I think that I would like to blame this on my sister. You see, she and I wear the exact same kind of socks. The kind that come from the PX (What is it in the Air Force? BX?). She lived with us for a few months after she was medically discharged from basic training, and we did our laundry together. This caused problems as I had a gazillion and a half pairs of black boot socks and a gazillion and a half pairs of white PT socks. She also had the same kind of socks.

Before she came, my socks did not have holes. They didn't. I swear. Okay, I should probably admit that I'd had some of these socks for close to six years. However, before she arrived, these socks did not have holes.

Then, she came. All of a sudden our laundry got mixed up and somehow, many ragged holes started appearing in my socks. I know that I didn't suddenly acquire some massive foot acidic-sock-eating bacteria. You'd think I'd notice if I had, right?

My theory is that Christa shoved all her holey socks into my laundry basket, thereby getting new socks without having to pay for them. It's just a theory, mind you. (If she's reading this, she's getting up-in-arms about now. She's denied it vehemently. All I've got to say is, "I think the lady doth protest too much.")

Of course, it could also be that some of my socks are six years old. But shh, you didn't hear that.

I went through our laundry recently and pulled out all of the holey socks: Aaron's, mine (Jen), Nate's, and Sammi's.--

Look! Our names are in alphabetical AND age order! Aren't we cool?

--Anyywaay. So, I pulled out all the holey socks.





The above is the holey sock pile, if you can't tell. The little toy truck is in there so you can see how enormous the pile is. Additionally, I had to go grab that truck from one of the toy bins in the playroom. You'll never be able to find toy trucks, books, or puzzle pieces just loitering in my living room. Nope. Really! (Please don't test me on this; just take my word!)

We were already planning on going into The City (you know, the one I live twenty minutes away from, the stinkiest city in Iowa) for some sandals for the kids, groceries, and other minutiae. We added socks to the list.

I got a wild hair up my-- err, anyway, I decided that I wanted some COLORED socks. You know, ones that aren't white? (Did you notice that there is only one non-white sock in that pile? Yeeaah.) I'm branching out in my wardrobe. My socks are no longer required to be white.

When we got to the store(s), I looked everywhere for some cool mismatched colorful socks. Why? Because when I go out, I go aaall out. I wanted some spastic socks. I wanted some colorful, cheerful, jump up and shout, "HALLELUJAH, WE ARE ALIVE," socks. Like these ones. But, you know, not $2.66 a sock (plus shipping and handling).

...

...

Do you think I found any shocking, eccentric socks?

No. No, I didn't.

So now my plan is just to go barefoot for all of eternity. At least until I find some amazing COME TO MAMA socks.

You know. Because I'm stubborn like that.

Labels: random

I have run out of things to do to avoid homework. Thus, this was born.

Labels: random

Sorry guys, but you may want to "x" out now.

A few weeks ago I ordered a Diva Cup and some Lunapads from Lunapads. They arrived yesterday, and just in time. So far I've found that the diva cup is just as comfortable, if not more so, than the typical tampon. The Lunapads kind of remind me (now, before use) of my Victoria's Secret underwear. Comfortable, brightly colored, and confidence-inspiring. They aren't as bulky as pads and they have great designs on them (more to hide, you know, what they're really for than anything else), so I feel kind of happy wearing them. Much more so then when I slip on some Always (you know, "Have a happy period"?).

What I really like is that I'm reducing the impact on landfills and sewage treatment plants. Another good benefit of the Diva Cup is that it does not cause TSS. :)

Three cheers for reusable medical products for women's cycles!

Labels: random

Oy, that was a bit of a dry stint. I'm really busy right now trying to catch up on school, working on starting up my honors project for graduation, and trying to make sure I can fit in all my classes by December. Then I have those kids and that amazing fiance, and a wedding in less than 6 weeks. Oh boy.

Aaron and I took the weekend off from stress and spent Saturday touring four local wineries from the Iowa Wine Trail. We hit up Tabor Winery first, followed by Park Farm, Daly, and Sutliff. (We absolutely love Sutliff's hard cider. So much so that we have a case of it in the basement.)

Tabor was my favorite winery with the nicest people and the most down-to-earth yet beautiful facilities. Sutliff was of course my favorite cider-making-place with also very nice people. I think I'll be frequenting product from those two places quite often. Paul, from Tabor, informed me that if I come out for some of their activities, or just to visit, I can take as many pictures of the grape vines and grounds as I want. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten my camera at home that day.

I don't think I've really talked about this before, but I put my foot in my mouth a lot. Really, I do. Things come out of my mouth before my brain has a second to catch up. It's a horrendous embarassing disease.

Background: One of the men at Tabor Wineries was showing Aaron their bottling facilities. We were talking about speaking German because one of the labels on the machine was in German. The man then asked us if we went to Iowa State, since Aaron had an Iowa State shirt on.

Jen: Aaron went to Iowa State, but I am going to the University of Iowa with an end goal of social work.
Man: (Asked something, I don't remember what.)
Jen: Oh no, Aaron does the sciences. I do the people.
Jen, blinking rapidly and thinking, "Oh shit."
Jen: I mean, I don't do people... Oh hell.
Man: I think you need more wine!

Yeeeaaah....

Labels: random

I often spend time looking at new websites that I've been linked to through other blogs, e-mails, and forums. This website I found via a calendar. An actual, real-life, non-electronic calendar. I know, I was shocked too.

Green Hour is a program by the National Wildlife Federation. Their goal is to give children one hour of "unstructured play and interaction with the natural world" (Green Hour > About Green Hour). What a cool idea! Instead of just preaching about why its a good idea (although there is some of that, thankfully), they include activities that you can do with your children during your green hour!

The latest talks about dancing in the rain, or having spoon races where you see whose spoon fills up the fastest. There are many other ideas as well. They have links to information to read to further your knowledge on nature-themed ideas. All in all, I just think its a really cool site.

Tell me what you think!

Labels: random

Spring has truly arrived, and with it, we've got mushrooms!



I love mushrooms, for some reason.

This weekend was another busy one. On Saturday, my sister came in to town to pick up the rest of her things from our basement. We enlisted her help in getting the last load of concrete block for our raised beds, and Aaron also grabbed another load of compost. We've figured out that we need approximately two more truck loads and we'll be done building the raised beds.



As you can see, there are now two levels of block on the beds. The front three and the back left bed still need more compost, while the back two that are covered with plastic are full of compost and have been planted (seeded?). They are currently covered with some plastic which will be going up on those hoops to create mini-greenhouses. All of the parts are reusable so we can use them next spring, and the one after, and the one after.



The pipe goes into wooden blocks cut to fit into the concrete blocks (go Aaron!) in order to make them more sturdy. The wood was scrap lumber, but the pipes had to be bought new. They will be used again (as I mentioned), so at least it isn't a complete waste. We need to buy some sort of t-fitting and stick some rigid pipe in between the two hoops and then place that plastic over the top.

I'm hoping when I design the rabbit hutch, I will be able to utilize round poles or dowels that will go into those blocks in order to keep the hutch steady. Unfortunately, I think the size difference from bed to bed in the way the holes were cut will make that impossible. I'm still trying to come up with a good flexible system.

Oh, I've companion planting planned all of the beds and the holes around the beds will be host to marigolds, nastartium, herbs, and other great companion plants.

Fortunately, the weekend wasn't all work (although I did lose two pounds just from all the shoveling of that compost).



Aaron and I enjoyed some time in our hammock. Aaron & Jen trivia - I bought Aaron this hammock for father's day last year, and it is where he proposed to me.



Nate also got his first ever bike ride. He was extremely excited and refused to get off. Unfortunately, we don't have training wheels, so it meant that Aaron had to wheel him around for quite a bit of time. They both had a blast!

How was your weekend?

Labels: gardening, outdoors, random

I realize that I talk about myself, my wonderful kids, amazing fiance, and our life a lot. Mostly the somewhat boring day-in day-out sort of things. (Hey, by the way, if you have any questions - please ask them! I never know what to post about on the days when I don't have a burning desire to talk about how I potted a plant.) I started this blog because I feel better after I write a post and push "publish." It gives me some sort of release. Also, I can look back and remember what I did and why, which helps when I go to scrapbook something four years after the fact.

Oh, what was my point?

Yes. I don't talk about my extended family very much or even my friends. So, I thought I'd tell you a little about my parents.

My mother and father attended the same high school over twenty years ago. I don't actually know how or why they met, but it could have been at a sports event as my father was the quarterback of the football team, and played basketball and baseball, too. He was a little bit of a jock. He is the youngest of his family, so his three other siblings had already paved the way into the social life. My mom was quiet and shy (or so she tells me), and didn't hang out with the popular crowd.

Somehow they met and fell in love. I think Mom told me once that she just liked the way he filled out those jeans of his. I could be completely making that up, though. I'm not tellin'.

She told me a story about how they went on some bible camp or church trip or something together, and there was this event where they were all in a cave. Blah, blah, some elaborate story, but then when my dad was asked who should go out of the cave to get "help" if they were stuck (or something like that), my dad said he should go because if he died, he'd go to heaven. But my mom wasn't saved, and he didn't want her to die because she wouldn't. Or something like that. Okay, do I seem a little fuzzy on the details? I am. But, the key is - my dad was willing to sacrifice his life for my mom's, based upon his faith. Pretty suave guy.

So, that night my mom and dad conceived me... No, no, I'm just kidding. I don't know what night it was. (But I do know where it was, because they decided it was important that I know. Yuck!) Really, though, my mom became pregnant with me in high school, when she was but seventeen years old. It was her senior year. My dad was nineteen and I think he was in college. They broke up for awhile, and dated other people, but they ended up getting back together. They married in 1987, promptly had my sister (the next year), and four years later had my brother.

So, there you go. My mom and dad also had their children young (although I waited an extra two years), and I have a brother and a sister.

Labels: random

I've been going through old pictures, getting ready to scrapbook them. I have over 7,400 pictures in Elements, and that doesn't include all of my hard copy pictures which I haven't scanned. I go through about one hundred pictures at a time, checking the date, categorizing them to make it easier to find them, and marveling over how I've changed (for the better, I think).

However, I'm still wondering "When can I start looking like THIS again?"


Or, thoughts pop up into my head such as, "Why did I ever cut my beautiful hair?"



Also, "Wow, Nate had pointy ears."



I think about how gorgeous all the places I've been to have been. In particular, San Francisco...



...and Germany.



And then when I close Elements to go on to something else, I give a quick sigh of thanks that I am where I am with who I am. I'm glad of everything I've done, all the people I've met, and the places I've seen along the way.

Yet, I'm still ready for more adventures. I'm ready to meet more people, see more things, go more places. I'm ready to change (hopefully, for the even better).

Labels: random

I was thinking about this the other day. I care about environmental causes, I volunteer for organizations that deal with those same causes, I won't buy certain types of materials, I won't eat certain types of food, and try to recycle or compost nearly everything that leaves my house. I can be taken as extreme when it comes to my desire to grow 70% of my own food, or eschew commercialized meat products.

I've been called a hippie and a tree-hugger online for those viewpoints (teasing, but serious too).

I think anyone whose met me in real life and has known me for a long time would probably laugh long and hard. I don't fit the stereotypical hippie image. I don't smoke weed (ha!), do any drugs, listen to The Grateful Dead, wear tie-dyed shirts (well, I do have one), my hair isn't in dreads, I don't have hemp braclets and necklaces, and I don't go around saying, "Peace, Love, and Happiness!" Okay, I'm sorry for that liberal usage of hippie stereotypes, but I had to do it.

I'm actually dead-set against illegal drugs (because they are illegal) and will not be around people who are using them (when they are using them). I also, incidentally, will not be around underage drinkers. I don't support breaking laws, but I do support changing them if necessary.

I'm not a strong advocate of peace in all things (although sure, it'd be wonderful in a perfect world), as I did spend six years in the Army National Guard, and I'm certainly not anti-military.

I'm not extremely liberal, as I'm more in the middle.

I suppose this just means that I don't fit the stereotypical hippie. ...Darn, I'm so bummed out about that.

----

I know this is rather random, but I couldn't think of anything else to write!

My dad was not really an affectionate kind of guy. He's argumentative, a little rough around the edges and a little too concerned sometimes with being "tough." He's also an alcoholic and has too often put himself and his drink(s) in front of his children. He'll never admit that, though, because he prides himself on being there if we ever need him. I can't say that he's always been there, but he does try within the limitations of his problem.

Since I was really young, he has told me that one day he will take me to Colorado and we'll travel the entire state. It was almost a mantra. One day, my daddy and I would travel to Colorado and do something together. I looked forward to it with all of the fervor that a little child can. The years slid by in a frantic blurred motion, and that day never came. That trip never came.

Approximately three to four years ago, I took the planning out of his hands. I called around to a bunch of different places and had brochures sent to me from the travel bureaus and visitors centers of Colorado. I got rates and good travel dates. I asked him if we could talk about it, and plan a trip. I told him I had the money saved up and I wanted to go before it was too late, and he was gone. He told me he'd tell me when he had enough money.

The years slid by, that frantic blurred motion still keeping pace. He didn't call. If I brought it up, he changed the subject. You see, my dad never had enough money and he couldn't save it up. How could he, when he spent all of his money in the bar and on child support?

Last year, I started planning a trip to South Dakota with my friend, Jonathan. I invited my dad and my brother to come along. My sister would be in Air Force training when we planned to go. It'd be my family (Aaron and the kids), Jonathan, my dad, and brother. My dad turned me down and said he just didn't have enough money (mind you, we were tent camping and the entire trip was so cheap compared to what he spends in a month at a bar).

I found out six weeks before we left for our South Dakota vacation that he was taking my younger sister and brother to Colorado for a week. He didn't even invite me.

I felt betrayed; I cried. I reasoned it out in my head and tried to figure out why he didn't invite me. I felt like a toddler whose sucker had just been taken away. And, if he didn't have the money to go tent-camping in South Dakota, then how the hell did he have the money to take my brother and sister to Colorado for a week and stay in hotels and go on elaborate tours?

Finally, I worked up the courage to ask him what had happened. He told me that when I'd informed him of the trip (late Spring), he didn't have the money to go to South Dakota. Then he got money and decided to take my sister and brother to Colorado. He didn't invite me because I have kids, and he wasn't going to pay for me, my two kids, and my fiance to go to Colorado. He also didn't have the space. I informed him that we would have been happy to take our own vehicle and pay for ourselves, not to mention the fact that I could have went by myself, and left everyone else here in Iowa. He just grumbled and said he didn't understand the big deal, that I'm all grown up now, and I shouldn't be unhappy.

I persisted in being unhappy about it. We've never really done anything together, and this was a promised trip that was talked about my entire childhood.

Recently, I think he gave up on trying to understand how I felt and just decided to give in. He and I are going to Colorado next month for a week.

Any suggestions on things I just have to see?

Labels: random

I officially fit in my pre-pregnancy size 10 jeans. Before I had Sammi I wore some stretchy size 8s and solid size 10s. When I was having The Bloat, I wore size 12s. After I had Sammi, I fit in stretchy size 12s and solid size 14s. This means that I've dropped TWO WHOLE SIZES along with my weight.

I don't think my goal of 145-155 is unreasonable. For my height, I am supposed to be around 130 pounds. I have not weighed that little since high school. When I was solid muscle I weighed 145. That's my goal. I'm within 20 pounds of that goal, but I'm noticing that while I'm not dropping weight (very much) right now, I'm dropping sizes. This must mean that I'm building up muscle (finally)!

I can now do my 75 abdominal exercises (25 sit-ups, 25 declined oblique turney things, 25 declined crunches) without stopping. That doesn't seem like such a big deal considering I used to do nearly that many full situps on my PT test, but a year ago I couldn't even do 25 situps without stopping. I'm going to keep working on this, as my stomach is still a jiggly mass of jello.

I'm happy to report, though, that I am now able to work outside and play with the kids without getting too tired. I could now play a game of football with Nate, or run around the yard with Sammi. That was part of my goal, and I'm happy to have achieved it. Of course, I can always work on and refine that so that I'm even more fit (as I will do).

All in all though, I must say that I'm extremely happy with where I'm at right now. I finally accepted myself for who I was, and my body for what it was, and thought to myself, "You know, if I never change from this shape, it won't matter. I'll still be loved by Aaron, by my kids, and most importantly by myself." And that's when the weight started shedding. I'm happy where I am, and I will be happy if/when I hit 145-155.

Above all, besides health reasons, it really doesn't matter though. I am loved for who I am and not for what I look like.

Labels: random

Yesterday, we ran over to Aaron's grandparents farm for their (big) easter celebration. The kids had a wonderful time looking at the cattle and running around in the yard.



(I have officially stopped caring about the line going through my pictures until I have the time to fix it.)

One of the easter traditions is apparently beating the everliving mercy out of a man strung up from a tree until he gives up his candy. Well, at least this year they had a man. Our children are too small to partake in such brutality, so instead they beat the tar and stuffing out of a star.



Sammi's the youngest and she had a wonderful time swinging away like a pro. See how seriously she grips that stick?



Nate swung away as well, and I think he might have actually hit the star a time or two. Of course, he's not a very aggressive boy (as of yet) and it was more like a lovetap. The older of the younger kids didn't mind too much, though, because that just meant that they might be able to break the pinata.

The big boys (and girls), though... Well, they persisted in beating up the poor man. Sadistically, he had a smile on his face the entire time.



Last, I'll leave you with a picture of this beautiful animal.



Moooo.

Labels: random

Children are geniuses. No, seriously! The rate at which children grasp new concepts far surpasses any of us "grown-up" morons. Really, I still can't quite figure out how some things work, no matter how hard I try. Differentials (both mechanical and mathematical), the internet infrastructure, and oboes are all things that are still lost on me. But, between the ages of 18 months and 6 years, it is estimated (by Beck, McKeown, and Kucan in 2002) that children learn an average of 7 new words a day. A little bit of quick multiplication suggests that, on an average child's 6-year birthday, he or she can not only say "Thank you for these wonderful gifts" but can also vocalize 11,499 other words in the English language.

However, as impressive as this example may be, I'm not writing today just to point out how incredible our children are, but rather how much help they need during this learning process. One of the most influential learning methods seen in children is the classic "trial & error". While it is a quick and easy way to learn, the process can be comical to watch at times. Read on for examples:

Last night, we packed up everyone to go over to Indian Creek Nature Center. They were having a frog walk which I thought the children would just have a blast with. Unfortunately, when we left to head over there it was sprinkling a little, so I was hoping we weren't going to have another rash of bad weather that had us hanging out in basements and interior hallways like the night before. When we arrived, there was only two other people there for the walk (and the guide), but we were assured it was still on.

Nate was so excited about seeing the "froggies and fishies" (as he persisted in calling the tadpole). The guide had a small tupperware container of tapioca (bead-like things) in a gelatin-like mixture. Nate stuck his finger in it, "Gross, slimey!" The guide laughed and explained that it is supposed to feel like frog eggs. A while later some other people showed up, late, and she passed around the faux frog eggs again. Nate wandered up to her with a pleading look on her face. She responded, "But you didn't like it last time!" She handed them over and Nate stuck his finger in there gamely. "Slimey!" He wiped his finger on his pants and everyone laughed.

She had one reversible puppet showing how a frog changes from a tadpole to a frog. Nate seemed interested in that. I thought it was pretty neat. After that we all listened to frog calls and ways to remember what they sound like. The spring peepers sound like jingle bells, the western chorus frogs sound like running a finger over a comb, and the leopard frogs (?) sound like a wood pecker.

The trails were flooded so we didn't get to do the "walk" part of the program, but we drove over to the wetlands to hear the frogs in person. Nate was fascinated by the train nearby, but he also loved listening to the frogs. Sammi was, I think, just happy to be doing something other than sitting around the house.

I think one of the more important things she mentioned was that with the way frogs operate - taking in moisture through their permeable skins, etc. - it is really easy for them to become sick from all of the pesticide run-off from people putting chemicals on their lawns and from farmers. She said that frogs are sometimes called the "Barometer of the Environment." She also mentioned that this year has been declared, internationally, the Year of the Frog.

From the Year of the Frog website: "The IUCN has classified four amphibians in the U.S. to be critically endangered, the Mississippi gopher frog, the Chiricahua leopard frog, the mountain yellow-legged frog, and the Wyoming toad. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed thirty-seven amphibian species under the Endangered Species Act. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums may be their only hope for survival."

---

Last week, sight unseen, I had talked to one of the women that work at the center about volunteering for them. Aaron, myself, and the kids had so much fun last night that I'm really glad I'd had the faith to do that. I go in on Monday to talk to - ironically - the guide that we had last night about what I can do and where. Meanwhile, tonight they are having a talk by one of the local CSA farmers about her thoughts on why "Food Matters." I'm looking forward to it.

Right now, though, I get to go work on a farm for Local Foods Connection. I'll be honest. My life has gotten a lot more interesting now that I'm volunteering actively in my community. Before I just sat at home watching kids and doing homework. I am enjoying how I'm getting out and doing things (for free!).

I hope your weekends are all doing as well as mine!

Labels: random, volunteering

I'm new to gardening, I'm new to sustainable living, and I'm sort-of new to cooking (I've been doing it for four years now, self-taught). Really, I'm just a large novice striving to learn as many things that will benefit my family as possible. I'm acceptive of constructive criticism ("You planted your plants too close together," "That cold-frame layout may not work," "You could try adding more flour to your pie crust," "You may want to re-think using peat pots, since peat takes gazillions of years to form."). In fact, I beg you for it. I want to know what you are thinking. I'm not preaching to you, often times I'm thinking through things as I write them to learn something about myself. I'm not up on a high horse; I'm trying to learn and share.

So please, feel free to write to me and share your thoughts in the comments of this blog or in e-mail. It really helps me to come to conclusions. I try very hard to look at all sides of an issue.

And, to prove that I'm certainly not perfect and I don't think that I am, I've decided to show you the pie I made a few days ago. This poor pie was my first time at making a homemade crust, and I certainly think you can tell.



Oh boy. I think I need some practice! Aaron and I loved this delicious "healthified" pie. Here's the recipe. If you end up trying it, please let us know! I wouldn't mind having other people's opinions. I think the crust was a little too hard and difficult to cut through, but that may as well just have been my own ineptitude!

Lastly, it is my pleasure to thank Jonathan profusely for his wonderful wedding gift. Aaron and I were both stunned to receive this, largely because we never thought anyone would actually give it to us, and also because it is what I wanted more than anything from my registry. I think today I'm going to make some homemade bread with it, and tomorrow I'm making another one of those pies to take to Aaron's family's Easter party. It's so nice not to have to do it all by hand (as I don't currently have a mixer). Aaron and I were tired of whisking eggs by hand to soft or hard peaks, that's for sure!

Thank you. Thank you. Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou. As always, you swoop in with a wonderful, tasteful, and thoughtful gift.

Labels: cooking

I keep thinking that I want to move out to the country, get 40-50 acres of land, and maybe start up a CSA Farm. I want to be self-sufficient and maybe even supportive of other people in our community.

After Melinda posted this article in her blog, I started thinking about what I really want. I want to have local sustainably farmed chicken that was humanely butchered (and I want to watch it happen at least once), I want local eggs, I want local milk (be it goat or cow) that I can then make other products out of, I want to have horses, and I want to have my own space for growing my food.

What do I have now? I have a CSA Farm down the road that sells local chickens and eggs (I'd have to do research to see if they are humanely butchered and such), I could probably find local milk somewhere already, Miracles in Motion would love to stable a horse that is sponsored by me that they can use in their programs, and I already have space for growing my own food.

When I started looking at this house, a few voices said that the backyard was too small to have a large garden. I chimed in that there was a city park not even two blocks away. If I stand up on something and peer over my privacy fence, I can see the playground equipment. Right now there is more than enough space for my children to run around and play on the old metal swingset that someone left here when they sold the house. And as I expand my backyard into a garden landscape, they will grow older and need more space, and scamper right up into that playground with kids from the surrounding areas. They'll be part of the community.

Voices also said that there wasn't enough storage space in the house. My response was that I didn't need to have so much "stuff!" I buy sparingly, although still more than people living in severe poverty, and I weed stuff out occasionally to send to Good Will or garage sale. I buy things only when I need them or they'd make a significant difference in the quality of my life. I buy with an eye for long-term durability, the best sustainable materials I can find, a surviveable cost, and usability. It can be argued that some of my purchases aren't perfect or ideal, but neither am I!

Voices in my head tell me that I need to have cable so I can watch Food Network and some good movies. The reality is that I watch movies on Netflix, whose "play now" movies are free and the selection is getting larger, and all the spare time I have from not playing World of Warcraft and not watching cable is allowing me to work on my garden, read books from the library, and attend Creative Gardening lectures (future post on that). I'm probably the youngest member of our small town's Garden Club, choosing to learn from women (and men) in the community instead of that one channel on television (see, I don't even remember the name).

I can get the things I need from my community, without needing to isolate myself. I need to know where to look, sure, but that isn't too hard. There are two CSA Farms in the area, and I'm sure within thirty minutes I could call and leave messages asking about their chickens and eggs, and how they manage them. If they aren't willing to answer me, there are many more CSA Farms that deliver to the Iowa City Farmer's Market, and I could easily make a trip down there once or twice a month to get food.

The lesson to be taken from this, I think, is that I don't need to strive for more land and more space for me to do everything on my own. My community is here, welcoming me, and it has a wealth of resources. Yes, some things are not readily availble in my community (like 100% grass fed beef), but they may be available within a few hours, and perhaps they might even deliver to Iowa City restaurants and be willing to allow me to pick it up in the parking lot of said restaurants (whaddya know, they do!).

I was talking to someone at the psychology lab, where I work. They mentioned that they were morally outraged by what goes on in slaughter houses and the environmental damage, but they were too lazy to do anything about it. Too... lazy. I remarked, "You know you can find another source that isn't as bad, right?" They just shrugged.

What do you think? Do you ever think about what goes on for you to get the food that you eat? Or do you just shrug it off? Do you buy locally (which isn't necessarily the solution, as many people have pointed out)? Have you even thought about it?

Do you look within your community first to solutions to your problems? Do you feel isolated from your community? I know I did, until I started attending more community events. I'm starting to recognize faces from the library's story hour to the easter egg hunt to the town park. Soon, I think I might be browsing the vegetable selection in the local family-owned grocery store and be able to say hi and ask how their children are doing.

And that's a nice feeling.

Labels: environment, gardening

Aaron and I always have a bunch of projects going on. I don't know if it is because he likes to do stuff, or if it's because I'm obsessive and have to do stuff. Honestly, I think it's the latter. After all, Aaron will be the first to say that his favorite thing to do is... nothing.

I've got some serious plans for this window, and it's sister.



My mother-in-law (to-be) and father-in-law just finished replacing some old windows in their kitchen. You got it - this is one of them. I snapped this sucker up as soon as I heard about it, because I've got plans. I want to build a raised bed on the back of the garage the same size as this window (and another for its twin) and then place the window on top to create two cold frames.

Right now I'm looking at this location, as its about the only one I've got.



Imagine stretched across that back two cold frames and a big compost bin. That's the plan, anyway.

Of course, I can't start on it until I finish the raised beds first... Three more truck loads of compost (one mixed with some top soil I think) and two truck loads of cinder block!

Labels: gardening, outdoors

I received my seeds from Cook's Garden last week some time and got some of them started (a little late, but better than never!). The broccoli, cauliflower, and bulb onion seedlings are just now poking their heads out of the soil.









Exciting!

Labels: gardening

This weekend was a busy one. It was finally nice enough outside to work on projects, with just a lingering bit of carefully hidden ice and snow in corners of the yard. I'm not sure what the temperature was, but when we got started moving that cinder block, I certainly didn't feel the need for my sweater anymore.

Friday

After dinner we borrowed my in-laws (to-be) truck, since they are so incredibly good to us, and drove over to Menards to get 108 cinder blocks and some 1" chicken wire. When we got there, we found out that the cinder block was on sale for $1.19 a block and a 50' roll of the chicken wire cost about $20. The first layer of our raised beds then rang up to around $150. Each block is 8"x8"x16", so we'll need at least two blocks high to get within 12-24" in height.

Only sixty of the blocks would fit in the truck at a time, without overburdening the poor thing, so we got right to it. Hauling those blocks seemed to take forever, but in retrospect it wasn't so long. By the time we got home at nine, I was pooped, and just wanted to go lay down to "na-ne" just like the kids were. Aside - Nate has always called it na-ne because when he was a baby, he couldn't say night-night.

Back on track. Aaron can never just let something lie - oh no, if it needs to be cleaned, picked up, moved, brought indoors, it's done right away. So he'd have nothin' but cleaning out that entire truck of the cinder block.

That was the last thing I remember that night.

Saturday

The first thing I did when I woke up was go outside and look at my beds. I unrolled my chicken wire, grabbed some wire-cutter thingies (hey, I know what they look like, I just don't know their technical name), and my tape measure. Last week I'd made a to-scale blueprint of sorts of our back yard and plotted where I wanted these beds to be. I got to layin' out wire, cutting wire, and hauling cinder blocks into the exact spot I wanted. I was going to get some pictures of this process, but I got lazy. In essence, I rolled out the wire (to keep predators from coming up into my beds and eating my rabbits or my vegetables) and then just plopped the cinder block on top of the wire. I filled in the center of the beds with card board boxes to suppress that damn creeping charlie (hopefully). I got about two beds done before I called Wanda and asked her if she was ready to go pick up a load of compost.

While I was laying out beds and watching children, Aaron had run over to Menards and gotten the rest of the block. He got back before I called Wanda, and I helped unload the cinder block. Wanda and I ran over to the solid waste facility and picked up a load of FREE compost.

I came back home and spread that stuff out into the beds (with Aaron helping and doing most of it, since my sister arrived unexpectedly to pick up her couches and stuff she was storing in our house).



Aaron finished up one of his projects from before winter hit - getting some lattice up on the sides of the firewood holder.



It was a productive weekend.

Sunday

I rested.

Labels: gardening, outdoors

I've lost twenty to twenty-five pounds (thirty if you go all the way back to the month after having birth). Can you tell?





I think its really hard to tell, but I've still got another twenty to go!

(Sorry that my pictures turn out so crappy. I resize them in order to get them to fit on the blog, and they get all pixelated. I'm going to try to fix that this weekend by making the blog space bigger so I don't have to resize them. :)

Labels: random

My sister and I have a great relationship. When I ask her not to do something with my kids, she remembers it a year later and respects me so much that she just doesn't do it! She even ignores those niggling auntie vibes that tell her, "Do it, do it, do it, spoil those kids!" She's so wonderful. You know, it took us many years to cultivate this relationship that we have now. I just love her to death.


She's great with my kids, too. They love her so much. After she leaves from a visit, they run around yelling, "Aunt Christa! Aunt Christa! Where are you?!"


Oh, hey, Aunt Christa... she's trying to steal a bite of your cake.

...Wait-a-minnut.


What's this?!


Oh ho ho - I see now. You thought you could fool me, eh? It's alright. I can see that you are honestly ashamed of yourself. I forgive you.


And then as soon as I turn my back... You know what? I don't think she's really abashed. Not in the least.

Labels: random