big boy boots

here's a picture of buddy with his new big boy boots on! after scouting out payless we ended up at the saddle shop where we found these. he loves them! "boots" he cries, i suppose expecting me to come running from across the house with his beloved boots on a velvet pillow. these boots have brought some peace though, as he is not trying to wear his sissy's any more. and just look how cute he is in them!

on another note, check out the giant zucchini he's holding! that came in my csa order yesterday and it must be a little over 2 feet long! for those of you shaking your heads thinking it will be too seedy and tough, just wait right there mister, this is a special variety that is SUPPOSED to be big. bring on the zuc cookies and bread and pizza crust and...

a shot of veggie man (some additional items from the csa: zephyr squash, sweet onion, dill and ginormous zuc.)

out of sorts

i am out of sorts today. i am cranky and allowing my ungodly frustration to get the better of me. i am introspective today, focusing on flaws of character and then running from the results.

focus my attention on YOU, Lord. increase my portion of You so i can then let Your love overflow to my family.

stove top shame

this is my horribly dirty stove. i am ashamed. i promised myself when we bought it that i would clean it daily and that it would always be as shiny clean as the day we took it out of the box. who was i kidding? have i ever met myself? anyway, i figured i could share my shame with the world and maybe offer some non-toxic cleaning tips while at it. so here goes:

1. sprinkle baking soda all over the stove- thicker on extra tough/greasy spots

2. spray the surface with a vinegar/water mix (my all-purpose cleaner is 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water, i use this)

3. let it sit

4. wipe off. this shot is the stove without any scrubbing.

i love to clean with vinegar and baking soda. they are my best cleaning friends (besides my daughter who does windows and my husband who does dishes)! i feel good when i can safely and confidently clean right alongside my children. it also allows me to include them in the cleaning efforts because i don't have to worry about the typical health concerns tied into cleaning with conventional products. it really hit home when i walked in the kitchen one day and buddy (at the time barely over a year) had gotten the vinegar/water mix off the counter and was in the act of sucking on the sprayer. i was so thankful that God taught me the lesson of being more careful with my supplies in a very gentle way! and for the vinegar wary, don't worry, the smell vanishes when it dries! if you don't clean naturally right now or are stumped for some recipes, let me know through the comments which specific ones you'd like to know. i'd be happy to share more!

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Hello Pinners!  Thanks for visiting my blog!  If you're interested in an updated version of my all purpose cleaner, check out {THIS POST}.

texas our texas...

we have a new family member- texas the irrisistable kitty! he is our micro-farm cat. we have high hopes for this future cat. namely, taking care of any snakes that might visit in search of eggs. whenever we start getting eggs...but that is a different post. texas is the best kitty i've ever had. he comes when you call him and allows the kids to give him lots of 'love'. we are attempting to feed him a raw food diet (www.pet-grub.com) with the notion that a healthy cat is a flea free cat. we'll see.

moonpie loves her new kitty and has been very responsible in making sure he is fed and watered and has had plenty of time on the slide and swing (with her). buddy, who is so tender by nature, just wants to hug him. the other day i overheard him saying 'wanna come outside wi' me?'. which was so cute coming out of his little not quite 2 years old mouth! i even caught john loving on the cat while reading the newspaper. we are most certainly all smitten kittens!

farm to market

so this is what about $20 can buy you at our local farmer's market. granted, i paid WAY too much for those heirloom tomatoes and bell pepper (but they are so pretty!), but i'd say the rest was a steal ($1.50 for eggs???). we go to the farmer's market every saturday morning for breakfast tacos and to supplement our csa order for the week. the majority of our vendors raise bumper crops in their backyards or live on small acreage- and it is booming! i can only imagine what the markets are like in larger cities around the country. i would love to do a tour of america's farmer markets (a peak into my nerdy self). if you haven't taken the time to find local produce, do it now! go to http://www.localharvest.org/ - just type in your zip code and go! and if you don't find anything, think about starting something yourself!

the little wife

i have been thinking a lot lately about the role of 'homemaker'. i remember in college and after thinking myself a feminist. thinking that the heart of feminism was the option to choose. but now, as a wife and a mom i realize that feminism is the right to choose, but only if it is to be out of the home. a woman who chooses to stay in the home is a disgrace, putting 'us' back to where 'we' fought so hard to escape. i must say that i have never felt the peace and the strength that i feel now as homemaker. this is the work that i have chosen, and i am proud of it. in raising my daughter i want her to know of her options. yes, she can be an architect, yes, she can be a midwife, but i am cheating her if i do not raise her with the option of homemaker as well.

camping

we just returned from our first camping trip since buddy was born (almost 2 years ago!). it was an overnighter in celebration of mother's day. we had a great time! the scenery was so beautiful, and just what i needed- lots of trees, room to wander and my family. there was a point last night as the air was rapidly escaping from our air mattress (that's right, we shared a mattress in a 3 man tent) that i woke up with a pain in my rear. it was touching the ground leaving my legs and head straight up in the air. imagine a well poised letter 'v' if you will. the moon was amazingly bright so i was able to still see the trees above us. i had moonpie vertically across my legs and buddy sweating on my chest, so the only option WAS to look up! but back to the moment. lying there i began to feel so grateful. grateful to be sweating under my 2 monkeys beneath the trees and the moon. now they are snug in their beds and they seem so far away . give me a tent and all of us piled on top of each other- that is happiness.

renewed vision

i have recently been feeling sorry for myself and my lack of land. coveting the land around me, daydreams of being a sunflower farmer. i was really in a pit of selfishness on tues.- complaining to a friend even. that same day a friend of mine (who is an actual farmer) sent out a youtube video about a family in so-cal who live in l.a. and run a microfarm on a city lot. every square inch of their land is planted, and 85% of it is edible! what an inspiration! so now i have renewed vision and energy about being an urban homesteader. i've been out surveying spots for fruit trees, herb gardens, bigger veggie boxes, and a spot for goats. we'll see what transpires, but i am excited! and even more importantly i'm feeling content, grateful even, for what i DO have. what a waste of time (and energy) to wallow in self-pity.