out of doors

If I'm completely honest, I'll admit I'm not "too much" of an outdoorsy person. Yes, I love gardening, but as far as hiking, camping, and going on trails-I haven't done much of those things-but now we are living in a part of the country where people love (and I do mean love) the outdoors-and that feeling is a bit contagious. The more I venture out and see the beauty of this place we now live in I totally get it. Bring it on-I'm ready to get us a tent!

seeing green

In our gardening class this week we tried out some plant/tree identification. Yikes! I'm telling you, trying to identify a plant or tree can sometimes feel like trying to locate a pin in a haystack-but what we try to do is to narrow down the possible options. Are the leaves opposite or alternate? Is this leaf from a deciduous tree or is it evergreen? What is the leaf pattern? It's a bit like being a "green" detective, which really is fun. There are so many great people in this gardening class-retirees, young adults in their twenties, moms, farmers, former librarians, really it's such a fun and varied group (also a nice touch to the classes is that at each class hot coffee and tea are offered along with baked goodies, there is also fruit for those who are avoiding the goodies-I eat both :)
Yesterday the woman who spoke about composting was truly an inspiration. She was trained in another field, but in her late forties she decided to go back to college to get her Masters degree in soil science- I love it! (I especially love it because I turned a year older this week).
So today as I got home from a little shopping (went out to get some plant/tree guides of course) I took some pictures of green outside~

~lichens on a tree


~moss in our driveway

~rosemary planted last September when we first moved here and a hellebore that was just repotted today (the hellebore I received from class, from a Master Gardener-she gave several of them away).

~the books I purchased today


One thing about living here is that while is does get a little cold, it doesn't get cold. It's a very green place, really almost year round (hence the rain as well-but there's sun today, yay!-we take it when we can get it). Perhaps this green place is a great place to learn about gardening-maybe it's "growing" on me-pun fully intended!

our 2010

2010 was a year of many changes for us, some good, some not so much. One of the most drastic changes last year and most heartbreaking was the passing of my grandmother. In the fall of 2009 my grandmother got quite ill. She went back and forth between the hospital and home-and then finally hospice. She passed away last January-just three months after her initial hospitalization. See my grandmother was/is very instrumental in my life. She had a huge hand in my up bringing. Some of my favorite memories (from my early childhood) include us going out to get fried fish (from Captain D's) and then coming back home to look at Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. She loved game shows. Another thing she would always do for me was to get me a Snickers bar whenever we ventured to the grocery store together. She loved cooking and was absolutely one of the best cooks I've ever known. Her macaroni and cheese (she used Velveeta:) was so, so good. She always wanted family and guests to eat well. Her cakes, her pies were pure down home goodness. She was my perpetual cheerleader, she use to tell me how proud she was of me-even if I hadn't done anything particularly outstanding. I am so very grateful that my own children had chances to be with her during our visits down South. Often someone I know will tell me that I have "old people ways" and I know exactly why I do have those ways. I miss talking to her on the phone, asking for advice, talking about the weather, politics, and what we were both cooking up for dinner. I just miss her so much-I keep my memories of her close to my heart.

Another major change this year (late summer) was our move. This is the farthest we have ever moved from our family. In all the other places we've lived before we were at least in driving distance to someone in our families. This move took a lot out of me (honestly I was a hot mess), but with each day this new place becomes less new. I'm not big on change-at all. If I could live in the same place for years I think I would because I'm just a creature of habit. However because of schooling and work situations we have done our fair share of moving. Now in a new place, we are trying to establish community for our family. This community building has been made somewhat easier because of our church. Yet, I still find myself at times struggling with feelings of loneliness and sadness. As I inch closer my forties- the need for connection and belonging has become stronger. Roots. We are not totally sure if this will be the place for our "roots"- but we will remain prayerful about it.

Other changes include what's next for me work/career wise. This has been on my mind alot because now both of my girls are in school all day. Often I get the question, "what do you do with all that free time?" Honestly I want to respond to the person asking with "I recharge!", but mostly I just look at the person with a shy grin. The tutoring, piano practices, and other activities fill up a great deal of our after school days, but perhaps it would be interesting to pursue something outside of the home spectrum (hence the Master Gardening classes :) My dream would be to work outdoors-planting something, but is that practical? When my oldest daughter was born I put her in daycare when she was six months old to go back to school. After schooling I worked outside the home until I had my second child. After my second child I did not re-enter the workforce. Now my youngest is in school full day. Should I go back to my old field which is totally practical or should I pursue something vastly different? Definitely questions for me to answer in 2011.

Despite those major changes in 2010, 2010 also included some wonderful times. We participated in our first ceilli, we visited weekly with our dear friends and had lovely adventures with them, we visited Chicago and one of our favorite places there, we participated in the community garden with friends from church. Now we are getting to know new people, laying the foundation for new friendships and appreciating the beautiful scenery (greenery, mountains, trees) of this place we now call home.

My prayer for this New Year includes a prayer for strength~
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13 NIV

a prayer for wisdom~
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5 NIV

and most of all a prayer of hope~
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
Psalms 62:5 NIV

again Happy New Year~
much love,
nichole

we've moved....

and it's official,
I'm in over my head!

Hoping to come up for air in a week or two.

Have a fabulous weekend, and while you're at it why don't you come over and help me unpack (:

goings on-part 2~ the food edition, mostly

Hey, remember I mentioned about eating more raw foods, well last night for dinner I had a collard wrap/roll and it was so good (similar to the raw kale wraps, but with salsa too). Really the hot weather just makes one crave for cool crunchy veggies, and sweet juicy fruits. So eating this way is definitely easier when the outside temps are in the nineties with unbearable humidity. Realistically though I know that I couldn't be a full time raw foodist because I like cooked food as well. I think it would be pretty tough to maintain a high raw diet in the winter, especially in a place that gets chilly-but like I said this is just me. I just love experimenting and I totally believe that you have to do what is right for your health, for yourself, and your loved ones, this is what I call liberation in eating!
Anyway while eating raw has been great for my dinners, we have been also clearing out our freezer because of our upcoming move. This clearing out included cooking up a turkey (a small one about ten pounds) that I had purchased about 2 years ago. I don't know if we are going to get that freezer all cleared out (alot of stuff is in there, hello-frozen apples from 2008?) so perhaps we will invite the college kids from our church over so they can have their pick of things-you know the college crew is always in need of food.
To tell the truth right at this moment in my life I feel a little overwhelmed. Our move is approaching fast, we are getting things packed, I want to make sure the kids are doing okay with everything as we get ready for the move, I want them to adjust well to their new environment, really I just want all of us to adjust well to our new home. I will also miss the wonderful friends I have made here in the Midwest. One friend (a friend I met through a fellow blogger) has been very special to me-I remember when her youngest was just a baby and now he's getting ready to turn three! Oh my, how I'm going to miss them. This will be the farthest that we have moved away from most of our extended family as well (we have usually been in driving distance to at least someone). Yet at the same time I am excited about moving to a new place and seeing the possibilities that await us there-prayerful and hopeful is were I'm at now days.

Well enough of this moving talk, lets get to the pictures-more foodie pictures (:

~berry flax smoothie (frozen raspberries, frozen fruit juice, fresh strawberries, ice, two tablespoons of milled flax and a squeeze of lemon-yum!)


~brewing sun tea

~visiting the Wednesday evening farmer's market


~milled flax


~a mango a day keeps everyone happy


have you had your mango today?

goings on

this mornings coffee, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

lets talk~

*summer is going fast isn't it? Can't believe its already August but it is.

*our community garden is at risk of being taken over by the weeds. The heat and humidity are making the weeds grow like gangbusters, we can't keep up. Our squash and cukes have also been victim to this little creature, love the life lessons of gardening.

*I've been experimenting with eating raw-just for my dinners, really summer is just the best time for such an adventure-last night I had kale rolls (raw kale with chopped cukes, tomatoes, garlic, avocado with a ginger dressing)-good stuff, lots of crunch.

*remember this post, I'm still keeping my activity level up-even if that means that running/walking 3 miles still takes me an hour, Rome wasn't built in a day right?

*we are cleaning out stuff, packing and gearing up for a move, again~nomads we are!

so this morning as I drink my coffee, many things occupy my mind (make a list, make a list!) but I'm just going to take this moment and enjoy doing nothing-just for a moment.

tv definitely worth watching

Last night I tried to get most of my evening chores done early so I could sit down and watch Faces of America, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Really if you haven't seen this show you should try to (it comes on Wednesday night, check your local PBS listings). I have been utterly fascinated with how much information that Gates and his team were able to find out about each of their guests genealogy and how current technology (through DNA analysis) helps to uncover links to the past as well. In fact last evenings program even showed that some of the guests themselves were distant, distant relatives (which only tells me that we all may be more related than we think).
As a family last night we watched this program and it really got us asking questions about our own history, who we belong to-who did we come from? I love shows like this that actually make you think.

I've been fascinated with Gates work for awhile. I remember picking up a copy of the dvd African-American Lives from the library maybe about a year ago and just sitting on the couch for 3 hours looking at the program almost in its whole entirety-I was hooked.
So if you are looking for something educational yet fascinating to watch definitely check this series out.

(hey, I just realized that the last episode aired last night, but past episodes can be viewed at the website I linked above).

crafting out

Today I met some friends downtown at the yarn shop to do a little knitting (in my case I did do a little knitting, I mostly talked and enjoyed my coffee).
I had a fun time, in fact I know I need to do this more often (plus it's one of my crafting goals for this year). Hopefully I'll make the time for knitting, friends, coffee -all together- at least a a couple of times each month. It's so nice to get support and to admire the handiwork of others as well.

~hot drinks

~busy hands


~in the lap

a really nice way to spend a Sunday.



(just a little note~January was both a busy and emotionally tough month on the personal front, so for February I'm looking for new inspiration. I'm going to do a picture a day blogging-"photo February" -just taking a snapshot and then posting a few words about the picture or just about the day, I'm looking forward to this.)

fine wine and cheese

frosting, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

Me~
a year older,
hopefully a bit more wiser.
But like I told my mom for her birthday,
"just think of yourself as a fine wine or a good block of cheese, improving with age."
I'm definitely holding onto that one (:

a year in review~craft 2009

Here's a couple of things I have learned about myself from crafting,

~I'm a total process crafter, I can't turn out projects too quickly.

~I love color.

~I love inspiration from books, blogs, magazines-but can become easily overloaded.

~comparison isn't necessarily a bad thing, perfectionism is.

~I craft in spurts, basically just when I feel like it.

~I love giving something I made to someone I love.

Some of my crafting goals for 2010 include,

~taking a few more risks with both knitting and sewing
(I want to knit a sweater, yes a big but well-fitted sweater-cause I'm not on the small side, that's for sure).

~making more time to craft with others (fellowship with others while crafting).

~making the most of what I have already on hand.

All I know is that my yarn/fabric stash better get ready, cause I'm on my way (:

a year in review~food 2009

As this year comes to an end, with 2010 on our heels, I began wondering about all the food I cooked this year. Sometimes (really alot of times) I get bogged down with the daily preparation of food-but when something comes together and I'm pleased with the result, it makes all the time I spend in the kitchen well worth it (well that and also my crew, who like I've said many times before loves to eat). I remember when I started dating my husband nearly fifteen years ago, he had a way more diverse palate than I had at the time. He loves food, especially Asian and African food. Now me being from the South, I was really only acquainted with Southern cuisine-like chicken and gravy, collard greens, hot-water cornbread, black-eyed peas, chow-chow pinto beans, good, good food-food dear to my heart. When we met he totally encouraged me to eat out of my comfort zone which of course I was skeptical to do at first, but wow I am so glad that I did.
Here are some photographs of food that I took in 2009. Some food in process, some food that is fully prepared~

I'm looking forward to more good eats in 2010 and hope you are too.

a sweet note....

Hello, how are you doing? I haven't been in this space for a while because the days seem to be going super fast and when I do have a little time with the computer, I have been too drained to blog. The past couple of weeks have been a little rough for us, someone dear to me-my grandmother- has been having some health issues lately-and this has been heavy on my heart. Yet, when I call to talk to her she always makes me laugh with her wonderful sense of humor, and really she usually winds up cheering me up rather than vice versa. Please keep her in your prayers, truly I would appreciate it so much.

Also I just wanted to share a sweet note that my youngest gave to me. Lately she loves writing me notes. She started kindergaten this year and I'm amazed at how much she loves it. Her class is small (less than seven kids) and her school day is only for half a day-which is perfect for us. Her only homework every night is to read a book with either me, her sister, or her dad. I see her sounding out words (I love that the school teaches phonics along with the alphabet :) and then remembering her sight words in the process of putting sentences together. It's so exciting to see her world of discovery-one moment at a time, one day at a time.

One day at a time.

a day at the farm

We visited a local farm this week and had so much fun looking, observing, learning~

~sheep grazing


~a meal cooking on the open fire


~beans and pumpkins out in the sun


~a beautiful brown calf taking a rest


We had a lovely day, and for some reason I could see us embracing the farm life (small time farm life, that is)-maybe, someday.

getting up my canning nerve

This years community garden has been such a huge blessing, not only in terms of what it produces, but also in terms of how it makes me feel being out there working, planting, observing. As we began to bring home produce I would often have thoughts of canning-but then I would just resort to freezing. Something about canning seemed intimidating and just plain scary to me-which I found both intriguing and ironic because I grew up seeing my own grandparents can a lot their own homegrown produce.
Partly, in my younger years, I think I began to view canning as something that only "older" people did. Both of my grandparents were born in the rural South, so canning was just a way of life for them-but this wasn't the case for me. Need food-go to the grocery store, right? However, as I have gotten older I've noticed something strange happening. I seem to be looking toward those "old ways" for some reason, looking to hold on to them I suppose. Eating the best dill pickles from mason jars, putting homemade chow-chow over my pinto beans-just enjoying the simple goodness of food raised by my ones own hands, canned by ones own hands. So this past week I got up my nerve, went to the hardware store to buy my boiling water canner, jars and other needed items. Now after I made all the appropriate purchases-you know what I did next? Of course, I called my grandmother. She gave me such great information and told me exactly what I needed to do for my tomatoes (while she was talking to me I could hear my grandfather in the background giving instructions as well :) She also told me what things could only be processed with a boiling water canner and those that could only be processed with a pressure canner (I already knew this from my frantic reading), but as I was writing her words down on a paper-I felt that she was giving me something more than I could ever get from a book, she was giving me part of our family-a part that I needed.
After I talked to her I felt better about my canning pursuit.
I suppose my biggest fear with this all is the fear of botulism-which is a real and scary thing-but with the proper information fear is lessened and new abilities are acquired. You know it also occured to me that while it was hard for me to get up my canning nerve I rarely think twice about eating something that has been processed by "someone else" (someone else being the food industrial complex)-yet people fall ill to glitches in that system as well (just typing out loud here).
It seems like more and more of us are looking for those "old ways" now days, when life wasn't particularly easy-but still not so full of the noise and distraction that surrounds us today. Perhaps all this distraction prevents us from honoring our past, the very past that could in part enhance our very own lives-here in the now, and as well as our own futures.

~putting the sauce into the jars


~hot water bath


~canned sauce


~canned sauce, from above

stampin' it out

This morning after doing some chores I attempted to make some stamps. I've been seeing this stamp making all through out blogland and decided to give it a try myself. I bought my stamp kit from Michael's last week (those 50% off coupons sure come in handy)~


~testing out the stamps


~instructions, am I suppose to read them?


~carving "freestyle" (I just have to do my own thing :)


~carved flowers


~freestyle flower image stamped
(I just realized after doing some web "researching" what I've actually done here is created a negative-space stamp, oh well live and learn!-I found this website pretty helpful:
http://www.atlasquest.com/tutorials/carving/carving.html

This was fun, and I look forward to spending more time stamping in the future-practicing more and making some nice pretty cards.

some vacation thoughts

traveling along the country side


pineapple growing


a man hand processing coconuts


the beach

Really I've being trying to put this post together in my head for a while now. See over a week ago we were blessed with the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic for a family vacation. We enjoyed the sun, the beach, the people, and the immense beauty of this place-yet in my mind,-as a visitor, you know- I often wondered about the daily lives of the people who actually live there. Staying on a resort for a week, with food and drinks available 24/7 can close one's mind to the reality that exists beyond such boundaries. One thing which I was grateful for was that we were able to participate in a tour of the country side-seeing up close local life. Of course it wasn't all pretty, in fact some of what we saw was just plain sad.
So there in my mind lies the paradox, enjoying the beauty of a place yet not knowing how to respond to the despair. I don't want to fall into the trap of being the stereotypical tourist. I want open eyes, and with this comes the responsibility to respect the people and the culture of a different country. Therefore, I am transformed from merely a tourist into a student.

I hope to travel always with open eyes.

a visit to the windy city

children's art
Originally uploaded by *nichole*

This past weekend we went to Chicago. We stayed downtown which was nice because it allowed us to be in walking distance to the parks, museums, and coffee shops (which is my requirement). On our first full day there I took the girls to The Art Institute of Chicago. This is such a wonderful place-very family friendly. The childrens area of the Modern Art wing offered art classes and there is an area for reading books and playing the computer (the computer games are all art related). We spent about 3 hours in the art museum-we loved it. Mostly the rest of the weekend was spent walking around the parks downtown and people watching. The kids seemed to be fascinated with all the street perfomers-guys playing drums, a roller skating angel, jazz musicians, and much more. There is always an excitement and energy that seems to surround city life. I also appreciate the cultural diversity that is inherent in large cities such as Chicago. One day at the park while sitting on a bench I just people watched-different shades, different sizes, different heights-people from everywhere.
For dinner every night we ate Senegalese food-talk about good! We just kept going back-grilled lamb, couscous, onion relish made with palm oil, plantains, cabbage-amazing food from a small vibrant restaurant.
So we had a nice visit to the city, but to tell the truth I don't think I'm a city life kinda of gal. I like open spaces and the slower pace of life-so nice to be home now.

food talk

current issue of MSL


cake mix

pound cake and blueberries
Originally uploaded by *nichole*

OK, so this past Father's day weekend we didn't make it out to IHOP for breakfast (we stayed out late the previous night-we went to the movies and saw Star Trek and to my surprise I loved it-go Spock!)
I did some cooking yesterday and of course that included making something sweet. After Easter Target had this particular cake mix on clearance. I had never seen this brand before and decided to give it a try-I bought two boxes of the vanilla bean bundt cake mix. I love that the ingredient list is totally readable, always a plus in my opinion. So I made this cake yesterday along with some whipped cream and berries and it was very good. The cake is nice and dense and the berries add a nice contrast to that denseness. In fact some of us even had a piece for breakfast today- I know, but the berries are full of vitamin C and antioxidants right?
Also I borrowed the current issue of Martha Stewarts Living magazine from my friend this weekend. I'm in love with all the summery recipes in this issue, in fact I have already decided that I'm going to purchase my own issue. Lovely ideas for meals out of doors and picnics and a pinch of gardening-all good stuff.
Our plans for today are just low-key, maybe some gardening and/or a visit to the gym, I think there is an elliptical machine waiting for me-after the pound cake and all :)

small random bits

Remember those allergies? Well they were really getting the best of me so I decided to go to the clinic on Wednesday. The doc gave me a script for nasal spray and the suggested using a neti pot. Immediately after my appointment I went to the co-op and purchased one. It is like a little teapot for the nose. You simply make a saline solution put it in the pot and then irrigate your nose with the solution. There are so many you-tube videos about the process which explain it much better than I'm trying to do here-but let me tell you it has improved my sinuses tremendously. I think it's great when docs offer other alternative treatments-really instead of always relying on standard meds (but believe me I take meds when I absolutely need to like when I had strep-no fun). So the neti pot has been a big plus for this week.



Yesterday the girls made matching dresses for their stuffed animals from material I got from the thirft store. They got to cut out the material themselves and then went on to sew the dresses (they pressed the foot pedal on the machine as I guided the material). I think Minnie and Diamond look quite cute in their red florals.



So this weekend I want to do some instant gratification crafting using some fabric scraps I have on hand . I want to make some simple napkins (pattern in Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol). Surely these napkins will brighten even the simplest of meals (and even those including rhubarb).
Also this weekend will include going to church and planning something for Father's Day (maybe whipping up a big breakfast for the hubby or suggesting IHOP-I think I like the IHOP idea).

a gardener's view

tiny, tiny
Originally uploaded by *nichole*

Gardening has given me a new perspective on many things for instance:

*When I see that my neighbor has raked his/her yard and a nice big bag of leaves is now at their curb-those leaves are not just leaves-those leaves can be mulch and future compost!

*now I size up any plastic container that passes through my hands wondering if I can make a mini-hothouse or cloche' out of it.

*old newspapers and cardboard boxes are now saved because of their weed-stopping abilities.

*while eating Chinese take-out I realize that my chopsticks are the perfect tiny stakes for my small plants.

*even though my pantyhose always seem to fall apart on the first wearing-I don't stress to much I know they will do a better job in keeping my tomato vines in order (way better than they did in controlling my hips and thighs).

*I am now the trash police-before something is thrown away it needs an evaluation-evaluation on its compost making ability. Things that pass- apple cores, mushy lettuce leaves, onion skins-things that fail -greasy chicken bones, unidentified leftovers that have been patiently sitting in the back of the fridge for two weeks-sorry.

*earthworms are awesome!

*thining seedlings is a bit of a bummer, I want to keep them all.


*I remember to use what I can
do what I can
grow everything that I can
and can (or freeze) what I grow
and of course share some too.

what a view to have~