the CSA share

Our weekly share from Terry's Berries farm: (photos of the lovely veggies won't load for some reason)

5 lbs red potatoes
1 lb baby beets
4 big carrots
6 small onions
8 heads garlic (!!!)
1 bunch of stacinato kale *YUMMY*
1 head cabbage
1 head of green leaf lettuce
6 lbs apples (!!!)
1 acorn squash
6 ears of yellow corn
1 lb tomatillos
4 hot peppers
2 dozen eggs from happy healthy chickens


Leftover from last week: 4 onions and 4 small unique eggplants, probably will roast them for lunch today

We are overloaded with apples, potatoes, garlic and onions. I made corn & rice chowder last night out of the last of the corn from last week and some leftover rice in the fridge, with some garlic (of course) and a few minced leaves of kale. The last of the eggplant will get eaten for lunch today as roasted eggplant (w/onions and garlic & homemade tomato sauce) over polenta slices. Tonight is wild coho salmon with garlic and a cooked tomatillo/hot pepper sauce, with some sort of red potatoes on the side and corn on the cob.

I'm planning on making some potato & carmelized onion frittata on Friday night to use up some of the mountains of onions since they really cook down that way. The kale will get eaten up a few leaves at a time (to savor it since it's my favorite veg) in a few different dishes, including eggsalad for lunch tommorrow. The cabbage I will probably give to my MIL since it doesn't agree with me (or my nursing baby). Lettuce will get eaten up by Z in his sandwiches for lunch. The acorn squash I will probably bake for lunch probably on Monday, and feed Anna other leftovers from the weekend since she is allergic to all squash. Eggs we eat for breakfast many days of the week (alternated with soaked oatmeal). The apples will be our afternoon snacks with sunbutter and I may make a spicy apple pie this weekend for Z's birthday. Carrots and more potatoes for Z's birthday dinner. The rest of the hot peppers will probably get thrown in the freezer for when they are out of season. I think that is everything!

Note: A few of the items like the eggplant, hot peppers, tomatillos and potatoes are from other Pacific NW organic farms that our CSA partners with each year. We get mostly stuff grown at our farm, with some other hot weather stuff thrown in for variety. Its fun to get the occasional item from an Eastern WA CSA too.

Itchy & Scratchy

This is day 5 for ds/day 6 for dd of the chicken pox.

Yes, I'm a real knitter/ my OTN list for late Oct

Since I am a knitter, I figure I should blog a little about my current projects, etc. I'm definitely not advanced by any means, but I sure do find a lot of contentment in just some yarn and sticks! I have a friend who has sold her beautiful knitting work for money, which makes me reluctant to call myself a real "knitter". But I guess I am, since I knit everyday even if its just a few minutes before bed and I recently taught someone else to knit. I'm an anxious person by nature and I have found knitting gives me something productive to do with that extra energy, as well as a creative outlet. I tried every fall for the last 6 years to learn to knit and finally last year I started some projects from patterns and the habit seems to have stuck. In fact it seems to have stuck to me like super glue. Something about the ritual of knitting makes me feel connected to a sisterhood of women not only in my own circle of knitting friends, but to some of the women in my family's history who were talented fiber artists.

Currently OTN (on the needles):

1) tiny blue baby socks for my son (my first socks!)
yarn: Zarina extrafine merino superwash, color #1472,
pattern from "Knit Baby head & toes" book pg. 112
I'm trying to figure out this sock knitting trend, so I figured I'd start small the first time. Seems pretty easy, but I figured out I much prefer 4 dpns instead of 5 like the pattern suggests. 5 dpns is like holding a wad of long toothpicks and very wobbly! My daughter will be getting a matching pair in a fuschia that she picked out. Should knit up fast!

2) kitty scarf for my daughter's Halloween costume
yarn: pink fun fur and some other black/greyish furry stuff I can't remember from Joann fabrics- feels just like a kitten!
pattern: my own
She is going to be wearing a long sleeved black t-shirt & black velour pants out of her regular clothes, a fake fur A-line dress (she doesn't want a cat suit, so I'm sewing her a slip-on fur dress instead), fuzzy black kitty ears & tail, black patent leather shoes, and this fuzzy scarf. Not a traditional cat costume, but it doesn't seem to bother her sensory integration issues and it will be very original and cute.

3) hat and scarf set for ME (starting this afternoon)
yarn: Manos de Uruguay in Flame (115) and a gorgeous coordinating Manos colorway that I can't find the label for
pattern: my own
I am completely enthralled with this yarn. I can't wait to wear it! I rarely knit for myself. Even though this is not OTN yet, I had to take a photo of the gorgeousness.

Next up: the long avoided, repeatedly frogged Peace Fleece longies for my son (Little Turtle Knits pattern) in light blue w/natural yarn waist & cuffs. Also, soon to be OTN are 2 pairs each of socks for Z and myself hopefully as our "Christmas" gifts- yarn: knitpicks "Memories" merino sock yarn in Cape Cod & Fly Fishing for Z, and Pansy & Red Hat for myself. Looking forward to knitting the socks and getting the stupid longies done and over with!

bring on the oatmeal baths and calamine...

...cause the chicken pox are here! Not me, but my 2 1/2 yo for sure and looks like the little one has a few spots starting on his head. DD had a low grade fever this morning and by noon she had 3-4 spots, and by 3pm she had more than I was willing to count. They were exposed 2 weeks ago exactly, as was my friend's dd who also broke out with them today. We scrutizined both the girls and their polka dots this morning at her house before deciding for sure it was the real thing. Hoping they all get a good enough case to have immunity but not be too miserable. I'm ready with the oatmeal baths, calamine, and coloring books when/if she needs it.

still feeling sick, not up to blogging or decluttering :-(

idea!

I was just browsing free knitting patterns and thought of a brilliant idea to deal with the excess Peace Fleece yarn and the throw pillow issue. I'll just knit covers for the existing pillows! DUH! Maybe I'll even felt them, since PF felts so nicely. That would be the perfect solution to both problems :)

Sick and grouchy

I had a very nice post all typed up and was just about to add a photo to it and then my computer crashed. Since I am sick with a cold and already grouchy, I decided to skip trying to make it the same as before. I'll just start by saying that my mom took away a big bag of linens that I don't need, I'm getting rid of almost all my cloth diapers on the MDC trading post (only keeping the stuff my son actually wears all the time and the 4 soakers I have handknit), but I am not done clearing out the craft dresser. I still need to clear out the top drawer which is full of photos that need to be organized. I have not purchased anything since starting the Compact last week. Its only been a few days but I have managed to avoid shopping even while on an outing with my MIL and avoided the temptation to buy new curtains that don't clash with the cherry red slipcover we just put on our sofa yesterday. The red slipcover is new and was purchased before I started the Compact project. I only purchased it because our old slipcover was badly stained, and literally falling apart. Its funny how after putting it on the sofa, I started thinking about needing new throw pillows and new curtains. Of course I will not be buying any new ones, as I am very committed to this project. I am thinking of looking around for some used ones, or possibly some fabric that someone else doesn't need to make my own. I thought about dyeing the current curtains since they are cotton, but I don't think that would work since I have a front loading washing machine.

I am considering trading some of my current Peace Fleece yarn stash for something a little softer. I want to knit my kids hats and pants but I find myself getting annoyed with the PF's texture. A friend of mine just loves the stuff, but I am not crazy about it even though it does wash up softer. Maybe I can find someone to trade me for some Malbrigo or some other super soft worsted weight merino. I have found myself avoiding my knitting projects because I don't like the feel of the PF. Seems silly to have all that yarn and not use it!

Dreaming of a gift-free Christmas

Or at least a only homemade gifts for the immediate family only Christmas. I dread Christmas Eve, I truly do. I love my DH's family but their Christmas gifting habits are beyond extravagant and ridiculous. It is expected that *everyone* buy a gift for *everyone else*. All adults except for our 2 kids. Absolutely insane! My MIL as a protest has been donating money to Habitat to Humanity the last 2 years and my SIL donates to a cancer charity. The first year they did it I thought it was because they didn't want to have to bother with shopping and didn't like Christmas or something. I get it now. I am okay with the idea celebrating Christmas for my mom and extended family, but not in a consumeristic fashion like is expected. My ideal Christmas would be my individual family finding more meaning in the seasonal aspect of the "holiday", making each other a few small gifts and then joining the rest of the family for Christmas dinners, minus the usual gifting. I have a lovely vision not of sugar plums dancing but of a holiday where the ideas of simplicity, love and family were truly cherished instead of a contest as to how much electricity we can use up with our Christmas lights and how high we can stack presents around a tree.

I think I am going to remake dd's Waldorf doll for a gift for her (it needs an arm sewn back on, new yarn hair and a new dress- easy for me to do with what I already have) and make a stuffed animal for ds out of recycled sweaters which I already have on hand. I am not sure if Z and I are going to exchange gifts or not as we are both still harboring feelings about the excess of last year's celebration. Might make wreaths or swags from trees in our yard (plus I have tons of holiday ribbon) to give to Z's parents and my mom but not actually on Christmas. I've been wanting to make wreaths anyway! Still really not looking forward to telling everyone that we are not participating, but we need to do it soon as they probably have already started shopping. *sigh* Its October and the Christmas stuff has been out in the store for awhile now.

my babies

Here are 2 of my favorite photos I took of my son and daughter this summer. They were taken at my ILs house one warm summer evening after an afternoon of playing on the beach.

Hypocrite

After I posted yesterday about looking for family cloth wipes, I realized how hypocritical I was being. Duh, I can definitely make do with just using materials we already have or I could definitely find used cloth baby wipes on the MDC Trading post. I guess I just got a little squeamish about the idea of trying to find used cloth wipes that had been used by adults. Baby poop is one thing...but well you get the idea!

Anyway, I have made small progress in my decluttering. I got out all my old scrubs (former pediatric nurse), washed and dried them since they were wrinkled from sitting in a drawer for 2 years and posted an ad on MDC. I had someone respond and said she will probably buy them from me as she is starting nursing school clinicals next week and really needs them. YAY! I'm getting rid of stuff! The next thing I did yesterday was slightly harder than letting go of something I can admit easily I don't need. I responded to someone's ISO ad for a diapering pattern that I have, and told her that if I can find it she can buy it and also offered a bunch of my diapering fabrics. It was like ripping off a bandaid, it only hurt for a second (okay like 20 minutes) and I'm glad that its done. It feels slightly like I've admitted failure to my diaper sewing aspirations. I know that I would much rather trade some of the cloth diapers I already have for someone else's used ones, than try to spend my time sewing them. I have other more important things to do...like knit...or play with my kidlets :-) I have finite amount of time and I'm still learning I can't do it all.

Oh and someone saw an MDC post of mine regarding getting rid of most of my diaper stash, and sent me a message saying she is looking into starting cloth diapers for her baby that will be here very soon. She sounds like exactly who needs to get some of my stuff that would not sell well otherwise, but is still very nice, useable and will be inexpensive for her. It feels absolutely amazing and liberating to put out to the universe that I don't need these things and then have people who do really need them just seem to magically appear. This is what it is about.

the goals...

The following are my goals for the next year (until October 12, 2007):

1) do not buy anything that is not needed for one year
2) all items must be borrowed, bartered, or bought used (ebay, craigslist, freecycle, Goodwill,etc) unless it is a matter of health or safety.
3) I will attempt to only eat meals prepared at home, unless there is no other option
4) I will plan my family's meals each week, which include mostly local organic items, to help us stick to goal #3
5) I will simplify and declutter my home and keep only what is truly needed and cherished.

*I will make an exception for printing of photos, tickets to events (museums, festivals, etc) and yarn that is absolutely needed for a knitting project that cannot be found to trade for *
The goal is not to deprive ourselves of what we enjoy, but to change from a consumerist lifestyle to more of a simplistic, recyling lifestyle.

Other goals that I am not ready to put down into writing yet are: limit TV watching for the entire family and creating exercise time for myself.

In other news: I am currently in search of family cloth (aka cloth toilet paper/wipes). I have been meaning to make that switch for dd and myself (Z claims he is NOT using it), since we already use reusable kitchen towels instead of papertowels, cloth napkins, cloth mama pads, and cloth diapers/wipes. Although, I do need to start remembering to bring my reusable shopping bags with me when I go grocery shopping! I'm going to go check out this site for those wipes I've been hearing about. Not sure if I will buy some (I would consider this in the "health" category of exemptions) or if I will make some since I do not have serger and my friends have all gotten rid of the ones they had. I've heard old tshirts work well, but I'm not sure if we have any to part with at this time. I would prefer to make do with something we already have, but we will have to see.

Have you heard of "The Compact"?

If you haven't, you should check it out here I am very inspired by it! I discussed the idea with Z last night, as well as showing him a blog from someone on MDC who has completely downsized/simplified her family's life/home. Z seemed to think the idea was great, but brought up purchases like *new* brakes for the car, underwear, food, etc. I told him that food and household items such a soap, etc are obviously not included, as well as safety items which I would consider brakes to be, and I guess underwear should fit in under safety as well LOL! I love used clothes, but I do draw the line at undergarments such as socks, undies and bras. I can't imagine us having large purchases of socks, so I am not worried about that part. Hopefully the cars will all stay intact and not require any major work. Z does frequently buy used parts but says that some things you really do need to buy new such as brakes, etc. I feel like we have already been heading down this path, trying to buy less stuff but getting sucked into the have-to-buy-something mentality.

In the last 6 months Z went from buying lunch everyday to making himself a lunch every morning, which has saved us tons of $ and he admits he feels way better too. I've only been telling him that for at least 5 years! Anyway, I had also gotten into the habit of when I needed to get out of the house I would go shopping somewhere and make it a few hour waste of time. It frequently would involve Target, a drive thru restaurant and some toddler tantrums because my 2 year old wanted to play instead. "well duh, of course she wants to play!" you say? There are times when I just need to GET OUT of the house or I am going to go crazy. Obviously a different location is a essential if I am to break this bad habit. I have tremendously cut down on my spending at places like Target, but I am still a sucker for their cheap-cute-fall-apart-in-a-week clothing for my kids. Its easy to convince yourself you need to buy *something* in a store like that. I swear they are piping some sort of chemical or subliminal messaging into that place!

So if I need to get out of the house my current plan is to go somewhere to play with my kids. They do not like shopping, and I don't need anything anyways!

Ready, set, go!

After spending naptime messing with the colors, profile, etc. I think I am up and running :-)

Well, hello there!

This is my newest blogging creation. My first blog was a complete failure, as it turned into more of a personal journal that I chose to keep private. I am creating this new blog to reflect on the changes I am making in my life. I am taking small steps to create a healthier, happier, greener existance for my home, my family, and myself. I have always been an idealist, an environmentalist, and tend to put my heart into everything I do. I have found it is hard to really live in that kind mindset, when most others are the complete opposite and very caught up into consumerism. We plan in a few years to move somewhere we can be 'off the grid' and live a more natural, simple life. I am thinking/researching/planning for that simple life on a daily basis and I figure I can start implementing the life I want NOW, rather than waiting until I am in my permenant home. So with all that said, the green mama blog is born (at home of course)!