hausfrau in the kitchen

hold steady

2011-11-21T07:54:00.001-06:00

You know what I love? Baby grunts.

My little man is full of mammal sounds. My little man is also full of gas. My new penchant for lentil loaf cannot be helping the situation. Or maybe the big vat of white bean dip I made the other day that's now in competition with the veggie chili I made last night. Oy Vey!

My little man is so chill though he'll fuss just before the gas releases then fall back into his laid back mannerisms.

I made a big batch of gripe water the other night and if his gas is still persistent throughout the day I will be using it.

We go to Riverside Clinic for our general doctor needs e.g., pediatrics,ob-gyn,urgent care,etc. L has gone for the last of her shots and to bring her up to date for kindergarten. L is a fairly healthy child so she didn't have a set pediatrician that we would also use for M. When we made his first week appointment we just took whomever they assigned us. We are far enough into parenthood to know that we may not fully agree with the doctor and may have to pick and choose what we take away from the appointments. Boy did that really come into play with this new pediatrician that M saw for his first checkup!

This doctor was straight up a bully! Bullying me into trying to give M vitamin D drops.Bullying me into thinking that I should introduce the bottle as soon as I can. Co-sleeping and how horrific it is.When I said I had the baby at home her first response was" You are lucky."

Luck? Really?Le sigh.

These other things didn't really bother me that much, the thing that was the catalyst for us changing doctors, was her lack of gentleness, when handling baby M.

Bear Paws the pediatrician.

Wednesday 23rd of Nov.

C started discussing the option of us buying a VW diesel golf or a jetta for next winter. The car would only be driven about 3 months a year and then for family vacations.. L will be going full day next year meaning C won't be able to pick her up since it will be cutting it too close to his in time for work. That means I would be doing the bulk of the driving during the winter months.

So when C suggested the option of a car I immediately suggested other options. L would be able to use the current bike setup I have for next winter which is the Big Dummy but not with baby M. The winters here are just too harsh to have him exposed in a peapod seat which we do own and will be our setup for the warmer months.

I suggested a Dutch cargo bike admitting that it is an expensive bike and paying that all up front will be tough for us but it'll sure be a lot cheaper than a monthly car payment. Especially a payment for a car that will be sitting 9 months out of the year. That would hurt.

I also know the slippery slope that accompanies one owning a car. First it is just used for the essential winter running around then it becomes too easy to just hop in the car and jet over here or there. The next thing you know you haven't ridden a bike for quite some time.

I'm curious as to how long we can get away with L riding in it. I guess that would be the deciding factor. I would like to get at least another 3 years of her being able to be in it and doing so comfortably.That means she would be nine years old. Eventually she can bike herself to school especially if her school moves to the proposed site they are looking at. The school would move from St.Paul to Minneapolis and would be a slightly shorter distance but most of it would be on the River Pkwy trail instead of busy Marshall. That would also mean that the ride would go from a hilly one to a relatively flat one. This is good news for biking with a cargo bike.

I'm also assuming that these bikes hold a pretty high resale factor.

What it comes down to is that we haven't owned a car for almost six years. I have gone through three MN winters and two Chicago winters before that pulling a bike trailer. Four of them done with a single speed. The coldest day I have biked was last winter at -15 and that was the real temperature which isn't factoring in the windchill. I guess what I am saying is I'm not ready to throw in the towel just because we have another body to figure into the mix.

There are solutions we just have to find the right one for us and owning a car is not it!

Did I mention how much of a chill baby M is? and what a lover he is?! Oooh he is just the most adorable! I am sooooooo in love.

baby breath

2011-11-14T08:17:00.001-06:00

I am hoping that I will be back to blogging somewhat on a regular basis now since my pregnancy is over and the long winter months will soon be upon us. I plan on jotting down and capturing all of chubby bubby's (baby M) growth over time. The journal I never made for L. Actually rereading over the course of this blog I am impressed with the memories I did capture during the last stage of her toddler years.

Please bear with me and endure the horrific early writing until I get a consistent flow going again. One really can fall out of the practice of writing with just a short time away. I did manage to write the birth story down fairly early. It was a long and arduous process that by the time the actual birth happened I was subjectively choosing what was to stay in my memory vault.

I went into the birth which was on Saturday with the last night of sleep, a very restless sleep,being on Thursday. Even though afterwards I was riding the birth high for the first three days or so afterwards that zero exhaustion was felt. I think every woman or most experience the high that follows a traditional birth. The high that follows a home birth? Off the charts!

Both of my births were natural,both big babies(9.9,10.0) but completely different in terms of the physical and mental state afterwards. I wouldn't contribute any of the difference to one being my first and me a new mother to being more experienced the second time around. I am contributing it to the support,the calmness and my ability to be in any position I felt my body needed to be in during the birth.

Baby M is such a mellow baby which I attribute to the lack of invasive jostling immediately upon entering the world. The lack of garish lighting filling his first peeks at his new world. The lack of gentle hands handling him afterwards.

I do attest to my mental and physical being this time around due largely to the pampering and care of the mother directly following birth. Once baby is born in hospital and mother has delivered the placenta the show ends. During the hours to follow my home birth I was being hand fed, drinks pushed in my face, my laundry getting done,my house getting cleaned and most importantly me being left to bond with my baby.

I was being uplifted with a community of loving support in my everyday surroundings.

Here is the birth story:

Late Tuesday evening around 10:30 pm on Nov 1st I started very early labor. I could feel mild period like cramping and a dull ache in my lower back.As the evening progressed I continued to try and get some sleep only being awoken with each contraction as they hit. By early morning they seemed to be around 3 minutes apart and getting stronger. I decided to call my midwife and fill the pool. The contractions started o bounce all over the place and loose a pattern.

They arrived around 8 and within the hour I got into the pool and my contractions just fizzled. The midwife team left around 11 staying close to my 'hood so I could try and get a nap. I slept waking after a hour still with contractions but not super strong or consistent but just enough to remind you that this is uncomfortable.

This went on for four days! On the fourth night which was Friday November 4th was the first actual night that I was unable to sleep at all. Not that the sleep I had been getting was so great. I was still being ripped awake every 30 minutes or so by this lower back pain with mildish contractions over the course of these few days.

When Christopher woke up and saw me Saturday morning I was a hot mess. I was mentally broken by this time.I started sobbing that I maybe wanted to go to the hospital as an option to get an epidural or maybe have them break my water because this needed to stop. I couldn't take another day of this.All of this work and no baby. It had gone from not only physical to mental and those two combined don't make a great entry point for very active labor. Especially for someone who is dead set on a natural childbirth and whom was planning on birthing at home.

We called my midwife who was unaware that I was still dealing with this to come by and discuss options with us. My midwife suggested a chiropractor to maybe help align my pelvis to assist the baby to drop into a better position. I had an ultrasound at 38 weeks to definitively determine if his head was down which it was but still floating higher and to the left. All the others systems were engaging i.e.,contractions,ripe cervix. we just needed a head down to finish it.

I, of course, wanted the least invasive option, and my back pain which was horrific at that time, to be alleviated. My midwife and the chiropractor arrived at 1:30 pm to check me. After being adjusted and doing some pelvic releases they left at 3. I didn't necessarily feel better physically but a little better in the mental arena knowing that I tried something that could help move this forward. Christopher left for work at 3:30 and Lydia my six year old was still at a friend's house where I had shipped her at 10 that morning knowing I wasn't in any state of mind to be a good mother and companion to her throughout the day. I had reached that mental exhaustion point.

I called my friend to tell her she could bring Lydia back home. During the course of our conversation my contractions had strengthened and were coming on quick. At one point I had a harder time talking while working through one. My friend suggested that Lydia just stay the night at their house from the sound of my voice. I agreed,hung up, and started sobbing. I was terrified of going into another night like the previous sleepless one but with more intense contractions this time.

I decided to take a bath. Once in the bath I couldn't get comfortable and I knew there would be no muscle relief resulting in a 5 minute bath. Got dressed,went downstairs, and started pacing which was the only thing that seemed to take my mind off the back pain.

My doorbell rang and it was my sister-in-law Joy who had come to take Lydia for the evening. I recently got a new number and she only had my old one so she was answering a request to take Lydia from an email I had sent the previous day or two. I told her Lydia was at a friend's house and within a minute of her being at the door I had to bend down and work through a contraction and that is when I realized that I needed to call my midwife. If I was unable to hold my composure for just 5 minutes while I answered the door then something was going on!

If it wasn't for my sister-in-law stopping by then I may have been delivering the baby myself!

I called my midwife still somewhat hesitant because of the stalled labor on Wednesday and her being at my house a few hours earlier. During our conversation the talking was definitely getting harder to do and the contractions longer. I am assuming she could tell where I was by my voice but not once did she ever convey panic. This is something she prides her business on and it showed during the whole birth.

I called her back about 20 minutes later(maybe even less) saying I feel like my water could be leaking and that I could start to feel all the pressure coming down. That maybe I could start pushing soon.She said she was really close BUT if I did feel like pushing to please call her back so she could talk me through it.

Thankfully that never figured into my birth story!!

My midwife arrived to find me standing in a bra and sweats with the birth stool on the couch and me standing leaning down into it with the contractions that by then were coming on strong and long. Still with this great sense of calm energy my midwife asked where my husband was working that night so she could call him. My first reply was I don't care if he is here or not I just needed and wanted to get the baby out. Thankfully she used better judgement and got the answer out of me and called him. The time was 5:20 then.My midwives assistants arrived and immediately started filling the pool. During this time I mentioned (perhaps grunted) something about the photographer and how bummed she would be. My midwife then proceeded to find her number in my phone and call her.

Yes all of this calmness while I am definitely getting close to pushing. I almost started second guessing the actual physical feeling I was experiencing due to the lack of urgency these women had. None of the dreaded hospital chant "push,push,push!"

My husband received the phone call while at work at 5:45, he biked home and arrived at 6:15, the photographer arrived at 6:25, and I pushed the baby out at 6:30 which my husband caught.

A very healthy 10 pound baby boy. Birthed at home in the way I had pictured, standing for most of it then sitting on the birth stool for the final pushes. The pool was more my husbands suggestion and I figured it couldn't hurt to help ease the pain during contractions but I asked my midwife to tell me when I needed to get out if I still chose to have him "on land". That too was never an option since the pool wasn't even ready this time.

I will say this baby has such a chillness to him that I accredit to the peaceful manner in which he was born. I am thankful to have experienced birthing at home. It's really unfortunate that home births are still "radical".

The way the birth played out is how I had pictured it from day one.I knew I was going to be standing then squatting for the final pushes. I was laboring standing and pushing my weight into the birth stool which I had placed upon the couch when the contractions started coming on fierce.

This is the push that released the head

After the birth my midwife made it very clear that she wanted me essentially put on bed rest. It was hard those first few days since I was filled with the energy of birth and just my natural get up and go energy to just lay around.I am thankful for it though since I was able to completely focus on bonding with baby M. I have been moving all around the whole house now enjoying the bubble that has been created. This is my last child and these early days go by the fastest so I'm getting drunk on baby love.

I am pork boy, the breakfast monkey.

2011-08-21T10:16:00.002-05:00

Russian tea cakes for breakfast. Yum. These are perhaps my favorite cookie which really doesn't say that much considering I am not a huge cookie lover. I made them for the first time yesterday since I am borrowing someone's Kitchen Aid mixer I have been on a baking fling. For those that own mixers and make cookies oooh big deal. It's SO much easier with a mixer the hardest thing that one has to do is read the recipe! Alas though these cookies didn't turn out that great because of a little extra salt. C bought salted butter this week at the co-op when we normally get unsalted. So with me being unaware of the salted butter I added the salt called for in the recipe and slightly more since I like things a little salty and that is what I received!

Nothing like a dollop of lemon curd to correct that problem.

I am at 31 weeks!! Wow! I am enjoying a pretty full range of mobility still and a 4 to 5 day a week gym schedule. I know eventually as the weeks go by i'll lose more mobility and find myself catching my breath more. I really want to keep pushing along until the utmost point as I know I will be chained to a newborn for the first two months unable to bike or go to the gym like I would like to. Thankfully I will be able to wear the babe and go for long walks. Walks are actually my favorite at that time of year. October and November are probably my most favorite months.

I have gained around 28 pounds or so. Again I am not super focused on my weight but I do feel the need to mention where I am now as opposed to the 55 or so extra pounds I had at this stage when pregnant with L which climbed to the final total of 68 pounds!!

I have a feeling this time around I wont feel so damn yuck after the baby is born.

I'm looking forward to a pretty chill day today. The only things I have planned is a tea party this morning with L, the making of 7 lbs of sauerkraut and biking to the Familienfest in St.Paul later this afternoon. I'm enjoying a quiet morning thus far flittering back and forth between my reader and the blog. So forgive me if this is the reading equivalent of a racquetball match.

I made our dinner for tonight last night which will be a CSA lasagna (eggplant,fennel,zucchini,summer squash,roasted red sweet peppers,oven roasted tomatoes and fresh basil) topped off with ciliegine mozzarella balls and shredded whole milk mozzarella equals yum.

What I am waiting for is to come across a good deal on Italian pears. I remember two seasons ago scooping up a three or four 3 pound bags from the co-op that had them on sale. I fell in love with them easily they became my favorite type of pear. I want to make some more pear butter with cardamon and cinnamon and try my luck at canning them halved in a spiced syrup.

The pear butter went really well dolloped overtop a bowl of steel cut oats on a chilly fall morning.

I have a pot of steel oats simmering with apples and raisins for our breakfast when L finally decides to get up. You didn't really think I was going to have a breakfast filled with Russian tea cakes did you?!

I have joined a CSA that drops in the city from a small WI town just over the state line. They have produce of course but that is not what I joined for. I joined for the raw goat milk. We received our first quart last week and is it tasty! I want to accumulate a few quarts and then make some cheese with it. We only have 7 more pickups before the season is over and I can only get 2 quarts at a time. This is reassuring knowing they are a low scale production so sanitary conditions (hopefully) are overseen better. My midwife hooked me up with the connection. What's really cool is that once the vegetables get into the city they are all delivered by bicycle!

My child is still sleeping and it is 9:30! Whoa we are going to have a hell of a time getting on a school schedule. I really should have woken her up at least a hour or so ago but it is so hard to wake a sleeping child if there isn't a fire or place we really need to be. I mean I like and deserve my solo quiet time too since this is really the only opportunity for it as I tend to go to bed shortly after L does anyway!

Yesterday I blanched a few pounds of broccoli for the freezer. Our CSA seems to have had an abundance of broccoli this year since every box for the last few weeks has had some in each box. We love it roasted and can go through quite a bit that way but I thought it might be nice to have to add to casseroles and soups this winter. I have also been making slow roasted oven tomatoes for the freezer as well. These freeze awesomely and are so delicious in practically anything! If you end up roasting the tomatoes I suggest you not leave them out to cool too long on the baking sheet. Most of them will disappear into your mouth before finding their way to your freezer. Trust me.

After roasting or blanching my vegetables I always lay them out in a single layer on a sheet tray lined with a silpat mat to freeze first before sealing them in a food saver bag. This is done to assure that you have individual pieces opposed to one solid block. I learned this the hard way with fresh corn kernels.

I have about four dozen spanish onions that will be left to form a dry outer layer for longing storing for the winter months. I need to find some mesh bags that I can hang them in for better air circulation or burlap bags and go the pallet route. I will do the same with the potatoes when they start coming in. Our storage potatoes and onions pretty much lasted us through this past winter.

Things I hope to learn and or do this winter is knitting and felting wool pets. We had to buy the wool pets book after L ripped it by accident at the fabric store a few years ago. I have been meaning to get around to doing some of the projects in it. I suppose I let it slide since she was going to Waldorf for the past two years and bringing home that kind of stuff all the time as is.

Alright off to start my day. Wishing you a lovely day.

free flow

2011-07-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

I am so fucking sick of not sleeping.I know it's only going to get worse before it gets better too! A good night lately is when I get a three hour block but mainly most nights consist of me falling asleep and waking an average of 4 times with two hour blocks of sleep. Last night my whole back was killing..to the point of me being in tears when C got home well after midnight and asked how my night went. It's not uncommon anymore for me to be up when he comes homes whatever time it may be.

I thought last night would be different because I had a great gym workout but instead of tiring me my whole back ached from the workout session. I do find myself not able to do a lot of my former stretches,the stretches,that helped lessen cramping for the following day. Oy vey.

I get my hair cut today at 11 with a new salon. My former hair stylist left to have her first child and just came back but with a different salon so I thought maybe I'll check out other options while the break is clean. I'm not certain as to what I am having done. I think that's a first. I would love to go in and say give me a somewhat medium length angular bob with broken up bangs but alas bangs don't fit into my lifestyle. Bike helmets and winter hats ruin them plus I have made it to the grown out bang stage which is very annoying to get through. My new stylist has her own webpage so does that make her legit?

I will start off by telling her three things about me that pertain to getting the best cut for me:

1. I shampoo my hair every two days.
2. I never brush my hair.
3. I don't own a car so I bike everywhere.

You know what I love? I love deciding what bike to take for certain rides. I love having so many different rides that do ride different for my different moods! When I don't have L I have 6 bikes(one longboard!) to choose from!

On a side note I think a bagel and lox is the perfect meal. Half a bagel though, a whole one, can and is, way too filling for myself.

I did have the bottomless stomach yesterday. Thankfully I don't have as many as I did when pregnant with L. I think I have had three days like that thus far. Days where I want to eat right after I have eaten a meal that is normally substantial for me. I guess these are baby growing days?

Thankfully I have had far from a sweet tooth during this pregnancy. None of the dreaded I am pregnant so I can eat as much ice cream as I want that so many women choose to do! I would much rather have something crunchy and salty!

I haven't canned or frozen anything really this year. We haven't been getting a glut of extra CSA which is great. I just don't have that extra time or energy right now to have to deal with putting up the CSA extras. When the tomatoes start coming in I will definitely make sure to oven roast a whole lot of them and pack away with the food saver. That worked wonderfully last year and didn't hurt the integrity of the tomatoes. I plan on dehydrating a lot of the crenshaw melons this year. Of course after we getting our fresh eating fill! If we have watermelon come again this year I really want to try pickling the rind. If everything goes smooth tomorrow I plan on checking this event out.

It's free,on the museum campus and outdoors, it's kind of a no brainer!

I suppose I should go wake L up. The thunder woke her up last night which had me climbing into bed with her until she fell back asleep. There were two huge,I mean huge,bangs that rattled the whole house. It's weird I do think I have heard the loudest thunderstorms of my life this summer.

As for L's sleeping schedule it's been all over the place. Never early only getting later with her sleeping in later. August 1st I plan on trying to get her on a good schedule in time for school. I figure a month of slow processing instead of a week of strict rule enforcing to add undo stress upon her starting her first year of school...Awww kindergarten!

I'm out. No spell check or proofreading will be done so just mind the errors.

I can't go pasta the pasta.

2011-07-12T10:25:00.001-05:00

L has been sleeping in late and going to bed late. I have an urge to try and get her back on an earlier schedule but then again I remind myself it is her summer vacation. I think back to the way I spent my elementary summer vacations and it sure wasn't on a schedule. The thing that bothers me the most about it is how late she is up. When I am exhausted and ready to be done she isn't and that's not good!

It's not like we don't do enough during the day it's actually the complete opposite. We do a lot. A lot of me biking her around to keep her active in hopes of her going to bed earlier then she has been. It's not like I am trying to get her to bed before 7 or even before 8. I would prefer somewhere in between but would be happy with before 9. Last night she was tired out and was asleep at around 9:30 unlike the 10:30 the night before.

I have been sleeping like shit more than I haven't this pregnancy and it's become the norm to wake up pretty much every 1.5 hours for about 20 minutes to toss and turn only to fall back asleep and do it all over again. So yeah no definite r.e.m. stage is being reached!

C works nights and works late. The one restaurant he normally leaves around 3:30 and gets home at 3 am. This means he sleeps until late morning which by then I have left with L to go to the gym or to get a ride in before the late afternoon sun kills me with the heat. When we get home we see C for probably about 2 hours or so which my time is spent making an early dinner for us so we can eat together before he leaves.

I'm not really complaining per se but it does get tiring being such an active pregnant person pretty much solely watching a 5 year old by myself. A very energetic media free 5 year old at that!

C and I have recently begun talking about trying to take a little two day getaway during mid September before the baby arrives. At first the trip was being planned with all three of us going and us going to NYC. I then started dreading L complaining about all the walking and realized that all the walking especially if it happens to be a hot fall could be a real bummer for me that far along in my pregnancy. Renting bikes of course became an immediate solution which eventually fizzled out if L was still included.

L is too big for a bike trailer which I don't even think they rent those and definitely too big for a seat. L has been riding on two wheels but not well enough to chance her riding on city streets and unfamiliar busy(!) ones at that. Soooooo the trip became so much easier imagining it without L going but alas that makes for an almost impossible scenario on this end. L will be in school at that time and most likely will have to miss it but who will keep her overnight for two nights? I would hate to ask my sister-in-law as she has offered and been so helpful in the past and I haven't been able to repay any favors.

We couldn't afford to pay someone to stay here and watch her. Jeez that would be expensive! I really want this to work out!

If we can manage to find a place for L to stay we will change our destination from NYC to Boston. Boston is supposed to be getting a bike share program sometime this month which we would use. C has never been and with only two nights to spare I want to go to a city where we won't have to spend a lot of time pouring over maps as I know that city quite well after living there for three summers and working as a bike messenger. So technically I have lived there for a total of 18 months. I was looking at maps last night and it all came back to me so I can imagine once on two wheels and being there how it'll feel so natural again.

Being at the gym yesterday I weighed myself and was pleasantly surprised to see I was at 153 which means I have gained less then 20 pounds thus far. Again, I am not being a hawk with my weight but compared to the 20 I gained in the first trimester with L, I am quite happy with this steady, but slow, gain!

I'm also quite unsure where I am week wise,I mean, I could figure it out,but, why? I know that the baby is eventually going to come out and do so on his own accord. I am not worried about threats of an induction or even going over my estimated due date. I have a feeling that he (M) will be right on time. I just hope it's not on Halloween and enough of a spacer past L's birthday which is 10/25.

Two October babies! Two Scorpios! A male and a female version. Oy Vey!

Our CSA has started and thankfully I asked for a share this year since everyone has been picking up. I think the first drop we had a few extras but then after that everyone has picked up. Our drop number is significantly smaller this year than the previous two. I would say by 50 percent or more. So less flakes and more of the die hards. I am actually thinking of asking Mike(the owner) for a full share. We started with the half in case people flaked as they had in the previous years and didn't want to be overwhelmed as in the previous years. Now seeing that they are being picked up I can manage a full share for us. This means that there won't be much putting up of food this year. Probably for the best since I seem to run as hot as my stove lately.

The plum trees on the Greenway that we picked fruit from last August didn't seem to fair the winter so well. It was their first year being planted last fall and they definitely don't look so hot now. We did find sour cherry trees which I picked a total of 16 pounds of cherries from! I also noticed next to the cherry trees a new patch of raspberries and around 6 apple trees! The raspberries we won't pick since we have our bushes in our yard but the apples I do plan on foraging. I made 6 or 7 pints of applesauce last year that lasted almost the whole winter and would love to do the same this year.

I found out through a friend that Pizza Luce sells their pizza dough for two bucks. This is awesome for the times that we want pizza on a whim and I don't have any in my freezer or the time to make my own. I can't stand their pizza because:

A) it's wayyyyy too expensive and
B) it's really not that good! It has zero flavor or way too much of a raw garlic flavor. Yeah, completely overrated, loved by the hipsters for the scene and people who don't cook.

I plan on getting some dough later today, since it's cooler and overcast, which means, less of a horrific outcome when the oven is on! I have about 6 bags of fresh spinach from the CSA, even though people pick their boxes up, they forget,purposely or not, to grab their additional bags of greens. I plan on turning that spinach into spinach,mozzarella and ricotta calzones.

Oh.Yeah.

L seems to be just waking up now. It's almost 10!! Jeez I am in a for a horrific bedtime later.

I ran out of my fish oil and vitamin D supplements for about a three week period. I think the Vitamin D went first, then the fish oil, the following week. I finally replaced them a few days ago and I can feel the difference. I didn't notice too much of a difference when I initially started taking them but definitely felt different after they had been in my system for awhile and then not at all. I would say a definite mood booster for pregnant women.

Our neighbors across the street from us have been working on their house for almost a year now. Yes a year. They built an addition that is bigger than the original house and have done most of the work themselves which has made it a slow process. A long and loud process. Even in the winter we could hear them banging away through our bedroom windows as most of our windows are single pane or just old and drafty and need to be replaced.

Have you priced out new windows lately? Yeah us too...so baby steps...baby steps.

So now since we have our windows open it's just constant construction. I can't wait for it to be done. I mean there gets to be a point where it just becomes intrusive on all of your neighbors.

Well today seems to be off to a slow start. I guess I can rule the gym out unless I go later this evening and steam. That actually might be a good idea if L has too much energy. If it stays overcast I don't see us going to the pool today. I do need to hit up the library and would love to get a ride in if it remains overcast and mid 70's for the temp.

I am also having the urge to bake and take advantage of the cooler temps. I would like to make some granola and some granola bars for the next few weeks.

Yo I'm out. Hasta la vista!

twice baked

2011-06-29T08:58:00.000-05:00

Did I mention I had a slice of pizza a few weeks ago that had canned mushrooms on it? Eww I had totally forgotten that such a thing exists until it was mingling with my taste buds. There really is no excuse for that. Isn't opening a can and draining it just as much trouble as wiping and chopping fresh mushrooms?

I am thankful to have had such a mild summer thus far for being pregnant. Besides all the rain the temps have been perfect. I do know it's supposed to get into the 90's tomorrow and I think I may just hit the beach early when still cool and hang for awhile. Let L exert some energy get some swimming in and then head home just before 1 before the hottest part of the day hits.

I know the hot temps can suck when pregnant but I wouldn't trade this time of year for any other. The abundance of fresh produce rivals any perk that winter could offer. The ability to get out and get some exercise another perk. Not having to find huge outerwear for maternity and to be able to live in a swimsuit and dresses another perk. Maybe that's why I just happen to be pregnant twice almost at the exact same times giving a week or two!

I foraged 10.5 pounds of sour cherries from the. greenway yesterday. If you bake or can then you know just how precious sour cherries are. The season is super fast; gone in a blink.

Did I mention that I once lived in the cherry capital of the world? In fact L was born in the cherry capital of the world. Just a side note....moving on,

Sour cherries make the best jam. Don't argue with me it's a fact. When sour cherries are in season and you google recipes for them you will find a handful of geeked out food bloggers extolling their love for the sour cherry. Hmm just like I happen to be doing!

I think I may just have to make this gelato.

Off to the park and for a ride. Peace yo!

"That’s the code. And we all live by it."

2011-06-24T08:48:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning feeling pretty fantastic! Since becoming pregnant I can honestly count on one hand how many great nights of sleep I have gotten. Last night was one of them. I think I only woke twice to get up and pee. Lately a normal night consists of me getting up every hour or so for one reason or another. Sometimes it is to use the bathroom,to see if C has come home from work yet or just the infamous toss and turn,side to side,never on my stomach.

In a little bit I am planning on biking to St.Louis Park to take L to a play date at a new friend's house. I think they have one of those huge dreaded trampolines. I hurt myself really bad on one of those when I was 18. There were a few of us,all big kids,probably stoned and drinking,jumping on one of them when I fell and landed on the railing. the railing slamming into the middle of my spine. Not only did it make a horrific sound and make me think i would probably never walk again but forever turned me off from them as well.

I picked all of our garlic scapes yesterday. I did it earlier this year to help promote the growth of the garlic head. By cutting the scapes and preventing flowering it directs more energy into growing the bulb resulting in larger heads up to 30% larger then if you didn't cut them. I think we just sauteed all of them last year using them in eggs and pasta dishes and really wherever a garlic shallot flavor needed to be achieved. I am debating if I should just make some pesto out of them to prolong them and to have instant flavor at my fingertips or do what I really want to do and that is make a kimchi out of them. It's all about finding the time. I have been biking so much this summer that my "to-do" list has sadly remained on the shorter side. I know this has a lot to do with me knowing how busy and how much of a whirlwind I will be caught up in when the baby arrives. I suppose that is the beauty of being a parent the second time around.

I have thrown all hopes of being helped with night feedings and laying down for naps when baby sleeps out the window. I know these things don't happen and I am okay with it now since those expectations aren't there. I know breastfeeding doesn't immediately knock off the weight and I also know there is no hunger like the hunger that you will experience that first week after giving birth!

We are planning on having a pool rental included with the home birth but quite honestly I don't have a desire to birth in it. C said that it may be nice to have to ease some of the pain which may be true but as for having the baby in water meh..I think I much rather do it squatting. I do know I have no intentions of being flat on my back again!

Oh! We have a name!Phew! I was totally ready to just let C go with what he wanted to since we agree on not circumcising and we are both into the home birth so my thoughts two of three ain't bad!

C wanted Malcolm Xavier which isn't awful and Malcolm was my Grandfather's name but all I could think was whoa we are white. C said "Yeah, so?" and I said "Malcolm X!"...hellooooo

C said well if you put it like that then I can see your concern. Um, who doesn't immediately think of Malcolm X with Malcolm Xavier?!

Finally one night when he was climbing into bed after coming home late from work I awoke and said this new name and he said I like it yeah that's going to work. Done. Whew.

Our CSA starts today! I thought it was last week so imagine how bummed I was when I realized I got it wrong. Total downer!

Later this afternoon L and I were invited to a birthday party at the Children's Museum in St.Paul which I would have to bike to. After biking to ST.Louis Park and back today. I know I can do it my main concern is coming back from St.Paul at 8 on a Friday night. Not only does traffic increase but some of my route goes through less then desirable 'hoods. I'm still running it over in my head. I could take the bus but jesus the buses here are SO bad especially between the two cities. If I don't get an express the ride will take a hour(at least) when I can bike it faster!

Bike faster at 6 months pregnant, on a cargo bike, carrying a 5 year old...something is wrong with that bus system!

With all this past rain and our dehumidifier broken our basement and started to waft the nastiest musty smell one can imagine. Yuck. I have been propping open the only door to outside and blowing a fan hoping to circulate some air through there. All I can think is ew old person house smell.

Today is our first non-rainy and sunny day in quite awhile. I have enjoyed the cooler temps not only because I am pregnant but I haven't had to worry about rigging a cooler area for my kefir.

C got his cargo bike,A Kona Ute,for this winter. C will need to take L to kindergarten this fall in St.Paul as I would be able to commit to anything with the baby being here. This will be my first winter in so long that I won't be hauling a child.

I'll be forced to take solo rides. Oh the shame in that!

Next winter the babe will be big enough to go in the Chariot trailer and me pulling it with my trusty Surly Pacer that has braved three winters here already. I really dig (older) Surly frames. They were built solid and for the price point untouchable.

Alright gotta run.

Shalom.

Fire escape

2011-06-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

Oh the need to blog has been on the list of things I have been wanting to do but continually falls lower on the list. My 5 year old from the time she wakes up until the time her sweet little face is in dreamland has an ongoing itinerary for my day. Pregnant? who cares! It hasn't help that this pregnancy has pretty much not even affected my physical activity in the least bit. I climbed the slow steady hill on Marshall Ave just crossing Lake St. bridge into St.Paul in the normal pre preggo gears which would be second chain ring and 7th gear! Huzzah! Not too shabby.

L will have a rude awakening when that 8th month rolls around. I would love to prove that wrong and just keep on trucking like I have been up until I deliver but I also like to think I am not a fool!

Oh it has been so wonderful to go into a pregnancy in tip top shape. I have done both. Gone from a skinny fat,bar hopping,food slinging,no sleep getting drug addict to bearer of life and that wasn't a horrible pregnancy but the humongous amount of weight that just kept piling on and the almost sedentary lifestyle made for a difficult birth and a good year before the weight started coming off. Not this time! I went from an uber healthy, vegetarian,gym rat,biking lifestyle into this pregnancy and still have not been slowed by resident fetus. It's a nice pregnancy to close the shop up on.

We found out the baby is a boy yesterday. Early on I was leaning towards it being a girl but definitely in the past few weeks I had been feeling boy. When the tech told us the sex I realized behind eyes that were beginning to well up with tears that a boy is what I wanted. Of course the sex is an after thought the main thing is the health but upon hearing that it was a boy it just felt right. Everything was complete. One of each to experience.

I have more to say (shocker,right?!) but L just woke up and being on a computer around her now,hence the lack of blogging, has been difficult. I am only allowed a quickie here and there. Funny how after having children quickies of all kinds become scattered throughout your life!

Get some!

Look at all you get for that low price! How do they do it?! Well actually I don't want to know just give me more.

2011-06-03T09:15:00.002-05:00

My pregnancy this time around is so much different then with L. At this point,almost halfway,I was 20 pounds heavier with L and increasingly everyday felt more and more burdened by my pregnancy. I went into L's pregnancy unhealthy,skinny fat, and with a lot of detoxing to be done. This time around I started this pregnancy journey being in the best cardio shape of my adult life, a solid and healthier engrained food lifestyle and a permanent homestead.

I actually don't even feel pregnant besides the slight winding I can get climbing hills. I say slight because it is more up to par with what an average(leisurely) biker would feel climbing. My stomach is SO much smaller than with L at this stage.

I still have that somewhat, maybe it's a big gut look, from certain angles!

We rode almost 70 miles on Monday and Wednesday and I feel great. The only problem I have realized with that much exercise in one day is that my hunger actually lessens. Hence me losing two pounds within the last few weeks of weighing myself. I'm also not doing that(weighing) as often as with L's pregnancy. Why? I am healthy, I am getting tons of exercise, I eat well, so let my body do what will come naturally.

The lack of appetite isn't new I have always been that way when I get a lot of cardio. I seem to reach a point during these long cardio stints where all I want is just fluids. Early on in these long sessions I tend to get a point where I am hungry and if I don't fuel then it will dissipate. It's also harder to eat then continue to ride in the heat. I remember when I was a courier, encountering those sweltering, hot,hazy and humid,Boston summers, I would barely snack while biking, just resorting to more liquids then solids.

Now my down days are another story! These should be renamed my feasting day! Oh, I eat these days and I eat well. I still do some sort of exercise, it may be light biking around, running errands, but nothing like going to the gym or on major mileage rides.

I do hope I feel this fantastic during the last trimester. I am quite aware that women feel their best during their second trimester but I am going to go out on a limb with huge optimism telling myself that my last trimester will be no different than my second.

I have my ultrasound in two weeks! Names....oh why are boy names that much harder?! I have had a girl name picked out, or well, it came to me, when I was falling asleep, since week 4! I have gone back and forth on it,playing around with other names but, I always seem to come back to this name.

As of now the weather looks as if it is threatening to thunderstorm even though it is suppose to get near 90 today. I had planned on checking the beach out today for the first time this season or hitting a splash pad up. We'll see.

I'm thinking of making some english muffins as it's been awhile and maybe make some breakfast sandwiches out of them. Yum.

Did I mention I have had meat a few times during this pregnancy? I know right! When the craving and urge hit I didn't immediately jump on it but if it persisted for a few days I satisfied that craving. I have been more in tune with this pregnancy and feel that if I am craving something that is so out of the ordinary for myself then my body must need that fuel. I have been striving for well over 70 grams of protein since the early stages of pregnancy. I haven't been tracking grams but roughly keeping an estimate. I knew from the beginning I didn't want to reach those numbers with soy products so that left me with a lot of egg eating! I started eating more dairy and now with the making of kefir I have been drinking a lot of whole milk kefir drink. Some weeks though my body tells me it needs more. I have answered these cravings only a handful of times and will be fine for a few weeks afterwards until I have another urge for more protein.

Do I see myself as becoming a meat eater after having the baby? No. I just couldn't see incorporating that kind of karma into my everyday life. Under normal circumstances I am perfectly satiated by my previous diet. I am mentally and physically nourished by a plant based diet. Of course the meat I have sought out has been high quality, and as far as I know, happily and humanely, raised animals. I'm not talking a Big Mac craving(ewww) or any other floor meats. The earliest stages started off with sardines and canned wild salmon. I would say I ate a lot of those during the first two months.

Since then I have had ham (oh you know I hit the pig up!) and chicken. Grilled chicken drumettes, a chicken salad sandwich and two ham sandwiches. So, not much, but don't get me wrong, whilst eating, I was very mindful of what I was eating and how it became a part of my meal. I didn't disconnect.

It's actually been the sandwiches that have gotten me! Really, a sandwich is a perfectly balanced meal. A meal that is awesomely transportable.

I did have a hard time before I did it. I had two very restless nights of falling asleep very early on, beating myself up, trying to hold the urge back, until it came down to this, that it's not really about me right now, it's about growing a baby and a healthy one, at that.

Done.

I was at the co-op yesterday looking for a small container of plain whole milk yogurt to use as a starter for my homemade yogurt. I wanted to refresh my starter since my last two batches have gone too long and been overly sour, to the point where, when I open the lid of the jar, it releases gas. This is okay for cooking with but doesn't really make for enjoyable eating.

So do you know how hard it is to find plain yogurt? Not only plain yogurt, but yogurt, that is whole milk? What is up with all the low fat and non fat yogurts?! Seriously, do that many people think non fat yogurt is good for you? I mean this is at the co-op too! I ended up having to buy the 32oz container of Nancy's brand which by the way is fantastic! Seriously, I was shocked at all the flavors riddled with sugar, and the addition of other products, to make it low fat. Honestly low fat products don't leave you as satiated as full fat does.

I'm off to make english muffins, when finished and still hot, I will liberally slather them with my full fat butter. Cheers!

down the hatch

2011-05-24T07:27:00.000-05:00

After today L has one more day left of school. It will be bittersweet since we know she will most likely not see most of her classmates again. We do like Waldorf it's just not a sustainable choice for us especially now with a second. For the people that are able to throw down that kind of bank then more power to you.

L has been so over preschool since the middle of the year. Once she started learning her sounds and is able to figure out how to spell things by sounding them out and to do simple addition and substracting her thing has been " I want to learn!" "They don't teach me this stuff in preschool"...and this is the main reason why she wouldn't be going to Waldorf next year. They really don't push reading and the other basics until first grade and then it's slow. L would be bored and her zest for learning would be squashed and really who wants to do that to a willing child?

I went to the gym yesterday when L was in school and it went quite well. I am still able to do a light run which I love. The only two major problems that were holding me back was

A) a lot of chest movement. Must get good sports bra. I forgot how huge my chest gets when pregnant.

B) The urge to pee at the mile marker!

The first I can solve but the pee thing is only going to get worse.

In about three weeks I get my ultrasound. I for some crazy reason have been throwing around the idea, that maybe, since this is my last, I want the sex to be a surprise. Right?! Completely crazy idea as I know I am a complete planner and would like to have everything in order before the baby arrives. Also I think by knowing the sex one can choose a name sooner(hopefully) and begin a stronger bonding process.

I weighed myself at the gym yesterday and I am exactly the same weight,149 pounds, that I was the two previous times I weighed myself,which were all relatively within a month or so. I knew my body would eventually stabilize after the huge early weight gain. My body needed to start with a healthy layer!

L and I have been doing tons of biking in the last two weeks minus the weekend filled with rain. Biking has felt really great, providing me with a gentle workout, but also, the ability to exert myself enough to get that good winded. Eventually the heat will slow me down and I'll park my ass at the beach which L will throughly enjoy. I do plan on hitting the gym with L early throughout the summer then proceeding to the beach which is half a mile away on the greenway. This way I can use weights and tone my upper body.

We haven't been able to plant or finish our beds because of all the rain we have been getting. I do think a lot of the local farmers are behind this year due to the lack of local produce in our co-ops. I am hoping we have an extended growing season this year. Our garlic looks fantastic as always. I am itching to pick some early to use like ramps or early spring onions.

We are planning another late summer trip possibly to Chicago which by then I will know the sex of the baby and can get my thrift on. I tried early this spring and even though I am not seeking out girly things for girls and boyish things for the boys it's almost impossible. So many clothes are just gender specific.

I would really love to take another camping trip to Michigan for a few days this summer. Possibly just L and myself again to spend some quality one on one time before another one is added to the mix. I can't foresee this trip happening since it is quite a costly trip for me to get there. It would be a different story if we rented a car and drove but then I would be driving half the trip. That doesn't sound like fun to me! What would be really great is if an Amtrak line ran from here to there. Now that is what I am talking about!

I can't get enough of green beans right now. Preferably raw, but sometimes, sauteed with a lot of garlic and olive oil.I have been keeping a food log for my midwife and what struck me, when I was reading through it, is there isn't any sweets listed at all. Granted it's only been a week into the making but I was pretty impressed. I think that void has been filled with fruit. I was hooked on apples(Fuji's Washington State) for the past month eating no less than two a day and sometimes four! Now it's pears. Yes, they are unfortunately, coming all the way from Argentina, and I do hope that local fruit starts becoming more available,but until then, I must satisfy my fruit cravings.

Alright I must get L ready for school. I swear most mornings I feel like a rally car co-pilot give her constant direction. Let's just say her attention span can falter.

Namaste.

Let's spend some more...

2011-05-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

I'm already sick of feeling big and I am so not even there yet! Thankfully the weather has been nice so I have been able to spend a good portion of it biking around my lovely city. Truly I feel so fortunate to live in a city that promotes a bike culture like ours. When I lived in Chicago pulling L in the trailer on the city streets wasn't exactly stress free. I know I was way more relaxed then most due to my Boston messenger days. Biking in Boston with a rush package will make anyone a comfortable biker amongst the machines.

Even with my utmost comfort biking with cars I would still dread the "gauntlet" which was Ogden just before Van Buren all the way to Roosevelt. I would arrive home with any of the feel good earlier parts of the ride long washed away only to be replaced with tense shoulders and a sore jaw from clenched teeth. I did get in enough verbal altercations on that strip but to this day I am still in awe that I never got clipped.

Oh and this particular street has a bike lane which means nothing in Chicago.

Last night I was laying awake in bed dealing with my mandatory middle of the night pregnancy insomnia when I heard C walk in the house just a little before 3 am. Within 5 minutes or so of him walking through the door I hear our doorbell ring.

WTF?!

I hear L say from her room say "Who's here Mama?" "It's too late!"

C answers the door through one of our porch windows instead of actually unlocking the deadbolt and opening the door. I thought that was a safe move. There were two brother's standing on the stoop the type of brother one wouldn't want to run into in some dark alley. One of them asked if Amy was home and of course C said no Amy lives here only to have one of them start acting like he was drunk and saying "See! I told you so man, Amy don't live here!"

Instead of maybe glancing around the neighborhood trying to find "Amy's" house they almost beelined up the block without looking around. Suspicious much?

Our neighborhood into the neighboring hood has seen a recent slew of break-in's. There were four with two attempts just within a seven block radius of us. One of the homes that did get broken into with a computer and jewelry stolen was four doors down from us.

If C hadn't been home would I have answered the door? Absolutely not! Would that have led them to believe no one was home and to have attempted to break in? If so, would C have come home in the middle of it while I was cowering upstairs on the phone with 911? Were they really looking for this girl Amy? Even though if I had to bet on it these brother's don't hang with girls named Amy.

Thankfully, I don't have the definite answer to these questions. I much prefer the way it played out even though I am still feeling uncertain and suspicious.

Nothing shittier then feeling unsafe in your own fucking home.

I did have a wonderful day yesterday spent at the park watching L tire herself out and hanging with my friend Do. Afterwards Do invited us over for dinner where I was cooked for and stuffed to the max. This is all after Do made me a loaf of bread that she brought to the park to give me to take home while having one for us to eat there!! Every time I see her now she has food that she has made for me and makes sure I am fed when she is around and fed well.

This is such a wonderful gesture to have someone do this for me when I spend my days doing it for others. Do says it's for all the times I have ushered her out of my house with food to go and a stuffed belly.

I just can't say how wonderful it is to be on the receiving end for a change.

I have also implemented a rule in our household that from every Mother's Day on no money shall be spent on gifts. The only money that will be spent is on food for a great meal. All other gifts have to be made or upcycled. No flowers that weren't picked yourself and definitely no Hallmark cards. Our tulips are always up by this time of year so that's easy and L can be quite the artist.

Shalom.

cover the manhole

2011-05-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

Just some random things kicking around. I find it funny that I've started drinking coffee while pregnant and not the other way around. Well I just started a couple weeks ago and have no more than a cup a day. I only chose coffee since I didn't have any Yerba around. I ran out of that early in my pregnancy and just thought I would kick it. I actually would much rather have the yerba than the coffee even though I will say I do enjoy the taste of really good coffee.

Pregnancy dreams are by far the weirdest dreams I have had in my life. This time around they started much sooner actually the dreams are what tipped me off that I may be pregnant. It's like watching clips done by David Lynch,John Waters, and the Quay Brothers.

The insomnia is still pretty much hitting me at least 5 days a week. I find myself up in the middle of the night anywhere from one hour to two hours. I make it a point to just stay in bed instead of getting in the habit of doing some late night reader reading or writing. Trust me I have thought of taking advantage of the silence at that time of night but I didn't want to program my body even more to do so. I want to get as much sleep as I can now before baby!

Park season has been such a welcoming event for L and myself. We have been going to this park south of us that is more of a ride than our neighborhood parks which I don't mind because it's a nice ride and this park almost always has someone for L to play with. A big bonus. We were there for just over two hours yesterday evening with L playing the whole time.Needless to say once we got home and she got cleaned up,ate something, read to, she was out without any additional turning on of the lights to just finish one more thing or to do this. Once the tuck in was completed she was off to dreamland!

Kitchen detailing is taking forever! The dishwasher is installed and working. I never thought an appliance like this could change my life which it didn't but it has made things much simpler. I find myself in the kitchen a lot less after dinner and it's nice because C has no aversion to loading and starting like he did to hand washing dishes.

We decided,yes, a joint collaboration, to go with Benjamin Moore Tangelo for the cupboards and trim. I will say it takes balls to put bright orange on your walls and I'll find out if those balls grow bigger or retract once we start the painting! I could have gone for more of a carrot orange but C wasn't feeling it and if I had him on board with orange instead of the blue he originally wanted then I wasn't going to rock the boat.

Orange,man! Orange!

White could have brightened the space but I didn't care for white with the red. It would have been a little too vanilla for me. The original green we were going to go with but decided against would have become tiring after awhile. I thought what the hell it's either yellow or orange to brighten this space. I wanted a fun and inviting kitchen space and if orange doesn't scream:

"Hey! I'm fun or crazy, but, either way, you'll eat well and leave stuffed!"

then I just don't know of any other color that does.

Light fixtures why you gotta be so expensive? Seriously. I would really love this in the kitchen unfortunately it's not in the budget....yet.

We still have to pay off my midwife which we are trying to do as soon as possible. Well before her cutoff time which I think is 32 weeks.

I made the best pinto beans the other day. Honestly. C's friend that has been helping us with the kitchen work whom originally grew up in New Mexico had some of these beans the other day and bestowed the highest compliment I could receive telling me these were the best beans he ever had cooked by someone who wasn't Mexican. Oh snap!

I honestly think these beans were just super fresh. I have been cooking my beans a different way and that is by soaking them overnight in water and with about a teaspoon or so of baking soda. The following day I drain and rinse the beans adding fresh cool water that comes just about an inch and a half above the beans. This time around with the pintos I added half a yellow onion that was scored, 6 whole garlic cloves, two carrots roughly chopped, a couple stalks of the small inside of the celery with the leaves still attached, a few bay leave and a spoonful of smoked paprika. I brought the beans to a boil on the stovetop skimming any foam that rose to the top and then put the lid on my dutch oven and baked the beans in a preheated 350 degree oven for an hour. I then removed the beans testing them to make sure they were soft or very close to being soft then added a healthy amount of kosher salt and put the beans back in the oven for an additional half hour. They truly were my best batch. If I didn't know better and someone served me the same beans I would swear up and down that they had been cooked with some pork bone or other pork product.

I almost think I shouldn't make pinto beans anymore and just end with that pot of perfection. Honestly it's going to be hard to top them again. I can't remember what co-op I bought them from or I would have been back already to try and get a few more pounds to cook up and freeze.

I happened to be at Whole Foods yesterday using it as my bathroom pitstop along my bike riding route(I thought it would be good to have bathrooms mapped out for the later months!) and while there I picked up some celery. I didn't even think to look to see if it was organic since the co-ops only sell organic celery that it was just out of habit to grab it. Once outside it hit me that it may not have been organic and then I almost shrugged it off saying oh Whole Foods wouldn't sell conventional celery but of course me being me I ran back in to double check and sure enough it was conventional celery. This almost bummed my day out. Yes seriously. Conventional celery is one thing I refuse to buy. This just shows that most of the people shopping at this particular Whole Foods has no idea why they are there in the first place. The store didn't even offer an organic option.

Most of the items sold at this Whole Foods are boxed things, pre-made foods or meats. Mostly though it's all about the convenience foods and the scene.

So how can I be sure that I have washed off these chemicals? I doubt just rubbing them under water will do anything but disperse the chemicals even more. Maybe vinegar and water? Or not at all?

I think I will be feeding the celery to the rabbits. I take in enough chemicals unwillingly and unnecessarily everyday so why would I choose to do so when I have another option?

Thankfully I only purchased a few stalks snapped off of a larger one since I use celery less this time of year.

Now let's discuss something delicious. Let's discuss this. I made this yesterday and I plan on doing so again for my Mother's Day breakfast tomorrow! Oh it is divine. I soaked my rolled oats with the addition of some millet in milk and kefir wrapped overnight on the counter. I added some wheat flour to help break down the phytic acid. The soaking is really an easy extra step that benefits you in the long run. The following morning I mixed the maple syrup,salt,cinnamon,vanilla,baking powder, two eggs, and coconut oil in place of butter. I had to whisk well to break up the baking powder since it clumped. I think next time maybe I'll add it last. I then added the soaked oats and millet, toasted chopped pecans(didn't have walnuts) and poured over the sliced bananas and frozen blueberries(didn't have fresh) then topped with additional pecans and melted coconut oil. I baked mine a little longer because I used a 9 inch round pyrex pie pan and I figured the frozen berries would release extra moisture which they did.

I plan on trying an apple version of this and any other fruit version I can think of!

C picked up an additional job at pretty much one of the best restaurant gigs in town. We are both beyond thrilled! I love the food here and have never been disappointed the few times we have eaten there. Normally I have some beef with a restaurant I have tried here in Minneapolis. Well actually we had the best Thai I have had in awhile if not ever at True Thai which is our neighborhood place. The dude cooking that day nailed it! We asked for extra hot and received it. I was only able to eat a little since the heat signaled that I was full quicker. Anyway the place he got hired does a house tip pool which C prefers and since this place is easily one of the busiest places in town every night of the week we'll have a steady income from there. I do think between both jobs he will be scheduled 7 days a week with the chance of being called off at least once from one of them due to low reservations. During the height of the summer dining season though he'll most likely be working all days.

The thing with C is he is always willing to work and go make that money. A good quality indeed.

Also both gigs are just evenings so this will be helpful when the baby arrives. This means I will get showers during the day and maybe even naps. Wowzer!

Apples and broccoli are two things I can't get enough of right now.

Alright it's too nice to be wasting away my day typing this drivel and for you to be reading it.

Shalom.

Whatcha got under the hood?

2011-04-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

We signed L up for our neighborhood school yesterday afternoon. It wasn't our first choice, nor, was it our second, or any of our choices, for that matter. It was and is our last choice. We have our fingers crossed that some of the charters, that we scrambled, to get on names on the list, after we found out she didn't get our first two lottery choices, will miraculously, have a spot open early fall. On the other hand we realize that it is just kindergarten and they don't start on a strict curriculum at such an early age. We also found out that it is an all day kindergarten which should be wonderful news for me but I am also leery that if this school is as bad as I have read then she will be there just that much longer.

We will have something better in place for her first grade year. I do know I am going to be much more proactive with the lottery system and sign up for every charter available.

Today I plan on going and getting some maternity clothes. I can longer be "creative" with my old clothes. It's just getting downright tasteless.

The weather has been rainy and cold these past few days. Today is 38! I swear we are going to have two months of a real summer! I know,I know, it's only April but I guess I was hoping to get an early reprieve after enduring a winter such as we did.

L and I had soliders and eggs again this morning for breakfast. I am hooked as well as she is. I had a duck egg and gave her the chicken eggs. Shhh. I just realized my dualit toaster is timed to perfectly cook a piece of toast in the same time that it takes to cook an egg to soft boiled consistency. Of course this is after adding the egg to already boiling water.

Those clever Brits!

I am really enjoying this book! It has a wide scope of recipes with very little ingredients. My favorite style. I am often so confused at how people can overdo such a simple main ingredient with too many other added ingredients. When the main proponent of a dish is raised/grown the right way all one really needs is salt. Everything after is added extras. I wouldn't say it is necessarily to enhance the main ingredient as much as building more of a dish to make it more of a meal. Does that make sense?

It's okay if it doesn't. I have had the hardest time making sentences grammatically correct since resident fetus has taken over. I suppose this is one reason why I have lessened my blogging lately. To be honest it hasn't been as easy as it has in the past. Words don't flow as well lately. Oh I still have a lot to say I don't think that will ever change! I just feel myself having more of a deer in the headlights style of writing lately. I start off with a nice gallop and than find myself locking up or rereading and realizing some sentences have a heavy slant toward classic text book dysgraphia.

Oy Vey!

It doesn't help that L can't keep herself occupied for more than 30 minutes without me. I know of other children her age that can play for happily for hours on end by themselves. Not this one. Oh no.

I just made a big pot of black eyed peas that I baked for 45 minutes after a long overnight soak. I threw in half of a yellow onion kept whole just sliced open, 6 whole peeled garlic cloves,bay leaves and a dried New Mexico chili. Simple but oh so good on a cold day like today. I plan on cooking some of these up and ladling some of the beans and bean liquid onto them. I also have the intention of making a broccoli gribiche recipe from my Super Natural Every Day cookbook. I suppose this could make a nice side dish with the beans and pasta.

Alright I'm out. Peace.

I won it feels good but what about the people who didn't win?

2011-04-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

I went to see my (first) midwife yesterday with a previously scheduled appointment that I kept. I told her I was having a home birth but would still like to get my 20 week ultrasound done through them as it is more convenient for me since the clinic is only a 5 minute bike ride away. My HB midwife schedules her labs and ultrasounds through someplace in St.Paul which can be a tricky ride dependent on where in St.Paul.

My clinic midwife was cool with that I mean she's still getting paid by my insurance and I was honest with her up front. I did get a weigh in though and she of course mentioned that she was surprised I had gained 9 lbs already.

That same old bullshit.

I told her my with my pre pregnancy weight I work hard to maintain that. Prior I was definitely exercising more physically and also exercising self control. I did restrict calories by watching what I eat and limiting my carb intake.

If I ate what I wanted and exercised moderately I would naturally be around 140 not 130! So with that said she just sort of shrugged it off and said some women just gain more and lose it. I had given her a sample menu of things I ate during our first visit so she knows that I eat well and exercise frequently so thankfully it became a nonissue...but still no one wants to hear that when their body is out of their control and that feeling alone can cause anxiety!

Also me not having any food aversions or nausea in the first trimester compared to most women probably works against me in a certain percentile.

Oy Vey!

Today we plan on getting some seeds in the raised bed. We also have the intention of building another one alongside our previous one. We will have to stake out the ground for it. I am also going to get an herb garden in. I never did last year and it killed me to have to buy packaged herbs.

I truly cannot wait to get some fresh produce rolling in. I have never been anticipating as much as I am now. I can picture eating straight out of the CSA boxes with just a shaker of salt. My pregnancy is timed perfect to be surrounded by great vegetables when the real hunger starts around the fifth month.

I found out through my HB midwife of a maternity thrift store located just outside of the metro area. I can easily access by bike on the greenway. It's actually almost all bike trail to get there. I love Minneapolis and their dedication to our extensive bike paths. It is really like no other city in that regards.

My only qualm with the trails is that with the warmer weather comes the sausage suits and the "Lances" that are just too cool to say "Hey on your left" instead of being like the wind and coming close to grazing you in their spandex sausage packs that they ride in. I rarely ever see a smooth rider with nice cadence on those bikes that exceed 4 grand and up. If you have ever been on a nice road bike it's hard not to be fast.

Have a great day.

I've got nothing to lose so I'm pissin' on the third rail."

2011-04-22T10:53:00.000-05:00

I received this surprise package in the mail with some finishing salts,chocolates,homemade crayons
and this wonderful letter!!!

It just seems as if I never have the time I used to in the morning. Granted, I am waking a little later, do mainly in part to "Cletus The Fetus" but, not too much later. Not enough to make me feel as rushed as I have been lately. I do think I may take the morning off from the gym and direct L's attention to a project this morning in hopes of having a few hours to sort through thoughts and my reader(duh!).

I managed to get three days thus far this week at the gym. Three solid days. I actually received a compliment from a woman that works in the daycare area that knows I am pregnant that just happened to catch me running on the treadmill. The woman said she was watching me run and was blown away and that I was an inspiration. Aw! Well I said it's still early in the game and with the threatening size of this belly we'll see how I am the last trimester! Nonetheless though it was a great pick me up comment. Especially, because I really didn't want to go yesterday and it took some mustering of strength. I gave myself the lure that I wouldn't have to work so hard when I get there and just do some light stuff. As always though, when I make it to the gym I give my all, I mean, I made it there and sometimes that can be the hardest part, so why would I perform less then so?

My house is pretty much back in order. The kitchen needs detailing work, the dishwasher stills need to be delivered, the cabinets repainted and the walls repainted. I can't wait to see the tile when it is buffed and polished. I am also so stoked to finally get a dishwasher. I didn't think doing dishes by hand bothered me so much until I travel and use someone else's and it's a "Hey! I have so much more time after dinner" epiphany!

I do use a lot of ramekins and dishes in general to prep my food. It'll be a nice change and I can't wait to see how well this dishwasher works. It is a Bosch and this style received very high awards not only on being super quiet for which they are known but also for how well it cleans. Of course it is an energy efficient model too. The front is completely seamless with the controls being on the top of the door when one pulls it open and the interior is all stainless steel as well. I will be truly pissed and then disappointed if this dishwasher doesn't live up to the expectations.

This coming Wednesday I plan on going to the hell that is MOA to do some maternity clothes shopping. I can't stretch what I have anymore. MOA has the most maternity clothes choices under one roof so I am hoping it will be fast and painless. I figure I need a casual dress that will be good for biking, a pair of capri's or cargo's and maybe two skirts with two shirts to tide me over until the next metamorphosis. All must be suitable for biking.

Since rolling the Big Dummy back onto the streets my biking has (happily) increased and I am in a much more comfortable position than on my road bike. L without much thinking has commented how much she loves the Big Dummy every time she has loaded upon the bike since it has been out. Stating it as the fact it is. This past winter was definitely her last for the trailer!

Next winter she will have to brave the elements like her Mama and Papa have done so many times before. C is getting a Kona Ute to transport her next winter. The Kona complete with frame and all is way less then the investment we put into the Big Dummy which will allow it to be our winter bike. I do think he will upgrade his components for the summer and then just switch back to the stock ones for the winter. Getting this bike will allow for me to stay home with the babe without feeling the need to rush around and grab a few buses to get L to school. This is when C's work schedule of working nights pays off.

The baby room is finished except for the touchup paint work. The ceiling paint peeled off when we removed the tape. We had to repaint the ceiling as well because the sloping part of the ceiling was painted the same color as the walls. The bathroom ceiling slope was the same way. I have never witnessed that done before living here. It's weird that someone would do that as it closes off the room so much more. We brightened the ceiling and slope with a white ceiling paint painting over the previous color of an off whitish hue. The walls were a solid grey before which we painted over with Benjamin Moore Citron no VOC. The room was a total transformation in size and brightness!

My friend C lent me her baby bouncer chair and her moses basket which I have placed in the room already. So it is looking more like a baby room. It's weird to have that stuff around again.Next we are getting a compact crib that will convert to a toddler bed later when needed.

Last night L and I shared a pot of valerian tea before bed and I am thankful we did. I haven't slept that well in weeks! L is still sleeping so I guess she is reaping the benefits as well. This is good to know that I have natural sleep options late into my third trimester. I would never take a prescription sleeping pill as it is and definitely wouldn't consider it whilst pregnant. When I was in Chicago we got into a discussion with our friends about Ambien and some stories about it. C's great aunt is a prescription pill head and has been hooked on sleeping pills for well over 40 years. One of her sleep pill fueled nights she crashed through a glass table in the middle of the night whilst sleep walking. A major side effect of Ambien.

It's sad really that doctors can just push prescriptions onto people. They get kickbacks from it as we all know and the only thing we get is a nasty habit forming routine and or just masking the real symptoms that need to be cured. I was looking online and came across many pregnancy sites that had message boards where so many of the women were on Ambien to help them sleep or were previously on it and have continued to take it throughout their pregnancy. To each their own but for me no thanks I'll stick with my Valerian tea. It's kind of comical that the info I came across about Valerian and pregnancy wasn't too clear but most suggested not to use it...but Ambien is fine. Ha! Of course, not enough studies have been done on Valerian, it's a root that is cheap, so it's not pushed by huge pharmaceutical companies to make massive amounts of cash, that's why!

I need to hit up the library today and pick up some cookbooks I have on hold. I sort of took a break reading through cookbooks when my kitchen was ripped out for obvious reasons. My cookbook that was pre-ordered a few months ago finally arrived just before the kitchen demolition started. I can't wait to try some of the recipes from this book. I remember a few years ago checking out the first edition and thinking it was okay but never really made anything from it. Largely due to being into a different mood and style of cooking. I go through periods where I can become fixated on a certain ethnic and or style of cooking that if I happen to peruse a cookbook during one of these stages it may not stand out to me. I think that is what happened with the original cookbook of hers.

I have not been able to get enough of beans lately. Good for me not so good for my family. Let's just compare pregnancy to being a factory. Obviously, with pregnancy, one is making a baby and when factories make things, there is exhaust, from these factories. Yeah, just another, side effect of pregnancy.

I made these last week and ate them all by myself, as C is not a fan, and L doesn't do spicy things. I did only make half a batch so I am not that much of a glutton! The following day I made a similar version for C and L using kidney beans with more mexican spices and less baked bean flavor and no hot spice which I also cooked in the oven. So for those few days I had my great northern baked beans and the kidney beans that I chowed on. Last night I started soaking a half pound of navy beans to maybe make those baked beans again. I love mine with a little yellow mustard and if I totally want to make it white trashy I crumble potato chips on the top to take it to that level. Bon Appetit!

I have been loving that I have the ability to make kefir! I cannot tell you how geeked I am to have scored some grains. I just need to figure out when and how to separate the grains so I can start making larger batches. As of now I am just making 1.5 cups worth or slightly less. I would love to be able to have a quart on hand at all times. Once I get to that amount I want to try and puree some with some fresh blueberries and make a kefir smoothie style drink. I have been craving this! The only problem I have been running into is to not touch the finished batches. I haven't been able to let it accumulate! I have found that the kefir helps alleviate another symptom of pregnancy and that is constipation.

I guess I should comment on one plus of being pregnant, since I just listed two, not so nice, side effects, and that is having pre-pregnancy boobs. It's been nice to have my mid 20's rack back. It'll then go from these to total porn boobs within the first week of delivery and then they'll just start to slowly deflate over the next two years. Sigh.

Oh! so I found out about this through my friend C and was just enthralled by it. I mean, really? Then it all started making sense. I have heard stories of placenta eating parties that were big on hippie communes in Colorado and of course my reaction was one of disgust! This was pre-child where everything to do with birth sounded disgusting. Even so I think I am adventurous but could never bring myself to eat cooked placenta in the style of steak. *shudder* BUT I could definitely do the powdered pill form. My midwife knew all about it and gave me the number of someone she has used many times before and also told me it could be done at home with a blender and dehydrator. Say what?! As long as the mother isn't doing it because she should be resting so the papa needs to be comfortable doing it. So the ball is in C's court either he can commit to doing it or pay for someone else to do it. Either way though I am definitely going to have it done.

Today I plan on baking some muffins with some thawed shredded summer squash and fruit pulp that came from my juicer. I have almost successfully emptied the deep freezer. When we went and visited Nana I made sure to pack a few bags of my flatpack frozen soups to take with us. The blocks worked in place of ice in the cooler and made for quick meals for them.I hate paying for ice!

All old people love soup and usually get pretty geeked about it. Honestly so do I. I took a sealed food saver bag that had a few pieces of lasagna as well. Now when the CSA starts I can stick to my plan of making at least one meal a week to freeze for convenience during the first few months of baby's arrival. When the CSA is in full swing I hope to freeze at least two a week. I can recall how hungry I was during the first few weeks postpartum and the drained energy from breastfeeding. New mama's are ravenous!

When I was in Chicago last week I finally remembered this trip to pick up some unsweetened cherries from the bulk bin at the south loop Whole Foods. I used to get them all the time when we lived there. That was our local Whole Foods and at that time the better bulk bins out of any of the other more accessible ones for us. Now we have such awesome co-ops in this city with the best bulk goods at my fingertips that I never miss those now way weaker in comparison bulk bins. Except for those cherries! All the co-ops here carry sweetened cherries and not the tart unsweetened ones.

What's up with that?! I suppose I could ask them to put in an order for them and see how it goes. I just really prefer being able to start with the unadulterated product and then go from there with the ability to sweeten for taste.

Why does everything have to be sweetened?

L is still sleeping! Wowzer she is usually awake by now. Uh oh maybe I drugged her with that tea!

I bought a bag of these when I was shopping at Untied Noodles the other day and they are so not as good as homemade. These sort of have a sawdust texture once they get broken down by chewing them. Not so good.

Alright I have to get moving. Namaste.

There can never be more than one hand or foot on any one circle.

2011-04-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

Wow. I have been waiting until things have started falling back into somewhat of a routine around here to write a little bit. I feel I will be waiting another few weeks at least until that happens! I haven't even been to the gym in over a week although I did get in my first outdoor run of the season which was nice even though it was in downtown Davenport.

We just got back from a five day trip split between the Quad Cities and Chicago. The trip went well both C and I agree that it was one of the best overall trips we have taken in awhile. C's grandparents are doing as well as expected for being almost 90. We took the two of them and his great Aunt who is in her early 80's out to a "fancy" dinner that they really enjoyed. The dinner was at our hotel restaurant, The Blackhawk, in Davenport.

The hotel was built in the early 1900's receiving a complete makeover in 2009. It was nice not the best hotel that we have stayed in but it was definitely the better option within 100 miles excluding this one. We stayed at the Vetro when we were living in Chicago. We decided to take a longer stay during one of our Iowa visits to check out Iowa City. The Vetro (is?)was a great hotel located in downtown Iowa City. I will say I was so surprised at how small Iowa City is!

The Blackhawk hotel definitely had it's flaws. After checking in and going to our room within minutes of us entering our room an unannounced hotel employee walked in. No knocking and definitely not any signs of her showing she was out of protocol and or the slightest show of embarrassment. The woman actually stood there checking things off of her clipboard while saying her housekeeping girls must have gotten ahead of her instead of excusing herself. C actually told her that she should knock upon entering a room even if she believes it to be empty(common sense?) only then did she apologize. I mean if you work in a hotel the knock thing is part of employee protocol for the guests safety and yours! I could imagine what one could walk into upon entering a room.

The room was an extended stay so we had a stove,refrigerator,dishwasher and washer and dryer. Seeing the washer and dryer even in an extended stay was a first for us. I thought it was odd that the housekeeping didn't load our dishes into the dishwasher and start them for us. I had them rinsed in the sink with every intention of running them through the dishwasher myself only to find out there wasn't any soap. I just assumed they did them and I guess they assumed the guest did them. I would say the housekeeping department is the downfall of the hotel.A chair had chocolate stains(or so we hope) on it that could have been easily wiped up. Not a shocker when their crew manager can't even knock upon entering a room and then needs to be prompted for an apology!

Oh I suppose I should mention the bed. This bed was hands down the worst bed I have ever slept in. I woke up during the second night at 2:30 am and was bummed that it was only 2:30 and that I had at least 4 more hours in that bed before I could get up. Now that is a bad bed. I also slept on my elbows and knees for a portion of the evening to correct the over exaggerated curve in my spine that had been caused from the evening before. It's safe to say the bed was busted and no one was informed about it until our stay. I do hope the kinks get worked out before our next visit. I know I am still working out mine from that bed!

Chicago was great as always. We stayed with out best couple friend, C & M, in their new greystone which is just gorgeous and in a great Logan Square location. We are truly happy for them as they are just great people that deserve the best. L played with their daughter G pretty much the whole time they were able to. G is 6 months younger than L so that works wonderfully. They just had a second child last August (in their new home!) which will work out wonderfully in the future with our new arrival. They would be slightly over a year apart which at certain younger stages can matter but once the younger of the two hits around 3 or so it'll be nice to have them as playmates during our visits and their visits.

I am happy to be home and seeing the work resume on our kitchen. It would have been nice to have had a hired crew working on it while we were gone only to arrive home to a sparkling brand new kitchen. I'm only kidding on that as it has been rewarding to see the stages come along and to watch C and his friend do such a great job especially on the tile. I didn't pick the most easiest tile to lay with the shape being hexagon. C had never done tile and his friend really hadn't either and the finished work turned out really well.

Don't get me wrong though I will be really happy when it's finished and I no longer have to do dishes in the bathtub and clean up grout footprints throughout the lower level. It'll be such a change to have some extra countertop space and drawers that pul out instead of cabinets. This way I am no longer climbing into a lower cabinet to get a pan only to pull it out and have to clean it first to remove the sawdust shavings that came from the drawers above every time they were opened. Our countertop runs a little long towards the basement door so it would be nice if the kitchen was slightly larger but we have to work with the space we have. I am not knocking down any walls and expanding! The only problem I foresee with the small space near the basement door is the bringing up and down of the laundry basket as it will be a space that a body will need to turn for. My last trimester I see myself having to get clever to maneuver the space!

This is what it looked like a few days before we left:

Currently:

I love the countertops and they aren't even sanded and oiled!

It already looks so different! By next week minus the dishwasher as that won't be delivered until the end of the month the kitchen should be finished! I can't wait to work some dough on that countertop.

C's grandparents will be selling their house hopefully before the winter and downsizing. The current property which they have had for 30 years or so had just become to much for them to maintain in their older age. During this visit Nana gave me the coveted 404 (4 qt.)Pyrex bowl that she has had since the very early 1950's! My first family heirloom Pyrex! Nana has a picture of both C's mother and his aunt whom are both deceased sitting next to the bowl slicing perhaps apples and putting them in the bowl. I love how it was captured being used with the family.

   Did I mention the fantastic condition it is in?!

And then I found this guy in an antique store for 5 bucks. I knew nothing of the maker but knew that it was cute and totally functional. Only later when I got home and did research did I find out that the Hall brand was a not too popular mid 1950's china company.

Totally cute,right?

My first thing I will bake in this casserole pot is some beans. I have found that baking beans has become the most foolproof way to make beans. I have not had a batch come out bad since reading about this method. I do soak them either overnight or using the quick soak method.

Thankfully I am not without a stove. I can deal with prepping food on the table and washing dishes upstairs in the tub but I do not think i would be able to go this long without my stove. We were eating takeout food for the first few days of construction just before we left for our trip which consisted solely of eating takeout food again. I was so happy to be home yesterday and to eat a home cooked meal of fresh wonton noodles from the asian market cooked in an oyster sauce with baked tofu and gai lan. I also made a side platter of baby bok choy. I was and am still craving greens and vegetables. I don't mind eating unhealthy or take out once in awhile but to do it 6 days consecutively made my body feel like it was a garbage receptacle.

Did I mention that I awoke to a slight dusting of snow? Yes, snow. Jesus.

The Big Dummy will soon be on the road for the season. Thank God. I am so over pulling that trailer.

Oooh! I scored some kefir grains from my friend C and can't wait to make some batches. My whole family loves kefir drinks and it'll be nice to have control over the amount of sugar. I find the store stuff can be overly sweet.

Alright so much more to write but I need to get this loaf of bread in the oven and then to the library and co-op before I hunker down for the day. Honestly I don't really feel like running errands but they need to get down. Frankly I haven't felt too great these past two days. A lot of sinus issues maybe due to seasonal allergies and stiffness which I definitely contribute to lack of gym going and that hotel bed.

Next week I will be back on track. I am kind of worried that I gained a little too much weight these past two weeks. I am trying to space it all out especially with the fourth and fifth months rapidly approaching. I can remember when pregnant with L how I never seemed to get full during those 6 weeks or so.

Oh and we also currently have 46 green shoots of garlic coming through the soil!!!

Namaste.

sneaking suspicions

2011-03-29T07:34:00.000-05:00

Not enough time for a full post. Lucky you. Random things that have been on my mind as of late and in no particular order:

Procuring fresh raw goat milk.

Keeping bees.

Chickens. Unfortunately we are tapped on home projects due to our remodeling until at least fall. Hopefully we can built coop and plan for them then. I still can't believe we don't have any yet. Have you seen our yard?!

Baby.

Beach.

A Rueben. More on that later.

Strawberry picking.

New kitchen and transformation of sewing room.

Warmer less layering bike weather. Huzzah!

Making goat yogurt.

Tempeh making.

Seedlings and the garden.

Spring foods my favorite!

Our garlic.

A perfect mop.

Chicago thrifting and back to the best store for baby thrifting!!

Nana trip and pimp hotels.

Will you catch me on a bed made of clouds?

2011-03-27T10:20:00.002-05:00

I haven't had any aversions to any foods well except for the scallops C cooked for his tacos the other night. I swear I could still smell scallops upon entering the house even two days later. I even thought I smelled them coming from my clothes when I was on the treadmill the other day. My stomach actually is twisting just typing this and thinking about the smell.

So last night I was making popcorn which ironically the smell doesn't bother me and I used coconut oil to pop it in as always. I got a whiff of the coconut oil as it was going into the pan and I didn't swoon over it as I always do. I shrugged it off and continued popping my corn. I packed up most of it in a ziploc for C to have later if he wishes and honestly I can't eat more than a small bowl myself.

Popcorn is the one thing that in large doses upsets my stomach. This is always even without being pregnant. I started to dig into my bowl when my taste buds revolted on me. Coconut oil was all I could taste and it was not good. It actually made me gag. Yes, my beloved coconut oil, for which I have been known, to eat plain, in solid form, by the spoonful, was at war with my taste buds. I was in disbelief!

It wasn't just a fluke as I went to use some this morning and all I needed was a whiff from the jar and that sealed the deal. Crazy.

I am maxed out on my cookbooks for the time being. I purchased Good to the Grain, Urban Pantry, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone,Eat Fat Lose Fat, Recipes from the Root Cellar, and Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison, these arrived two weeks ago and now I'm waiting on Super Natural Every Day as it was a pre-ordered book to complete the order. My book budget is spent and of course I came across the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen the other day. I swear truly! The timing! As if it would have made the choices any easier. I had a hard enough time spent over the course of weeks to narrow it down to the ones I just ordered.

I could honestly be, one of those people, that have, shelf after shelf, row after row, packed, with cookbooks. This is why I give myself a budget and make one lump purchase once a year or so. If I were to buy on a whim then I could see it becoming an invasive problem.

These two absolutely gorgeous cookbooks, Apples for Jam and Falling Cloudberries,will be in my collection. The photographs, along with the stories, of her childhood, and the carefree attitude to let, kids be kids, and to just take a moment to find your inner kid as well, and to just be.
Ooooh just so touching.

(Yeah,yeah,don't think these pregnant hormones are getting the best of me and making me soft!)

I just have to wait until an "official" day i.e., Mother's Day, Birthday,Christmas,etc. to claim these as the gift I want. I haven't made anything from these books yet but plan to do so very soon.

This author has a total of three cookbooks. The first I haven't seen yet. The last two I have mentioned, are her latest, with Apples for Jam, being the newest. These aren't vegetarian cookbooks even though I won't feel cheated as if there is an abundance of meat recipes and or a lack of vegetable recipes. Most of the desserts, not all, seem to be right up my alley and more along the lines of lightly sweet and not cloyingly American dessert sweet.

Apples for Jam categorizes the recipes into chapters dedicated to a specific color. These are a few standouts from each color category:

Red: Cannellini beans in tomato, Berry and Buttermilk cake,Chocolate and Cranberry cookies and Strawberry sorbet and Rosehip semolina puddings.

Orange: Cream of winter squash soup, winter squash fritters, orange juice and olive oil cake with pine nuts, whole wheat apricot and apple pie, mandarin orange jam, and apricot sauce.

Yellow: Spaghettini with egg and toasted parsley bread crumbs, egg custard, lemon curd ice cream and eggs with bread and butter.

Pink: beet gnocchi,greek yogurt with honey,cinnamon,pecans and pomegranate, pomegranate sorbet,pear and berry crisp, and fruit butters.

Green: Broccoli Soup, creamy spinach with feta, sauteed broccoli with tomato, and gratineed broccoli.

Gold: Half moon rolls, macaroni cheese,cheese pies,pear butter cake, and semolina puddings with caramel.

White: Granola, leek and potato soup, potato and yogurt salad, honey cake, vanilla yogurt ice cream, lemon rice pudding with roasted peaches (!), and baked cinnamon apples with buttermilk ice cream.

Brown: Chocolate loaf, mixed brown bread,spelt and cranberry bean soup, lentil soup,brown bread and butter ice cream,chocolate pannacotta,chocolate fudge sauce, and chocolate cake with frosting.

Monochrome: Potato and chickpea mash, zucchini bread,banan bread, apple bread with sugar and cinnamon topping,oat cookies,maple syrup and vanilla ice cream, pecan butter cookies, and gingerbread cookies.

Stripes: Little spinach and carrot ramekins, raspberry ripple ice cream, chocolate and vanilla marble cake, chocolate and vanilla cookies, and chocolate toffee nut squares.

Multicolor: Smoothies, tiny savory tarts, mixed vegetable risotto, roasted zucchini and tomatoes with thyme, and pavlovas with orange and cherries.

These are just some of the recipes I obviously excluded any meat recipes listed here so you can imagine this book is packed with many recipes.

The other book, Falling Cloudberries, is broken up into different geographical locations. Recipes that have been passed down to her through her relatives and friends. The author was born in London to a Finnish mother and a Greek-Cypriot father, when she was four they moved to South Africa. Currently she lives in Italy with her Italian husband. There are a few recipes inspired by peruvian cuisine that she learned from a housekeeper she had for quite sometime that was from Peru. So! A lot of recipes from these two gorgeous books. I suggest you check them out from your local library. I don't think you will be disappointed as there seems to be a little bit of something for everyone.

I picked up this cookbook, this one and also this one from my library holds yesterday. These too look wonderful. I have a feeling I am going to have a hard time tearing myself away from my house today! I made a big batch of vegetable barley soup and focaccia yesterday for our dinner tonight so technically I have a lot of free kitchen time available today.

~~I suppose I should knock out a few hours at the gym though.~~ Cancelled and I am okay with that!

I have been having the hardest time getting up and going in the morning. This is unlike myself. I am wont to awake at 6 almost bolting from bed. I now find myself snoozing my alarm. An alarm I never used to use. Now I hush the alarm once or twice, drifting in, and out, of a light slumber. I find myself using all my will to get up and get my solo time in the morning. Our gym reservations are usually placed for 9:30 on the days L doesn't have school. This always gave me plenty of time, sometimes, even too much,before heading off to the gym. Now I am scrambling to get most of my morning chores and rituals out of the way before racing out the door to catch our reservation.

I know.I know. Enjoy this time because soon enough I wouldn't know morning from night. I will not have the free will to just jump into the kitchen and cook with pleasure and not out of necessity. I won't be able to write as much as I would like too. My range of options, will soon diminish, and solely consist of getting through the day, with a somewhat, collected manner.

C has decided to use his morning to go to the hell that is Sunday at Ikea to pick up the last drawer that was on backorder. I am pretty certain I am going to pass on that adventure. C went to the gym yesterday on one of our down days to make up for a lack of going the previous week. I managed to get L a last minute reservation in the babysitting enabling C to take her too. It was a wonderfully quiet morning that I drank up.

I spent the morning cleaning the house from top to bottom, doing laundry and making focaccia. It's the little things that recharge me. I am hoping he is willing to take her again this morning. I do want to spent solo time with L before the baby arrives but again I also want me time too.

Selfish? Perhaps.

One has to remember it'll be 6 years since I was with a newborn and yes over the years as L has gained her independence I too have gained mine. I know things are going to drastically change and I want to fill up with all of the me time I can before handing it unselfishly over. Once that time comes it'll be second nature to do so, and I'll love every minute of it, but now, I need to use my solo time greedily.

I, of course, plan to breastfeed this one as well, with a heavy emphasis, on self weaning. No pumping and no bottles will indefinitely make me the sole caretaker. This is why I am okay with not adhering to my previous schedule. This is why I am letting the day decide for me, instead of me, sticking with routine. I am chilling more and enjoying not really having to be anywhere. I am going with the flow.

When L starts kindergarten, in early September, she'll be going, 5 full days, a week. This means I will have two solid months of school days spent with just C before the baby arrives. How perfect. I see the two of us enjoying a lot of fall bike rides, museums, breakfasts and just each other during this time. My planning seems to be in our favor.

Speaking of kindergarten we will soon find out what school L is getting into. Hopefully sometime this week. Our first choice was Dowling and our second Seward. Dowling starts later which is good for us since it is a longer ride. Seward is an early start of 7:30(!) but within a few blocks walking distance of our house. Either one will be fine. I do like the environmental emphasis that Dowling has. I do believe L's generation will need leaders in the environmental fields. I believe, a lot of schooling starts, with us,the parents. At her age I want her school environment to be kind and set the tone that learning is fun.

Alright must get back to work! It seems as if I L's new habit of non stop chatter has rubbed off on me.

Apologizing for typos and the like as I have truly run out of time.

Shalom!

Are you going to eat that?

2011-03-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

I woke up today needing to run. I have been under house arrest these past two days except for a quick jaunt to the co-op. First rain then snow. This morning the temperature is 13 with a wind chill of 2.

How am I going to conquer myself mentally to aid in the removal of myself from my house? I have had two days filled with cooking, chilling, reading and hanging with my family. C happened to have these past two days off. It has been really wonderful but now I am antsy.

I hate the way they look and one must store them in the far reaches of ones home but seriously a treadmill here in this frozen tundra land would not be such a bad idea. If I could just run at least 3 miles today even though you and I both know that if I had a treadmill in house it would be much further than that.

Running is the one thing that has surprisingly felt good still. Not everyday though, but, most of them. If I haven't gotten my rhythm by 15 minutes into the run then I call it quits. Normally, though, it takes around 12 minutes, for me to get my running rhythm. I have newly discovered about 2 months ago that mental place that needs to be reached to make the miles just keep adding up. It is a mental state where no thoughts are happening and I don't realize I am there until something distracts me and pulls me out of it. This is when I realize I just was "gone" for 15 minutes and had been running freely that time. Just breathing and running with a clear mental slate. It's nice.

I have dropped my speed down to around 6.4 dependent on the way I feel that day. A few weeks ago I was able to hold 7.0 for 30 minutes out of the 50 minutes. I do think those days are behind me until the baby is born. I'm fine with that. I have a great inner intuition and feel I am completely in tune with my body.

So a friend mention these yesterday and now I can't get the idea out of my head of trying to recreate them. This was my favorite childhood candy. I was pleased to see that the ingredients aren't that bad but I know I can do it myself. I may just make a batch of peanut butter cups while I am at it. I can freeze them and give most of them to C's Nana when we visit them. That's what happened to all of the leftover lemon bars I made the other day. I do like the self control I have!

I would use this as the filling which again I was happy to see that the ingredients didn't contain gelatin but unfortunately it does contain corn syrup. Yes corn syrup isn't as horrible as high fructose corn syrup I do know that. I have used brown rice syrup in place of corn syrup with great results so I thought maybe I could make my own fluff that's when I came across this. So there is a more natural version out there but the question is how similar does it taste to fluff?

The rest of the ingredients would be, a combo of dark chocolate and milk chocolate, melted over a double boiler, maybe even tempered first, so the chocolate won't bloom. They also have coconut in them. I would use unsweetened shredded coconut pulverized in the food processor then add it to the melted chocolate.

I would pour some of the melted chocolate into foil muffin tin liners and freeze that. Once hardened I would add a dollop of the marshmallow creme in the center of the set chocolate. To finish I would gently cover the creme with additional chocolate returning to the freezer until set.

Voila! Homemade mallo cups!

I had such a scare yesterday afternoon. I was in the kitchen when I heard L coming down the back stairwell with a hurried clip. I then heard the obvious sound of a slip, then a bump, then another, and then her let out an ooof, that was coated with fear. I was already rigid by the time I heard the second bump. I sprang around the corner to watch her land on the base of her neck and to see her legs come over her into a crumpled pile at the bottom of the steps. This is no small flight of steps as there are 12 steps on our stairwell and I do think she started tumbling from the top 3. Of course she is freaked out and screaming and I just start crying and rocking her trying to give a quick once over to make sure no bone is jutting out anywhere.

We were all so fortunate that she just walked away with a goose egg on her forehead and a bruised bridge of her nose and bruising under her eyes. C is still uncertain if she actually did break her nose. C has had his broken three times and said that it can happen without pain and just some slight bruising. I am waiting to see what her face looks like when she wakes up.
Poor girl. What a scary thing to have to endure. I am so thankful that she wasn't seriously injured.

We had a great dinner last night of tacos. C ended up getting the shells through the co-op. They are from the mexican factory a few blocks away but they are never as fresh through the co-op. I suppose most people prefer the flour shells. They do carry a great brand of whole wheat flour tortillas but they are like 5 bucks for the package and honestly flour tortillas are super simple to make. I was so stuffed that I didn't eat after 5:30 for the rest of the evening. I have actually only been eating two small meals or so before a midday meal that stuffs me for the rest of the evening. I have noticed that I have been getting fuller much quicker then before the stretching of my stomach. It almost feels like the last few weeks or so before delivery when there is just no more room to put food into your body due to you being all baby. The lack of activity as well contributes to me having a lesser appetite too.

After these past two days of substantial dinners all I want to do today is make a batch of miso soup and clean my system out. I had a vegetable barley soup planned for this weeks menu but honestly that even sounds too filling. I know my body and I know that I need to cleanse it out today with lighter meals.

I have been up for a few hours and I still don't have a desire to eat yet. I'm telling you that meal last night was just a gut bomb! To be honest I can't stand that feeling of being that full. This is why I don't get the lure of buffets. Yuck. Besides the simple fact of the food, maybe not being at the right temps,cross contamination, pre packaged industrial food or shellacked and greasy chinese food; I don't understand the appeal. Do people go to get that gut bomb feeling?

L is up and looking much better!!

I need to get bundled up and ride to the gym. I don't think L can take another day with just seeing her Mama and Papa.

Peace.

“Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God....I could be eating a slow learner.”

2011-03-23T10:35:00.002-05:00

If a cat could show disappointment in their face then mine did today. Once the weather started getting above 25 most of the time I started letting my cat out again. Now the first 5 minutes of me being up if he wasn't the one doing the waking which he's ruthless and does most mornings. The cat can be a very annoying and persistent alarm clock that will paw and paw at me until I get up. True and an annoying story.

I head downstairs and if I don't immediately let him out say I decided to grab a glass of water first or heat my tea water he'll verbally unleash on me. Finally I say "Alright!Alright already!" and let him out. This morning as I was unlocking the doors he started to bolt out and then threw on his brakes so fast and gave me look like "Really? This snow shit again?" then proceeded to pussyfoot, along the edge of the back deck, under the overhang from the roof, before, deciding on a somewhat clear spot. Then I went and shut the door, started heading back to my tea prep, when I hear the scratching on the screen, and I turn to see, the look of complete and utter disgust, coming from his little jowls.

Yes, me too, Burnsley. I am completely getting what your throwing down. I, too, am sick of this snow shit. That's March for you, the most mentally taxing month. We know, spring is close, the first day of spring being in this month, but this far north, in the midwest, that means absolutely nothing.

I slept really well last night. I know I need to take those nights and embrace them wholly. I am having the most crazy and vivid dreams. I actually started getting those, right from the start, before I even took the pregnancy test. They came on strong this time. The other night, I dreamt I was sneaking real reuben sandwiches, behind C's back, from a buffet table. Yeah.

I have had some pretty strong cravings for substantial sandwiches. I nailed one craving to the tee last night. I made a variation of this recipe last night, subbing a scant can of tomato paste, mixed with two cups of water, in place of the tomato sauce. I used sucanat for the brown sugar. I also added a little molasses and maple syrup, as I was going for the sloppy joe's of my childhood, which were borderline, on the verge of being, cloyingly sweet. I also added a touch more vinegar. I thawed some diced green and red peppers from the CSA stash in the freezer and I also added 1/2 cup of fire roasted diced tomatoes. I made the buns from this recipe, subbing 2 cups whole wheat bread flour, and 1.5 cups white whole wheat flour, in place of the apf flour, that was called for. They were the perfect vehicle for these mock joe's. I enjoyed mine with yellow mustard, raw sliced white onion, bubbie's bread and butter pickles and a handful of Kettle sea salt chips, that got crushed when I smooshed the bun down on top of them. Texture man,texture!

All I can say is I went to my special place and danced through the tingling of my taste buds getting serviced. Definitely some X rated action going on inside of my mouth.

I texted C before bed when he was downstairs rummaging through the fridge this little message:

"I'll kill you if you eat all of that last sloppy joe. The end."

I was able to make one last one with the leftovers, dressing it the way I had mine at dinner, with the intention of enjoying it later, cold. Picture the taste of a cold coney dog which was my favorite childhood food. Detroit coney dogs don't play. When I was a kid I would go with my dad to our local coney island and get the two for one deal. I would enjoy one hot with raw diced onions and yellow mustard and dress the other the same then wrap it tightly to enjoy later after it had been refrigerated.

I have always been into food since I can remember.

Citrus has been a huge one as of late. I ate a lemon yesterday, everything, except the peel. Blood oranges, oooh boy, now that has been a rush. Pineapple was last week and I did catch myself moaning through the eating of one.

C has a friend coming over for dinner tonight and tacos are on the menu. They were going to have grilled shrimp and scallop tacos but now with this snow the grilling might need some creative planning. We have this little guy as our grill and one has to kneel quite a bit to grill on it. I'll let them figure it out as I am looking forward to the avocado, refried beans, shredded lettuce and black bean and mango salsa tacos that I am having. I was going to buy some corn tortillas from the mexican market but with this snow I may have to just make my own. The reason why I didn't want to go the homemade route first as I would normally do is that I don't have my tortilla skills down yet. It's a lot harder then it looks even with my tortilla press. The dough has to be exactly the right water to masa ratio. Too dry and they are too crumbly. Too wet and they are way too sticky to work with. I am still waiting to achieve tortilla nirvana. I suppose I have all afternoon to try.

I also made my, now, most favorite muffin, yesterday. I used this recipe as a loose base. I used, 1 1/4 cups fresh ground spelt, sifted, to remove some of bran and 1/4 cup teff flour. I used coconut oil as the vegetable oil. I used two eggs, 1/2 cup of sucanat instead of 3/4 cup sugar as my bananas were really ripe. I used grade b maple syrup. I added a tablespoon of flax meal,chia seeds, fresh diced pineapple,fresh dates and reconstituted dried turkish apricots. I also added toasted unsweetened shredded coconut. My spices were ground cardamom,cinnamon,ginger and fresh grated nutmeg. Oh man have I hit some culinary triple doubles!

I have a good feeling about this bun. A good feeling indeed.

We ordered our dishwasher and it is the 18 inch! I am so happy not to have the average monster size one for a family our size. We are also replacing the sink with a single apron sink. I cannot wait to have drawers that bring the item I am looking for to me instead of me having to climb inside of my cabinets to retrieve item. It'll also be nice not to have to wash all the sawdust that falls from our drawers every time we open them unto my pots and pans before using them. The butcher block countertop will be great for my doughs!

We are also going to raise the existing cupboards a few inches. This will be the biggest improvement as I am always hitting my appliances when I go to return them back to their counter spots. I will definitely need to find a small step stool that tucks away nicely to have on hand to reach the upper shelves. I just hope it all goes smoothly.

I do think the color I was trying to match for the sewing room which I can now say is the baby's room is called Sweet Vibrations by Benjamin Moore. This dresser was done with the same color.
I really like it! I want a smaller white crib since the room is on the tiny side and honestly the baby will be sleeping with us and the crib will be used just for naps until toddler age. The rest of the colors will be turquoise accented. Oh I can't wait to look for fabric!

Namaste my friends. Jeez, I just am so blessed to feel this wonderful during a pregnancy!! Besides the heightened superman sense of smell (yeah, I'm talking about you half raw onion in the fridge) I don't even feel pregnant. I sometimes find myself checking the ultrasound pictures to actually remind myself that I am!!

I am happily zen.

I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees.

2011-03-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

It's raining this morning. I love the spring rain as it quickly melts the dirty piles of snow. Hurriedly putting the memories of this harsh winter behind. Spring rain brings optimism, at first, then messy floors. It's the weather that beckons L the most to come play in.

We ordered these for L through her school. Someone was able to get a deal on them and the school paid for the shipping so we jumped at this offer. The pants look solid. I do wish we had them already this way L could take advantage of the sloppy weather. L's rain gear from last season no longer fits.

This rain will most likely thwart my plans of biking to the gym. As I have mentioned before I can bike all winter long. This winter the coldest day I experienced was a minus 22 with the windchill included. It was doable. The rain on the other hand is my worst biking element as it soaks to the core. I would need to bring extra clothes for the ride home too. There is nothing worse then putting back on wet and soggy bike clothes. Yes rain is a real downer to a cyclist. It really doesn't matter what kind of rain gear one has, unless, you are in a head to toe suit such as this, if not, plan on getting soggy feet.

This will make a three day in a row stretch from the gym. That's like an eternity for us! We have been making a solid 5 day gym week since mid January. Even through my tired mornings I have pushed myself to go and felt so thankful afterwards that I did it. I do think it has helped with the rest of my energy during the day. Also, allowing me for a better nights rest.

If I wouldn't have cancelled the gym Friday to expend my energy giving my house a much need thorough cleaning I wouldn't even sweat canceling today. Saturday is a down day so no loss there.

Saturday,which was yesterday, was the first Mpls food swap and it was awesome! I hadn't had a food geek out like that in a long time. I will be a repeat offender for these events. A photographer and reporter, from the Heavy Table, was there as well, doing a piece on the event. This event has given me a recharge and renewal of lust towards doing more canning and fermentation.

I had so many ideas running through my head last night that I had a hard time falling asleep! I started thinking about what I could do for the next one. The organizer, whom by the way, was just so delightful and very organized, mentioned that she wanted to do one every other month. The next one should find me with bunches of our homegrown green garlic. I was thinking of doing a lacto-fermented green garlic and or scapes. My kombucha was a hit and I do wish I would have been able to foresee that and bring more. I had at least 5 more at home. Next time I will come prepared and with different flavors of kombucha. There was a beekeeper there that had two jars of raw honey to swap. I was bummed I didn't get one of those. That same woman also had one jar of maple syrup that she said she got from a box elder tree. Box elders are in the maple family and produce sap.

I guess it can have a heavy, almost sorghum-like flavor that may be perceived as somewhat bitter compared to syrup made from other maples. If it's good quality though it can be really decent from what I have read. So I learned something new as well.

This swap has also rejuvenated my yearning to make a marmalade. One person had a blood orange marmalade and only two small jars of it that I didn't get. Marmalade was one of the things on my list. I plan on bringing some to the next one as jams and preserved fruit seemed to be a hot commodity. I have a desire to do a grapefruit marmalade. Doesn't that sound great? I have never seen one so maybe it's too bitter?

There was definitely one guy that was a fan of Wild Fermentation judging by his table. I didn't think of bringing any of my sauerkraut since it is so easy to do but his had a lot of bids. Another item I will make sure to bring next time. The same guy also had ginger brew that I didn't put a bid in for, since I have a recipe for it, yet again, other people went crazy for it.

What I went crazy for on the potluck snack table were these! They were so freaking good! The author of that blog was the host of this swap. The one that made it happen for all of us food geeks. A big thanks to her! I suggest you run out and make these. I am not a fan of fudge (sorry upper Michigan!) as it is always so gritty and way too sweet for my liking. I always see fudge as the sugar crack for sugar addicts. These were so smooth and earthy in a good way. Yes, they were fantastic. The event was fantastic. The day was fantastic.

L went with me and was so well behaved. I do think she enjoyed all of the sampling and snacks readily available. I like how she can carry on a conversation with an adult by herself.....and about food! The weather was still nice when we left and I was so proud of how calm she stayed for a good two hours in a cramped room that we hit the park for the first time this year. The snow just really started melting here last week finally making the park an option.

I really want to get a group of people together that want to try out my potluck cookbook idea. Did I mention it here? My brain can be in a fog these days so forgive me if I have already mentioned it. I had an idea for a group of people to check out the same cookbook from the library and everyone make a different dish from it to bring to the potluck. I feel this would be a good way to experience the cookbook all at once before actually buying it. I know I have bought a cookbook for a few recipes and that's it. I haven't ventured past those recipes. So who's in?

I am looking forward to this summer more than you can imagine. A lot will change this fall. Our family as I have known it will never be the same. I want to absorb this summer with L and store it away into a special memory vault. I was going to wait and not mention our "venture" so soon but I also didn't expect it too speak so clearly for itself! I am actually amazed at how fast it showed and could no longer suck it in.

No, that's not from a big bowl of pasta! The year of never say never's! First Disneyland, now, another baby.

I really pitched a curveball. We are more than thrilled and excited for the next stages to happen to our little family. I will say after this one we are closing up shop! Whatever we need to do surgically to make that happen it will be done! Me or C, whomever.

So that's life here. I have felt awesome up until these last few days which I do contribute to not going to the gym. The days I felt tired early on but still made the gym happen I was renewed afterwards. I managed to run 16 miles just over a week ago! No nausea, which I kind of expected, since I had zero morning sickness with L. I would say overall this time around besides showing way sooner(!) I feel even better than I did with L's pregnancy and I felt pretty damn good for hers.

Of course I want a home birth so bad but if our insurance covers more than a home birth then we are in no financial position to do so. We have a tour of this place next Saturday. Our insurance provider, Minnesota care, just started approving birthing centers this January. So yay for us! We just need to see how much we will be paying out of pocket. If it is comparable to the price of a home birth then I am definitely choosing the latter of the two.

Off to make my new favorite juice of carrot,ginger,beet root and greens,and a orange. I will say juicing a beet even when done with the utmost care is still messy. I have learned not to wear anything that I don't want stained!

Shalom!

I'm a driver,I'm a winner.Things are gonna change, I can feel it

2011-03-17T08:09:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday morning and it's my Sunday morning. I feel as if I should be writing as the house is still quite,the morning sun is shining,brightly, onto my table and I have a hot cup of morning tea within reach.
My thoughts are somewhat in a jumble. I don't feel fluid. I keep thinking I haven't stretched yet and I really should. I am thinking about the kimchi I should have made already as I need it for this Saturday's Minneapolis Food Swap.

I love how the direction of the morning sun has changed. I love how it is illuminating the dinning room. I do not love how it is showcasing how filthy my windows are.

The true sign of a good spring cleaning is when the windows no longer carry the remnants of winter. This must be done from the outside.

I feel so bad for the people of Japan. The more videos that show up online revealing the absolute devastating magnitude of this tragedy is just unbelievable. I couldn't imagine and now with the nuclear threat. Sad.

I have a new venture coming this fall. We, C and I, have conferred and discussed this venture plenty. A lot of, what if's, and now or never's, were thrown out. Time and money were of course discussed. The time is right and there is never enough money.

I am keeping it on the down-low until all the details are into place. We are definitely excited though!

I made a huge batch of minestrone last night for our dinner today. I have a boule of spelt and wheat ready to go into the oven to have with the soup. I think this is one of my best minestrone style soups yet. I added fresh cooked garbanzo beans,zucchini,carrots,onions,garlic,celery, fresh herbs,whole stewed tomatoes, a bunch of swiss chard and a parmigiano -reggiano rind. Simple ingredients but it's all in how you cook the mirepoix that first 20 minutes and that's with love. Slow and low.

Thursday:
Yesterday actually turned out to be a decent day even though C got called into work on his day off. I managed to escape going to Ikea with C and L due to a few doctor appointments. That made me happy. Unfortunately, I did go last Sunday and that trip was enough hell to last me a good year. I can't stand going to that store. Loathe would best describe my feelings towards Ikea. They got us though. C ordered the kitchen and bath and it'll be delivered today. I am really hoping from all the reviews I have read pertaining to Ikea and how they have stepped up the quality of their kitchen's over the last few years do ring true.

The soup indeed was fantastic. It was exactly what I had a hankering for.

It's 7:30 and the temperature is in the mid 40's. Now this is something to be gleeful towards! Does this actually mean with every progressing day the weather will only get better? Oh I do hope so!

I finally made my kimchi last night, unfortunately, I won't have any samples for the swap on Saturday, as it needs two or three days, of counter fermentation time. Then it will require a week of refrigeration fermentation for all the flavors to meld and mellow. I wish I was more prepared for this swap as I have known and been discussing it. I just haven't been so together with certain food things. I am excited to meet other likeminded individuals for sure. I am also happy that it is going to be a potluck style get together too. The best kind of get togethers.

I picked up the Benjamin Moore chartreuse swatch and it looks nothing like the wall color from this photo. The swatch looks so much darker. The citron color on the same swatch looks more like the color I want. Oh paint decisions will be the death of me! I will be picking up a few more swatches after the gym this morning.

One more month and the Big Dummy will be rolling back onto the roads!!I have missed that bike tremendously. It's going to be a good summer with that bike.

I'm out.

Sleep faster,we need the pillows.

2011-03-12T09:41:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning starts off with me either baking a loaf of bread that has been rising since 5 pm the previous night or doing other little kitchen oddities. Today is the latter of the two.

This morning after switching the wash to the dryer(more on that in a minute) I rinsed my soaking pepitas and filled my dehydrator trays with them. I then rinsed the cashew nuts that I have soaking to make some cashew milk. I did soak my rolled oats over night with some whey. This shouldn't effect the original outcome as they were going to get wet anyway. I also won't be using the agave even though I have it. I bought around 7 bottles a few years ago when there was a huge sale on the last of the real raw stuff. I then started doing more research on the stuff and from what I found out it's not as great as it came off to be. Shocker huh? I mean you have this article and then this one and lastly this. So being me I saddled back up with ancient and proven sweeteners that are honey and maple syrup and haven't stressed my pretty little head since. I think today I will choose grade B maple syrup for this recipe because I have a feeling a salted banana might just take the plunge into the blender with the rest of the goodness.

Oh! so back to laundry waiting for me. I never start a load of laundry that doesn't get completed through the washer,dryer,folded and put away, within the two hours of starting a load. I am a stickler like that. I don't like piles of laundry lying around. The reason why this load was started just before I fell asleep is from cleaning up an explosion last night.

Yes an explosion.

I was reading books to L in my bed when I heard this loud crash and shatter. Immediately I thought the dish drying rack slipped into the sink breaking possibly some of my favorite glasses. As I go down the back steps and come around into the kitchen I notice the dish rack intact. Weird. Then I see shards and chunks of glass blown all over the floor reaching from one end to the other. This is when I notice the liquid all over as well. I then realized that one of my bottled projects had literally been under too much pressure and blew the bottle to pieces. Oh my! I honestly didn't think it could happen to one of these bottles as they are quite thick but be forewarned it can and now I know. I am just thankful no one was in the kitchen, especially L, as she likes to crawl around on the floor while I am being the mad kitchen scientist I am. That explosion could have riddled her face with shards of glass. So again I am super thankful that no one got hurt!

The reason why this particular bottle blew was because it was a mixture of kombucha and lemon ginger kefir soda. I wasn't happy with the lack of fizz from the kefir soda I tried brewing last week. I do think it was in part to using the dry grains of kefir over the fresh ones. I had intended to let them sit in the bottles for a few weeks hoping to get some fizz with the second bottling. The straight up original lemon ginger brew was slightly fizzier but nothing like the combination one. I think the kombucha bacteria kept feeding on the lemon until it became kombucha on steroids and blew itself up.

Let this be a lesson.

Today is the last showing of the Saturday morning puppet shows held in the lobby at HOBT. The website mentions that the show is more geared toward older children. I have been on the fence about taking L. The weather pretty much decided for me. The current temperature is 17 and a 2 degree windchill with some freshly fallen snow. Not much snow but enough to cover the ice patches. That wind yesterday and currently is a killer. It'll cut through even the best bike clothes and with it reaching up to 25 mph today it's safe to say I am going to seek refuge here today.

I had planned on picking up some Besan flour after the puppet show from Holyland inside of the Midtown Global Market with the intention of making socca today. This is the only item that Holyland still gets me with. Bill's doesn't carry it as it is more of an Indian thing. I have tried to make my own in the Vita-Mix and besides it being ear shattering loud(chickpeas are hard!) the texture was too grainy. Holyland is the only place I know of that carries it. Actually United Noodles does as well but I don't trust that their Indian products move fast enough.

What we make up for with great co-ops and Asian markets we sorely lack in Indian markets. I can't even get fresh curry leaves anymore! Seriously.

In lieu of the socca I have decided to make a pate brisee dough. I am out of whole wheat pastry flour and will have to use my fresh ground spelt sifted to remove the heavy bran. Hopefully this works. I bought beets yesterday with the tops attached and one bunch of swiss chard. I will most likely use both greens with some onions and eggs to make a tart. I'm trying to decide between feta or a blue cheese. We bought french feta from Bill's per usual. I was in the mood for a blue cheese, walnut, granny smith salad with mixed greens and a balsamic vinaigrette which I did make yesterday. It hit the spot.

I bought two types of blue one being this one and the other being this. Both local and both delicious. I really enjoyed the Pastureland blue. I think the feta would be more mellow with the greens. I had planned on using the feta for this dish. Even though I do know that blue cheese pairs well with beets and walnuts. I couldn't find radicchio and had just planned on wilting the beet greens and using them instead. I suppose I can just use the mixed greens I have left over. Not the same but will be a nice side dish for the tart. Yum.

I have found myself getting back into rooibos tea. Especially since I have noticed the larger selections. When I first came across the tea years ago the options were limited just to the original. I was happy to notice that my co-op carries an earl grey flavored rooibos tea. There were definitely others that I will try over time. I like that it is naturally caffeine free unlike other teas that use a chemical process to make them decaffeinated.

Am I just reading different cookbooks as of late or is there more talk and a higher usage of chicken livers? When I ate meat I loved chicken livers. I actually used to buy them once or twice every other week and saute them with butter and eat a big bowl of them straight up. It's the texture man!!

Every other month or so I would make chicken liver pate and spread globs on crusty baguettes alongside a simple mixed green salad for many of meals. I was never one to shy away from liver. I think out of all of my brother's and sister I was the only one excited to find out we were having breaded beef liver for dinner. While everyone smothered the taste in ketchup I relished mine plain with the slightly crunchy breading.

Just before becoming a vegetarian for the second time in life shortly after giving birth to L I went crazy with beef liver. I lost a lot of blood right after delivering her and throughout the days afterwards. I actually think I bled for 10 weeks afterwards! I do remember having this extreme craving for liver and ate it every day for a week after giving birth.

Scrambled eggs and liver for breakfast, ground liver and mayo for sandwiches, sauteed in butter for dinner. Then I closed up the meat shop and have been meat free since. Well almost...fish sauce and I will never part.

I have committed to using the chartreuse color by Benjamin Moore for the sewing room. The room is small enough not to be overwhelmed by the color. This room only has one window and sometimes can be on the darker side. I want to accent the color with turquoise throughout. I like this lamp. I like this fabric. We all know this can change quickly though. The paint has to go on the walls first.

Off to start my cooking projects. Namaste.

"I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you."

2011-03-10T08:27:00.000-06:00

Wednesday mornings are my favorite. It's the equivalent of a Sunday morning for the Monday through Friday set. Normally I have nowhere to be, except for the occasional, dentist, doctor, or hair appointment, that I may schedule on this day of the week. Wednesday morning is a leisurely morning spent lounging in pajamas, sipping tea, catching up on my reader and or blogging. I am able to get a good solid hour of stretching in before anyone else wakes. I definitely have a dough or two proofing to cook off later in the day. If we are running on leftovers for the meals throughout the day I will end up making a quick bread or muffins for the rest of the week.

I have a brown paper bag with about 7 bananas and an apple inside to help the ripening process. They are taking forever! I do think our house is kept too cool to ripen them in a timely manner. They are spotted, which will work, but I do prefer, the totally blackened, almost fermented, ripe stage. Those bananas may be disgusting to look at and whatever they lack in appearance they do make up for in flavor.

I was also thinking of trying a vanilla quinoa pudding with baked bananas later this week. Yum.

It snowed a little last night and I am feeling the need to get outside and shovel, yet, I wanted to take the opportunity of L playing in her room and C still sleeping to write a little. These quiet little breaks tend to come and go in blocks. Sometimes I will have a few weeks where I have a couple hours of slow moving morning time to where I can reflect and clear my thoughts through keys. Other times I am racing around barely able to get the required stretching in that I need to hop onto the bike in the cold morning and be able to extend my legs. The stretching that allows for my lower back to let out that required snap and that spot between my shoulder blades to release the all too familiar sound that is reminiscent of pops fireworks.

These rushed mornings aren't due to sleeping in as I tend to get up no later than 6 am every morning. It really all depends on what time L decides to get up and the mood she is in. Today she is quite content with enjoying her down day by playing with her dolls in her room. I like having that one day a week where she doesn't have to be prodded to eat and get dressed in a timely manner to make our other engagements. I do think when she utilizes her time as she is currently doing she is better off.

It's like a reset button for everyone. C is able to sleep in. I am able to write, read, and or create in the kitchen.

Thursday 3-10

I did get my hair cut yesterday. Really just a reshaping with only 3/4 of an inch cut off of the length. I am dreading looking for another hairdresser. One would think with the Aveda institute here we would have an abundance of great hair stylists to choose from but that doesn't seem to be the case. I have heard other people complain about the same thing and if asked they are just okay with their current hairdresser. When a woman finds a hairdresser that they absolutely love they will follow them from salon to salon. I even knew a woman that started flying from Denver out to L.A. to get her hair cut by the same girl when the hairdresser picked up and moved!

I have really easy hair to cut too! Maybe I'll just let it grow really long again and when I get tired of it I'll give myself a bang cut and it'll be a new hairstyle!

I woke up feeling a little groggy and lightheaded this morning. I definitely got enough sleep. I'm hoping the gym, which just sounds, so undoable right now, will zap some energy back into me. These last two weeks, some of the days, I downright did not want to go, making myself do it, and was a much happier person afterwards. For sure.

On my two down days a week it gives me a chance to catch up around the house and give my muscles a break, but the following day, the first one back, is so hard to get motivated again. At least right now. I am hoping it passes quite quickly and I do think this will happen when March is over.

We have an upcoming trip to Iowa and Chicago. Iowa first for a few days to visit C's Nana and then a few days in Chicago visiting our friends C&M. We are really looking forward to this trip. We are staying here in Iowa. It was to our great pleasure to discover this newly renovated hotel only 30 minutes from Nana's house. We can't stay at Nana's, as I have mentioned before, Gramps, can get really crotchety after a few hours. Our pervious option was a Super 8 located in their small town which was run by an Indian couple from Chicago that has a daughter the same age as L. We had been living in Chicago when we started staying there so we struck up a conversation with them and became quite friendly over the course of a few years. The place was always well kept then they sold it to another family member and it just became downright disgusting. We vowed, after our last visit, that was filled with dirty sheets,burn holes everywhere, and a stale smoke smell throughout, that we were done with that place.

Our only other option was in Clinton and that was a Holiday Inn that we stayed at once before looking for other hotels for this trip. This new one popped up on our radar and looks just like our style. The hotel is also within walking distance of the Figge Art Museum. I have been wanting to check this place out. I love the design of the building.

When we get back from our trip we are going to finish the remodel on our kitchen,bathroom, and the sewing/hobby room. I am so happy to get this all underway! C's friend is moving from the state soon and he offered to help as he has extensive knowledge in projects such as these. Since he is moving we had to group together all of our projects which will make for some extra hard penny pinching for the upcoming months. We also decided on a dishwasher, unfortunately, the smaller 18 inch, won't work for our remodel. Bummer, as I really like the smaller, euro style, ones. The good news is we will be able to fit it in where the existing counters are. We thought we would have to run another water line and build an additional cabinet for it. This saves us quite a bit of money. Now I am just crossing my fingers that it all goes seamlessly.

Does Ikea make tile? If so, is it good? I need to decide on some tile for the wall behind the stove and the garbage receptacle. I also think we decided to do the lower have with a wainscoting and then the tile above it. Not quite sure about wainscoting with the drawer facade we are putting in. Tough calls!

Everyone is still sleeping! Need to get them moving or I will be more than apt to cancel the gym today.

Shalom.

“America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.”

2011-03-08T07:39:00.001-06:00

I woke up feeling great! I had a really strong workout yesterday with some extra riding thrown in. Staying on this gym schedule has helped with the bad sleep I was having a few weeks ago. A lot of very vivid and sometimes quite awful dreams. I slept so deep last night I didn't even hear C come in from work.

L has pajama day at school to celebrate pancake day and or Mardi Gras. This should be an easy dressing morning.

The sun seems as if it's not going to break through that grey cloud layer. It's so much nicer biking in the sloppy spring when the sun is out. So many more facets with spring biking. The biggest being the sloppy slush. This slush forces one to ride more out into the car lanes, which in return, will get the biker sprayed, with a slush wave, from the cars tires. More moisture in the air makes for more of a damp cold which is my least favorite. In the morning if the temps dipped below freezing the night before all the slush puddles become major obstacles. I'm never quite sure if it's a sheet of ice or if I will break through into a huge puddle as the surface isn't smooth. Previous bikers tire marks are frozen and riddle the surface with jagged pieces of broken ice.

Most of the time the sun washes away all of these cares.

I get a haircut tomorrow. It'll be the last one with this hairdresser for awhile as she is having her first child at the end of this month. I'm still in the process of growing it out so i'll only be able to get it trimmed up. I'm uncertain what's going on with my bangs. I don't want to grow them out as long as the rest of my hair, yet, I also don't want them short. Short bangs do not fair well in the summer under a bike helmet. Oh no.

L really liked the "Hippie Hotcakes" recipe I made from that Urban Pantry book. So did I.

I ended up having mine as a snack before bed with a schmear of peanut butter while the pancake was still warm, which in return, slightly melted the peanut butter. I also added some cherry preserves before rolling it up into culinary deliciousness. Oh.so.good.

The recipe calls for steel cut oats and rinsed quinoa mixed with yogurt and water with an overnight refrigerator rest. I put all of the ingredients in my blender, not blending them, and left out overnight on my countertop. In the morning, I put the rest of the ingredients in, which were spices,baking powder and 3 eggs, then I switched the blender on and processed, until all ingredients were smooth.
The quinoa gives it such a nice grassy flavor. I do think, it would also be, considered gluten free as well.

Definitely a keeper.

Tonight I am making Chana Masala and a Red Lentil Coconut Curry with brown basmati rice and chapatis(roti). I have had a huge craving for Indian food but not the feeling that I am left with when I go and dine out on it. I like using fat in my Indian food just not gallons of it. Fat is tasty,especially, in the form of clarified butter. I feel I can still get richness in my Indian food without the gut bomb. A lot of the time so much oil is used at Indian restaurants because it's easier and quicker to cook the food in that much fat. Not a lot of time is needed spent over a pan making sure the gravy doesn't burn while releasing the flavors. The spices float in an oil bath.

Alright dropping L off at school and knocking out the third day in my Sunday through Tuesday gym week.

Namaste.

Can you curtail that?

2011-03-07T07:26:00.003-06:00

I like that it's getting lighter earlier. I like the thought of me stretching on my deck in the early morning sun is not too far away. I like the changes that are happening. I like that this summer is going to be a good one. I do know that. I like that I will soon be buried in mounds of delicious CSA goodies. That I will be mainly be eating a 100 mile diet (yes, I know you don't count beloved coconut oil) effortlessly. I am craving greens so bad! We didn't buy that much this winter and I cannot wait until the bunches of chard come.

I like how excited L is for the changes too. I have caught myself stepping back and admiring this strong willed little girl. I have watched her stick to her opinions quite fiercely. I have soaked in her desire to learn and strive to figure out how something works. I have admired her artistic skills and her creative imagination. I have no doubts that she will do fine and seek out what she wants. What I really love about her is the compassion she has for her peers. I do think she is a sweet girl with a feisty side.

The best kind of girl.

I have a list of to-do things that will happen over the course of the summer that I need to get together. I have made it a point that once the CSA starts I will be making one or two dishes a week to go into the freezer. This way early winter if we want to eat out of the freezer for a good month it'll be possible. I want to make a few jars of clarified butter to put up this summer. Using summer milk butter is more flavorful from the cow's grazing on the summer pastures. That was a tip from my friend Cassie! Who also recommends reading this book which I just currently picked up from the library. Hopefully I'll get around to reading it. Lately my brain has been in a fog.

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death”

2011-03-04T08:20:00.000-06:00

I am eating possibly my favorite breakfast of late and that's whole grain toast slathered with coconut oil. Yum! The bread I made is with all white whole wheat and a quarter part rye flour. I added cooked rye berries and sunflowers seeds as well. A few tablespoons of whey was added to the liquid portion of the formula. It's a low yeast bread with a long rise somewhere around 14 hours with a shaping and a final rise of two hours. So essentially it's a soaked flour bread because of the whey addition. Let's just say it's not for the faint of heart. One must definitely love dense whole grain bread to appreciate it.

The coconut oil is of course extra virgin. Never, ever, use the refined stuff! I really love this brand.
I have been religiously using coconut oil again and have dropped another 2 pounds without trying. I am definitely more satiated that's for sure.

I started getting depressed yesterday thinking about how the FDA fucks the general public with gross food products. It all started when I saw this larger woman waddling to the bus stop clutching a pharmacy bag. This bag probably containing something to counteract her unhealthy lifestyle. The woman looked as if she was in the lower income bracket. Don't judge me I'm just calling it from appearance. So say this woman gets assistance to help buy food, she makes uneducated choices, or just, a general lack of access to healthy food. This food makes her not well,makes her body harder to move, causing for a slew of health problems. In return the government supplies her with pharmaceuticals to counteract the harm caused by this food loaded with chemicals and ingredients one would never be able to shop for as a solo item.

So who's coming out on top here? Definitely not the woman waddling to the bus stop.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”Hippocrates

I just found out about this organization which is literally in my backyard. Well almost...it's half a block away directly behind us. I immediately realized this is a place I can drop off our CSA extra's if there are any! I can walk them over and be comforted with the feeling that the lower income neighborhoods are getting access to healthy foods. I don't necessarily think everyone wants to eat from their local corner bodega. It's just the convenience that makes it happen.

I know when C and I used food banks during our super poor time we were even appalled at a lot of the crappy food that was doled out. We wanted healthy food, but when one gets, hungry picking and choosing, go out the window. One of our favorite food shelves was through a church where a lot of the older women brought in produce from their own gardens. We were always shocked at how many people still wanted the packaged stuff and if we were allowed we would clean them out of the fresh produce.

Education is a big part. I love when I see parks and community centers hosting free cooking classes for kids and teenagers. The emphasis being on healthy ingredients.

I know of people back home that are so proud of their new cars. New cars that are going to suck a paycheck or two to pay for the payments and insurance. Of course, since this car is new, they wouldn't dream of putting a lesser quality gas in it, so figure in premium gas prices as well. All of this care put into their car when they come out of the store with arms full of sodas,chips and candy. Cigarettes too!
Not even thinking about the gas(food) their body needs to run on. So your car is more important than your health?!

Button up shirts let's discuss shall we? I love them but only on other people. I have tried and tried to love them on me. I feel very masculine in them. I won't say it's the cut as I have tried the button ups that are for women and have a feminine silhouette. This shirt caught my eye as it has the appearance that it hangs in a very feminine way. I want to love it.

Currently I have a kefir soda in the works. I got the recipe from this book which by the way I am loving! The coconut crackers are awesome. They taste like a cheez-it but that much better. The version I made uses one packet of dried kefir that is mixed with 2 quarts water, 1/2 cup sucanat, juice of 4 organic lemons and 4 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger. The original recipe actually called for juice of 4 limes, but I made do, with what I had on hand. Ginger and lemon are a good combo too even though the lime does sound tasty! Now all I do is let it sit at room temp for 48 hours then strain and voila I am left with a fizzy ginger brew! I will bottle it in my stopper style bottles that I use for my Kombuchas to get even more fizz.

I am hoping to score some fresh kefir grains through this event. I'll have my kombucha scoobies, kimchi, kombucha drink and maybe these kefir sodas to swap. It'll be the first event of it's kind here. They have been held in other cities to great success. I just think it's a swell idea. It would be nice to score a really good marmalade. I love good jams but not enough to make them all the time. I really hope someone has the fresh kefir grains!

Later this evening I am going to attempt my first go at making the original recipe that spawned the grape nuts cereal. Of course my recipe takes two days as I will be soaking my flour. These soaked flour recipes have seemed to help my digestive system. It also cuts down on baking when a craving strikes. One must plan ahead with the soaking process which helps deter scarfing to fulfill that instant craving.

I made this yesterday and suggest you do the same. Whatever you have planned to cook today can wait! This was so good. I served mine with a side of #2 bulgar. I do think the millet would be great too but I didn't have any on hand and the bulgar worked well. I used my fresh ground peanut butter and would definitely recommend using a high quality natural peanut butter. The peanut butter quality is crucial to the soup. Of course use full fat coconut milk too! I did use coconut oil instead of the vegetable oil. I used a high quality curry powder, frontier brand,which we get from the co-op and added a dash of fish sauce.

Fish sauce is why I am not truly a "real" vegetarian. It cannot be replaced and it adds so much! Plus anchovies need to be fished right along with sardines. Sardines get such a bad flavor rap. Yes there are really shitty brands out there, but unless you have tried any of these, or these then you haven't had real sardines. These sardines don't have that tinny and salty flavor associated with the cheaper sardines. I actually had to add a sprinkling of salt when I ate them. If you are fortunate to come across fresh sardines, preferably grilled, on a menu somewhere, then by all means order them! Fresh is by far the hardest to come by.

Other fish sadly should not be eaten. Overfishing is real and scary.

Oh where was I before I went off on my little fish tangent...ah! peanuts, yes.

We are set on peanuts here for like ever. We picked up a special order through our co-op of 30 lbs of peanuts. Have you ever seen what 30 lbs of peanuts look like? Trust, it's a lot! Our co-op quit carrying the overstock peanuts from their peanut butter grinding machine for the public to buy from the bulk bins. Some of the employees said it would be fine for me to just find someone and have them grab the peanuts for me to purchase from the holding container on the grinder. This worked a few times and then just became a hassle. It was more trouble to find someone and then try and explain to every new person doing it for us that it was approved already. We inquired about ordering an extra box when they did their ordering and this how we ended up with a shitload of peanuts. I will say I have never had peanuts that taste so fresh. They came vacuum sealed and are now stored in the deep freezer. The stuff that sits in the bulk bins,especially,if the stock isn't moving quickly, gets rancid when exposed to air. Nuts should definitely be, refrigerated or frozen, to maintain freshness.

I have been faithfully knocking out 5 days a week at the gym. I am finally back into the shape I want to be. I have cut alcohol out since January, less sugar and even less caffeine. I drink around 16 ounces, or more, of fresh squeezed carrot and ginger juice, sometimes adding celery as well. I am back to using extra virgin coconut oil to cook pretty much everything, with butter coming in second, and all other oils used sparingly. I have increased energy, my metabolism is revved up and my mental clarity is on point.

Overall I am feeling pretty damn good.

Namaste. I'm going to get me some at the gym.

I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly.

2011-02-26T09:02:00.000-06:00

Ah, of course popular demand, once again, let me down. Freaks and Geeks was a waste of time. I didn't even finish two episodes before canceling the rest of the season in my queue. I think the last good series I watched was Six Feet Under. Thankfully, I have the library and books.

I have caught a few of these episodes. I do think the past seasons were better even though I have only watched a handful or so. The trainers obviously look like they want to be somewhere else this season. Probably for good reason because they have prior engagements.

They be making the big bucks,yo! I can't open any magazine without seeing her everywhere. The bitch has done well.

The real reason why I enjoy catching an episode of this show every now and again is this. What a clothing train wreck. Seriously who dresses this woman?!! I want to look away but I can't! It's as if she kept all of her wardrobe, circa 1990, from that awful soap opera. I just shocked myself looking for that link to see that this soap opera is still on!

I didn't think soap operas existed anymore!! Who watches that crap? Honestly the title of this post works well in this paragraph. Jesus.

So let me see if I can find some of these precious outfits she has worn. I was surprised there wasn't more links available. I guess I need to put another blog together to showcase these train wrecks. The good folks at one of my favorite snarky websites didn't let me down though. This outfit was last summer not from the late 80's!

I think she time travels.

Last night I made this loaf of bread. It's L's favorite and I hadn't made it for awhile. After starting it I realized why. It's kind of time consuming starting with a biga that ferments for 8 hours and then two rises totaling 2 hours throughout and then a 45 minute bake time. I also had to halve the recipe in part to me not having a mixer. The full recipe using more wheat like I do makes a stiff dough. It's almost impossible, through hand kneading, to achieve the desired elasticity one wants with yeasted dough.

Remember how I just mentioned that a solo egg dish never really sounds good to me unless they are used to compliment the finished dish? Yeah, well, that seems to have changed just in these past few days. I have been eating scrambled eggs and ketchup faithfully. Afterwards it's like a ride at an amusement park I want to do it all over again! I have to tell myself to let my body digest these before I take down two more!

Cravings can be so weird. Since I have been juicing carrots I can't go a day without having at least a 16 ounce glass of fresh squeezed carrot and ginger juice. It's so good! We are buying a 25 lb bag every other week. I like when the bag contains smaller carrots this way I can cross use them in the kitchen as well.

Today I plan on making some sort of sandwich,preferably grilled,with avocados. I have two ripe ones waiting in the wings. I have fresh made sandwich bread, so, why not. I was thinking of making this again since I have all of the ingredients and maybe putting it on the bread before grilling with the avocado. I also have a 4 lb bag of oranges that I bought on sale that needs to be used as well.

I am not a fan of juicing oranges but I am a fan of orange tea breads. I am thinking of baking this, later today, or a variation of. I would like to use half coconut oil and half sesame oil. C bought that brand and type of sesame oil for me when I actually needed toasted sesame oil.

I was surprised at how light the flavor was. I had just been using it in salads and nut butters and over the course of using it I have come to appreciate the flavor. I think it would go well with the citrus and coconut. We'll see. I'll also add some ground up dehydrated almond meal to the flour.

Alright off to the puppet show and then Midtown Global for a morning of play.

Shalom!

If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.

2011-02-24T08:35:00.000-06:00

I have had an urge to hang a chandelier in our dining room. This picture fuels it.

I love my new boots! Love,love,love them! Who knew that rain boots could actually be comfortable. Like walking for awhile comfortable,crushing through puddles and slush,resembling a female protagonist in a Japanese B movie science fiction thriller. I no longer feel any guilt for buying these boots. It was an investment worthy of the price.

Oh and did I mention how cute they are? Well they are and I can't wait to wear them with a skirt!

I had a pretty epic workout yesterday totaling 4 hours once I finally arrived home. I definitely didn't plan on working out that long. I tried to get L up a few times yesterday morning to come to the gym. After three failed attempts I just decided I was ready, C was home and he could go solo, after I came back. Well on the way there, less than 15 minutes after I left, C calls to ask if I had left yet. I said I was on my way and he replied L was up and willing to go. Thankfully, he now has a hitch for the trailer on his bike, so he was going to pull her in. Afterwards, he had a meeting at work, so I was going to pull her home.

This means I had almost a solid hour before they arrived at the gym. L has an allotted time of 2 hours in the childcare area. I ended up using almost the 2 hours on top of my solo hour. Afterwards, I had to hit up Whole Foods, for my plugra and quinoa. The best prices on both in the city,but unfortunately, they were out of both.

What are the chances of that?

So, of course, I am starting to bonk by then, thanks in part to the headwind, on the way to Whole Foods. I didn't really eat before the gym as I didn't have any appetite but knew I needed something. I forced myself to have a few bites of steel oats before heading out. I was thankful that I did as I would have probably died on the ride home.

Drama.Drama.

The ride to Whole Foods and home tacked on another 40 minutes of moderately paced biking. When all was said and done; I was so ravenous. Upon entering my home I ate a banana so fast it would have given primates a reason to cheer. Today, I woke up feeling, very energetic and strong. Of course I have some of that, good hurt, from the sets of squats I did. If there isn't any soreness, then I am not pushing myself hard enough, am I?

I love when I am firmly planted on the health train. I am and feel my best. I tipped the scales at 140 this winter and was disgusted with myself. The thing that shocked me the most was how fast my confidence started to dip. I feel I have been a pretty confident person most of my adult life, never questioning, if I could do something. It's more like, how can I do that, and then, let's do that.

140 may get me some scoffs, but really, that is a lot for my frame. I let myself go, until I saw that number, and that's when I said:

"Oh no, I need to start busting my ass, to change this situation, before it gets worse."

And the thing is I can see how it does get worse. When one starts to lose any confidence it's easy to continue to fall into that hole. Everyday, I berated myself, especially, when I couldn't fit into any of my pants. I could have purchased new ones but all that is doing is giving myself a false sense of comfort.

What happens when, those too, become, too tight? I want to know when I have topped out and need to start rectifying my behavior. Which is exactly what I did.

In a sick tiny way I look forward to the challenge of busting my ass and watching my body become strong. It's funny how everything else fell into place when I dropped that 10. My confidence, back in full force, healthy mindful eating sprung back up,energy levels soared and most importantly, me being kind to me, welcomely appeared.

We are truly the masters of our own health. For most of the general public this is truth. If you feel like shit step back and look at your behaviors. Only you can make yourself truly happy. I know they gym route isn't for everybody but the pursuit of health and happiness should be.

I came across a vintage white chandelier hanging at an antique store here in the city and fell hard. I have always pictured chandeliers as gaudy, because, well, most of them can be! Until I saw this simple and rustic chandelier. I think a white one, over our wooden dining room table, would look great.
No crystals is a definite prerequisite. As I have been searching through all the chandeliers online, one design word that I have a hard time hearing,which can pop up, quite frequently, is "shabby chic". Urggh.

I bought some israeli couscous yesterday after striking out on the quinoa. It's been awhile since I made anything with this couscous. I am still formulating how and what I am going to do with it. I think it'll be planned for this evening.

Alright off to the gym.

Namaste.

She lacks the indefinable charm of weakness.

2011-02-23T08:09:00.000-06:00

You know what is painful? A lip burn. Not only is it slow to heal,cracking every time it dries, it's the painful fact of it looking like a cold sore.

I was testing to see if L's fettuccine was at the al dente stage by hoisting a piece out of the (boiling)water only to have it miss the mark of my mouth and adhere to the flesh of my lips.

Ouch.

I don't have any aloe plants at this time. I know right?! That should be a topic discussed here as well!
So what does one put on the lips? Maybe antibiotic cream at night?

I want another tattoo. I have for a looooooong time. If it wasn't out of respect, for my ex-husband and or, current relationship, I would have had quite a bit of ink done. Seriously.

Am I am grateful that I didn't get that much ink? Yeah probably.

I have a feeling I would have regretted a good portion of it now but I am older and wiser(sarcasm) and have had many years to think about placement and design. I have the dreaded "tramp stamp" that needs to be touched up. I got my tattoo about 14 or 15 years ago. Wow. Dude I'm old.

Anyway, I am thankful that it is a basic star as I have no regrets about it. Well, the regret being, that it turned into a "tramp stamp".

It's a good spot though. To have stretch marks run through it would mean that the tattoo is the least of my worries and something else is going on in my life. The stomach tattoo's always amaze me. I would never commit to that in fear of pregnancy stretch marks. Even though gaining 68 lbs and having a near 10 pound baby left me with zero stretch marks. Zero.

Yeah my genes taking a serious one for the team!

So, do I rock the boat and just go ahead and get one; or continue to respect, my partner's wish?
Maybe a question for the Social Q's column?

I am really digging the fall 2011 lines. These are some of the standouts and they are totally wearable. I love when fashion and fabric intertwine into a comfortable statement. These pictures make me want to unleash inside of a fabric store and come home to create.

Today I am off to the gym,normally I do take Wednesdays off, but today, I am making up for Sunday and Monday. This way I will get four days in this week. I want to be in superb physical shape when the spring finally does come our way. I want to be outside doing something physical from sunrise to sunset after enduring a winter such as this. I have never encountered such a desire and yearning for spring as I am now.

Let's just hope for a great summer. It would hurt too much if it was too hot or too wet.

I am planning on having a spring brunch as well. I can't believe I haven't had one since last Feb! I had such a great time hosting and hanging with some wonderful ladies. I was all amped to try and do one every few months. I would love for this one to be done in the yard.

Again,don't disappoint us Summer. We have a lot of hope rested on you.

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

2011-02-20T10:03:00.000-06:00

I did end up just staying in all day yesterday. It was much more wonderful than I could have possibly imagined. I gave the house a much needed deep thorough cleaning. I guess one could say an early spring cleaning. We sure had the weather for it last week, which may have,ignited, the spring cleaning frenzy.

Really, it all started with me telling L, how I should really reorganize a set of bins on the pantry shelves, while standing, right, next to them. Then, I proceeded to go into detail, about how, I would clean them, if, I were cleaning them. I was saying all of this, in a very matter of fact way, when I stopped myself and said Jesus! let's just get them cleaned now! It's taking more time to explain in detail how I would do it instead of actually doing it!

I had multiple projects going at once but it was okay. Not like, sometimes, where it's like "Woah! Make it stop!" I have started way too many projects and it's starting to turn on me sort of deal.

No. Thank God.

It was much more chill than that and the final outcome being a clean house. All during the cleaning I was whipping up dishes and prepping for dinner. If I was working at a restaurant and we were slammed I would've rocked it all while belting out show tunes.

I finally made the much anticipated red cabbage salad and it was good. Not great but very good. The rosemary I used must have been very woody as it didn't break down well in the dish and was quite powerful in flavor. I also think maybe I had built this dish up so long that I was waiting for it to reach out and caress my taste buds. I do think I would love it more with radicchio. I did taste it before deglazing the pan with fresh squeezed lemon juice thinking it needed some acid to shine. This definitely pulled it together. I think next time I make it, which will be very soon, I will deglaze with fresh squeezed orange juice. Not too much, just enough to pull it, all together. Oh! One more alteration. I swear I try and stick to the original as close as possible! The other change was that plumped my yellow raisins in some hot water to revive them a bit as they were more on the dry side.

I served it atop of some polenta squares that I had baked in a 450 degree oven until heated throughout. Crispy, on the outside, with a lusciously creamy inside, sitting regally in a pool of the pan juices.

I also came to the conclusion that the buckwheat flour did indeed add another dimension to the cake. It's actually what I like about it. I think this is what makes this cake modest. If you weren't looking for the buckwheat, it adds just enough, of a lingering finish, to want to seek out what this elusive taste is. I do know I will always continue to add it, as I couldn't imagine, the cake without it.

In this same reorganizational spree I realized I had eight different types of chocolate at my disposal.
I don't even like chocolate that much! We all know a chocoholic in our lives which we can gauge our addiction and mine is well below the manageable level. I only really crave dark chocolate if I know some sexy sea salt is going to be at that same party.

Shall we discuss eggs? Most of the time the thought of them makes me gag. If I were to open the refrigerator right now I wouldn't look at the eggs and say "Oh, now those sound tasty!"
Eggs are more of an afterthought when I see how the runny yolk can help elevate the sauce in the dish being served. Swiss chard and soft polenta can be made spectacular with an over easy egg. Kimchi served warm on a bed of quinoa transforms this modest dish into a rich one. Yolk can really add depth to an au jus style dish. Actually, once I release the yolk into the bowl I have a hard time eating the set white. I suppose I would probably prefer poached.

Today is C's first full day off in well over two weeks. We are all looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we are going to use up a good portion of it, being at MOA, eek! Oh how I dread going to the mall. I always feel so stressed when I am there. I do remember a time when shopping was fun for me and it could still be but at a smaller scale. The Mall of America is HUGE. Disgustingly so. Alas, thou as much as I dislike going, it does need to happen, every so often, for us.

L received a christmas gift that hooks into a television which we don't have. It is a video game console that may hook into the computer, but honestly, she wasn't too excited about it anyway. I, of course, don't want to encourage it, especially, since she isn't into it. We found out Sears is a store that carries it. C seems to think returning it there should be easy since we don't have a receipt. L in lieu of keeping the video console is going to buy a few board games per her request. Well done L. Well done.

The biggest problem, that going to the mall poses, is having to cancel, the gym this morning. If we go to the gym, that will put us arriving at the mall, around 2, at the earliest. This means we won't be getting home until around 7 or later. Afterwards, I always feel, as if, our evening together as a family was washed away. Once we get home it's a mad dash to get dinner on the table, because you know, we didn't eat at the mall! Then there is this rushed energy that is circulating around the house and by that point all I want to do is take a hot shower and wash off that feeling. *sigh* I had such a lazy day yesterday that I could have an epic workout today. What to do,what to do?

I know the answer but I don't wanna.

L and I slept together last night, so she woke up, when my 6 am alarm went off. Only, she never fell back asleep. This is another factor that points to going to the mall early. L is going to crash and burn early tonight and do I really want that to happen at the mall? Along with all of the other distorted funhouse perceptions do I really want to throw a surly child into the mix? Hell no. So I guess I am taking one for the team. It is only one day,right? I much rather spend the evening comfortably at home, especially if, an early bedtime is in L's, perceivable future.

We have this series from Netflix waiting to be watched. Both, C and myself, have never seen any of them, but we do hear it is really good. Amazon has it at a 5 star rating and 387 people can't be wrong!

I just solved my dilemma! I will make up today's gym loss,Wednesday morning, which is normally, a down day. This way, I still get 5 days this week. I only managed, 4 last week and honestly, I much rather have 5 or even 6.

If I were to stay home, I would have way too much energy, seeing how I am not,this energy could help me navigate the mall! Ah such trivial things. I appreciate this is the extent of any of my problems.

Life is good even when it's not.

What does the first hour of your morning consist of?

For me,dependent on if I got too much sleep, or not, I hop right out of bed. I run the best on 6 hrs of sleep. If I do happen to get 8 or more, instead of feeling refreshed; I am groggy and sluggish.
I go downstairs, let the cat out, as he is probably walking in circles around my feet, by that time. I brew a pot of coffee in the Bialetti for C, once brewed, I then stick it in the fridge.Yeah, he likes his coffee cold *shudder*. I then weigh out 30 grams of yerba mate and boil water in my kettle. After the water boils, I wait for the temp to drop before adding the water to the leaves. This step is so it doesn't release too many tannins. I feed the cat and scoop his box. I then proceed to do some stretching and core work. Once those are out of the way I can start the reading of my google reader and write here.

I enjoy the silence more that you can imagine. I sip my hot mate while thoughts float in and out of my mind. I practice mindful breathing.I reflect on the day before. I think about things that may have worked better if approached at a different angle. I ponder what is in store. I recognize how fortunate I am. I'm not going to say lucky, as I worked damn hard, to just get here. I overcame a lot of odds. I arrived, not unscathed but, nonetheless, fortunate and grateful.

Going to the gym means a lot of random magazines make it home with me. C picked up the January issue of Self for me. Sometimes there are really useful workout tips in this magazine. Out of the softer ones,unlike these, Self seems to be one of the better ones. I know I have pulled some tips out of them that I still use to this day. So there is a ongoing article that is called "Make over your body" that features Jillian Michaels. This article has some really good yoga style stretches that one can do at home that shows results. I know because I did them and was sore afterwards. That good good sore feeling. I recommend checking it out if you come across it. I would never buy the magazine but if I can score it free I'll flip through it every so often. At home that is 'cause if you can casually read a magazine on an aerobic magazine then you aren't pushing yourself hard enough. That's a fact.

Since we are on the topic of home toning; let's talk pushups. Real pushups, not bent knee pushups, which are commonly,referred to as a "girl" pushup. Have you ever done sets of pushups? They are the best upper body toner. I have completed 100 of them today once deciding not to go to the gym and my arms feel tight. Of course in that good way. I also did not do 100 in a row! I wish! I can do 20 in a row and the last few I am pushing through the pain. So after those sets,mixed with some yoga poses, soon to be followed by a shower, I'm feeling pretty good! I wouldn't want to replace my normal sessions completely with this routine although for today this worked in a pinch.

I am really digging the Ratio book.

I like pushing myself to physical extremes.

I like when L greets me with a big good morning hug. Of course after I have had my solo time.

I like how flat my stomach is in the morning.

I like the sound of rain on a tent.

I like summer mornings.

I like taking long walks.

I like traveling to new cities.

I like the sound of food hitting a hot pan.

I like cardamom in baked goods.

I like vintage schwinn tandems and plan on owning one someday.

I like Marrakech.

I like feeding my friends and family.

I like laughing.

I like documentaries.

I like learning new things, especially, when it comes to cooking.

I like the feeling of swimming under water with my arms tucked alongside of me while riding the current.

I like dresses.

I like champagne.

I like frisbee.

I like not owning a car.

2011-02-19T17:31:00.002-06:00

oops wasn't ready to publish post.

“I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.”

2011-02-19T10:59:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was so busy! I am hoping for a more mellow day. I was calorie deficient too. I went to the gym in the morning, receiving, a good portion of the workout on the way. I was biking into a near 20 mph headwind. The actual temp was 20, with the winds ushering in, northernly gusts, making it a real feel of 4 degrees. Yes, 4 degrees, when the previous day, reached a high of 55.

Is it spring yet?

After the gym and a nice tailwind home,thankfully, it didn't change direction! The wind has a tendency to do that here and do so quite frequently. I came home, had some carrot juice, hung some clothes from the washer, put in another load,only to have to leave again, to hit up L's parent teacher conferences. Afterwards, on the ride home, I met C, about a mile from L's school, to swap the trailer as he was going into work. As I pulled the trailer home, I was thinking about hitting up the library,
en route. I blew it off, as I was just too weak, from plenty of exercising, and not an adequate amount of food. Only when I get home I check my library card and see this book is waiting for me. Bummer!In have been eagerly awaiting it's arrival.

I talked myself out of leaving again, knowing, I could just as easily get it today, plus, I wanted to make the chocolate buttermilk cake from the Urban Pantry book I have checked out. These plans may have been derailed once reading the Ratio book. Ah C'est la vie!

Oh! and I did make that cake and it was wonderful. Wonderful in that rustic and homey way. I used yogurt, cut with some milk, until it was more of a buttermilk consistency, in place of the buttermilk. I also used two tablespoons less butter from the original 1/2 cup. I figured my homemade yogurt made with whole milk would have more fat than buttermilk which is naturally low fat. The top of the cake cooked up with a slight crust, somewhat, like a brownie does. I think this was my favorite thing about it. I only had a bite of L's foregoing a whole piece. I'm saving myself for this.

almost ready!

L wanted me to make frosting for it which I think it didn't need. I could totally see the pairing of vanilla ice cream, such as the book suggests, being more, of a match than frosting. If I had a fancy doily,or any doily, for that matter; I would have put it on the cake and then dusted with powdered sugar to make it "fancy. Again, I appreciated, the humbleness of it, unlike my five year old, that wanted to make it more pretty! I would love to share the recipe but I am uncertain how that copyrighting law would apply. I don't want to get in trouble as I'm just some girl wasting your time reading this drivel.

Oh I should mention that I tried my hardest not to change the recipe. I failed, in one tiny way, by removing a quarter cup, of the 1.5 cups of whole wheat pastry flour, and adding whole buckwheat flour instead. I just love the flavor of buckwheat and chocolate. The recipe also called for a cup of fair trade organic cane sugar, which she says, is way better than bleached white sugar. I agree to a small extent. Yes, it is, slightly better.

Better than the overly processed "normal" sugar most of the U.S. uses but it's not that much better. Fair trade is great and I will always choose fair trade if the choice is offered. I think this sugar is far better and I was tempted to use it but didn't want to be one of those people. The people that change a recipe right from the start and then give bad reviews because it wasn't good. I knew the buckwheat flour wouldn't change the composition of the cake, that much, if any at all.

My personal sugar preference of all is grade b maple syrup or palm sugar. Next time I make this cake I am going to try maple syrup. I only have vegan cane sugar on hand for my kombucha brewing and that is what I used. I guess from what literature I have read on kombucha brewing is that any of the natural sugars don't brew a proper batch.
Without further ado:

pac man

You know you want a taste!

My dehydrated oat experiment went well! I thought they tasted a lot like grape nuts right from the dehydrator. This is a good thing! I used to love grape nuts. I actually have a recipe, for homemade grape nuts, which I have been meaning to make. I suppose, I have been waiting, since I feel they are more for a summer breakfast. L religiously has steel cut oats every morning. Not a small portion either I have seen her eat 2 cups of cooked steel oats! That is a lot for a child, let alone, an adult. I am so thankful she loves them, allowing me not to stress, too much, when she doesn't really eat for the rest of the day. 2 cups worth could sail her a few days!

The first experiment I have tried with the soaked and dehydrated oats has been chocolate peanut butter snack balls. I threw around 2 cups of oats in the food processor and whirled until the texture was more like original rolled oats. I then threw in, around half a cup, of skinless dehydrated almonds, and whirled a few more times, until the mixture resembled coarse bread crumbs. Lastly, I threw in a handful of dehydrated regular almonds and a handful of roasted no salt peanuts, pulsing until nuts were coarsely chopped. I transferred the mixture to a bowl, in which I then, folded in1/2 a cup of raisins.

The binding mixture was a tablespoon of brown rice syrup,two tablespoons maple syrup, a heaping tablespoon coconut oil,1/4 cup natural peanut butter, two tablespoons cocoa powder. Which, by the way, for the cake and this recipe, I used this brand. I added a scant, 1/2 cup each, of almond milk and water. I then heated the mixture until melted and smooth. I poured it over the oat mixture, combined until, all the oats were coated. I then put the mixture in the freezer to cool. Once cooled, I formed into balls, then put back into freeze, allowing them time to set up. I then put them into a bag which has been stored in the freezer and they are fantastic. Seriously. I have photos but honestly these just don't photograph well!

soaked and dehydrated rolled oats.

non-photogenic chocolate peanut butter almond oat balls.

Remember how I said I was making this the other day? Well, I haven't yet, but I do plan on doing so today. I opted on making polenta with swiss chard and a fried egg instead. I was flipping through the Urban Pantry cookbook and saw a recipe for polenta and instantly got a huge craving for it. I had a package of polenta that was given to me that I have been meaning to try. The package is shipped from Italy and the brand is Moretti. This is by far, the most superior polenta, I have tried. It was fucking fantastic, eliciting moans, from every scrumptious and creamy bite. I definitely went to that special place.

I didn't follow the Urban Pantry cookbook recipe because I have a tried and true method. This method was taught to me when I cooked professionally. I will share it with you, as it is, the exact one that was shown to me. The chef that I worked under, was really good friends,with the women whom, this recipe comes from. Here it is and trust me you will never need another way to cook polenta. Oh and please don't skip the double boiler step, as this makes the polenta, moan worthy. In the Urban Pantry cookbook, the recipe called for, 1 cup polenta to 3 cups water, which, immediately raised a red flag for me. Oh and a 30 minute cooking time. Ha! Dependent on the coarseness of the polenta I sometimes can use up to 6 cups stock. I do cook, stirring throughout, for a good hour. I also have a flame tamer that came with my oven and I highly recommend using one if you have it. This allows you not to be tethered (as much) to the stove. One may not think corn could be sexy until trying this recipe.

Speaking of sexy these come to mind. I don't own any copper and would love to have one for candy making. I don't do it often but truly it is the best pot for the job. Did I mention how sexy copper looks?

I have had a pretty leisurely morning; just what I needed. I have decided not to go to the 10 am puppet show due to L sleeping in and not wanting to make this morning a rushed affair. I think we are going to try the noon showing which will probably be better for her, since I am assuming, it won't be so toddler filled. Or I am going to shower and just chill out at home with my reader and library books. Yes, that is how, busy of a day, I had yesterday!

I have been in the market for a new perfume for quite sometime. I used to wear it, quite frequently, before getting pregnant with L. I used to have different kinds, the last being, the 2003 release, of L'Interdit ,which I loved, and of course it was discontinued. I doubt I would even care for it today. I know my personal preference has changed to something more with an incense base. This website is one of my favorites for researching perfumes. The major difficulty I run into, is not being able, to place a scent. I am totally intrigued with how these people are able to pick out scents within multiple layerings. It is definitely a skill for sure.

Another obstacle is trying to smell a few different kinds during one store visit. I am just not able to flush the scents from my nose quick enough. I prefer to pick two and spray each one on either wrist and leave the store. I will continue to smell my wrist,throughout the day, seeing, how the perfume base notes, change and react, with my body oils.

Reading the descriptions of certain perfumes on this site; I have found that when one stands out to me it is generally marketed as a male scent! I do know I don't care for floral and cloyingly sweet scents.

Off to shower and spend the day tinkering around my lovely home.

Shalom.

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

2011-02-17T11:29:00.000-06:00

I wasn't going to write today. I changed my mind though as I have some things to bitch about.

Spelling people. Spelling. It is harder than ever to misspell a word largely due to spell check built into browsers, a dictionary somewhere on your computer or a simple google search. So why do we have so many words being mangled?! I guess one can say this is a pet peeve of mine.
I can understand the mispronunciation of a word; I do it all the time. My phonics actually suck. I can lay some of that blame on the Detroit Public School system and growing up in the hood.

It's the murdering of words that just make me want to be that crazed sport fan yelling at a screen.
It's the misuse of your and you're. Their and there. Oh and while I'm quibbling over here I must add the use of "rotfl" "lol" "lmao" makes me cringe. I highly doubt you are laughing or "rotfl" at that moment. If you were really on the floor then I don't think we can be friends anymore.

I am not that funny. Definitely not that funny for you to report back to me what my words made your body do. I feel as if you are lying to me. I just dismiss anything you are saying.

Moving on...

Have you seen this book? It's really good! I think it's going to make my list of books that I want to own. The list that either gets lost, overlooked when we get ahead or too large. It is my adult version of a list to Santa. What I need to do is take the time to compile this list, the list, that has become something more of a folklore and post onto the blog. I have found myself using my search engine to remember certain recipes that I did over the span of this blog. The span which by the way has just gotten to be never ending in such a monotonous way.

Why are you still here? Go on! Shoo! Git! I knew I never should have set that food dish out.

The weather yesterday was fan-freaking-tastic! We of course were on the bikes for most of it. This morning is foggy and damp. It looks as if it must have rained a little overnight with some light sprinkling still happening. I was able to look out into the yard and see our fire pit has resurfaced. I can't wait to have a few spring bonfires. The spring is the best as the mosquitoes haven't quite formed their armies yet. Last summer the mosquitoes were the worst I have ever experienced. They were so bad here that when I went to visit my mother in Northern Michigan it was as if I were in a desert. We were getting bit during the day here. So one can imagine what the evenings were like. It was awful.

Ah! I forgot to mention this book as well. I tried to squeeze it back into the previous paragraphs but I didn't want to disturb my rants. One certain recipe stood out and that is the maple parsnip cake with maple meringue frosting. Yum! I wouldn't make the frosting though; I never do. I am one of those people that feel as if the frosting detracts from the actual cake. They are always too sweet,too heavy and the mushy texture with the fluffiness of a cake, gags me. I think most always they overshadow what's beneath. Personal preference. I much rather do the simple syrup poured over a cake upon exiting the oven. This is actually one of my most favorite cakes. I do without the syrup for me finding I only add it when making for other people. Here are some other tasty variations:

It's like This and that and like this and uh.

Honestly though, I would say, that any variation of the aforementioned cakes is by far my favorite cake. I love citrus with almond meal and semolina. I have three trays of soaked almonds dehydrating at this moment. One tray is skinless as I popped them out of their skins before dehydrating. These will be used to make almond meal. I also have a tray of rolled oats that were soaked with whey and some spelt flour dehydrating as well. It is my first go at this and I will be curious to see how well they turn out. If I were to guess from the starting product, let's just say, I'll be pleasantly surprised if I can use them again!

L hasn't woken up yet...the silence is nice. Yesterday morning I didn't quite get my one hour of silence. You see I get up earlier then need be to achieve this. I find this makes me a much better Mama to L. I am more patient when I have the time to do some stretching and writing before I put on the Hausfrau uniform. I can spew a little here, devour some design sites, throw in some mindful breathing and stretching and I am good to go. I feel as if most systems are up and running.

Now, you see, it's quite a different story when this doesn't happen. Oh my. I feel frantically skewed. I feel as if I have fallen behind and I will never catch up during the day. I like to put my thoughts into order, hence this blog, before tackling my unceasing to-do list and L. It's really not too much to ask and most of the time this is solved by getting up early. Really early.

This silence is so wonderful that I am tempted to cancel the gym this morning and ride the wave as long as possible. The gray,damp and windy outdoors, isn't exactly championing for me either.

Should I stay or should I go now? No link too easy.

Since I have the extra time I am going to talk about yet another book. This book. I remember being on the hold list for this when it first came out. There was quite a wait. I obviously didn't think too much about it since I never discussed it here or checked out subsequently. I have been known to check out a book a few times all while renewing until my limit was up. I had a book for 5 months this way! Sad I know. This is when I need to put it on the to-own list. Jeez.

Anyway I happened to see The Kind Diet book on the shelf and thought I would flip through it again. Urgghh. I hate the way it's laid out. I cringe at her little stories. To mention poop in a cookbook is just over the top and if anyone knows about being over the top it's me. Yes,yes, vegans and vegetarians, have great shits. Anyone that is a vegetarian can extol the lack of meat shits we have. To read a blurb about it while I am trying to get my food porn on is wrong. These are two fetishes I don't like to mix. The book also seems to get enough reviews complaining that the recipe ratios are off. It's seems like fluff.

In the Urban Pantry there is a recipe for vanilla quinoa pudding. I really want to try it but I have been less than impressed with quinoa when used in a sweet way. I have tried to love it as a morning porridge. I really have to no avail. I think it has to do with the texture. It's really the only explanation I can come up with since I love quinoa in every other form. Love it! The book also has a recipe for "Hippie Hotcakes" which sound great. The recipe uses steel cut oats, quinoa and yogurt with an overnight soak. The recipe says to refrigerate it while soaking, but of course, I would just leave out at room temp.

After an evening of soaking the soaked mixture goes into a blender with eggs,spices,baking powder and water. No flour, so these will be flat and thin, unlike, normal fluffy pancakes. Just like hippie food should be. I am definitely trying them.

This book also contains a recipe for buttermilk chocolate cake using whole wheat pastry flour. This particular recipe has no frosting either and only one cup of sugar. This seems on the lower side for a cake and we all know how I like things not too sweet. I should also mention that L prefers it this way as well. L is definitely different then most children her age in terms of what she deems sweet. I credit this to her growing up without an excess of candy. Candy when introduced was way later then most children her age. I can't recall exactly but I do know she was talking. If I were to guess I would say she was at least three. Even then that sounds too young! I have seen kids just over a year old with fistfuls of candy. It makes me cringe.

I should clarify that L's rule really only applies to baked goods. As with any normal child her age a piece of candy is a wonderful thing. I know she wouldn't gorge herself on them and would stop at one piece. The funny thing is that she will devour a piece of baklava from Bill's which is pretty much topping out on the cloyingly sweet charts! The only piece of baklava I have been tempted to have more than one bite was from that little basement bakery in Milwaukee. I never got the name of the place and didn't write down the street but I do know it did happen and remains a wonderful memory for me.

I've been on a really bad streak for muffin making lately. The last two batches were just awful. To quell this craving I've had I thawed a few muffins I found in my freezer. These muffins were fantastic! I, of course, don't know where the recipe came from, or remember how, I made them. I think it's with spelt and there is definitely cardamon in it. I found some chocolate chunks too. Other than that I'm at a loss. I want to make a big batch of these!

I just cancelled the gym since L is still sleeping. I always feel a wave of guilt rush over me when I do cancel. Not for the reason that most people probably do, but more so, for the reason of how I am going to expend my energy today. Doing so in a manner that won't drive everyone nuts. It usually turns into a frantic housecleaning session, coupled with jumping jacks, in between this frenzied cleaning dance. True story.

Then I go and do something stupid like brewing another french press worth of Yerba Mate. Real smart.

A little sunshine would be nice to go with the 50 degree weather. I know! I know! Quit my complaining. See, I love this little fake spring renewal, I do! Please don't get me wrong, but, you do know, it is going to get cold again,right? When this inevitable change occurs watch out for all of the crabby people. I most likely, will be one of them, this is why, I am prepping for the crash. We are being taken for a little bit of a mind fuck right now. It might be a little easier landing if we start pulling our heads out of the clouds now.

Having all of this time to myself this morning has made me feel rejuvenated. It would have been nice if it would have happened yesterday instead of today but nonetheless I will take it.What's one day missed at the gym to have a morning to ponder my thoughts in silence. It's pretty untouchable.

It's been so wonderful that I am sitting here almost peeing my pants in fear of waking up L when I venture upstairs to use the toilet. Only having one bathroom can be a real downer at time. When we were ready to purchase this house their was an offer to install a downstairs bathroom that we passed on. The main reason is the placement of it wasn't ideal for us, even though, the previous owner had a pretty sweet priced deal through a person she knew. Two, we didn't really think we would need it and boy has that proved wrong. In the last week, I have walked in on L, a few times, just lounging on the toilet. It's only going to get worse as she gets older isn't it?

L just came downstairs and within moments, noticing the depletion of the massive snow hills, in the yard, excitedly said "Oh look there's our fire pit! Is it spring or summer then?!"

Last night I made mock tuna salad from some of the leftover carrot pulp. Google it and you'll see I haven't gone off the pulp deep end. I am rapidly approaching it,almost teetering, on the edge, yet still here. I did have to add some water since our leftover pulp is on the dryer side. Perhaps this is a sign of a good juicer? I added water in lieu of more mayo. I can see how one could go overboard with the mayo on a recipe such as this one. It wasn't that bad! Not as good as the mock tuna salad using chickpeas but passable. I used powdered kelp as well to give it more of a from the sea taste.

Have you seen this? What a great idea! I am so down with this. I looked into the local chapter which looks like it is still in the early stages of growth.

I am brewing way more kombucha than we can drink. I could drop down to, only two brews and my problem would be solved, but this, sounds like, much, more fun. As of now, I could swap kraut,kimchi, homemade laundry soap and kombucha. Anyone interested?

I have this recipe planned for later today. I really thought I was done with red cabbage. I thought I managed to do the unmanageable and burn myself out. I had a few friends swear this would reunite me and my love of red cabbage. We'll see if my flame is rekindled. I should mention how much I love her website. I could totally see myself hitting it off with her. I like her style.

I guess I should mention another crush I have and it's from this wonderful lady. This sounds awesome.

Flipping through my reader today I found these tasty gems:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

And I love this!

Silence should never be underestimated.

2011-02-16T10:03:00.000-06:00

I decided not to take L and myself to the gym on the morning of my down day. I could have used the steam, which perhaps, maybe later this evening, I will. I just recently found out, that during the weekday evenings the big kids babysitting, which is 5 years and up, one doesn't need a reservation. It's walk in style. This is awesome if I decide to steam early this evening at midtown as it is only a 5 minute bike ride away. Also, the sun is setting later, as nightfall, is always a deterrent for us in the winter.

Saturday morning is our other down day and thus far the mornings have been pretty busy with activities for L and myself so Wednesday is our true "lazy" morning.

I have a loaf of bread that is soon to be baked in the next hour. I started it last night at 6 pm. This particular loaf is, 2 cups white whole wheat and 1 cup spelt, totaling 365 grams of flour. I have never made this loaf without including some bread flour so we shall see. I wanted to eliminate bread flour completely once the last bag ran out. The white whole wheat is King Arthur brand and the spelt I ground myself. We actually had to exchange the white whole wheat we had picked up from Whole Foods due to it being rancid. C bought the bag on a solo shopping trip. Upon getting the bag home he noticed that there was a rip in the bag.

When I went to use the flour, immediately upon opening the bag, I could smell the rancidness of the flour. I gave it the benefit of the doubt, thinking perhaps, maybe, this is the way that this certain brand smelled. Oh no, it definitely, had too much air exposure. After swapping it out and opening the new one I knew that the decision to return the previous bag was a right one.

I received, yesterday, my third request to ship some of my granola! Perhaps, I should package and sell this ~~crack~~ granola. I'm definitely not sharing the recipe,especially, when one can charge this much a pound! Crazy! and the ingredients aren't even organic unlike mine!

You know what I miss? I miss the loads of overripe bananas I used to score. It's hard to make peanut butter, chocolate protein powder and banana smoothies, buying unripe bananas, only urging them to ripen,so one can partake in a smoothie after a workout! I used to have, at any given time, a few dozen, overly ripe bananas, in the freezer.

With the prospect of spring around the corner the thought of buying a new dress surfaces. This is a normal occurrence for me. The dress has to be able to encompass three seasons and be worn effortlessly.

In the spring it can be worn with wellies(shopping for these too) and knee highs. Summertime, the dress could be worn biking, or thrown over a bathing suit. In the fall, this dress can be worn with, tights, boots, and a light sweater,also able to withstand a good launching into leave piles. Most importantly though the dress must be machine washable!

This type of dress is never easy to find.

I do fancy these:

If any of this makes sense I will be completely surprised since L woke up pretty much when I did this morning and has been perched upon my shoulder for most of it. I'm thinking the steam room is definitely in my plans for later.

"Luxury is not a necessity to me, but beautiful and good things are."

2011-02-15T07:40:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning still feeling guilty. Yesterday I spaced L's valentine party at her school. L was fine with it,if she were any older, she probably would have been disappointed. As a child I remember scanning the bleachers at my sporting events for my parents. It was a 15 or 20 minute celebration, so nothing really lavish, or overdone for the children, but still, I do feel awful that I missed it.

I may take her with me to my solo Wednesday morning steam and hot tub at mid-town and perhaps swimming in the kiddie pool as well. C has been working these past two weeks, and the rest of this week as well,without a night off. Letting him sleep in on one of our down days would be nice for him as well.

I could also take her to uptown since one of her classmates is usually there on Wednesdays. I really wish the uptown Y had a steam room. Every time I think about it I just can't wrap my head around them not having one! If I go to the uptown gym I will most likely workout, canceling out any benefit, or reason, to having a down day! This is why I like to steam,sauna, and use the hot tub at Midtown Y. I can't stand working out there so there isn't any temptation to do so.

Walker museum is also on the docket for Wednesday. I am planning on taking L to see if her stage of not digging the museums has passed. Oh please, I do hope so! I of course checked out the free pass through our library. Love that program to death.

Today is my weekly weigh in at the gym. I'm not really too focused on that now since I can fit back into all of my jeans. Yes! I figure I have dropped a good 8 lbs of winter food love just in time for the spring. Technically I am striving for 5 more which will be completely stress free as I really just wanted to fit back into everything without feeling like chorizo.

It's been warm enough overnight to lower our thermostat to 59 while sleeping. I have also been setting the temp to 58 when gone for the day. C and I were sharing stories of apartments that we had or shared together that had radiator heat. We were lamenting how one could not control the temp causing for unbearably hot living conditions. How unnatural it was to have a window open in a midwestern winter. Oh and the dryness! I love the look and sound of them that's it. I like to feel some chill during the winter months because it's natural! The same goes with a/c. I don't bust out that a/c until it is downright miserable for sleeping. I think last year I waited until the house temp was low 90's in the evening until installing the window a/c unit. When we do that we blow up an air mattress for L then she can sleep in our room as well. See the thing with that is once you start you feel it becomes a necessity which it almost does because your body loses any sort of acclimation it may have started for the season.

Our kitchen remodel plans sure have changed since moving into this house. I guess that is going to happen when the remodel job gets pushed back further and further and one has time to constantly eye the layout. The plans have definitely been simplified which is awesome. I am glad I waited to remodel and use the kitchen for a good year being able to figure out the negative aspects of the current layout. I have decided to move my metro shelving downstairs into the basement and store my extra appliances such as my wok,dehydrator,crock pot,juicer,etc.
I want to find one of these to replace it:

It doesn't need to have all the bells and whistles some of these come with. I just want the storage space with the cuteness of this. Then I can start the pyrex collection!

Running late.Peace.

pass the dutchie

2011-02-14T07:39:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of lemon myrtle? Me neither. I am on a seeking mission to find it largely due to this recipe. Doesn't that just sound so wonderful?! I love citrus desserts. Well I should use dessert loosely, as she also mentions it's not too sweet,because that's the way she prefers things and so do I. I like all the flavors to come through. When things are too sweet, almost cloyingly so,all one tastes is the sugar. I do know a lot of people prefer things like this due to a built up sugar tolerance. If this sounds like you, forgo sugar for a week, or just a few days, and then eat a banana. That banana will seem so sweet to you.

What about wattleseed? Yeah, me neither! Oh! but I am intrigued and this mission seems like it will be less fruitful. Yes I can always order it online but where is the fun in that?! I like the thrill of the hunt.

You know that shin splint I mentioned, well, guess what I did to help it heal? I ran 7 miles on it yesterday. Yeah real smart. Genius over here. The sad thing is I will probably do something just as dumb today since neither stepmill works for me. Lifetime fitness is starting to sound really appealing. Lifetime at the Grand of course!

I made a big batch of kidney beans last night for chili. This was L's pick for the weekly menu. We haven't had midwestern style chili in quite some time. I have been making chili with pinto beans and black beans with more of a mexican base. Do you know why I am excited for this chili? One word.
Cornbread.

I love me some cornbread. Love,love,love it! I don't make it often as I have a hard time exercising self control. Mainly because I know cornbread doesn't have a long shelf life. It is definitely better hot out of the oven and slowly loses the magic with every passing hour. This is what I tell myself. I prefer more of a traditional southern style cornbread. No sugar, stoneground cornmeal and buttermilk. This time I will use kefir instead of the buttermilk since I have some kefir left. I will also use spelt with the cornmeal or maybe whole wheat pastry. I also use a skillet,duh! I preheat the skillet with some butter in the oven for about 15 minutes before pouring into the pan. I love the crust that forms from the skillet. Yum!

Have a wonderful day!!!

"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way!"

2011-02-13T08:40:00.000-06:00

I had a great day yesterday. The biggest contributing factor was the temp. which reached a high of 40. It felt so good! I can't explain unless you have braved the minus double digits on a bike this winter how completely orgasmic yesterday was.

I took L to HOBT as per usual. This week's show was based on this book. It was by far my favorite one thus far in the Saturday morning installments. I actually welled up! I do think the storyline would get lost on anyone that didn't have children. Again, I love what they do there.

I made two loaves of bread yesterday. The one I made earlier in the day I gave to a friend of mine and unfortunately I do think it was the lesser of the two. The hardest thing about gifting bread for me is to not be able to cut into it and get a look at the crumb. The one I made later in the afternoon that I tried this morning and was very pleased with I took cues from the earlier loaf. I was using the same flour I had ground the day before so I just added around 25 grams more which made a solid loaf for us. I also replaced some of the water with a tablespoon or so of whey. I love the flavor it imparts and must remember to always do so.

Today is the start of our three day gym run. One of the new stepmills the gym purchased wasn't calibrated to the users weight right. If user is under a certain weight the machine doesn't register that anyone is standing on it. It would work for C but not myself that's how we figured out what was wrong with it. Up until that point we were just signing up for number two which has no problems and rotating turns. The other day something went wrong with the signup so I was forced to get back on the treadmill if I wanted to get my full cardio in. I ended up totaling just over 7.5 miles and now it seems as if I have a shin splint from it.

Major downer.

Shin splints are by far one of the most tedious injuries. One doesn't realize how much of a roll they play until injured. I guess this answers my question if I needed new running shoes or not. Running on a treadmill doesn't wear down the soles as fast as running outside would. This makes it difficult to judge the wear and replace the shoes promptly. Unfortunately, it takes an injury such as this to answer that question.

We've picked out our seeds for this season,almost doubling,our previous space. This always makes me nervous with the CSA leftovers. I am never certain how reliable the CSA participants will be during a season. I could have a group of people really into it leaving us very little or people flaking and leaving us a huge surplus of veggies. When that happens it's already overwhelming as it is but to have a huge garden plot of our own on top of that is downright maddening. I am always nervous when planning our own plot because of those reasons.

We picked out our fruit trees as well. We have decide to go with two different varieties of apples, two grapes varietals, a cherry and one plum. We are still looking into the possibility of a pear tree. We are going to place them along the fence closest to the parking lot that boarders one side of our lot. A fruit tree fence.

I just made some spelt pancakes for L this morning. I let it rest for a two hour rest period and used kefir in place of the milk.This produced the fluffiest spelt pancakes I have made to date. One of these times I will definitely try soaking the batter overnight. We really don't have pancakes often and when we do it is actually just for L. C or myself aren't fans.

Have you tried spelt? If not, you really need to it. I think there are two types, a light and a whole. I grind my own so it's obviously more like the whole spelt flour. I do sometimes sift mine to remove some of the bran when I desire a lighter baked good. Spelt has such a nutty wholesome flavor without the bitterness that wheat can have. It's easier to digest due in part to a lower gluten content. Spelt flour can be exchanged equally for any other flour. The only adaptation I have come across is maybe using less water and letting the flour sit to absorb it. This is something any wholegrain flour benefits from. It really is a wonderful flour and I love it dearly.

Shalom!

Every hero becomes a bore at last.

2011-02-11T08:27:00.000-06:00

I was telling a friend the other day about my new found romance with the collard wrap and she asked if they were bitter. I replied that they weren't but one would think that they would be since collards are bitter by nature. I also mentioned the articles I read about soaking the leaves but didn't deem that step necessary. That was until this last batch of collards that I purchased. They were more mature and definitely had the bitter undertones associated with collards. Not to the point of being too bitter but just enough to remind oneself they were eating raw collard leaves. I suppose the first batch I bought were young and super fresh unlike the latter of the two.

If you decide to try collard wraps this is something you should keep in mind. A quick blanch or soak in salted water should rectify the bitter problem if you come across more mature leaves.

I made this the other day and it was fantastic. The key is to make sure the food processor whips it for awhile to avoid the dreaded sawdust texture of homemade almond butter. L isn't a fan of nut butters which she definitely doesn't get from me. I love any kind of nut butter for reals. I have tried to sneak scoops into her morning porridge only to be detected and refused by her. This stuff, maybe due in part, to the grade B maple syrup, roasted with the nuts, tends to masks the flavor, has gone unnoticed by her sharp taste buds. Needless to say, I have been folding spoonfuls, into anything that will mask it. Yeah take that kiddo!

L has been going through a "I don't like anything" in regards to food stage. Anything she has eaten in the last two months has been served back with harsh criticism. Even her favorite foods are no longer safe. L is on the smaller size for her age and any weight loss is very noticeable. I do know children go through these stages, and she has before, but nothing, as long as this one. I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one. All the greens she used to devour now are met with the upmost disgust that a child of five can portray. As of now porridge is still (thankfully) safe and a large portion of it as well.
Yams, well,really sweet potatoes, are still okay as long as they are peeled,cut into matchsticks and baked @ 500 for 20 minutes.

Eggs are safe too,but only, if served "dippy style" (over easy). Lastly, is yogurt. Yogurt coming in to round out the few foods that haven't been snubbed out. Hopefully this will change when the onslaught of the CSA starts rolling in or we have problems.

These last few days have been bitterly cold pushing well into minus double digits when the windchill is figured into the equation. Wednesday is normally a down day from any scheduled activities so being stuck inside was gingerly accepted. Thursday we were scheduled for the gym and a library run that was cancelled. The temp was -9 with the windchill reaching -15. Harsh indeed.

This week the temps are supposed to climb into the high 30's and low 40's even! I will definitely be getting as much as I can get on the bike.

It's currently -3, which will make the ride to the gym, a focused one, but upon leaving, it should be near 19. I am full with two days of contained house arrest energy that will be unleashed during my workout. I can't wait.

As of now I have some spelt flour and buckwheat soaking with coconut oil and homemade kefir for muffins I plan to bake later tonight. I started the soaking process early evening last night. Soaking takes a little more planning but worth it.

I made chocolate animal crackers for L yesterday which was met with another dismal response. I swear she is portraying teen angst way early!

These are how cute they look:

Cute!

Piggy sprinkled with turbinado sugar.

I'm off to give the gym some of the good stuff. Get some!

needle in the hay

2011-02-10T08:29:00.000-06:00

I'm a good mother. How do I know this? L told me so.

L told me last night while hugging me so tight I felt as if she were to be sucked into my chest cavity once it collapsed from the intense hugging.

I then started to think about her words as I was lying in bed. I then started to believe that maybe she was right, that maybe, I am a good mother. Yes! Yes! That's it! I am a good mother!

I am a good mother,most of the time.

I am a good mother except the times I lose my patience and show as much. Why then do the few instances where I was less than perfect carry more weight on oneself? As I just mentioned there are more good instances than bad, so shouldn't I be walking around, wearing, the good mother halo?

Why do we beat ourselves up when we err but not praise ourselves when our child clearly shows they are happy. When our child uses manners without prompting. When our child has empathy in the right situation. When our child trusts us with all of their being. Didn't we have some part in shaping and molding this little person?

Why are we so hard on ourselves when we fail? I have never given myself a guilt trip like I have when I feel I didn't do so well in the parenting arena. Is it the fear, that my actions, will continue to ping pong back and forth, inside of this little person? Am I looking for only the bad traits, and if found, immediately blaming myself for them?

This job is by far the most complex, with each new year adding more layers to your child's foundation. The foundation that will carry this person into adulthood. Each time something doesn't have the desired outcome do we fear that we just instilled a crumbly layer for them to later work through? That we will (rightly) be blamed for such?

Articles such as this, or this, should ease a little of the guilt. We are here to provide a safe environment for our children. To love them gently, but to guide, firmly. To give them the tools to successfully walk out of the door. To teach common sense.

Nowadays the latter one is far less prevalent then I would like to see.

So the next time you feel like you are a bad parent, because unfortunately, there will be a next time, don't be so hard on yourself. Try and give yourself props for being a good parent without having one of the less than perfect times to prompt it. Or ask your kid and they most likely will think you are the best parent ever...because you are to them and that's really all that matters.

I finally found the perfect way to pop popcorn and that's in my wok. Coupled with the new technique of adding the kernels at the same time as the (peanut) oil and heating together produces perfect popcorn. I used to do the three kernel method, which is heating three kernels until they pop, then adding the rest of the kernels. I found the other method from here and instead of doing the foil I use my wok lid that has a few holes in the side to let the steam escape.

I made my best loaf of crusty overnight fermentation bread yesterday. Every time I make it the results are better then the previous time. This is a good thing! I used bread flour and freshly ground spelt and let it rise for 14 hrs before shaping into a boule and rising for two more hours. The crust paired perfectly with the white bean soup I made. Oh what a perfect day it was for that type of meal.
-15 with windchill made sure to keep me indoors yesterday.

This morning I am off to the gym,followed by the library and then homeward bound. There is supposed to be a warm up for the next few days low 30's to high 30's which as of now is subtropical weather for us. For real.

Namaste.

time to breathe some fire

2011-02-08T07:44:00.000-06:00

I had a pretty busy day around the house yesterday. I took L to school and went to gym. Knocked out a decent workout. I feel great today no soreness like last week. Afterwards I went to Common Roots for tea and then to the wedge to pick up my extra bottles for Kombucha. I think I have enough to bottle and rotate in-between the three brews that I currently have going.

I made yogurt last night that I just put in the fridge upon waking. I normally make half a gallons worth of milk which makes 4 pint jars of yogurt. I didn't have any left from my previous batch but did happen to have a pack of the freeze dried cultures. One pack is only good for a quart of milk so I was forced to make two pints. I have used one pack for half a gallon once by mistake and it did turn out. I do think I had to incubate it way longer though and maybe the texture was a little looser.

I used the other quart of heated milk to make kefir. I have a few of these from a previous making of kefir. The kefir incubates for up to 24 hours unlike yogurt which can be anywhere from 6-12.

I think I may try and flavor half of the kefir with pureed raspberries to make a drink sort of like these but without all of that sugar.

This morning the temperature is -10 with a real feel of -25. Oy Vey! I will have feet that will be numb upon arriving at L's school. When it's this cold normal winter clothing can only manage to provide so much. The light is at the end of the tunnel. Yes spring is around the corner. This is a fact I will need to repeat to myself today. Repeating these words all while my fingers and toes threaten a revolt. Looking forward to each warming pitstop in between.

Tomorrow is normally a down day from the gym but I may take L and myself since C has to go to his oral surgeon in St.Paul for the morning. I wouldn't work out as hard (seriously!) as much as I may just use the time to steam and stretch. I guess it really depends on the temp. If it's as miserably cold as it this morning and I don't have anywhere to be,well...I may just kick it here.

I will end with a quote from L:

"I can't wait until spring and summer so we can dance all around the yard"

Me neither kiddo.

Well you tell that Mick he just made my list of things to do today.

2011-02-06T08:28:00.000-06:00

I had a really chill day yesterday. I took L to see the show at HOTB, afterwards, we went to midtown global to hang with some mama's and their kiddo's. We were there for a few hours,the kids played in the play area, whilst the mamas gabbed. I love meeting up there as the kids seem to enjoy playing with each other in the play area provided. There is no clean up or worries of anything get trashed such is the case when having a home play date. We are able to just round them up and leave. It's really wonderful.

I came home cleaned the house,flipped through some books and finally found my way into the kitchen.

L did have a hard time transitioning from chaotic play to being chill at home. Within 20 minutes of arriving home she had to have a timeout. Timeouts have seemed to slowly creep back into our everyday lives. Bummer.

After she spent some time alone in her room and had time to decompress she was chill again. This made me start to think since it does happen more often then not after we have been out and she has had a lot of stimulation is to implement solo play upon arriving home. When we get home she has to go to her room for 30 minutes or so to decompress allowing her the time to process all of the recent stimulation. This also gives me the time to sit back and decompress as well before going onto the next project. There always seems to be this frantic energy upon arriving home. It could be attributed to the bike ride home, the layers of clothing we all are unraveling in our tiny backdoor entry area or just the change of scenery.

I had a friend give me some eggs from his chickens that were the yolkiest eggs ever. I made a saffron aioli with two of the yolks last night that turned out wonderful. Instead of using a full cup of extra virgin olive oil I used half coconut oil and half olive oil. I was surprised at the lack of coconut flavor which was a great thing as I was worried that it would be to prevalent. I also made it the proper way and that is in a mortar and pestle. The texture is so much better then a food processor and also the chance of the olive oil becoming bitter is reduced. If olive oil is whipped too hard it will become bitter this is why a mortar and pestle works so well. I will say my arms are in much betetr shape then when I was a line cook. My forearm used to burn after just one of the two batches of aioli I had to make for my station. Last night I never got the dreaded cramp and never used a whisk.

Saffron Aioli

When I cooked professionally I had to make a saffron aioli that was served as a dollop on a piece of toasted bread that was positioned on the side of a steaming bowl of mussels. The second was a basil puree aioli that was used for numerous things,a sub for pistou, being one. A trick we used to use to help keep the basil puree vibrant was to grind up two vitamin c tablets in the vita-mix before making the puree. It worked really well.

This has a lot of great mayonnaise ideas. If you have never made your own mayonnaise I highly recommend trying it. I guarantee you will be converted. Remember eggs and good oils are your friends!! Nonfat products that aren't naturally nonfat are your enemy. If you can remember those two things you will find yourself full and satiated much quicker then with those other products.

Another one is to move more. Legs are a wonderful thing! Oh, the places they can take us!

Spring is the time for walking. It's the time to watch the winter unfold and the new season bursting from beneath. Stretching little shoots weaving their way through the awakened soil. Tree buds bursting with the promise of providing shade that will soon be needed. Birds feverishly chattering and collecting supplies to build their nests.

Sadly though I see a lot of "runners" in the spring. Runners being that they really aren't. Running hasn't happened since the previous summer for them. People that realize they have winter weight and want to knock it off quick by spring jogging. Oh the pain that is emanating from their joints is as obvious as the addiction of the person loitering outside of a liquor store. Why not just walk for awhile until your body is able to jog in a manner that doesn't elicit "Oooh's" and "Ouch" responses from people passing by. Seriously.

Today I will not be watching that game. I am off to the gym, afterwards, I am taking L sledding at the park near our house. I will then be placing our seed orders from these guys. The cover of the current issue is downright gorgeous! I also have to plan our menu for the next week or so. Jesus I have enough cookbooks at this time to do so. I am boarding on the brink of library book hoarder as of now.
For real.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention the baba ganoush I made last night! It turned out wonderful. the texture was perfect and this I contribute to chopping the eggplant after roasting whole in a 400 degree oven until blackened. I then added the chopped eggplant to my mortar which I had already crushed three cloves of garlic in. The remaining ingredients being salt,lemon juice,tahini, a pinch of cumin and smoked paprika to make the most perfect baba I have ever made. Unlike the food processor which can make the eggplant runny and gelatinous the mortar and pestle action made the eggplant creamy and fluffy. Boy do I love having a mortar and pestle. Another great thing is the ease of cleanup. Seriously, it's as simple as a little soap and water with a swipe of the sponge unlike the pain in the ass of cleaning a food processor, Cleaning it by hand, mind you. The food processor has so many little nooks for gunk to build up in. Ewww.

Alright I am off. Ciao.

you go first.

2011-02-05T09:15:00.000-06:00

I just discovered this book and instantly reserved it through the library. I am pretty excited to flip through this one. Obviously it's about the foundation of a recipe and the basic ratios that make them work. I have the basic quick bread currently cooking in the oven. I used spelt flour in place of APF because APF is pointless and not to mention the horrible gummy taste! I used sucanat as my sugar and yogurt thinned with almond milk as my liquid. My add-in's were,yep,you guessed it,pulp! I used a carrot, apple and ginger pulp mixture. I added zest from one orange,fresh chopped coconut, and frozen raspberries. Yes! I am still working on my raspberry supply from the fall. I love that bush! I used a combo of coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil. It has a wonderful rise to it although it is taking longer then stated which always adds concern that the middle will never cook.

It's Saturday morning so L and I are heading to HOBT to see the free puppet show. Afterwards we are heading over to midtown global market to meet up with some mama's and kiddos for some playtime. I then need to come home and give this house a good scouring. As in down on the hands and knees floor cleaning. Then I will sit back hopefully with a moment of silence and breathe in the cleanliness. I love that first few minutes of taking in a throughly cleaned house.

Yes,yes..OCD..blah,blah,blah.

C bought me this edition of the Bartlett Familiar Quotes so now I can geek out on my quotes without having to send the book back to the library.

What I really like about this book is that if I find a quote I like and I am unaware of the person who said it then I can find out more information on them and read the books authored by them. This isn't in the book I just happened across this the other day and loved it:

“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.” Mary Anne Radmacher.

Word.

This morning I wasn't as sore as I have been the last two mornings. It is more of that "good sore" gym feeling. I can feel that I have strengthened the muscle but not to the point where it is debilitating. I soaked last night in some new bath salts I purchased bulk from WF's with a handful or two of epsom and that really seemed to help. I was in pretty rough shape last night only able to bend at the waist and come near the floor with my fingertips. My hamstrings were as tight as a belt on Thanksgiving.

It feels good to be back on a healthy regimen. It's funny how everything starts to fall into place when one cleanses their body and amps up their exercise. I start to notice it instantly with my food choices. Fruit seems sweeter, bread is more filling and honestly the less the food is cooked the more delicious. I can see how the raw food movement is still alive.

This is how the bread looks since coming out of oven

Not too shabby.

Thought I would also throw in some random photos that were on the camera when I uploaded pictures. I really never post "real" photos here,do I?

yes she is on the floor with a homemade pizza!

my new favorite fresh squeezed carrot and ginger juice.

collard wrap with sweet potato hummus,avocado,sprouts and slaw.

(tofu sunday brunch rancheros)

tofu rancheros pre baked

Tofu rancheros baked with cheese.

Homemade bread.

Socca

Off to see the show. Peace.

He is now fast rising from affluence to poverty

2011-02-04T08:14:00.001-06:00

Ouch! I am sore! My hamstrings have not loosened up as I was hoping they would have. Tomorrow is my gym down day so I just have to knock this one out. I put in a solid 2 hour workout yesterday not including the pulling of the trailer into a headwind en route to the gym. I have fallen back into my routine quite nicely. I am always surprised at the mental clarity more then the physical shaping that happens.

I have been thinking much clearer and with much more positive thoughts. My mind is as energetic as the rest of me. It's really a nice sort of natural buzz.

Today is C's birthday which sadly he will be working this evening. I didn't bake a cake which feels downright wrong. C is trying to lose his winter weight before spring so I didn't want to tempt him. I could always make something with pulp! Seriously, this pulp thing is getting out of hand. I do plan on making up some chocolate chip cookies from some dough I have in the freezer from a previous batch I made. I'll probably slather a healthy swipe of ice cream in between two cookies and stick a candle in it and voile! An ice cream cookie celebration.

Tonight is Friday which is L's and mine "sleepover" night. We have popcorn, or well, I do, since L doesn't like popcorn. I know, right?! L has her snack of choice and we will watch a movie, or do some craft, sometimes both. I'll read a longer chapter book that we have been knocking out and then we'll cuddle together until we fall asleep together. We enjoy it and I would love to think it will continue on for a long,long,time.

Have I mentioned how much I love collard wraps? Well I do and this quote pulled from this collard tutorial pretty much nails the feeling afterwards:
Then there was how great I felt after eating it. Satiated and energized, but not full. Treated, but not guilty

I haven't done the soaking step it hasn't seemed necessary for me. I did have them at room temp common sense being that the warmer the leaf the more pliable it will be. Another reason to look forward to the mounds of collards that the CSA brings forth.

One fist up.

leased space

2011-02-03T08:18:00.000-06:00

(aren't these doors wonderful!)

The seed catalogs have started coming! This is always such a welcoming sign in the midst of winter. It's a friendly reminder that seeds can soon be put into this frozen tundra. Things will grow again.

I want to grow eggplant this season. It would also be nice to establish an asparagus patch as well.
We also want to throw a few fruit trees along the fence that borders the parking lot of the business directly next to us. Not only will they bear fruit(hopefully) they'll work as a fence too. We definitely need to rework our yard. Do I know anyone with landscaping knowledge? I need some serious advice on what to do with that yard! Our soil quality is not so great but I did find around two dozen morels in our yard last year! OOoohh I had forgotten about that. Another plus to spring coming.

L received her 5 year old booster yesterday and now she is up to date and ready to start kindergarden. We submitted her application for Dowling as our first choice and Seward Montessori as our second. Both decent choices and I guess she is guaranteed one of them. Not bad. Seward Montessori is within walking distance of our house which is a super plus. I can't even tell you how awesome that would be especially if my hands are tied up with another endeavor next fall.

I am brainstorming over here. A lot of ideas on the wheel. Must do something!

Alright so I am hooked on carrot juice. I seem to get a really energetic high from it. I have been stirring a tablespoon or so, enough to still make it palatable, of the pulp back into the glass, so I am not losing all of that fiber. I have also been using the pulp in muffins. I did a google search last night to see what other people are doing with their pulp and I was pleasantly surprised to see that some of my ideas were already in use. Successfully so.

I am going to try to dehydrate some and add into dips. The great thing about dehydrating is that if it's done properly the product lasts indefinitely. I also read of people freezing it into flat blocks, like I do with my soups, only to break off a piece here and there and add to soups,pasta sauces,etc.
When all else fails there is always the compost pile. I want zero waste.

Speaking of zero waste I am also looking into collecting our grey water. I saw a really cool display on making houses that much more efficient and if it's feasible in our near future I am all over it. We also need to get our rain barrels this spring. L is really good about not running the water whilst brushing her teeth or washing her hands. I implemented that rule very early on so now it's just second nature.

Gym this morning and then afterwards is pretty much an open docket. I do need to pick up more bottles to bottle my kombucha. I am a few short so this puts pressure on us to drink it so I can continue to keep bottling the batches that are ready.

Namaste.

I love you write that.

2011-02-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

I woke up with the intent to go to a 7am yoga class at midtown this morning. Upon standing my hamstrings instantly alerted me to their strained state. It's that motivating ache after a great gym session that makes me want to do it all over again. One may not see the results right away but to feel that ache is such a great feeling. I managed to knock off 5 lbs last week which means I have all month to lose that last 6. I'm already feeling a clearer train of thought.

The mind connecting with the body and working as one is not to be underestimated.

My last three minutes on the treadmill I had to continuously train my mind to stay focused. I was pushing it so hard that my mind was screaming out,my eyes darting back and forth,taking in any visual thrown in my sight. It was almost as if everything was in hyperdrive. I had it made it 27 minutes at a good clip I wasn't giving up those last three. My heart rate was at 171 when I finished and I wasn't winded. That is a good sign.

I'm taken L to her yearly checkup today and then swinging by the library to pick up my holds. I think I may have gone a little overboard on the reserving! These are just a few of the lot:

One.

Two.

Three.

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Ah! My food is also filled with poetry and philosophy.

At this moment I have pita dough proofing which I will bake off before taking L to her appointment.
Last night I used the last of the pizza dough from a few nights ago. The extra few days of fermenting in the fridge made it quite tasty. I also learned a new trick via these guys pertaining to the placement of the pizza stone when using. I had always done what I think most people do and that is place the stone on the lowest rack in the oven for the hottest heat. The current issue of CI debunks this theory and suggests putting the stone and oven rack about 4 inches from the top of the oven. I know,right?! Crazy, but it did work. The theory is that the lower the rack the crust dries out quicker before cooking top of pizza. When the rack is raised the heat deflects off of the roof of the oven to help cook top of pizza while the preheated stone cooks the crust simultaneously. If you picture a pizza oven at a restaurant they are quite narrow from top to bottom.

I love the geeks at Cooks Illustrated. I used to subscribe to their magazine but decided to drop my subscription when I quit eating meat. Now I just flip through each current issue when I see it at the newsstand and buy it only if it has a lot of useful tips that interest me. The pizza issue could not go without being purchased!
Also, they showed the best way to season a cast iron pan and shockingly it's with flaxseed oil! It's a good issue to own.

The current Saveur issue is also a really good one.

I used to use this,quite a bit and swore by it, then it just fell out of my routine. It sucks how that happens sometimes! Anyway, I was thrilled to find that it's just as easy to make yourself. I soaked in it last night and it was wonderful.

I like window frost art.

I like L's belly laughs.

I like egg cups.

I like a perfectly ripe avocado.

I like nice tree lines.

I like laying in tall grass beneath a summer sun with flowers between my toes.

I like the smell of risen dough.

I like this tea. It's surprisingly good.

I like when hardboiled eggs peel easy.

I like being a brunette.

I like that I birthed an almost 10 lb and 21.5 inch baby naturally.

I like Jay-Z. A lot.

I like La Perla.

Some people resemble ballads which are only sung for a certain time.

2011-02-01T07:40:00.000-06:00

L put herself to bed last night. I gave her a snack and told her afterwards to brush her teeth and I would be up to read her some books. I was finishing the last of the dishes when she went up to do her final steps. Normally, she will come back down but after 20 minutes and a wave of silence washed over the house I decided to go peek on her. Sure enough, she was out cold and it was only 6:10! I guess she was overly tired.

Lately she has been in bed and asleep by 7. Really ever since she had that 24 hr bug last week. I do think she is having a growing stage as well not just because the early cash outs but also her snarky behavior. Wowzah! It's been gnarly. So maybe she is getting so tired of how nasty she's being that she just wants to shut down and make it go away. I completely understand.

My new favorite homemade juice is carrot and ginger. I use anywhere from 6 to 10 carrots,dependent on size, with a knob of ginger thrown in as well. So good and helps me work on maintaining my winter tan. Ha!

I'm back on the muffin train. Whoa! not that muffin train, come on, that was a long time ago and I was broke...OH wait, yeah, muffins, like muffin tins.

Anyway, I think they are the perfect food and I am completely satiated afterwards.

I made a batch of spelt muffins with some rye flour thrown in as well. I used 1/4 c. of grade B maple syrup and 1/4 c. brown rice syrup as my sweetener. I zested an orange, added 1/2 c. fresh squeezed orange juice,1/4 c yogurt,a cup of pomegranate seeds,chopped some fresh coconut and chocolate into chunks, 1/2 c.coconut oil and threw in a cup of the spent carrot,apple and orange pulp from juicer. For a recipe that I created on the fly it was pretty decent. A lot of sweetness came from the juice and pulp which I like. The pulp probably upped the fiber content as well.

I have decided on creating one muffin recipe a week. I am looking forward to making some savory ones as well. When the greens start rolling in from the CSA I am so all over the greens and cheese muffins.

Did I mention how much I am loving this book. Well I am and I suggest you check it out too! It's perfect for this time of year. This cookbook also contains little tips throughout which I am a sucker for. I love when I learn something new towards cooking as it doesn't happen that often. Could be because I am always reading and perusing cookbooks.

The greenway was plowed yesterday and was in much better condition than the shoulders of the main streets. I can't say how the side streets were, since I avoided them, like the plague. It snowed again last night, just an inch or so, nothing like the storm the midwest and east coast is supposed to receive. I would have liked another, few inches, or so, to freshen up the sledding hill. We were at 50 inches January 1st which is what we top out at during a full winter season. I think December is when we received the bulk of it and that was 30 something inches during that month alone. I do think it was a record breaking month.

L is up and she is wearing the crappy pants again today. Jeez, hopefully this means I will get a skip on the teen angst years. What does a 5 year old have to be crabby about, right?!!

peace of crass

2011-01-31T07:45:00.000-06:00

Snow! I am crossing my fingers for a plowed greenway. If the greenway isn't plowed that means taking one of the sketchiest streets to L's school. This aforementioned street is super sketch with good driving conditions! Wish us luck!

L made herself a necklace from a necklace building kit she received as a gift for Christmas. L slept wearing the necklace to bed as with anything that she becomes completely enamored with. This morning upon waking she asked if she could wear the necklace to school only to instantly rectify her question to wearing it just in the trailer on the way. Once arriving at school she will take it off and tuck it into one if the trailer's pouches until we pick her up again. I was helping her get dressed while she was still wearing said necklace and realized that her turtleneck would be covering the necklace. I then said she could wear it underneath and no one would no about it and that it could be our little secret.

This is when I got schooled on "No,that wouldn't be right,Mama!" "Rules are meant to be followed"
If I were to wear the necklace then I would be breaking the rules and that's not good.
Let's just say it was hard to feel proud of her determined behavior to listen and follow rules when she was clearly pointing out that I was a rule breaker!

Running late because I managed to shovel all of our front and back walkways earlier. Namaste my friend.

What if Rosa Parks had a car?

2011-01-30T12:06:00.000-06:00

Too much mate today!! Whee! Sometimes, when I decide to stay in for the morning and not hit up the gym, that second pot,albeit a half, always sounds so good. Until I get that cracked out feeling, like now. I have already maniacally cleaned the house,absorbed the zen feeling for about a second only zooming off to vacuum the rubber seals on the refrigerator door. True story!

The sun just came out! After I finish up around here I am taking a long walk today. I pulled L in the trailer yesterday and I think it aggravated that pinched nerve. Oy Vey, how long is this going to take to heal?!

Yesterday I thawed some of my basil puree cubes from the basil harvest last summer. I stirred them into the individual bowls of the minestrone just before serving. Quite tasty and also set the olfactory memories into play. I froze them as individual cubes in an ice cube tray, sealing them, a few to a bag, with the foodsaver. It sealed them so well the vibrant green color remained.

March will be clean out the freezer month. This seems like it will work out well allowing us more time to be outside hopefully doing more free riding on the bikes. Spring was always like that for us in Chicago. We would be out running errands and just cruising the streets getting home only to have to make dinner at 7. It's nice to pull out a frozen slab of soup and have an instant homemade meal.
By slab I do mean a slab! I freeze the soup in a gallon ziploc bag, squeezing out as much air as possible, then freeze them lying flat on a sheet tray, in the freezer. This allows for much better deep freezer storage. I can stack them like books.

I made a really good batch of hummus this morning. It's been awhile since I have had a batch turn out well. Once the batch is off it's near impossible to try and correct it. Trust me I have tried and finally given up and ended up with (enter bean of choice) mystery dip. It's funny how far off the taste of hummus can stray! No longer recognizable as a chickpea based dish. These last few batches of hummus have actually elicited groans when I tried to cheerfully make my family aware of the new batch of hummus that needs to be eaten. Somewhere along the way maybe mentioning that it's not exactly my best batch but it still needs to be used!

I know I mentioned we bought a juicer and how wonderful it will be when all the CSA stuff starts rolling in but we have actually been enjoying it now as well. Our local co-op has marked down produce that is either bruised or on it's way out. Most of the damage is really purely cosmetic. This is where I used to get those massive mounds of ripe bananas that were perfect for our smoothies and freezing for later baking. Unfortunately,or fortunately for them, they figured out their ordering system with the bananas as I have not been able to procure any ripe ones since then.

Lately though we have been getting bags of discounted oranges,apples and tangerines. Generally 3 lbs or more for about 2 bucks! Yesterday C brought home 10 organic pomegranates for four dollars! Today we are going to juice them. I do still need to peel them since they contain a pith. Thankfully, I know the easiest and cleanest way to peel pomegrantes.

Since I cut all sugar this week, not that I was a big indulger anyway, I have noticed how much sweeter things taste again. A banana that was not overly ripe, but just yellow, seemed like such a treat to me. It was also very satiating when I wanted that after meal sweet. L has refused things such as chocolate chip cookies that I recently made for C denouncing them as "too sweet".
I in return made her whole wheat pastry and cornmeal raspberry muffins only sweetened with 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup brown rice syrup which she loved. The tartness of the raspberries was the most pronounced flavor for sure.

I do remember two summers ago when I was eating zero sugar (caffeine as well) I would make muffins I thought were fairly sweet, passing them out to friends, only to be received with a lukewarm reception. Them not being sweet enough was the biggest complaint. I just couldn't understand how they weren't that sweet to them but plenty sweet for me. Ah ha! So, the more sugar one eats, the more of a tolerance, one builds up . Genius.

No likes list today as I don't want to tell too much about myself. Ah the humor.

hath cometh.

2011-01-29T08:51:00.000-06:00

Oh what a difference a week or so can make! I am brimming with ideas. The wheels are turning again,the cobwebs have come down, my art repository is filling and I have engaged all my senses. I am dancing a jig. I have an idea. A good idea. I am going to remain taciturn until I see if it is feasible. Nonetheless though it is a great idea. Stay tuned!

Today my morning will consist of making a pot of minnestrone. The soup also known as "purge the refrigerator vegetable bins" soup. Afterwards, I am taking L to the free Saturday morning puppet show held at Heart of the Beast. I love the work they do!

Afterwards we are going to the Bell Museum. Seriously, for real this time! If L is still keeping it together I will swing by the library and grab my books that are being held.

I'm making our pizza dough tonight for our dinner tomorrow night. Overnight ferment makes the best crust.Trust. I use white whole wheat with a little spelt too.

I did watch the Parking Lot movie and it was good. I thought it started off kind of shaky but redeemed itself a third of the way into it. There were some great one-liners scattered throughout the movie.

Prioritize! I am teaching L the fundamentals of prioritizing or trying to. At times we can have conflict when we are trying to get out of the house in a timely manner. So to avoid these clashes we
have been verbalizing our check off list and putting them into a sequence with numbers.
I'll try anything since L has become slower as she has gotten older.

Oh, none of the "I'm a big girl,I can do it myself" stuff is said around here. It has become more of a:

"Mama, Could you help me clean my room?" "Mama, Can you help me clean my mess up?"

No problem, but somehow, I am the only one that ends up doing the cleaning! I turn around and she is off making another mess!

Running out of time. Shalom!

I like fresh grated nutmeg.

I like effortlessly weaving in and out of congested traffic.

I like when the cap goes on in one screw.

I like when saran wrap tears easily and doesn't wad up before getting on the target item.

I like citrus zest as an instant mood booster.

I like Pre de Provence soaps.

I like a freshly cleaned house.

I like the smell just before a thunderstorm.

I like steel cut oats unlike rolled oats.

I like functional and fashionable.

I like Friday nights with L.

I like Sociology.

nailed

2011-01-28T08:13:00.000-06:00

I had L in bed before 7 last night. In bed sleeping before 7. I figured she was probably exhausted from fighting that 24 hour bug she just had. I took advantage of the unexpected early evening and quiet house. I was going to watch this movie. I have been meaning to make the time to do so. I definitely could have done so last night, but instead, I chose to think. A few new library books, coupled with my thoughts, but mainly, I chose to think.

A glorious uninterrupted thinking session. It was wonderful.

"It is annoying to be honest, to no purpose." Ovid

This quote reigns true with myself. I have always been honest. Honest to the point of being brutal. Call me if you want to know how you really look in that outfit!

C and I have been working through a few rough patches this winter. I swear this winter has been very comparable to a stay in the overlook hotel. When summer comes everything will seem so easy!
We have decided to seek outside help. We had to do this a few years ago and it really helped set our goals back on track. I am a big believer in a neutral outside perspective.

As I have stated before: we all have areas that constantly need improvement; we are always changing as individuals. Some people don't have the will, strength and or tools, to do it themselves. As long as the focus and drive is toward the same goals, then by all means, one should strive to make them happen.

Today is supposed to reach the low 30's as a high. That is a tropical heatwave! We have the gym this morning until 11:30 and if L is still cooperating we'll be taking the stroller for a long stroll afterwards.
I happened to checkout another pass for the Bell Museum since we were unable to go last week perhaps we'll end up there.

Whatever it is that we do it'll have to be on the free end! It's that time of winter that things get super tight for us and will remain that way until March. Jeez!

No wonder why we are full of the crazies over here. Broke, relationship conflicts, one of the snowiest winters, entwined with brutal, record breaking arctic temps, surely becomes a melange of depressing factors for us to work through!

The other day a fuse blew in our kitchen shutting down the refrigerator and stove. Once the fuse was replaced it seems as if my oven is now running properly. I thought the fan may have been switching on too often and running too long. It almost seemed louder too. I would catch the fan fail light coming on, only to switch off, within a matter of seconds, while the fan was still running. So I sort of shrugged it off as an annoyance but otherwise it works sort of thing.

Needless to say resetting the blown fuse seems to have helped. Thankfully, because with an oven like mine I can imagine how hard it is to find a specialist to come out and work on it.

I like bananas and peanut butter together.

I like watching L sleep.

I do like hot epsom baths now.

I like when the first seedlings start shooting skywards.

I like the smell of gardenias.

I like my mortar and pestle.

I like a grilled sandwich.

I like subtle and witty humor with slight sarcasm.

I like the smell of old books.

I like finding old photographs of people I don't know.

I like the high of a good thrift score.

I like knowing people that have had babies at home.

I like grinding my own flours.

I like picking peaches fresh from a tree and biting into one that is still warm from the sun.

roll up

2011-01-27T08:13:00.001-06:00

Until I get back on track here which I have given myself a very firm month of discipline to do so I am going to try and mention a few likes with every post. Or when I feel the need to send myself a reminder that it isn't going to remain frigid and cold forever. That there are a few things that can overcome the gloom which can be the month of February.

I like soaking and dehydrating my nuts.

I like a cookbook that also tells a story as well.

I like when I get reader comments. It makes me feel less crazy as if someone else is really listening!

I like kimchi. There is never any dish kimchi can't help.

I like the feeling of accomplishment.

I like a freshly made bed with sheets off of the clothesline.

I like creating which in return allows my hands never to become idle.

I like handwriting.

I like goats.

I like letterpress.

I like Kathleen Hanna.

I like fresh out of the oven cornbread.

I like writing.

So yes! A month without (any)sugar and very little breads too. Boo. Hiss. Something needs to change and if it's not going to be my activity level then I shan't eat as I normally do. The type of eating where I allow myself anything. That is fine when I am biking, like every minute, of daylight. Oh! I cannot wait to roll the Big Dummy out.

I can honestly say this is the least active I have been in years. Not intentionally, as much as it being, out of necessity, towards the winter elements. When I am on a good regimen I am going to the gym 5 solid days a week. This month my goal will be 4 days of cardio and strength training with one day of yoga. I must retrain my mind and all the rest will naturally follow.

L spent the better part of yesterday sleeping. L woke up complaining of a stomach ache, although, she never did vomit, which is a major plus for us all! I did notice she had a slight fever so I made her a makeshift lounge area on the couch. C had yesterday off so he ran all of our errands while I stayed home with her. See! The thought of me never leaving the house at all during a day would have made me die a thousand horrible deaths a year ago!

My pinched nerve is better. I have gained back some of my motion even though it still hurts when I fully expand my lungs. Another reason to baby step today's gym session. Remember, I must work back up to that level of fitness. Repeat!

L told me yesterday that she wanted to be an illustrator of children's books. Oh! I loved hearing that one! This is the newest addition to the dentist,dishwasher, and "cooker" threesome she's been spieling for awhile now.

I do think she has a creative eye and that could be a natural talent.

I need to throw in a few museums this month as well. I also wanted to see this movie and had planned on doing so Sunday evening before I messed my back up. If it's still playing this week I will try my hardest to catch it. One thing I have never liked about living in smaller cities is the lack of early movie showings. It doesn't always have to be a weekend to have a matinee!

Root down.

2011-01-26T09:02:00.000-06:00

You know what I love? I love the feeling that surges through me when I cross over a freeway on a pedestrian walkway. I realize how lost I was with my thoughts only to be snapped out of them with a surge of energy that is happening beneath my feet. I like to stand right near the fence,wrap my fingers around the metal,close my eyes and let my mind go still again. I can feel the shake of the bridge,hear the zip of the cars barreling under my feet and I am still. Still in motion and thought. I feel completely engulfed by energy. I can feel the rush and eagerness of the tires. I can see my breath swirling through the interlocking elbows of chain link. Floating away from the frenzy beneath. I turn and walk away regathering my thoughts.

I love this book. I have not been so excited towards a book of this nature since discovering the Oxford Dictionary as a child. I would curl up with that bulky book that was standard issue in every household devouring new words. I never tired of it as it was the only book that I would continually turn towards throughout my early 20's and those long sleepless nights, that turned into days, would find me with that big blue book within my reach. As of late the Bartlett has become that book.

It's like going to a party filled with all the best people and their best one-liners.

I like really good chalk.

I like when the sun is shining on a fresh blanket of snow.

I like bikes.

I try and believe in humanity.

I like a proper cup of tea.

I like the unusual smell of parsnips.

I like having girlfriends to whom I can tell anything.

I like comics. Not Marvel style but this style: My first foray into comics. I like shortcomings. I like blankets as well. Epileptic is on the list too.

I like getting geeked over the outcome of a bread recipe.

I like alfalfa sprouts. Adding hippie to a sandwich since 1990.

I like when I am at my best.

I like documentaries.

I like books.

I like my workspace.

C and I are going to start rereading some of the great classics together and discuss them together. Per my request. Even though he cheapened the situation by stating "It's like having our own book club" *said in his heckle voice*. I remember knowing a couple that did this every so often especially when they were struggling with their relationship. Perhaps sharpening ones wits with the other helps rebuild a new foundation? Or sharing an interest and passion ignites the same.

I have a pinched nerve in my mid to upper back region. The pain is more focused around my left shoulder blade.I actually mentioned in a previous post a few weeks ago that I had a sore muscle in that region. Being aware that the muscle was sore I was trying to stretch it out on Sunday morning when there may or may not have been a sound followed by me freezing into the position I was in. I had to slowly unwind myself only to gasp with every twist and turn it took for me to climb into bed. Sunday was pretty much spent like that.

I would occasionally get up to use the bathroom (no bedpans here!) and to stretch my other muscles. Monday morning I went to see a doctor and of course he didn't tell me anything I didn't know already. I don't know why I even bothered since there was really nothing he could do.

I became more worried when I realized that the pain was also in my chest region. I guess the muscle that is pinched runs around my ribcage and becomes irritated when I fully expand my thorax.
So needless to say I have been taking it easy. I have managed to get out and take a few walks for a couple of hours. Which has probably helped me cling to any sanity that I have left. Also I didn't want to miss this heat wave we are experiencing!

January is almost done and this means one more full month of gnarly winter biking is left.

indexing

2011-01-24T08:59:00.004-06:00

There are downs with the ups. It's quite inevitable. When the ups tend to reach sky soaring proportions with twisty turning corners overlapping with bursts of artistic energy the down can seem as if the bottom was pulled out quite quickly. It's like driving over one of these, slowly proceeding forward, with caution, knowing backing up isn't an option. I much prefer to move forward. I always have and at times did it with breakneck speeds. I was the ballerina in the musical jewelry box but instead of slowly knocking out Swan Lake I was set at a higher rpm. As if one forgot to switch the settings when adding the smaller vinyl. Frantically, turning and turning, until eventually the gears jam. They no longer want to paddle and grasp each other with interlocking harmony.The will is met with a pencil shaving of steel and a disagreeable groan from either side. The shavings, as fragile as they may seem, still hold so many possibilities, of piercing any exposed flesh.

Thankfully, the box was stuck open so climbing out was an option. It was the better choice. We held hands and smiled. And with birth came rebirth.

I am the type of person that once they move past and beyond something that's it. No revisiting that stage as there are too many plays of my own too create. Classics are meant for rereading not present prose. The present is meant for being in that exact moment. Our past is to reflect upon that moment. Our future is the next breath.

I do see myself as an extremely positive, to the point of being naive at times, person. I see greatness where others may not. I look, contorting and molding, until the beauty seeps out. I do apologize for the previous dreadful post. I am definitely going through a rocky patch and just like any normal person I go and painfully spread it out for the whole world to read. Oh? Wait, you don't do that? Ah. I see. Well.... I have never claimed to be quiet. Honestly, quiet is never pictured when one thinks of me. That much I do know.

Quite frankly, I find quiet utterly and completely boring.

And taking a quote posted yesterday from a fantastically hot spaniard whom happens to be my cousin.

"When I get sad,I stop being sad and be awesome instead-Barney Stinson.

And so it goes.

2011-01-22T22:17:00.001-06:00

Today change came my way. We are always surrounded by change. Our environment is constantly, shifting and changing, taking us along for the ride. Eventually, all the scattered pieces,when swept up, will form a whole. I realized I was no longer able to carry the resulting outcome with the scattered pieces already in play.

I will collect my pawns moving forward and diagonal but never back.

"Buddhism holds that everything is in constant flux. Thus the question is whether we are to accept change passively and be swept away by it or wether we are to take the lead and create positive changes on our own initiative. While conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter,night and death,the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring,morning and birth."
Daisaku Ikeda

I'm taking the lead. I have run many races before in my life though it's been awhile but I liken it to riding a bike. This time I plan to ride until the wheels fall off no longer needing a mechanic to fix the small stuff along the way. I put the small stuff behind me ages ago but must have missed some lint along the way.

This change of events will either find me writing more or taking a reflective absence.

Godspeed.

cup my muffin

2011-01-20T09:28:00.000-06:00

I just recently found out about this site through a friend posting it on her Facebook page and instantly fell hard. I am a sucker for a good muffin. I really love how the recipes incorporate savory ingredients and not just sweet. I think the muffin is a perfect vehicle for anything and so do they!

I made these the other day with some modifications since I didn't have some of the ingredients listed and they were awesome. My modifications:

1/2 kamut flour and 1/2 spelt in place of 1 cup kamut.
regular oats pulsed a few times in food processor in place of quick oats.
used coconut oil in place of vegetable oil.
added cardamon and some allspice
yogurt slightly thinned in place of water.
added 2 tablespoon chia seeds and chopped chocolate(maybe 1/4 cup?) in place of the mulberries.
rolled some date pieces off of my block of date puree. Don't know if this really added to them as I haven't tasted any in the few bites I took.
I added 1/4 cup of teff flour at the very end since I thought the batter was too runny. Teff is super fine so I knew it would get absorbed easier and it's highly nutritious.
I also added a heaping Tblspn of flax meal to help thicken batter as well.
I used turbinado sugar that I ground up in the food processor so it was finer.

Today is cold! -15 is temp with the windchill. I am going to suck it up since I desperately need to get some exercise today. When the warmer weather arrives I will dance around the maypole "and never did the woods ring to such a merry peal as we of the Maypole shall send up!" and embrace the midsummer night!
Well not that extreme, maybe just pitch a tent in my yard,ignite a fire in our fire pit and promise to greet the sun and spend every sun filled hour outside. Oh! and the thought of my morning yoga on my deck. Keeping my eye on the prize.

I do know I will be juicing a lot this summer. We bought one of these for our family Christmas gift and cannot wait to utilize all of the greens we get through the CSA. Last year so many of the greens from the beets, radishes, carrots, kohlrabi,etc, all went to the compost pile 'cause a girl can use only so many greens in cooking! The spent pulp will also be put to good use as it makes a sneaky addition to breads and muffins quite easily. Another plus of owning a house is being able to store items such as these.

Why don't I know any massage therapists here? I would love to do a barter system with someone here in which I cook some meals in exchange for a massage. I have had this strained muscle and or knot under my left shoulder blade that has not gone away even with gentle stretching. It's the kind of tightness that hurts when I take a deep breath,cough or the worst; holding in a sneeze. It's awful.
I think I injured it by doing a king pigeon pose, which, by the way, I do love! It's also a reminder to me that trying an advanced or harder pose and striving to complete it with the first try isn't the best thing for a person. Baby steps(stretches?).

Did I mention the kimchi that I recently made and is still fermenting on the counter? If so, I do apologize for being superfluous,but this batch looks, really,really,good! I used a different salting technique this time. Rather than soaking the cabbage in a brine mixture and submerging for two hours or so I salted each leaf. Adding more salt towards the root end then placing in a colander to drain until soft. Not too soft, as each leaf should still make a snapping sound, when bent. I also skipped my normal step of adding salt to the kimchi. After I rinsed the salt off in a couple changes of water, then squeezed as much water out as I possibly could,I didn't add any additional salt. I did add a tablespoon of whey. So salt was only used in the beginning. I think this way the final product will still retain some of a crunch instead of becoming a soggy mess.

I found some great tips and tasty sounding Korean recipes through this website. Isn't she cute? Make sure to click on her recipe link. A lot of tasty sounding recipes. I also found reading through her blog that a product like this exists. Oooh me want!

The first thing I am making when the kimchi is ready is kimchi jeon. It's been awhile since I have made them and of course they are tasty because they have kimchi in them people! Oh since I am on the topic of fermentation (when aren't I!) my kombucha scobies are also suffering in this cold. I say scobies because I have three batches brewing at a time. We drink a lot of it during the summer months. Each batch makes a new scoby and when they have optimal temperatures the scobies are around 1/2 inch thick to an inch during the sweltering months. As of late, they have been just a film of a scoby. Thankfully, I saved a larger one that I have been continually brewing with these cold weather batches. I am almost certain the new ones forming would not have enough bacteria to adequately brew a proper batch. I have been researching options and this seems like my best bet.
I thought about using my heating pad but I use that for my yogurt making which I do every two weeks. I didn't want to be removing the heating pad and disturbing the kombucha brewing process to unearth it from underneath the jars. So the reptile mat seems like a good choice.

I have a feeling I won't be going anywhere tomorrow morning so tonight I will plan on getting some bread baked for the following week. I will most likely make extra and throw some in the freezer (or give away!) The one thing that can truly ease my cabin fever is the smell of fresh baked bread. Also kneading dough by hand is pretty therapeutic as well.

I never did get around to perusing those design sites for some creative inspiration so that is still on the list. That's what I should do! Compile a list of great cabin fever activities so I feel productive when I have a list to reference and check off items. A cabin fever to do list? Jesus, I am already going insane.Help.

I am adding and subtracting. I'm controlling and composing.

2011-01-19T10:05:00.000-06:00

Last night, I dreamt, that I was in Colorado. It was the summer and I was flying down the paved trails on my longboard. Instead, I awoke, to this frozen tundra land. Urggh! I am not sure if it's because we started getting pounded with snow early, which ironically, would be an awesome thing living in Colorado, or if it was my early January, Florida trip, causing me this mental anguish. Either way, I am constantly training my mind and chalking the days off of my calendar(my new calendar!) until the spring.

I took L to school yesterday after having some random insomnia that provided only 2 hours of sleep then went to the gym and busted out a decent workout. The thought of coming back home to sleep crossed my mind for a millisecond before I shrugged it off and sucked it up.

Today, I had every intention to go to Midtown Y, for my solo Wednesday morning, workout, yoga and steam, until I woke up at 4:30 with weird stomach cramps. I was worried maybe I was getting sick since it is making the rounds with enough people I know. My eyes feel a little puffy and there is slight pressure around them.

Thankfully, I was able to fall back asleep for another two hours. I thought it may be that one time a year, sometimes once every two years, that I do actually get sick. I am amazed sometimes at how often people get sick during a winter season. It seems as if it's every couple weeks, or worse yet, all winter! I credit my wellness to drinking a lot of water. I have a pretty good idea that it's around 314 plus ounces a day. I know the amounts because most of it comes from these bottles. I do use a 32 oz nalgene bottle that I fill three times during my gym workout as well. I do love our sodastream! We used to do the courier door delivery system that they offer, for refilling the tanks, but being the thrifty people we are, we knew, there had to be a cheaper option and there was! C was able to score a co2 tank through his work and with the addition of an adapter we are able to get hundreds of cartridge refills for pennies!

I can feel my workout from yesterday in that good strong way and I have plenty of energy. Actually, so much so, that it may cause me problems later, with having too much and being confined to the house. This is why the idea of spring is so wonderful! To be out on the bike from morning until dusk without my winter uniform and the mental mindset of getting from point A to point B and back with all of my digits and L's too! L's feet can get cold in a shorter time frame, than mine, since she is just sitting and not moving. Knowing that factor adds another element to my ride. The winter ride has many facets! Don't get me wrong I love the imbued feeling of accomplishment that a winter ride holds. I love how it exercises my survival skill. I love how winter biking has a silent sound even when noise is present. Best of all, I love when it is chilly and the sun is out. Seeing the snowflakes, hinge together and sparkle a thousand sparkles.

Days such as those were my favorite snowboarding days. My perfect riding day was sometime in the third week of February when the mountain had established a deep base in the trees. The temp was anywhere from, 15-18 degrees, sunny and it had just dumped, within the last 48 hrs. I am thankful to say, that I enjoyed, quite a few of those days.

Oh yes!how I miss that feeling of floating, weaving in and around the trees, picking perfect lines, almost as if, the trees were parting for me. The tail of my board, very much mimicking a boat rudder, then shooting back onto the run with this bursting feeling of adrenaline and ecstasy. Good times.

L just woke up and told me her throat hurt. Shoot! I kind of suspected she was getting sick as she has been very snitty lately. That is always one telltale sign with her, just some random surliness, usually two days before she starts to show any symptoms. Looks as if I am making some miso soup today. I had planned on taking her to the Bell Museum today. We have never been and I have a free pass through the library. I will give her a few hours and see how she is feeling.

I came up with a really good stew that I started out making as a soup. I cooked some onions,celery and green peppers until softened. I added smoked paprika,cumin,mexican oregano, vegetarian chicken stock, and a tablespoon of molasses as my base. Once everything started sticking I slowly added some diced canned tomatoes (yeah,yeah,I know) with liquid to move it around. After doing this a few times, I added the rest, totaling around, a cup and a half. I added a 1/2 cup of long grain brown rice, an additional 2 cups of stock and cooked for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, I added some diced yukon potatoes, which is still, from the glut of our fall CSA. I threw in some pinto beans, black beans and cooked for an additional 20, or so, minutes, until somewhat thickened. This is how the soup became stew. It was so good and I can only imagine how much better it will be today. I enjoyed mine with an over easy egg and my new favorite hot sauce.

I retract my statement about giving L a few hours to see how she feels. In the short time that has passed, she has been running around the house, playing with our cat, Burnsley. So, maybe the museum, is in our near future? I do know I need to burn some of this energy myself.

Oh! here is a moral dilemma that I have; My neighbors have a few bird feeders that they religiously stock, which in return, brings many birds to their yard and my yard as well. I have a small tree directly in front of my dining room window, that the birds use as a resting place; in between feedings from their feeders. I am able to view them quite easily and enjoy doing so. My question is, should I spring for a bag of feed, since I am getting enjoyment from it as well? Or would doing so seem too weird and maybe be uncomfortable? As in I should just buy my own feeder and load that or would I be competing with them?

Obviously, I have probably over thought the whole issue, as I always do.

I love me some flowcharts and when I saw this one I got quite the chuckle out of it.

Shalom.

Docket:
If I burrow myself in today, I would like to curl up, peruse design sites, in hopes of, kindling my creative flame.
Compose a list of my finds.
Bake.
Silkscreen ideas.