Space Station Samara

Hurricane excitement

2008-08-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

Our county declared emergency this morning. School are closed at least through tomorrow. I went to City Hall on Monday and picked up our Hurricane Evacuation Re-Entry passes, which we'll need to re-enter the island post-evacuation should there be one- I suppose it's to prevent looters from coming over & helping themselves. We're ready to evacuate if need be- because we're on a barrier island, we have to leave if the storm becomes a Category 1, though I don't know how they plan to do that since all of the bridges close if winds reach 40mph.

Other than than things seem normal, including the rain. It rains at least once a day here in the summer, usually heavy but brief showers. Today it's been raining on & off since the early morning. I did some grocery shopping but otherwise don't have much special to do. If the power stays on, we'll be having Cornish Pasties, salad, and blueberry pie for dinner.

I've been down with a head cold, so I'm going to take a nap with the little guy. Hope this storm brings nothing but cleansing, nourishing rain to you & yours, if anything :)

A Blessed and Bountiful Monday

2008-06-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a quiet yet busy few months here in Florida. We're adjusting well to the new location, making new friends and integrating into our community more smoothly than even I, the consummate traveler aka Army brat, could have imagined.

Here's a fairly recent picture of the container garden, taken from the back balcony. Over the past few weeks I've Freecycled many extra okra and tomato plants; there's just not room enough on our little patio to hold 40 okra plants and 35 beefsteak tomatoes, no matter how much I'd like to try. I've whittled the container garden down to about 15 of each, plus as many seedling eggplants, some peppers, and assorted herbs. So far, the only harvesting we've done has been from the herbs, some of which I'll use tonight. Some gardening books philanthropically suggest that one "plant a row for the hungry." Since that's not possible due to our garden's tiny size, I've been "planting a flat for the Freecyclers." Starting seeds doesn't take much space at all and it's been just lovely to share the plant bounty with other gardeners!

The blessings have been returned in kind via the Freecycling community- I recently received a bag of clothes in my size, many of which I like enough to have worked into the rotation. The best gift so far came today in the form of five pounds of assorted dry beans; we'd finally worked through our stash of lentils and chickpeas and the timing could not have been better!

Between the beans, the bounty from our local Farmer's Market and Greenmarket, and a little bit of augmenting with the grocery store, this week we should be eating well. Tonight's menu:
- herbed mashed potatoes (butter, heirloom local organic potatoes, homegrown thyme, sage, rosemary & parsley, garlic from the farmer's market)
- brussels sprouts (with dried currants, shaved heirloom local organic carrots, olive oil, thyme)
-beef salad (organic greens & homemade dressing, topped with leftover strips of marinated skirt steak)

All of the above take only minutes to make. Later in the week I hope to do:
- split pea soup with leftover ham and whole wheat bread
- white bean hummus & quinoa tabbouli with homemade whole wheat pita bread
- pink bean salad with summer squash, zucchini, onions, chilis and fresh corn, perhaps with jalepeno cornbread muffins

All of the week's meals will be served with green salad. Oh, how I love the bounty of summer! Once the garden starts producing vegetables we'll be having eggplant-tomato rolls with feta, eggplant fried with turmeric & mustard oil, a dazzling array of curried and fried okras with tomatoes & onions, sliced tomato, mozzarella & basil sandwiches and omelettes, sliced tomatoes dipped in cornmeal & fried up, eggplant parmesan with pasta, stuffed peppers, delicious pesto everything... who can resist it? I'm hungry already.

I hope that your week has gotten off to a blessed start as well!

A Nice Cup of Tea

2008-06-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Just the thing while the kiddo is about to wake and the day is young.

In the garden and more

2008-03-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

I didn't need to find a wire structure after all; I turned around and realized that the run-over bicycle abandoned by the previous tenant would provide for the air plants nicely.

Peas, lettuce, basil, parsley, rosemary, green onions, tomatoes and peppers are all poking around in their ghetto garden containers. The Mr. got into the act and provided another empty cat litter bucket this morning; I got 2 Easter baskets behind the Dollar Tree and a couple of drawers from a pile of household stuff at the curb a few streets down. They're now lined with window screening found in the same pile, planted with more lettuce and tomatoes. I forgot how crazy peas are about growing; I always forgot to plant them through winter in AZ and it was too hot for them by mid-April. The peas I planted two weeks ago are already a foot high and twisting around looking for supports. Maybe I should put some strings on the front balcony? The only thing I'm out of now is decent potting soil.

It was a very vegetarian week here- though it started off on Sunday night with the Mr.'s chicken curry. Between that, some veggie-laden whole wheat pasta and masoor dal & rice with yogurt, we made it through the week in dinners. I'm about out of milk and eggs, plus bread is in short supply- this might mean the dreaded trip to Costco is in order. I visited a local Indian grocery and stocked back up on those essential dry chickpeas and pickled mango, yum. We're still rich in rice and lentils, but I need to find a source for bulk dry pasta, nuts and dried fruit that won't cost me an arm & a leg. Any suggestions?

Yesterday I made an exploratory trip to the main library in downtown Jax for their family story time. It was great! Afterward we ate lunch in the square across the street and then headed to the farmer's market, where I scored all the produce my little heart could hope for, including my first intimidating head of collards (above, wrapped in a plastic bag). Yum. I'm going to have an experimental cooking escapade and make them 2 different ways, both Ethiopian style. The little guy had a fabulous time at the market as well, being presented with his own banana and a slice of watermelon from friendly folks. He came home sleepy, sticky and satisfied.

Here's the recipe for masoor dal that I use, in case anyone's interested (courtesy of my MIL):

Clean masoor dal (small, yellow rectangular split lentils) and rinse thoroughly. Boil until soft (less than an hour).

Meanwhile, heat some oil (preferably ghee or butter) in a large pan. Add crushed dried red chilies, cumin seeds, then some chopped tomato, turmeric & chili powder. Pour in the cooked dal and boil. Add chopped green chilies & plenty of chopped cilantro. Salt/lemon juice optional.

"For pink dal use mustard oil & onions instead of ghee & cumin."

Organic Brands Ownership Chart

2008-03-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this link on Boing Boing and all I could think after viewing it was, "Man, I sure hope that the Hain Celestial Group, in the spirit of Unilever and P&G, comes out with a coupon insert for the Sunday paper."

But then, I'm not a corporation hater flat-out. One has to see these things in the larger context- one in which we are all complicit, all flawed sinners, and as such all our man-made institutions our similarly flawed. Besides, was anyone still naive enough to believe that these nationally distributed brands had anything to do with

But to get back to the link- how much would you like to see an insert full of coupons for Horizon Organic milk, Casbah couscous & quinoa, Earth's Best baby cookies and Celestial Seasonings tea?

Take my coupons

2008-03-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have a large manila envelope of coupons that I won't use (for everything from makeup to processed food to cleansers) and I want you to have them. Comment and they're yours!

***UPDATE***

OK, they're taken. But hmmm, I do have loads every week that I don't use... would anyone be interested in doing a regular exchange? I always keep the ones for pet treats, kitty litter, all cat food and canned dog food (what I don't use myself goes to the local Humane Society)... plus anything for milk or eggs, bar soaps, gum, baby wash, razors, sunscreen...

I usually get at least 5 Sunday papers' worth of inserts each week, so there will usually be many duplicates. I always give away the ones for makeup, paper products, hair products (we have too much shampoo/conditioner already!) feminine products, baby food & diapers, and most cleaning products. Comment if you'd be willing to swap your unwanted but useful-to-me coupons for something that I don't use and maybe we can get something going!

A busy weekend of "gleaning & cleaning"

2008-03-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

This afternoon was a bit of a whirlwind. I went "coupon gleaning" at Starbucks & the local diner and found 5 papers' worth of coupon inserts on my stroll with the Little Mr. We all went to the beach in the afternoon briefly, but came back for naptime and I started dinner & cleaned inside while the Mr. raked up the pine straw in the yard. Now I'm getting organized for tomorrow's shopping trip. All I need are bananas or apples, some other fruit, and organic whole milk. Maybe parsley & cucumbers for tabbouli... maybe mushrooms for quiche. If I get anything else it had better be free or close to it!

Yesterday I got the lettuce & green onion seeds planted. Tomorrow I need to do some tomatoes & peppers & maybe beans; if I can glean another wooden crate or lumber to make more that'd be great. Tomorrow is trash & recycling day & that means all kinds of interesting stuff at the curbs. I find it interesting on my walks that there are so many others cruising the streets, on bikes or in cars, scouring the curbs like me for things that they can use. I wonder what they're looking for? My eyes are looking for these things this week:
- things that I can use as planters
- non-rickety wooden chairs to use for balcony seating as low tables for plants
- some sort of hanging wire structure or birdcage, on which to hang air plants
- coupon inserts (including coupons for free cans of dog food, cat treats & feminine products)

What I found this past week:
- lumber
- a large wooden crate, now lined with pine straw & newspaper, full of compost & potting soil and about to be planted with tomatoes
- two jumbo plastic jars that once held animal crackers- I'm going to use them to store basmati rice
- coupon inserts

I'm so tired now. I just rearranged my blogroll too, so that's done. Too tired to think or write more 'til tomorrow.

I'm back

2008-02-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

I mean it. I'm going to get blogging again. Life has settled down, I'm in a healthy routine, and there's lots to talk about and discuss; a recipe for blogging if there is such a thing.

So, what's new with you? There's a lot new here (though no new baby news or anything shriek-worthy like that :) ). Here's the short of it: back in August, the big mortgage company that employed both the Mr. and I shut down. Everyone got laid off. We were fortunate enough to have work for awhile afterward, but soon enough we had no jobs.

Strangely enough, it wasn't a terrible blow at all- aside from grieving the loss of our work community and the losses of our co-workers, we leapt at the opportunity for change. We made an inventory of our lives and came up with an outline for our goals that boils down to: move somewhere new, preferably within driving distance of family, preferably on the East coast and preferably not in the South. Preferably, I stay home with the little guy. Live somewhere where we can garden and the Mr. can see music performances. Find a church community in which we can thrive. Have more kids, God willing. Be as eco-geeky as possible. Spend a lot of time outdoors.

After 3 months on the job market, the Mr. got a job offer in Jacksonville, Florida- the East Coast AND the South! We had 4 yard sales, gave away about 1/3 of our remaining belongings including furniture, made all kinds of little and big repairs to our house, sold both my cars, hired a property manager, moved and rented out our old house. We found a nice rental near the beach east of Jacksonville. The yard is shady but the mint & parsley are coming up just fine and we even have a little curry tree coming along. I've been successfully Compacting (with 3 exception purchases) since last July (more on that later). We spend a good part of every weekend on the beach - walking or playing - and the Mr. takes his daily runs there. I've joined a couple of local parents' groups and the little guy has been loving the local playgrounds & library story times & the kids he meets. We're still working on settling into a church. I got a new-to-me car but have driven it exactly twice- we're living the pedestrian life down here.

So that's it for the moment... I like Jax so far. I like walking to shop at Publix, Winn-Dixie, Walgreens, CVS, the local Italian market and the local natural foods store. I like being within walking distance of the beach, the library, parks & playgrounds, the post office, the vet, the groomer. We like our landlord and our rental. We like the neighbors that we've met so far. There's an awesome Indian store near the Mr.'s work.

Of course, there are some new things. Fleas, for example. There were no fleas in Arizona; it's too dry for them. Tips gladly accepted! The dog is fine (she has Advantix) but the cats and carpet (ugh, carpet), not so much. A yard that we have to rake and eventually mow - I haven't used a mower since we lived in NC. Can I get a self-push mower these days? How do I go about sharpening the blades on one of those? Ah, I'm sure the Internet can answer those questions. The Mr. is the only brown person on our street- in fact, we have become acquainted with exactly zero people of color (maybe church can remedy that?). I miss my family & friends (but we've been sending lots of mail, so maybe we'll see a return on that... hint hint).

All in all, things are great and we feel as blessed as we ever have. The little Mr. is growing and charming me more each day. He "helps" me with cleaning, cooking and laundry. You're right, Internet- kids want to do whatever they see us doing. My little shadow loves to help!

Here's hoping and praying that whoever is reading this finds God's blessings everywhere in their own lives today. I would love to hear from you in a comment!

MYHAH Mondays - getting things done

2008-02-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

This Monday I am back in AZ, taking care of some things at our old house and trying to take a breath here & there. Here's what I got accomplished today in order to make our OLD home a haven for our future tenants:

1. Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)
I spent some time in bed with my little one, nursing him while I read the Word. He lifted his head to vocalize during my spoken prayers.

2. Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)
While the little Mr. ate his breakfast, I made a few lists in a notebook: who to call today, what to get done at our house, and questions that I had for our property manager.

3. Do Something! (5 -15 minutes)
There were actually many of these today!
- Called bank
- Called investment bank
- Sorted through documents & mail from our box, packed in organized way
- Cleaned kitchen skylights
- Replaced outside & closet lightbulbs
- Moved unwanted patio furniture to alley for bulk pickup and posted about it on the Free section in Craigslist
- Packed up about 8 boxes (in 2 goes) for Big Brothers Big Sisters (and made 3 drop-off trips later on)
- Walked through house and touched up paint, filled in nail holes
- Painted the baseboards in 1 bathroom and 2 closets
- Met with property manager & had all of my questions answered!
- Called handyman to see about yard work/roof shingle replacement
- Did nursing/singing bedtime routine with baby, who is now snoozing peacefully

Each of these things took 15 minutes or less, who knew? It feels like I got so much done and could then call my sweet Mr. and relieve him with the details.

Take my कोउपोंस

2008-01-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

They're gone, gone, gone!

Photos of our home, Part One

2007-11-11T13:38:00.001-08:00

Welcome to our little townhome! This is our front gate. Above the wall you can see the bouganvillea and catsclaw that grow on either side of the patio walkway.

We like to have breakfast and tea here in the front patio. Directly to your left as soon as you enter is our orange tree (actually, they're technically not oranges, they're satsumas- very tasty!). The Mr. likes to snag a few fruits from the tree on his way out the door in the mornings. The sliding door on the left leads to the kitchen. This makes for easy access to our herbs and the peppers and tomatoes that we grow in pots here in the patio.

Frugal Fridays: Baby food coupon deals at Safeway

2007-10-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is another post for Frugal Fridays, hosted by Biblical Womanhood.

Safeway is having some good deals on baby food this week and combining those with coupons available in-store makes them great.

Beech Nut jar food (normally 79 cents a jar locally) is on sale for 40 cents a jar through October 30, and there is a coupon dispenser next to the display for $1 off a purchase of 4 jars (I also received these coupons in the mail recently). If you buy 4 jars, the price comes down to 15 cents a jar, which is cheap enough for even me to buy some (generally speaking, I make all of my own fruit & veggies for our son).

Beech Nut boxed baby cereals (normally $2.39) are on sale for $1.69 each through November 13. Combine this with the $1 off coupon from the accompanying dispenser (or from the mailer) and each box is 69 cents.

I have twice purchased Earth's Best organic boxed baby cereals ($2.99 apiece locally), and each box has a coupon on the back for $1 off a purchase of 10 jars of their baby foods. Usually this would not be enough to entice me to buy these pricy organic jar foods ($1.19 apiece!), but Safeway is running a sale on the jars for 50 cents apiece through October 28. I can get 20 jars for $8 using the coupons at the sale price. I haven't yet used this one, but will mull it over. (Okay, I used one today and got 10 jars for $4!)

Both times at checkout, a catalina printed for 75 cents off any 8oz box of Gerber cereal. I don't plan to use these immediately, but will keep them on hand in case these cereals go on sale sometime soon. I noticed that the Gerber cereals have the catalina details posted at the display- "buy two Gerber cereals and get a 75 cent coupon for your next visit", but I did not purchase any Gerber products and still received these catalinas both times I stopped in to hit these deals. Perhaps they're printing out for anyone who purchases any of the baby cereals?

Since squash seems to be on sale everywhere around here lately, I may get a few pounds of different squashes and make a few batches to freeze. The used baby food jars are terrific for this purpose, by the way- one pound of veggie puree fits neatly into about 4 4oz jars, depending on whether you add water to the purees (I do not- if more water is needed, I add it upon thawing, or mix the purees with cereal). So keep those jars and stock up on the fall harvest bounty! If we weren't planning on relocating very soon, I'd be stocking our freezer with all kinds of frozen fall items. As it is, the store-bought jar food may be very useful for feeding our son during the anticipated drive to our new home and as we exhaust the current contents of our pantry & freezer.

Frugal Fridays: Eckerdt Drug Close-outs

2007-07-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

Frugal Fridays by Biblical Womanhood is up and this week I have an excellent tip.

Do you live near an Eckerdt Drug store? They have been bought out by Rite-Aid and all Eckerdt Drug generics are on closeout sale for 75% off!

One example for those of you who use disposable diapers (or have a local diaper bank to donate to): a 40-pack of diapers is only $2!

Think of what you can save on or bless someone with! My mom cleaned her local store out and then made a trip to a couple of local shelters with Eckerdt brand diapers, shampoos, household cleansers, hygeine products and non-prescription medicines.

Check it out while you can.

Library needs your homeschool book suggestions!

2007-06-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hello- I know I haven't posted in ages, but since you're reading this, I need your help!

One of my older brothers runs a library system in California. We've been talking a lot lately about this & that, and I mentioned that he must get a lot of homeschool users in there. He said that he does, but he'd like to do more, as in order materials that they would use. He plans to do a homeschool-specific library user survey, but he'd also like any suggestions from atual homeschooling families.

Despite being on the move a lot as kids- I once missed 42 days of school in a row when we were on a mission trip- we never homeschooled full-time. So- would you round up materials suggestions and post them in my comments? He has a huge budget this year and will actually purchase anything that folks consider useful- books, DVDs, CDs, maps, software, you name it. Even if you don't have transportation, did you know that many libraries (his included) have lots of things online like language lessons, downloadable history lecture MP3s, etc?

Oh, and I don't want to hear any claptrap about how libraries are un-American, socialist institutions that steal money from taxpayers blah blah blah. Yeah, that Thomas Jefferson, what an un-American socialist, seriously :o/

So- what would you like to see if this were your local library? What would you actually use? Let me know!

A postnatal milestone

2007-04-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my pre-pregnancy skirts & pants started fitting again. Today I am officially back at my pre-pregnancy weight, hurrah! I've been avoiding purchasing new clothing in the hope that I would once again fit into what I already had. Finally! Now, if only my non-knit-fabric shirts would fit- can anyone tell me if "the tides retreat" once breastfeeding ends? All of my springy dresses are still either too small under the shoulders, or positively scandalous!

In other news, today seems to be "flying male ants day" around here, or maybe it's "flying male termites day"- one of them just met his fruitless end on the keyboard of my laptop.

Here's a recent photo of the Little Mr for those interested- he's 4 1/2 months now. The time has certainly flown!

OK, I'm off to hang some diapers on the line, then scrape up some leftovers for dinner. Brie & crackers, then hummus & tabbouli salad on pita, yum!

In which I interview myself

2007-04-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Samara: what exactly is the purpose of this blog, anway?
Myself: Well, it started out as a way to update my family about the goings-on in my life, but none of them ever read it. Now it's more of a links list for me to get to the other sites I like to visit, plus I do post from time to time. I've considered using it as a photo page for baby photos, but I don't think that'd be very efficient.
Samara: OK. So, how's life as a new mom?
Myself: Totally awesome, and I mean that in every sense of the word. My son is the coolest. No, seriously- best baby ever. The Mr. even thinks so, & he's never been a baby person. Neither have I, really.
Samara: Have you encountered any judgmental people yet, you know, the types who like to judge moms to their face? I heard a lot about those types while I was pregnant and I didn't really expect them to exist.
Myself: Well, only one couple so far- I was trying to make small talk with a couple in line at the coffee shop, and we were talking about our babies. I pointed out that I was amazed that babies are so interesting because until I had one, I'd always considered them to be totally boring. They both went kind of blank and the lady said, totally coldly, "I've always loved babies." Then they turned away from me and gave me the ignore vibe. I didn't realize it until later but that was my first "judged mom" moment. That's OK though, maybe they had some sort of baby trauma in their past. I do recognize that I now take it personally when I overhear someone say that they don't like kids. That's MY kid you're not liking, Buster.
Samara: Who knew? Motherhood is such a gift.
Myself: Yeah, really. I feel blessed all over the place.
Samara: The last year has been one of change, hasn't it?
Myself: No kidding! The kinds of change that make you wonder what exactly happened and am I still the same person in this completely new life?
Samara: It all kind of kicked into gear when your mom got so sick.
Myself: Yes, the blood clots. Pulmonary clotting, bad stuff, and I was really face to face with mortality there. God was there too. It was a really defining time for me and has remained so. I'm even closer with my mom now.
Samara: Then you got married.
Myself: Yes. To the man that God had chosen for me. That made me aware of my body too, not in the mortality sense, but in the God's design sense. Wow. Being married is great. It means more than I knew.
Samara: Um, yes. <>
Myself: Ahem. So then a month later I was pregnant. Only I didn't realize it for a couple of months. I just thought my body was a little off; I had no morning sickness or any of those stereotypical things. Only heartburn, toward the end.
Samara: Your mom says that you take to pregnancy like she did.
Myself: Well if I took to it that well I'd be pregnant again by now, she was a once of year kind of mom :)
Samara: Well, you never know. The Mr. may never get to experience a menstruating wife. He hasn't yet, right?
Myself: That's weird, but true.
Samara: Anyhow, you had a crisis regarding your mom's health, got married, had a baby, what else?
Myself: We renovated most of our house, experienced positive changes at work, and I started working from home recently. It's great.
Samara: What, no giving up the job completely?
Myself: Not until we feel brave enough to risk me & Dinesh having no health insurance. And I'm not that brave yet, especially where he's concerned. At least I really like my job!
Samara: That's a blessing; a lot of people have to work at jobs they dislike just to make ends meet.
Myself: I appreciate God's gifts now more than ever. The past year has been a real journey for me in terms of my walk with God. I feel focused and strengthened in my faith, even though I feel more relaxed as well in my faith. Not lazy or sloppy, just more comfortable and less tense...
Samara: Safer in your relationship with God?
Myself: Something like that. I think that part of it is being able to rely on my husband for spiritual leadership, instead of relying on myself all the time, if that makes sense. I think that before, I was trying really hard to determine the right path, trying to grow in the Spirit indpendently, and now I have guidance and direction from without in a way that my church relationships and even family relationships didn't fulfill, especially since I really diverged from some of them when I left Catholicism a couple of years ago. I don't have to forge my own way alone anymore; my husband is there, leading. Am I making any sense?
Samara: Ask your married lady readers.
Myself: Um, if I have any these days. Married lady readers? Do you understand what I mean?

Public parks

2007-04-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Living near several public parks makes our frequent walks much more pleasurable than they might be if we lived in an area with no such local amenities. There are two large parks within a mile or so of our home; one is located such that I can pass through it on the way to many of my frequent destinations, such as the post office, the library and and the local video store. This park is nearly always occupied by parents with children, neighbors walking dogs, and groups of people playing sports or generally enjoying the outdoors. Several community groups meet outdoors in the park, and sometimes we see drama groups performing in the amphitheater.

The Mr. and I often reflect that regardless of the type of neighbohood we might live in if we moved, we hope it to be close to or even border a public park. I believe that such properties are generally worth more not only in terms of the appraised cash value of a property, but have tangible benefits for the residents in terms of their health and productivity. Like a front-yard garden, a park that is visible will be more utilized- it's a place to exercise and play, a place to meet neighbors, a place to win souls, a place to meet with community groups.

The days are so nice this time of year! Get on out and enjoy some of that good old-fashioned city planning.

Baby Laundry Tips

2007-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Over the last six weeks, I've done at least eight to ten loads of laundry per week- that's four or five loads per week more than before the birth of our little son. Three of these loads are cloth diapers, and one is bedding (I've been washing the bedding twice weekly nowadays due to baby D spitting up/drooling etc while in bed with us). Baby clothes, washcloths/towels, baby bedding and other items account for another load every week or two. I'm still using our clotheslines almost exclusively, and therefore can't do more than 3 or 4 loads per day, as line space is limited. Below are some practices that I've been utilizing to make the laundry process more efficient.

Using a mesh bag for small items:
When I first saw baby socks, did I think "Awwa, so cuuuute!!!"? No: I immediately thought; "Now those are just begging to get lost in the wash!" Mesh bag to the rescue- we can find zippered mesh bags at the local dollar stores at 3 for a dollar. I've always used them for delicate items and for separating items that can't go into the dryer, but now they're also being used for baby socks & mitts plus my cotton breast pads- tiny items that might otherwise disappear into the Missing Sock Dimension.

Use of the "lingerie wheel":

This item is nice for drying lots of small items that would otherwise take up a lot of space on the clothesline. It can also be used indoors to dry lingerie that can't go into the dryer. We currently use it for those items plus pairs of baby socks/mitts, cloth wipes, baby washcloths etc. I sure would like to get another one or two of these wheels, so if anyone has tips (the stores here no longer seem to have them) I'd appreciate it!

Organizing baby clothes:

Weed out items that no longer fit. This is easier to do if you limit the number of items in the first place- it's a lot harder to know when a onesie has been outgrown if it's in a drawer full of 20 onesies, for example, since you're less likely to "cycle through" anything close to the entire stock of onesies in a normal laundry cycle. I plan to keep for our next child only those clothes that are "perfect": so far that would include sleeper gowns, socks, mitts, hats, good-quality cloth diapers & covers, and the footie- or romper-type one-piece outfits that fasten with snaps on both legs. No zippers, buttons, two-piece outfits or items that open along a single leg. Everything that doesn't meet my standards of "perfection" is going to be given away or traded in at the thrift store once he's outgrown it- I'll use it for now if I need to, but I don't want it taking up space while we wait for baby #2 to come along.

Keep similar items together and store them consistently. I have three places where I'm keeping most of the baby-room clothes and linens: the changing table (current cloth diapers, wipes, and a couple of outfits), the hall bathroom (washcloths, hooded towels) and the baby's dresser (current and next-size-up baby clothes, bibs, next-size-up diapers, baby blankets, crib & bassinet linens, linens for the guest bed, spare pillow cases for the nursing pillows and other miscellanea).

Baby clothes and cloth diapers that won't be used until he is at least 6 months old (he is just 1.5 months old now) are bein stored in a box just as I store my out-of-season clothing. This box is in the closet in his bedroom and unless he grows like a mad bean sprout, I won't need to refer to it for some time. There's also enough space in the box that I can begin putting outgrown keeper items on one side of it as they become too small.

Cloth diaper laundry

I have two different brands of cloth diapers; the one that fits him right now requires no presoaking, but the bucket that I'm using as a diaper pail (with a little baking soda sprinkled at the bottom) can easily be used as a wet pail as well. It's a recyled kitty litter pail; the kind with a lid that flaps open and snaps shut to contain odors (see below). Right now I'm going the diaper laundry every second or third day (see previous blog entry for more details).

That's all for now!

Cloth diapering progress

2007-01-31T21:54:00.000-08:00

Baby Dinesh is now in cloth diapers full time, including nights and when we're out & about (not that he's out much yet). I'm totally digging it- while researching cloth diapering online I was struck by the enthusiastic attitudes of the people who use cloth, and now I'm understanding why folks are so positive about it. Besides the obvious- cost savings, Creation-friendliness, good skin health- they things are just too cute. I love the puffy "cotton butt" look, and is there anything to make you feel more old-school motherly than clothespinning a neat row of snowy white diapers on the line?

My diaper stash has grown quite a bit- several weeks ago when I started using cloth I had only 19 prefold diapers and 3 covers that fit him, meaning that I had to wash them every day and then use disposables until the laundry was done. After a weekend trip to our local diaper service and one nearby thrift store, I'm up to 38 prefolds, 3 fitteds, 12 covers and 3 pocket diapers (Fuzzi Bunz brand) in his size. We're set for now; I think that doing the diapers every second or third day is now enough.

So far, it takes about 2 days and 20 diapers to fill the dirty diaper pail (a recycled 35-lb kitty litter bucket with a snap-flap lid and a little baking soda in the bottom). Also in the diaper pail are any pooped-upon articles of baby clothing (only 2 so far!) and non-pooped-upon flushable diaper liners (I read somewhere online that these liners can be laundered & reused if they haven't gotten poopy, so I tossed a few wet ones in with the diapers and sure enough they're clean & ready for another go). Rather than presoaking the diapers, I keep a bottle of Shout on top of the diaper pail and spray any potential stains before dropping them in. My new washer has a "baby wear" cycle- hot wash, cold rinse with a second rinse & spin- and I've been using that with just a bit of detergent and a little vinegar in the first rinse cycle. The covers I've been doing on a mini cycle, warm wash cold rinse with detergent (no vinegar), then drying everything on the line.

Most likely, prefolds with wrap style covers are what I'll continue to use most, with the occasional pocket diaper. I do have some AIOs in larger sizes, but the fact that I line dry almost exclusively means that I won't want to be using those all the time as they don't dry as quickly, plus they're pretty expensive. So are pocket diapers, but Next Generation surprised me by selling Fuzzi Bunz at a lower price than I've found anywhere online- $15.95- so I bought two to try out, plus I found a used one for $3 and you can't beat that. They are really cute and easy to use; I put mine into my diaper bag for on-the-go use.

Well, that's my update. I'm glad that I'm able to use cloth and launder them myself; even using a diaper service, while it might be cheaper than disposables, would be significantly more costly than what we've invested so far. Many thanks to the Lord for such sweet little blessings, and our Sweet Little Blessing!

Frugal Fridays: Reusables vs Disposables

2007-01-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

This post is my first contribution to Crystal's Frugal Fridays at Biblical Womanhood.

Each year for the past 6 years, I've resolved to find a way to produce less waste than I did the year before. Year 1 was recycling, Year 2 was composting, Year 3 was vegetable gardening, Year 4 was using long-life low-enery lightbulbs and cloth grocery bags, and Year 5 was using a clothesline rather than the dryer. Year 6 was going to be installing a rainwater cistern, but instead we got a new high-efficiency washer & dryer and selected sustainable items when redoing the house (low-VOC paint, bamboo & stained concrete flooring etc). This year I hope to either do the rainwater cistern, install a greywater system for the front garden or get a solar hot water heater. The rainwater cistern seems the most likely candidate, requiring no zoning/planning permissions, and relatively little labor.

Over the years, I've also tried to make the best choices with regard to the whole reduce-reuse-recycle system, in terms of both wise home economy and respect for God's Creation. Using reusable items where disposables were once the norm is one that's become a renewed focus, particularly with the introduction of cloth diapers. Today I sat down and made a list of all of the disposable-to-reusable conversions we've implemented so far:

Newspaper (we used to get the NY Times; now read online only)
Handkerchiefs (we keep one box of Kleenex in the house for guests but neither of us use it anymore)
Cloth grocery bags (we keep them in the car trunks)
Diapers (mostly, for the past week)
Wipes (just started using cloth wipes at home)
Cleaning rags (instead of paper towels, for most cleaning)
Old linen dishtowels (used instead of paper towels to clean glass)
Breast pads (I do have some disposable ones, but haven't had to resort to them much)
Toilet paper (just kidding!)

Using reusables such as these have saved us a considerable amount of money on the grocery bill- even the cloth grocery bags, for which we receive a nickel credit per bag at one of our regular grocery stores.

What's next? There's an easy way to answer this question- just look in the trash can! My kitchen trash has a lot of napkins in it; the bathroom has a lot of "feminine" items. Both of these would be good things to investigate with respect to reusable options. I have started to use cloth napkins when we sit down to dinner, but not all the time. I'd also like to look into using cloth "feminine" items- too bad I didn't start that before having a baby, as they would have seen a lot of use in the last month!

What kinds of reusables do you use? What do you hope to use in the future?

Baby Pictures

2007-01-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

You know you've been waiting for these :)

At the hospital:

Here's little D hanging out in his Boppy. I love his little peeking toes:

Here he is in the bassinet:

cloth diapers

2007-01-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

My dad came home today and with him he brought a fabulous gift for the newest grandbaby- a stack of cloth diapers for me to use with Dinesh! There are 20 Kushies AIOs in 2 sizes with 3 dozen extra liners, 12 Bambino Mio prefolds with 3 covers, 2 swim diaper covers, and 2 100-packs of disposable diaper liners. How sweet is my dad? Half of the Kushies diapers are toddler size, so I will probably put those away for later unless one of my sisters-in-law wants to use them. I already have about two dozen plain prefolds and a few random AIOs picked up at local thrift stores, but there are enough cloth diapers now that I can start using them almost everyday!

I've already washed all of the new diapers and cloth liners and they are outside drying on the patio clotheslines as I write this. Dinesh is beside me on the bed, snoozing peacefully. He should wake up wanting to nurse any minute now. The Mr. has briefly departed to pick up some Thai take-out.

I've planned on using cloth diapers ever since reading about others' experiences with them, starting with Crystal's blog (she uses Fuzzi Bunz). I try to do the frugal and Creation-friendly things when I can- practicing good "green" techniques like recycling and walking instead of driving, etc. Using cloth diapers seems to fulfill both those goals, as over the long run disposable diapers would really add up (wipes too). While I was pregnant I made several dozen cloth wipes out of old cotton t-shirts; they have been seeing plenty of use as "face mops" for Mr. Milky Mouth, though I haven't yet used them as diaper wipes. I will have to do something like use only handkerchiefs on his face, and the homemade wipes for diapering, so as to ensure that the items are properly segregated by use!

I will post some photos as soon as I can!

Baby Dinesh!

2006-12-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

The baby has arrived (last week, in fact) and yes, he is all things Baby- sweet, cute, precious, snuggly, smoochable, squeezeable, cuddly, adorable, soft, warm, smiley, sweet-smelling, tiny, ticklish, etc.

I have been enjoying every moment with him, even those late-night, tired & sore moments. Gathering him up in my arms and gazing at his little face are all I really need to do to feel all swollen up with love for my wee one. The Mr., too, has been charmed- he holds him, changes him, helps to bathe him, and has also played him a few guitar solos :)

Dinesh looks his way every time he talks, staring at the Mr.'s face intently as though trying to figure something out. He must recognize our voices from his time in the womb, and is now making the visual associations- boy, does he ever love to look at our faces. Is there anything like having your child stare at you searchingly, and then break out into an enormous happy smile? I am so in love.

This week begins the grandparent parade- the Mr.'s parents wlll be arriving tomorrow, and my father will be back from overseas in a few weeks. My mom has already been coming over every other day (she was also present at the birth) and spending plenty of time cuddling her newest grandson. She's also brought over gifts of food, drinks (like bottled juice and water for me to drink while I nurse) and baby items (like Chux pads to use on the changing table) that have been much appreciated. Yesterday we had a small Christmas dinner with her and my youngest brother before they headed over to visit with my other brothers, and we didn't have to cook a thing; it was all pleasantly low-key.

Now I'm off to grab some more sleep with Dinesh- I'll post again when I have a few moments.

New Internet!

2006-12-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Well, the house is just about done. We still need to paint a bit of trim, but we're all ready (well, as ready as we can be) for our son's arrival now. The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of home improvements, parties (including 2 baby showers!), doctor appointments, childbirth & baby classes, organizing, and generally preparing ourselves for the next phase of life that the Lord has planned for us.

Our internet DSL connection had been going to the dogs for some time, and a few weeks ago it gave out entirely. We decided to therefore ditch our provider entirely, as we'd had issues with them before and their junky customer service, so we now have a new phone & internet provider. Everything seems to be going well. I'm having a typical Saturday morning- laundry going, dishes clean & ready to be put away, trash and recycling taken out, and a tasty breakfast in both our bellies. The baby is kicking and all seems right with the world.

Hope that all's right in your part of the world as well!

Groaning at the seams

2006-09-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

I sat down to do a little internet work, and my did I ever feel constricted. I wondered if my pants were a little too tight (I ran out of non-work skirts that fit several weeks ago), so I unbuttoned them. Then unzipped them. Then I changed into a loose nightgown, figuring that maybe I was just overheated. Still, I have this tight feeling. To my horror I just realized that it's my skin & muscle that's constricting me!

Baby, what are you UP to?

I feel a bit like a lizard that's outgrown its skin, but I can't exactly molt. I have a feeling that all the lotion in the world isn't going to make the next three months easy.

On the bright side, we've got more of the house done- we spent all weekend mitering and installing baseboards and quarter-round for the floor moldings, and I've just spent the evening nailing in the baseboards in the back two bedrooms while the Mr. painted the floor moldings in the living room & hallway. Soon we'll be done with the living room and will be able to move some furniture back in there. Then the bedrooms will be done, and we can move the bedroom furniture back to the walls (right now everything back there is moved into the center of the rooms). I love the self-sufficient feeling of DIY accomplishment that working on our home has given both of us.

Lil' Fetus Face has been merrily wiggling away, much to my pot-bellied delight. He wiggles after I eat, he wiggles when I get into bed at night, when I change position and when I wake up. He wiggles when I feel my belly to figure out his position. He even wiggles when the Mr. talks to him :) I love him so much already; I can't imagine what it's going to be like to actually meet him.

I'm at the point now where I'm fully into maternity (or larger-sized) clothes, with the exception of a few shirts and one pair of jeans (the ones that I was wearing earlier). The jeans are the only pair I've owned in the last few years, though I never wore them before- they're a hand-me-down from a friend and are those super low-rise, stretch-denim jeans. I'd originally planned to sew on a decent waistband, but well- who knew? They are the perfect maternity jeans, paired with one of the many popular-right-now extra-long shirts (to cover up the bits that these kinds of jeans are not meant to cover up). I've been able to wear them comfortably while we work on the house, which is nice as I wouldn't want to spend money on clothing that's going to be used for doing rough & messy work.

Well, it's getting late and I have some major sleeping to do. Goodnight!