Baby Must Have #1

You need muslin wraps. I bought my first set when Levi was 6 months or so, and I have rued the fact that I never acquired them earlier ever since. They are indispensable, and their uses cannot be replicated by those tiny, receiving blankets.

They are about twice the size, and three times the price. Yes, the tag is rather staggering, four flimsy pieces of muslin for forty dollars? I suppose if you’re the handy type, you could buy muslin, dye it yourself and cut it into squares, but with a six month old on my hands, I preferred to fork over the cash. And anyways, the patterns are just so sweet.

I’ve used them for everything, a changing pad, a swaddler (perfect for bigger babies who don’t fit in the little blankets anymore, or for summer because they are so light) a stroller cover, a head cover (once again, thanks to the breathable fabric), a nursing cover, a thin summer blanket, a play mat and even a sling in a pinch.

On top of their amazing versatility, because they are so thing, they can roll up or fold up perfectly to fit down in the bottom of any diaper bag. Despite the thinness of the fabric, they are amazingly strong, and I have used them for the purpose of a makeshift hip sling to run into the grocery store more than once.

My son loves the bright colors and the softness of the fabric, which - like a good prefold diaper - just gets softer and softer every time you wash it. It holds up to being drug around, dropped in the mud, wiping a snotty nose (or filling in for an empty package of diaper wipes) and even getting slept on by the odd cat and stepped on by the husband if forgotten on the floor.

Muslin isn’t a new concept; we have just rediscovered it in the last 5 years. It has been used for hundreds of years, all around the globe in association with babies. I’m sure when Jesus himself was lifted from his dusty cradle; they wrapped him in natural organic cotton muslin.

I can only imagine how much easier those first six months would have been if I had received them as a shower gift. Personally, it’s my new gift of choice.

A Quick One

I had a good friend of mine move into her and her hubbys new home this last weekend. Very excited for them, yet envious. I love our home, but if I could move in again, I would do it all diffrently. We can't live in the past though.

The Dhalias in the front lawn are still blooming, I take cutting almost every day. I have several vases around the house full of them. I wish the red dhalias were too, but thanks to my mommy brain, I nearly killed the poor bugger during the last hot spell. And from what reading I've done about dhalias lately, it's time to split their bulbs. I figure this out, AFTER replanting them! Of course!

I tore down everything in the garden. The tomatos I allowed an extra week after pulling out the eggplant and the cucumbers, just to give the fruit a little more time to swell. I must have plucked two dozen unripened fruit from those bushes. Next year, I will plant the tomatos up a lattice on the side of the house, where they will get much more heat. Excited for that!

I layed down three rows of spinach, one row of kale, one row of brocoli raab and four rows of mini carrots in plot B. Plot A is resting this season, so I tilled the soil and scattered buckwheat. This si my first experiment with buckwheat, and I am anxious for it to start taking root.

Levi has started giving BIG hugs! He will see that Brendan is coming to take him from me, and he will squeeze me tight and bury his head in my neck as if to say "Nooo! Mommy!" It warms my heart.

I've been neglecting you, blogsot. I've been neglecting you too, garden.
Wasps and hornets and yellow jackets have taken up residence in my garden... not so much residence as daily visits to the huge tomato bush jungle we have towering over everything else. I dare not go out there unless it's early in the morning (yeah right) or after the suns gone down. It makes watering a pain, and I can't truly admire the beauty.

Little tomato plant, with it's only two fruit that have survived protect with netting

Next summer, I'm going to do EVERYTHING differently. It breaks my heart to see my tomato plant put out all of those flowers, only to have them wilt and die. And the few that are pollinated on hot days can't reach full size, and never ripen because of the cold weather... or they are eaten by caterpillars because their on the vine too long.

Cucumbers in front, butterfly shrubs, tomato jungle in back

It's funny; a garden is the ultimate euphemism for life, isn't it? You plant certain seeds; see which take, and which just aren't meant to be. You tend to your seedlings, some get cut down by the weather, taken out by pesky insects, but the few strong grow and thrive. You build them up, water them tenderly, and give them every thought and consideration. You pluck their fruits with the utmost care and then at the end of the season, you cut them all down, only to fertilize next season with the last season’s cherished vines.

A friend of mine, someone I wish I knew better, recently went home to her family in Texas... I must say, it tears my heart out to think of all my family back home in the big great state. I would give anything to visit and have them see Levi, and for him to see everything I see in them. To witness the awesome power the Lord has worked in all of their lives, and what our family feels like.

My chest aches when I see all her happy photos, the precious moments.

I just won’t think about it then, because it drives me crazy.

Swiss chard seedlings are tricky! All but two died here, I had to re-sow

I've torn out the eggplant, and sown kale, brocoli rab, Swiss chard, spinach and pear tomatoes for the fall. I think I'll scrub the tomatoes, because if it didn't get warm enough here in the summer, I think we are in for a more than chilly fall/winter.

I hope I have better luck with the greens, you don’t need bees for that.

Cat mint in front

Swiss chard is suprisingly hard to keep, you can see the aten away bitsof others that have died off here. Also, what is irritaitingly prolific in my garden? Cat mint! I'll have to dig it out and give it it's own corner. It trippled in size within the first week of being in the ground!

But the bean bushes are doing nicely! They are so resiliant! Both were snapped in two by the cat, and I mended them with a bit of nylon hose and two sticks to support them. I've got tons of flowers on one and a bean on another.

And just for fun? My zombie baby! He loves his finger foods, and will not STAND a spoon. On the occasion, he will alow you to give him food off your finger.

eating blackberries here!

Projects and Diapers

Latest projects.....

Edible alphabet

Chicken-scape on the windows with contact paper... Levi is in love

People always remark upon my son never having a diaper rash, "He's so clear!" The reason is simple, we are cloth diaper enthusiasts. We have even made the leap when going out and cut out disposables and have been using Flip diapers (one of the ONLY products by Cotton Babies that I will endorse, but that's a different post) They are just so dang easy and quick, and very compact.

Levi wears a disposable at bedtime because we have tried every method in the world to get him through in a cloth, but to no avail. This kid pees like a race horse. But even those leak most nights.

• The cloth diaper allows your child's rear to breathe. Even when wet, your child still has oxygen filtering through the diaper as he or she moves. 
• Synthetic diapers do not have this ability. 
• Cloth diapers are made of all natural fibers, are washed with low sudsing, non toxic soaps and are NEVER bleached (riiiight?) 
• Synthetic diapers are filled with a harmful chemicals including; Dioxin - at the top of the EPA's list of most toxic, cancer related chemicals; Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a chemical known to disrupt hormones;  Sodium Polyacrylate - this chemical was removed from tampons in relation to toxic shock syndrome. Also, the fumes released from all these potent chemicals bonding together has been linked to respiratory problems in young children. These chemicals and more are very common for children to be allergic to, thus causing a never ending stream of diaper rashes. 
• Cloth diapers are generally changed more often, such is the nature of beast.

• I've known many mothers who leave the house at 8am and go all the way until their Starbucks run at lunchtime before changing their child's diaper. Lo and behold, the child has a stubborn diaper rash that 'just wont go away!'. ("I just don't have the time!" Sure you do! When you change your perception on diapers, a lot of things change with it.) 

Many have the false idea that cloth diapers promote a rash. But thankfully, we've come a long way since our grandparents did it. The fibers used on covers, inserts and the like can stop your child bum from getting moist most days, and on other days, well ... you need to change to diaper more often!

I've been waiting for Crooked Neck, when all along it was you, Pattypan.

We have been having the coldest, wettest summer the shores of California has seen since 1924. And my garden can be the first to tell you.

We had about four warm days this last week, and my cucumber plant seized the moment and set a nice little cucumber, about the length of my hand. It started to get cold and wet again, so I harvested it early. It was so sweet and soft, the taste was amazing. I cut it up and made a delicious cucumber water with it, the only thing that truly refreshes me on a hot day. The rest was put to good use on a sandwich.

Also, because of the weather and the proximity in which my crook neck zuchini was planted, everything in garden B kept getting powdery mildew. I took a daring step and pulled the crookneck up and placed it in a pot. She was pretty shocked and droped all her fruit... but I think the worst is over.

While sitting and watching my garden I wondered, "Why does that zucchini plant keep dropping it's fruit after that whole 'funny butt' phase?" dozens of 'funny butts' as I like to call them, had come and gone, none of which had given me a full sized crookneck. "I baby it and baby it, and still nothing to show for it!" Then it hit me. It was a Pattypan! When going to the nursery for transplants, I asked Brendan if he thought I should get the showy pattypan, or the utilitarian crookneck. He said to forget the pattypan, we'd never eat it.


There must have been a mix up!

My eggplant set several flowers during the heat wave, and what I belive to be the Green Zebra tomato got a start on a nice little tomato if its own... I read a really interesting blog where a woman suggest self pollination with an electric toothbrush to simulate bee wings. What a fantastic idea! I am eager to try it, as besides that one tomato, I've seen nothing else.

The mustard seed all took and is going strong.

Also, the swiss chard is doing well, as well as the two beans I planted there.

The snap peas that I took a gamble on are actually setting out flowers. Wow, if that doesn't let you know how gloomy its beeen here, I don't know what will!

What should I do if things continue the way they are? Black plastic? Weed tarp? Giant domes of plastic over the entire garden? As it stands, I am not getting much return on my investment, and it would be a shame to come away with nothing. Of course, money cannot buy the utter fulfillment and joy I've found in gardening

suspension

Dealing with this June gloom. I am used to blazing heat and corn fields that tower over me by this time of year. I see southern gardeners posts about their slowing harvests of zucchinis, tomatoes and the like, and I have yet to get one, and I grow rather jealous.

It's like my garden has slowed down in the last few weeks. All the overcast days, I wish it would rain at least - my garden loves it when it rains.

I've sown mustard seeds with the tomatoes. I also created a bricked off area and filled it with rich soil and sown it with swiss chard. The sparrows tried to steal my seeds, so I left Strummer in the back yard for the rest of the afternoon.

My yellow neck squash keeps threatening to bear fruit, but they just shrivel and die. Should I be hand pollinating? We have tons of flying insects in the garden, so I'm not sure its the pollination. The zucchini plant is still trying to recover from the powdery mildew. I had to prune it almost entirely back, and then spray it with a neem oil fungicide which did the trick, but I am afraid I really scarred her. She's all week, and rather wiry.

After moving the tomato patch around, all the plants dropped their flowers, as I predicted. But in the last few days, have set new ones, as well as growing several inches and putting on a few sets of leaves. I am eager to find a little green tomato there one of these days.

My bell pepper is in suspended animation. It's strange. It doesn't really seem to be growing. Maybe it's the cold?

The eggplants are still setting leaves. As with the zucchini, the leaves are getting huge, so I fear there may be too much nitrogen in the soil. 

 cucumber

 

watermelon

   ]

 Strangely enough, the plant I thought was going to suffer the most has done rather well.The cucumber had a bit of a growth spurt, and I had to add another level of twine for it to climb up. I believe it has set a few fruit.  Also, I lay down composted manure around the watermelon, and it had a bit of a growth spurt as well, and is looking much better after a few weeks of looking rather spindly itself.

The potato is growing like some kind of beautiful, mad weed! at least twelve inches tall now. The method seems to be working as planned. It's exciting! Nothing seems to stop it. I moved it away from the strawberries, as I recently read that they retard each other. The strawberries immediately set out fruit.

Also, I planted my chives near the tomatoes, and it is looking good again! They are companion plants

As a bit of a joke, my mom went out and bought me a chamomile plant which is now growing happily betwixt two giant eggplants. I smile every time I see it, and I fear when they leave it will make me very sad.

Laundry Woes

My seven month old son has been in dutifully white cloth diapers since he was born. Cloth diapers are better for our environment, and less expensive down the  line. Yet, initially it is a large purchase to make. Costing anywhere from 200-$1000 to get a good "stash"

Not taking this ticket lightly, I decided to do all the research I could to discover how to keep my precious purchase looking its best, and lasting the longest.

Along the way, I discovered something amazing... My god, we have all been using WAY too much laundry soap all these years!


Stepping out of the shower, I pull a towel off the rack and put it to my face, instinctively taking a deep breath. After getting dressed and presentable, I go to my mother in the kitchen and say, "Mom, these towels stink!" She continues what she's doing, not bothering to look up "Ok, well I'll use more soap next time."


Little did I know then, the more detergent you use, the dirtier your clothing remains. The object of washing your clothes is not to make them smell good (If you insist on that, use some kind of stinky fabric softener) the object is so that they smell of nothing.

My mother in law told me once, "Grandma isn't happy unless she can see suds." I use that as a signal that I have used too much soap, and need to adjust my method. An excess of soap in the wash leads to soap build up, so each time you wash your clothes, your machine works harder and harder, trying to remove that soap, not the dirt or residue of day to day life.



"Method found that 53% of people don't use the recommended amount of detergent per washload, preferring instead to guess or, worse, to simply fill the cap up to the top—a practice that wastes more than half the loads a detergent bottle could wash, Method executives say."

When I tell people they are using too much soap, they look at me like a mad man. "Too much soap? surely, there is no such thing." but washing clothes is not like washing your hands - and  machines break down after too much abuse. This is a particularly tricky subject as more and more of us buy HE or "High Efficiency" machines that need even less, sometimes half the recommended dose.


So, here is a recipe I use on my diapers regularly for a good, hard cleaning, and on my towels when my parents come into town...


For a FULL load of laundry in a non HE machine

• Run a "soak" cycle... I bet you never even knew your machine had one
• 1/2 tsp Palmolive dish soap
• 1/2 cup borax
• Run a cycle per usual

After one - maybe two applications, your clothing, towels and diapers should be back to smelling like nothing.

Why use more than we need? You are essentially throwing money down the gutter. Read your labels and begin to develop an intimate relationship with your washing machine. Come check on the load every once in a while. See suds? Use less!

Your skin will feel softer, your towels will not offend and you will save money.


Take the test HERE

Too many tomatoes?

Is there such a thing? After careful consideration, much debate between my mother and I, and a simple google search, what I though was a HUGE German Chamomile plant, has turned out to be several mystery tomato plants.

In the early spring when I was busy germinating my seeds indoors on a sunny window sill, I must have gotten my seeds crossed.

But here's the big question... What kind of tomatoes will they be??

I was sprouting Black Krim....

 Green Zebra...

and some kind of cherry tomato.... Oh, I do believe the wait will drive me crazy!

And! On top of that, because I thought all my tomato sprouts failed (as it turns out, it was the Chamomile that did!) I went ahead and bought a tomato plant at Armstrongs! An Old German!

The final kicker for me to look at my mom and say "Uhm, these have GOT to be tomatoes!" was that the plants started to flower today. I can spot those tiny yellow tomato flowers from a mile away.

Since I suddenly found myself with four new tomato plants on my hands, I had to totally rearrange the garden. It all makes sense now. Every time I dug up the "chamomile" I noticed that the roots had grown really fast and really deep! *head smack* I'm a dope.

So, I took down an old red wood trellis from back behind the house, cleaned it up, took it apart, then put it back together again to the size I needed, and put it in the ground. Then, I had to dig up the entire garden B, replant my watermelon and bell pepper, and stick the tomatoes along the back of the bed. As it lays, I still have two of the plants still in pots in need of homes. Perhaps a gift? Or I could let my mom take one home, but would they survive the dreadful Texas heat?

Also, it's only been in the bucket two days, and the potato is already willingly sending out several long purple shoots. I had to give it another few inches of mulch today. I am excited!

The zucchini looks better today, still sick, but better

Felines

Our first cat, Bonnie is quiet and shy. When guests come round, she would much rather sleep on our bed than make friends.

She doesn't eat treats... It's just not her style. But she will eat them if you leave it, and walk away.

She wont sit on your lap... or mine for that matter. But she will sit on Brendan's lap, because he's the daddy. I think she knows who's in charge.

She is delicate and tiny, and almost frail. She is getting over being very very sick. She is smokey and soft, and if you just saw her run by, you might think her a ghost.

Bagheera is a loud mouth. He will let you know when he is hungry, and he will let you know when he is irritated.

He stares down our dog, because he is well over half her size, and honestly, in a fight, Bagheera would win, hands down.

Bagheera makes friends, and sits on shoulders on the back of the couch. Half his body on the couch, half his body on you. When he really likes you, he walks along the back of the couch and bumps your head.

Some people find that disturbing, but I find it lovely.

He looks like a jungle cat... like a dignified gentleman when he sleeps. His jaw line, his musculature are all so refined. He is a cat you don't forget.

He was turned out on the street by his owner. For six months he wandered, and then was picked up. And then we took him home, and now he's my baby.

Powdery Mildew and Potatoes

My zucchini squash has been ravaged this last week by powdery mildew. What once was a thriving, weed like plant has been reduced to just a few weak suckers. I hope it pulls threw, as I'm afraid it is too late in the season to replace it. On top of that, all of my beans died :( It's bad luck for me this week.

I tried a heavy spray of diluted milk to the entire garden A, which is supposed to help. I will use another application next week... I'm not sure though, I may just have to go to Armstrong and see if they have anything organic. I would hate for anything else to get infected. It looks as though my yellow little neck squash had a few infect leaves today, which I pruned and disposed of.

In other news, I finally put my sprouted Peruvian purple potato down in some soil.  I am using the bucket method.


Growing Potatoes - The Bucket Method

• Place 4-5 inches good soil in the bottom of a deep pot, or bucket with holes drilled in it. I chose to use a garden center pot that my blueberry bush came in.

•  Place your seeded potato in the ground. I used a potato I bought organically at a local grocery store. Sometimes these potatoes are unreliable or diseased. For both of the reasons I chose to pre-sprout mine, and use the bucket method as opposed to putting them in my garden. 

• Cover the potatoes with a few inches of soil or mulch (I am choosing to use mulch, in the form of bougainvillea flowers, we have tons of the bushes hanging around). When you see little sprouts peeking out, cover it with a few more. 
• When your potato plant appears to be dieing, you are ready to harvest.

Fathers day and my Baeba: Babycook!

Brendans first fathers day was a lot of fun. I woke up early early on Sunday and worked my ever living but off all day cooking up a storm. I made ribs (Avoid Emerils rib rub, it's far too sweet... Unless you like that sort of thing) a bbq apple pie (see recipe below) tons of vegetable skewers, sweet potatoes, bbq corn and hot links for my baby. It was a lot of work. I was so tired at the end of the day, I found myself folding clothes and actually nodding out mid sentence to people. But hey, it was worth it!

My mom got me one of those neat Baeba baby food steamers/processors when Levi was around five months, and I've only really just started to use it on a regular basis. (If you are unsure as to what a Baeba: Babycook! is, see here)

Considering all the time and money you would spend on going to the grocery store and purchasing old dingy baby food, I would say you save on both. Not to mention your child learns from an early age what real food actually TASTES like!

Basically, I set it up on the counter, it doesn't take up much space and is pretty easy to clean. When I cook dinner at night, I select a vegetable once a week or so that we are eating, and I just cut up a bit more of it. Tonight we were eating caldo de pollo, one of my grandmothers recipes, which calls for carrots. I usually buy all my root vegetables organic so I just chopped one up uniform and small and tossed it in the steamer pot.

(Lots of people are stumped on how to make your own recopies with the Baeba as it uses that funny steamer method, and gives you the water to mix it with after cooking (to much your food is runny, too little and your food isn't done cooking!).... just put the food in the blender, no steamer basket, and pour in purified water, just enough so that the food is covered. Then pour that liquid into the water holder, and then steam!)

When it is done, you just pour the carrots into the pot with the remaining steamed liquid (it should be full of the nutrients that were leached in the steaming process) pulse a few times to the babies ability, and then there you have it. Home made baby food. What could make a mama more proud?

Though... most times, Levi is more interested in playing with the nifty Baeba spoon than eating his meal...

The negatives for the Baeba?  Not all the parts are dishwasher friendly, it doesn't give you a perfectly uniform puree, you always have lumps you have to squish out. For the price tag of $150, it seems a little flimsy and the blenders blade is nothing to brag about. More than once, the food has backed up into my machines water cavaty and I've had to clean it with a bottle brush. Yuck. Overall though, I would say it is worth it, as it eliminates all fuss and any excuse a lazy parent might have.


Cinnamon Carrot Puree

• 1 medium sized carrot
• Enough water to cover carrot in shallow pan
• dash of cinnamon 
• pinch of nutmeg

Cut your carrot into small, uniform pieces to ensure no lumps or hard bits.Place water in double boiler, shallow pan, or your Baeba: Babycook! if you wish. Steam until tender. Place ingredients into blender and blend to desired constancy.

BBQ Apple Pie

Crust

• 6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 ounces vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Water to moisten
• 12 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 3/4 cups, plus extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Filling

• 3 to 3 1/2 pounds apples, I chose 4 Fiji and two Granny Smith
• 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon orange marmalade (my secret ingredient)
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• A dash of cinamon
• A dash of nutmeg

Preheat grill to 400 degrees .

Place butter and shortening into fridge for 1 hour.

Combine flour, salt and sugar. Cube the butter and shortening and pinch in by hand, until mixture looks very mealy and pea like. If you like, you can use a food proccessor for this step, but I like to do it the way our grandmothers did.

Add water until mixture is just moist enough to stay together. Divide the dough evenly into two halves, round them out, cover with plastic wrap. Leave in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the apples with 1/4 cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain.Toss the apples with the remaining sugar, flour, jelly, lemon juice and salt.

Roll out dough, assemble pie. Place pie in either propane or charcoal BBQ for 50-60 minutes. If using propane, use care, as high flames will cause the pie to burn.

***

I was told it was the best pie I've ever made... and I've made a few in my day

Kats in the hause

We have four little kittens who have been under our foster care for the last month and a half now...

Brendan and I are pretty much totally in love with them, but with Levi still being so young and difficult, already having two cats, and now the arrival of my childhood dog, we just can't spare the room. Not to mention the expense of four more animals in the house.

The mother clawed into our crawlspace through a small grate that vented it. I don't think she was a very experienced mother, as she left them a lot and we heard them crying all the time.

We found baby Juno first. Her tiny mew broke my heart, and after about 12 hours of enduring her calls, I opened up the crawlspace (after first lifting a few deck boards, as I thought she was under there) and there she was... her little pink nose and tiny white body calling up to me.

I pulled her out, and after the day I had had and all the trouble we went through getting to her, I cried.


She was fully bottle fed, and is such a love bug. She will make someone a great lap cat.

Bombshell came next. She was heard about two weeks later, crying and scratching and trying to get free. I opened up the crawl space and there she was! Her color took my breath away! It is amazing how two completely different looking cats can come from the same litter. She was a wreck for a few days, and then finally adjusted to life in the bathroom with her sister. Juno wanted nothing to do with her at first, but now you never see one without the other.

If I had to keep one I would keep Bombshell... but then I would be forced to keep Juno as well, because you just can't separate them.


The strangest cats were the last two, Koshka and Hex. Koshka wasn't in the crawl space, he was sitting in front of our bedrooms french doors as if left there by his mother.
I came out, picked him up, and there above me on the houses overhang was his mom, staring down at me with her harvest yellow eyes. She could have jumped me so easily, and done real damaged, but she didn't.

Hex was in the exact same place, but the next day. She was curled up in a little ball, and I thought "Oh god! Shes dead!" I went out and moved to pick her up and she lifted her little head and hissed at me. "Oh, thank you Jesus!" There again was the mother, balancing on the fence, watching me. She hissed quietly and took off.

I saw her a few more times in our front yard, but haven't since.

Life Thrives

About 3 months ago, on a very gloomy day I went into the garden...

I carefully threaded a string onto the corner of two small, commercially farmed praying mantis cocoons and hung them in the bamboo...


It was awfully gloomy out...


I left them there, hanging delicately. So vulnerable, I did my best to hide them. I would check on them every day, but after a few weeks, I forgot. I was so sure the rain and gloom of June killed them. Their pupa like state too delicate to withstand the chill...

But then, just a few days ago, I noticed the oddest figure perched gracefully atop my patio table. As if doing Tai Chi, he barely moved, and when he did, he did so slowly.I picked him up with a leaf and placed him on my bell pepper plant.

The next day, I went out to water the garden, and noticed another small mantis struggling in a puddle. I put my finger down next to him, he reached out for me, and hoisted himself onto my finger, stared up at me, swords brandished, and then jumped onto my blueberry bush.

My mother and I noticed one on the zucchini, and we speculated as to whether or not we were just seeing the same one over and over again, but then no! Look! "There's one here, on your blueberry bush!"

Life thrives in my garden.

Raised Beds Changed My Life

I was contemplating raised beds for months. Since we moved into our new place, all of the yard space and spring air has made me feel very back to nature. I had been coasting by with a few containers and a obnoxious Topsy Turvy, but it felt incomplete.

With the baby and my busy husband, I never felt I had time to ever put it together. But my parents have been staying with us for the last week, and in their first couple of days here, my father helped me put them together. Here is a quick run down of supplies and cost for 2 very efficient 3x3 raised bed...

• Two 12' x 10" boards, cut into 3" pieces by the good people at the Home Depot - 24$
• Eight 12" stakes - $4.80
• Four bags of 'Rose Grow' 1.5 cu.ft. - acquired at your friendly local Armstrong or nursery - $36
• 1 large bag vermiculite - $13
• 1 bag composted cow manure (not necessary)
• 7 organic starter plants from nursery - $14-$16
• Total cost =  $91 - $93

A raised bed can be done for a considerably smaller amount of money if started pre-season with seeds and if your current soil situation is more favorable than mine.

We broke ground around 2pm, and had our holes dug about 3.30 (about 6 inches down). You must be sure to dig the holes larger than what you need, and fill dirt around the boxes after setting them in. We assembled the boxes in that time with two 1 3/4 inch wood screws on each panel.

After putting them in the ground, we leveled them by eye (nothing fancy here) and staked them in by placing one in each corner and screwing them to the boards. (Important) We then turned a bag of vermiculite and half the cow manure into the dirt dug up to place the boxes in the ground. After evenly distributing the mixture between the two boxes, we put two bags of Rose Grow on the top of each box. I then worked in the plants, being careful to not disturb their roots, most vegetables do not like this.

DO NOT STAMP DOWN THE DIRT! It should be so light and airy, that you can just place your fingers in the soil and push it around a bit to get the plants in.

All of my vine plants were put into one box so I would only have to build one large trellis. The bush beans fell through, as a local cold snap killed my seedlings. The picture above is not an accurate representation of what lays in my garden, it is rough and does not include the Yellow Little Necks and Eggplant I purchased at my last trip to the nursery - after this photo was taken.

Discovering the space in between the two boxes was just a few inches too small for me to get my feet in between, I put bricks on either end, filled the box with left over dirt, and sowed butterfly garden seeds to attract beneficial insects.

I go outside most days and just stare at our garden, or sit on the walkway with Levi, admiring our work, naming all the insects and plants we see. I can't wait until he is older and can grasp what a neat thing this all is.

I am amazed I've lived so long without a garden. I am completed

Rocking My Boat

At the age of 13, or somewhere there about, I discovered Neil Gaiman. Without exageration, I can easily say he changed the way I saw the world. Gods were real, dogs could talk, and crazy homeless people had the keys to London Below. Reading his books - discovering his world and mind really shaped my imagination in a lot of ways.

I own everything he's written, I read his blog regularly, and truly felt for him when his cat died. I a lot of ways, I feel I am a kindred spirit... which is what all crazy fans say, I'm sure. I wouldn't want his toe nail clippings or anything, but I would deffinetly sit down and drink a nice cup of tea with him.

Amanda Palmer, formerlly of the infamous Dresden Dolls, gave me a similar teenage rush when I was about 16. Now that facination was a bit more fangirly. I was her for halloween (thank god, all photos have been obliteraited) I shaved off my eyebrows, I ran around listening to nothing but the Dolls, and I even did a rad mock music video to Alcoholic Friends... I will update with video, if I can find it. YouTube got rid of it, because of the silly copywrite laws.

Now I find that the two will be wed. This surely must be a sign of the end times. The otherworldy pairing is astounding to me. My husband sent me a link from work and I couldn't belive it. I tried to take a nap with Levi after hearing the news, but just couldnt stop tossing and turning, I'm flabergasted. 

My Placenta and Me - My Afterbirth Story... Literally

 

My placenta 'print'

"Get ready for postpartum depression!"

I heard this a lot. (I was on anti-depressants most of my teen years, and all the women in my family are pretty crazy, so I was a prime candidate for the affliction.) People with best intentions, trying to prepare me for the horrors of bringing baby home. I personally do not share in this theory. I believe that even if you have a difficult baby, if you are prepared, knowledgeable and forge a deep immediate connection with your child (I personally did so through the process of natural childbirth) you can make the first few months at home bliss.

Well, I also had a little help from some ancient medicine...

After the birth of my son, my midwife promptly wrapped up my placenta and placed it in a tightly sealed hazmat bag for me and my husband to take home. When we arrived home, my mother placed the bag in the bottom of our fridge, upon recommendation... and there it sat... for three days. We forgot about it.

Apparently after three days, the placenta becomes a ticking time bomb, starts losing its nutrients and will become just another rotten throwaway in the garbage if not consumed immediately there after....

Yes. I said "consumed"! It is true, there are some people that whip out ye' olde recipe book, slather on olive oil and a little oregano and roast that baby up, but it all seemed a little too gruesome for my taste. Most people nowadays don't think twice about the placenta, they are just glad the whole birthing thing is over with and can I go to sleep now, please? My father buried both my brother and I's placenta in the back yard, and Okinawan's dry press the placenta of the son and give it to his wife when he gets married (funny, is that where we get the term "cutting the cord"?) I decided to have my placenta encapsulate.

After your birth, a woman comes to your home, and either does it there (per religious or cultural practices) or takes it to her house. The placenta is laid out and prepared and is then dehydrated, either with a fancy dehydrator, or with a conventional home oven - as my personal placenta encapsulation specialist explains "it will be steamed with ginger and lemon, sliced, and then left to dehydrate for about eight hours". Please mamas, if doing this task at home, let your husbands know that a roast is definitely NOT in the oven.

The specialist then powders the placenta and encapsulates it. The amount of capsules your placenta yields is of course particular to each woman and her own body. My placenta yielded about 180 pills - or three months worth. They are kept in the fridge and are good for 6 months, or 3 years in the freezer. Many women save half of their pills, and take them when they hit menopause, I personally have to live my life time once more over before I am even close to menopause, so I am in the process of taking all of mine.

I had no problem taking my pills, no icky feeling, no gross out factor with the whole idea (which, admittedly, I thought was pretty abstract when I first heard about it) I just took them every morning with my prenatal and postnatal vitamins... One thing I did notice was that after a week or so, the pills took on a faint funk. They weren't spoiled, it was just a very mild... afterbirthy kinda smell. And taste. Understandable, and livable. I have to take them with some kind of fruit juice, so as not to have to put them on my tongue. 

 For a week or so, when my son was around 2 months, I ignored taking them, not wanting to deal with the smell or taste. I found that after a few days, I started to feel like real crap. Overwhelmed, exhausted, complete loss of energy, and for the first time, depressed. This went on for a week or so, crying spells, insomnia, apathy to my son crying, lazyness; I kept letting out all of my anger and frustraition on my poor unassuming husband. I was definitely in the realm of postpartum depression. I never thought for one second about those pills. 

While cleaning out my fridge one evening, I found them. Pulling two out, I popped them in my mouth. The smell and taste was not welcome, but amazingly over the next few days, I started to get my groove back. And not a moment too soon, as my son began teething, and went from sweet quiet angel boy, to a screaming, fussing hell raiser. 

The science when it comes to placentophagia (the practice of eating placenta) is rather vague. Many claim that the consumption of the placenta gives not significant health benefits, that if you are well nourished, it will make no difference. I would have to agree. If you sit down to a big meal of placenta steak, in my mind, it is like taking an entire bottle of vitamins in one go. It will not all absorb, and will probably just make you kinda sick. But, if you were to spread out the dosage, say over the period of three or four months, the benefits would be greater.

Considering the placenta is an organ, one must assume that it contains the same - or near the same- vitamins and minerals of most any other cooked organ. Riboflavin, iron, your Bs, niacin, zinc etc. As well as serotonin and oxytocin triggering hormonal stimulants (supposedly) which helps bring in and enhance your milk supply (something I NEVER suffered from). Iron is particularly important, as a new mother is an easy target for anemia.

It may seem far out, but posed with the option of taking a mood stabilizer for PPD and not being able to breast feed (one of the most important and life altering things you can do for your child) or taking my daily dose of placenta, I would do it all again.