Guy: my old college room mate who looked at me cross eyed as she stocked the freezer with meat-y meals from home while I announced my plan to go meatless; she's now a veteran veg. and posts lots of great recipes.
AnchorMommy: Here is a perfect article about feeding vegetarian kids written by my friend and veteran veg. head, Shannon.

So here you have change number one of my 2010 Evolution. I'm very lucky that The Mail Man is fully supportive of this decision and has even encouraged me in my new ways of stocking the pantry. One total bonus of a meat free diet is calorie reduction...if I'm conscientious. One reason I stopped eating veg. back in 2002 was because I wasn't choosing healthy foods any longer. Basically anything meat free was free game. This wasn't working for me. Right now I'm working on losing 10 pounds, and eating healthy food and skipping the meat has really helped me keep my calorie count where I want it.

I should mention that we will still be eating fish when we can find it sustainably caught/local. Technically this makes us pescatarians. I'm not about to give up my fish love when we head to the Oregon Coast this summer. At least not yet.

We started this challenge in conjunction with the One Small Change challenge. You can see what others are changing as well by following this link.

Evolution 2010

2010-02-19T09:07:00.004-07:00

When I was 19 years old I had this crazy friend who inspired and challenged me in all kinds of shocking ways. My life was changing drastically at that time, and she was just the friend I needed to give me a nudge. I suppose every 19 year old feels this evolution whether their changes are as drastic as mine or not. I came to learn that it is only through struggle and challenge that we really find change, and change can be okay.Fast forward to 2010 and I find myself evolving once again. This past few months have challenged me in unexpected ways. My life hasn't really changed, but my sense of my self and my role in my life has taken a little journey and come to some realizations. Some of these things have been sudden realizations, while others have been percolating for a while now; edging their way in and evolving slowly. Some things have yet to be resolved, and this is as it should be.
One thing I know for sure: mid 30 is not the same as early 20.
Nope.
This decade of my life is a whole new shift. I'm finding wrinkles and fat in places I never anticipated, which is hard enough to deal with, but the emotional changes have sent me reeling. I'm starting to come out on the other side of total confusion and frustration and let things settle in and take their places on stage. The truth is I think I'm just now sorting through all the changes I made when I left my teaching job in the spring of 2008. I posted the following quote back then and it seems to apply once again.

And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

— Anais Nin

Bulgar Wheat Salad

2010-01-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

I made this salad twice this week. It's so healthy, filling and yummy.

Bulgar Wheat Salad

1 c. Bulgar Wheat (available in the bulk section of my local Winco)
1 3/4 cup. Boiling water
1 tsp. Salt

4T fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice (or combo)
2T Olive Oil

1t. salt

any combination of the following
sliced grapes, diced apples or orange segments
chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans
1 whole avocado, chopped
2 ribs of celery, sliced
chicken breast, diced
marinated tofu, cubed
feta cheese, crumbled

Add boiling water to the bulgar wheat and salt and allow sit in a covered pan for 30 minutes. Whisk citrus juice with olive oil and salt and then stir in your choice of ingredients listed above. When the bulgar is soft stir in in with the rest of the salad. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from the Everyday Food Lunch Box Bulgar Salad recipe.

Call me Pollyanna?!

2010-01-30T16:19:00.003-07:00

We watched the Masterpiece Theatre version of Pollyanna last night with the girls and enjoyed every minute. The scenery and costumes were just gorgeous, but the thing I loved the most was the "glad game" Pollyanna taught everyone she knew. The basic premise is to turn around disappointment or discouragement with something about the situation that could be seen as positive.

The glass half full theory. In general I find it pretty easy to be happy and see my daily life as positive, but I'm also very easily overwhelmed by mundane, repetitive tasks. Today I played the "glad game" with myself and powered through some chores I wasn't looking forward to taking on.

My room was a mess. A giant mess. Instead of putting it off another day I said to myself "I'm glad I have such a bright, happy room. It always feels much better in here when it's clean." Within about two hours I'd completely cleaned and rearranged the furniture. Now I have a really sunny place to sit and knit or read. And when that rare luxury presents itself, if it isn't happening as long as I'd like I'll think "I'm glad I have this sunny corner to enjoy...however short my time here may be".

When I walked out of my clean bedroom and found the mess the girls had made in the living room I thought "seriously?! Why can I only keep one room in this house clean at a time?" And then I remembered to think "I'm so glad that at least one room in my house is perfectly clean today."

Call me Pollyanna, but I think being glad is more fun than the alternative, so I'll gladly wear the title if I can manage to keep up the feeling of being glad.

Breaking Through the Gray

2010-01-15T13:21:00.005-07:00

A winter hazard of this area is the constant gray that tends to set in for the months of January and February. It can be pretty depressing to have constant cold and GRAY. The snow has all melted so it's not even white, which adds insult to injury in my opinion.
There are bits of color popping up, and today the sun is actually shining rather happily. It's amazing what a little color can do for the soul. Here's what's coloring my world happy lately.

The winter fruit of a beautiful snow covered tree
My bathroom when it is perfectly cleanMy girl completing her very first snowman with little help from us.My first pair of socks finally finished after all these months.Even though they are way too loose, riddled with mistakes, and I'm not totally happy with how they turned out, I'm proud of myself for finishing them. I turned the heel all by myself.I learned a TON about knitting with this project. I also learned a TON about myself. The next pair will be even better.

What's coloring your world this cold January day?

The Making, part 2

2009-12-29T21:59:00.004-07:00

Pardon me. I'm now going to post five pictures of my kid wearing her Owelet sweater. This is because she's cute, not because you need five pictures of her sweater, though you might.

If you're thinking of knitting a toddler a sweater this ought to be high on the list. It was such a huge hit, and not just for her. She loved picking out the buttons (though I've realized I need to sew eyes on a fourth) and she wears this sweater with pride. That's a huge relief after many hours of knitting. The color of the yarn is called Blaze, which couldn't be more appropriate for this little person. She's really something.

Raveled here for those who'd like more yarny details.

The Making, Part 1

2009-12-28T22:58:00.005-07:00

This year I had the pleasure of giving gifts to my brother and his wife. They have two little ones at their house and after many hours of debate I finally narrowed down the choices and went with an Olive doll for Marley (18 mos.) and a felted sweater hobby horse for Cash(2 1/2 yrs.).

Marley was not the least bit interested in her dolly, so I'll share a picture of her with my sister Rebecca instead of the one I'd hoped to get of her hugging her dolly. That way you'll be able to see why Olive is the perfect doll for her when she decides she needs one.Don't they look like soul mates?

Cash made me feel like a rock star!At first he had no idea what to make of this strange package, but it didn't take him long. Love at first sight.
I can't even tell you how much his reaction made me want to squeal. Cash was a cowboy for Halloween and he knows exactly what to do with a stick horse. Grab it by the mane and get after it.
The horse is a project I'd like to share here sometime soon. It was inspired by a knitting project I found earlier this year. I had grand plans to knit the horse head and then felt it, but there just wasn't time. Not to be deterred I scrounged up some killer soft wool sweaters and just started cutting. Amelia has the baby "test" version and she's convinced it needs a Mama. Back to the cutting table! This time I'll try to get some better photos.

There was SNOW!

2009-12-28T12:26:00.002-07:00

It was brief, and it didn't happen on Christmas as we had hoped, but it was fun while it lasted.

Celebrating Solstice

2009-12-28T11:58:00.006-07:00

Because we never celebrated Solstice when I was growing up I've been intimidated by the thought of adding new traditions into our holiday rotation. Now that we are becoming ever more aware of the seasons and what they provide, celebrating the sun and its increasing presence in our days reminds us of the perfect cycle of the earth. We know that our days revolve around this light, and our gardens are nourished and encouraged by its power. Armed with a dozen library books and several articles I found on-line we set forth to create our own celebration. Unfortunately Solstice morning also brought about a doctors visit for poor Amelia, and the realization that she had a double ear infection, double eye infection, and possible strep throat. This gave us all the more reason to hunker down inside and spend our time stringing popcorn and cranberries to share with the birds. Hadley helped me make a delightful dinner complete with handmade place cards and popcorn strings for decoration. The celebration was simple, and the only gifts were those for the birds, but it was rather memorable and we all agreed that we should continue our Solstice celebrating and keep learning how to make it a memorable part of our existing traditions.

Merry, Merry

2009-12-24T08:52:00.004-07:00

I did some sketching earlier this month. I made the mistake of sketching on the back of already occupied paper, but I was still quite happy with the results of my little people. I was thinking I would make a series of gift cards to share, but then life got busy, and computer time seemed unappealing somehow. Now we're trying to get two little people healthy before tomorrow.

My studio and knitting needles have been quite busy. Once the gifts have been revealed I'll be back to share.
Here's hoping your holiday celebrations are joyful.

Cashmere. One Hundred Percent.

2009-11-19T16:32:00.006-07:00

If this blog were an indicator of real life a person could conclude that all we do around here is knit.

I can assure you that is not the case.

The vast majority of my crafty, creative time has definitely been usurped by work and chores and meal preparations, so most of my sewing has gone the way of the leaves on the trees.Knitting is just such a great stop and start activity. If I leave a sewing project mid-completion it takes me forever to get back around to picking it up. The biggest challenge with knitting is the ridiculously long list of things I want to make. The list is so long that I find I don't even know where to start once I cast off one thing and want to cast on another.
Oh the endless choices.
I had no trouble deciding to cast on this hat, though. The minute I saw them on display I could barely stand the thought of living without one. My friend Heidi wrote the pattern for The Hannah Hat. She also sells the yarn, which she hand plies of 100% recycled cashmere garments.
There is no softer yarn in all the world. Knitting with this yarn was the most luxurious experience I've ever had with yarn. I wish I were joking because I never thought I'd be this way about yarn. I never saw the words yarn snob headed my direction. But there they are. Visit Pepperberry Knits and snag a skein of this yarn (keep checking back...she sells out quickly this time of year)for yourself. One skein of the sport weight yarn will be the perfect amount for knitting The Hannah Hat. There are three variations on the pattern, too, so you can make your dream hat.

What's that you say? You don't knit? Well, that's no problem. She'll knit one for you!

Now does anyone have a suggestion for the perfect toddler cardigan? I can't make up my mind! I'm using Lambs Pride Bulky and I have 440 yards available.

For Little E

2009-11-13T09:28:00.005-07:00

My little nephew turned two recently and I couldn't resist knitting him this little hat and mittens set. I used my striping skills here and almost couldn't put this set in the mail. Amelia really loved the "glubs" and asked me specifically to make some for her. Now that I've got my bazaar sewing done for the year (for the most part) I'm on to a full on knitting and sewing bonanza for my own family and friends!

I'm determined not to let this holiday season sneak by without a full on handmade celebration. Especially now that I have a room dedicated to making!

If you are on my Christmas list and you don't like handmade gifts you'd better let me know now....

Hat: Inspired by Holli's Ravelry instructions found here.
Mittens: Easy Mittens Pattern here.
Raveled: here