Oh well.

I burst out laughing when I saw that my last post was March 7. What can you do?
I am in a mad state of spring cleaning/purging. The anticipation of baby put us into motion...turning the office into baby's room, which then meant trying to find spaces throughout the house to move the office stuff, which then meant getting rid of other items to make room for the office items, which then turned into a housewide purge of stuff in anticipation of a garage sale in a few weeks. It's like an avalanche, all started by trying to transform one room. And it makes me wonder, how do we have so much stuff and why?? I must say, the icing on the cake is the glorious spring warmth and the need the be outside, clearing the leaves away from my gardens, discovering that underneath lie tulips, bleeding heart, coral bells, etc. And a writhing pile of tiny bunnies in my garden. Not a fan of that.
So with the purge of the spring and the awakening from winter comes the lack of writing. Oh well. I do what I can.

Finally!!

I was reading our neighborhood newspaper today and found out that Whole Foods is doing a recycling program with a community group and it's for #5 PP plastics. It's about time!! I have been saving up #5 plastics in my basement and in my "containers" drawer, in the hopes that someday, I'd find a way to recycle them. I can't stand throwing away those big yogurt and sour cream containers and while I find other uses for them (freezing chicken stock, using them in the garden with the bottoms cut off to protect new little plants, etc), they're getting to be too plentiful for me.
I wondered when someone in our recycle-happy city would come out with a program like this. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I was bemoaning this very fact to my family and friends while we were at the cabin. My thought is, if they can create these plastics, why can't they come up with a way to "uncreate" them or turn them into something else? The science, I argued, must be out there- it's just a matter of who is going to pay for it. I personally think the companies who create/use the plastic should be held responsible for the recycling or disposal of these items. But, that aside, at least someone is creating a program for this!! That should quiet me for awhile.

Near the Bitter End

The pickles are almost gone!! Only two left. My mom gave me this fantastic recipe a few years ago for pickles (not the canning kind- I'm not that talented!). She and my dad grow an excess of pickling cukes to feed her canning habit (and she's an award-winner!) and they pass the extras on to me. I make pickles and put them in a 5 qt ice cream bucket and they last throughout the next 10 months or so. Or at least they used to. Being the preggo lady has caused me to binge on pickles some days and now I'm at the bottom of the pail. Needless to say, I am ready for July and the cukes, so that I can make more!
The magic recipe (it hardly takes any time to make these).

Refrigerator Dills

Cut a large number of pickling cucumbers into spears, round, or leave small ones whole
1 tsp alum- place on bottom of bucket
1 lg onion, diced
4-6 garlic cloves
1 tsp mustard seed
4-6 dill heads

Place all of the above in the 5 qt ice cream bucket.
Heat:
1 1/2 qts water
1 pt white vinegar
1/4 c (large 1/4 c) canning salt
Pour over pickles while hot.
Let stand for 3 hrs.
Cover and refrigerate for at least one week.

This recipe will last all winter long and the flavor gets better as they sit longer. I know that my friend Mimi added some other flavors to this recipe- I want to say jalapenos or extra garlic- to add some extra zing.

Three Years and a Final Frontier

It's been 3 years today since we closed on our house. I remember being in TOTAL panic mode, wondering how in the world we were ever going to make mortgage payments. This was the biggest investment I'd ever jumped into and I was hyperventilating for days prior to signing the papers. But we have now made it through 3 years of payments, including adding on a home equity loan so that we could do the basement. And not a-one has been late. I'm so proud of us!


In the course of those 3 years, I have hemmed and hawed over paint colors and slowly, I have made my mark on every room. I'm not one to move into a new space and paint every surface immediately. It takes me awhile to decide how I want a room to look and feel- decorating comes about as naturally to me as ice skating- incredibly slowly and with much pain and agony. Over the last few weeks, we took on the final frontier of the rooms- the first floor bathroom. Heinous is the only way that I can describe that room. Why would anyone choose beige tiles to go with white fixtures and a white tile floor? Why would they choose cheap and crappy tiles that crack? Why would someone strip off wallpaper, not clean the backing off the wall very well, and then paint purple over that, only to see the paint start to streak down the walls due to the poor cleaning job? Why would someone choose a light fixture and a faucet that are brushed nickel to go with the very large chrome mirror that's fixed into the wall? So many bad choices and so little money to do much to it. So, short of us gutting the bathroom (not an option right now), we did what we could: sanded the walls, primed the ceiling and walls so that the wallpaper backing wouldn't bleed through and create more streaks in the paint, painted a muted beige color to go with the tiles, hung a new shower rod and curtain. While it's still the same ugly tile and vanity, it feels at least fresh in there and I no longer feel like I am being attacked by a purple waterfall while getting ready in the morning. Our next step is to get rid of the hideous metal ultra-mini-blinds with the rust all over them. So, for about $75, our bathroom is as good as we can get it...for now, that is.


And might I add that Benjamin Moore's Aura paint is the greatest thing I have discovered yet at our local hardware store. It goes on like yogurt, is so easy to trim with, doesn't splatter at all, dries quickly, and has low VOC. What's not to love? And even better, I know that I'm helping out my local hardware store by shopping there instead of Home Depot. The guys and one gal at the store know me by name, know which project I'm working on and are so knowledgeable about everything in their store (let's compare that to the pissy employees who have blown me off at Home Depot and who act like I am ruining their day by dragging them away from their computer to get some questions answered).

Good intentions

I always have such great intentions of writing long essays here, but rarely do I get around to it. When I'm cleaning or cooking, I create blog updates in my head. The problem is that they never really make it out of my head and onto the screen.
Here's a great example: 2 weekends ago, Snugs and I went to the cabin with my parents for a wintery weekend. I've been meaning to write about it since we got back...and I have yet to do it. I feel a bit sheepish writing about it so long after the fact, but I've promised myself that I WILL do it.
On another delayed note, my appt this past Mon with the midwife went well. There was a student midwife working with her (from the U)- she was fantastic. They both were. I've gained 3 lbs, which makes 6 total. I was feeling as proud as a peacock until she informed me that she'd like me to gain 35 lbs TOTAL, since I started on the low side. I all but fell off the chair when she told me that. I'm hoping that the next 29 lbs are easier to put on than the last 6. And they clarified the "soft cheese" question for me- yes, it's ok to eat it as long as it's pasteurized. Which is good news, since I've been eating it for the last 18 weeks, even without their blessing.
Will write the cabin synopsis soon.

Eat more!

I was at the midwife yesterday for a quick check as I was spotting the night before. And because I'm concerned that I am hardly growing. I'm almost 16 weeks and all of my regular clothes still fit! The baby is fine, but the midwife informed me that I've only gained 3 lbs and while it's not too concerning yet, they'd like me to have gained 10 lbs total by 20 weeks. So, I'm supposed to eat more (apparently she didn't get the memo that I was voted "biggest eater" in my senior class in high school). I feel like I am eating all of the time, I am obsessed with anything dairy, I eat meat, I eat a very balanced diet. However, I think it's time to keep more high protein snacks around. I get so hungry so suddenly that it's hard to think about preparing something- I just need good food to be at hand and ready to go.
I think I will be off to the library today to find some good books on nutrition and pregnancy.
On a different food note, I was talking with Papa Behr yesterday and he informed me that he's ordering seeds for the spring already and that he found some heirloom tomatoes that he'd like to try this year! Yipppeee!! They are one of my favorite things to pick up from the farmer's market in the summer. If they were more readily available this year, I'd be eating them every day. The idea that he's thinking about seed orders already gives me hope that winter will be over one of these months and we can start dreaming about fresh foods again. This also means that I am going to start planning my summer months that I'll have off work and what things I want to learn from my mom this year- canning, making jam, etc. I think I can only pick a few things, as I'll have a wee one to tote with me. But what a perfect opportunity to spend more time with Mama Behr and finally have a summer off in which to learn these things!

Bun