Changes coming soon!

We've been in our house for 11 years!  It's hard to believe it's been that long already.  When we signed the escrow papers, we could hardly stand to be inside this house without a breather on!  The smell.... oh how horrendous!  You could actually smell the cat urine across the street when our garage door was open.

Both Jason and I have put so much of our blood, sweat, tears and heart into making this house our home. We've tackled some pretty big remodel projects... a complete overhaul of the garage, guest bathroom, and the front 2 bedrooms.  We've painted, decorated, and laid tile/bamboo/hardwood.  We've changed out appliances as the older ones have died.  We've put in drip lines, sprinkler lines, trees and countless plants/flowers/shrubs.  I'm happy with all that we've been able to do over the years.

Still, we've never tackled a few bigger projects.  Projects like the mater bath, the kitchen and new flooring. These have always felt out of reach.. until now.

We've decided to start a little bit at a time.  We were lucky enough to have a friend give us some incredibly beautiful tile, which will be perfect for our bathroom.  We're pretty confident that we will be able to upgrade the vanity, mirror and lighting very cost effectively!  Doing the work ourselves helps to keep our cost down. It will be so exciting to have a vanity and not a pedestal sink!  Really.... I wonder what the previous owner was thinking!

I am so excited to finally get started!  The biggest drawback to the project... we'll have all 4 of us sharing 1 bathroom during the remodel!  Jason and I haven't shared a bathroom since we got engaged!  This will certainly be interesting!

(This is not our  bathroom... but it's not far off (imagine sea foam green walls and floor!)

Catching up with a Parmentier

Time passes by... new opportunities present themselves... new challenges faced, new struggles overcome... and a new life welcomed into our family.

Since I last wrote, I've started a new job with a great company.  Hubby broke his back and had spinal surgery to fuse three of his vertebrae together.  We've excitedly welcomed an amazing little boy into our family... he's smart as can be and is a spitting image of hubby!  Keira has continued to amaze us with all that she does.

Hubby and I have shared more than our share of trials and tribulations.  We've survived more tests than I thought we would be faced with during our first nine years of marriage.  We're stronger together now than we were just a few short years ago.  Our little family is incredible... still I want more for us.  I want more happiness, I want more togetherness, I want more laughter and more quality time as a family.

All that's happened.... and  I've reached a place in my life where I'm excited about the future.  I often wonder what the right decision is.  When faced with a life changing decision, will we make the right choice?  What is the right choice for our family?  Will this be better for the kids or not?  Will we be happier?  How will we know what is right?  For years now, I think it's been easier to not make any big changes, but I think the reasons for not doing so have been fear based.  I've realized that being afraid of change/failure is no way to live... at least not the kind of life I want for myself and my kids!

So that leaves the unknown... and I'm welcoming it!  The only thing scarier than the unknown... is staying the same.

Green Smoothie???

I've been having a hard time getting through all of our veggies, mostly all the leafy green stuff. I've been trying to figure out a way to get more veggies into my diet and use up all the CSA stuff each week. Well, I think I've figured it out. I had been wanting a juicer for a while now, but they are so pricey... I just can't justify spending the money right now. I decided to try using my blender and see what would happen if I ran some spinach... or kale through it with some other fruit and veggies. Yesterday I made my first "green smoothie" and it wasn't so bad! I used 4 cups of spinach, 2 cups of water, a nectarine and 10 strawberries. It was a little thicker like a shake and I could taste the spinach... but it wasn't gross. I decided to try making another one....

This morning I had the following: 1 bunch of kale, 2 celery stalks, 10 strawberries, 1 apple, 2 cups of water, 1 cup unfiltered apple juice and 1 tbsp minced ginger. I really enjoyed it and I think I've got close to or all of my f/v servings in for the day! Plus.... I feel great... virtuous! I just don't think that I'll be able to convince anyone else that it tastes good... since it looks like green sludge!

It's here!!

Back in April of this year, Jason and I teamed up with some friends (Chris and Amy) and Grandma Dub and placed an order for a 1/4 of a grass fed cow from Clark Summit Farms. I thought our beef would be ready in July or August, but got a call this weekend that it was ready to pick up this week. On Tuesday, I met up with a new friend of mine (who had also placed an order) and we headed off to the butcher in Penngrove. The drive was nice.. though we hit some traffic getting through San Francisco. Once we got there, the guys loaded up the van.... not only with my "tiny" little order (100+ pounds of beef) but with Danielle's order as well.... over $5000 worth of grass fed beef, pastured pork and lamb!

Once we got back to town, I helped unload the van before heading home to split up the order with Amy. I am so excited about all the wonderful dishes we're going to enjoy this fall! OH... the stews... the roasts... the chili! OH MY!! We're so excited that we thawed out 2 different steaks to enjoy this week! Tomorrow night we're having Fillet Mignon!

Summer Projects

Since I've had some time off this summer I've been trying to find different things to keep me busy. I spend time daily looking through the CareerBuilder/Monster/Craigslist job postings... and applying to everything that looks like a potential match. But a girl has to have something else to keep her mind off being unemployed or she'll go nuts! (At least I will!) So here are some of the things I've been doing this summer to keep myself occupied!

Kitchen Projects:

Painting - The first thing I did this summer was paint my kitchen! I absolutely loved the previous color (Wet Cement - a deep purple/grey color) but my kitchen was starting to feel too dark and gloomy. I decided to brighten things up a ton and settled on a cheerful yellow! Originally I planned to do a more muted color, but I've never been "muted" in my color choices for the house, so why settle now! I love it! It's very cheerful and bright and doesn't feel cave-like anymore!

Baking - I've been baking up a storm! From Bread to Bagels to cakes, muffins, cookies, flatbreads... I've been trying it all!

Canning - Before this year I would have never thought of canning my own foods. I didn't think I'd be very good at it. I didn't know if I'd enjoy it. I didn't know anything about it. Well... inspired by my sister in law, Lindsay, I decided to give it a shot. Mom and I have become experts in homemade jams! We've made strawberry jam, triple berry jam, peach jam, and pepper jam. I also made a few different kinds of plum jam with my friend Nikki.

A couple weeks ago Mom, Andrea, Keira and I went to a Peach "u-pick" set on bringing back about 20 pounds of peaches. Little did we know that the peaches would be the size of softballs.... and would be the best looking/smelling/tasting peaches we have ever seen! We also didn't realize that there would be hundreds of them tempting our little taste-buds and beckoning us to pick them! We ended up leaving the farm with over 75 pounds of peaches! Now... what on earth do you do with 75 pounds of peaches you ask...... you make some of the best peach recipes you can find! 3 batches of Fresh Peach Cobbler, Peach Pie, Peach Ice Cream, Peach Sorbet, and Peach Salsa! And you'd think after all of that you'd be out of peaches? Well you'd be wrong! We have sliced frozen peaches and some fresh peaches left.

Once I was able to come up for air after the peaches were taken care of, my neighbor gave me about 15 pounds of tomatoes. I decided to try my hand at canning some tomato sauce. I found a few different recipes and decided I could "wing it" based on what I had on hand at home. Here's what I did:

Blanch all the tomatoes (30 seconds in boiling water, followed by an ice water bath), remove skins.

Chop 2 onions, 3 carrots, 2 green bell peppers and put in a saucepan with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. Cooked until onions were transparent.

Chop up tomatoes and added to saucepan.

Add 1/2 cup red wine and 3 tbsp tomato paste

Add 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, 2 bay leaves, and 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning and 4 minced cloves of garlic.

Add 3 celery stalks (quartered... leave bigger pieces as they are removed later)

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours.

At this point, I took my immersion blender and gave it a couple quick whirls in the sauce. I then ran the sauce through my kitchen strainer. I pulled out the celery, carrots and bay leaves. Once all the sauce had been strained, I took some of the onions, peppers, and all the tomato pieces and pureed them with the immersion blender with a little bit of the sauce. Once the mixture was pureed, I ran it through the strainer again and discarded any of the pieces that didn't go through the strainer (mostly tomato seeds). At this point, I stirred the sauce and added a touch of salt and pepper and then canned it.

I am very excited to try some of the sauce in a recipe. I'll be using some tonight in my "Sloppy Bombay Joes" that I'm going to make! I'm also going to be making the Massaged Kale Salad! I'm so excited for dinner tonight!! I love new recipes!

Something else that I've been doing to keep busy....

Dusted off my bike! I've been wanting a new bike for a couple years now.... and I keep complaining to Jason that my bike isn't "for me." I received it as a hand me down and because it isn't exactly what I want in a bike... I haven't been riding much. I have been wanting more of a road bike / commuter bike and not a mountain bike. Well, for as long as I have been whining.... Jason has been saying.... Show me you are interested in riding and then we'll revisit getting you a bike.

Well... I was being lame for a long time about it. I didn't want to ride the mountain bike because it's not made for the road. Well... that's just lame. Bikes are made for riding... and not collecting dust and taking up space in the garage/shed. So... I've been riding.

I try to ride Keira to school at least 2 times a week. We have both a trailer and a trail-a-bike and she loves them both! It's a nice little 3 mile loop taking her to school... and if I take her and pick her up, that's 6 miles a day!

I've also been going on a weekly ride with my mom. Sometimes we set out to just do a little ride along the trail (going to Lexington Dam and back from her house) and sometimes we decide to ride to lunch somewhere or on an errand and we make a decent ride of it. No matter what we set out to do, we end up going anywhere between 20 - 25 miles.

Mom caught the "Bike bug" pretty bad mid June! Chandra convinced her to do the San Jose Bike Party ride in June. She hadn't ridden her bike in years and the 25+ miles was a tough one for her. Well, since then she went an bought herself a new commuter bike and started riding her bike to and from work. She's also gotten active with the Bike Party Volunteers and does the Trial/Planning Rides.

Well, Mom's new found appreciation and enjoyment of riding is rubbing off on me. I've now gone on one of the Trial Rides and took part in my first official Bike Party ride this weekend.... a little 30 mile ride... "Hot August Lights."

I've been keeping track of my mileage and the different rides that I've been on and so far in just over a month I've ridden 165 miles. I have signed up for a couple different personal challenges....

300 miles in 30 days

1000 miles in 100 days

100 miles in 2010

500 miles by Labor Day

So far, I'm doing pretty good towards my goals.... but I do need to get a move on if I'm going to meet the Labor Day goal!

Blogging Break.....

Wow, I can't believe how much time has gone by since I posted last! I'm sorry I've been neglecting my blog. After returning from an incredibly fun 4th of July Clear Lake trip, I lost my job. I don't know how to put into words the roller coaster of emotions I've been feeling for the last 6 weeks, but I'll try.

Frustration! - Finally, after years of struggling as a single income family, we got back up on our feet and both Jason and I were working. We had a plan.... we were going to finally be able to pay down the debt we've incurred over the last few years. Just as soon as we all got accustomed to our new schedule... we get kicked back down!

Relief! - I hadn't been very happy with my job for months. I didn't feel like there was any growth opportunities and didn't really enjoy what I was doing. I wasn't happy going to work every day and didn't feel like any of what I did made a difference.

Depression! - I don't know how many times a girl can get laid off before she starts doubting herself/abilities/skills/knowledge/etc. I've been laid off more times than anyone I know! Since 2001 my positions have been relocated, outsourced, downsized, and eliminated 5 times! I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever find the right match for me.

Excited! - I'm excited for the potential opportunities that lay ahead. The unknown... the possibilities... the fresh start! It's all scary and new, but it's intriguing!

Tired! - Every time I start a new job.... I'm starting from scratch. I'm starting at the bottom... I'm coming in at the ground floor.... sometimes "entry level" because it's all I can do to bring money in to help support the family. I'm so tired of not advancing in my career. I'm tired of starting over. I'm tired of being the low man on the totem pole. I'm tired of not having any seniority. I'm tired of not being valued and appreciated. I'm tired of being overlooked because I don't have my degree.

Frightened! - It's been 6 weeks now.... and I've gotten no where with my job search. I'm starting to freak out a little that I won't find anything! I've submitted my resume to dozens of places and have only heard from 2 of them... both "Thanks but no thanks!" I'm scared that I'm not going to find anything... or that I'll have to settle for less money than I know I'm worth!

There are many more feelings and thoughts that come to mind, but mostly I'm just scared!

Garden Markers and Sister in Law....

My super crafty, very talented Sister In Law has started making these incredible Vintage Spoon Herb and Garden Markers. Another blog that we both follow (8 Muddy Boots) is going to be giving away 5 of Lindsay's beautiful little creations! Wouldn't you love to win some of these lovely creations!

When I grow up, I want to be as talented as she is! No, seriously.... she has an amazing vegetable garden that produce so much that her family can eat from it nightly! Yes, that's impressive... but to some it's normal. Well here's the kicker! They live in the desert! In the Las Vegas heat, she grows this amazing garden! Lindsay is also an incredible little quilt maker, seamstress, and all around crafty girl.... and she loves sharing her beautiful treasures with others! I am still incredibly shocked, honored and tickled pink that the very first quilt Lindsay ever made was given to Jason and I as a wedding gift! It's beautiful and the colors compliment our bedroom beautifully! Soon after she made a precious little quilt for my baby girl!

When I was a little girl growing up... I had 2 brothers... and then 3.... and all I wanted was a sister! Finally when I was 12, my mom gave me a sister.... and then at 14 she gave me 2 more. I love my sisters dearly... they are so much fun and such good people. When I was 29, my brother Wyatt gave me another sister and a friend when he married Lindsay.... and I love her so much!

A New Routine...

It's officially started today... the need for a new routine. Our old routine is no longer an option. Gone are the days of waking up at the last possible moment... savoring every last bit of sleep before it was imperative that I wake up and get ready for work... or be late!

Here upon us are the days of waking up early...

rousing a sleeping baby (ok I know she isn't a baby anymore!)

convince Little Miss to get dressed, brush teeth and hair, eat breakfast and make her bed (HAHAHA I know... but hopefully one day!)

Gather lunches, backpacks and purses and head off to work/school.

The hard part, as if getting up early isn't going to be difficult enough, will be our new night routine...

Come home, unpack lunch boxes, make lunches for the following day, make dinner, eat dinner, dinner dishes, quick clean up of the house, family time, early bedtime for Little Miss, unwinding time and the early bedtime for the grown-ups... rinse and repeat!

Things are going to get interesting around our house!! At least for a little while until this new routine becomes habit! I can't wait to get things dialed in... and perfected!

Here I go again!

In 2004 I saw a stack of pamphlet at a Starbucks for the Susan G Komen 3Day in San Francisco. I picked it up and thought... this sounds like it could be fun; I could do that! It got me to thinking about the family friends that had fought hard to be a Breast Cancer survivor or were currently waging their own was on cancer. Soon, I went from "I could do this" to "I should do this!" to "I am going to do this!!" I recruited my best friend/mom to join me on the journey and off we went!

Day 1 of the walk came up fast. We had both reached our fundraising goals and started our 3Days determined to take it all in! Along the way we met amazing women and men who were happy to share their story.... some survivors, some widowers, some daughters who lost their mothers, some who walked in honor of those who couldn't. Each and every story touched my heart. (As I sit here writing this I have chills thinking of each of those stories.) We even met some fun cute little San Jose Police officers who happily provided a safe escort through our day's journey. I'll never forget Office Naughty (as we dubbed him)... he was a ton of fun along the way! When day 3 came to an end... after the closing ceremony ended, we took our tired bodies and feet to the car and headed home knowing that my 3Day journey wasn't over.

I quickly decided to do the San Diego 3Day in 2005. This time around my neighbor friend Tali wanted to do it with me. Her mother was a survivor and she wanted to walk in her honor! I had never been to San Diego, so walking 60 miles through the town along the beaches, through the communities was amazing! There were such beautiful views and people along the way. We met up with a friend of mine from So-Cal (Aimee) and her mom and friend... so there were 5 of us walking strong! As Day 3 came to an end I was happy! I felt great and I wanted more!

In 2006 I registered for my 3rd 3Day and started fundraising. Within a few weeks I found out I was pregnant and would be 38 weeks along at the time of the walk. My 3peat would have to wait. As the next couple years passed by life got a little crazy and money got a little tighter and my network for fundraising shrunk as I became a stay at home mom.

Fast forward to present day.... I discovered that 3 of the lovely ladies I used to work with had signed up for the San Francisco 3Day this October 1 - 3. I immediately decided that if they would have me as a teammate / tentmate.... I was all in! I asked my hubby what his thoughts were and he said to go for it... so here I am! Yesterday I officially registered for my 3rd 3Day adventure! This time around, I'm looking forward to sharing this amazing journey with Evelyn, Meghan and Nicole! They are tons of fun, lots of laughs and I don't get to see them nearly as much as I'd like to! If I can't see them every day at work... they'll be stuck with me for 3 glorious days!

If you would like to sponsor me for the 3Day you can do so by visiting here

A Change is going to come!

I can't believe I'm about to say this..... I've been waiting such a long time for these words to pass by my lips! Oh what an exciting day this is!

Changes are going to come....

changes that frighten me..... excite me.... make me happy... make me anxious..... make me nervous... make me giddy and want to jump for joy!

OK, here goes...... JASON GOT A JOB!

Yes, people... you heard it hear first! As I write this entry, he is meeting with HR signing all his new hire paperwork, taking his drug test and discussing his start date! (We think he'll be starting as early as Monday!)

So, here's why I feel the way I do about it:

I'm overjoyed that finally after years of looking someone finally saw his potential and said "We want you to be a part of our team!"

I'm in mourning..... for 5 years Jason has been the #1 reason our house doesn't look like a tornado blew through! He's done the majority of the cooking and cleaning and laundry and grocery shopping since I returned to work 2 years ago. I'm losing my househusband! I'm going to have to start cooking (which I don't mind), cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping, scrubbing floors/toilets/windows, etc!

I'm excited that after all these years, we'll be a 2 income family again! Things are not going to be as stressful financially as they have been! We might even be able to afford to have date nights and family vacations!!!

I'm nervous because, although my baby girl is 3 1/2, we have never had to entrust anyone with her day to day care. Either Jason or myself were home with her for every day of her life! She'd have sleep overs with the grandparents... and we'd have a sitter for her for an few hours here and there.... but never away from one of us (or a grandparent) for more than a few hours. Soon, she'll be in day care! We're lucky enough that for the summer.... she'll be spending 3 days a week with our amazing friend Nicole (who has her masters degree in early childhood education!!!!!) The other 2 days she'll get to spend with her Auntie Chandra and another great friend Mishelle (another Masters Degree in Education!!!) Once summer ends, and school starts back up again Keira will start pre-school. We're thinking that since she'll be starting Kindergarten in the fall of 2011, she should start Jr. K this fall. We'll see what we find by way of pre-schools and waiting lists!

I'm anxious because this is a big change for our whole family! We have a routine now... and it's going to go out the window! We're going to have to make some major adjustments to everyone's sleep schedule. We're going to have to change up dinner time, wake up time, breakfast time etc. We're going to have to start putting together brown bag lunches for the whole family! We need to figure out a new schedule that is going to work for the whole family.

With all the mixed bag of emotions... I am most of all proud of my husband! He's been overlooked, under appreciated, criticized and judged for the last few years. It's been a rough road to get where he is.... not everyone understands the roll of a stay at home father. I know it took me a while to stop resenting him for me having to go to work every day while he stayed home with our little girl. Once I let go of my anger (at the situation - not him) I realized that if I couldn't be home with our little girl.... there was no one I'd rather have home with her than her father! He is an incredible father... he has raised a happy, healthy, well adjusted little girl. Most of all... I have been so happy to have witnessed the bond between them grow stronger and stronger every day! I am so thankful to have met and married such a good man!

Enjoy this last day with our little one... then it's off to work you go!

Wow, time flies!

The last couple weeks have been so much fun... they have just flown right by.

As June arrives.... so does "Birthday Season" in my family and circle of friends! In just my closest friends and family there are 15 birthdays in June. Throw in the mix Anniversaries, Graduation, Father's Day, the start Summer and it makes for a very busy Amber!

Last weekend, to kick off Birthday month, I went to Reno, NV to celebrate mine with one of my closest friends, Mishelle. It juts happens that her birthday is 2 days after mine! Out husbands thought it would be a treat to give us a "break" from mommyhood and send us away for the weekend. It was a treat. I've somehow over the last few years forgotten how to let my hair down and have fun.

In my day to day, I feel like I have to be the responsible one. I have to be available to anyone and everyone who might need me at the drop of a hat. I enjoy an adult beverage here and there... but it's a rare occasion that I over indulge. Well, over indulge I did for my birthday retreat! We ate some incredible food, played cards, hung out by the very full and flowing Truckee River and enjoyed a few (many) adult beverages!

One of the things I wanted to do on our trip was check out at least one of the many Diners, Drive Ins and Dives along our route and at our destination. I made a list of the featured restaurants in Sacramento and in Reno figuring we might stop to eat on the way up on Friday. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the Sacramento locations. On Sat night I was determined to go to one. We didn't want to move my car (because parking was severely limited due to the Euro Fest) so we tried to figure out where we could walk. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the Gold n Silver Inn was just a couple blocks away from our hotel. It didn't disappoint! I had the Trip Tip Sandwich and Mishelle had the Sourdough Melt! SO YUMMY! We finished up the night celebrating our birthdays at the Euro Fest, where we indulged in too manyJägermeister shots and Über Beers! We had too much fun!

When I woke up at 5am (WHAT?? WHY???) I thought for sure there would be no way humanly possible that I could leave the room... let alone drive home! Thankfully, I was eventually able to fall back to sleep until around 9am. We woke up and decided it was time pack up and get the heck out of dodge. We headed off for some much needed food and coffee! Soon we were pulling into Truckee to have breakfast at the Squeeze Inn, which had been featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Being a little bit hung-over from the previous nights festivities… I found the menu a tad bit overwhelming! Seriously…. Over 40 different types of omelettes? How do you decide between the Racy Tracy, Hot Sweaty Busboy, Your Mom or the Dirty Dick? Or Band Geeks United, Ditz Crew, Hangover Helper or the F.N.A. In my slightly diminished mental state I struggled to decide… so I went with their version of my standard favorite… the Denver Omelet…. The Gare Babe’s Denver. Now, this wasn’t just any Denver Omelet… it was quite possibly the best Denver Omelet I’ve ever had! The PERFECT Hangover/Birthday Breakfast!

The Drive home from Reno was tons of fun! A drive... fun? Really?? We didn't rush home, though I missed my potamus like crazy! We stopped several times.... stopped to check out scenic overlooks, stopped to play in the snow and throw snowballs at Shelle.... stopped at Ikedas to pick up some stuffed olives for my honey... and of course stopped at In-n-Out for Shelle!

When I got home I was pooped! I was ready to relax and go to sleep, but when I opened to door and my baby girl was there with my honey.... and they greeted me with a homemade cake and a birthday song, my heart was happy and there was no where in the world I'd rather be! (I didn't even mind watching Stanley Cup Playoffs on my birthday!

Up to my ears in Strawberries!

After joining the Live Earth Farm CSA, I discovered that they offer "Community Days" several times through the season. During the community days, they offer tours of the farm, hedgerow plantings and U-pick opportunities. For the U-Pick, they might offer Strawberry, Raspberry, Apricots, Apples, Watermelon, Pumpkins and more. They even let visitors come down on Friday nights and camp out on the farm!

On Saturday morning, Brittany, Keira, Grandma Dub and I headed off to the farm. We gathered our baskets, gloves and hats and hiked down to the strawberry fields. We were warned that the walk to the fields would take about 30 minutes, however I had no idea that it was all downhill. (Not a problem going down, but returning with a couple full flats of berries was a different story!)

I have never seen such beautiful strawberries.... perfectly ripe for the picking! Many of the children in the field sat happily picking and eating berry after berry! They all wore the tell tale red stained mouth, cheeks and fingers giving them away!
Keira thoroughly enjoyed picking them, but rather than eat them, she was excited to fill our baskets.... as did the rest of us!


After we quickly filled the first flat, we decided to get another.... after all, $15 for a full flat of organic strawberries is unheard of around here! We had visions of jams, ice cream, margaritas, and smoothies in our heads! After filling the second flat, we headed off to the staging area for the tractor ride to the top of the hill. We quickly decided that the wait was longer and the exercise would be welcome! (We had quite a few strawberries to work off!) The hike back was a little tougher, but we still ended up reaching the top before the first load of tractor passengers and we were on a time schedule; Brittany had to be at work soon.

Once we got back to Grandma Dub's house and saw Brittany off to work, we started the task of washing, hulling and mashing strawberries. During this time, I also made my batch of bread for the week. This was by far the best batch yet! Warm weather and fresh yeast! What a glorious combination!
We ended up making 3 different kinds of freezer Jam. Option 1. Low Sugar, Option 2. Liquid Pecton with Lemon, Option 3. Liquid Pecton with lemon with 10 minute resting period. Option 4. Cooked Jam (shown below).

We also ended up with 3 gallon sized freezer bags full of frozen strawberries, perfect for smoothies and Margaritas. After several hours, 24 - 8 ounce bottles/containers of jam we were still left with 4 or 5 baskets of strawberries. We hulled and sliced a couple baskets to use for strawberry shortcake and ice cream, but those would have to wait till tomorrow. Mom and I could hardly stand to be on our feet any longer, Keira was starving, and she and I needed to get home.

It was a great day! Next time around, I hope to have a few more sisters around to help with the post picking process, but Mom and I survived... and we had a great time together!

What a beautiful spread!

We picked up our first CSA share this afternoon. Wow, I'm glad that we're sharing this with Mom.... cause right now, I don't think that the 3 of us could eat all of this in a week if we didn't. I do hope to start incorporating more vegetables into our diet... but for now we get our 3 - 4 servings of greens and a couple servings of fruit.

The spread this week is beautiful! There are things that I've never had before... that I haven't cooked before, that I wasn't quite sure what they were. Everything we got though.. I am excited to try. Here's what we received this week: Arugula, Broccoli, Carrots, Chard, Escarole, Fava Beans, Green Garlic, Lettuce, Pac Choi, Young Onions, Spinach, Summer Squash, Tatsoi, 6 artichokes and 2 baskets of Strawberries.

We split everything up and packaged up Grandma Dub's portion and then started thinking about our "plan of attack" for eating everything before it goes bad. We decided to wash and put away all the greens. I packaged up our strawberries, carrots, onion, squash and artichokes. We ended up cooking all of the broccoli and some green garlic in a garlic/broccoli/spinach dish that Jason makes using some of our homemade beef broth. Mmmmnnn!

After dinner Keira wanted dessert, so I washed and sliced up all the strawberries. I topped them with a little homemade whipped cream and they vanished in minutes! I love that she's excited about a bowl of strawberries as dessert! (on a side note, she was quite distraught when she discovered that her "weekly strawberry" from the garden was eaten by a bird!)

I think we're going to be quite happy with our weekly CSA order! Thanks MOM!!! You rock!

Just say "NO" to GMO!

So, now that I've taken off my blinders and started looking at the food I've been feeding my family I have a vast range of feelings.

I am angry

I am scared

I feel HOPEFUL!

I feel EMPOWERED!!!

I'm making a push to switch over to an organic diet. I've already started making a lot of what we're eating from scratch, but it's time to take things further. I never realized how much of the processed crap in the stores is made using Genetically Modified/Manufactured/Mutated ingredients! What scares me is that companies are not required to tell you that their products are made using these GMO products. In fact, one way to guarantee that you aren't buying these kind of products is to buy Organic. I also discovered that Trader Joe's line of foods are all GMO Free. I found quite a few resources on "How to avoid GMO" and a shopping guide with a detailed list of Brands containing GMO and ones that don't.

We don't have a big budget for groceries so it's hard sometimes to think about spending more money on Organic Milk ($6/gallon) versus Generic store brand milk ($3.49/gallon). However, if spending a little more money on quality, healthy, and natural products will make an improvement in our health, I'm all for it. If spending a little more money helps support our local farmers, I'm all for it.

Every time we go to the grocery store, we "cast our vote" and what we buy lets the big food manufacturers know what we want.... and if we're buying crap, that's what they'll g ive us more of... an if we want some thing better than what they are offering... they'll hear us! Maybe then a real Food Revolution will start... and just maybe more an more people will start taking back their kitchens!

My little Garden Girl!

Keira is finally getting to enjoy some of the fruits of our labor! She's such a great little helper... and she sings while we work! What more could a mom ask for!

Our little strawberry plant is growing bigger and bigger... and Keira now gets to eat about 1 - 2 berries a week. It't not much... but she LOVES IT!

Backyard Chickens and Raw Milk anyone?

Today Grandma Dub, Keira and I went on a little adventure. We heard about a group of families in Alameda who were opening up their yards to let people see their backyard chicken coops. There were several different types of coops.... some made with plywood and chicken wire, some with reclaimed/re-purposed redwood, and some that looked like little doll houses/children's playhouses. It was very clear that most of the houses along the tour didn't just think of their chicken as utilitarian "egg layers"... and more like family pets! There were some different species of chickens which were absolutely beautiful! Some of my favorite were:

Slikies - There were several silkies... white and black. Very cute. They look like tiny little fluff balls!

Mille Fleur Belgian D'Uccle... this little bantam girl was adorable. She was bandaged up though, as she broke her wing trying to outrun a neighbor dog! Her eggs were TINY! (Apparently very tasty though!

Black Sex Link... there were a variety of sex links along the tour. I especially loved how some of them had a shimmery blue tint to some of their feathers in certain lighting.

Crested Polish.... You've got to love the little Feathered Afro these chickens have! They are just so funny looking, you can't help but love them!

Easter Eggers / Americananas... these beautiful ladies were big girls! Beautiful oranges and reds.

Wyandotte... another big girl. She was very pretty blackish bird.

After spending the day touring all these coops, it made me want to get some chickens of our own. Unfortunately, we don't have the kind of backyard which would be very fitting to chickens.... we have ZERO grass, and the only vegetation is my garden and I wouldn't want them tromping through there. So, we'll have to settle for fresh eggs from Grandma Dub's house.... well in 5 months that is!

Keira was a great on the tour. She didn't complain about getting in and out of the car, over and over and over. She didn't chase the chickens, she didn't try to catch them, and she only pet them when they would come up to her extended hand. I was impressed! She did rather enjoy the houses along the way which had sand boxes and toys for her to play with. She also loved looking at the baby bunnies in the rabbit hutch. At one point though.... after scraping her arm along a brick wall... she lost her sense of adventure and humor. GONE... out the window. Stick a fork in her... she's DONE!

We noticed a cute little market as we were pulling up to one of the house so...G-Dub and I bribed her with some juice. Please be good... be patient... and after this house we'll go to the market. Well she was, so we did! WOW! I would love to live next to a little market like this. There was a fresh bakery, a sushi bar, a butcher/meat counter, and a kitchen gadget shop all around the perimeter. The meat counter had an incredible selection of grass-fed meats, wild fish, pastured pork and poultry. They displayed the ranch name from where the meats were from. WOW... places do that?

We walked into the grocery section greeted by a tray of fresh cut strawberry samplers. Behind there were strawberries laid out for you to put together your own basket. Places do that? WOW! The produce section looked so colorful and fresh! I knew I wanted chocolate, and I was curious... so we walked to the dairy section. There before our wondering eyes did appear... RAW WHOLE MILK! They had Raw Milk, Raw Cream, Raw Colostrum (Not sure I want to try that one) They even had chocolate Raw Colostrum. Hmmmm. I have NEVER seen Raw Milk sold in a grocery store! I've been quite curious to try it so we picked up a quart at a whopping $5.60!!

We got to the car... got Keira in her car seat... and loaded up with her juice. She was content and Mom and I were anxious to try the milk. I don't know why.... but I was shocked at how "normal" it tasted! Actually, for whole milk (which anyone who knows me know I hate!) it was smooth, light, refreshing and left a wonderful texture/aftertaste behind. I don't like typical whole milk because it tastes/feels like I'm drinking like heavy cream. This Raw Milk was great and it went wonderfully with my chocolate bar!

Oh... the quart of milk, in case you might wonder barely made it home! Between G-Dub, Keira and I we drank almost half of it. Once we got home... Keira was begging for some "Cow Milk" (as opposed to Almond Milk aka "Grandma Milk" or Egg Nog aka "Snowman Milk."

Now I just need to find a place to buy it where it doesn't cost $arm and $leg!

Feeling like a victim...

So this week I goofed up and didn't submit my timecard in time... so rather than having my paycheck direct deposited as usual, I got a live check. I decided to go deposit my check at lunch today... and BOY AM I GLAD I DID!

After depositing my check and trying to pull cash out... and being told that I couldn't as there were no funds available I called Jason to find out WTF!!

Well after doing some investigating on his end... he discovers that

WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED!

Some "woman" of the female dog variety cashed a check against our account and wiped us out! Not only did she take every penny, it overdrew our account!

Jason immediately hung up with me and went to the bank to try and find out how this could happen! How does someone cash a check with a signature that is obviously not his. How can a check be cleared in an account that doesn't have the correct Bank's name on it! How can a check that is SO far out of sequence not raise any flags!!??

So after a couple hours... a notarized fraud report... a police report.... closing our account... opening a new account... Jason was able to get the bank to credit our money back. (But only so long as it turns out we were the victims of check fraud.) OMG!

I am so grateful that Jason was able to take care of all of this. I don't know if I could have maintained my composure. I would have cried... but probably would have had a hard time remaining calm.. and not getting angry.

Now we have lots of work to do on our end to get this whole mess straightened out! YUCK!

CSA Membership!

I am so excited, I just have to share quickly!

After finding out recently that our neighbors (Chris and Amy) are the host site for their CSA, Mom and I decided to join! We get our first share next Thursday! Mom and I are going to share a Family Share. The picture is a sample of what a typical family share looks like! WOW, we're going to be Veggie eating Queens here pretty soon!

Jason and I were lucky enough to benefit from the misfortune of another CSA member who forgot to pick up their share last week! We received a Single Share and WOW was there a ton of produce! Things I've never had before... and certainly never made before! Now I need to figure out how to cook Fava Beans, Escarole, Tatsoi, and Mei qing choi. Oh boy this is going to be fun!!!

Pantry Update

I had this vision in my head of how I would rearrange my pantry... I was actually quite excited about the possibilities of the kitchen transformation. Unfortunately, things didn't work out quite as I intended... I thought I would move everything to the cupboard where the dishes are, but spacing was a problem. I did move some stuff around and I think I've made a good start.

I've moved the brown rice and the wheat flour to bigger containers, since we've been going trough them more regularly recently. Now, I just need to find some cupboard space to store them.

Adventure's in cooking....

Jason and I both had a HUGE steak left over from our anniversary dinner on Saturday. We decided to have them for dinner on Sunday. Well, when we were finished eating we were both left which a huge bone on our plate. I decided to make a beef broth, so I threw them in the crock pot with some carrots, onion, celery, rosemary, thyme and water and let it simmer overnight. YUMMY!

Keira and I also had several unloved bananas that we decided to make some Banana Bread with. I don't know what was more enjoyable... the smell of the broth or the smell of the banana bread! It was an incredible batch of banana bread though! YUMMY!

We also tried a recipe from my new cookbook "Eating Well 500 Calorie Dinners" which gives you ideas for an entrée, side dish and either a second side dish or a dessert which all add up to around 500 calories. Tonight we had the following:

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables. Makes 4 servings.

4 tsp EVOO, divided (I used coconut oil)

2 large red bell peppers, diced

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths

2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp salt, divided

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound raw shrimp (26 - 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth (I used my homemade broth)

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Heat 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, asparagus, lemon zest and 1/4 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl; cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining oil and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring for one minute. Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and add to the pan along with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring until the sauce has thickened slightly and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve the shrimp over the vegetables.

1 serving = 227 calories, 7g fat, 173mg cholesterol, 14g carbs, 28g protein, 4g fiber, 618 mg sodium, 670 mg potassium. Nutritional BONUSES: Vitamin C (210% daily value), Vitamin A (80% DV), Folate (53% DV) and Iron (25% DV).

The suggested side dishes are: Cauliflower & Couscous Pilaf (162 cal) or Quinoa with fresh herbs (1/2 cup for 111 cal.) and either a Papaya-Lime Sorbet (199 cal) or a glass of white wine (5 oz for 116 cal.)

We didn't have any of the side dishes. though we decided to try with Quinoa next time. A definite make again.