Oh So Pretty

My flowers are awesome. Everyday when I come home I have irises, rhodies, roses, pansies, trees, peonies, and lilacs standing tall and looking pretty. I LOVE it. I haven't even cut any and brought them inside because they die faster and I am scared it will lessen my time of enjoyment as I pull into the driveway. (although I think I may cut some irises this weekend)

By the way, my irises were obviously planted long ago (talking 15 years) and haven't been broken up since. Total side note: I have a theory that 15 years ago True Value was having a smashing sale on purple and yellow irises because everyone in our area has them. Last year we weeded them and didn't really get anything but this year, holy hell, Iris Ci-tay. I did end up breaking some of them up in early spring so I will see how those do next year but I am thinking I may not mess with them too much after this season because they did so well. Maybe a few snips will make it even better for next year. We'll see. It's pretty cool though.

Anyway, here are all the pictures because I want to document my happiness.

Dahlias will come up in the middle there later in the summer...that is if they don't get flooded out. Gr!

Don't mind the dead ugly ones in this picture. I just liked that diversity.

Meh

Meh isn't just a "word" pop singers say, ("It's gonna be meh." -Nsync (more specifically JT) "Nobody else but, meh." - Brittney Spears) ask a baby what a goat says and the smart ones will say Meeeehhhh. (Hopefully their parents taught them correctly and a goat doesn't say Baa.)

I bring this up because T wants to get goats and that is A-OK with me. Usually I have to think once, twice, three times about farm animals but goats? Goats I can live with. Goats are cute and their poop is so dainty. I can live with goats.

T wants goats to gaze our field and to provide him with milk. Personally, I hate goat cheese and therefore think I would find their milk awful but it really is okay. Goats are kinda cute, and I think they are loving. They are always quite friendly at the petting zoo. They are small and not scary. The only problem I can see arising is that we get too many babies and T suggests we out one for some meat. That will be a whole other issue, for another blog.

So in the next couple of years I think we will have goats. Now we just need a fence.

I can't stand it any longer

I was going to let this slide, I really was. I wasn't going to vent or voice my frustration because I didn't want anyone's feelings hurt but I just can't stand it any longer.
I have a problem. It has to do with my hubs-to-be.
As I type, something horrible, wasteful, and down right silly is going on....
T is taking a shower with TWO, yes TWO, shower heads on. (It makes me hit my head with my hand it is so dumb!)

Let me take you back a few steps.
Our house came with a shower with two heads. I am guessing it was for the old geezer in the house who had to sit and use the shower head with the hose dealy-bobber and maybe the other was for when he felt like standing or when someone else had to bathe with him. I don't know but what I do know is that when you are an able bodied 28 year old, you do NOT need two shower heads flowing full stream on your person to take a shower!!! It may make your back a little warmer but Christ, come on, really?

It really makes my stomach turn. Some people can't even take showers and here I have someone using two shower heads to take one shower. ONE SHOWER, TWO SHOWER HEADS. No sense!

He'll say we live on a well, I say that is still depleting resources that don't need to be used. You are taking one shower that is the equivalent to two. That means you take two showers everyday and instead of like 25 showers a month, you are taking 50. Grr!

I just needed to get that out. (I won't even start with the extra light he turns on in there too but he did stop turning it back on when I turn it off)

Editor's Note: On 5/9 T announced he wanted a solar shower so after a hard days work he could enjoy a nice solar shower. Sounds good to me. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Rhubarb...good.

We have a patch of rhubarb growing at our house and the only real thing I like to do with it is mix it with sugar and more sugar.
Last year I found a Rhubarb Parfait recipe in my Cooking Light or something similar and then when I went for it this year I couldn't find it. I went to the trusted internets and found this. However, if you ask me the measurements are ridiculous and unless you are actually feeding the president and his cabinet, you don't need this much. So...I redid it:

Spring Rhubarb Parfait
serves 4

INGREDIENTS
6 stalks of rhubarb cut into thin slices
1/4c sugar
vanilla ice cream

For topping:
1/4 sugar
1/2 c flour
2 Tbs butter softened
3 Tbs water
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix rhubarb and sugar in a sauce pan over Medium heat. Cook until rhubarb has broken down.
3. While the rhubarb is cooking, in a medium bowl, mix together with your hands the sugar, flour, and butter for the topping.
4. Add water, vanilla, and salt to the topping bowl and continue to mix with hands. Dough should be chunky but not sticky. Add more flour and water as needed.
5. Put dough in small pieces on a non-stick baking pan and bake until slightly brown (about 6 - 10min).
6. When dough is baked, in parfait cups or bowls, put a scoop of ice cream, then the rhubarb mixture and finally the dough on top.
7. Enjoy!

Earth Day

It's Earth Day! This day really should be my Christmas. Alas, nobody talked it up so I slightly forgot and I didn't wear my recycle shirt. Too bad.
I am celebrating my own way though.
There is a local Mexican restaurant that is very popular here in Whatcom County, Chihuahuas. It is very good, I must admit. (Their veggie burrito doesn't have zucchini in it, something that doesn't belong in a burrito if you ask me). Anyway, a downside to going to this restaurant is that they use Styrofoam as a take-home container and that ain't cool with me. I have decided to write a letter to this business and ask them to use recyclable/compostable containers. I think it is important. They serve a lot of people here in the county and making that change would a step in the "greener" direction. Although cardboard (what I propose they switch to) still requires trees, at least it isn't a product that uses chemicals in the production process and will NEVER EVER break down. ever!
My letter may not change anything but I am hoping they may actually consider it. If you want to write a letter, I encourage you to. The owner's name is Alejandro Hernández and the address is 5694 3rd Ave. Ferndale, WA 98248. His email is also on their website.

Plus, if they do change then I won't have to bring my own containers for my leftovers. It really is kinda embarrassing.

Styrofoam?! That just ain't good.

Happy Earth Day!

The Cure

I have been sick for over a week. By sick, I mean, head cold. I also only missed a half day of work and felt better, then shitty, then all right, then shitty, and so on and so forth. Anyway, the thing got in my nose. I am pretty sure I have/had a sinus infection. However, I don't feel like going on antibiotics, I don't really feel like taking meds when I do think my body can fight it off at some point (just depends on how long I want to feel 80%). I also don't feel like paying $90 to a) go to the doctor and have her not want to prescribe antibiotics or b) go to the doctor, get meds, and then pay for the meds.

So, here are my two new best friends, Netipot and Apple Cider Vinegar.

Leave now if you don't want to hear about natural/hippy things. Actually, if you don't want to hear about snot either, move on.

Now, about 4 or 5 years ago Oprah was all talking up the Netipot. I think my mom told me that. Anyway, I never tried it. I had a huge aversion to sticking any water thing up my nose and here is the reason why. When I was younger, say ages 8 - 16, my parents made me "douche" my nose. Seriously. That is what they/we called it. It required the use of one of those nasal thingies they use on babies to suck the boogers out or something. You take that thing, put it in salt water, squeeze the salt solution into the bulb and fucking squeeze the bulb and send water rushing through your nostrils and...usually out our mouth. Needless to say, I f-ing hated that thing. It burned, it plugged your ears, your eyes water. I am pretty sure I cried about it.

Anyway, back to the Netipot. I got so clogged last week that I thought, I really need to "douche" my nose but I really don't want to use the damn bulb so it was time to try the Netipot. I figured it couldn't be as bad as douching with the bulb because no one in their right mind would market such a horrible product. Turns out, the Netipot is a gentle ceramic teapot-like device that holds water into which you put salt. You kindly place the spout into your nose, tilt your head and let the water find its way out the other nostril. If you are really clogged, it takes a few tries but you just wait. No rushing water, no burning, no crying. And....snot comes out your nose and it is SO satisfying. It is satisfying not only to watch the green snot come out but also to actually breathe and taste and smells things when you are all done.

And now to the real cure, Apple Cider Vinegar. On Friday, my sinuses started getting back up into my head sinuses. It hurt like a bitch to even blow my nose. I thought, if this doesn't go away by Monday, I will be forced to go to the doctor. I decided to look online for some home remedies to sinus infections and really did think there wouldn't be anything. Low and behold, I found this. Since I couldn't taste anything, I decided to try the concoction, it couldn't hurt me, right? So, Friday evening I drank my 2Tbs of apple cider in 2ozjuice/6ozwater mixture. Couldn't taste it and I swear, within 24 hours I could smell and taste again. I have been drinking the stuff for a couple days now and I am amazed. I honestly think it is a great cure. However, I must note that I am not 100% better. I still get clogged at times and sound awful but I feel all right and am back to running and daycare.

So I avoided the doctor and I am hopefully on the mend. I will keep drinking my AVC con water and see what happens. I have high hopes for this miracle cure though.

Anniversary

Note: I am still trying to find the "after" pictures on a couple of these. I'll do that asap!

I missed a big anniversary. No, it wasn't my "first date" anniversary with T (we have no starting point). No, it isn't one of the babies' birthdays. No, it isn't when I became a vegetarian. No, it isn't when I became a hippie (which could probably be marked on the day my dad made me go collect water samples from Tacoma's Thea Foss waterway in order to measure the amount of shit detected in said waterway).

The anniversary is to celebrate what inspired the start of this blog. On March 2, 2009, T and I signed all the papers to buy our house/land. On April 26, our friends and family came to help us paint, weed, rototill, build, clean, and eat at our Aldergrove Work Party. We never did get around to writing those thank yous but oh my gosh, I still really appreciate everyones' help, especially now that is it weeding time again. We ended up moving into the house in late May after we did a shit ton of work and made it look a little less like an old person house.

Although that whole house buying thing was stressful and I learned that the guy who we bought the house from is our neighbor, our house is perfect and I love it. I still haven't seen or talked with our seller-neighbor. I hold a little grudge for him being a bit of a bastard. (who refuses to clean up the garbage?!)

Here are a few Before and After for your, but mostly my, pleasure.....

Before in the Yoga Room

Later in the Yoga Room

Even later in the Yoga Room

After!

Before in the dining/computer/table/play room

Before in the Kitchen (side note: sorry sister)

Before the house was painted

After (well partially)

Before the Garden was done

After in the Garden

Damn, all these pictures prove T did most of the work. Son of a bitch. Well, I made most of the decisions.