Spring Break: Massive Basement Cleaning and Fun Trip

We started our Spring Break with a trip to Western PA to visit my cousin, Alice, and her husband, and their two kids.  Justin is a camp outdoor/adventure director and he had all kinds of cool initiatives for my kids to try in the woods and in the camp.  It was very fun.  Even Owen and I got to climb the rock wall--very exciting!  (On a side note:  That climb was much more strenuous for me than it would have been three children ago.)  Our kids had a blast, and then when they were all tucked in for the night the grown-ups all played games (especially Time's UP, which is one of our favorites).  I love games.  So that trip was a great way to start our break.

Micah tries out rock climbing with Daddy's help (and Caleb and Uncle Justin's supervision).

 Then came the cleaning.  My goals for the break included--but were not limited to--drastically cleaning a drastically dirty and disorganized basement, painting wooden window frames installed three years ago, installing a water filter (more on that one in a separate post), organizing the laundry/gardening/weight room (you can see the problem just in that description), fixing a stool, getting compost for another section of the garden, fixing a leaky faucet, and hosting Easter dinner for extended family.  That last goal did not blend so nicely with all of the other goals, especially since the basement clean-up involved a plethora bags of clothes to donate (which filled the dining room) and even a few furniture pieces to get rid of.  But I am very thankful to be able to report that we got all of our list finished.  It was amazing!  Owen had quite a list and he worked through it methodically and got it all done.  And that was just love, baby, because he didn't really feel strongly about any of it.  He just knew that I did.  I mostly did the basement cleaning.  And I actually had been working for hours and hours on that before Easter break even came--just to make it conceivable that we could break through the nightmare over break.

So here are a few of the results:

Wash floor of play area three times and organize play area for Abigail: check!

Clothes and storage organized and cleaned (and all outgrown baby clothes in bags for friends or donation): check!

Gardening bench in order: check!

Owen didn't think anyone would find that last photo, of the gardening bench, very inspiring.  But I assure you, when it was covered with the tarp, used paintbrushes, painting sheet, and I don't even remember what else, it did not look like a gardening bench.  This actually functions like I want it to.  I actually use it now when gardening.  The kids' easel is peeking through the edge of the picture and is a little in the way in the laundry room.  But for the time being it needs to be kept in a room Abigail has no access to, she really likes to put her fingers in the paint, and she's not ready for the art world.

Anyone else do any inspirational spring cleaning lately?  :)

Freecycle.org

I have to put a plug in for freecycle.org.  We've been cleaning out our basement (FINALLY!!!) and I had linoleum flooring in a roll, a rug we'd forgotten about, strollers, a baby swing, a papasan chair, this, that, and the other.  I'd post on freecycle that I had the item to give away, check my email, arrange for one of the responders to come and get it, and I got a room full of stuff picked up and out of my house within the span of three days.  Just wanted to make sure everyone has heard of this wonderful website--especially when an attic or basement needs clearing out! 

Easy Easter Candy

My mom bought candy coating chocolate for me in Lancaster, though chocolate chips work, too.  I made these with less than three minutes of effort.  I stuck the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave for a few minutes, stirred it, microwaved it some more, stirred it, and then after the last minute and a half it was liquid.  Then I added coconut and roasted almonds.  Yum.  I put little globs on a plate and stuck it in the freezer.  The candy was ready within five or ten minutes.  It presents way more impressively than it should, I must say.  Like, Ooo, homemade candy!

Look Out . . . Here Comes Trouble!

Hmm, which one do I want?

Abigail's been dabbling in crawling for a while now.  She could move a few feet with some pretty fascinating moves to get something of particular interest--like paper, to eat.  But today for the first time Abigail crawled out of the living room and into the dining room--a total of about 20 feet.  It took her a while.  First she made her way over to a lamp and got into trouble with that.  Then she played with a cowboy hat.  But eventually she made it all the way over to the play area in our dining room.  And today she finally caught on to the basics of crawling so that it could actually be termed crawling.  She looks a little hilarious and gets a little angry at times about the slippery pants on the floor problem, but she can get around.  She's combining this skill with her other recent accomplishment of pulling up to standing.  We're in for it now . . .

You have totally been holding out on the good toys!

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy . . .

. . . until its place is needed for food production.

I thought I'd take you all through the grim steps of removing my butterfly bush (which my neighbors pointed out did attract a lot of butterflies) to make room for a fig tree, which I will be purchasing later this week.

First I chopped off the branches.

Then I dug all around the roots.

This job was complicated by the little rhubarb stalks coming up--this is our second plant we're attempting to establish for our rhubarb supply; I was praying that I wouldn't knock off the stalks while digging.

Viola!  Mission accomplished!

And then there was none (though there was still rhubarb!).

A Tribute to Grandma

Right before my daughter was born this summer and a few months before temporarily retiring (she's about to get right back in there), my mom decided that she was going to make a concerted effort to have the boys stay with her one weekend each month.  She also decided that she was going to come to Philadelphia once a week whenever possible.  

And I would like to report that she has been amazingly consistent.  Amazing to me, because this has made the transition to three so much less of a frenzied shock.  One weekend a month is enough to almost recover from some of those days that start with someone crying because they have to get dressed, someone crying that we're having oatmeal (or cereal, or eggs, etc.), someone refusing to eat altogether (that cute one in the purple), and someone deciding they have to poop just as I'm realizing that someone already has . . . as we were about to leave (10 minutes late).

I would just like to say a big "Thank you!" to all of the grandma's out there who are their daughters' pinch hitters!  :)

The Easiest Dinner Ever . . . Tomato Walnut Pesto

I first ate this recipe at a friend's house.  It was very good, and she shared that we would never believe how little time she spent making it.  Today I wanted to try a meat-free meal and so I called her up for the recipe (which I'm doubling below).  It took me a total of three minutes to make.  Thanks, Jen!

Tomato Walnut Pesto  

Combine in a blender:
2 cups tomato (diced, sauce, fresh)
2 cups walnut
1-2 cloves garlic (or more, if you want)
splash of olive oil
salt
Serve at room temperature over hot pasta (you don't even need to cook it!!!), unless you're using fresh tomatoes, in which case you might want to briefly cook it.

Considering that it is as fast as frying an egg, this is an amazing recipe.  It was especially easy since I had leftover pasta in the refrigerator.  Try it next time you're feeling both lazy and wanting to pull out a new and interesting recipe.  Owen gave it rave reviews!  (A good friend mentioned that there is an inverse relationship between how much time you spend cooking and how good others find them--definitely true here.)

Allergy Update

I realize that I left some people hanging with the Jesse allergy situation.  I asked for prayer, and then I never gave a follow-up with the results.  So here they are:

• The GI doctor was wonderful, and confirmed what I thought, that Jesse does not have any serious problem in this area--he did not think Jesse needed the Miralax (which is good, since he is allergic to it) and didn't think Jesse needed to be seen again.  
• The allergist found no food allergies (I was really praying that Jesse would not have any nut or serious food allergies, this was a huge answer to prayer).  He is, however, allergic to dust mites (or, as he understands it, little tiny dust mice).  This explains why me changing all of his bedding to cotton and taking all of his stuffed animals out of his bed (because I thought he was allergic to petroleum) brought major relief temporarily (until new dust gathered), but why it didn't solve the problem.  The diagnosis seemed to rather puzzle the allergist, because Jesse's reactions were so extreme and out of no where.  He did say that probably a Miralax allergy triggered the extreme histamine response he had.  

I wanted to make sure that I did give an update and thank people for their prayers and support.  It was a really stressful and emotional couple of months there.  Jesse still has some red under his eyes (especially if he hangs around cuddling in blankets or playing with stuffed animals or around carpet too much), but it's much more under control.  And we're learning helpful tips, like: sticking pillows or wool blankets or stuffed animals in the freezer for a day will kill the dust mites.  Plus we got the mattress wraps and whatnot.

I feel so thankful that we know what the allergy is, that Jesse can continue to eat normally (and eat those healthy nuts), and that I had the satisfaction of hearing the allergist say that Jesse was most likely allergic to Miralax.  That was satisfying since I was sure he was, and yet every doctor I talked to basically told me that if Jesse was allergic to Miralax, then they were a monkey's uncle. 

God really got us through that.  I had to give up after a while and admit that I just couldn't figure it all out and I just had to lean on God to take care of Jesse.  I have learned to pray more and have less confidence in my ability to solve my children's problems on my own.  God also gave us wonderful and supportive friends and family to love and encourage us.  Thank you!

What's not to leek?

 

I used to be afraid of leeks.  I mean, they're not an onion, they're not a starch . . . what are they?  I wasn't raised eating leeks.  And quite honestly, I didn't used to have anything to do with veggies I wasn't raised eating.  That includes artichokes, kale, arugula, turnips, parsnips, avocados (ok, I know, a fruit, but you don't see them in fruit salads, do you?), bok choi, broccoli rabe, escarole, and leeks. And, let me add here, I was raised in a veggie-eating family.  When I was little, my parents grew potatoes and corn and all manner of things in the backyard.

A few years ago I went through a kind of exotic fruits and vegetables phase.  I tried making all kinds of foods I'd never had before.  I made jicama slaw.  I got really into artichokes and avocados, and felt so enlightened.  Then I read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (because three different friends told me I would like it) and he wrote about eating local foods and eating like my grandmother, of all people!  He had really convincing arguments about eating in a way that our earth could sustain.  And so I went back to the seasonal, local foods from our area that were easily obtainable.  And, hilariously, I re-embraced the Lancaster dishes I had scorned because they were all based on seasonal, local ingredients.  Go grandma!

But I did decide that I needed to explore some of the vegetables I had not explored in my exotic phase.  Vegetables that even my mom hadn't felt we needed to eat, like parsnips and turnips and leeks.  Now I can honestly say that I have made parsnips blend right into a chicken soup, and I have put turnips in a root veggie bake.  And I did buy a parsnip today at the rather limited spring farmer's market, left over from last year's harvest.  However, I would call either of those unassuming vegetables--in the words of Elmo--a "sometimes food."  

Leeks are another story.  The only thing I knew leeks went in at first was potato soup.  But someone told me they are also good in omelets.  And then I figured out that they can go anywhere an onion can go (if cooked).  And they add a little more flavor than an onion.  So when my nursing daughter couldn't tolerate me eating garlic, I started cooking everything with leeks.  The farmer's markets here were selling them into the winter.  And so the question for me is no longer, "What can I do with a leek?" but "What can't I do with a leek?"

The classic leek and potato combo--this time baked with just salt, pepper, & olive oil.

Painted Stool

 

 Finally, after a year and a half, I completed the stool requested by a close friend who'd seen a similar one I made for my nephew.  I knew I should have finished it before I had the baby!  Lest I am misleading, this did not take a year and a half to paint.  It took only a few hours.  It took a year and a half to motivate myself to do it.  Good thing she asked for it while she was pregnant or who knows how old her child would have been by the time I got around to it.  :)  Now my kids want me to make them one.  And I don't think they'll give me a year and a half.

The Best Carrot Cake Ever . . .

. . . which just happens to be gluten-free and healthy!  :)  I make this recipe for pretty much every birthday, and everyone loves it.  It's a blend of two recipes, Healthy Family's Carrot Cake with a few ideas from Elana's pantry Carrot Cake, with a few slight alterations.  So I follow the first recipe, for the most part, but then do double raisins, double applesauce, less than half the sugar, part almond flour for rice flour, and only 1/2 c olive oil.  I make it gluten-free, but using wheat flour would only make it easier.  I have gotten two thumbs up from gluten-eaters as well.  It's some great cake, and Owen's standing request for his birthday cake.

Here's our bunny-themed party--Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Raised Beds . . . HOORAY!

This narrow bed in the backyard will leave the kids' playspace intact but allow for peas, beans, or other taller crops.

I am overwhelmingly, ridiculously, in fact, pleased to announce that I have installed raised beds.  Not single-handedly--let credit be given where credit is due!  

Groupon (online local business specials) had a $50 gift card on sale to Primex (garden supply store) for $25.  I told Owen we should buy it and he naively said, "Well, we wouldn't be able to spend $50."  I assured him that we most certainly could, since I wanted to buy edgers and install raised beds (what can I say, everyone else is doing it!).  So Groupon in hand, Owen's parents (who were visiting, and who wonderfully drove their pick-up in order to support their crazy Yankee daughter-in-law's gardening mania) assisting with the three kids in tow, Owen and I set about collecting for our garden needs.

I must confess to a rush that addictive shoppers must experience when I walked in there.  I felt, "Ooo, I must have all of this.  And then I will be a Gardener with Accessories and Bountiful Harvest!!"  I did not buy it all, but I did manage to spend three times the amount of the Groupon.  Gloves that fit like a second skin, hoses that do not leech phthalates into the water, edgers, onion sets, complimentary pansies, seedling trays!  Ah, bliss!  

Our free pansies, next to our new raised bed in front of our porch.

 Our next stop was compost collection.  Thank you, Rachel, for directing us to some!  We took Owen's parents' pick-up and loaded up (two trips) on enough compost to fill raised beds in the front and back of my house.  Now if we could just make one more trip . . .

My transplants aren't looking so good, but I added seeds also--and some of them should make it, especially with rain all next week.

Owen's dad helped me wrestle the edging into the ground (after watching me fight with the roll of it in a comical, cartoon-like fashion as it coiled up after me around the yard), and then I stayed outside until night fell.  The next morning, dressed in my snowpants against the 30 degree weather, I finished spreading all of the compost in time for Owen and I to go get our second load.  My seedlings are worse for the wear, but will no doubt be happier in their new raised quarters.

With the raised beds ready, planting was a snap this week.  

I planted all of my early spring crops (shell peas were February):

• kale
• swiss chard
• pieracicaba non-heading broccoli (rabe)
• snow peas
• pac choi
• mesclun mix
• tatsoi
• onion sets
• cilantro
• three varieties of head lettuce
• parsley
• raddichio

Strawberries have multiplied beyond my wildest dreams in my side garden.

I planted seeds, pruned my raspberries, wrote down all of my plantings and seed types in my gardening book (and drew in where I placed each variety on a garden map).  Now I just need to start my tomato, zucchini, and cucumber seeds indoors . . . and then I'll get to take a rest, which, quite frankly, I need.

Grilled Salmon with cilantro, honey, lime, and garlic

I wanted to make a salmon and cilantro recipe for dinner, and I found this one.  I didn't actually even look at the recipe--I just looked at the description.  I just grilled the salmon, and then put the cilantro, honey, lime, and garlic on it.  It was really easy and really good.  I'm really maximizing on the cilantro growing in my room.  Here's the recipe if you're interested:

Grilled Salmon Recipe

Rocks

When I tell people that I've already been outside gardening for a good chunk of time this spring, they probably imagine that I've actually planted a good deal of seeds or plants.  But mostly what I mean by "gardening" is actually rock retrieval.  The former owners of my home decided that a nice rocky beach home look would really do it for the front yard.  And so I have spent days over the years just sifting handful after handful of rocks the size of grapes out of the soil.  Each spring I find that the freezes of winter have brought yet more rocks to the surface.  And each spring I head outside with seeds and seedlings only to leave them sitting day after day while I plod through rocky, rocky soil.  I must say I often think of the previous owners this time of year and wonder why they chose to do what is so very difficult to undo to achieve a look I feel was quite lacking in curb appeal.

Gun Regulations

In case anyone is interested in signing a petition to encourage Congress to pass a background check reform law for handgun purchases (to keep guns from the hands of dangerous people):

Sign Petition to Support Gun Reform

Kasha: The Russian Grain Stir Fry

I got a cooking lesson from my friend, Vlad, this weekend.  He showed me a really easy recipe concept in Russian cooking.  They call it Kasha, and in this case (but not always) it featured buckwheat.  "Kasha" is what they call any quick grain meal.  He soaks the buckwheat (or whatever grain) and briefly cooks it.  Interestingly, if you just soak buckwheat for a few hours (1 cup buckwheat, 2 cups water--not that I actually measured) you don't actually have to cook it more than just bringing it to a boil and turning it off right away while you get everything else ready.  He mixed it with sauted onion, mushroom, and shredded carrot.  Then he tossed in cilantro before serving.  I made it the same way, except I first fried bacon (local), took it out and broke it into the buckwheat, and then cooked the veggies in the bacon grease.  I didn't have mushrooms, so I substituted spinach and black beans (randomly).  I was excited that this recipe gave me an opportunity to use the cilantro I have growing in a pot indoors.  Anyway, it was really easy and quite tasty.  I'm definitely making this again!

The $64 Tomato

OK, this book is totally hilarious!  It's about a frustrated gardener who does the math at the end of a bad growing season and realizes that he's spent a whopping $64 per tomato for the year.  I stumbled across it on a blog and I've been aggravating Owen with loud and vaguely inappropriate laughter all night.  All I can say is that this is how dangerous I'd be in my weird fads if I had any kind of budget whatsoever.  And this is the kind of comic writing I enjoy most.  I will keep you posted when I finish the book.

Seedlings

Kale, swiss chard, cilantro, raddichio, leeks, purple scallions, celery

I am relieved to report that I have seedlings underway for mid-March.  Last year, what with pregnancy and nausea, I didn't set up the growlights.  But this February I set them up and got some seedlings started.  In a few weeks I'll get these into the ground and start on my next round of seedlings (tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers).  The cilantro we'll just eat.  I have been unsuccessful growing it outside the past few years, so I figure I'll grow some inside next to my seedlings.  Maybe I'll try some outside in pots this summer . . . if I'm feeling brave.

Prayer Request

Jesse has been struggling with a number of allergy issues (we think, he is not yet diagnosed) and GI issues.  Please pray for him this week.  He has an appointment with a specialist in each area this week and I would love to know that people are praying for him as we go to these appointments.  Please pray that God will heal him and remove the high histamine levels in his body, and that the specialists would have wisdom to figure out what Jesse may need.  Thank you!

Mouthwash: Homemade

I finally did it!

I've been planning a homemade Listerine alternative for quite some time now, and I just never got around to actually making it.  Most of the recipes I found either sounded way too complicated (I just don't have myrrh handy, for example), involved ingredients that I didn't think sounded all too tasty (like baking soda in water), or looked like you'd have to mix up a batch each time you wanted to use it (absolutely out of the question).  So I settled on vodka for a base, since alcohol is the germ-killing agent I'd prefer and vodka won't give me eyebrow-raising breath.  And since I couldn't find a simple vodka and peppermint recipe, I made it up.

I have what is essentially the slightly watered-down version of peppermint oil from Trader Joe's (peppermint oil would work, and you'd need less).  We bought the cheapest vodka the state store had to offer and poured about a cup of it into a small jar (well, I say "we," but what I mean to say is that I made Owen actually buy the vodka, a much-preferred scenario to me dragging the three kids into the state store, and I did the rest).  I then added a little bit of the peppermint oil, a few tablespoons, until it was nice and minty.  The actual mouthwash we're using is about 3 parts water to one part minty vodka.  But my understanding is that you don't want to store it long periods of time once the water's been added (I haven't read that specifically, but most directions I found called for making just one "dose" at a time).  So I'm keeping the minty vodka jar on a shelf in the bathroom, and then pouring a few inches of that into the old mouthwash container (small-sized) and filling that to the top with water.  That will only last about two weeks, so I can just keep refilling the mouthwash container with minty vodka and water as it runs out.  

Our vodka and mint oil purchases, at the rate we're using them, should last about a year, I'm guessing.  So while the initial investment was a little more than a bottle of Listerine, I figure we'll save a fortune in the course of a year.  I'm not sure if our mouthwash will be as scientifically reliable as Listerine to reduce cavities, etc., but I just can't look at the neon orange or blue bottle without my eyes straying to the long, long list of sketchy ingredients.  We have now eliminated the last of our name-brand personal hygiene items.

Here's our list of changes we've made over the last year or two:

• soap-- castille soap Dr. Bronner - Organic Unscented Baby-Mild Pure Castile Soap., 8 fl oz liquid
• shampoo-- castille soap (both have to be watered down)
• toothpaste-- Trader Joe's (no sweetener or color added)
• deodorant-- Pitt Putty (an unfortunate name, my mom feels) 
• lotion-- shea butter 100% Organic West African Shea Butter 16 oz
• hair gel-- shea butter (Owen only, for the most part)
• after-shave-- rubbing alcohol (not exactly "natural," but better than the scented and chemical-filled alternatives
• sunscreen-- Purple Prairie botanicals
• lip balm-- Western family all natural (I found it at Giant in the check out lane for really cheap)
• detergents for laundry and dishes (not exactly personal hygiene)-- Trader Joe's
• perfume-- a solid perfume by Pacifica Pacifica I Love Fragrance Five Solid Perfumes Set ($45 Value) I Love Fragrance - Five Solid Perfumes Set
• mouthwash-- vodka, peppermint oil, and water