Fuel to the Fire

This weekend we went to a small farm equipment auction and flea market. Marching around in the cold and the wind, perusing the vendors, petting the animals -- this did nothing but add fuel to the fire. Now, more than ever, I dream of a small farm of my very own.

Just a couple of acres (two ... or perhaps five). A red weathered barn. Pasture for goats and sheep and maybe one cow. A pig or two. Chickens and a greenhouse. And old farmhouse or a log cabin or both. That's all I need. Oh and honey bees. A place for hives. Now that's all I need.

Tonight I will dream sweet dreams and send my desires out into the universe. Oh the life I'd love to lead. Perhaps, just perhaps, it will come true.

xo

Sustainability in the Kitchen

I eat a lot of yogurt. A lot. Typically I'll have a smoothie a day made with plain yogurt, a banana, and frozen berries. Sometimes I'll add peanut butter. It's delicious and oh so healthy. We buy a lot of bulk plain yogurt and thus have collected many large plastic containers. Our collection is ever increasing and I'm concerned about our consumption of all this material.

But here's the thing. We don't have to collect containers any more. As of yesterday I started making my own yogurt following the basic instructions here. Only I didn't heat the milk to 180 degrees. Thus my first batch came out a touch runnier than I'd like. So this morning I am making another batch with the extra heating step to thicken it up. Last night's batch is going to be turned into cream cheese.

Additionally I have a bottle of whipping cream waiting to be spun into butter. If these kitchen experiments pan out not only will I save money I'll also save on packaging and decrease our overall carbon footprint; a definite win-win.

But I'm not done there. I've got issues with milk. With the way it's produced. The way the cows are housed and treated in large production dairies. Milk is pasteurized because it invariably comes with contaminants -- bad bacteria and the like. And most of our milk comes from grain-fed cattle. Organic milk is no better. Believe you me -- one of the worst dairies I've ever visited was an organic facility*.

So I'm scheduling a tour of a small local dairy that sells cow shares. Their cows are pasture raised in small groups. Though contamination is still possible it is much less likely in a small properly run dairy.

If this facility meets muster I will purchase a share and we will join the raw milk revolution. This milk is whole and pure. It comes with cream on top. It would be delectable for making yogurt and butter and sour cream and cream cheese.

One share would get us about a gallon of milk a week. This is not enough to meet the needs of my milk guzzling children. However I'm going to try to substitute almond milk for the remainder. And even that I'd like to make on my own.

I may have been raised a child of the industrial revolution; new technology at every turn. But I'm slowly but surely stepping back; learning the crafts of yesteryear and finding them to satisfy my needs and desires. As it turns out some things were better in the good 'ol days.

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* Though I am a small animal veterinarian I was also taught large animal medicine in school. Thus I was given an intimate view into the dairy world and livestock production.

I believe in organic for many things -- fruits, vegetables and grains for instance. However I also believe in judicious antibiotic use. If an animal is sick it deserves the chance to become well. And antibiotics can play an important role in healing for certain and specific diseases. If these animals are pulled from the milk line for the prescribed withdrawal period then the drugs will not enter the consumption stream.

I've seen too many animal suffer with curable illnesses simply to gain an 'organic' label. My goal as a omnivore is to eat animals that were treated humanely. Parasite ridden diseased animals do not fit this category for me. This is not to say all organic animals are treated as such. But one should know where their food comes from.

On Sustainability

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about sustainability. Several weeks back our microwave broke. We elected not to replace it. Consumer goods are made to break. To be replaced. And I've had enough. I am tired of everything being dispensable and/or obsolete. Companies do that you know -- planned obsolescence. Ours is a throw away society and it breaks my heart.

The thing is. These things, these items we are throwing away, have so much life left in them. My sewing machine for instance. This "worthless" machine has whipped out numerous projects. Most of which were made from thrifted material. All stuff thrown by the wayside.

Sure. My machine is basic. It doesn't embroider fancy logos or harbor computer chips full of intricate stitch patterns. But guess what? I have needles. I have floss. If I want something embroidered I can do it by hand. And it feels more personal that way. A bit of love stitched in.

On the thread of sewing and sustainability and I whipped out a new project yesterday. Reusable grocery bags born from feed bags.

Oh how I *love* that I have feed bags.

I adore my chickens and only wish I also had room for
sheep and goats and cow and maybe a pig.

I did not follow a tutorial. It seems I've amassed enough sewing knowledge to knock out a bag on my own (I know how to sew! I know how to sew!). However in writing this post I scavenged a tutorial for you should you like to try this for yourself.

I don't have a serger so I simply sewed across the bottom. I did triple stitch for extra security. The material doesn't fray when cut so rather than sew or glue down the triangles I simply trimmed them off. I've been walking through the house with a gallon of milk in the bag and it seems plenty sturdy without the extra (and somewhat tedious) sewing step.

I also made my handles shorter -- more like a traditional paper bag. Now I can't wait to go to the grocery store. Hmmm. Looks like I ought to make a shopping list.

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One of the perils of searching the web is finding projects I didn't know I needed to make. And yet, after seeing them, I clearly have to take part. While searching for the feed bag tutorial I came across these projects that are now in my queue.

• Knock Off Vintage Feed Bag Pillow Cases
• Gorgeous Tea Towel Bread Bags (what a lovely way to gift bread to a neighbor or dear friend)
• More Bread Bags (what gorgeous photography!)

Oh the beauty of the world wide web!

XO.

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Playing along with Soulemama this week. You, too, can join in.

XO.

Caught in the act (of reading that is!)

I walked upstairs camera in hand. My hope? To find enough light for product photos. Though I'm told it's spring the snow and hail speak otherwise. Natural light is in short supply.

I popped my head into the girls' room expecting to find Little at the computer. She adores Club Penguin. But she wasn't at the desk. She was on her bed - reading. A girl after my own heart!

Oh I have been waiting for this day. I, myself, am an avid reader. Always have been. But my children? Not so much.

We do read. Stories before bed; girls all snuggled up and winding down together. Every once in a while the boy joins us. But, sadly, he seems to have outgrown this tradition.

Despite my example and gentle nudging it's rare to find the kids reading of their own accord. Oh how I hope this trend continues, and grows like wildfire to boot.

XO.

The Bank of Peculiar (or finances for kids)

My son was recently tossed into the real world of money; a sort of sink or swim scenario. He and his dad *love* thrifting. They especially adore vintage clothing. But they've found that in order to support their habit they must sell some of what they buy (i.e. mama put the kibosh on spending family money that was, say, slated to pay the mortgage.)

So the boy delved into Ebay and now also has his own Etsy shop. I *love* this. He's learning photography, writing, negotiating and financial management. Talk about real world schooling.

This week he wanted to make a purchase. Thus he took money from his bank account bringing the balance below that magical twenty-five dollar mark.

Mama warned him. Mama said there would be penalties -- maintenance fees and what not. The boy, in his wisdom, assured Mama he would put the money back in a few short days and the bank would be fine with that. Mama tried to explain that banks are not benevolent entities; they are money making machines that will "getcha" at every opportunity (sad but oh so true).

And Mama was right. The boy was hit with a maintenance fee and a subsequent overdraft fee. Needless to say he was not pleased. I withheld the "I told you so" and he learned a good life lesson.

Now I got to thinking. The girls really ought to be learning money management as well. I'm not sure they're ready for the big time and the big bad banks. But they are ready to begin nonetheless. So we opened checking accounts at the Bank of Peculiar; complete with checkbooks and registers. The checks were created on photoshop and contain graphics to appeal to their individual tastes. As you can see Little is a die hard Scooby Doo fan. We may take it one step further and sew our own checkbook covers (stay tuned).

Little had some of her own money and made an initial deposit. Middle had no cash but was thrilled to discover the tooth fairy now had direct deposit capabilities. When the girls want something (say frozen yogurt after school) they will fill out a check. Mama or Papa will pay for the actual item and the amount will be withdrawn from their account.

We are creating a list of household jobs that will be available should the children want to earn additional income. Their "salary" will be deposited into their accounts.

We discussed that, for now, The Bank of Peculiar is a kind and loving bank. However, there may be fees in the future -- say for printing checks or low balances. We also discussed that high balance accounts may be able to earn interest. I want this to be a realistic learning experience; both good and bad. But in the beginning I am simply hoping to peak their interest. So far so good.

XO.

This is my year.

I am sitting here all alone. Yes. Again. Only now it's daytime. This alone is normal. Only it isn't.

This is my year; the year I've been counting down to for ages. The year all three of my children would be in school all day. Finally time for me. Time to craft, to exercise, to learn an instrument and to sleep.

This is my year. But rather than do the things above I am wishing my babies were home. This morning I did not want to send them out of the house. I wanted to learn piano with Little. I wanted to help Middle start a writing project and I wanted to help the boy list items on Ebay. I wanted to let them sleep in and I wanted to feed them a wholesome breakfast. Instead I woke them and shoved them out the door.

Today I read a poignant essay about a boy who died at twenty. What if that were my son? All those years sending him to school when he could have been at home.

This is not to say I don't believe in education. I do. Strongly. But why have we contrived a society that so easily places our children under the care of others? Could not some of that education take place at home? Clearly it can. Thus the homeschooling revolution.

I wonder would I? Could I? If you'd asked me a year ago about homeschooling I'd have replied No Way, No How!

Now I'm not so sure. I've got grand plans for the summer. It's going to be my testing ground. From there we'll see how it goes.

In the meantime I'm sitting here, tears running down my cheeks, wishing my babies were home.