I know I should blog more, one of the many things I wish I had done at the end of the day. I just feel more clarity when I journal.
This week is all about change. The kids started school today. I start school Thursday. I'm grateful for the two day delay, there have been a few bumps in the road for the kids today and I'm glad I was here. I can't say I'm nervous about heading back to school myself, the feeling is more relief. I've felt a need to do this for some awhile, now the timing is right.
I cooked all morning. I'm using the term loosely, since all of what I made this morning didn't actually involve any cooking, just a whole lot of chopping, blending, mixing and pureeing. I also cut my finger. The blade for my new food processor is sharp, it fell on the back of my hand why I was cleaning the sink and cut one of my fingers pretty deep. Startled me more than anything. Luckily, my husband was a medic and still knows how to use a band-aid. Most of today's food was for lunches this week. I think it has been over 10 years since I had to regularly pack a lunch, but that changes Thursday. How odd, my kids have lunch at home, I have lunch in Cruces. For today, the house smells wonderful.
Earlier this week I was at our local grocery store and was a little shocked by the prices in the produce department. They have dropped slightly since, but being vegan, this is a big deal. I don't know how prices compare across the country, but I know the prices had doubled from a few days before. This was a great motivator to pull out my gardening supplies and get serious about this year's garden.
I plan on putting in several fruit trees this year. There is a lot of agave in my yard, and since I don't make tequila they're just here for looks. Several are dying after the hard frost that hit this year, so that is where the fruit trees will go. The hardest part is which ones first.
I have decided to go with dwarf size. This will maximize the variety of fruit I'll be able to have in my yard. I know several people here locally that have had success with a variety of fruit and several that have had problems with the same variety! So here's hoping. I would eventually like plums, pears, nectarines and apples. I live in zone 8.
I will also be adding a couple beds this year in the vegetable garden, as well as a blueberry bush. Actually most of the labor for the additional beds and fruit tree planting will be supplied by my hard working, helpful husband.
My notes from last year are really unorganized, so this year I splurged and got a moleskine garden notebook. Not a necessity, but I'm so excited! Here's the video...if only I could draw like that!
I'm in love with my new kindle. I originally wanted a color nook, but when I realized it was backlit, I got the kindle instead. The screen is perfect and doesn't hurt my eyes no matter how long I read. It is easy to use and has lots of great features. I love the notes and highlights as well as the ability to use google. Now my kids want one!
Now I'm reading "The China Study"
At least for awhile. Callie and I both have been showing signs of gluten sensitivity. So as of Monday we are gluten free. We are going without for 21 days to see how we feel.
This isn't too big of a deal, I'm currently without a stove. We are working on the kitchen and have dumped the old one. I'm waiting till everything is done to get a new one; too busy to bake anyway.
Here's some pics of the work.
The living room seemed like a good place to start. With my kitchen as small as it is, the living room is the center of my home. This room has plaster walls and a cove ceiling. I love the sheen of the walls and wanted to keep that so I went with a satin finish on the paint.
This before shot is a little unfair. It was taken on Christmas day and the room was a mess. Still, you can see the cold feeling the white walls give the room.
First the patching. We had lots of cracks in the walls, charming in an old home, but getting out of hand. Also, there were two different whites in the room. Hard to see in the picture.
Still I was able to get paint up on the walls on day two. Because the walls and ceiling have to be the same color, I went with something light, but still warm. A buttery yellow called Palm Stem by Dutch Boy. It was so pretty.
The bookcase was tough. I decided to bring in the colors from the other rooms to tie the home together. I saw this in a home design book years ago and thought it would be perfect here. Brent was a huge help painting the backs of these shelves. The colors were also from Dutch Boy. Tomato Salsa, Young Sprout, Broken Pot, Midnight Swim and Tangerine Crush.
I also painted some old side tables I got at IKEA many years ago the Tomato Salsa color. I thought they turned out lovely.
It took about a week, but the results are well worth it. I would love some new furniture, but it's amazing how a coat of paint can make your things seem new. Now the rest of the house looks so drab.
I've been a member of
Crazy Sexy Life for awhile. I love the atmosphere of the site and all the great information. Kris Carr just released a new book,
Crazy, Sexy, Diet and I ordered it tonight. I love all her stuff and am very excited about the cleanse portion of the book. I also love me some green juice, just can't get enough kale. Plus, I'm curious about seeing what it would be like to remove gluten for awhile. I will miss you seitan!
