friday. ketch-up.

so many things to say, so little time to write:

august ... 7 1/2 months pregnant, nursery-finishing, outdoor fun, kidney infection (not part of the fun), 2 kidney stones, surgery, week-long stay at the ever-so-hospitable hospital. don't remember half of it. all i know is my husband is the best.

september ... 8 1/2 months pregnant, indian summer, first day of 2nd grade, cranky, tired, attempting to recover from previous excursion, getting no sleep and feeling awful as a mother and wife to the kiddos and husband. would indeed like to forget september ever happened.

october ... walking, stairs, jogging, corn-maze-ing, yoga-ing, labor-balling, baby-time! baby's first halloween, brennan's first spiderman costume, grandma makes taylor's lalaloopsy costume, finally time to start recovering.

november ... baby's first smile, thanksgiving with family—complete with wild turkey, 4x5 whitetail, and the end of hunting season!

december ... finally have a wonderful (happy!) husband home after hunting season, first trip to seattle as a family of five, tree hunting, baby sleeping six hour stints, and the promise of a sense of normalcy in the near future!

more to come ...

friday. little women.

i was given this book when i was 9 by my aunt for christmas. every time i open it from the shelf, there's a scribbled 'merry christmas! 1992' scrawled on the inside cover. and to this day, it's still one of my favorites. the binding's worn out, the pages torn, and i know the story from front to back (and maybe even back to front). but, i still love it.

i have a nightly routine when i can't sleep. i stand in front of my bookshelf for ten minutes or so, looking for something to 'pop' out at me and scream, 'pick me!' rarely is there something new, or something i haven't read ten times, so this can frequently become a tedious routine ... ending with several partially started books on my side of the bed.

maybe it was the cooler weather and the cold air creeping in the bedroom window, or the earl grey steeping in my apple cider. maybe it was the sporadic contractions telling me there are big changes coming our way, but last night, little women screamed 'pick me!' and i'm so glad it did.

little women is full of nostalgia. it may not have put me to sleep any faster, but when i did finally put it down, i felt a whole lot better than when i first picked it up. i can't wait to start reading it with taylor. it's definitely time for a whole new generation to know the story. hard to believe i was almost her age when i first read it. it amazes me how something i read so long ago can have the exact same impact, if not stronger, 19 years later.

friday. half-way!

20 weeks and so very ready for some sunshine to head our way!

friday. dairy farm trip.

taylor's girl scout troop took a trip to spokane's family farm ... we took the whole family and it was a blast! i've posted about them before, several times, including: last year's trip, making yogurt, and why we drink they're amazing milk.

all the girls in the same place ... and almost everyone looking at the camera, amazing!


cutest little farmhouse ever...


complete with redneck cabin ...


cows!


baby calf—just a couple days old!


brennan was definitely a fan ...


and they were as much a fan of him as he was of them ...


shortcut to the barn ...



chickens!

four week old bunnies were about the cutest thing ever. and definitely a hit ...


feeding the donkeys ...


homemade ice cream at the end of the tour!


thank you spokane family farm!

friday. greek yogurt.

my doctor mentioned at my last appointment, that i need to be making sure i'm getting enough protein. i like meat and all, but unless it's fish, i generally have 4-5 bites every other day or so and i'm good. just enough to taste. which is not, apparently, enough for a daily diet. so, he mentioned greek yogurt is really high in protein and has a lot of other benefits, too. but, i'm not one to eat something that doesn't taste good.

who likes pudding?!

now, how about yogurt that seriously tastes and has the texture of pudding, but also has all these other awesome things, too?!

• thicker and creamier texture (like, by A LOT).

• lower in carbohydrates.

• higher in protein (often by DOUBLE what normal yogurt has per cup ... to put into perspective, some can have up to 20 grams in a cup!).

• lower in sodium (up to 50% less depending on the brand).

... i finally tried it this morning with breakfast.

... and will never eat regular yogurt again. ever.

friday. rhubarb.

it's now the middle of april, and what do i have to show for it? rhubarb. that's about it right now, but the raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries are slowly coming back to life as we speak. and the garden will be planted ... soon? we'll see how the next few weeks go. the weather's not cooperating, but i'm getting ancy.

my rhubarb, however, is loving life, the sandy soil, and the endless rain we've been having! while everything else is still trying to hibernate and reluctantly ward off spring, my rhubarb is charging ahead, and by next weekend I should have enough for mini-pies! (mini-pies are way cuter than normal-size pies, and they make me feel better about eating a whole one.)

p.s. these pictures are not mine ... i wish they were, but sadly, they are not. maybe after this week, i'll have my own! click to see where they came from.

and, just this morning a new rhubarb recipe magically landed in my email (thank you, karlene!):

rhubarb custard pie.

ingredients.

use deep pie plate - 9" pie

3 eggs

3 tbsp. milk

2 C sugar

1/4 C flour

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

4 C cut up pink rhubarb

1 tbsp. butter

how to.

1. pre-heat oven to 400.
2. beat eggs slightly; add milk.
   
3. mix sugar, flour, and nutmeg; stir into mixture.
   
4. mix in rhubarb.
   
5. pour in pastry-lined pie pan. Dot with butter.
   
6. cover with lattice top and bake at 400 for 50-60 minutes, until nicely browned.

friday. listen to the wind.

recently, greg mortenson visited gonzaga university here in town to talk about his travels, writings, and life's work. i wasn't able to attend (as it was sold out almost immediately), but it made me think about his books again!

about a year ago, i read three cups of tea, by greg mortenson. this book deserves a post all to its own. needless to say, it made me question how i live my life, the perspective i have on the world, and whether i benefit society in a way that actually means anything. profound? absolutely. but so relevant to a situation we hear about daily on the news and go about our daily lives. if you haven't read it, go buy it. even if you aren't interested, you will be by the second chapter.

but, i digress. shortly after reading three cups of tea, i spent weeks looking for something similar (check out his second book, stones into schools) and ran across a kid's variation of the story. i went and checked it out at the library to read to my 6-year old. the story is wonderfully re-told in a way to help kids understand so much more about the world outside their own—while relating to a subject so incredibly relevant to our children today. it's a beautiful mosaic-collage picture book, with references and information in the back with pictures of the schools mortenson has built, and the trials he's gone through to get there.

just a quick summary for those that haven't heard anything about it:

greg mortenson stumbled, lost and delirious, into a remote himalayan village, korphe, after a failed climb up K2. the villagers saved his life, and he vowed to return and build them a school. the remarkable story of his promise kept is told in the voice of korphe's children. this story illuminates the humanity and culture of a relevant and distant part of the world in gorgeous collage, while sharing a riveting example of how one person can change thousands of lives.

an example, here is a list of schools mortenson and his foundation have built. truly amazing.

tuesday. funny.

whoever wrote this could become my friend very quickly ... not all pc, but funny and true nonetheless.

1. nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

2. map quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

3. obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

4. bad decisions make good stories.

5. "do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this—ever.

6. i hate when i just miss a call by the last ring (hello? hello? damn it!), but when i immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. what did you do after i didn't answer? drop the phone and run away?

7. i hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. what a waste.

8. i keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

9. i think the freezer deserves a light as well.

10. i disagree with kay jewelers. i would bet on any given friday or saturday night, more kisses begin with miller lite than kay.

11. sometimes, i'll watch a movie that i watched when i was younger and suddenly realize i had no idea what the heck was going on when i first saw it.

12. i would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

13. i have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

happy friday!

friday. the long winter.

winter's on it's way. i even heard the 's' word on the weather this morning.

but, apparently, snow's been on my brain for a week now. i started reading, 'the long winter' ... yes, the little house on the prairie book. and i had forgotten how truly great it is. and no, i can't even blame me reading it on my daughter. i stayed up reading in bed last night until midnight ... all by my lonesome.

such a classic. no matter how many times i read those books, which, mind you has been several (thousand), it makes me realize i was born in the wrong era. granted, i don't think pioneer life was really for me, but definitely a time when things were so much less complicated in a different way than they are now.

bundling in for the winter and making do with what you had, spending the days with family, baking EVERYTHING from scratch, working hard for what you have, but also enjoying it just as much because of it. maybe i'm idealizing some of it. and yes, there are beauties to modern life, things i often feel i couldn't live without. and less of a lot of the hardships, but, so much of the things we have today seem to be just because "we can."

so, when i feel like things are just a little too complicated, i turn on my electric fireplace and cozy up after the kids go to bed, and read about laura ingalls wilder. somehow, it makes me feel a little bit better.

friday. stockings.

after a nasty bout with strep throat this week, and upon being plagued with boredom by yesterday afternoon, i rearranged the much-needed living room! complete with carting the lovely electric fireplace up from our room to position as a main centerpiece in the room (thank you mom and shay!). LOVE it! even the husband noticed and agreed that it looks SO much better.

something about the fireplace tells me it's ok for fall to arrive. and with that, i'm starting my christmas projects early this year. yes, i said the dirty word. i'm not going crazy, i just want new stockings for all of us this year!

so, everyone keep an eye out in the thrift stores for me, i need fabric! i'll be doing a tutorial once i get things going a bit. but, until then, here are my inspirational photos.

men's old suits, tweed, wool...


wool sweaters, scarves, shawls ...

yay for fall ... er, christmas preparation?!

friday. blah.

I don't understand the taboo subject of ... miscarriage. it's like on the lion king when the hyenas hear the word 'mufasa' and start shaking in their furry boots. it's like people see it as being awkward for them ... and therefore, make the person actually dealing with the pain, suffer even more by making them feel isolated and alone.

i'm lucky enough to have a few people in my life who, awkward topic or not, are extremely supportive. but, the overall consensus is that it's just not something we're supposed to talk about. and i'm not good with that. it gives me knots in my stomach, and makes me want to yell in the faces of those people that just because you don't know what to say, doesn't mean you don't say anything! just a, 'hey, i heard about what happened. i'm really sorry, how are you?' does wonders! or even a, 'if you need to talk, let me know.' odds are, the conversation will take itself from there. at least then the person feels like you're there for them.

this is still all very new to me. almost a month now. and most of the time, i'm really ok. i have two beautiful children i adore, and a husband that's the most supportive person i've ever met. and i've not given up on a third baby by any means. i'm working on moving on. and, as i said, most days are just fine.

BUT, i'm allowed to have my days. days where i feel robbed. robbed of a life that was supposed to be part of my family. a life to give my babies a little brother or sister. and there's nothing fair about it. right now, i'm supposed to be enjoying pregnancy, worrying about getting the b-monster potty trained before the upcoming due date, and arguing with my husband about baby names. and instead, i have gut wrenching heartache and sadness for the loss of that life ... no matter how small that life might have been.

i don't care who you are. whether your pregancy is planned, unplanned, wanted, unwanted ... it doesn't matter. the minute that test is positive, a bond has started between you and that life. and to go from planning your life around that to having it just ... gone. it's awful, and so very sad.

on another note, just because i miscarried, doesn't mean i'm not happy for pregnant friends and family. i don't sit around with voodoo dolls wishing bad things. and yet, it's another topic that gets avoided, causing even further isolation from EVERYONE. it doesn't help. for example ... just because your grandma died, doesn't mean you don't ever want to talk about grandmas again ... it will make you think of her, yes. but isn't that part of the grieving process? 'hush-hushing' when the person walks in the room because you're talking about babies = BAD idea. not to mention, it's just tacky. if the person isn't comfortable, they will:

a) say something.
b) leave.

ugh. obviously not the best day in the world. at least i can go have a drink after work, right?

friday. kiddos.

kenny, paula, and graham came over last night. food + sun + happy kids = happy parents.

so cute ...

miss taylor ...

the boys, checkin' out the car tires ...
workin' on the bear crawl ...