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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Fruits of His Labor


I am by nature a bit of a control freak. I admit it. It is something I struggle with frequently, especially in regards to my husband. I often catch myself saying, in one way or another, that there is only one right way to do a thing, and it just so happens that the way I would do it is the right way. With the birth of my daughter this year, I had to relenquish the garden duties to my husband. I have planted most of what went into our last two gardens, and I am an obsessive reader on any subject that interests me, so I read a lot about how to cultivate our food crops. My husband is a bit more intuitive...yeah, we'll just say that. Anyway, I have had a really difficult time letting this go- our baby is nursing frequently, and often cries to be held; she is still so small, and I know she needs me more than the garden does. I have stood out in the garden and directed planting and chores on occassion- my husband is a very patient man who loves me a lot! Anyway, things have not all been done my way, but yesterday I went out back to pull some root veggies and voila! They were there, they were beautiful, and they were delicious! B successfully grew them, as well as spinach and lettuce, which we have already enjoyed. I am sure the corn, potatoes, beans, cucs, squash, and anything else he plants will fare as well, though he didn't plant it exactly as I would have in regards to timing, placement, etc. Good job honey! And now, for humility's sake, I will open mouth and insert carrot.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Cool Giveaway

One of the other blogs I follow, http://kusine.com/blog/
has an awesome giveaway going on with all knds of cool stuff to win.
Check it out! The giveaway ends tomorrow, but you should check out the
blog regardless- it deals with a lot of stuff I am into (gardening,
sewing, food, etc.)
Enjoy!

A.J.A.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Solace in the solstice

My husband Brian took this photo from our back porch this evening, which is the evening of the longest day of 2010. We have had a crazy year so far. With the birth of our baby, the loss of Grandma, and the death of Jack-Dog, we've been preoccupied in thoughts and worries and haven't had or taken much time to get outside and look around. Our garden is way behind, and we are working on believing that is okay. The house is messy, the baby keeps us up nights, and we sleep late, and there's never enough time in the day...but tonight we had our dinner (mostly garden and farm stand veggies) at the picnic table facing out on this beautiful view. Just as Brian was taking this photo the lightning bugs began to flicker, and in a few minutes there were more flashing bugs in one place then anyone has ever seen anywhere. There is, in fact, one flashing on the wall of my bedroom as I write this. Today we hugged and played with our baby, and ate good food together, and looked out together on the majesty of our home, and life was good in that moment. Life is good, too, in this moment as I write- my husband and baby breathing rhythmic sleepy breaths. I can never know what the next moment holds in store for us, but I will try to take each
minute as it goes by and absorb the beauty and joy from it.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Asian-Farm Fusion

If my husband and I ever strike it rich, we have agreed that we would
not hire a chef, but instead hire someone to clean up after our own
cooking. Tonight we made an Asian feast that included some of our
fresh organic veggies. I wasn't crazy about our miso, but everything
else was fabulous. We made soba noodles that we stirred fresh chopped
beets and spinach into with a little olive oil; we seared tuna in the
red pepper flake oil that I made a few months ago; and we pleased
ourselves greatly with raw sweet potato, onion, and cabbage spring
rolls dipped in a delicious sauce that I made from soy, ac vinegar,
garlic, ginger, chili powder, lemongrass powder, and sugar. I love raw
foods, and I plan on returning to a pescaterian diet now that I am no
longer pregnant. Summer eating is the best!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

In a sewing frenzy!

I ordered a Brother serger online last week, and in anticipation of
it's arrival, I began sewing. I made the patterned red baby sling I
have been wanting to make for months. Then, the serger arrived, and it
was fabulous! It was everything I dreamed it would be! I began serging
with a vengence and very little knowledge of what I was doing. No
garment was safe from my cut-and-sew-in-one-step beauty. I started
looking for ideas and projects online, and a whole new obsession
overtook me. Check out what I have been doing lately at my Burda Style
page:

http://www.burdastyle.com/profiles/resch_8@hotmail.com

Pictured here are two of my latest creations (three if you count
Arabel, but that is a whole different creative process), a skirt
upcycled from a men's button down shirt and a lavender baby sling. I
am so excited about the possibilities for my future wardrobe,
entertainment, and gift giving! If I meet you in a dark alley, run,
run. I'll steal the shirt off your back and turn it into a cardigan!