Ye Olde List Post

A few things I want to remember:

• Jamie started "pbbbbt'ing" yesterday.  The cutest.  And very slobbery.
• Diego and Truen have been playing a game called Mouse Town recently.  They set up an entire village for imaginary mice, complete with shops and bridges to get from place to place.  It takes up our entire living room, which is enormous.
• The boys say "it broke to parts" or "it will fall to parts" vs. the more common description "fall apart".  I love how we have our own micro-dialect going on here. 
• "Imn't" instead of "I'm not" is another common one.  It is used like this: "I imn't going to". 
• Both boys also say "schickens" instead of "chickens".
• I'm already missing eggplant and zucchini (both are kaput for the season).
• Though honestly . . . I realized today that I don't mind.  Eating seasonally makes everything twice as wonderful.  It is something to look forward to, a seasonal delight that will be savored for a window of time.  It's fun.
• Annnnnnnd . . . life seems to be going by so fast that I haven't had time to miss things like baked apples.  But we had some the night before last, and my goodness, but it was scrum-diddley.  Definitely worth waiting for.
• With that in mind, I absolutely, positively cannot wait for next summer's garlic scape pesto.
• Or the eggplant-and-cherry tomato pizza that my brother and SIL made for us a couple of weeks ago.
• Our house has been c-c-c-c-old this past week.  We haven't turned on the heat or lit a fire, but I pulled out my wool sweaters and slippers.  It is chilly.  We had an early frost last week and many days with virtually no sun.  And even though it has been sunny the last couple of days, it hasn't been able to warm the house up.  It feels colder inside than out.  Thus, the slippers.
• Ugh, speaking of slippers.  I've noticed that if my feet are cold, my legs and hips feel it.  This is new, like within the last couple of years.  My body is aging, and gak . . . that is hard to take.  My little guys have been running around barefoot while I'm holed up in slippers.  I keep on checking their feet and checking in with them about how they are feeling and they are always warm.  Say it isn't so.  Things are starting to change...?
• I'll be 34 in a couple of weeks.
• Truen will be 4 a couple of weeks after that.  He's wearing a 3T this fall, which means he is growing right on schedule (he was in 2T last winter).  No prob.
• Meanwhile, our gigantic almost-9 month old is wearing 12 month clothing, some of it what Truen was wearing when he was learning to walk backwards.  He does still fit into the 6-9 month size, but not for long...
• Jamie is 22 lbs (maybe more . . . that weight is from almost 2 months ago).
• Truen is approx. 28 lbs.
• Heh. :)
• I'm so glad that I was able to have a little, tiny guy sandwiched between my two hulks.  My wish would be for people with small babes to stop worrying -- if they are developmentally on track, growing and bright-eyed, it is foolish to spin the mental wheels of worry.  Some kids are just small.
• My little guy was (is) so easy to carry around and was always so darn cute because he was littler than everyone else.  And carry him, I did.  A lot.  Petite, sweet, and just darlin'.  It is also easier to pretend they are younger than they actually are when they are so little. ♥
• Meanwhile . . . I dug into the storage bin for 12 month clothing yesterday and realized it is all SUMMER.  Oh no!  Oh yes.  But of course!  I never contemplated it beforehand, but Diego (who Schtinky matches for size) was a summer baby and the seasons are switched.  Doh.  Truby was always so tiny that the 12 month clothes fit him during the winter months, in spite of the seasonal difference.
• So that means I have lots n' lots of onesies and cute little short-outfits and not much of the warm stuff.  None, actually.  Aside from the gifts we received this time 'round and the two outfits I snagged at the thrift store yesterday.  And the 12-18 month stuff is too big.
• Oh well.  I have enough to make it until the remnants are thrifted.  (Good thing I discovered it in September!)
• All three boys are sleeping simultaneously this afternoon.  A rare event and a blessing, indeed.

I wanna shuffle too

I'm obsessed.  Hammer pants and all. 
It just looks like so. much. fun.

"Bountiful Harvest" 2011

I adore tomatillos

On the vine: beautiful and intriguing

In the mouth: delicious

Garden path

Mah boys.

Mid-August Garden
It is starting to look dry at this point in the season,
and some things are going to seed.

Lemon cucumbers, a scalloped summer squash, zucchini

A Sphinx moth caterpillar!

These suckers are gigantic --

as thick as my thumb and longer than an index finger.

He was feasting on immature garden huckleberries.

He swung himself back and forth threateningly

when the boys poked at him too much.

(Cute.)

Cabbage waiting to become sauerkraut --

My favvvvvvorite.

I am crazy-in-love with eggplant this year --

Gorgeous and delicious.

My brother and SIL made an eggplant and cherry tomato pizza

while they were here last week (ugh, pictures coming) --

I drool every time I think back on it.

It was muy delicioso.  Muy.

I want more!

(btw, you can go to her blog for pictures from the visit)

Tomatoes!

Black Plum, Cream Paste, Tangerine Mama,

Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, German Pink --

and Jimmy Nardello's peppers

A gorgeous Charantis melon

Such a sad story --

This year's growing season is about a month behind

and with approx. two weeks before frost,

combined with a 30 degree night this last week,

very few melons, if any, will ever mature.

This little beauty wasn't even ripe.

Every year there are

VICTORIES

and losses.

Worn out

Friends, I am weary.  Weary.

Both Blaine and I are nearing burn-out this season, amplified by the screeching baby on one back or the other.  No, I shouldn't say that . . . he is happy most of the time (while he's on our backs), but having a baby has definitely complicated and/or added to the workload this year.  Burn-out always seems to rear its ugly head in September anyway.

Our house looks like it has been hit by a cyclone.  One task after another glares at me as I walk by: tomatoes, dishes, laundry, tidying, the sandbox-like kitchen floor.  It seems insane, making me wonder what I do all day long.  Am I really just spinning my wheels?  It feels like it.  Then there is the little boy who wants me to cut out paper bats for him, and the littler boy who wants me to read to him.  And the even littler boy who needs to be held and cuddled just a little bit more.

I can't wait until winter.  I want to be snowed in, totally unable to go outside.  It sounds delicious.

But then . . . I look at my cupboards and I do realize what I am doing.  I have a whole list of things to offer up as proof.  I have all year to battle my housework, but a window of only a week or two to make grape jam.  Grape jam that we will enjoy all winter and spring.  And little boys that need to be loved on while they are still little.

Yes, it is worth it . . .

2011 Food Preservation Record

• 12 quarts sauerkraut
• 9.5 quarts fermented salsa
• 7 jars grape jam (3 pints, 3 jam jars)
• 3 quarts pickled pearl onions
• 3.5 quarts dried plum tomatoes
• 1 pint dried peas
• 3 quarts dried green beans
• 2 quarts dried celery
• 1.5 quarts dried zucchini
• 1 cup basil leaves packed in olive oil
• 1 cup dried dill leaves
• 1/4 cup dried marjoram

Huah!  I am proud.  And there is more coming.

Deluxe

This coy look displayed by Schtinky was a limited, one-time-only, special-edition head-tilt available for purchase on one day alone: Monday, September 5th.  The cost?  Saying, "Jamie-Jamie-Jamie-Jamie-Jamie-Jamie" over and over and over again.

He had never done it before and hasn't done it since, but it sure was cute while it lasted.  He also learned to clap that week and added high-pitched, piercing shrieks to his repertoire.

Oh, Schtinky ♥
(I mean . . . Jamie)

A quick list of why you haven't heard from me

• Gallivanting (to the TCs for a cousin's wedding)
• Visitors (brothers and SIL)
• Grapes (jam)
• Tomatoes (salsa)
• Cucumbers (refrigerator pickles)
• Three squirrelly boys
• Manhandling living quarters back into submission

Photos from my parents' visit

So . . . . one month later --

 My parents came for a week at the end of July --

It was a nice time with many games of
Go Fish, Old Maid, Candy Land
and general lazing about.

Jamie snoozed with Grandma that first night.

She has a "mother's touch" for sure --

No sleepy baby could stand a chance against her.

 In the middle of the week we went to a beach,

for some swimming and sandy sitting.

The boys L-O-V-E-D it, as you can imagine.

Even Jamie got nakey and splashed in the water.

 This is Truen pretending to be a hammerhead shark

It was sooo adorable, even more so with how small he is

Diego is above --

He hovered around these kids, staring and splashing,

Until they they all started playing together.

 I love this scene --

Diego's birthday, at the park

All the colors and activity just makes me smile.

He spent his 6th birthday with both grandmas and grandpas.

 Double-double baby bubbo --

With Grandma & Grandpa's shiny rental car.

 Diego was writing letters in the sand at the park

Diego's birthday was a (fun) doozy. 

We went to a playground, then out for lunch,

then to another park to for presents and lemon bars,

then swimming at different park because we knew they'd love it,

then out for dinner again because we were all so hungry.

This was Truen after swimming --

He just couldn't last a second longer.  Totally asleep.

Our last day with Grandma & Grandpa --

I made the voyage back to the Twin Cities

to spend a couple more days with them before they had to leave.

We went to a child's indoor dream-park,

Edinburough Park in Edina, which, of course, they also loved.

I like the pell-mell feel of this picture.

Amazing

August 12, 2011

:: from our driveway ::

I don't know what is more amazing, the fact that I've been meaning to post this picture since last Sunday, or the sky itself.  Yuuuust kidding.  Drama.  But seriously.  It has been on my mind for almost an entire week, but life just gets in the way. 

Want to know what else is amazing?  Diego playing Super Mario Brothers 3 on the Nintendo NES right now, such a familiar tune, whimpering, "Mama, can you please help me...?  It's just so hard!"  He can't get beyond the first fire-breathing flower-thingy.

And, really, isn't this just the most stunning skyscape? It has everything -- storm, sunset, clear blue.  The layers, the depth!  I could gush for hours.

One of those quiet moments

There is something so luxurious about fresh garden herbs.  This morning I cut basil, sweet marjoram, and parsley in the deliciously warm sunshine and felt positively glamorous.  (The baby was napping and the boys were playing up near the house.)

The spicy-sweet fragrance wafting up was so intoxicating that I didn't even notice the three uninvited hens who wandered in.  Shoo!  Shoo!  They left easily, which surprised me.  I gathered my booty and sauntered up to the house, my thoughts lingering in the scent and the sun.

It felt good.

He's got skillz

Little Jamie is pulling himself up on things.

Un-un-un-un, I can hardly believe it.

Today he played with the cat scratching post.

Meow, meow Schtinky-do!

(That's what I've been calling him)

SIDE-RANT:

"Kids or cats," I grumbled the other morning as I put the offending caterwauler outside at O-dark thirty.  One or the other is always waking me up in the wee hours.  Sometimes I feel like I just can't catch a break.  When one of the usual violators [of my sleep] is zonked, someone else decides to disrupt my zzzz's with whatever-who-knows.  Mrar!

And this was yesterday!

He pulled himself up into this position.

He was laughing hysterically at his brothers, and

smooshing his face into the mattress.

Based on the baby calendars, Diego didn't pull himself up into a stand until he was 9 months old.  Truen was 8 months.  Schtinky is 7 months.  Yowza.  It makes sense, but I'm still a little shocked.  He has loved being upright, standing and stomping, since he was 2-3 months old.

He is also "commando" crawling, getting from point A to point B by pulling with his arms and pushing with his toes.  He is getting up and rocking on his hands and knees and getting up on his hands and feet like a little bear.  I am amazed.  He's already mobile.  !!!  I plan to put up the baby gate on the stairs tomorrow.

What else?

Schtinky-do!

Little JAMIE

• Loves rolling around on the bed right before bedtime, with little coos, mostly face-down and smooshing his face into the sheets
• "Dances" when we whistle or sing, be-bopping by shaking his head back-and-forth
• His favorite activity is holding onto my pointer fingers, standing and stomping in front of me, smiling happily
• Wiggles all. the. time.
• Laughs gleefully at his brothers
• Does full-body lunges and head cranks to be able to see what his brothers are doing
• Turns head to "Schtinky" and "Stinky" (whoops)
• Gets very happy and excited to see his Dada
• New thing: spreading arms akimbo with fists clenched, mostly in the highchair, face tipped upwards with a huge grin
• Sometimes still tenses up when visually overloaded -- he scrunches up and gets so stiff it is like holding a doll (this was extremely common at 2-3 months . . . I couldn't even walk with him facing out or up/down the stairs)
• Bites and pulls my nipple at the end of nursing when he's getting bored or frustrated (yeeeouch!)
• Is getting his first tooth (the same one that Diego is losing): lower front left
• L-O-V-E-S the cats
• Easily rolls out of his wrap (the swaddle), even with his arms down
• Wakes up at 7:00 AM like clockwork
• Has started taking a long morning nap vs. long afternoon nap (new to me -- both his brothers were long afternoon nappers)
• Totally has tan lines in his fat rolls
• Loves to pull hair -- I swear he's going to give me bangs with how much hair he gets ahold of and breaks off
• Snaps my right bra-strap and pulls Blaine's chest hair when we are holding him on our hip
• Will repeat "ma-ma-ma-ma" and "da-da-da-da" (though not reliably)



11 years

 1999

Lexington Apartments (Blaine's place)

I've always loved this picture --

and I still have that shirt.

 2004

Gooseberry Falls, Two Harbors, MN

Photo taken by LSJF

(Lyndi)

 2009

Snowed in and LOVING it --

It ended up being the Four Days of Christmas.

Lovely, just lovely.

2011

Diego's 6th birthday

No longer just the Two of Us . . . 

Now we are the Five of Us

It is nice to be married in 2000, because I never have to do the math.  It is 11 years today (+ 4 = 15 years total, yowza).  I feel happy, settled, understood. 

Our relationship feels like a comfortable and colorful pair of woolen socks on a chill night under the stars.  Immature fights are a thing of the past, his smile and scent is home, and we are just as intrigued by each other and the things around us as ever. 

Only now it includes three bright and bellowing boys bouncing all over us.

Breeching the brain fog

I am still reeling from the past three weeks which included prepping for our county fair submissions, my parents visiting, and a week in St. Paul visiting family and friends.  It was a wonderful time, but now I am wallowing and feeling like I will never be able to catch up again.  I hate the transition back into "real life".  It makes me never want to leave the house again. 

I've had 4 different obligations this week and the boys ask every morning, "Where are we going to go today?"  Finally, today I was able to answer, "Nowhere!" with sweet relief.  I would say that it feels so good, except for the fact that I look around and see nothing but all the work that should be done.  Rubbish and mess everywhere.  Not to mention the 40-some cabbages, 30+ peppers, and 46 tomato plants staring me in the face.  How will I ever get it all done?

Though . . . I did grit my teeth and try to ignore the sandbox-like kitchen floor this morning while I had a tea party and several un-birthday parties with my boys, complete with "birthday presents" in festive bags or tin boxes.  How could I miss out on that??

I say "birthday presents" because they were just items lying around the house wrapped up with love and innocent glee.  Truen was the promoter of this party and when he opened up his "World's Best Mother" trophy and the tiny wooden-handled party knife that we use for play-dough, he was as bright and happy as if he had gotten a real gift.  "Ohhhh . . . a knife!" he said with a smile.  I got 2 plastic checker pieces, a Bionicles claw, and a worn-out Star Wars mini-book.  My favorites. ♥

Meanwhile, the baby is waking up and I owe you a bazillion pictures.

[Written with one-and-a-half hands while nursing the babe] I've been thinking about starting a gratitude journal to record all the little happy moments in daily life.  Because they are there.  In spite of anything or everything else, they do exist; and I really need help trying to remember that.

(This post with quite cathartic in that sense.)

And I am so sad

A first!  Diego has a loose tooth.  Lower-bottom-left.  He is excited and interested about it.  And me...?  A little teary.

White Thunderhead

The view from our driveway last night

Garlicious

Garlic Scape Pesto has officially entered the Halls of Seasonal Delight in our household.  It is absolutely scrumptious.  I've been eating it slathered on buttered toast almost every morning for the past week.

So do yourself a favor, and if you ever run into garlic scapes at the co-op or your farmers' market (available in JULY only), buy a tassel and bring them home to make this.  Yo.  You won't regret it.

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO

• 1 large handful garlic scapes
• 1 medium handful basil leaves
• 1 medium handful parsley
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Add everything but the olive oil to a food processor and run until the ingredients are roughly blended.  Then add the olive oil slowly until the desired consistency is reached.  Feast or freeze, your choice.

And boy, did it hurt

So . . .

I really need to update you all on Blaine's puncture wound.  It is un-un-un-un.

As a sidenote, I'm starting to look at this blog as more than just a tool for connecting with long-distance family and friends -- it has simultaneously morphed into a historical log of our life.  Eventually, I'll have it printed into a blog-book to look back at.

(Incidentally, I have recently been enjoying looking back to the previous year's month of late.  It is so fascinating to see what we were doing and what I was thinking about.  I am also amazed by all "the little things" about the boys that I have forgotten.  I am so glad I have several avenues to help me remember it all -- daybook, kid calendars, kid journals, blog, picture emails.)

And so . . . Blaine's puncture wound.  It is amazing, really.  It happened on Saturday, July 9th.  We were putting up fencing for the tomatoes from a roll that we got from our elderly neighbor (it was just sitting in her trees).  Not rusty, thankfully.  He cut the desired length, then we would finagle it into the already knee-high tomatoes, connect it to the fence-posts he had pounded in, and weave the tomato-tops in as gingerly as we could.

After we were done, and we have 41 tomatoes this year, btw, all started from seed, we wondered if we should put up a fence for the melons in the East Garden to grow on.  There isn't much space, so it would be good to give them room to grow.  Mainly, UP.  We figured it was "now or never" and why not? since we were already in the groove.  So it was decided.  The baby woke up, I went inside to take care of him, and he went to cut another length of fence.

Not long after, I heard some major hollering from outside and saw Blaine effectively bear-walk (bear-hop might be a more apt description) up to the house as fast as he could.  There was a lot of yelling and moaning from him and while I was totally unable to tell what had happened, I ran for an ice-pack pronto-pup.  There was no blood and all parts appeared to be in order, but I could tell there was something was seriously wrong.

And what had happened?  A spine-tingling, scalp-raising 2-inch puncture directly above his right ankle.  Straight in.  Two inches!  With a 12-gauge wire fence-end, just clipped, so it was extra-sharp.  Un-un-un-un.  He had walked right into it.  It was in the grass and he wasn't thinking, he just took a step and schhhhhloop, in it went.  He didn't even feel it at first, and only knew that it was inside his leg when movement was impeded.  He pulled his leg back and that is when it started to hurt.

We iced and elevated and did a saltwater soak.  We could tell it hadn't been broken, so we decided to take our time and assess the situation vs. rush off to the ER.  I consulted a Nurse-Practitioner on Duty over the phone and read about punctures in the various health books and online.  We called his parents and asked that they bring over a pair of crutches and a cane from their well-stocked "for when we get old or injured" collection.  That night was the worst -- it was hard to sleep and he said that it felt as if his foot had been smashed with a hammer.  Yeouch.

It did swell, though not like you would imagine.  It seeped some blood, but not much.  He was able to walk with a cane the second day.  But it was painful, very painful.  He was totally side-lined.  For an entire week.  And strangely, after a few good days at the beginning, he had a few bad days towards the middle-end of the week, with pain and tingling.  Warm comphrey soaks helped with that a lot.  I also applied Dr. Christopher's Complete Tissue & Bone Ointment several times a day to aid in healing.

He went to the Foot & Ankle clinic the following Monday.  They recommended a tetanus shot and a round of broad-spectrum antibiotics, which we went with.  I felt apprehensive about all that, since it was for what could happen vs. what was happening . . . I couldn't help but wonder if we were contributing to the over-use of antibiotics.  I'm so dramatic, I know, but I couldn't help it.  Ultimately we decided it was for the best.  The doctor said that with how close the puncture came to the ankle joint, it would not be worth the risk of waiting to see if an infection would develop.  "An infected joint is a destroyed joint," he said, "and not worth messing with."  And since we would rather work on replenishing the gut with good bacteria vs. fitting Blaine for a prosthetic foot, what other choice could we make considering the circumstances and medical access?  (As you can see, I still feel uneasy about it.)

All in all, he missed an entire week of work.  I am so glad he did, because he really needed that time to heal.  It was almost like a vacation, aside from all the pain and worrying.  He finally went back to work this past Monday and did all his usual duties, albeit more slowly.

Additionally, we thought that he had only 4 paid days off for the rest of the year before the puncture (one week off for the babe's birth, one week off due to a bout with influenza in March), so when he took 5 days off, we were a little worried.  As it turns out, he received an additional week off in June (his 4 year mark!).  So that time is zeroed-out and we are back with 4 days off for the rest of the year.  Ha!  Not that great, but certainly better than zero.

And that is the saga of the 2-inch puncture.  May it never happen again.

The East Garden

 Gorgeous cabbage

(envision sauerkraut galore)

Yellow Wax beans and scallions

East Garden

I took this picture last Friday --

things have already grown so much!

Baby Crockett

Who has the Magic? (I did last year)

Magic- A Belly Grows from The Panic Room Videos on Vimeo.

I have so much to update on . . .

A (real) tornado, an unfortunate 2-inch puncture wound into Blaine's leg, and the most gorgeous garden ever are the most pressing items.  The combination of these three items has kept me hopping for the last two weeks.

But since I don't have the time . . . I'm just going to post this vid instead.  I think my friend Laura and SIL Ashley are going to be the most entertained by it.  I love the playful celebratory nature of the whole thing. 

And pregnancy...?  Magical, def.  Ditto on giving birth.  Though giving birth might actually hold the trump card.  It is awesome.  It makes me feel lucky to be a woman.

Cheeeeeeese Grits

In recent weeks I finished going through The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond.  Maybe you've seen it on my reading list...?  I think I mentioned it at some point, being so impressed with her hearty dishes.  And as someone with a fast metabolism who also happens to be nursing, hearty-n-fillin' is right up my alley.  So neccessary for happy days.

The most fabulous discovery gleaned from it was a recipe for Cheese Grits.  Cheeeese, George, cheeeeeeese.  It is SO GOOD.  Perfect with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Scrumptious warmed up over low heat in a cast-iron skillet.  Filling.  Nutrient-dense.  A great accompaniment for pretty much anything.  And it makes a large amount, so there are leftovers for almost a week.

That pretty much fills all my requirements, howz abouts youz?

CHEESE GRITS

• 9 cups water
• 2 cups grits (coarse-grind cornmeal)
• 4 (warm) eggs
• 12 TBSP (1.5 sticks) butter, chopped
• 3 cups grated cheese
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt

First, I soak the grits in 1.5 cups of lime water (like the cornbread I make) for 7 hours.  Quoting myself from the cornbread post, soaking corn with lime is a traditional practice, one that releases the full spectrum of B-vitamins; and arguably, fuller flavor as well.

• With soaking, I cut the water down to 8 cups
• Let the eggs come to room temp. and/or soak in hot tap water while cooking the grits
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F 
• Bring the water and grits to a boil on the stovetop and simmer until done
• Stir in the (warm) eggs, butter, cheese, salt, garlic, and cayenne
• Pour into a well-buttered baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes until hot and bubbly
• FYI: Grits will become firmer as they cool

What led me to soaking grains...?

Again, quoting myself, . . .[from the cookbook] Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Truly, this cookbook has been a radical influence on my understanding of food: as nourishment vs. hunger-filler, traditional ways of preparation, vital nutritional fats, etc. It has given me a sense of direction, not to mention form and substance, to my whole foods gut instinct. (Which is, basically, "If it doesn't occur in nature, or you can't create it in your own kitchen, don't eat it.")


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