Andrew, Carrie and Ravenna

Für Susanne...

2012-01-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

Danke für die Geschenke, Familie Siebert! Letzten Freitag haben wir eine Überraschung aus Deutschland! Susanne hat mir Früchtetee gekauft und ich mag es! Ich habe mit Andrew geteilt aber nur ein wenig. Ravenna und Andrew haben ihre Kindereier geliebt und Ravenna mag ihr Armband und ihre Kerze. Es war so lieb von euch und wir hoffen, euch zu bald sehen. Was möchten sie aus den USA, bitte? (Ich denke, dass die Susanne braucht ein Blog).

With the help of a German dictionary and occasional grammar help from Andrew I wrote that paragraph! It may have taken me half an hour but I did it! Here is the translation: Thank you for the gifts, Siebert Family! Last Friday we got a surprise from Germany! Susanne got me fruit tea and I love it! I have shared with Andrew but only a little bit. Ravenna and Andrew loved their Kinder Eggs and Ravenna loves her bracelet and candle. It was so nice of you and we hope to see you soon. What would you like from the USA? (I think Susanne needs a blog)

Winter Solstice

2012-01-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the shortest day of the year I decided to hold a play group/party. I wasn't able to get many pictures because Ravenna was having a rough time but I think the party still turned out pretty well. The kids played, the mom's chatted, sugar plums were made and devoured and a peanut butter was smeared onto pine cones in the hopes of feeding hungry birds. Fun stuff!

I loved this recipe for sugar plums! I even soaked and dehydrated the walnuts beforehand! They were very easy to make, reasonably healthy, and the kids seemed to enjoy dipping them into various substances. We used sugar, coconut and cocoa powder (the least favorite with the kiddos). I think the best part was getting mom's and kids out of their homes on the darkest day and finding something to celebrate!

Pots and Pans

2011-12-15T08:38:00.001-08:00

Just now Ravenna came up to me carrying one of my smaller cast-iron skillets and in a very serious tone said:

"When I am very old I will have lots of pans with lids."

Then she flipped her hair and stomped off.

Celebrating Advent

2011-12-04T18:30:00.001-08:00

Last year when we had our Super Frugal Christmas I made this Advent Calendar as a gift for my family using only what I had in my fabric stash and my somewhat limited sewing/embroidery skills. Now that Advent has rolled around again we are finally able to get to use it!

In our determination to try to keep Christ as the center of our Christmas celebrations we are doing family/spiritual activities for every day instead of candy or small toys. I typed up activities and put the folded slips of paper into each one of the stars. Luckily I had the good sense while making the calendar to color code the stars' numbers by weeks since I randomly strewed them about in the sky above the stable, otherwise it would be much less fun to try to find the correct number each day.

For the second Sunday of Advent we lit our second candle, read from Isaiah 9:6 and listened to Handel's Messiah Chorus. Ravenna was upset that we didn't light all four of the candles so we also talked with her about how Christ brings light to the world and lighting the candles one-by-one helps us to appreciate the increase of light as we get closer to celebrating Christ's birth (also the Return of the Sun!).

What I love about this calendar is how personalized I can make it. For example, during this last week we put up the Christmas lights and wreath one day, the next we set up our nature table and this coming week I have the Christmas parties we are attending as activities on the days that they will occur and on December 5, tomorrow, Ravenna will put out her shoes for Saint Nicholas.

To prepare for Saint Nicholas due to some "misconceptions" about who actually will be bringing her gifts on Christmas Eve/Day (we haven't decided yet) we have been spending some time at this lovely website that teaches all about the life of Saint Nicholas. Sometimes we forget to do the things listed on the scraps of paper and sometimes they just don't work out for various reasons but I love having the ideas of festive and enjoyable things to do every day.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-17T11:05:00.001-08:00

How many more years can I get away with throwing together a costume last-minute from the dress up box?

In Honor of International Babywearing Week

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00


My creative daughter and her self-made sling

The Progress of a Garden: Late September

2011-10-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

The Brussels are getting HUGE!


On the Right a Brussel has fallen over. Basil is ready to be harvested and frozen before the first frost		.

Still getting a lot of tomatoes and peppers and the winter crops of peas and radishes are in.

If you are interested in seeing how much produce we picked from our two small gardens in September head on over here.

Ravenna's Photo Tour

2011-09-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

Testing...

Ode to Coloring Book and Crayon

Nothing like top-o-the-line crayons from Germany!

Early Morning View of the Living Room

A Wall

A Bookcase

A Door

(My Favorite) Atop the Piano

Way up There!

Summers End (Belated)

2011-09-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a great local fair and some crazy carnies to end the summer!

The Progress of a Garden: Early August

2011-08-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

I pulled out the tomato plant that wasn't producing and we have started putting in our winter crops. The trellis is covered in green apple cucumber and spaghetti squash vines.

The Tomatoes are Taking Over!!! (This is after I pruned them back)

Ravenna's Faces

2011-07-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Silly Girl. We love her so!

Life, Interrupted

2011-07-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

Blogging isn't really happening anymore. I look out at my garden everyday and think: "Wow! I want to take a picture to put on my blog to show how awesome and productive gardening is," but then I am called back to the reality that I have a five week old baby and a three year old in my care. Yes! Life is lovely, I am living the dream and yet, chaos abounds. One of these days I will find a spare moment when nap times magically coincide and somehow, somehow I am able to catch up on all the housework I have been neglecting. I wish I could share pictures of our little foster baby, Joseph, but it will have to suffice to say that he brings a great deal of joy to us and our home.

The Progress of a Garden: The End of May

2011-06-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

From our gardens in May we harvested: strawberries (4 lbs!), radishes, lettuce, spinach, green onions, bok choi and swiss chard. It has been a really hot week so the spinach and bok choi are bolting. Next spring I plan on planting the bok choi MUCH earlier. I also read on a forum that spouting the seeds indoors on coffee filters and then planting the sprouts gives the seeds a head start on growing, so I may try that. The cold weather crops are definitely slowing down although I think we have a little while longer on the lettuce.

Everything is in the garden now! For our big summer producers we have a grand total of 6 tomato plants, 3 bush cucumbers, 1 vining cucumber, 2 zucchini, a rotation of 20 bush beans, and seven pepper plants.

Check out my peas on the trellis! They just started flowering

The daikon radishes in the pot in the foreground are getting huge but no root development yet. I am afraid they will bolt before they do.

In the front the bed is really full but I am still waiting on some green beans to germinate for the next rotation.

The dill is flowering and it is beautiful. Behind it you can see the nearly ready Kohlrabi.

This is what green onions look like when they go to flower

Up for June: Kohlrabi, lettuce, carrots, chard, kale, green beans, zucchini, basil, snow peas, and maybe cucumbers at the end of the month.

Ravenna And The Twins

2011-05-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

Nearly every week for most of the school year I babysat these cuties. Ravenna had mixed feelings at first but then grew to love their visits.

Garden(s) At The End of April

2011-05-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

At the end of April, the first harvest: A dozen French Breakfast Radishes

The new backyard garden space: A 3X8 foot raised bed, pea trellis, a perennial herb bed and deep mulching to get rid of grass.

Currant and daikon radishes in pots. Plants being hardened off (they are now in the ground).

AND...the front garden: More strawberry plants; last years plants going crazy with berry production and a somewhat empty bed waiting for seedlings to grow.

3

2011-05-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Look who just turned three years old;

With cake, clapping, singing...

Lots of lovely presents...

And TONS of love!

Certified!

2011-03-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today was our final homestudy and we are officially foster parents! We don't know when we will get our first placement yet but we are looking forward to the opportunity.

Ravenna asked me to take this picture of her. Such a goofball.

My Sweet Girl: February 27th, 2011

2011-03-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Full Disclosure

2011-02-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, it is time to be honest. When I haven't posted in a long time it usually means I am up to something and I just don't want to tell anyone about it. Last night after book club my B.F.F. Christie and I sat up discussing many things and during that conversation I realized (after I was gently informed) that I have many irrational fears that keep me from being open with people and having hope. Generally I don't have this problem one-on-one but when it comes to making things public I only chose to do so when I feel that I am past the point of no return. With my pregnancy with Ravenna, Andrew and I announced it to our families at 20 weeks and many many people didn't learn until much later. It isn't that I like to hide things for the thrill of having a secret but more because I am afraid that if I share them openly, they won't happen.

Is this true for anyone else?

So, what is this big secret that Andrew and I have been hiding from friends, family and the general populace? Well, for the past few months we have been training to become certified foster parents. Yup, that is it. Nothing huge or horrible but I was so afraid of anyone finding out for fear that it wouldn't work out and then having to tell people that it didn't work out (Ack, heartbreak city!), or that people would automatically put a stigma of "messed up" on any child that came into our home (that still will probably happen), that people would label us as "quitters" for not making more of an effort to have another biological child etc. Oh my goodness that list could go on FOREVER! I can think of a million reasons to not tell people that we were becoming foster parents but after talking to Christie I realized that I needed to just let go...which for me is harder than it sounds.

My friend Jenni often talks about the benefits of "Letting go, and letting God" but I really REALLY want to control my universe and the whole not being able to plan my family thing? I really don't love that. I do have to try to accept that this is the direction that Heavenly Father wants us to go in for whatever reason. Part of that acceptance is a willingness to give up some of my "control" and that is why I am sharing.

Since many people know little to nothing about foster care I am going to use this next bit to answer some of Andrew and Carrie's Foster Parent FAQ:

Q: Which age group will you accept? At the moment we are open to a single child 0-3 or a sibling group 0-5 due to a desire to keep the ages closer to what we are used to and restrictions on rooming.

Q: Are you going to try to adopt the children you foster? The goal with foster care is almost always reunification with biological parents. Occasionally that isn't possible and parental rights are terminated, in which case it is preferable that the children remain with their foster family and be adopted. We are open to that but it is by no means guaranteed.

Q: If you want to adopt why do foster care at all? Adoption is very expensive and can take a very long time (yes, even through LDS Family Services) and we did not feel that a traditional adoption route was what we needed to consider.

Q: What kinds of special needs are you going accept? In the foster care terminology, every child that comes into care is a "special needs" child. We are getting additional certification so that we can foster medically fragile children, however.

Q: When will you get your first placement? We just completed our homestudy and our goal is to be certified in the next two weeks. After that, it all depends on the children that come into care and whether or not the county Child and Youth selects us to be foster parents. Most children coming into care are 6 years and older meaning that the chances that we will get a foster child are somewhat slimmer than foster parents of older children, but this age group is what we were comfortable with and so that is what we ended up doing. In the meantime we will be a respite and emergency foster care placement family.

Q: How much do you get paid? Sufficient for our needs. Nobody gets rich off of doing foster care, or they really shouldn't if the agency is doing their job.

Any other questions? I am sure there are others but the above are the questions that have come up most often amongst the people we have told. So far the majority of our friends and family have been very supportive. There is a lot of ignorance about foster care and foster parents, which is understandable because we certainly knew very little to begin with. I am open to questions and I will do my best to answer them. Andrew and I are very much looking forward to having more children in our home no matter what challenges may come with them.

Crafty DIY in 2011

2011-01-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

I was thinking this morning of some things that I want to do make/do in 2011, especially around my house. Since we have lived here for over a year I want to go crazy, or maybe just get stuff done. Here is my "to do" list:

-Reupholster Chairs: I have a set of neat arm chairs that were given to us a year ago. I have one completely ripped apart and ready to go but I have to get over my fear of calling an upholsterer and asking if I can buy some foam. It sounds easy enough but I have a fear of getting phone-chewed out.

-Paint the Stairwells: The base paint that they use on the walls in new home also acts as a magnet for greasy fingerprints. Enough said.

-Make reusable produce bags: I posted about these bags before but I REALLY need to do this! They are awesome!

-Make reusable snack bags: The awesomeness is overwhelming!

-Build this desk for the bedroom nook: We have a distinct lack of furniture in our bedrooms. While I would like to call it minimalism it really is just lack of resources. So, off to the lumber yard! Maybe this can be Andrew's spring break project?

-Maybe if we get really ambitious we can make this headboard?

-Wallpaper the powder room: Does anyone have any suggestions for a place to get nice wallpaper that doesn't look frumpy? I am a huge fan of wallpapering small spaces.

The Handmade Christmas

2011-01-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

So much knitting in December! This is Andrew's hat made with 100% virgin wool. It was fun learning how to make cables. While the pattern worked up just fine, I couldn't get the gauge right and made it too big. All of these knitted patterns are on my Ravelry page (talldarkeyes) if you are interested.

I made six of these knitted monogrammed dish wash cloths and they were a perfect project for learning how to knit. They also made great gifts for the grandma's who still wash their dishes by hand.

This hat was made for my sister Rachelle and was the first had I ever knitted. It was knitted in an alpaca blend and came out very soft. I really like the flower accent.

My MAJOR project that didn't get finished until Advent was nearly over was this Advent Calendar. I made this up with no pattern using only materials I had lying around so please excuse the poor planning and design. I must say it was VERY frustrating to try to figure this one out with limited sewing skills/design knowledge. It came out all right in the end and we are looking forward to using it next year.

My favorite element was Mary holding baby Jesus. I really wanted to have her holding him instead of him being in the manger because if I had just given birth I would never want to put that baby down.

All of the stars are pockets that will accommodate a slip of paper that will list a scripture related to the birth of Christ as well as a celebratory activity for that day. It might be baking cookies and giving them to a neighbor or for the 24th singing Stille Nacht. I will get those ready for next year and I am excited for the memories I know that this calendar will help our family make.

2010 Recap

2011-01-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Looking at my blog posts for 2010 the major focus was definitely our family resolutions. I am pleased to say that we did very well. Keeping our resolutions certainly was an inspired goal for us because it helped us become more self-sufficient and frugal in a year that was anything but easy. As a writer I would love to be positive and uplifting like so many of the blogs that I read but I have a difficult time writing positively when things are hard. Maybe that is why I haven't written much the last half of the year?

Last night on our way home from the in-laws Andrew and I talked about the best things that happened for us in 2010. I mentioned learning to knit, improving my cooking skills, and making some new friends. For Andrew it was becoming a Seminary teacher and putting on a German language camp. For both us of the loss of our baby was definitely the most difficult thing we had to go through in addition to other unfortunate events surrounding that time that I won't go into.

Despite it all we are blessed. In some years I recognize that the trials seem to outweigh the (visible) blessings, and 2010 appears to be one of those years for us. With what little perspective I do possess I can see how our trials shaped us and pushed us in directions that we may not have gone otherwise. For example I doubt I would have taught myself to knit if I hadn't needed an activity to fill my sadness at losing my pregnancy. While knitting doesn't seem like much of anything, it has often brought me peace.

We haven't set our 2011 goals in stone yet but I know that we will continue to honor our goals for 2010 because they are working so well for us. I hope that 2011 brings everyone great peace and happiness and that you will be able to make and keep resolutions that will enrich and bless your lives and the lives of those around you.

ETA: I think Laura expressed my hopes for 2011 in this post. She always has a way of saying things that makes them especially meaningful.

Christmas Abundance

2010-12-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

Per our family tradition we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve morning. Despite our small budget I do believe that this year the gifts were the most meaningful. I can remember countless times as a child (even as an adult) where after the gift unwrapping extravaganza, surrounded by wrapping paper and gift chaos, feeling disappointed. It was a difficult feeling to understand because I often would get at least one gift item that I wanted. Thinking back on it now it seemed like coming down from a sugar high of all the excitement and anticipation. Maybe I am growing up, but this year I cared more about seeing the happiness on the faces of those I gave to.

We follow a tradition of only giving four gifts: something you want, something you need, something to share, and something to remind you of Christ. At least one of those items needs to be handmade. With our $15/person budget here is how we did.

Ravenna received a shopping cart and wooden fruit for the want gift (Goodwill), puzzles for the need (Garage sale), and Candyland to share. To remind her of Christ I made a Nativity scene Advent calendar that I will post pictures of later. We were able to stretch the budget in this case because someone kindly gave us a gift card so Ravenna also got a small tea set.

Andrew's gifts seem small but that is because of them never arrived which was his "want" gift (CURSE you USPS!). He received Penzey's grilling spices to share, razors and the knitted hat for the need and the advent calendar was made for him too.

Andrew's gifts to me were so well thought out and really kind. For the gift to share he got me a spider plant, for my want a used copy of the Encyclopedia of Country Living, steaks for the "need" he he he, and a really cool carved nativity he commissioned from one of his students. We were delighted to see that Andrew bought me steaks and I bought him steak seasoning!

While this isn't the most impressive Christmas gift showing I am so happy with it. I feel so happy that we succeeded at our goal and nobody felt deprived. This season has been so joyful for me as I busily went about imagining and creating gifts for our loved ones. It also has been so nice to not be very concerned about the receiving. I know we won't always need to be in the position to have a small Christmas budget but I have to say, I think I want to do a $15 Christmas again next year!

Handmade Christmas Linky Love!

2010-12-01T12:58:00.001-08:00

As promised here is a rather short list of some of my (recent) favorite handmade gift resources. I will happily add more as I find them (or you send them to me). I have others that I am currently making so I don't want to post them lest prying eyes discover their Christmas gifts!

Make your own vanilla extract! I am totally doing this for myself!
Gifts from Nature are always great with kids.
Inspired Ideas, has tons of cute projects and includes all the patterns and directions!
Knitted Monogrammed dishcloths!
14 free patterns at STC Craft.

Just for fun: given that this is the first week of Advent check out Wee Folk Art's Advent celebration.

The $15 Christmas

2010-11-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

This year has been a year of many lessons in frugality. While our 2010 family resolution was not intended to be a penny pinching endeavor it has become that and I am very grateful to have had the preparation. In January we never imagined the negative impact that a new teaching contract would have on Andrew's take home pay, nor the sharply rising costs of insurance and food (have you SEEN the price of butter?!) generally.

Like many Americans a single paycheck just isn't cutting it no matter how frugal we try to be. We are blessed to have some savings and I earn a small amount from babysitting which make up for the difference, but savings won't last forever when there is always a deficit. After Christmas I will need to get a part-time job and the necessity frightens me. Going back to work isn't frightening so much as the need to go back to work despite my tireless efforts to reduce our spending. We live very frugally and just within this past year we have let go of a cell phone, new clothes, a car, cable TV, Netflix, eating out, comfortable thermostat settings and taking vacations all in the name of THE BUDGET. The only thing that we haven't cut back on is food but I am not willing to sacrifice the health and happiness of my family and live on beans and rice. Yet...

With these looming financial pressures Christmas appears on the horizon. After figuring out the budget we decided that we would only spend $150 total which is the smallest amount we have ever spent on Christmas in our entire marriage. After the gift giving list was tallied that left only $30 for me and Andrew but we are excited for the challenge and know we can make it work and still have great gifts! How? Nearly all of the gifts we are giving are going to be handmade/secondhand which we have had a lot of practice doing this year! Luckily for Ravenna, I have been collecting her gifts throughout the year at thrift stores and garage sales but her gifts will also not amount to more than $15.

This post is not written to worry anyone (especially our families) about our family, but to honestly state that we understand the financial pressures of a down economy very keenly; we sympathize with the greater struggles that others are going through and we know we are blessed. Despite a small budget we will be able to find ways to still participate in holiday traditions despite. God gave us magnificent brains and a desire to create. If I can harness those two energies I know I can learn how to use them to give joy to others in a frugal, yet still loving, fashion.

Does anyone else have a frugal Christmas plans? Maybe we can share ideas? I already have a growing list of Internet links with great (frugal) gift giving ideas that I am going to post soon. Handmade Christmas gifts take time and planning so getting started ASAP is a necessity!

Halloween Pictures!

2010-11-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Carving Jack-o-Lanterns!

While Andrew and I carved the pumpkins, Ravenna had a ball playing in the guts.

Cowgirl Ravenna

Cowgirl Ravenna in action!

WANT!

2010-10-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Is this not the coolest bike you have ever seen? Right now Madsen Cycles is having a contest to win one of these sweet, sweet bikes and I am officially entering. Why? Because having a bike like this would mean never driving again! Yes, I hate driving that much. Ok, realistically I do realize that riding one of these on the highway is illegal and dangerous BUT think of all the places I could go!

Pondering Helping Hands on October 15th

2010-10-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, and the 15th is set aside as a day of remembrance. A friend of mine who helped me through my miscarriage started a non-profit called The Amethyst Network to provide physical and emotional support for women and families during and after a miscarriage. I asked her if there was anything that I could write about that would help the cause and she said to write about what people said or did that was helpful for me during my miscarriage experience.

When I start to think about it I don't remember things that people said so much as things that people did, or didn't do. Pregnancy loss is a difficult thing for many people who haven't experienced it which, in my experience, led people to say or do nothing rather than risk offending. I think a loss like this really shows you who your real friends are. A father writing about his wife's pregnancy loss and the emotional turmoil he went through with that experience made a very true statement: "Compassion breeds an amazing amount of tolerance." If you truly care for someone experiencing a loss, seek to find compassion in your heart and it will mold you into what that person needs you to be.

Here are some guidelines based on my experience that might help others:

Validate the loss: A man in my church who had lost his one year-old son last year approached me and with tears in his eyes he told me how sorry he was. I will forever be grateful to that man for crying with me and letting me know that my pain was as valid as his own.
Make your words tangible: I received many emails, but only two sympathy cards and one letter containing an article on miscarriage.While the emails were kind, the mail was so comforting. Being able to hold someones kind thoughts in my hands was so gratifying.
Be physical: I am not a hugger but I cannot tell you how grateful I was to have someone genuinely embrace me when I could barely speak. One evening I had four women, whom I barely knew, embrace me one after the other because they were so sorry for my loss and wanted to comfort me in some small way. I could feel that in their hugs.
Feed them: Don't make a family who has suffered a loss ask first. Food is SO very comforting. After I lost the baby I struggled so much just trying to read a recipe and everything I made tasted bad. I have since learned that this is normal when grieving but at the time not being able to cook made me feel like a failure. Having people bring my family meals eased a burden.
Judge Not: Need I even say this? Everyone grieves on their own time line and just because someone doesn't look like they are grieving does not mean that they are totally fine. The best way to tell if someone needs help is to ask them, in person, how they are healing.
Be Peaceful: When you are around someone whose life is in turmoil I don't recommend you dish to them about how horrible your life is or discuss the injustices heaped on you by mankind. #1 The person you are venting to probably won't be able to validate you and #2 All your doom and gloom is probably going to make them feel worse.
Keep In Touch: When something awful happens people are often blessed by an outpouring of support from their community but after a few weeks pass by there is an assumption that it is time to move on. As I said before grieving can be a long and drawn out process and knowing you are still thought of even months after the event, is very comforting. I have a friend who contacted me every few days or at least once a week to see how I was doing, and I love her for that.

The following is an excerpt from a card that was written to me and Andrew that I read often for comfort:

May you gain wisdom as you pass through this difficult time. You already had that baby visualized in your arms. I am so sorry. Let the waves pass over you. Sometimes it may hit you when you least expect it. Always know that there are those who are aware and who will listen to your sorrow and try to bear you up.

The Lord loves you and is mindful of your grief. May you be comforted by His love. May the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ help you to see His hand in your lives.

The woman who gave this card to me didn't know me extremely well, but knowing the pain of pregnancy loss herself, she was inspired to write these words to me. Every time I see her she has asked me about my healing in such a kind and gentle way. She is a perfect example of that compassion that breeds tolerance. I pray that we can all learn to be so.

The Amethyst Network is "a nationwide network of doulas working together to support parents during and after miscarriages." If you would like to support them in this worthy cause please donate on their web page.

Happy Blogs

2010-10-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

Do you ever go blog hopping when you are feeling down? SouleMama is my dose of blog-happy. Her photographs are beautiful and her blog, in general, is just peaceful and lovely. Reading her blog makes me feel that there is good in the world and encourages me to get up and do something productive and possibly crafty. She was the one who made me want to learn how to knit and inspired me to only bring things into my home that I love.

What blogs do you read that give you that extra special feeling?

Carrot Emergency!

2010-09-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

I realized today that I used the last of the carrots in making dinner last night. What to do? I just went grocery shopping yesterday and REALLY don't want to go two days in a row, plus I buy organic carrots and the Country Store doesn't carry organic carrots which means I will have to trek to the Giant grocery store. I hate Giant they are always out of buttermilk (and pretty much everything else I need). But then I realized that I do have carrots! Garden to the rescue!

Is there anything as lovely as carrot tops? I think they are gorgeous and I really don't want to cut them off. These are Tom Thumb carrots which seemed to do quite well in the shallow beds.

My garden at the end of September is looking much better than it did all summer. The intense heat wasn't good for the seedlings so many died despite my diligent attempts at watering. The sweet pepper plants are also now producing since I discovered their secret and the cherry tomatoes are producing in full force!

This is what I am getting every other day, and doesn't count all the tomatoes that were split because of yesterdays and today's rain. They are so sweet and delicious!

Look at these beauties! Strawberries in September?! Yes, ma'am! I am pretty sure everbearing strawberries are the best thing in the whole world. How are your gardens doing?

P.S. Infested with tomato horn worms? Check out this post on my other blog.

A Full Freezer!

2010-09-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

What you can see: Stock, peaches, and dehydrated milk.

Finally! After a year of waiting we got our 1/4 of a pasture-fed steer! Huzzah! I was unreasonably excited as we pulled into the farm to pick up our meat. How much would we get? What cuts? Even though it sounds silly, it felt like getting a huge frozen Christmas present in all these little vacuum packed bags. Now our freezer is nearly full! In the next few weeks I will be buying five more whole chickens to cut up and divide into parts.

For $430 we got a 1/4 of a steer. You pay by the hanging weight, so before it was dry aged it weighed 130lbs and we paid $3.30/lb. After cutting and packaging we got about 79 lbs. of meat which is 61% of the hanging weight. After all is said and done we paid $5.44/lb.

46 lbs. of Ground Beef

Out of that we got 44 lbs. of ground beef, 2 boneless should roasts (5.5 lbs), 2 sirloin steaks (3lbs.), 2 shin bones with meat attached (4 lb), 1 eye of round roast (1.7 lbs), 3 chuck roasts (8.7 lbs.), 3 Delmonico steaks (3 lbs), 2 boneless rump roasts (4 lbs), 6 t-bone steaks (3.2 lbs), and 1 porterhouse steak (1.6 lbs). We have 6 lbs. of ground beef left from last year as well as one 2.5 lb. beef top round roast. I bought that last roast retail for I believe $7/lb. so I am quite happy with all we were able to get. I think I will do a price comparison based on the average retail price for these cuts of meat vs. pasture fed and see if we got a good deal.

Our freezer also contains 7 whole chickens, 1.5 lb. boneless pork chops, 1 lb. nitrate free bacon, 6 lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breasts, 6 jars of veggie stock, 2 jars of frozen soup, 2 gallon bags of frozen peaches, 2 loaves of bread, 1 3lb. bag of almond flour, and 1 can of powdered milk. Looking at that inventory I think I need to buy more bacon, don't you?

2010 Resolution Update: 4 months left!

2010-09-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Gigantic Beet!

Here is our update on our resolutions to let you know that we have not forgotten!

1) No longer shop at Big Box retailers unless absolutely necessary: We have done pretty well on this. Andrew has needed to buy clothes at JC Penney because he has not been able to find clothing that fit his needs at thrift and consignment stores. We went into a K-Mart to buy some mattress pads because I feel weird about buying someone's soiled mattress pads.
2) Strive to buy only US made goods and if we cannot, buy fair-trade items: Buying locally really helps and we are lucky to have many farmer's markets, local tradesmen around here. Unfortunately, aside from food, we haven't really had the opportunity to buy anything new.
3) Buy as many used/handmade items as possible: We are doing awesome at this. It has become a habit to look first at thrift/consignment stores before we even think about buying something new. We often go "treasure hunting" as a family once a week.
4) Support our borough by attending borough events: We haven't attended any events for a few months because of my pregnancy sickness and later miscarriage putting me out of commission for most of the summer but with Fall quickly approaching I am gearing up to get involved again.
5) Grow a small garden and frequent local farmer's markets: Small garden did just O.K. this year but with the weird weather I am not surprised. I learned a lot and next year I will plant VERY differently. We haven't been going to farmer's markets as frequently as I like, but I go to an Amish farm and a locally owned and operated grocery store for most of my produce. Our meat comes from local farmers in bulk so we don't spend much time/money in larger grocery stores.
6) Eat-out only at locally owned restaurants: Uhhhh, we haven't done great at this one, mainly because I hate Amish food and had weird cravings all summer.
7) Become involved in a community group: No luck on this one either due to my summer being indisposed. I am still looking for something to be involved in.

For the next four months we have the challenge of preparing for Christmas which will focus on handmade/thrifted items and I am anticipating that will be rather difficult. Ravenna's gifts this year are covered as I collected things gradually while thrifting.

New Blog!

2010-09-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I have finally decided to create a personal blog for all my hippie-ness so as not to offend or irritate those of you who only come to this blog to see updates on our family. I will try to keep my crunchy ramblings on this blog to a minimum so that you can greater enjoy the drewcarrie-ness.

Some Inspiration

2010-08-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I have been following the blog So You Think You're Crafty like a ravenous reality TV fan and have been really impressed/inspired to do a lot of the crafts. Only today I discovered the links to all the crafters participating on the right side. Duh! I thought I might share some of my favorites. I would love to post pictures, but I am pretty sure that isn't cool (does anyone know the rules?), so I will just post the links to the tutorials:

Mint-Ginger Preggo Pills: Obviously this was more on my mind when I was pregnant but I still think it is an awesome idea and I would have really loved to have had these in my first trimester.
Market Produce Bags: I already have reusable grocery bags but I have never been able to find good produce bags. These are great because they are mesh and this crafter used easy to find dollar store laundry bags.
Dinosaur Play Mat: Felt and Dinosaurs? Need I say more?

There are lots of great crafts on there but these three are ones that I think I might actually get around to making...one day. Also, go check out one of this week's three finalists to SYTYC, Emilie (I know her in real life. It is like hanging around a crafting celebrity!).

After a Miscarriage

2010-08-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Everyone keeps asking how I am doing and I never answer honestly because I don't think most people really want to know, but here it goes.

Right now I hate being around many people. I have been putting off going back to Church so as to avoid the awkwardness that I have felt every time I have been around fellow Church members since the miscarriage. Everyone keeps asking how I am feeling, like I am sick. I am not sick, my baby died. I am depressed, hormonal, lonelier than I have ever been but I am not sick and I do not have a disease.

Most people stay away. They don't ask me about my miscarriage or how I am handling the loss. They just avoid it. I want to talk about it and I need to talk about it instead of pretending it didn't happen. Nobody tells you what to do after a pregnancy loss. Most people wonder if you are going to try to get pregnant again soon, but few people are bold enough to ask, and really, it is an inappropriate question.

For three whole months up until my miscarriage, and probably even before that, all my future plans had been focused on a baby, but now there is no baby and the emptiness is overwhelming. A lot of women I talked to start trying to get pregnant again right away. I guess that is a way to try to fill the emptiness, but what about people for whom that is not an option? The medical profession says that a woman should wait anywhere between 2-6 months to attempt to get pregnant again. Then you throw in people with infertility and who knows when they will be able to have another child or even IF they will get a chance at another pregnancy. So, the "experts" tell women who have recently miscarried "Don't think about getting pregnant again until you have healed." What does that even mean?

I want to know what to do NOW. I need a way to focus my energy into something that isn't baby centered or even family centered. I am not looking for more responsibilities because I can't currently seem to fulfill the ones that already have; I am looking for something for me to escape that is productive and helpful so that I can focus on something other than the emptiness. I haven't even been able to make a real meal for my family since my brain doesn't seem to work correctly, which I suppose is part of the postpartum hormonal madness. Even small, simple tasks feel incredibly difficult.

So to sum up, I am trying to get back to normal but finding that to be an overwhelming task.

Empty

2010-08-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today my kind father-in-law brought us a tree; a weeping fig. It has shiny, abundant, beautiful leaves and it now sits in a corner of our living room only a few feet from where, at 2:00 this afternoon with the support of my husband and midwife, I gave birth to a baby that I will never know.

We purposely didn't tell many people of our pregnancy because for us these experiences are private and sacred. I had just passed the first trimester mark and we were beginning to get excited about the prospect of all the joys the next months would bring. Now we are struggling to come to grips with this loss and understand how this fits into God's plan for us.

Despite the pain, physical and emotional, I am grateful that I was able to give birth in the privacy of my home, naturally. I am grateful that God loves us enough to have given me and Andrew spiritual insight about this pregnancy so that we could be prepared when it did not turn out as we had wished. I am grateful for Christie and Derek who rushed over in the middle of the night to give me a priesthood blessing and be with our daughter while we went to the emergency room. I am grateful for Jenni for being so honest about her experiences and helping me to know what to expect with a missed miscarriage. I am so very grateful for Jillynn for calling me as soon as she found out and crying with me. I am so very grateful for a husband who stayed up with me as I labored in the early morning hours and supported me when the pain became too great and I became discouraged. I am grateful for my kind and sensitive midwife, Mary, who came to be with us and help us through the final stages. Lastly, I am grateful for the many prayers prayed on our behalf.

If this is hard for you to understand or you don't know what you could do or say that could possibly help, Jenni blogged about this based on her own experiences. Perhaps reading her post might help you in the future if you are ever in the position to help someone who has miscarried.

Happy Anniversary to US!

2010-08-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

August 12, 2004

Six years, three states, five LDS wards, three apartments, one house, zero pets, assorted crunchiness and one child later we are still in love and enjoying life together as DrewCarrie! Happy Anniversary to US!

Birthday Banner!

2010-06-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my friend Hannah asked me to test a pattern that she was going to be selling in her Etsy shop...and I just finished today. It wasn't that I didn't WANT to do it in a timely manner, it was just that I had to do it a certain way. First I wanted to spend very little money making it requiring me to scour thrift shops for suitable fabric which was a success. Secondly, I couldn't find bias binding so I had to make my own. Did you know that 1 yard of fabric makes 72 feet of bias binding? I didn't know that and it took me 2 days of painstaking measuring, cutting, sewing, folding and ironing strips of fabric. Then Hannah's pattern called for machine applique and I prefer to do that by hand which meant it was even more delayed but now it is complete!

Here is a detail of the applique that I did. This is a blanket stitch and it is the first time I used this. Learning is fun! I used three different applique stitches on the letters. Be sure to check out Hannah's Etsy shop and this awesome pattern! Seriously, this was a great pattern to work with; I highly recommend it!

More Thrift Store Treasures!

2010-05-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

No, just because I haven't posted any of my thrift store finds lately doesn't mean I stopped thrifting, I have just had very little time for blogging!

I got two of each of these a few weeks ago. I have decided that colored pressed glass is my favorite thing to buy. It just seems so beautiful, especially the lighter colors.

Do you see what I mean about the colored glass? These were such fabulous deals that I couldn't pass them up! The glasses were 4 for a $1! The blue candy dish stole my heart and I couldn't leave without it.

These are some nice plate shelves I found that I thought I might be able to use to display some of my pressed glass plates but I think they might be too country for my style, even if I did paint them black. What do you think?

And this cute little trivet had to come home with me but not for long. As soon as I saw him I knew he was destined to go to a friend. Isn't he adorable? If it still had him I think I might name him Albert.

My Garden in May

2010-05-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Do you remember what my garden looked like a month ago? Isn't it amazing what one month can do? My broccoli is gigantic, though sadly, one of them died of some kind of wilt. We have been enjoying lettuce and peas and soon we will have beet greens! The summer crops have all gone in, though I definitely want to add a few more peppers, but I will buy those already grown and plant them in the next week or so.

Look in the foreground of the pictures and you can see what look like weeds but are actually strawberry plants! I planted 18 Everbearing strawberry plants and if I am lucky I will get a small harvest in September.

I have two tomato plants in the front garden beds, two in pots in the back and three still under the lights in the basement! Canning tomatoes this year will be a stupendous endeavor!

I decided to plant some marigolds because they are pretty AND they deter pests. So far so good. Here are some things that I have learned recently:

Plant WAY more peas! I only planted 3 seeds to begin with and this variety really likes to be close with other pea plants and produces better when it is; plus I didn't plant enough for our enjoyment. These peas are very sweet and wonderful tasting right out of the shell.
Mulch, mulch, mulch! Right after I plant seeds I really need to mulch next time. The sun just baked my carrot, spinach and scallion seedlings despite diligent watering. I only have 4 carrots, 3 scallions and 5 spinach plants from the initial 20 or so seeds I sowed for each variety!
Plan on planting garlic rather than planting it as an after-thought after some cloves sprouted in my pantry. They need to be planted earlier. I have two that are going strong, though, so I should at least make up for that.

I love my garden and so does Andrew. Despite the work that it entails Andrew and I really enjoy working in the garden together. Oh! I checked on my composting worms today and they are doing great! I found tons of cocoons and they seem quite happy. I am glad that they are so easy to take care of!

Changing The Way We Eat

2010-05-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

A moment of Ravenna for those who read this blog only to see her

Now, for everyone else...

Everyone has their own ideas of what is "healthy" eating or on the other side of the spectrum don't really care what they eat; whatever is cheapest and easiest. Some people follow the fad diets, others are religiously low fat, or high protein. Over the years since my diagnosis with insulin resistance/pre-diabetes DrewCarrie tried many a different diet plan in an effort to stay healthy and feel great.

The first post-diagnosis diet was the diabetes recommended "low fat/sugar; high fiber/protein" diet which meant that I was basically allowed to eat beans and vegetables. I felt miserable and that diet lasted only about a month. When I got pregnant we went on the "fast food/cereal/ice cream diet. This was probably not the best food for a fetus, but I am sure many pregnant women will understand. After Ravenna was born and I found myself as a stay-at-home mom in the lonely state of Wyoming we began the "Mormon Mommy" diet which was based around low-cost meals and jello salads. This was a good learning time for me as I learned to plan menu's and make meals from scratch. I also developed the skill of making bread from a starter culture which was a precursor to my life-changing discovery, but more on that later.

After we moved to Pennsylvania I started experimenting a bit with vegetarian cooking, unfortunately for my Father-in-law. No offense to vegetarians, but most vegetarian meals lack a satisfying flavor and texture and my cooking self-esteem took a huge hit. Then at 15 months Ravenna developed some nasty digestive issues and so began the "elimination diet" saga. We went dairy-free, soy-free, and any other free you can think of until we found gluten-free. While I am not sure being gluten-free made a big difference for Ravenna, it sure did for me and that discovery is what led me to our final destination: Traditional Foods.

Through the blogosphere I discovered that many gluten-free bloggers also followed a diet based around a cookbook called Nourishing Traditions which lays the foundation for a Traditional Foods diet. Most simply this book says that the way your ancestors ate is the way you should eat and that diet will enable our bodies to function best. That idea really struck a chord with me and given my recent readings of In Defense of Food and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I embraced the idea wholeheartedly. I felt that in all my culinary wanderings, I had finally found my home. With Andrew's blessing, DrewCarrie once again radically changed our diet.

The "Fermentation Station"

Fermenting Sauerkraut and Water Kefir

To give you a basic idea, this is what eating a Traditional Foods diet entails for us:

Sprouting, fermenting, and soaking foods to make them more nutrient dense and digestible.
Very liberally using good, natural fats in our diets such as butter, EVOO, palm shortening, extra-virgin coconut oil and even lard (read this enjoyable article if you don't believe me).
No processed or artificial ingredients especially MSG, high-fructose corn syrup and sugar substitutes
Buy as many locally sourced, pasture-raised animal products as possible. I learned in my four years in the FFA that the way that you treat animals raised for meat/dairy/eggs does matter very much in the quality of the product. It makes sense to me that it is safer and more nutritious to eat products produced by animals that eat a natural diet and that are cared for in a humane fashion. Food safety is a HUGE problem in the US, mainly because of the way factory farms raise their animals/crops. Yes, I pay more for what we eat but I do so with the assurance that if I have a concern, I can go straight to the source.
No refined sugar and using natural sugars sparingly. We use Sucanat/Rapadura, honey, maple and date sugars.

This is a very general picture of what we do. If you were to classify this diet into a group I would call this a "whole foods" diet. After gradually easing into this diet for a number of months I am finding my stride. There is a lot to learn (hello! Eating like a Pioneer, people!) but there have been so many rewards so far. I have found that eating a TF diet helps me to feel the best, Andrew loves it and Ravenna's digestive issues have gone away. This is the diet that works best for OUR family. While I believe that most, if not all, people could benefit from aspects of eating a traditional foods diet, I don't believe that it is right for everyone. This works for us and we are very happy!

Ravenna had a Birthday!

2010-04-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Apparently she also can't believe she is two years-old.

Ravenna is 2 years old! I cannot believe it. We had a little family party to celebrate with grandparents, great-grandparents and even a crazy uncle. In our family we try to make sure that the gifts we give are meaningful and/or useful and everyone was very helpful in keeping up with that tradition as well as respecting our 2010 family resolution.

This year I made Ravenna a felt birthday crown that she can wear every birthday. She loves hats so the crown was a BIG hit. Andrew even got in on the handmade action and helped me to dye some play silks using Kool-Aid and this somewhat ambiguous tutorial. We also got her some fun crayon rocks.

The Birthday Crown

Dressing-up in the hand-dyed play silks.

I love this little girl so much it takes my breath away. How could I not love such a spunky, friendly, genuinely happy person? She is such a fabulous human being; I feel baffled as to how I was chosen to be her mother. Just so I will remember, here are some of my favorite things a:bout Ravenna at age 2:

When she wants to sing, she pretends she is conducting music
She figured out how to use my iPod Touch and appropriated it for her own use. Whenever she see's it she says "Pod? Pod!"
She loves to do songs with motions especially "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" and "Once there was a snowman"
She copies the things I say when I am frustrated like "Oh, dear" and "Okay...okay"
When I am upstairs and she wants me to come help her with something she says "Carrie! Carrie!"
She talks to herself when she is playing and sounds strangely like me...
She loves to roughhouse with her daddy
She loves to be outside and garden with me; she is very gentle with the seedlings
She is obsessed with animals as long as they don't get too close
She is not afraid of bugs
She makes friends wherever she goes, especially elderly ladies

I guess I could go on forever listing things I love about Ravenna, but I think I will go tell her myself.

The First Harvest!

2010-04-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

The garden is doing very well so far! We had a problem with a cat using it as a litter box but I think it finally realized that the garden bed was not conducive to clean paws, either that or the animal repellent we put out finally did its job. In the front row you can see my lettuce patch. I just planted six more lettuce seeds. One of my varieties did not germinate at all (grrr...) so there should be more here but c'est la vie. The spinach is doing lovely. We have 4 plants right now but only one is ready to harvest. In the very back we have some bush peas and the big ones in the middle are the broccoli. The second spring planting is finished and there will probably be one more planting in a few more weeks to keep things going.

Our First Harvest

Indoors we have zucchini and sweet peppers germinating and a bunch of beautiful tomato seedlings basking in the artificial light. Oh and great news! we might be able to get a small raised bed in the backyard! There is one spot in the back that gets sun most of the day. I will probably plant my tomatoes in pots and put them back there to see how they do and then next year, if they do well, we can put in another raised bed and have lots of stuff growing back there.

More Thrift Store Finds

2010-04-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

These finds are not from this last week, they are from all the way back in January but I forgot to post them.

Last week I found an awesome deal on canning jars and bought 44 of them plus a mismatched set of stainless steel eating utensils, so there wasn't much to see there.

In January I found this super cool vintage fabric and some darning thread. Ever since I saw this tutorial I have wanted to learn how to darn socks. I am not very handy with the fiber arts, but I am very practical and if I can save another sock from being turned into a duster or a sock monkey, so help me I will!

I don't really have plans for the fabric yet. I thought about reupholstering a chair with it since it is a heavier weight cotton, but I am afraid 2 yards won't be enough. I do love the colors though, don't you?

WORMS!

2010-04-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

While this may gross some people out, this is our worm bin. We made it ourselves and it cost us less than $10 using this tutorial. I would have taken a picture of the inside but I didn't think anyone would truly appreciate it, especially the worms since they do not like to be disturbed. Worm composting or Vermiculture is a very simple, economical and fast solution to composting if you: 1) Do not have much space and 2) Do not want to have to deal with the sometimes complex nature of traditional composting.

Worm composting produces the best kind of compost you can get: worm castings. You can't compost with just ANY worms though, you need Redworms, or Eisenia foetida. These little guys eat half their body weight every day and with one pound of Redworms you will have about 5 gallons of worms castings in around two months.

Redworms, as you might imagine, eat organic material. Their bedding is made up of strips of newspaper that have been moistened so that they can breathe. They eat the newspaper. They also like to eat kitchen scraps. They just LOVE rotting organic material. The only things that they do not eat are meat and dairy. As far as pet's go they are very easy and prefer to be left alone to reproduce and eat.

So, does anyone have any questions?

This Week's Flea Market Finds

2010-04-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

Ravenna and I took a trip to Roots again this week and despite getting the stroller stuck in the new laid gravel, we made some lovely acquisitions. Two things were different on this trip from the last one: 1) It was SUPER hot; and 2) I didn't think it was possible but it was even MORE crowded. While I am not a huge fan of crowds especially with a stroller in tow I braved my way into the flea market area in search of the ever elusive butter dish and came out wanting. There was nary a butter dish to be seen, or that I could see hidden among the vast tables of junk and treasures.

In any case, I did not come out empty handed as you can see above. The best thing is, I only spent $11.50! I discovered that if I wanted to get rock bottom prices, seek out the elderly gentlemen with the less pristine items. All the items I bought were in need of some TLC but cleaned up beautifully.

The end table was a steal at $10. It was tagged at $15 and the guy selling it says "I can give you a really good deal on that table $12" and I was thinking "yeah, I could use a table like that but would it work...?" and then the guys says "Ok! I will go down to $10 but no lower." I was perplexed because I didn't actually do any haggling. I accepted the price since I am not much of a haggler in the first place and it fit really well right on top of the stroller.

The juicer was selling for $6 at another vendor's table but I was able to get this one for $1. Woot! Amber and I had been checking out a similar one the last time we went but neither of us wanted to pay $6 for it. $1 though? I could do that.

The cup was a gift for Andrew. He grew up in and around Strasburg so I thought it would be fun to have. It was made in Japan. Didn't you know China is the new Japan? Once upon a time all the cheap souvenirs in the US were made in Japan, not China. Fun stuff.

I need to find a babysitter and go thrifting with other like-minded women. Not that I don't love my constant nearly 2 year-old shopping companion but it is so much more fun with people who are enjoying the hunt as much as I am.

The Garden is IN!

2010-03-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

While I realize that having a vegetable garden at the front of your house is not looked highly upon, I persisted and the bed is finally in (per HOA regulations). It was a lot of work to dig out all that dirt and put a raised bed into the ground to please the HOA. Don't you think it would look better raised and painted white to match the siding like I had originally planned? Yeah, I know I need to get over it but it certainly smarts. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to spruce up the yard to make it look more acceptable?

Here are my babies basking in the sunlight. I had weird germination rates among my seedlings and ended up with a bunch of broccoli, almost no spinach and one type of lettuce didn't germinate at all. Today I am going to start my tomatoes and I already direct seeded spinach, vit mache, peas, and scallions.

We also bought supplies to make our worm composter and I bought our worms off of Ebay. I am hoping they will arrive this week so that I can start composting ASAP.

As far as the budget is concerned, we budgeted $200 for this project

$45 went to seeds and starting supplies (these should last 2+ years)
$42.31 for general gardening supplies
$110 to build the bed and fill it with "Mel's Mix"
$11 for supplies for the worm composter
$30 for worms

Needess to say we went over budget because of the vermiculite and we had a hard time locating compost. Vermiculite is $24 for 4 cu. ft. and we only needed 6 so we have a bunch left over. Does anyone want to buy some discounted vermiculite? It makes a lovely soil mix when combined with equal parts peat moss and compost. ;)

Money, or the Lack Thereof

2010-03-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

As you have probably noticed, I have been struggling with budgeting issues as of late. For some reason I cannot get my budget to balance and it always seems to be because of food. I am a sucker for food so trying to stay within the food budget is KILLING me. Actually, it isn't killing me, but it is killing the idea of a budget.

When Andrew and I were in college and it was just the two of us, we spent $200/month on food and that was back in the days before my endocrine disorder diagnosis and we were eating a lot of processed foods. Now that I actually cook and make many of the things we eat from scratch, I struggle with not being able to keep my grocery bill to that level.

While grocery prices have gone up, I do wonder if it is possible to still eat well and spend less. I have had a lot of people say that we are already on a very small food budget but I recently ran into a number of bloggers who, for various reasons, were eating on a budget of $1 per person/day. In case you struggle with math that is only $21/week for a family of 3! Here is the thing though, the bloggers that I linked to are vegan, another blogger was a vegetarian. It seems like if you want to live on a budget THAT small you need to be vegetarian and in my opinion, being a vegetarian is no way to live a healthy life (no offense to the vegetarians out there). Other people with families are doing it for $50 dollars a week, which I think would be more doable for our family, but I still wonder what things we would have to give up.

So, here is my challenge (you can remain anonymous). Tell me: How much do you spend on groceries per month for your family? With that amount, how well do you feel you are eating? How little do you think you could spend? What sacrifices would that require you to make? I would love to get some ideas of what others are doing so even if you eat totally different than my family, tell me how you eat. Are you a family that eats out a lot, cooks most meals from scratch etc.?

This Weeks Flea Market Finds

2010-03-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday of this week my friend Amber invited me to join her at Roots which is a farmers market/flea market/auction in nearby Manheim. I had been hearing about "Ruts" for a long time so I was very eager to go and see what all the fuss was about. While the super crowded food market area was not really my cup o'tea the flea market was a blast! My finds this week consist of a fruit bowl ($1), a neat vintage flower pin ($1) and a Pfaltzgraff soup tureen ($10). How awesome are these?! My favorite is the soup tureen as I have been looking for one for some time now. We like soup at the Whitlock Manor and serving it in a stock pot was just not cutting it for my June Cleaver sensibilities.

Speaking of June Cleaver, here is a lovely quote that I thought fit me to a "T":

Eddie Haskell: Gee, your kitchen always looks so clean.
June Cleaver: Why, thank you, Eddie.
Eddie Haskell: My mother says it looks as though you never do any work in here.

I imagine that her reply would be something like this: "Why of course I don't do any work in here, Eddie. What I do is magic!" Ahhhh, magic. That is what I call my new food processor.

March Madness

2010-03-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

No, I do not mean the March Madness that involves basketball, I mean the March Madness that has enveloped the Whitlock estate. First, I have been working on a project for my church that has literally taken hours upon hours of measuring, cutting, pinning, sewing, cursing, more cutting, sewing and even more cursing and it is yet to be finished. The best part: I am teaching six, 8-11 year old girls how to applique. They are wonderful girls but I think that some of them have attention spans shorter than fish. In any case the project should be done soon and I can post pictures of the crafty-craftiness and forget all the hours (and the cursing) that it took to get there.

Now, for the biggest madness of them all, THE GARDEN. First of all PA has the worst soil in the universe. It is mostly slate and shale mixed with a little tiny bit of dirt. It took me an hour to dig one hole. So today Andrew and I worked to move the three "rhododendrons" to the back of the house which is shady and which they will like better. When I was moving them I noticed a plant tag buried underneath the root ball and I thought "oh cool, after we move these I can see which variety we have." La de dah, we relocated the "rhododendrons" and all was swell. Andrew built the frame for the garden box and I sat down to check out the plant tag. The builder told us that they were rhododendrons; everyone thought they looked like rhododendrons which prefer shade; the plant tag, however says this: Otto Luyken Laurel which is not a rhododendron. Not only that but laurels prefer sun. And so, all of that work probably for nothing. They might die back there, but maybe I will be able to give them to one of my neighbors provided that he moves them himself.

Then, when I thought the madness was over I had to fix my leggy seedlings. Back on that later. I just thought I would post about the craziness and share the love.

The Dish: March Budget Part 1

2010-03-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hurray for Spring!!! There is still a lot of snow on the ground but the sun is shining and the high today is 58*F! I am looking forward to the day the temperature climbs past 60*F because, in my mind, it isn't really spring until it does.

Here is how we have done thus far with groceries this month and instead of telling you EVERYTHING we buy I am just going to put it into categories.

GIANT 3/2:
Produce: $22.50
Dairy: $3.58
Grains: $19.89 (I stocked up on rice BIG time)
Baking Goods: $10.88
Canned/Dried: $3.17
Snacks/Cereal: $8.08
Condiments: $27.35 (I know this seems big but I was stocking up on Extra Virgin Coconut oil)
Personal Care: $5.82
Home: $11.09
Total w/tax= $113.58

Weis 3/3:
Produce: $4.62
Dairy:$4.48
Grains: $5
Snacks/Cereal:$4
Personal Care: $8.39
Total =$26.50

Costco 3/4:
Dairy: $11.88
Meat/Fish: $15.99
Baking Goods: $26.73
Snacks: $4.59
House: $2.59
Total w/tax= $61.78

Budget totals thus far:
Groceries = $172.95-$240= $67.05
Personal Care: $14.21-$20= $5.79
Home = $14.70-$20= $5.30
Dining Local = $17.41-30= $12.59

The beginning of the month always tends to be my big shopping time so I am not appalled by the amount spent on groceries so far. The second shopping trip of the month is usually between $50-75.

How Old is This Coat?

2010-03-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

Today's thrift store find was this gorgeous coat. The collar is REAL rabbit fur and I am guessing the coat is wool or a blend, though I don't know how to tell the difference (how can I tell?). The lining is synthetic. There is a lot of hand stitching on this coat and maybe the lining was replaced at some point. Weird, I just noticed that the lining left a powder on my hands. Ick. Instead of buttons it has 3 toggles which might be made of some kind of plastic, possibly bakelite?

This coat was made right here in Lancaster county. I contacted my friend Richard, who has lived in Lancaster since the 1960's and he said that he remembers there being an upscale woman's clothing store called Logan's but he can't remember when it disappeared.

So what do you think? I am debating between either 1950's or 70's.

Thoughts on Mediocrity upon Making a Potato Salad

2010-03-02T17:11:00.000-08:00

Dinner: Shrimp Fritters, Potato Salad,

& Mandarin Oranges

Today I made potato salad with the last of the beautiful organic Yukon Gold potatoes that I bought in the Fall from a nice Amish farmer. Ravenna was napping, the house was clean and the dishwasher humming in the background was the perfect music for a wandering mind. I considered my accomplishments to this point and discerned, as I had many times in the past, that there was no particular thing that I was especially good at.

You would think that for a perfectionist this occasional realization would be a maddening reminder, but for me, as I peeled the skin off cold potatoes in the dim winter light of a north facing window, I felt a certain ~~peace~~ acceptance.

I quit playing the flute at 14 because my band instructor told me that I would never be really good at it, mediocre at best, and I did not really like it anyway. During high school I joined the Future Farmers of America with its numerous and diverse activities, certain that I would find something that I could be really good at. Yet, at the end of four years I was again reminded that I would never do very well in any of the many activities that I participated in and I abandoned the pursuit of a degree in agriculture for the pursuit of academic glory. Here is where I did the best. I had a knack for knowing my academic strengths and weaknesses and thus avoided classes that I would not do well in. This is not to say that I was not challenged, but I stuck with the things that I thought would lead me to eventual success, my niche, as it were. In the end I only graduated Magna cum Laude, not Summa, and missed being Valedictorian by miles. On my graduation day I cried at the loss because I had come so close. I did not need the honors, more the validation to continue in my studies.

Moving onto to full time employment to support my husband while he finished his studies, I entered into a job as meaningless and unfulfilling as any job I have ever held. I was extremely grateful for the position that paid the bills but resentful at the fact that every morning I woke up dreading the day ahead of me. I quit that job after only 11 months believing that I was moving onto a bigger, better job and a crack at graduate school glory, but that was not in the cards for me.

One month after quitting, I found myself pregnant with Ravenna, a delightful surprise, and all plans for further employment and graduate school were put off indefinitely. I jumped into becoming a full time housewife with all the zeal of June Cleaver. I wanted to be the best, most economical, crafty cute, organized and emotionally put-together housewife there ever was.

Luckily, I did not let that zeal extend to motherhood. I realized early on in my pregnancy that motherhood is not something you can excel at because you are dealing with another person and to do justice to the calling, you must abandon your self-interest and give over to love, patience and compassion. To be a good mother is merely to do your very best and hope that to the little person whose care you were entrusted, that it will be enough.

And so, folding cubed potatoes into the creamy dressing while chatting with my husband about his day, I resigned to my mediocrity. I wish I could say that I had some great epiphany about how my inability to do anything very well fits into the Great Plan of Happiness or spiritual reassurance that my inherent divine worth as a daughter of God would make up for my lack of excellence, that is not what happened. I felt merely acceptance of what I am: a decent person and a good wife and mother, and that is enough.

Placing the bowl of salad into the refrigerator I breathed a sigh of resignation. Then I realized that I had neglected to put the hard boiled eggs into the salad. Drat!

Potato Salad

6 hard-boiled eggs

10 Red or Yukon Gold Potatoes, boiled for 15-20 minutes and cooled, peeled and cubed

1 c. Mayo

1/2 c. ranch dressing

2 tbsp. prepared yellow mustard

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp paprika

1/8 celery seed

4-6 green onions (depending on taste) sliced thinly

Stir together mayo, ranch dressing, mustard, and spices in a mixing bowl. Add eggs, potatoes and onion and stir gently until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Shrimp Fritters, adapted from BHG

1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp with tails removed, chopped

1 egg, beaten

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 c. all purposed four (I used my gluten-free baking mix)

2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 c. cooking oil (I used Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, which I always use when I fry)

In a small mixing bowl beat the egg. Add the shrimp and the rest of the ingredients and mix well. In a large skilled heat the oil (it is best when it is good and hot) and then add the shrimp mixture by 1/3 cup full's. I find that the best way to do this is to really pack the mixture into a 1/3 cup measure and drop it quickly into the oil. Cook for 3 minutes on each side and let drain on a paper towel. Serve immediately.

February: Resolutions in Review

2010-03-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

February seemed to drag on forever with all the snow storms and the subsequent snow-days that shot our routine into oblivion. Having Andrew home so much was wonderful, though! I really love his job as a teacher when there are snow days to be had. As far as living our resolutions I think I can give us a B-/C+ grade for the month.

Things we did well:

We did not shop at any big box stores for groceries, personal care or household items. NONE. We have done a lot of shopping at our local hardware store and local grocery stores, especially The Country Store.
Ravenna and I had a ball at the local thrift and consignment stores! We really have some great stores only about a mile from our house so when the weather gets nicer we can walk there.
Despite the no-go from our HOA for the raised beds, I have decided to move forward and build the beds into the ground. So while it won't look as nice, I will still have my garden and be able to follow the square foot gardening method. I have one broccoli plant started and will be starting a bunch more seeds this week.

Things we didn't so well:

Eating out: We didn't eat at any local restaurants this month. Truth be told we ate at the Olive Garden, Taco Bell, Coldstone and Burger King. The Olive Garden and Coldstone were paid for by gift card's so I am not sure if those count.
Andrew had gift cards for JC Penney and Sears so we had to use those. There really wasn't any way around that and Andrew needed work clothes which are painfully difficult to find at Thrift and Consignment stores (I guess guys don't part with their wardrobe as readily as women do?).
We didn't attend our borough's big "Fire and Ice" event this month, despite the fact that it is one of the biggest events of the year with lots of ice sculptures and a chili cook-off. We wanted to go, but when it came down to it, it was snowing and I wanted to read a book.
I still haven't involved myself in a community group. With my new calling as achievement day leader and with Andrew's college class my only free time is Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and I am not sure the library will let me volunteer with so few hours.

Our grocery budget this month was a real learning experience. I think we could have lived with the budget I made, but I am not sure if we could have eaten so well. When all is said and done, I know we can do better than the $300+ we spent on groceries this month.

This month was unusual in that we had 4 dinner "parties." Normally we have 1-2 so that did put us a bit out of the range of a normal grocery bill. Based upon this last month's spending and taking your advice into account I have revised our budget:

$240/month for groceries NOT including personal care or household items, but including stock-up items for our 3-month supply.
$20/month for personal care items
$20/month for household items
$10/month for clothes for Ravenna: The local consignment store just had a big sale so with $35 I was able to get almost all the clothes I need for her for summer aside from PJ's so I probably won't buy any more clothes until June.
$200 for gardening (I have decided to do worm composting which is much cheaper to begin with). So far I have spent about $50 for gardening expenses including: seeds, soil, peat pots, vermiculite, and a grow lamp.

So there you go! We are ready to start March with a great deal of optimism. This month will be a big one for getting the garden ready: moving the rhododendrons to the back (the HOA did approve this), digging out the 4'x8' bed, building the garden box into the soil and preparing and filling the box with "Mel's Mix."

The Dish: February Groceries Part 3

2010-02-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

After factoring out the Costco diapers and furniture that left me with $21.37 to spend on groceries for the rest of the month. Could I do it? Probably not, but I would certainly try. The day before the big blizzard I went to The Country Store to pick up some necessities which set me back $21.73...ouch! I bought two dozen free-range eggs, 2 lbs. buckwheat flour, natural hot dogs (these were really interesting), pine nuts, 3 lbs. garbanzo beans, brown sugar and 4 lbs of sweet potatoes for .49/lb.! I went a bit crazy buying a bunch of things that we didn't really need.

On Saturday I bought 3 lbs. of crab legs from a local fishmonger for our traditional Valentines Day crab fest: $18.93 I have always wanted to say I went to a fishmonger. I don't know if I will go back there again because the owner was really rude to her employees showing a complete disregard of them or the customers, and that is very uncool in my book. Maybe she was having a bad day though, and as I learned from the Veggie Tales movie that I saw recently, "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Already I was over the budget by $19.29 and there were still two weeks left in the shortest/longest month of the year.

My last trip to the grocery store set me back only $69.29 and that was only food. Oh yes, and we needed dessert for one of our dinner parties, ice cream floats with 7 different kinds of "root" beers to choose from, and that total came to $16.27. Our grand total spending on groceries for the month: $304.85 which is $84.85 over budget. I think I need to do a little tinkering.

A Little Dose of Ravenna: The Aunt Jemima

2010-02-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

When I don't feel like spending time battling with my willful hair I just cover it up with a scarf or bandanna. Andrew, however, is not a fan of the look and started calling my hair covering, "The Aunt Jemima." Undeterred, I almost daily wear my "Aunt Jemima" head-dress and apparently Ravenna took notice:

Check my baby girl out! She totally did this one herself with a bandanna I had forgotten to untie. How awesome is this?! Notice the mittens? Her fashion sense is really taking off!

Love: S.S. and Green Tongues

2010-02-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

Today I got a lovely package in the mail from my secret sister, Stacy! I have never met Stacy but we both belong to the Natural LDS Living Forum where we do secret sister's quarterly. My package included homemade apple butter, chocolate toffee peanuts, Burt's bees soap and chap stick, cozy socks, and a scented soy candle. Love it!

I really needed this after I opened my electric bill that was over $100! This really breaks my heart because I have been trying so hard to keep our usage down. I wonder if PA has the highest electricity prices in the nation? Nope, that is Hawaii. While I don't feel as bad knowing that, we moved from the state with the LOWEST utility prices so the shock is having a hard time wearing off.

More love: green tongue twins! Like father, like daughter. Ravenna received a FunDip valentine at the party that we went to this morning and she decided to share with her daddy. Can you guess what flavor it was?

A Little Dose of Ravenna: Snow

2010-02-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken after the first big snow storm and before the blizzard that dumped another two feet on top of the 20 something inches we got the first time.

Ravenna is not sure how she feels about the snow,
especially when it is so deep.

One thing she does love about the snow is dressing up in snow gear.
She also loves her Grandma Whitlock.

Broth vs. Stock

2010-02-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

Look at that broth!
This is from the bones of a whole chicken and a turkey breast.

Do you know the difference? The terms are used pretty much interchangeably, but there is a difference. Stock is made by boiling meat, vegetables and/or herbs and broth is made by boiling only the bones, usually slowly at low temperatures. Nutritionally, broth is the way to go because by boiling only the bones you can access the marrow, which according to the Weston A. Price Foundation:

...contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons--stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.

I learned how to make my own bone broths from my friend, MommyBee who has a great tutorial on how to do this. The only thing that I might add from my own research is that if you want to cook chicken bones for more than 2 hours you need to do it at a super low temperature, as in a slow cooker. It is also important to skim off the fat to get rid of impurities and toxins.

Making a stock is pretty similar to making a broth, but you don't simmer it for as long; usually less than two hours. It is really easy to make a vegetable stock, and just as you save the bones from meat, you can save your vegetable scraps/peels and even less-than-fresh produce for a great stock. The best veggies to use for your stock are:

...onions, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, celery, mushrooms, peas, corn (empty corn cobs can also add lots of flavor to veg. stock), parsley, green beans, beets, bell peppers, scallions, green onions, shallots, fresh basil or other herbs, etc., etc.

I will usually just save my scraps in a plastic bag in the freezer and when I get a bag full, I cover them with water, throw in some whole spices (like a bay leaf), cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Then strain and you have a lovely stock to use in any recipe calling for it or broth. Easy! Be careful to use any scraps from the cabbage family, such as broccoli, very sparingly because they have an intense flavor. Apparently you can also can stock/broth if you have a pressure cooker.

P.J. Pant Pajamarama

2010-02-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

As part of my resolution to sew something for me I am making pajama pants from Amy Butler's In Stitches. Things are going well so far, but I have met with some annoying things in the book that I don't like, mostly having to do with her terminology and when she says to do something and doesn't explain why. I guess I don't NEED to know, but I want to, because I am learning. Here is one for my seamstress friends: Why is it necessary to press a seam allowance a certain direction?

The book itself is gorgeous and I do really appreciate the handy drawings. So far in this adventure I have learned a number of things that I would like to share with you, so be attentive:

When going to JoAnn Fabrics with a 50% off coupon, be sure to double check that a fabric isn't already on "sale" before getting it cut. JoAnn's is pretty tricky about listing which fabrics are only a measly 10-20% off. I think they do this on purpose.
Don't make that same mistake twice in one trip because you brought your spouse along with another coupon and both of you were equally clueless.
Cellophane tape isn't a special fabric tape; it is regular, clear tape of the gift-wrapping sort. Thanks, Amy Butler for being so clear on that one. Real beginners like myself, have absolutely NO clue, apparently neither did the experienced seamstress helping me at JoAnn's.
The basement floor is not conducive to laying out, cutting and pining fabric. Also, not conducive to happy sewing is having to repeatedly walk up and down two flights of stairs to sew (in the basement) and press/pin/cut in my bedroom. I need to figure out a solution to this one.
I am much happier sewing when I am listening to music (particularly to The Swell Season). One of my college art teachers told me to always paint while listening to music in order to turn off the logical side of my brain. I didn't think the same thing applied to sewing, but apparently in my case it does.

Tomorrow I move on to the dreaded BUTTON HOLES! Doesn't that just make you shiver in anticipation? For me, it is mainly anticipation of failure, but as this is a necessary step in learning how to use my machine, I will forge on!

Oh, and when this project is over and done with, I am moving onto super simple and easy draft dodgers for my front door and a felt birthday crown for Ravenna, which will look something like this but probably cuter (one can always hope).

FAIL, FAIL, FAIL

2010-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

COSTCO! I shake my fist at your wide aisles and free samples! You blind me with your $1.50 Kosher hot dog and soda; you break my resolve with your decently priced "green" and organic items. Gah!

Needless to say I blew it at Costco to the tune of $176.06. Before you think I am bonkers, let's deconstruct the experience, shall we? First we saw a folding chair on sale and since one of ours broke last week, into the cart it went: $12.99. Oh, and we REALLY needed storage shelves and I wasn't able to find any used ones for a decent price: two metal storage shelves $53.98. Then the actual stuff on my list: organic tortilla chips, 4.59; milk, 3.59; butter, 6.99; bread, 3.99; totaling to $19.16 which would have put us right at our budget, but NOOOOOO I had COUPONS! Into the cart went Glide Floss, 9.99; and Oxiclean 13.49. Then add two more impulse buys: ECOS Laundry detergent, $12.59 and poptarts for work, $8.79. I almost forgot the diapers, $39.59. We only buy diapers every four to five months, so this isn't really factored into the budget. Add all that together and 6% tax on the non-food items and we have $176.06.

Even if we remove the diapers, shelves and the chair, we went way over budget on everything else. Sigh. We will use all of these things, no problem, so it is not like I bought things just because they were on sale and they will never see the light of day. I won't have to buy floss or oxiclean for a year and our basement and garage looks much nicer thanks to the shelves. Wow, I feel like such a loser though. I was totally taken in by the Costco siren AGAIN.

This Week's Kitchen Winners

2010-02-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

If I had a more than decent camera and some photography skills I would take gorgeous photos of my favorite recipes in all their glory, BUT I don't so you will just have to take my word for it.

Carrie's White Chicken Chili
This one wins the food storage award and it is the perfect fall/winter dish with a side of cornbread. I adapted this from Delene Bullard's "Super Simple White Chicken Chili" recipe in Gillette 1st Ward's "Lunch Club" cookbook but changed it enough that I am going to call it my own.

1 lb. of Great Northern Beans, soaked and cooked or 5 cans rinsed and drained
3 cups chicken broth or 2 cans
2 cups chopped chunk chicken (I used 2 cans of chicken); Can use two chicken breasts cooked and chunked.
2-3 small cans of green chilies
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. of taco seasoning (I used a spice blend with no MSG)
2 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in cold water to thicken, if desired

In a large pot combine all the ingredients except cornstarch. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Thicken with cornstarch, if desired, and boil for one minute. This should serve 6-8 adults.

Crispy Potato Chicken
This recipes wins the "Best use of Potato Flakes" award. Andrew's aunt Diane submitted this one in the famous "Purple MFR (Montgomery Family Reunion)" cookbook. I don't generally try many of the MFR recipes (there are 3 MFR's) because of the high sugar and dairy content of many of the recipes, but there are occasionally jewel's such as this one that fit our dietary needs.

1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (I omitted this)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
10 bone-in chicken pieces, legs and thighs (I just used 4 large chicken thighs and it seemed the perfect amount. If I were doing more I would want to double the amount of spices)
2 eggs
2 tbsp. water
1 c. mashed potato flakes (I used less)
1 stick of butter, melted (you can use 1/2 if you do less chicken)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bag combine spices and cheese and shake chicken in two batches (again I only did one because I was using less chicken) until they are coated. Pour the butter into a 9X13 baking pan and coat the bottom well. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs and water. Dip chicken into the eggs mixture and then coat with the potato flakes and add to the pan. Bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, turn the chicken; bake for 15-30 minutes longer. Check the temperature to see if the chicken is done at 15 minutes. How long you bake it depends on your oven and how thick the chicken is. I would check the done-ness after no more than 35 minutes in the oven.

A little dose of Ravenna

2010-02-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

I can never get her to smile for pictures anymore; she is way too busy having fun.

Cooking in her play kitchen with her tutu. How fancy is that?
Edit: The cute tutu was a gift from Aunt Lauren, how we love her.

I realize that her eyes look seriously weird in this one. I tried fixing the red eye with Gymp software and couldn't figure it out.
Edit: There is that tutu again! Awww thanks, Aunt Lauren.

"Leave me alone, Mom, I am IM'ing with my BFF"
Edit: Proof that the flower is still on, Lauren.

Ravenna the fashionista. I admit I am a horrible parent for even taking this picture when my daughter was so obviously in distress but check out what she did with her tutu! How is that for fashion sense? Oh and the bare midriff is a special touch, thanks to Aunt Lauren for the inspiration.

Two Weeks of Meals with the Whitlocks

2010-02-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

What do we eat for two weeks with those groceries? Here is my menu for the first two weeks of February. I am not sure if you can read it in this format but notice how I divide up our meal plan: Sunday, easy; Monday, meat; Tuesday, vegetarian; Wednesday, poultry; Thursday, vegetarian; Friday, seafood or dining out; Saturday, new recipe or leftovers. This menu isn't totally inclusive because I really stink at side dishes and usually just cut up some fruit or steam some veggies. I try to include a protein, starch, fruit and veggie at every meal, though I usually fail because I really don't like veggies unless they are hidden in something.

For lunches we do some combination of fresh fruit and/or veggies, eggs, peanut butter concoctions, hummus, guacamole or salsa and chips, green smoothies, and sometimes left overs. My favorite lunch is chipotle sweet potato fries and I make them about once a week. Breakfast for Ravenna is almost always either cold or hot cereal and homemade applesauce or a banana. She is pretty picky these days. For me, I make own oatmeal or homemade granola with soy milk. I bake about every other day. Usually I make granola, quick breads (pumpkin, zucchini, banana, apple etc.) and once or twice a week, cookies or another treat.

As I commented before, I stock up on enough animal protein to last about 2-3 months. Last month I stocked up on fish. This month I got ground beef. We still have a lot of chicken left so we might not have to stock up until the middle of March, or whenever it goes on sale. Occasionally I will throw in a steak to keep my man happy but usually I stir-fry it so we don't need very much.

If anyone is interested I will keep up with the "what we eat" posts pretty regularly. I definitely want to do the "how we spend our budget" posts because they help me to not fudge the budget. Eventually I would like a budget conscience to be ingrained, but until then, your opinion matters! Oh, and if you are following the "Food Storage Made Easy" plan, I am still trying to figure out a month of meals that I like enough to keep in my cooking repertoire. Most of the meals that I have planned I have never tried before. Eventually I would like to settle down, but I will probably need to have 3 different menu's depending on the season. Gah! I think too much.

The Dish: Grocery Spending

2010-02-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

Mommy Bee brought up a good question about budgets: How much do groceries cost in your area? That should really be the determinate for how much you spend, right? Lucky for you, I just went grocery shopping today so here are some things that I bought and how much I paid for them.

Milk: Around here the price of milk is set by the government and it is usually about $3.25-3.50/gallon. If we go to the Amish and get it raw, we pay $3/gallon. Andrew is the only one who drinks milk in the family so we usually only go through 1 gallon every two weeks.
Eggs: If you buy regular, large Grade A eggs you are going to pay about 1.50/doz. We buy local free range eggs from a small grocery store for $2.50/doz.
Bread: We get ours from Costco and it is about $2 a loaf.
Bananas: .59/lb.
80/20 Ground Beef: Today was on sale for 1.99/lb. I am looking into buying a quarter of grass fed beef this year as soon as I get a chest freezer. A side should last us a year. We only go through about 5 lbs. of beef a month, if that.
Chicken breasts: Usually on sale for 1.79/lb in bulk.
Butter: We buy ours from Costco for $1.79/lb. It would be lovely if we could find a local source for butter, but I haven't seen anything yet.

Wouldn't you like to know how I did with shopping on a budget? This is our shopping for two weeks:

$38.43 was spent on produce: 2.5 lbs bananas, green onions, 2.6 lbs. sweet potatoes, 5 lbs. Gala apples, 1 spaghetti squash, 2 heads of organic lettuce, 2 bags of organic carrots, celery, cantaloupe, 3 lbs. broccoli, 6 kiwi (Ravenna wanted them and how could I say no to a child asking for fruit?) and 3 avocados.
$20.84 was spent on meat: 6 lbs. Turkey breast, 4.5 lbs. ground beef (we will actually only use 1 lb. of ground beef, but I was stocking up).
$5.58 was spent on dairy: Kefir and soy milk
$8.69 was spent on grains/legumes: 1.5 lbs of organic jasmine rice, .5 lb. peanuts, pumpernickel bread
$7.49 for cereals: Organic cereal for Ravenna, and generic big bag coco crispies for Andrew
$19.30 for canned/jars: jalapenos, green chiles, mayo, sesame oil, salsa, 4 cans tomato sauce, imitation maple syrup (for Andrew), agave nectar, baking powder
$25.28 for Misc.: chocolate and organic fruit snacks for my secret sister, cheesecloth, muffin cups, wipes, packing tape, baking powder and two boxes of kleenex with lotion (the best!).

My total: $125.61 including tax. Not great considering my budget was for $100 or under, but this is more of an experimental month and I also bought a bunch of things that I don't normally buy, like the gifts, wipes and packing tape, for example.

Update: Andrew had to bring food for two days straight for potlucks so guess what? 4 Avocados, a bag of tortilla chips and two sweet potatoes (because they looked lovely): $9

So we are left with $65.39 for the rest of the month, plus $20 for Costco. I think we can make it, but I will probably be tweaking next month. It is a good thing we have our food storage!

January: Resolutions in Review

2010-02-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

January was an eye-opener as we began to live our resolutions. The first struggle that became evident was that Andrew would often forget our resolutions, especially when it came to dining out. Another thing that I realized, since it is primarily my responsibility, is that I have not been very good about managing our budget. After moving in with the in-laws I got out of the habit of budgeting because we really didn't need to, but we probably could have saved a lot more money while living with them if I had been more diligent.

As the budget goes I need to set some limits otherwise this whole resolution/experiment of buying local won't work. I want to show that it IS affordable to do it, and that it does not take that much work. I ran into a snag however when trying to decide how much to allocate in the budget for groceries such as which items to include; just food, or also personal care products, etc.? Another question was how much the average American family of our size spends. Through Google I discovered that the amount varies widely but tends to be between 5-15% sometimes 20% of the annual income. Here is the budget that I ended up figuring out, but I am definitely still open for input if you think it is too much or too little.

$200/month for groceries including personal care and household items.
$20/month for food storage
$10/month for clothes for Ravenna (Andrew and I each have a monthly allowance which we use if we want to buy clothing or whatever our hearts desire).
$30/month for eating at local restaurants and participating in Borough events
$495/season for our CSA share; our grocery budget will be $100/month from late May-mid October.
$250 to start our garden which includes supplies, buying a composter, seeds etc.

Obviously our household budget is more expanded than this but this covers what we will mainly focus on for our resolutions. As far as our garden goes, the large amount needed to start the garden is only a one-time expenditure. As soon as we get our composting going, the only thing we will need to purchase for our garden every year is mulch and seeds.

We didn't do great this month with buying local and I blame it on my Costco exemption. I LOVE Costco and I did a bit of impulse buying this month. We bought a paper shredder because we have needed one for a while but the rest was food expenditure. If I were to calculate the amount I spent on food this month, it would probably be about $250 including food storage items.

Here is where I need your help, dear reader:

-What do you think of my budget? What can be changed/modified and suggestions on how to do it?
-Recommendations of a composting bin. I would like one that spins.
-Ways that you save money on your groceries keeping in mind that we buy mostly organic produce and rarely buy processed food.
-Share your recipes for low-cost meals (especially helpful if they are dairy/gluten free).

The whole reason that I am writing this on my blog is for accountability and ideas, so PLEASE help me. Also, if you want to ask questions, do that too, that way we can all help each other.

New House: The front and basement

2010-01-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

From the main floor to the basement

Yes, I keep my mop in the foyer. That is the front entry door to the left of the mop.

The front yard which you can't totally see but I was cold and barefoot so this is what you get. I head a wreath on the door but the wind blew it away in the freak storm we had last week.

What you see when you walk in the front door.

The view from the foyer into the basement. The desk set-up is where Andrew does his school work. There is still a lot of organizing to be done, but we don't have enough shelves to put it all.

The food storage shelves get priority. We don't have much but we are working on it. My system so far is to have sugar/fruit on the right, beans/protein in the middle and canning/personal care items on the left. Our rice, oatmeal and powdered milk is in the boxes under the TP.

My future craft area! There isn't much to see really aside from a ton of clutter. We need shelves badly but until then, everything sits in boxes. There you have it!

New House: The Bedrooms

2010-01-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

The stairs up to the third floor! Oooooo!

When you reach the top of the stairs and look to your left you will see our laundry room and beyond, Ravenna's suite.

A view of our lovely laundry room. The builder made it too small which has caused considerable concern for our neighbors. Luckily, we have a stackable machines.

Ravenna's ginormous room

The other side of the room with the closet on the right and the bathroom on the left.

Ravenna's bathroom has a window to the left of the sink. Fancy! It also has a bathtub to the right.

The huge and rather empty closet that is the only reason I would rather have this room than my own. You will see later why.

The view from Ravenna's bathroom.

From Ravenna's room to our master suite. Notice the lovely light?

The view from the door. It seems rather small in the picture, but it really isn't. Our bathroom is just to the left.

Our smaller and much fuller closet.

This one is from the closet. There are actually three windows in this room but the middle window doesn't appear in any of the pictures. To the left you can see my future reading nook.

Last but not least, our bathroom. Taa daa!

P.S. Please do not judge me for the lack of decor; I am working on it...slowly.

Planning my Garden

2010-01-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is my amazing garden plan that I have to submit to my HOA before I can start because I need to relocate three rhododendron shrubs and that requires HOA approval. Boo. You might also notice that Ravenna had a part in the planning process with the squiggly pencil drawings. Unfortunately her additions did not make it into the final plan being submitted for approval.

I have a 14X12 space to work with in front of my house so I am doing raised beds, made of wood (hopefully salvaged/re-purposed from the Habit for Humanity Re-Store), painted white to match the siding. I am planning on following Mel Bartholomew's method of Square Foot Gardening to get the most out of my small space. The area surrounding the beds will be filled with black mulch, just in case you were curious, and there is an existing boxwood shrub that I will leave in place.

Now, to the good part: What am I am planting? So far I have ordered...

SPINACH * BLOOMSDALE * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
PEA, SHELLING * TOM THUMB * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
ONION * EVERGREEN WHITE BUNCHING * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
LETTUCE * TANGO * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
LETTUCE * ITALIENISCHER * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
LETTUCE * FORELLENSCHUSS * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
LETTUCE * AMISH DEER TONGUE * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2009
GREENS * MACHE VIT * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
CARROT * SCARLET NANTES * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
SQUASH * BLACK BEAUTY ZUCCHINI * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
BEET * CHIOGGIA * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010
BROCCOLI * DI CICCIO * HEIRLOOM SEEDS 2010

FOUR different kinds of lettuce?! You read that right. I made sure that all of the varieties that I ordered will do well in our area and many of the seeds are organic, though not all. All are sustainably grown heirloom seeds, and none are GMO (take THAT Monsanto!). I still have to order my tomato seeds and will probably get them from Happy Cat Organics, which is local. Does anyone know of a great paste tomato, by the way? I am really wanting to can my tomatoes and make lots of sauce. For a great cherry tomato, I recommend Sungolds. We got them at our CSA last year and they were SO SO GOOD! I will probably do 4-6 tomato plants: 2 paste, 1 cherry, and 1 slicing. Is there anything else I should grow? I can't do corn or vine plants unfortunately.

I purchased most of my seeds from Cherrygal.com. I could never figure out exactly where she was located, which kills the whole "buying local" idea but many of her heirlooms were developed right here in Lancaster county. I mainly bought from her because of time: I need to get my broccoli and tomatoes started ASAP. I couldn't depend on the Landis Valley Museum to get my seeds soon enough through mail order, even though they are pretty darn local. Maybe I will get some seeds from them next year? At least I am working on one part of my resolution!

Oh, and here is a fun tool for designing your garden: http://gardeners.com/Kitchen-Garden-Planner/kgp_home,default,pg.html?SC=RMPG2128

Plague

2010-01-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the lack of pictures of the rest of the house. For over a week now, the Whitlock family has been battling the common Cold which has made itself quite at home here. It has put all of us out of commission and still seems to be going strong with no end in sight. Don't you just love unwelcome visitors? I will be sure to get those pictures up as soon as I get out of survival mode.

Ravenna and the Cave of Wonders

2010-01-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

The Whitlock Family Resolves

2010-01-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

While pondering on the economic situation of this country, after attending a home-party of all things, I wondered what on earth I could do to help strengthen my local, state and national economies and put my dollar to the best use. I recalled an article in our local borough gazette which stated reasons why we should buy locally instead of shopping at Big Box stores. One of the most compelling reason the article stated was that as much as .60 of every dollar spent at locally owned businesses goes back into the community compared to just .06 for Big Box stores and .20 for chain stores (this information is according to the Susquehanna Sustainable Business Network). With that in mind, Andrew and I discussed and we came to a resolution:

For 2010 it is resolved that the Whitlock Family will:

No longer shop at Big Box retailers unless absolutely necessary, excepting Costco for food storage purposes.
Strive to buy only US made goods and if we cannot, buy fair-trade items.
Buy as many used/handmade items as possible sourcing Etsy and local consignment/thrift shops.
Eat at locally owned restaurants instead of restaurant chains.
Grow a small garden and purchase a seasonal share in a CSA farm.
Support our borough by attending borough events and fundraisers.
(Dare I share this one since past experience was...eh?) Become involved in a community group.

We have not shopped at Walmart since September so cutting out all big box stores seemed like a logical next step. Can we do this and maintain our budget and build our food storage? I really hope so and I will keep you updated on our progress. All the resolutions may not be about money necessarily but we are all about building our community. After all, Andrew's paycheck comes mainly from local tax revenue; the very least we can do is to do our best to keep that money in our community and give back a little service. Wish us luck!

Christmas at the Whitlock Manor

2010-01-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

While a little late, please enjoy this post with pictures of our delightful Christmas celebrations. In the above picture Ravenna is ecstatic to have received two "Baby Signing Time" DVD's and is signing "heck yeah!" Actually, she is signing "baby" but that isn't as cool.

This is my make-shift Advent wreath. For weeks Andrew kept saying the kitchen smelled funny, like "feces" (by the way, anything that "smells weird" to Andrew gets equated with feces). It turns out that the smell was the coming from the candles. I did not think that they smelled anything like feces, more like petrochemical, but next year I think we will find some beeswax candles and keep these ones for emergencies.

The Lean Tree again! Rachel asked about how my cloth gift bag adventure turned out and you can see for yourself if you click on the picture. Notice all the gifts under the tree are wrapped using reusable/reused wrapping. Even the gift tags were made from last years Christmas cards. Hurray for frugal and Eco-friendly, plus, they look crafty fabulous.

Here Jeff-Dad is modeling the latest in reusable gift bag fashion. Doesn't he look stunning?

Delete

2009-12-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I had to delete the last post b/c I was getting a lot of weird stuff. Sigh. Public blogs.

New House Photos: Main Floor

2009-12-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

We have now lived in our house for a month and my dear sister-in-law (Hi, Lauren!) reminded me that I still had not posted pictures. While my home still hasn't reached the degree of perfection that I aspire to, and maybe never will, here are some photos to satisfy your curiosity. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before I could finish, so this is what you get.

This view is from the living room into the kitchen. You can see the back slider that is our main entrance and through that our tiny backyard and garage entrance. We haven't gotten around to that chandelier yet, but soon the brassy brassiness will be gone a la a can of Krylon.

I decided to include this picture of the main floor front window to show that we are on the ground floor from the back but on the 2nd floor from the front. This is due to the house being built into a hill. Our front entry actually goes right into the basement. It is hard to describe, but I will post pictures as soon as my battery is charged.

This is my kitchen from the back sliding entry. I love my gas stove and actually love that my sink is in the island. The dishwasher is right next to the sink.

The view from the pantry. You can see our neighbors garage through the window. Isn't my buffet awesome? I got it at IKEA and it took me four hours to assemble. I still have some decorating to do. For more views of the kitchen, see this post.

This is the view of the living room from the kitchen, and of course, Ravenna. The first door on the right is our powder room and the second door beyond it is the entrance to the stairs going down to the basement/front entry. Notice our artificial Christmas tree is leaning to the left? Yeah, I call this the "lean" tree for obvious reasons but also that we will only use it in the lean years that we cannot afford a live tree. Rock on, Lean Tree; the weeks outside of your box are few.

You can kind of see our piano just below the banister. This view is from the bottom of our stairs leading up to the 3rd floor. We are using what is supposed to be the formal dining area as our entertaining area and eventually the area in front of the windows, behind the couch, will be our library/play area/office/music room.

F-E-A-R

2009-12-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

If you haven't noticed yet, on the right side of my blog I have a list of my favorite links. Ahhh...the linky drugs. When I am feeling down in the dumps, I go read Soule Mama's blog and it makes me wish I knew how to knit, but then I feel glad because I would probably waste a lot of money on yarn that wouldn't amount to much, but I digress. When I feel the need for crafty distraction I head on over to Amy Carol's blog Angry Chicken. This woman has the best blog links! Seriously! Today I discovered this gem from the Angry Chicken which is the inspiration of this post.

Elaine, the lovely Selfish Seamstress has the ability to make beautiful, fashionable clothes BY HERSELF! With a SEWING MACHINE no less! How does she do this? From reading her blog I am getting the drift that aside from possessing magic abilities, she can sew beautiful things because she does it primarily for herself. What a concept!

I am afraid of my sewing machine. Every time I feel inspired to tackle a project I hear the voice of my sewing machine in my head saying: "you will fail you silly girl, so just leave me in my nice box and nobody gets hurt." Sometimes I fight that voice, usually to sew for someone else, and pull out the little "darling" and have an ugly contest of wills. Eventually, with dreams of sewing perfection shattered, I give up and settle for mediocrity. But, today I had an epiphany! The reason I can't sew is BECAUSE I only sew for other people! I can't say that I have ever made anything for myself.

And now, the resolution. Early though it is, my resolution for 2010 is to learn to sew with some degree of confidence and sew something lovely for myself! I expect my dear friends to hold me to this, particularly those of you who can sew.

My Life 5 Minutes Ago: Kitchen

2009-12-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

This is my kitchen almost exactly 5 minutes ago: the pot on the stove is heating chicken stock for to make chicken soup; spoon bread is in the oven. There is gluten free cake mix on the counter for date night later ;).

My kitchen table is cluttered with Christmas card madness, a makeshift advent wreath, a snap press that arrived in the mail today, Andrew's scriptures and Ravenna's high chair tray complete with left-overs from lunch. You even get a glimpse inside the pantry!

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

2009-12-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

December 6th is Saint Nicholas Day, when much of Europe celebrates the man whose myths created the Santa whose arrival Americans await on December 24th. Saint Nicholas was the patron saint of many things but was especially known for his generosity and good deeds. On the night of December 5th, German children put out their shoes and often leave oats and carrots for Saint Nicholas' horse. If the children were good, their shoes would be filled with small toys and treats, but if not...well, lets not talk about that since all children are good.

So, last night Ravenna put out her shoes and this morning, look what she found:

A fresh dusting of snow and some awesome finger puppets!

She just loves them! I think that we will continue this tradition in the future because it was lots of fun and fits in well with our Advent celebration. Tonight we lit our second Advent candle, read scriptures prophesying of Christ's coming and sang, "The First Noel."

At long last, INTERNET!

2009-12-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Sheesh! It took two whole weeks to get our Internet set up, but I am back now and I will try to get pictures ASAP. There is just so much to do with the new house AND with Christmas fast approaching, the craziness is magnified. I just hope that I can prioritize so that I can really enjoy this wonderful season.

By the way, in case you were wondering after my last post, we absolutely love our home! It is the perfect size and everything has worked out so well! I can't wait to share pictures!

Update!

2009-11-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

We are officially homeowners! I have to say that this last week was very stressful, if not horrific, at times. It seemed like anything that could go wrong, did. Today I am physically and mentally exhausted from a rough week and my new home is still a disaster of boxes and the fridge it still mostly empty. Thankfully we have some great in-laws who are feeding us tonight and our ward took care of us for a night or two. Here is a breakdown of our week:

Sunday: Lovely, as usual; the calm before the storm.

Monday: Mortgage broker goes AWOL. In our search for info we learn that we don't have mortgage approval

Tuesday: Still no word on whether or not our loan will be approved before we close Wednesday at 11 AM. Go to pick up moving truck and the rental place is closed (during normal business hours). We are rerouted to another place setting us back 1/2 an hour and as we turn into the rental place we get hit by an gentleman who just "didn't see us." Carrie loses it and turns into a weeping mess. Pick up the truck and load it without further incident.

Wednesday: 8 AM inspection of home, the approval is in but the "package" isn't. 11 AM still waiting for the package so that we can close. 12 PM still waiting (truck is due back by 5 PM). 1 PM still waiting with cranky toddler. 2:30 PM We finally close! 3:40 We own our home and start unloading. The rest of the day goes off without a hitch and everything gets unloaded on time.

Thursday: Appliances get delivered but OPPPSS! They don't fit into out laundry room. Erg. Get a stacking kit for our washer/dryer.

Friday: What happened on Friday? Lost in a haze of cardboard and packing paper.

Saturday: Neighbors help us stack washer/dryer (hurray!) and water heater goes out.

At the end of a rather crazy week we don't have a hot water and can't assemble the biggest piece of our furniture, but we have a lot to be grateful for. We are really looking forward to Thanksgiving this week and we can't wait for Andrew to get a couple days of break! I will make sure to post pictures as soon as we get our Internet hooked up.

New House Week 10

2009-11-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

It's finished! Not really, but it is almost there! On Saturday when we arrived for our weekly peek a crew was busy finishing the painting and staining and the last of the vinyl siding was going up on the garage. The "nasty green stuff" for the grass was sprayed this week so everything looks pretty sludgy.

These are the correct kitchen counters and I like them much better. Our BLACK appliances are in except for our gas stove which is still missing. I hope that it will be there this week because I won't close on the house without it. Yes, it is that important to me, plus we paid a lot extra just to get it.

Because I couldn't resist, here is a picture of our main floor powder room. In my estimation the only things left to be done are landscaping the front, paving the driveway and putting up the garage door. I am still waiting to hear from the agent about the final walk through which is supposed to be sometime this week.

Ravenna's Halloween 2009

2009-11-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

I bring you Ravenna as Minnie Mouse, courteousy of Oma and Opa "The Disney Fanatics" Hettinger!

Not one to stand still for the photo shoot while spooky decorating was going on, this was the best shot I was able to get of her whole costume.

I just thought I would throw this one in for good measure to prove that you are never too old to go trick-or-treating...from the left Chris (19), Melissa (21?), Josh 14.

After filling her pink purse with candy that her mommy wouldn't let her eat, Ravenna was done for the evening. She futilely tried to gum a tootsie roll in its wrapper before her mother snatched it from her slobbery grasp; she found one the next day and ate it anyway, wrapper and all. Take that mom!

New House Week 9 (Late!)

2009-11-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

I have absolutely no pictures of the house from last week because I was on vacation! Ravenna and I took a last minute trip to visit my family before winter set in and Ravenna could no longer fly for free. Oh yeah, and we couldn't miss out on my Dad's rocking Halloween extravaganza.

As for the house, Andrew went through and said that they are starting to remedy some of the mistakes and that everything is in: carpet, light fixtures, toilettes, etc. All that remains to be finished are having the counters replaced, correct appliances installed, and a final coat of paint which should happen pretty soon; I hope this week, but I won't get to see until the weekend.

The garage is also being fixed and the siding should go up any day now. For your enjoyment below are more pictures from our trip to California.

Chris, Ravenna and I at the top of Mt. Rubidoux with the city of Riverside in the background. All the years that I had lived in Riverside I had never climbed Mt. Rubidoux so Chris and his girl friend Melissa were kind enough to invite me along. Ravenna was not so happy about it because she wanted to be walking, not in her stroller.

At the pumpkin patch in Oak Glen with Oma and Opa. Ravenna hated the pumpkin at that moment because she fell down trying to pick it up and got giant thorny stickers in her hands. It was so sad!

The chickens were pretty awesome, though.

New House Week 8

2009-10-23T18:19:00.001-07:00

On the exterior they have done some finishing touches. The wiring for the exterior light fixtures is in as is the wiring for the outdoor electric outlets. We finally have steps! There is also a small patio off the back slider and the forms for the sidewalk are being put into place. From the outside it doesn't look much different from last week but WOW a lot has happened on the interior!

Check out my cute little kitchen! It is definitely on the small side but it has everything that we will need. For some reason I tend to gauge my expectations on what we had in Wymount so this kitchen is fabulous by comparison. Here we have real oak cabinets, a dishwasher, a much larger refrigerator, an eat-in-kitchen and a nice sized pantry.

The light oak cabinets actually look much better than I had expected them to. I think they make the kitchen look really warm and inviting even in its unfinished state. What do you think of the counter tops? We didn't pick those either BUT would you believe that they are not the ones that were ordered? Unfortunately there were a few minor construction boo-boos that we noticed while touring the house today: the wrong appliances were ordered (white and electric instead of black and gas), the vinyl flooring was also the wrong color AND the garage entry from the backyard was on the wrong side, but hopefully all those things will get fixed.

Here is the bathroom vanity. I am so thrilled with the cabinets! The interior is finally taking shape!

New House Week 7

2009-10-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't this such a difference from last week? Nearly all the siding is up and they hung the shutters as well! I think it looks great!

The slab is finished for the garage and soon they will be putting up the structure.

This is our kitchen. Where the pipes are sticking up in the foreground is where our kitchen island is going to be situated. Our sink and dishwasher will be in the island.

This is one of the bedrooms upstairs. In this picture you can see that everything has been painted and the baseboards and molding have gone in. What you can't see is that they hung all the interior doors.

Technically the home will be done in less than four weeks, but our closing date isn't until the 18th of November. Only 5 weeks until we get to move in!

New House Week 6

2009-10-11T17:35:00.001-07:00

I just realized that we left the door open when we left...oops. This week the builders have been busy on the interior filling cracks and holes in the drywall, and that is a long and tedious job. There has been a lot of progress on the exterior with the porches nearly complete on the end units and the siding installed on the back of the house.

This is our view from the interior at the front of the house. We think it is pretty sweet.

The view of our living room from our kitchen. On the floor is all of the trim and molding.

Here is the back of the house with the siding! The builders are still working on the walls of the garage, which you can see in the foreground. I am really getting excited and have already picked out paint colors and curtains!

New House Week 5

2009-10-06T20:22:00.001-07:00

November 18th...6 more weeks until we get to move in! We found out that the delay was with engineering. They needed to make sure that there was enough support because the home is on a hill. Yesterday we did our construction walk-through. We did not get any pictures of the interior however because we were very rushed and had a very upset little girl. In the interior the insulation is in, dry wall is up, the can lights are installed as well as the smoke detectors (very important), so now begins the finishing work.

As of Monday on the exterior the porches need to be built for our lucky neighbors who get them, and the siding was about to be put up. The foundations for the detached garages were still curing in their forms but they should be up soon too. Annoyingly there are still no steps going into the house so we have to climb up or else use the 2X4 ramps that the construction works have improvised.

It looks like I will have a good spot for my garden in the front of the house. The plot is only about 3 feet deep but approximately 15 feet long and it will get plenty of sunlight. My plans are to try square-foot gardening. It is hard to imagine that in just a few weeks our townhouse will be complete!

My First Quilt!

2009-10-01T16:45:00.001-07:00

Here it is! I made my very first quilt and though it looks lopsided in the picture, I promise that it is surprisingly symmetrical. Being the scaredy-cat that I am, I chose to do a simple baby blanket from Amy Karol's book Bend-the-Rules Sewing and was surprised how easy it actually was to make.

Perhaps it isn't a true "quilt" but I did do some machine quilting on it. It turned out much smaller than I had originally planned, mainly this is because I CANNOT cut fabric. Months ago I asked people for advice on how to best cut fabric and the answers that I got were: rotary cutter and mat. Well I have both of those and still managed to fail this one. Ugh...I could go on and on about my frustrations about measuring and cutting fabric but perhaps someday I will be able to figure it out.

One of the great pieces of advice that Amy gave for this project is to not pre-wash the fabric because machine quilting often causes puckers. Washing it after sewing disguises these and gives it a really neat shabby-chic look which is very cute. A general review of this book is &&&/5 because this isn't really a book that I would recommend to someone who actually knows how to sew. I am guessing that a lot of the projects an experienced seamstress could just look at and know exactly how to make. Karol does have some great advice thrown in throughout the book and I do think this a great book for beginners. If you are interested definitely check with your library first.

Now I just have to give this little baby girl blankie away...but to whom, I am not telling. ;)

New House Week 4

2009-09-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

We have windows and doors! This was a rather exciting week because we got to sneak into the house and check it out. The electrical wiring has been done as has the plumbing and everything is "roughed" in. It is still quite hard to imagine what the finished space will look like but it was exciting to walk around the space that soon will be all our own.

The foundation for the garage has been laid and, as expected, we have almost no backyard to speak of. There will probably only be 8 ft. from the sliding glass door to the garage.

The interior! Pretty fancy huh? This is looking into the kitchen from the family room. We are really excited to be able to have our first walk-through with the builder and hoping that it will happen this week!

Confusion

2009-09-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

To clarify: we are only building 1 townhouse, not 4. Ours is the 2nd from the right.

New House Week 3

2009-09-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

All three floors are framed, the roof is on and the weather guard is up! It is amazing how much happens in one week. We haven't gotten any updates on the completion date so it still looks like mid-October. Looking at it, can you believe that this will be done in a month? Me neither. I am guessing that it will be done at the end of October. Maybe I should have a poll?

This week has been really busy for us. Andrew is always busy working but with canning peaches, drying tomatoes, making meals for new moms, chiropractic appointments, La Leche League, birthday dinners, grocery shopping, laundry... [sigh] this has been a LONG week.

This weekend should be great! We get to go to Harrisburg to our Stake Conference AND we get a new stake presidency. While we haven't been here very long, a new stake presidency is always exciting.

New House Week 2

2009-09-11T16:59:00.001-07:00

The ground floor is framed! This process seems to be taking FOREVER. When we met with the builder the first week of August he said that by now the framing would be finished and we would be doing the first walk-through. I think it will be two more weeks until we get to that point.

See the lovely puddles? We have had tons of rain this summer and it has been holding up the construction. While we had a few glorious days in the beginning of the month the rain is back with a vengeance, and will continue to dampen our spirits through tomorrow evening. I think I am in need of an indoor adventure. Any recommendations?

We Bought A House

2009-09-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

Front of the house

View from the back

To answer Lisa's question from the last post, Andrew did get a job and we bought a house at the end of July. While I am very excited that we found and put a deposit down on a home, the excitement has been tempered by the fact that it won't be finished until late October. Our townhome, until last week, was a pile of dirt. Now it is a pile of dirt with a foundation! Delayed gratification was certainly not what I was expecting after watching "Property Virgins" and "My First Place" on HGTV for the past year.

We wanted to buy an existing home but were unable to find one that suited our needs without having a long commute to Andrew's job. For the location and price we did have to give up on some things on our wish-list like a large back yard and a third bedroom, but with this home we do get the option of putting in a third bedroom in the future and the community has a play area for children as well as really beautiful grounds. So, I probably won't get much of a garden, but I did find a CSA nearby for next year.

Here is what the house will look like when it is finished. The small town is perfect for our needs and we are excited to begin living there.

Where have we been?

2009-09-04T10:46:00.001-07:00

Jumping off of rocks...

Playing the piano with our feet...

Painting, pulling, scraping, laying, renovating...

Redecorating?

Mount Gretna, PA

2009-08-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, at the turn of the 19th century, wealthy people sought to leave the dirty cities of the East coast and headed to the mountains to relax and commune with God and nature. Enter...Mount Gretna. Nestled in the hills of Central Pennsylvania is an idyllic lake community, especially well suited for those of a religious inclination.

Back to the 21st century, many of the old cottages are still preserved and fun is still to be had at places like the Jigger Shop and Mt. Gretna lake, albeit by a different "class" of people.

Can't you just sense the excitement?

At the Jigger Shop, delights such as this "Death by Chocolate" are begging to be devoured. This treat was composed of a brownie topped with chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, chocolate mousse, chocolate sprinkles and a Hershey Kiss-like treat.

Carter's brain freeze

Swimming in the lake which was surprisingly clean and didn't smell like pond scum.

If Ravenna doesn't look like she was enjoying herself, she really was, after much encouragement. Water, especially brown (who knows what the heck is in here?) water, is pretty scary for a little one, but eventually she got used to it and spent many hours splashing away.

What it feels like to walk away

2009-07-27T19:33:00.001-07:00

I hate housing hunting. I hate searching for SOMEONE to give us a pre-qualification for a home mortgage. I hate negotiating for hours and hours only to get nowhere and nothing. So, today we walked away. It could have been the perfect starter home and now...nada. It is so frustrating.

The End.

Oh, ho ho, my CSA is lovely!

2009-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

I am ever so delighted by my CSA farm. Going there is always so much fun and it is really neat to know that all the proceeds are going to a really great cause. This week is week 7 out of 20ish and I am really starting to love the variety of organic goodness that we are getting.

CSA Week 7:
2 large walla walla sweet onions
1 1/2 lbs. Red Norland potatoes
2 beets, red and white
1/3 lb. Swiss chard
1 lb. beans, green and yellow wax
1/4 pint of mixed red raspberries and blueberries (it is a transition time; blueberries are going out and raspberries are coming in)
1 clove garlic
3 HUGE scallions (seriously! How do these things get so big?!)
2 cucumbers
1 eggplant
1 handful of basil

I love bringing home my share from the farm and trying to figure out what to do with it. Tonight I am going to make spaghetti with a pasta sauce made with tomatoes, eggplant, garlic, zucchini and onions, all organic and almost all local! Even the pasta is organic, now that I come to think about it. With the Swiss chard I think that I am going to take the advice of the farmer at the CSA and make a curry out of it and put it over rice.

Another great thing about the CSA, that I haven't really taken advantage of yet, is the Pick Your Own patch. There they have a variety of herbs and flowers that you can pick in moderation. This last week we had the choice of zinnias, snapdragons, basil, cherry tomatoes, hot peppers and some others. I just haven't gotten the courage to go for it other than picking some mint for iced tea. Next week I think I will just have to go for it!

Colonial Williamsburg

2009-07-18T14:18:00.001-07:00

I LOVE Colonial Williamsburg! It sounds very corny, but it is definitely one of my favorite places to visit. My parents were taking a vacation there the first week of July and we decided to join them for a few days. We really had a wonderful time, learned a lot and even had a few exciting adventures.

Adventure #1: Traveling with a baby that only wants to crawl/toddle everywhere is extremely difficult when all that is separating your child from precious antiques is a rope that can easily be crawled under. Oh my goodness! It was incredibly difficult to tour the houses with sweet Ravenna inserting her own commentary of modern parenting into our tours of the houses of Williamsburg.

One time it even got me into trouble, or rather, I got myself into trouble! The employees of Williamsburg take their jobs very seriously. When we were touring the Governor's Palace Ravenna got upset at being unable to move around on her own so I asked the tour guide if I could leave and he VERY willingly obliged. I was on the second floor at this time so down the staircase I went and stopped in the foyer below where I was met by a very upset footman. "You need to exit this way, M'am" he says to me. "But can't I just stay down here and look into these rooms?" "No, you need to exit this way," he replied getting more frustrated by the second. "Why can't I just stay right here?" I asked, because seriously, what on earth was I going to do with the guy watching me like a hawk? "You can't stay here because of all the antiques. You need to be with your tour." I then explained to him in very serious terms that I had to leave my group because of my daughter and that I would just wait here for my tour to return, at which point he realized that I wouldn't do what he asked and he gave up.

At the printer's: This guy was hilarious but nobody got his jokes but me and a few others. It really made a bit of an awkward situation but the guy took it in stride. The book binder was really funny as well, but in a really creepy way. He kept saying things like "we don't know who we were."

A lady blacksmith! You might be thinking that this wasn't very historical but I learned something new about women's history: women were employed in just about any profession and trade that you can think of. Seriously! Women basically did whatever their husbands or family's did, although very often women had their own trade along with their husbands. The head blacksmith at the shop pointed out that back then only the wealthy could afford for their wives to stay home. It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution that this changed.

In Yorktown with my parents!

The obligatory photo-op, and below, a video of me helping to make bricks

Williamsburg will always have a special place in my heart. Going there was such fun and I really hope to be able to go back again soon! Oh, and I got a really awesome gardening hat but it was STOLEN. I almost cried. More on that later.

The Case of the Missing Praxis Scores

2009-07-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Moving is a messy business. Things get lost and often ruined; tears are shed, occasionally accompanied by a wailing and gnashing of teeth. Our recent move to Pennsylvania was one of these moves. The most valuable thing that went missing, however, was just a slip of paper: Andrew's Praxis test scores. This test is given to teachers to evaluate their ability to teach their subject. As arbitrary as that sounds, these scores are vital for a job application and Andrew's score report had vanished.

We searched everywhere we could think of, tearing apart the storage unit, digging through piles of Andrew's teaching papers but they were nowhere to be found. Prayer after prayer was said and yet, no answer was forthcoming. The next step was to just have the test administrator send another copy, right? Sure, if you want to wait three weeks and pay $40, which we didn't. So what did we do? We stalled.

Maybe it is in Andrew's electronic Placement File? Great idea! Uh, the site is down...still down...STILL not working. A week later it still wasn't working. Meanwhile, our stalling tactic had worked, Andrew had a job interview, but the school district was requesting that he bring his test scores with him to the interview. Drat! What now?

On the morning of the interview we were both a bundle of nerves. Andrew going to the interview without being fully prepared was weighing on both our minds. Just a few hours before the interview, I recalled that right before the move I had been making copies of the test for his PA Certification application. It seemed unlikely, but we both agreed that it couldn't hurt for Andrew to go back to the storage unit and look under the lid of our scanner. Amazingly, after a month of searching, the test had been there ALL ALONG! We were saved at the 11th hour by what we can only conclude was divine intervention!

Well, with confidence restored Andrew went to the job interview. Two grueling hours later he was offered the job. After much thought and prayer, he accepted. See? We told everyone that moving to Pennsylvania without a job wasn't crazy! This is just another example of how much our Father in Heaven loves and cares for us if we have faith and follow His will for us. We feel very blessed.

Water Fun

2009-07-05T12:42:00.001-07:00

I do realize that posting pictures of my daughter in her "natural state" is probably a faux-pas but I promise that all you will see is cuteness and nothing of an obscene nature.

As for this weeks CSA, everything was pretty much the same. I didn't get Greens this week because I have serious doubts as to whether or not I will ever develop a taste for them. The berries were fantastic, again, and we were also able to mix in a few red raspberries that had come in early. From our backyard garden this week we were able to harvest our first cucumbers and even more zucchini. Summer is wonderful!

Ever wonder what to do with fresh mint? It grows like a weed and yet, other than garnish, what do you do with it? My friend Shannon gave me a great recipe for a refreshing summer drink: heat a gallon of water to nearly boiling, throw in a heaping handful of fresh mint, remove from heat and let steep for at least 10 minutes (I did it for 30). Strain and refrigerate. You can add honey or sugar to sweeten. This reminds me of a mint julip so I will probably try to add some lime next time I drink it.

Here is a challenge: send me your favorite summer recipes using ONLY seasonal ingredients. It shouldn't be too hard but it will get you thinking about what produce is best to buy now.