The World Effect

An old classmate of mine, Meggan, is off for a 1-year-worldwide-adventure with her new husband, Beau! How cool is that? They are chronicling their travels on their blog, The World Effect. I'm ready to pack my bags!!! On second thought, something is telling me that all those planes + 2 small children might not be quite the same experience. I guess I'll just have to admire the pretty pictures.

Potty Crisis, Part II

I need help AGAIN!

Thanks to your advice, I abandoned potty training back in August, because the majority of you said "He'll do it when he's ready."

Sure enough, right after his 3rd birthday, he was ready. Right there in the middle of Home Depot, Ethan says, "I've got to go poo-poo!" And just like that, he was potty trained. A few accidents, but doing great for a couple of months.

Until about 6 weeks ago. We moved back in, and he was totally fine for a week. Then, he started having accidents. And I'm not talking about just a few of them. I'm talking about the-#2-kind-of-accidents every day. #1 accidents too. He pretty much never voluntarily chooses to go potty anymore.

I don't know what to do. I've tried discipline. I've tried comforting ("Everyone has accidents.") I've tried revoking priveleges/toys. I've tried promises of a treat/toy. I've tried making him clean up his mess. I don't know what to do anymore.

The doctor said it would resolve itself in a few weeks. Nope. It has been more than a few weeks. I'm SO tired of cleaning up the mess.

ANY IDEAS? HELP!!!!

Garden Blogs?

Things are popping up all over the yard right now. So far, I've been enjoying daffodils and hyacinths (yum). My peonies are starting to pop up and the lilac (yum again!) is beginning to bloom. I can't wait until my garden looks like this again!In the meantime, I'm trying to find some good garden blogs or websites. I found these, but it doesn't look like any are southern-based. Any of you Southern Belles or Gents know of good regional gardening sites?

Some Gardening Blogs I've run across so far...
Heirloom Gardener
Ewa in the Garden
GardenRant
Away to Garden
The Compost Bin
You Grow Girl

The Economy

The economy. I know it's complicated, folks. Good thing we have SNL to clear things up for us.

8 Month Update

Katie Belle is 8 months old! She is so incredibly active - yesterday she easily climbed a flight of stairs! No doubt she will be an early walker too (although I'm just not ready for that!!!) Here's a look back at the past 8 months. These pictures are getting harder & harder to take! You should see the outtakes. (Most involve the paper being eaten.)

And months 1-4. Love that girl!

Before & After - Kid's Bath

Okay Karina. Here's one that we added to the "While We're At It" list. We finally renovated the kid's bathroom. We painted, added beadboard & got a new vanity. I also love the new little mini vase I found from boyanmoskov's etsy store. I've never known what to put in that 2nd little bathroom cutout! I couldn't find a wallpaper or shower curtain that I really loved, so finally I just made one using some fun little fabric from Heather Ross. Any of you ever put in your own grommets before? So much fun. And Ethan helped me paint the stool orange. That boy loves orange. The in-laws should be proud.

Before & After - Site of Impact

Here's where the whole process began, when a drunk driver rammed into our house at 3:30 in the morning last April. Before: Here's the after:
The past year has been a big ole headache in some ways, but exciting in others. It is surprising is how time consuming all the decision-making can be. The hours I spent pouring over decisions about grout color, appliance, hardwood stain, hinge type, and on and on and on...It's good to have some free time again! We love our new kitchen, so we can't complain at this point.

The Veggie Game

I started a new game with Ethan. When we go to the grocery together, he can pick out a vegetable that we will cook together. So, Ethan looks around, and picks out...A Rhubarb?!?!?

Well, I got myself into this mess, so we get our rhubarb and off we go. Much to my surprise, I found this recipe for Banana Rhubarb muffins which was very tasty! Ethan keeps asking "More Rhubarb, Please!"

So if you are feeling adventurous, give these a shot: (P.S. The muffins have "pink" speckles of rhubarb in them, so little pink-obsessed girls might like them!) Recipe adapted from RhubarbInfo.com.

Banana Rhubarb Muffins
2 Egg whites (or 1 portion egg replacer)
2/3 c Skim milk (or milk substitute)
1/4 c Vegetable oil
2 c flour
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Mashed ripe banana
1 tb Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Nutmeg
2/3 c Chopped fresh rhubarb (about 1, chopped very fine) or frozen rhubarb, thawed and well drained

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray bottoms of 12 muffin pan cups with vegetable cooking spray or line with paper baking cups. In medium-sized bowl beat egg whites with fork; stir in milk and oil. Add remaining ingredients except rhubarb, mixing just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in rhubarb. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling to top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately remove muffins from pan; cool on wire racks.

Things that Make You Go "Hmmm"

I wonder what was going on right before he fell asleep. Hmm...

Baby Food Jars & Craigslist

I love craigslist. I've gotten some great deals, and also given away tons of stuff - empty moving boxes, remote controls, ceiling fans...We even got rid of a huge hedgerow of nandinas, which we gave to anyone who would dig them up. So today, I posted a listing for "Free Baby Food Jars." Within a couple of hours, I had 4 people who wanted them.

And now, this is my public service announcement that if you have something not worthy of Goodwill, but too good for the trash, don't forget Craigslist.org!

So here's the question...What do YOU do with old baby food jars??? I've been saving a ton since Ethan was a baby, thinking I would come up with something. I never did & have finally decided to get rid of them!!!

CSA's Begin Soon!

Another season of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is soon beginning, which will mark year #3 for our involvement. So I'm reposting an old post to give you a run down of the pros & cons of our experiences. So is anyone else joining one this year? Are you a big fan of your farmer's market? How will you be getting your freshest of produce this year?
For those of you who are considering joining a CSA next year, here’s my final thoughts from the last 5 months:

THE GOOD
1) Breaks you out of a cooking rut and forces you to be creative.
2) As a result of #1, you will become a much better cook
3) You learn about all sorts of fruits/vegetables that you never knew existed.
4) You discover things like “I like eggplant after all!” and other disappointing things, like “Turnips are as gross as I thought they’d be.”
5) You learn about your local agriculture and what grows when.
6) As a result of #5, you can buy produce in the grocery cheaper & fresher, because you are more keenly aware of when foods are at their height in taste & production.
7) You’re eating more fruits & veggies! Better for the planet and better for your body.
8) You’re supporting your local farmer.
9) If you play your cards right, the CSA can be much more convenient, since you just pick up your box right from the delivery truck.
10) You learn how to freeze foods. (And some attempt the canning route as well.)
11) Many CSAs are organic.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD: I recognize that a CSA is most certainly not for everyone. Here are a few of the down sides.
1) You’re in it for the long haul. Most (not all) CSAs require a full-season commitment.
2) Price – It may turn out to be cheaper than a grocery, but may not. You pay a per-week price regardless of how full or small your weekly share is. If there is very little rain (like this year), your baskets may be small for a while.
3) Repetition – I must say that I got very sick of okra and cucumbers. You might get a large load of a certain food for several weeks. In our society, we’re used to variety. I try to remind myself that farmers across the world for generations have dealt with this and been just fine.
4) Picky Eaters – Need not apply. There are things that I don’t like for certain, but I’m willing to give it a shot. If you are not interested in trying out some new foods, then you may need to pass on the CSA.

Food Sites of Interest:
Eating Organic on a Food Stamp Budget
Cook's Thesaurus
Slow Food USA
AllRecipes.com
100 Mile Diet

Here are a few of the Local CSAs:
Long Hungry Creek Farm
Delvin Farms
Fresh Harvest Co-op (You pick the vegetables of your choice as needed.)
Avalon Acres

For a CSA near you, click here.

Recognize Me?

Yesterday, I sent out the following email. Read below to see the entertaining response from Drew.My email read, "Hey Friends. I am trying to find the owner of the below white plate. Is it yours? We're cleaning out our goods, and I can't figure out whose this was! Thanks."

Here's what Drew (I mean the sauceplate) has to say...Oh My darling. My sweet, sweet china white. Your pattern completes me. I have been searching far and wide for you since we were separated at Macy's so long ago. I never gave up hope my beautiful, flawless wedgewood, 27cm of ribbed perfection. It is I. My place setting has never been complete since you were ripped from my gaze during that 4th of July bonanza sale. I have given myself to no other table since that moment. Return to me and I will give you a silver napkin holder as a symbol of my undying devotion. Let's make little porcelain teacups together. I want you.

Love,

Your white hot saucer plate

On The Move

Time to lower the crib! Katie Belle is now crawling & pulling up. 2 months earlier than her brother did! Let the competition begin! :)