Neighborly

(not the actual tamales. We ate them too fast! Image from here)

We live on a diverse street. White, black, brown. Wiccan, Christian, Crazy, Atheist, Political. It's quite the mix. When we first moved here, it was kind of intimidating. I mean, really, we didn't 'fit in'. In my short time on this earth, I've rarely met a stranger, but I often look for common ground before take a step toward that would-be friend. It's harder to find here and I've held back, searching for a way over the wide gulf that seems to separate our yards and hearts. (Cookies often help. And babies. And a friendly dog.)

However, a new family moved in and like any nosy neighbor, I watched them, wanting to meet them. I couldn't figure out the dynamic over there, across the street. Who was the mom? Which kids belonged with which adults? Do they speak my language? A place to begin came when the kids kicked their soccer ball up into the tree. I offered mine with the provision that it got returned to my porch at the end of the night. They shyly accepted about a month ago. Then the mom would wave and call 'Buenos Dias' as the kids walked to the bus. Then the children came to ask me a question and so the progression tumbled toward acquaintance. First with my dog, then with my baby, then with me.

Now, most afternoons, I watch a wild game of street soccer with Cora on my lap, swatting mosquitoes, and passing the baby to little girls eager to hold my girl who looks so big in their arms, tending to little wounds with my first aid supplies, and chatting in a hodge podge of Spanglish. I've talked with the mom, (there are actually two moms, and 8 children between them, but no husband or man around) and tonight she invited me into her kitchen and gave me a whole pile of homemade tamales to take home for our supper (which were A. Mazing. By the way). They invited us to a birthday party on Saturday. I think we'll go. I like being neighborly!

Roasted, not mashed

Every late summer/early fall, our CSA delivers pint after pint of freshly harvested 'green' peanuts. Last summer I never even got around to roasting them before they molded in the fridge, but this year...ah yes. I roasted them all! They aren't very salty, but that's ok for us and the smell of them roasting was so nice and toasty, not at all overwhelming. (perfect for Matt, who cannot stand it when I eat peanut butter. He's a 'super-smeller'.)

I took my instructions from here and here. These should keep for about two months in the pantry in an airtight container (longer in the fridge or freezer, but they won't be hanging around for that long!)

February Baby Sweater finished!

{Before I tell you about this sweater, I have to say Happy Birthday to my mama who celebrated her something-second birthday on Saturday. Happy birthday, beautiful Mama!!}

Thursday night I finished the February Baby Sweater (from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac), including sewing on these sweet wood buttons from here (a current favorite site for fun wood doo-dads). Progress here and here, in case you want to see. It wasn't too hard, which was exciting for me. I had to dig around on the web for help since the instructions were brief and without pictures. This was a fabulous help to me.

I also ended up knitting it on circular needles (except for the sleeves - straight needles, not double pointed) which gave me the ability to try it on Cora before I finished it off to check the length. The sleeves were a smidge short, but for us that's perfect since the babe is 1.crawling, 2. into everything, including messy stuff and 3. has not yet come to grips with long sleeves. (I found her with one arm pulled out of the neck hole of her pjs in an attempt to rid herself of her long sleeves.)



And because the point is not to just show you the sweater, but show off the one who I knit it for, here is Cora modeling it for me. {Just FYI, since this was thrifted yarn that I bought for a buck and this is only a little less than half of it, I'd estimate total cost of sweater plus buttons, $1.50. How fun is that!} More photos here, in case you can't get enough.

(and that little smile made all worth it.)

11 months (a smidge late)

This time last year (the 29th of September) I was still working and I thought I had MONTHS left till she came, not weeks. Less than 4 weeks, to be precise. Yes, my little bitty girl is 11 months old. I ran out of battery life before I could capture all that I wanted, but here she is, in all of her busy, blurry glory.

Your first year is flying along, little one!

See you all on Monday!

Friends

I love how motherhood brings together the most unlikely of people and creates a common ground from which to build a friendship. These are from a wonderful walk yesterday with our friends, Kelly and Myles (Myles being Cora's age). (At Shelby Bottoms Park and Greenway - another great walking place which has a greenway ie, long walking paths (paved and unpaved), a nature center and currently, thanks to a ton of rain lately, more mosquitoes than I've EVER seen in my LIFE. Seriously. Avoid the bridge over the swamp on the short loop. We got swarmed!! ACK!)

Things to do in Nashville :: Beaman Park

{So I'm adding a new label called 'things to do in Nashville' so you can see and search all of our adventures here in the city and surrounding areas. Most of these activities will be kid friendly since it's usually me and the Doot (Cora).

By the way, I have been filling the role of primary diaper washer around here, mostly because it was me who decided to go cloth, not Matt. Since he didn't choose it, I felt bad in making him wash stinky diapers!}

***************

(hmmm. I envision playing in this creek next summer)

As I have mourned before (for good reason. A good friend is hard to find!), my sweet friend Beth is moving 4 hours away soon. To wrap up her time here in Nash-vegas she has been posting favorite things about this fair city on her blog, most recently a list of great hikes in and near Nashville. I called her up to see if she wanted to hit the trail again before they leave and of course she was game.

(Beth "scouting the trail", Eli showing off his leaf which he carried the entire way back from the nature center!)

With our babes strapped to our bodies in various carriers, we ventured off into the woods. This was the Creekside Trail in Beaman Park, a newer Nashville Park. It was a pretty easy hike, even with a baby on my back. We hiked to the nature center (open very limited hours) and back, soaking in all of the afternoon light, the early changing leaves, the good conversation...all in all a lovely afternoon outing.

(trying to get a smile out of my serious girl)

A word of caution

photo from here

OK. Second post of the day, but this was too good not to tell you. My dear sweet husband braved single fatherhood this past weekend and just before I left, I said something like this..."Oh yeah! I'm shaking the poop out of her diapers into the potty now. Just FYI."

I returned home to a sightly annoyed husband who informed me that he was NEVER washing diapers again. EVAR! Mystified, I asked why, saying 'You don't even have to touch them, why is it gross?' Apparently my instructions were not very clear and he in preparation for washing the used diapers, had gone through the entire diaper pail (after they had been sitting there for 2 days!!!) and tried to get the poop off of the diapers, one at a time. Poor, brave soul!! This was the first time he had ever washed them and if this is how I had to clean them, I would be RUNNING to the store for a box of 'sposies'. (or I would have said 'screw it!' and just thrown them in.) He was trying to do it right and thought this is what I meant! I'm sure he was questioning my sanity as he gagged through the entire pail.

I couldn't help it. I laughed and then apologised profusely for not explaining it better.

The moral to this story? Communication is key. (and cloth diaper care mystifies many, not just hubbies)

Fall!! (or at least I can pretend!!)

(Smirk! - Cora age 7 months)

Oh yes, the weather has turned a corner. Highs in the 60s, lows in the 40s. Ahhhhhh. I know it's gonna warm back up before autumn really sticks around, but a girl can dream, right? Today we are going hiking with a friend under the brisk, beautiful, blue sky with the baby in her backpack carrier! How are you celebrating this weather?

P.S. Does anyone know where I can buy some wooden leaf cutouts for fall crafts? I found Maple, but no Oak.

P.P.S. I don't have a photo for this post, so I'm showing you some random cuteness. I'll be taking more on the hike today.

In the small things

photo from here

I returned yesterday afternoon from a weekend away from my family (at a women's retreat) with so much brimming around in my head and heart. In one conversation a young college age girl was talking about how to live fully for Jesus and how she didn't know if she was there, or ever could be there. We had a great conversation later about it and I've been mulling it over more.

I, like this sweet girl, used to envy people who had not grown up in the church. They had such a great conversion experience! And how could I know if I was really experiencing faith or a love for God if I couldn't feel it? After some pondering this is what I found is true for me.

When I met Matt, it was love, passion, excitement, wonder, uncertainty. I would have crossed oceans to be with him! I longed to show him how much I loved him. Now, nearly 5 and a half years later, we don't live in that place any more. We love each other in the small things, carving out minutes or hours together, rather than every waking moment. I seek to love him unconditionally and have him be in my thoughts during my day. It's not a blazing love affair, and I don't think it is meant to be. After all, it's not the flames that make the most warmth, it's the glowing coals after the flame.

It's the same way for my faith now. I have already crossed oceans, and done the biggest things I could do to show God how much I love him, and there I was, in a new location, 'all in', committed, and, as a favorite musician friend of mine sang long ago, "Wherever I go, there I am". And there I was, with all of my drama, junk, selfishness and every other thing that plagued my ability to serve God in a big way, back home!

And just like marriage or love didn't transport me into this other plane of existence where all my loneliness and troubles melted away, neither did working as a missionary solve all of my faith related issues. Now, I'm not knocking mission work, at all. I loved being in Peru, but it didn't prove anything, either to myself or to God. It changed me, but not in the ways I was hoping for. I wasn't refined of all my imperfections, I wasn't transformed into some kind of holy person in those months. (And is that the point of serving others? Nope. But did I have some small hopes that serving in this 'self-less' way would purge the junk out of my heart? Yep.)

All this to say, I'm discovering, for myself, that love and faith must be grown and tended to in the small places if it can ever hope to grow out to the big places. In the corners of my heart where I hide my selfishness and ugly thoughts. On my street with neighbors who are different from me, in how I spend time with my baby girl, in friendships, with my sweet husband. A prayer, a meditation, a quiet song to an empty room. There is faith and love in these, the small things.

I miss the sun

It has been very gray around here this week and while we are still far enough south that we get more than our fair share of sunshine and I should quit my whining, I still miss the sun!! Please remember that I grew up in Texas so all this rain and cloudiness is still foreign to me.

I know. Whine, whine, complain! I'll blame the weather for my daunting pile of dishes that are (STILL!!) not done. Today is the day, though. I'm leaving for the weekend and leaving Matt with that mess AND the baby is not the kindest act I could think of. Hey! Maybe I should set up a 'get Ariana a dishwasher' fund! Then I could quit whining about it.

On a good note, here's the progress on February Baby Sweater. I like knitting this top down and in the round. It's very satisfying to see how much I've done!! OK. I'm out of here till Monday. If you see Matt this weekend, give him some 'single dad' encouragement!

Quiet (mostly)

I don't have a lot to say here today. I'm preparing to leave for the weekend and the baby will be with Papa. This is our first overnight apart (me and the baby, not me and Matt) and none of us are really prepared for it. I've just been taking it all in and enjoying the sweetness of each little part of my day. I'll be posting just that for the rest of the week (one more day). Here's today's sweetness. And yes, her toenails ARE painted.

Mama and the Nap bandit

Who stole my tiny girl away and left me this big girl? Seriously. As you might have guessed from yesterday's post, naps are a point of contention around our house at the moment. Mama wants to hang on to nap #2, but Sweet Baby Girl has decided that she doesn't need it (and the total grouch that results is just a coincidence...I swear, Mama!)

Anyway. This coming year is shaping up to be a doozy. We've got a major shake up in the works for our family and while I'm all about a goal and working toward it, I'll just be honest and tell you that this one scares the crap out of me. I think we will be stretched and challenged in ways we've never dreamed and in this moment, I'm a wimp. I want to crawl under the covers and ignore that this is going to happen. I've got to much I wanted to get done this year...me me me!! Whine, whine, complain!

I'll fill you in more later as it happens, but I'm definitely going to keep the music in the plan, no matter if the dish pile suffers or not. I mean, there ARE limits.

The photo is of the last of summer bounty (that we gleaned from neighbor's gardens). I'm looking forward to cooking our fall veggies! I have 2 butternut squashes waiting to become 'finger food' for my busy little girl. By the way, we are at the constant pulling up stage and I don't remember if I told you, but 'Papa' was the first one to hear his name.

Sweet sleep

Quiet house
Like a mouse
Not a peep
From those who sleep


I hope your day is peaceful and full of naps.

p.s. I heart your Comments!! You guys are so sweet.

Mystery Yarn...

I've been scouring our local thrift stores for used sweaters to pull apart and re-make into something lovely either for myself or for the baby girl. Most of the time the fiber content is clearly marked on the tag, but sometimes it is not. So how do I figure out what it is made from? Here are some of my 'go to' methods. I'll use my most recent find...a gorgeous purple and green bolero/shrug thing as an example. (it didn't fit me and was not a good style, but the yarn!! Oh the yarn!!)

I was pretty sure was 1. hand knit (no tag, obvious weaving in of ends) and 2. was made from, if not exclusively wool, then a pretty high wool content blend.

The first test was to see if it felted. As I was unraveling the sweater, I accumulated quite a lot of fuzz. (This was my first clue since wool does this) So I did about 10 minutes in a hot mix of soap and water, working the fibers together with my hand. Martha Stewart has a quick little tutorial here on how to felt wool balls, and the concept is the same for this.

This was the result. I'd say that felted, wouldn't you? (on the left is the fuzz, on the right, post felting)

If it kind of did, but kind of didn't, I'd go to my next resort which is the flame test. I do this last because I am not fond of the smell of burning hair or plastic. Here is a chart that tells what each fiber will look like, smell like, and act like when burning. This yarn stunk the house up like burnt hair. Pretty sure it's wool. (and now to air out the house...Ack!)

I balled this up as I unraveled and followed these instructions for recycling wool sweaters. Now I am gonna make a measuring tool for figuring out how much yarn I have. (wood plank with nails or dowels 3 feet apart). Without a little gizmo to ball my yarn for me, this means a lot of winding by hand. Not so bad when I've got a book downloaded from the library and a sleeping baby...hmmm. But just look at that gorgeous batch of wool!! It's worth it. (final price - $5.99. It would have been less if I had waited until the green tag items at GoodWill went on sale for $0.99. Oh well.) Now what shall I make?

Potty learning leads to...

...Sink bathing. Especially when Mama got to busy organizing her faux-tupperware to watch the clock and SOMEONE was diaper-free. It's a process.

See you back here on Monday!

February Baby (for my October baby)

I am finally getting up the nerve to knit my first sweater and to be on the safe side, it won't be that big. Oh the plight of a southern knitter! People here don't wear sweaters! Even if it's cold outside, folks crank that heat on up to 80, I swear! So being inside is like roasting to death slowly if one wears a sweater. I do, however, have friends who have moved up north, and am getting my wool hankering out on projects for them...but I digress...


On to the sweater. It's called February Baby from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitters Almanac and you can see it completed (by someone else) here in a gorgeous green. I'm going to be using that fabulous thrifted yarn I picked up a few weeks back which is a sweetly heathered gray. The pattern knits up in a size 3-6 months so I'm having to knit swatch after swatch to make sure I'm getting it right so it will actually be done and fit her by the time it gets cool enough to wear it. I know it won't be perfect, but I'd like to give it a good effort! I'll keep you posted as it shapes up.

I heart cheap books!

My mama, amazing lady that she is, directed me to a website which is quickly becoming a favorite for a bibliophile like me. I really want Cora to have lots of great books, but lets face it, digging through bins at garage sales does nothing for me and I usually end up with nothing good. I'm hard pressed to find one memorable children's books for our collection in English and certainly nothing in any other language!

Enter half.com. Music, textbooks, kids books, novels oooooh my (I'm pretending like the video game section doesn't exist). I could spend a lot of allowance there! Most of the books that I have on my wish list over at amazon are there for half or more off of the original price. Granted, they are used, but I dig through piles of other peoples used stuff on Saturdays! I'm OK with used, obviously. I mean, I'm a huge fan of our local library, but some books,

like the one I checked out today, you just have to own.

PS. Don't forget next Saturday (the 26th!) is Free Museum Day (sponsored by Smithsonian magazine). Head on over to their website to print your free pass (admits 2) and to find participating museums near you! If you live locally, you can visit the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Historic Mansker's Station, or The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson, for free! {thanks for the correction Stephie! I'd hate to be the one to proliferate misinformation!}

More

I cover a lot of topics here and while I don't think I am wise enough to offer anyone advice (besides how to cloth diaper, apparently), I just want to share a smidge of myself in this space.

In case you read this and think that our lives around here are as smooth as butter and we dance through life like a Coke commercial, with tender moments straight out of Hallmark, let me be the first to tell you how much that is not the case. I'm just gonna tell you straight out. I'm flawed. I'm broken. I'm obnoxious. I'm bossy. I'm demanding. I'm selfish. There are a lot more adjectives I could use.

When I look at myself, I tend to see the negative. It's not the only side, but I am short sighted when it comes to me. But the most beautiful part of being in this place is that I am surrounded by friends and by a sweet partner who sees more, who find the beautiful in me when I can't see it myself. For that, I am grateful. Thank you.

Trouble.

{This forum is a bit odd for responding to comments, but I wanted to say thank you for all of your encouraging words about my music project in the works. Your comments are such a fun part of my day!! By the way, what do you think of my new banner? I thought it was time to mix it up.}

Cora and I are coming out on the daylight end of a long weekend without the Papa Bear. He was off having adventures with his guy friends (shooting (airsoft) guns, running around, eating food straight out of cans...you know. Man stuff!), while the sweet babe and I did a little shopping for an upcoming birthday (oh my), celebrated a sweet friend's birthday, and sometimes just hung on till the Papa got home. It was a bit rough in places and it turned into another of those Sunday nights where I'm just going to have to download the sermon later (sigh) what with nighttime sleep/daytime nap boycotting and finally the crying and total breakdown on the way to church (her, not me...although I felt like it!)

All in all, it was a good weekend, even if I'm SO glad to have my partner back. It's hard to raise a baby alone and I'm so glad I've got Matt help me do this!

Here's her latest accomplishment: (I am in so much trouble!)

(who me? Climbing the stairs...oh. So you noticed? Hee hee!)

Cloth Diapering...revisited

We've been cloth diapering since Cora was 4 months old and where ever I go, I get questions from wide eyed mamas who look at me as if I was some kind of environmentally sound Saint, saving the planet one bum at a time. I'm not that. I'm just cheap, very laid back (read lazy) and Cora looks awesome in her cloth diapers.

We haven't really added anything to the stash we started out with, but I have learned some things along the way. Shall I tell you about them? OK! Because apparently I, like others who have gone before me, am inordinately excited about cloth that catches poop and will talk your ear off about it given the slightest chance.

• There are diaper sprayers and scrapers and all manner of things that get poop off of one's cloth diapers, but we don't use them. We just wash the poo. Yes, we may end up with some very clean corn bits or pea hulls in the washer, but it's all gonna be alright. I promise. My mantra is "If it's solid enough to shake in the potty, shake it. If not, wash it."
  

• This is my favorite site for diaper covers and for Diaper Service Quality (DSQ) prefolds. Free shipping! http://www.momsmilkboutique.com Sign up for the newsletter. They send out coupons and have regular sales. Some sites have free shipping, but jack up the price to cover it. Not this one! You only need about 4-5 covers in each size and I started buying little tiny ones for our next baby when they went on sale. All but the large size since we intend to be done before Cora is that large. Ahem.

• www.Diaperswappers.com Used diapers, used covers (kid/baby clothes, slings, and tons more). Minimal investment if you just want to try it before you buy a whole load. Buy a cover or two, buy a few cloth pre-folds. Then you can see if it works for you. We eased in to cloth. No shame!! The site is a smidge hard to figure out because there is just SO much, so browse around for awhile.

• Tell people you are cloth diapering (church, work...whatever). They will GIVE YOU cloth diapering stuff that they are done with (or they will look at you with horror and sympathy). I had bags full of stuff I got for free from people who are done diapering, but the diapers are still good. It's like a secret club that we just REALLY want you to join.

• All this debate about Fuzzi Bunz (FB) vs BumGenius(BG)...on and on about which is best for leaks? Prefolds (not the Gerber kind, Diaper Service Quality, or DSQ) and a cover, baby. (A Thirsties cover, for us, which has saved us from many a blow out. Thank you, leg gussets!) Night and day, we have never, ever, ever had a leak. They are called the 'workhorse of cloth diapers' for a reason. Plus, friends who bought BG at the same time we bought our pre-folds are saying how the aplix (Velcro) is worn out and they won't be able to use them for a second child. Good thing they started making ones with snaps, huh? (25 bucks each!!??! Ack!!) Cora's diapers cost $1.75 each, with a $9-$11 cover. Seriously. No sticker shock here.
  

• If you live locally, Whole foods carries Charlie's Soap, which cleans, but does not disinfect, clothes. For that, add a scoop of Oxyclean occasionally. Since to start using Charlies you have to wash out your washing machine tub, we found it best to use it for all of our clothes too, so I don't have to keep doing it. (here's a chart of detergent's and how good they are for your diapers) But, sometimes man sweat needs more than Charlie's to come out, if you now what I mean, which brings me to...

• Oxyclean is great for stripping, but make sure all of it is washed out. I do an extra rinse load since my washer is old and crappy and Cora has "princess skin." (ie, everything makes her rashy. Sigh.)

• Vinegar (white) comes in GALLON jugs at Kroger(or your local grocery store) in the pickle aisle. I put in a cup or so if the diapers smell like ammonia when I am dumping them in the washer (and it burns my lungs!). If the ammonia smell persists or smells really strong in the morning, it's time to strip them.

• For great stripping instructions, go here.
  

• If you don't want to use a liner for rash cream, here and here are a couple of lists of ones that are safe for cloth. (I personally use Desitin Creamy with a cloth wipe as a liner if I need to use anything, and it's pretty rare since we are practicing EC. She never sits in a wet or dirty diaper which has historically cause most of our rash problems)
  

One final thing and I'll be quiet (for now). Traveling with cloth diapers sucks. (Piles and piles of blessings heaped on the head of my mother for doing it with 7 children!!) Just before our first trip this summer, I thought through every solution, trying not to have to buy diapers, but I gave in, used disposables and the Green police did not come get me. As one friend put it in a recent blog post " really didn't want to put baby poop in somebody else's washing machine." Yeah. But after this last trip, I was really glad to get home to our pile of fluff. It just does my cheap little heart good.

{Updated to add: I'll be back on Monday. Pray I survive my 'single parenting' weekend with Matt away playing at the airsoft event of the season. This explains what airsoft is.}