I hope the holidays treated you well. Here in our household I am geeking over my new Foodsaver & harvesting & homesteading books.
Hello. My name is Lacy and I am officially super lame.
Anyhoo....I have never been one to care much about packaging, I realize it is bad for the environment but with so many things in my life I have had to prioritize my "causes" & that one did not make the cut...UNTIL this holiday....WTH.
Thankfully my family is pretty awesome and while they do not really understand my need to reuse materials they got me many gifts that were good for the environment/locally made BUT after hauling yet another box FULL of packaging I realize how wasteful this all is...but am frustrated by what to do with it...any ideas??
As we have gotten newer stuff I have been working on getting rid of the "old" (usually really good, lots of life) stuff. And if you too are doing this I really want to shout-out an AMAZING organization that not only will take your stuff with a smile but do amazing work with it...
Community Warehouse
They have drop off points in both NE & SW, making it very convenient to donate. They use household goods to help people get on their feet, they do not discriminate what constitutes a household and I have taken many people to partake of their services & it is pretty amazing how a couple of paid employees team up with a bunch of volunteers to spread hope & cheer to so many. They are the essence of a non-profit (look at their budget on the website), turning very little into quite a lot for a lot of individuals in our community. I know that there are a lot of organizations that take goods but there is something about Community Warehouse that just seems right. I encourage you to look through your kitchen, linen closet & garage/basement to see if there are any items not getting the love/attention they deserve because I know Community Warehouse will make sure they are placed with some people that would be very appreciative of them right now.
On a total side note check out their blog....RIDICULOUSLY FUNNY. you will thank me later...
Lacy
Angry and Frustrated.
As some of you might know via Facebook last night we had a raccoon attack. We lost one chicken and thankfully because of our "guard" dog the raccoon dropped one mid-snack. This is sooo frustrating to us. Mostly because we have had this happen before. In the course of 2 years we have gone through 5 coops...trying to find the balance between happy chickens and uneaten ones. We thought we had found a fool-proof system and once again I find myself blaming my lack of care taking to losing a life and having one pretty hurt chicken currently awaiting an emergency vet clinic.
When we decided to get chickens we read all the books, joined the chicken forums, and even took a couple classes and one thing that I feel we were never warned of is how hard having chickens can actually be. Don't get me wrong usually they are pretty easy, and not much work but now having lost over 9 chickens in two years I thought I would share some of my pit falls so hopefully others do not have to wake up to a bloodbath the next day. I am doing this with feelings of shame and guilt but to be honest we went into "chicken keeping" with a lot of forethought, and education and it was surprising how many things have surprised us during these two years.
1. In Oregon you will not want to open/shut your coop every day & night, especially when it is cold and raining. There are a couple of solutions, both with positive and negatives. One is to not put your coop super far back from your back door. The plus side is that it will make the painful walk in your pj's every am or in the rain/dark every pm much easier. The negative is that the smell/rats that come with chickens will be much closer to your home....Our solution (so far) is to find an all in one coop with both the run and coop completely raccoon safe (unless you let the out for one sunny day and don't lock them up right away once the sun goes down). The positive is that you don't have to run outside all the time but the negative is that these types of coops can be a lot costlier (more materials) and your chickens might not get as much room as you (or they) would like to walk around.
2. Another way we have lost chickens is by introducing pullets too early to very dominate birds. One thing I was never told is that chickens are cannibals. Once they taste blood they will keep going. I am not going to get graphic but this is one thing I wish people talked about a lot more with new chicken owners. I did research, talked to knowledgable individuals and yet when I introduced two pullets (after days of letting them "smell" each other out) my Rhode Island Red completely went crazy on them and sadly killed them. Afterwards I turned to the forums and told my story and out came tons of stories of this happening to others. I don't know if people are ashamed, scared to admit this happened or what but it is something that should be shared. It was heart-breaking to raise chicks for months to then loose them in one night.
So here is my advice: if you have a dominate bird (Rhode Islands seem to be the most notorious of this) either raise your pullets for months separately, until they are like a full sized bird and then if you put them together (at night with no light around them) make sure that either you wake up before the sun rises to let them out or have a coop set-up where they can escape/move around A LOT easily to dodge pecks. Our other solution was to buy other dominate birds (more than one!!) and then place them in a run together for a week but at night keep them in separate coops until they have worked out their new pecking order. There were fights but no one was horrible injured and they seemed happy once they all got acquainted.
3. One other lesson we have learned is that when you raise chicks you will get some that have genetic issues. BE PREPARED. Have a plan so that when one needs to be put down you know what/how your going to do it. Believe me that you won't want to figure this out at the last minute...We sadly had no plan and had to make some hard decisions based on the tools we had at hand...if we had a plan in place (including who was doing what..and who was comfortable with what) and the proper tools I think the situation would have been MUCH less stressful to both us and the animal.
Yes chickens are awesome, yes they are great, useful animals, even pets. But like all animals they do have their negatives/their challenges. I hope that fully sharing our downfalls will help others avoid them. I also know that some of you out there will poo-poo us taking one bird to the vet. But honestly it is our fault they got hurt, it was our lack of knowledge/planning. I think that is the worst part, the knowing that it could of been avoided.
For chicken owners currently if you have a raccoon problem there are some options. We just called Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and asked them about Raccoons they said that it is the states job to trap them but when we said that we had lost 3 chickens they said that because the raccoons are attacking our "wildlife" they are mailing us a permit (for free) to trap the bastards. They said that Raccoons are really hungry right now and acting VERY aggressive, so please watch for them with your dogs/cats/small children (seriously...he said all of these things). They also do not only come out at night during this time of year...they have been seen quite frequently during the day.. He also told us to NEVER approach one without a gun (even though you can't "officially" shoot them within city limits) as they will attack humans. We found a trap that is dog-proof and chicken-proof and ordered it off of amazon....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prCJCHY468Y
Wish us luck. I would like to give a shout out to North Portland Animal Hospital. This is the second time they have helped us out in a crisis and they are caring/not pushy and have amazing hearts (they have seen me cry more than most). They understand people have to choose sometimes between paying rent and pet operations and have never pressured/guilted me to do anything. As someone with a very high maintenance pug I appreciate this. The vet even showed me a website to get her meds for like half! They have one bird vet and even though his day is packed he personally called me and when I said I had called all the referrals and that the other vets were all on vacation he is shoving us in during his lunch break. Really awesome people that I know I can trust. Makes horrible situations manageable.
I know this isn't a super happy holidays post but I am hoping that it will help some.
Lacy
When we decided to get chickens we read all the books, joined the chicken forums, and even took a couple classes and one thing that I feel we were never warned of is how hard having chickens can actually be. Don't get me wrong usually they are pretty easy, and not much work but now having lost over 9 chickens in two years I thought I would share some of my pit falls so hopefully others do not have to wake up to a bloodbath the next day. I am doing this with feelings of shame and guilt but to be honest we went into "chicken keeping" with a lot of forethought, and education and it was surprising how many things have surprised us during these two years.
1. In Oregon you will not want to open/shut your coop every day & night, especially when it is cold and raining. There are a couple of solutions, both with positive and negatives. One is to not put your coop super far back from your back door. The plus side is that it will make the painful walk in your pj's every am or in the rain/dark every pm much easier. The negative is that the smell/rats that come with chickens will be much closer to your home....Our solution (so far) is to find an all in one coop with both the run and coop completely raccoon safe (unless you let the out for one sunny day and don't lock them up right away once the sun goes down). The positive is that you don't have to run outside all the time but the negative is that these types of coops can be a lot costlier (more materials) and your chickens might not get as much room as you (or they) would like to walk around.
2. Another way we have lost chickens is by introducing pullets too early to very dominate birds. One thing I was never told is that chickens are cannibals. Once they taste blood they will keep going. I am not going to get graphic but this is one thing I wish people talked about a lot more with new chicken owners. I did research, talked to knowledgable individuals and yet when I introduced two pullets (after days of letting them "smell" each other out) my Rhode Island Red completely went crazy on them and sadly killed them. Afterwards I turned to the forums and told my story and out came tons of stories of this happening to others. I don't know if people are ashamed, scared to admit this happened or what but it is something that should be shared. It was heart-breaking to raise chicks for months to then loose them in one night.
So here is my advice: if you have a dominate bird (Rhode Islands seem to be the most notorious of this) either raise your pullets for months separately, until they are like a full sized bird and then if you put them together (at night with no light around them) make sure that either you wake up before the sun rises to let them out or have a coop set-up where they can escape/move around A LOT easily to dodge pecks. Our other solution was to buy other dominate birds (more than one!!) and then place them in a run together for a week but at night keep them in separate coops until they have worked out their new pecking order. There were fights but no one was horrible injured and they seemed happy once they all got acquainted.
3. One other lesson we have learned is that when you raise chicks you will get some that have genetic issues. BE PREPARED. Have a plan so that when one needs to be put down you know what/how your going to do it. Believe me that you won't want to figure this out at the last minute...We sadly had no plan and had to make some hard decisions based on the tools we had at hand...if we had a plan in place (including who was doing what..and who was comfortable with what) and the proper tools I think the situation would have been MUCH less stressful to both us and the animal.
Yes chickens are awesome, yes they are great, useful animals, even pets. But like all animals they do have their negatives/their challenges. I hope that fully sharing our downfalls will help others avoid them. I also know that some of you out there will poo-poo us taking one bird to the vet. But honestly it is our fault they got hurt, it was our lack of knowledge/planning. I think that is the worst part, the knowing that it could of been avoided.
For chicken owners currently if you have a raccoon problem there are some options. We just called Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and asked them about Raccoons they said that it is the states job to trap them but when we said that we had lost 3 chickens they said that because the raccoons are attacking our "wildlife" they are mailing us a permit (for free) to trap the bastards. They said that Raccoons are really hungry right now and acting VERY aggressive, so please watch for them with your dogs/cats/small children (seriously...he said all of these things). They also do not only come out at night during this time of year...they have been seen quite frequently during the day.. He also told us to NEVER approach one without a gun (even though you can't "officially" shoot them within city limits) as they will attack humans. We found a trap that is dog-proof and chicken-proof and ordered it off of amazon....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prCJCHY468Y
Wish us luck. I would like to give a shout out to North Portland Animal Hospital. This is the second time they have helped us out in a crisis and they are caring/not pushy and have amazing hearts (they have seen me cry more than most). They understand people have to choose sometimes between paying rent and pet operations and have never pressured/guilted me to do anything. As someone with a very high maintenance pug I appreciate this. The vet even showed me a website to get her meds for like half! They have one bird vet and even though his day is packed he personally called me and when I said I had called all the referrals and that the other vets were all on vacation he is shoving us in during his lunch break. Really awesome people that I know I can trust. Makes horrible situations manageable.
I know this isn't a super happy holidays post but I am hoping that it will help some.
Lacy
AHHH!
Isn't it crazy how the sun can make your whole mood? Is there anything better than drinking a fresh cup of french press watching the chickens mosey about the yard softly clucking to themselves? I think not. Hope you are enjoying the beauty that is this day.
Reflections/Rant
Today is my birthday which is always very odd to me.....mostly because for 364 days a year I have no concept of my actual age.....I think once you get past 21 the digits kinda blur (maybe because of the increased booze??). I work with people much older than me (and always have), my friends vary in age from 12 to 93 and most are in their upper 50's. To be 27 seems so minimal to where I feel I am in my life.
As woman we are supposta do so much with our lives and do it in a very specific order, which is mostly dictated by our biological clocks. These days not only are we supposta be career woman, with degrees, success and titles BUT we are also supposta be mothers, lovers and homemakers. I have this constant nagging feeling that I am not doing enough...yet how the hell are you supposta do it all???!!?
In so many areas of my life I feel successful. I have a partner who both challenges me and yet also accepts me, a home that is more than I should be blessed with & a yard that could keep me busy for years, I have a job that I created for myself working for an agency that I not only believe in 100% but I get to see people's lives improve every single day. I get thanked for doing my job, a job I actually love....how many people are lucky enough to have that??
I have a family that while not perfect always rallies to support, even when my progressive, very left values do not match up. I still remember my father saying he was proud of me for all my work with planned parenthood....or when I broke up with my first adult love and not once did I hear a "I told you so" when they were moving me out...instead it was a hug and a threat to kick his ass :)
All of that seems so awesome yet society states that it is not enough....and sadly too many people in our society believe that bullshit hook, line and sinker.
I cannot begin to tell you how many times in the past week I have been encouraged to get married...or how many times my partner has been told to "make an honest woman out of her".....what does that even mean??? While always said in a loving manner I kinda want to say that I know everyday B makes a choice to be with me, that there is no piece of paper/contract/pressure to be with me...he CHOOSES...and how honest is that??? I do not take tomorrows for granted and while our relationship is not perfect I still get to make the choice of it is still worth it...and amazingly it has been.
While I am not someone who never wants to get married I do not understand this pressure to do so. Sadly some of my friends are in awesome relationships but they minimize them because he hasn't popped the question yet...they even start questioning if "he is the one". They forget to live and love in the moment, instead they focus on outside pressures that no one can measure up too.
The plight of a woman.
It is so easy to get caught. They have ads aimed at you (and we don't even have a tv.....hello sneaky facebook...). They have whole magazines about it, and books. Talk shows, and children's stories (don't even get me started on sleeping beauty...her whole life STARTS when he gives her his love...fuck that).....it is so engrained in us that by X amount of time we should have Y to show (or more like Y amount of carats). I can't even begin to address how woman's bodies are portrayed, or how expensive clothing is sold to "make us feel better" (ala sex in the city)....It can be overwhelming, so minimizing and truly harmful if one gets caught up in it all...
All I know is that I love my life. I love that at any point I could change it. I am learning to stay in the moment and no matter if I am laughing or crying, to be genuine and not compare myself (and my accomplishments) to those of the fake/unattainable society. I love that I was called (and sung to) by over 9 people on my cell, had more cards in my mailbox than it could hold and felt more love than anyone deserves.
I know that in this upcoming year there will be days full of crap, where I will take things for granted, or even get caught up in superficial ideals of happiness. I hope to think back on this reflection and remember. I hope to look back at this in a year and have built on my confidence, my ideals. So here is to another year full of laughter, animals, traveling, loving, and learning.
Lacy
As woman we are supposta do so much with our lives and do it in a very specific order, which is mostly dictated by our biological clocks. These days not only are we supposta be career woman, with degrees, success and titles BUT we are also supposta be mothers, lovers and homemakers. I have this constant nagging feeling that I am not doing enough...yet how the hell are you supposta do it all???!!?
In so many areas of my life I feel successful. I have a partner who both challenges me and yet also accepts me, a home that is more than I should be blessed with & a yard that could keep me busy for years, I have a job that I created for myself working for an agency that I not only believe in 100% but I get to see people's lives improve every single day. I get thanked for doing my job, a job I actually love....how many people are lucky enough to have that??
I have a family that while not perfect always rallies to support, even when my progressive, very left values do not match up. I still remember my father saying he was proud of me for all my work with planned parenthood....or when I broke up with my first adult love and not once did I hear a "I told you so" when they were moving me out...instead it was a hug and a threat to kick his ass :)
All of that seems so awesome yet society states that it is not enough....and sadly too many people in our society believe that bullshit hook, line and sinker.
I cannot begin to tell you how many times in the past week I have been encouraged to get married...or how many times my partner has been told to "make an honest woman out of her".....what does that even mean??? While always said in a loving manner I kinda want to say that I know everyday B makes a choice to be with me, that there is no piece of paper/contract/pressure to be with me...he CHOOSES...and how honest is that??? I do not take tomorrows for granted and while our relationship is not perfect I still get to make the choice of it is still worth it...and amazingly it has been.
While I am not someone who never wants to get married I do not understand this pressure to do so. Sadly some of my friends are in awesome relationships but they minimize them because he hasn't popped the question yet...they even start questioning if "he is the one". They forget to live and love in the moment, instead they focus on outside pressures that no one can measure up too.
The plight of a woman.
It is so easy to get caught. They have ads aimed at you (and we don't even have a tv.....hello sneaky facebook...). They have whole magazines about it, and books. Talk shows, and children's stories (don't even get me started on sleeping beauty...her whole life STARTS when he gives her his love...fuck that).....it is so engrained in us that by X amount of time we should have Y to show (or more like Y amount of carats). I can't even begin to address how woman's bodies are portrayed, or how expensive clothing is sold to "make us feel better" (ala sex in the city)....It can be overwhelming, so minimizing and truly harmful if one gets caught up in it all...
All I know is that I love my life. I love that at any point I could change it. I am learning to stay in the moment and no matter if I am laughing or crying, to be genuine and not compare myself (and my accomplishments) to those of the fake/unattainable society. I love that I was called (and sung to) by over 9 people on my cell, had more cards in my mailbox than it could hold and felt more love than anyone deserves.
I know that in this upcoming year there will be days full of crap, where I will take things for granted, or even get caught up in superficial ideals of happiness. I hope to think back on this reflection and remember. I hope to look back at this in a year and have built on my confidence, my ideals. So here is to another year full of laughter, animals, traveling, loving, and learning.
Lacy
Excess.
Christmas makes me almost cringe. It has turned into this holiday of excess, where we buy gifts to buy gifts...not because of thought/planning...well at least for me. I have trying to change this holiday....to be thoughtful, less wasteful (save $$) but honestly it is sooo easy to go down that whole 80% off holiday, or buy 2 get 3 free...even stuff for the house (I sooo need a mini muffin tin..right??!!?) BLAH!!!
ENOUGH.
GGGrrrr....this time of year also dictates that I buy a dress that I will only wear once...and that I will spend about 4 hours in total pain and discomfort.
More Excess. (Though granted I will look pretty smokin' for a hot minute).
What is hard is enjoying the excess you choose in your life (and is really the reason to celebrate) and not allowing the stuff you have chosen to run/ruin/overwhelm your life. If that is for the upcoming holiday or even the days after, including those credit card bills the next month.
Gotta keep reminding myself.
ENOUGH.
GGGrrrr....this time of year also dictates that I buy a dress that I will only wear once...and that I will spend about 4 hours in total pain and discomfort.
More Excess. (Though granted I will look pretty smokin' for a hot minute).
What is hard is enjoying the excess you choose in your life (and is really the reason to celebrate) and not allowing the stuff you have chosen to run/ruin/overwhelm your life. If that is for the upcoming holiday or even the days after, including those credit card bills the next month.
Gotta keep reminding myself.
It's begining to look a lot like Christmas...
Today was a glorious day! Full of sun and no rain (well for quite a bit of it) and I felt this energy to get everything done before this brief respite left us. Our house has an amazing front porch...It is probably one of my favorite things about the house (besides my glorious gas range). It has always been my dream to create a space that invites people to sit, to relax, to connect. A space that I want to sit under while listening to the rain, or read a book, one where people stop to say hi. When we first bought the house we didn't have anything but camp chairs to start and while in my head I envisioned a garland laden space ala Martha Stewart we had a shoe string budget last year and made due with cheap looking dollar tree crap. Thankfully two things happened
1)One of my friend's parents had a extra set of wicker furniture they no longer wanted
2) All Christmas stuff was 90% off last January...
It was so exciting today to pull stuff out of our basement (aka the cave of no return) that I had bought, what seems like a million years ago, and start to decorate....to have neighbors walk by and instantly see that they too were infected with the holiday bug! To see the difference in the place from just one year ago. I have been working on "simplifying" my life so having 8 tubs full of Christmas decorations seems pretty ridiculous...but for me it is so much more than a ridiculous fake village, more light strands then you can count (or unwind)...
Christmas was always a HUGE thing in my family.....it wasn't about the gifts, it was about something magical/bigger then the everyday. My mom is a crafter, an amazing person who can see what someone else has made go right into Jo'Ann's with her 40% coupon and create it exactly, if not better for pennies on the dollar. Growing up our home was decorated very "country" with knick-nack shelves and such. It was always so exciting for us the friday after Thanksgiving to have my dad pull out of our attic box by box alllll the decorations for the upcoming holiday. We would replace every little decoration with something Christmas.
No matter that we didn't have a lot of money it always looks like a million bucks to me....looking back I don't know if its because my mom had spent so many hours creating every item or if it was the pride she felt (well we all did) when people would walk into our home and instantly smiled. It was a place where people wanted to be, a place that oozed love and excitement!
It wasn't just the decorating it was also all the time spent making/creating/baking. The little things my parents would do that made it seem like Christmas was a time anything was possible, that everyone was special and loved. We always heated our home with our fireplace and yet we would have one cold night every Christmas because we didn't want Santa to be burned! That the cookies we left would magically be all eaten and even my dad would accuse Santa of drinking a beer. I remember one year "Santa" had brought us a big trampoline....as a kid I was amazed at how the sled could pull such a thing and much, much later I found out that my dad and his best friend had spent HOURS that night (which it was freezing rain and icy mind you) trying to put the thing together in the dark....my love and appreciation for all the "behind the scenes" stuff has only increased as I get older that is for sure.
While my parents sacrificed to make sure we got great gifts it was so much more....it was a time where there was happiness and hope.
We don't have any kids so spending 8 hours decorating a house can seem a bit absurd. But I will tell you driving home tonight I felt a brief glimmer of that feeling I used to get...one of love, total safety and excitement when we got closer to our house. I felt totally humbled for a second at how blessed we are to have such a great house. A home that we can decorate, one that we are slowly creating together, a place that people feel fine just showing up unannounced. I am excited for the future memories as well. I don't know what it is about this time of year but I can't help but smile and be thankful.
Lacy
1)One of my friend's parents had a extra set of wicker furniture they no longer wanted
2) All Christmas stuff was 90% off last January...
It was so exciting today to pull stuff out of our basement (aka the cave of no return) that I had bought, what seems like a million years ago, and start to decorate....to have neighbors walk by and instantly see that they too were infected with the holiday bug! To see the difference in the place from just one year ago. I have been working on "simplifying" my life so having 8 tubs full of Christmas decorations seems pretty ridiculous...but for me it is so much more than a ridiculous fake village, more light strands then you can count (or unwind)...
Christmas was always a HUGE thing in my family.....it wasn't about the gifts, it was about something magical/bigger then the everyday. My mom is a crafter, an amazing person who can see what someone else has made go right into Jo'Ann's with her 40% coupon and create it exactly, if not better for pennies on the dollar. Growing up our home was decorated very "country" with knick-nack shelves and such. It was always so exciting for us the friday after Thanksgiving to have my dad pull out of our attic box by box alllll the decorations for the upcoming holiday. We would replace every little decoration with something Christmas.
No matter that we didn't have a lot of money it always looks like a million bucks to me....looking back I don't know if its because my mom had spent so many hours creating every item or if it was the pride she felt (well we all did) when people would walk into our home and instantly smiled. It was a place where people wanted to be, a place that oozed love and excitement!
It wasn't just the decorating it was also all the time spent making/creating/baking. The little things my parents would do that made it seem like Christmas was a time anything was possible, that everyone was special and loved. We always heated our home with our fireplace and yet we would have one cold night every Christmas because we didn't want Santa to be burned! That the cookies we left would magically be all eaten and even my dad would accuse Santa of drinking a beer. I remember one year "Santa" had brought us a big trampoline....as a kid I was amazed at how the sled could pull such a thing and much, much later I found out that my dad and his best friend had spent HOURS that night (which it was freezing rain and icy mind you) trying to put the thing together in the dark....my love and appreciation for all the "behind the scenes" stuff has only increased as I get older that is for sure.
While my parents sacrificed to make sure we got great gifts it was so much more....it was a time where there was happiness and hope.
We don't have any kids so spending 8 hours decorating a house can seem a bit absurd. But I will tell you driving home tonight I felt a brief glimmer of that feeling I used to get...one of love, total safety and excitement when we got closer to our house. I felt totally humbled for a second at how blessed we are to have such a great house. A home that we can decorate, one that we are slowly creating together, a place that people feel fine just showing up unannounced. I am excited for the future memories as well. I don't know what it is about this time of year but I can't help but smile and be thankful.
Lacy
ahhh...
soooo doing this.
Most amazing card holder ever!
Excited to spend the tomorrow with loved ones. I hope you all are warm, surrounded by laughter and copious amounts of food.
Lacy
Most amazing card holder ever!
Excited to spend the tomorrow with loved ones. I hope you all are warm, surrounded by laughter and copious amounts of food.
Lacy
ice ice baby.
So its been pretty cold here....Like I kinda want to die inside cold....like it hurts my back to walk outside, put at least 2 layers of socks on cold....I will have you know that I am a big wuss to these sorts of things...I am a big believer that if it is below 72 then a sweatshirt is mandated...I would never survive in any sort of real cold weather. I have come to accept this and move on though my family in Idaho tease me endlessly.
Cold weather also brings along my biggest fear (besides random eyeballs popping out...seriously) driving in ice or cold!! I literally have panic attacks at the thought of it....not so much my lack of skills but every other idiot out there scares the shit out of me! Thankfully the roads have been fine and hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same.
So I recently discovered hulu plus.....
And have proceeded to not accomplish anything (besides significantly reducing my queue).....
BUT
I did complete my first batch of Kombucha!! I bought a scoby on etsy and the lovely seller included amazing instructions. It was a bit touch and go for awhile....I thought there was mold in it but it turned out it was just the baby forming! I tried some last night and am really impressed with the taste...though I will be using less sugar next time....I am also excited to NOT spend 5 bucks a bottle anymore! (which I only allowed myself one a week). I left it all plain but am thinking of adding ginger next time...any advice/tips would be appreciated.
Currently the Kombucha is in a dark place for the next couple of days to create carbonation. Seriously this is another project that I thank baby jesus for Google! I seriously don't know how people survived in the past....oy.
I need to get my butt in gear and get ready for thanksgiving. Thankfully my family does it potluck style so I only have to come with one dish!
Hello Candied Yams!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday :)
Lacy
Cold weather also brings along my biggest fear (besides random eyeballs popping out...seriously) driving in ice or cold!! I literally have panic attacks at the thought of it....not so much my lack of skills but every other idiot out there scares the shit out of me! Thankfully the roads have been fine and hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same.
So I recently discovered hulu plus.....
And have proceeded to not accomplish anything (besides significantly reducing my queue).....
BUT
Currently the Kombucha is in a dark place for the next couple of days to create carbonation. Seriously this is another project that I thank baby jesus for Google! I seriously don't know how people survived in the past....oy.
I need to get my butt in gear and get ready for thanksgiving. Thankfully my family does it potluck style so I only have to come with one dish!
Hello Candied Yams!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday :)
Lacy
The crap.
The holidays are coming (as well as my birthday) and of course that makes me think about gift giving and gift getting. In past years I have attempted to always plan ahead, make extreme crafting plans to hand-make everything..just for it to be about Dec. 20th me acting like a total bitch and like 2 crafts done.....this year I want to give myself a break and follow these rules:
1. When gift giving you only buy mass produced items when specifically requested.
2. If rule #1 doesn't apply then the next item must be hand-made or made by a local company.
3. Each gift must have the focus on the person and NOT the price.
I don't know about you all but seriously I am soooo sick of having crap. or even 2, 3, 6 of the same items. Why the holidays turned into a time to go into debt I don't know. Instead of being caught up in the real meaning of the holidays, which is being with loved ones, sharing memories and laughter!
Let's just see how this goes.......................
I have also emailed my family a "wish list" with stuff following the same rules...you should of heard my explanation to my mother about why I would want a "used tea kettle from this etsy web site?"....ha.
PS does anyone else kinda want to throw everything they have all away (or recycle it) and start again????
Lacy
1. When gift giving you only buy mass produced items when specifically requested.
2. If rule #1 doesn't apply then the next item must be hand-made or made by a local company.
3. Each gift must have the focus on the person and NOT the price.
I don't know about you all but seriously I am soooo sick of having crap. or even 2, 3, 6 of the same items. Why the holidays turned into a time to go into debt I don't know. Instead of being caught up in the real meaning of the holidays, which is being with loved ones, sharing memories and laughter!
Let's just see how this goes.......................
I have also emailed my family a "wish list" with stuff following the same rules...you should of heard my explanation to my mother about why I would want a "used tea kettle from this etsy web site?"....ha.
PS does anyone else kinda want to throw everything they have all away (or recycle it) and start again????
Lacy
Halloween
Last night we gave over 11 pounds of candy out. It made me proud of our hot minute of community within Nopo. 99% of the kids were dressed up, extremely polite and really cute! Learned a Martha tip as well...I used Yankee Candles (small jar kind) in our jack-o-lanterns and had many parents (as well as kids) comment on how good our Porch smelled. Noted and Noted for next year.
On another note I am already sick of this weather....Like wanting to bash head into wall sick of it...I am ashamed to admit this...I am a native and shouldn't feel this way until at least February. I have a feeling that this is going to be a long winter. Also the chickens have almost stopped laying, which while frustrating we did get an egg almost as big as my palm! Crazy....
I have also felt the need to make some baked goods and another necessity is roaring his big fat head...the need to work off those baked goods.....I was starting to become addicted to running though the thought of running in the rain doesn't make me want to lace up to tennies so we are going to start looking around for alternatives to help not only keep those baked goods off my hips and also help me survive this winter weather.
Last tip of the night YOU MUST try roasted brussel sprouts...why did my mom boil them??!!? A new favorite!
Lacy
On another note I am already sick of this weather....Like wanting to bash head into wall sick of it...I am ashamed to admit this...I am a native and shouldn't feel this way until at least February. I have a feeling that this is going to be a long winter. Also the chickens have almost stopped laying, which while frustrating we did get an egg almost as big as my palm! Crazy....
I have also felt the need to make some baked goods and another necessity is roaring his big fat head...the need to work off those baked goods.....I was starting to become addicted to running though the thought of running in the rain doesn't make me want to lace up to tennies so we are going to start looking around for alternatives to help not only keep those baked goods off my hips and also help me survive this winter weather.
Last tip of the night YOU MUST try roasted brussel sprouts...why did my mom boil them??!!? A new favorite!
Lacy
To avoid the depression from the rain.
10 Things I am Currently in Love with:
1. Red Wine.
2. Fleece Pants (seriously I think about them at work....actually I think more about "could I find a black pair that I could wear to work?? Or even more important would anyone say anything???)
3. Having 4 happy chickens...its been a long haul but I am really lovin' the new birds we got!
4. Having girl friends who aren't afraid to call you on your shit. (seriously....that is real friendship)
5. Babies (and dogs for that matter) in Halloween costumes...I don't care if they don't understand the holiday I want to dump like a million pieces of candy on them...or maybe offer to trade the candy for them.....
6. My new broom (from http://www.broommagic.com/) Local and freakin lovely!! (Note I did not say I like sweeping).
7. Did I mention Red Wine?
8. The color Burnt Orange.
9. The smell of a burning fire place (which currently I can only get from a yankee candle but still good enough)
10. My man's beard....seriously. HOT.
1. Red Wine.
2. Fleece Pants (seriously I think about them at work....actually I think more about "could I find a black pair that I could wear to work?? Or even more important would anyone say anything???)
3. Having 4 happy chickens...its been a long haul but I am really lovin' the new birds we got!
4. Having girl friends who aren't afraid to call you on your shit. (seriously....that is real friendship)
5. Babies (and dogs for that matter) in Halloween costumes...I don't care if they don't understand the holiday I want to dump like a million pieces of candy on them...or maybe offer to trade the candy for them.....
6. My new broom (from http://www.broommagic.com/) Local and freakin lovely!! (Note I did not say I like sweeping).
7. Did I mention Red Wine?
8. The color Burnt Orange.
9. The smell of a burning fire place (which currently I can only get from a yankee candle but still good enough)
10. My man's beard....seriously. HOT.
Creating Community
The view of the lake was breathtaking and made me realize how blessed I am to live in such an amazing place. Its ridiculous that I don't get out and see the beauty that is Oregon more often. I think this is going to be my New Year's resolution! Anyhoo we proceeded to climb up the pretty intense .7 miles towards the fire look-out. Once up there the amazing view turned into beyond belief beauty..there was only one other guy up there. We immediately asked if he was the guy riding the bike and instantly this moment of "nosiness" lead to an amazing connection. He immediately told us about this journey he is taking from Alaska to South America..all on bike. He also is climbing the highest mountain of each country he goes through and had some amazing stories. We chatted with him for about 30 minutes and sadly he was biking away from us or we would have bought him dinner. I thought I would share his website with you and he promised it would be in English by the end of the month. And the next time you are out try to start a conversation with the stranger next to you....you never know who they might be, or the journey they are on.
The highest World
Lacy
Love.
I think about Love and what that means quite a lot. As a person who has been in a couple long-term relationships and is in one currently you start to realize...and quite quickly that Love is not that of fairy tales. It is not prince charming sweeping me off my feet, or someone to swoop down and rescue me. There are days that I think that "happy ever after" would be pretty awesome but I look out the window see my man getting pure joy running around the backyard like a crazy person trying to wear out our dog and that thought vanishes. The moments where he looks at me and thanks me, genuinely, for reheating left-over spaghetti...from a week ago...makes me realize that love is everyday.
I look at my parents who after 25 years of marriage divorced. I think it is this experience that really made me start looking at love. How two people who made it through some major life issues together could fall "out of love". They were the couple you would always find making out on the couch (much to my teenage horror), the ones who genuinely showed that while not always roses that laughter could cure most things. How you go from that to "done" made me realize how fragile, how fleeting, how precious Love can be.
On this day of "National Coming Out" I thought of love again. I thought of one of my best friends not being able to marry the woman who makes her smile. Makes her happy and fulfilled.
Of the young gay males in college I RA'd for that would keep me up crying because they didn't want to be different, couldn't fathom coming out to their parent/families/friends.
The teens who are killing themselves because of bullying.
They were afraid that the Love they felt for someone else would end the love others felt for them.
I thought of my love for family members who, to be completely honest, if we were not related by blood I would have no ties too because they couldn't look past their Love for their God to see that at the core of it all is Love. His greatest gift.
Love.
4 letters. Though it is what life is made up of. It has caused both my best and worst times in my life. But at the end of the day I know that I can marry that man out that window. I can talk about him, and our life at work with no worries. I can march my ass down the street holding his hand and NO one will look the other way. It kills me inside that my friends can't do the same. I am not perfect. I have no idea what actually constitutes "Love" but what I do know what it is not:
Hate.
I am an ally. Not because of political reasons, not because of some moral compass, or religious shenanigans but because of the look my best friend Jayme has when she looks at her girlfriend....god for that reason, even when she talks about her. It is like my friend comes to life, she starts to shine. How anyone can hate that, can deny that, can harass that is beyond my comprehension.
So I will just go about loving ALL my friends, and all the people they love. I will continue to love those that are uneducated, misguided and scared. Because at the end of the day I know that I am 100 million percent better for it. That this is how we will end homophobia:
Love.
Lacy
I look at my parents who after 25 years of marriage divorced. I think it is this experience that really made me start looking at love. How two people who made it through some major life issues together could fall "out of love". They were the couple you would always find making out on the couch (much to my teenage horror), the ones who genuinely showed that while not always roses that laughter could cure most things. How you go from that to "done" made me realize how fragile, how fleeting, how precious Love can be.
On this day of "National Coming Out" I thought of love again. I thought of one of my best friends not being able to marry the woman who makes her smile. Makes her happy and fulfilled.
Of the young gay males in college I RA'd for that would keep me up crying because they didn't want to be different, couldn't fathom coming out to their parent/families/friends.
The teens who are killing themselves because of bullying.
They were afraid that the Love they felt for someone else would end the love others felt for them.
I thought of my love for family members who, to be completely honest, if we were not related by blood I would have no ties too because they couldn't look past their Love for their God to see that at the core of it all is Love. His greatest gift.
Love.
4 letters. Though it is what life is made up of. It has caused both my best and worst times in my life. But at the end of the day I know that I can marry that man out that window. I can talk about him, and our life at work with no worries. I can march my ass down the street holding his hand and NO one will look the other way. It kills me inside that my friends can't do the same. I am not perfect. I have no idea what actually constitutes "Love" but what I do know what it is not:
Hate.
I am an ally. Not because of political reasons, not because of some moral compass, or religious shenanigans but because of the look my best friend Jayme has when she looks at her girlfriend....god for that reason, even when she talks about her. It is like my friend comes to life, she starts to shine. How anyone can hate that, can deny that, can harass that is beyond my comprehension.
So I will just go about loving ALL my friends, and all the people they love. I will continue to love those that are uneducated, misguided and scared. Because at the end of the day I know that I am 100 million percent better for it. That this is how we will end homophobia:
Love.
Lacy
Digging..Stirring...Measuring...
Up to my eye balls in fruit/tomatoes/canning...I keep remind myself that there was a time that I would actually sit and eat my dinner...as opposed to the current situation where I make the dinner on any free burner I can find and eat while preparing my next canning adventure. That there used to be more to my life then canning jars, HUGE pots and my immersion blender. I used to do stuff...fun stuff....non-cook related stuff.... Though let me take a moment and proclaim my LOVE of my gas range!! It might be my favorite item in my house...SO just wanted to check in and state that if I never see another apple (besides the 60 pounds I have waiting for me still...) it will be a good life...Though there is NOTHING like still warm apple sauce on some bob's red mill grain cereal...uh-flippin-mazing.
Lacy
Lacy
When life hands you green tomatoes...
Ok I know its been awhile....I was so angry at the weather not assisting in this whole experiment I call a "garden". I wanted to punish something and because I have no power to make the sun shine I decided I would punish the blog...silly right??!!? So lets reflect on the amazingness of this year....
Lessons Learned:
-Just buy plants...don't grow from seed...you need counter space more then a million seedlings....
-The raised bed farthest to the right gets the least amount of sun...plan accordingly.
-Tomato plants get HUGE soooo don't plant bush beans behind them....
-Plant the tomatoes towards the back so you can plant other things in the front...
-buying plants via the mail doesn't work out...use saturday market instead.
-when using water walls for tomatoes put the cage around first then slide the water wall around that.
Okay so for year one we actually did okay...got a bunch of tomatoes (not enough to can sadly) but did find this option and let me just say "YUM!"...slow roasted tomatoes
Though we ended up with about 1 billion green tomatoes....so I searched the web and found the answer! It was simple, delish and uses green tomatoes. I doubled it and ended up with ten 12 oz jars.
Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce
Combine the following:
5 cups of chopped green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
1/2 cup seeded finely chopped jalapenos
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup bottled lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp. oregano leaves (I used 1 1/2 tbsp. of ground mexican oregano)
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Put it in a big sauce pan bring to a boil. Stir frequently and once it begins to boil, then reduce head and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
I then added 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and used my immersion blender to puree the sauce.
Ladle the hot salsa into your jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes and you are good to go!
Now enjoy!
I plan on making this a couple more times...we have that many green tomatoes! Oy. More experienced canners out there could you substitute lime juice for the lemon?? I think that would be more authentic though with the whole acid level issue involved in canning I didn't want to play around with the recipe too much.
Also just got my winter garden in so plan on hearing more about "lessons learned".
Lacy
* Just did some research and via the powers of the internet I have concluded that you could use lime juice which I think would taste more authentic. I am going to use limes for the next batch so I will update on the taste...
Lessons Learned:
-Just buy plants...don't grow from seed...you need counter space more then a million seedlings....
-The raised bed farthest to the right gets the least amount of sun...plan accordingly.
-Tomato plants get HUGE soooo don't plant bush beans behind them....
-Plant the tomatoes towards the back so you can plant other things in the front...
-buying plants via the mail doesn't work out...use saturday market instead.
-when using water walls for tomatoes put the cage around first then slide the water wall around that.
Okay so for year one we actually did okay...got a bunch of tomatoes (not enough to can sadly) but did find this option and let me just say "YUM!"...slow roasted tomatoes
Though we ended up with about 1 billion green tomatoes....so I searched the web and found the answer! It was simple, delish and uses green tomatoes. I doubled it and ended up with ten 12 oz jars.
Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce
Combine the following:
5 cups of chopped green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
1/2 cup seeded finely chopped jalapenos
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup bottled lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp. oregano leaves (I used 1 1/2 tbsp. of ground mexican oregano)
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
I then added 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and used my immersion blender to puree the sauce.
Now enjoy!
I plan on making this a couple more times...we have that many green tomatoes! Oy. More experienced canners out there could you substitute lime juice for the lemon?? I think that would be more authentic though with the whole acid level issue involved in canning I didn't want to play around with the recipe too much.
Also just got my winter garden in so plan on hearing more about "lessons learned".
Lacy
* Just did some research and via the powers of the internet I have concluded that you could use lime juice which I think would taste more authentic. I am going to use limes for the next batch so I will update on the taste...
power and fear.
A lot of response came from my last blog entry and that is exactly what I was hoping for...discussion!
I will admit that we have been pretty non-impacted by the negative turn of economy and because of that it was easy for me to ignore. The same is to be said for individuals with disabilities and the services they receive...if you don't need them its easy to ignore whats happening. Thankfully the state found some "extra" money and will give 17 million out of the 35 million back so many of the programs will continue at least through February. Though with no end in sight for this slow economy there isn't a lot of hope so you learn to take it day by day.
I keep hoping that this economy will encourages us as a community to come together. When we go the grocery store we will ask our neighbor if they would like to go with us, we offer to have a play date with our friend's child who has a disability, or even to ask if there is anything we can do to help. This doesn't just apply to the old and disabled though. I hope in this negativity we can come together and reconnect. We can look at budget cuts as negative or we can help form a neighborhood watch to keep our neighborhood safe and clean, without police assistance. We can organize school yard clean-ups and after school programs.
We can eventually realize as a society that stuff doesn't equal happiness. That living outside our means doesn't make us better people. To finally appreciate what we have instead of looking at what we want.
I am not speaking from a pulpit. I am just as guilty as the next guy. I admit that I covet many an item and don't know my neighbors names and currently not active in making it more of a community feel. I guess I am hoping that I can use this time of "tightening purse strings" to force myself to really appreciate what I have and to realize what is important. What it requires is what I have already asked you to do....go out of my comfort zone..I need to practice what I preach.
In some ways I have already started doing this, I will be paying off my LAST credit card this month (Just in time for student loans to kick in)!!!!!!!! Though I think I have saved the most uncomfortable task of all: creating community in my neighborhood. It really shames me to write this down, to put it out to the public. I work daily to create community and inclusion for all, yet when push comes to shove I haven't done it. My neighborhood is diverse and it has many people "not like me". It is so easy to see those differences I don't notice the "sameness". So in front of you I pledge to work on finding how they are like me. I am going to look everyday for moments when I can create a neighborhood. I will be part of the solution and not the problem.
How do you create community?
I will admit that we have been pretty non-impacted by the negative turn of economy and because of that it was easy for me to ignore. The same is to be said for individuals with disabilities and the services they receive...if you don't need them its easy to ignore whats happening. Thankfully the state found some "extra" money and will give 17 million out of the 35 million back so many of the programs will continue at least through February. Though with no end in sight for this slow economy there isn't a lot of hope so you learn to take it day by day.
I keep hoping that this economy will encourages us as a community to come together. When we go the grocery store we will ask our neighbor if they would like to go with us, we offer to have a play date with our friend's child who has a disability, or even to ask if there is anything we can do to help. This doesn't just apply to the old and disabled though. I hope in this negativity we can come together and reconnect. We can look at budget cuts as negative or we can help form a neighborhood watch to keep our neighborhood safe and clean, without police assistance. We can organize school yard clean-ups and after school programs.
We can eventually realize as a society that stuff doesn't equal happiness. That living outside our means doesn't make us better people. To finally appreciate what we have instead of looking at what we want.
I am not speaking from a pulpit. I am just as guilty as the next guy. I admit that I covet many an item and don't know my neighbors names and currently not active in making it more of a community feel. I guess I am hoping that I can use this time of "tightening purse strings" to force myself to really appreciate what I have and to realize what is important. What it requires is what I have already asked you to do....go out of my comfort zone..I need to practice what I preach.
In some ways I have already started doing this, I will be paying off my LAST credit card this month (Just in time for student loans to kick in)!!!!!!!! Though I think I have saved the most uncomfortable task of all: creating community in my neighborhood. It really shames me to write this down, to put it out to the public. I work daily to create community and inclusion for all, yet when push comes to shove I haven't done it. My neighborhood is diverse and it has many people "not like me". It is so easy to see those differences I don't notice the "sameness". So in front of you I pledge to work on finding how they are like me. I am going to look everyday for moments when I can create a neighborhood. I will be part of the solution and not the problem.
How do you create community?
Ignorance.
7 years ago I started into this field on accident. I was in my senior year of college and needed cash. I had a friend who worked with teens in a group home/prison (all windows and doors were locked at all times) and was able to complete 30 hours in two days. The pay was good, the job sounded fun and exciting so I applied. Looking back I would not realize how this would impact my future life. It would mold/shape everything I have done in my adulthood.
After a few years I saw so many issues that I could no longer work there and be proud of it. I saw younger girls learning bad (very unhealthy) habits from the older girls. Residents with amazing gifts not being developed or encouraged because of the lack of staff. So I started applying to new places and found the current company I work for. I vividly remember the Assistant Director interviewing me and she started to describe the philosophy behind Community Vision. I sat there and started tearing up (very unprofessional I know) and said to her something along the lines of "I don't care if you hire me but knowing this places exists gives me hope". Thankfully I was hired and its been an amazing journey so far. One that even made me quit grad school later on because I missed this place, this work too much.
So enough of the sap story the real reason for this post is to educate the few that read this on exactly what is happening for individuals with disabilities right here in Oregon. A story no media is covering, a story with very little outrage/support. I know this is not because people don't care...its because they don't know.
A year ago Oregon Health Plan (the insurance the majority of individuals with disability have) stopped covering all dental and eye procedures. This means no glasses and if you get a cavity they pull your tooth out. Also if you have glaucoma and need surgery...sorry....hope you enjoy being blind. This was a major blow to many people I care about but they understood that the budget was tight. This was also the first time I realized how uneducated the general population is. Every time I mention this to a friend they get outraged and wonder why this wasn't in thew news. They also feel helpless to change it.
Then the major blow hit (one I am sad to say is of many to come).
Two months ago the state threatened a 6% cut to all services to individuals with disabilities (including children). They stated it would probably be a couple of months out and we just got confirmation that it is happening, starting October. 6% doesn't sound like a huge cut but even our little non-profit it translates to $30,000 a month less...for the same services..... What really sucks about this is that its actually going to cost the state MORE in the not too far future. It will stop funding to programs that allows people to live in their own homes and without this support they will have to move to nursing homes (which can cost upwards of 10,000 a month). This also can mean that families with a child who has a disability will have to give up their rights to their child and be forced to put their child into crisis housing (which also costs upwards of 10,000 a month). I cannot imagine being a mother faced with that choice. It breaks my heart. This does not even address the staff who will lose their jobs and then have to apply for unemployment and food stamps.
When the governor made this 6% cut across the board he did so not realizing that he is ending people's lives. He is forcing families to split up, great programs who are cost effective go under and individuals like me hurt inside knowing people I love are being treated like sub-humans. I think it is guilt and fear that prevents the media from telling this story. It is also guilt and fear that prevents people from asking questions and/or seeing how they can help. If we don't stand and say no to this 6% next year its going to be 10% and the year after 15% until we repeat Fairview. Please imagine your mother/child/spouse/self being treated this way.
Would you tolerate it?
Addiction Issues
So I have a slight addiction to coffee. I blame my native Oregon roots but I simply love everything about it. The smell, the act of waking up to it and especially drinking it. I love how it warms me and wakes me up at the same time on cold winter mornings (or evenings for that manner..). Though in these hotter months I find myself wanting some coffee but my sweat and need to reapply deodorant makes me hesitant to even turn on my coffee pot. After walking into a coffee shop and buying yet another cold brewed coffee drink I realized my addiction is starting to affect my life (and my bank account!). I started rooting around on good ol' google and found an amazing discovery! I can have my refreshing cold coffee at home! The best thing about it? I don't need to buy a gosh darn thing...Just need your french press!
Its a simple recipe and can keep in the fridge for up to two weeks (sadly I make it about every other day.)
1 cup coarsely ground coffee
2 cups water
Pour this into your french press and stir once. Go do laundry/or think about doing laundry for about two minutes and stir one more time. Make sure all the grounds have been embraced by the water, cover and wait 12 hours. I have also done it at night and 8 hours seems to be okay just not as strong. Once time is up you just press the plunger down SLOWLY and with even pressure.
I usually pour this into a glass canning jar and usually leave out the last little bit from the french press...keeps the coffee grounds to a gritty minimum.
To enjoy just mix 1/4 part coffee to 1 part milk or water. If this is too strong for you just lower the amount of coffee you use. Then enjoy!
If you have not tried cold brewed coffee before its a real treat! There is almost no acidity and has a great flavor! You can play around with different types of coffee, even different strengths.
One last tidbit I have to share is my love of St. Johns Coffee Roaster. They are a small company that only gets beans from families they know, mostly personally. I love getting their newsletter where they share stories about the various farmers. It really takes fair trade to another level. Also (and probably my favorite thing) they deliver FREE of charge to the 97203 zip code. Its lovely! I wake up Wednesday morning to a bag of freshly roasted beans...does it get any better??
Lacy
Its a simple recipe and can keep in the fridge for up to two weeks (sadly I make it about every other day.)
1 cup coarsely ground coffee
2 cups water
Pour this into your french press and stir once. Go do laundry/or think about doing laundry for about two minutes and stir one more time. Make sure all the grounds have been embraced by the water, cover and wait 12 hours. I have also done it at night and 8 hours seems to be okay just not as strong. Once time is up you just press the plunger down SLOWLY and with even pressure.
I usually pour this into a glass canning jar and usually leave out the last little bit from the french press...keeps the coffee grounds to a gritty minimum.
To enjoy just mix 1/4 part coffee to 1 part milk or water. If this is too strong for you just lower the amount of coffee you use. Then enjoy!
If you have not tried cold brewed coffee before its a real treat! There is almost no acidity and has a great flavor! You can play around with different types of coffee, even different strengths.
One last tidbit I have to share is my love of St. Johns Coffee Roaster. They are a small company that only gets beans from families they know, mostly personally. I love getting their newsletter where they share stories about the various farmers. It really takes fair trade to another level. Also (and probably my favorite thing) they deliver FREE of charge to the 97203 zip code. Its lovely! I wake up Wednesday morning to a bag of freshly roasted beans...does it get any better??
Lacy
Flying by.....
Almost a year has gone by at the new house! It is exciting to see plants I rushed into the ground when we moved starting to come back. Also glad I didn't mistake them for weeds...oy. It has been a busy year and while we haven't done what we thought we would (screens for the windows, mirrors for the bathroom, curtains...oh the curtains..) we have accomplished a lot.
Mostly Outside.
Its been a frustrating gardening year for sure but I have thrown up my hands and just gonna enjoy what we get.....
Hammock swinging...(get one here..a great product!)
Eating dinners outside (on our new patio!)
And waiting for food to ripen.
Time feels like it has just rushed by and at moments I look at my to-do list and feel like nothing has been accomplished yet when I see photos like this I remember and am excited about the upcoming year!
Here's to enjoying the moment!
Lacy
Mostly Outside.
Its been a frustrating gardening year for sure but I have thrown up my hands and just gonna enjoy what we get.....
Hammock swinging...(get one here..a great product!)
Eating dinners outside (on our new patio!)
And waiting for food to ripen.
Time feels like it has just rushed by and at moments I look at my to-do list and feel like nothing has been accomplished yet when I see photos like this I remember and am excited about the upcoming year!
Here's to enjoying the moment!
Lacy
Garden Envy...
I have a serious affliction of this horrible disease....I look around at others gardens and think WTF??!?? Did these people spend their winter looking at garden porn?....I mean...Nichol's or Territorials seed catalogs?? Did they research for hours the different options in available dirt that could be delivered? Did they think about drainage or the correct placement of the beds to get the most sun? When I look around at the gardens around me most of these answers are a big fat no....some people even :::gasp::: just planted some seeds in the ground!!! Yet even with all my hard work I see that my garden is lacking. Some people have bigger Kale/a better diversity of plants/already ready beets! Whats a girl to do when she is almost dying with Garden Envy?
As some of you might know we bought the house last August and while I got some plants in, it was a little late in the season to garden hard core. I was sooo ready for this summer! We made raised beds, got top notch dirt delivered (on that note if you had said to me I would spend that much $$ on dirt two years ago I would of laughed until I peed), and even got plants delivered in the mail!
After raising starts on my counter for MONTHS I first noticed my newly acquired disease...at the Saturday market they were selling bigger/better starts for $2.00! Why had I given up so much counter space for months with constant monitoring to save $2.00??!!? I then gave many of my starts away, planted some and even bought more at the Market. I was so excited to plant and to be able to show off my awesome gardening prowess/my hard work..to see my research pay off!
And then the rain happened......
And happened......
And happened......
It caused me to panic a bit...I waited to be sure no more plants would have to sacrifice their life. Once I was sure the rain was gone for a bit I replanted. THEN THE SLUGS....can't a girl get a break??!!? Ok two mini massacres down and I thought 'gotta put on my big girl panties and keep up the good fight'. So I kept watching/hoping and slowly I saw growth. Yet when walking the dogs I see much some amazing gardens. Plants I was sure would grow have died (Kale=failed), some never flowered (eggplant=dud) and I have realized that even with all my planning one of my raised beds is in shade.....I don't even know what to say. I keep telling myself it will turn around, all my knowledge/research will pay off but we shall see.
Does anyone else experience garden envy?? Any major mishaps?
As some of you might know we bought the house last August and while I got some plants in, it was a little late in the season to garden hard core. I was sooo ready for this summer! We made raised beds, got top notch dirt delivered (on that note if you had said to me I would spend that much $$ on dirt two years ago I would of laughed until I peed), and even got plants delivered in the mail!
After raising starts on my counter for MONTHS I first noticed my newly acquired disease...at the Saturday market they were selling bigger/better starts for $2.00! Why had I given up so much counter space for months with constant monitoring to save $2.00??!!? I then gave many of my starts away, planted some and even bought more at the Market. I was so excited to plant and to be able to show off my awesome gardening prowess/my hard work..to see my research pay off!
And then the rain happened......
And happened......
And happened......
It caused me to panic a bit...I waited to be sure no more plants would have to sacrifice their life. Once I was sure the rain was gone for a bit I replanted. THEN THE SLUGS....can't a girl get a break??!!? Ok two mini massacres down and I thought 'gotta put on my big girl panties and keep up the good fight'. So I kept watching/hoping and slowly I saw growth. Yet when walking the dogs I see much some amazing gardens. Plants I was sure would grow have died (Kale=failed), some never flowered (eggplant=dud) and I have realized that even with all my planning one of my raised beds is in shade.....I don't even know what to say. I keep telling myself it will turn around, all my knowledge/research will pay off but we shall see.
Does anyone else experience garden envy?? Any major mishaps?
Sometimes you gotta say F-It....
Today amid my super dirty house, smelly dogs, slightly unkept yard, a driveway of nut hulls to be spread, and laundry (MOUNDS) to be folded I said F-it. It seems my whole day..make that life...is spent working and yet I never get ahead. I have two jobs and some "side projects" that keep me busy and then when I get home the real work awaits me. Its easy to feel overwhelmed but today the sun came out and I just couldn't do it anymore. I called Brent (my partner) and made him skip out of work early (excuse used: stomach cramps, always works). We grabbed some sandwiches from Kenny and Zukes and raced home. I ignored the piles, smells, nuts and took the boat down to the local dock. The lovely thing about living in St. Johns is that the dock is about 5 minutes away! We piled in one of the dogs, the food and our sunglasses and set for the river.We are new to boating. So when we go out if always feels like an adventure. I always a little encouraged when the motor turns over on only the 3rd try and it only took two attempts to back it down the ramp! Once we were on the water I felt all my stresses leave for a hot minute as I took a moment and enjoyed the blessing my life is. Don't get me wrong it is far from perfect but I am thankful for a partner who is willing to take risks, to live in an area so freakin' gorgeous and enough rain throughout the year to make me feel like the sun (at 75 degrees) is manna from Heaven. We eventually found a deserted beach like area, ditched the boat and spent a couple hours just sitting/playing with the dog and enjoying life.
Now back home I see that both couches are covered in dog hair, the dishes in the sink need to be washed...etc....etc...etc....though today was an important reminder that the important things in life are taking moments to just enjoy, to be stress free and thankful.
Anyone else have any fun weekend plans?
In the Beginning.
I finally got the courage to start a blog....I was always envious of others who so humbly shared their successes and failures. Who shared wisdom and stories. I cannot promise what I have to share or that it will be always be exciting but this blog will account for a young 20 something trying to survive in this world of "want" with a dream of "simple".
So to start us off I am going to share a failure that happened to me. Today I had to cull a chicken. The sweet austerlop was only a pullet and sadly had been attacked by our Rhode Island Red. There was nothing poetic about it or earth shattering but I do feel like it was life changing. For me.
I have dabbled in the urban farming for the past year and as of yet had done none of the "dirty work" that is involved with farming. I secretly felt false and fake. Scared that when the moment came I would chicken out...no pun intended. Though I did what had to do. It was difficult, and unjust but that is the world at times. The after effects are still forming and brewing in my backyard I do not know if this invasion of the real world will radically change my safe place but I do take comfort in the fact that it now feels real. This is not a fad for me. This is my life. I sometimes have to get dirty, make mistakes and then take care of those mistakes and for me in my double lot in NoPo I have fully committed to this lifestyle and while I say this with a sad heart I am ready for this journey and invite you to learn/love/cry with me as it evolves.
Lacy
So to start us off I am going to share a failure that happened to me. Today I had to cull a chicken. The sweet austerlop was only a pullet and sadly had been attacked by our Rhode Island Red. There was nothing poetic about it or earth shattering but I do feel like it was life changing. For me.
I have dabbled in the urban farming for the past year and as of yet had done none of the "dirty work" that is involved with farming. I secretly felt false and fake. Scared that when the moment came I would chicken out...no pun intended. Though I did what had to do. It was difficult, and unjust but that is the world at times. The after effects are still forming and brewing in my backyard I do not know if this invasion of the real world will radically change my safe place but I do take comfort in the fact that it now feels real. This is not a fad for me. This is my life. I sometimes have to get dirty, make mistakes and then take care of those mistakes and for me in my double lot in NoPo I have fully committed to this lifestyle and while I say this with a sad heart I am ready for this journey and invite you to learn/love/cry with me as it evolves.
Lacy
