Serve The City

my excitement for square foot gardening must have been apparent because i was asked to help lead a team and install a square foot garden at a needed home today.

Our church partook in Serve The City today and it was so fantastic to get out there with other members of the church and accomplish such a great thing in so little time really. we started at 9:00 and finished by 12:30 - we even didnt have a hose at the site, which slowed us down quite a bit, but we accomplished putting in 2 4x4 square foot boxes. what was cool, what ended up happening is that a ton of people in our groups (there were 3 sites total where square foot gardens went) got excited about the idea and a group was started and talks of the church farmers market was buzzing...exciting to think about/talk about and hopefully partake in!

The original site backed out, then our back-up site backed out and on wednesday i found myself calling some people i know from Jr. League and was able to find a home for our 2 boxes at PATH ventures - the new permanent residence building inside the Villages at Cabrillo. I was pretty excited to do the garden here because ever since i first read about the home's inception about 2 years ago I have been jazzed about it. The director was so excited to have the gardens and hopes that the residents adopt it, which i am not c0ncerned about since 2 or 3 of the residents asked if they could help (we had finished already unfortunately). The director gave me a tour of the facilities and i was amazed at how nice and encompassing they were- granite countertops! walk-in closets! There are 5 transitional shelters within the 26 acres at Villages at Cabrillo and I have worked with the school inside the Villages - called Bethune - for about 5 years now. The problem has been trasitioning the residents into permanent homes from the shelters and now this permanent residence helps out these families in such an incredible way.

tummy tub review

(bryson took this photo...he is becoming quite the photographer...its getting the camera out of his hands that's the tricky part!)

we tried the tummy tub today. julie sent this to us - she ordered it from England to try. i like the idea of it - bathing a baby is usually awkward - i've tried bathing bodie in the plastic tub thing in the sink, in the sponge thing in the bath, in this lawn-chair like thing in the bath, while holding him in the bath and shower - all these ways are difficult to hold a wet squirmy baby and bath them at the same time. the tummy tub was definitely the easiest way i have tried to bathe him. he did keep standing up - on his own and holding onto the sides..."wait...you are WAY too little for this - quit rushing things!" i told him and then caught my breath.


it kinda looks like a plant pot. you could probably get a plant pot without a drainage hole and put a mark at 5 inches and you'd be good.

Bodie didn't quite know what to think. i think the idea of sitting with liquid covering him was at first comforting then a little scary...but for the most part he enjoyed it....especially the standing up part.

it also comes with a stand that turns into a stool once you are done with it, which is nice - i am always a fan of baby products that grow with your baby. it is also easy to clean as well. overall i think i will use it above the other methods if bodie continues to enjoy it as well...although my little guy will soon graduate from this at the rate he is moving...what do you think rashelle? once he is done with it you think delia would dig it?

happy mothers day...

mom - sorry...your present is going to be late...but i did want to give you a little shout out...and thank you for all that you are. becoming a mother has really made me appreciate all you have done for us kids and all that you still do for us big kids now. not only do i see myself inevitably becoming like you...i like it! booberhead slips from my mouth uncontrollably and bryan knows to pull the car over so i can read plaques everywhere and i can't help but turn every walk and time with bryson into a science lesson thanks to you. you tried to turn the normal everyday into adventures whenever possible and encouraged my creative outbursts however silly - i recall one spring day wanting to bake a cake because it was spring and you shared that excitement with me and let my whimsy take over. you laughed at my not-funny jokes and didnt laugh when i asked you not to laugh at me...even though my tantrums were probably as funny as bryson's are. you took jobs that wouldnt allow you to miss us coming home from school and gave us our personal freedom to explore who and what exactly we were. you were protective and freeing all at the same time and i thank you for that. you will forever be my mommy...which i still am very much in need of and thankful for. i love you and hope and pray i can be even half the great mother you are...not to mention as HOT as you are!

New Pool Guy

we fired Conan and hired a new pool guy...

a dog day

today was an odd day from the start. i woke up fully prepared mentally and physically (clothes-wise...maybe not body wise) for a long run. my running buddy canceled and instead of running anyway like i should i kept my running clothes on because i didnt want to hassle with actually showering and i convinced myself that i could get a run in at some point in the day...ha!

it took me 2 hours to get the kids dressed and fed and clothed and my office chores done and finally i strapped them in the car seats and pulled out of the driveway to get to the post office to mail off some packages when...

i saw this guy roaming around my driveway about to dart into traffic! he was all dressed up and no leash and no owner in site. i scooped him up before he ran into traffic and looked around for his owner. he still had his bow on from being groomed!

before i go further...let me just dedicate this post to Julie - my dad's wife...who is the consummate dog-lover. she has a side job of rescuing dogs...sometimes even buying them off of homeless people...or on freeways...wherever! after hearing her 10th story of rescuing dogs i asked her "where do you find these dogs? i have never seen a stray dog before!" well - i should not have ever said that because about a year ago i met my first stray - a lab-mix ironically named "Carlie" and kept her in my backyard while the animal control people located her guardian and picked her up.

so now a year later i am here again...with a stray dog...totally not knowing what to do - should i put him in my backyard and deal with him later? should i take him with us? the only tag he had said 'Dusty' and had a non-working number on it. i called julie - she said taking him to the pound would be a good idea since that is usually the first place a dog-owner missing a dog calls. i knew this dog's owners would be calling within hours...i mean look at him!

so i took him with us...and ran a couple errands praying he was car-trained and wouldn't do anything bad while i ran into the post office...and to pick up lunch...and then i took him to the park because i couldn't find the animal shelter and we needed to eat and bryson needed to get out.

It was fun to have a little dog for the day...especially because he didn't poop while i had him...nor did he do anything naughty in my car. and bryson was happy to walk him around on his leash through the park (my cell phone charger turned into a leash).

Plus i got to see the Long Beach Animal Shelter - it was so amazing in there - the cleanest most pristine shelter i have ever seen! i took the opportunity to teach bryson about the animal shelter and what its function is...i think he got quite a bit from it...it went a little like this:

"Bryson...this is where people put animals who are lost or animals who don't have homes to find homes. They take care of the animals and people come and try to adopt them into their family. You know how we found...."

"MOMMMY!!! KITTIES!"

then i lost him...

the pound called me a couple hours later to let me know dusty was on his way home and his owners were so grateful...i guess the day wasnt a complete waste after all!

a day in the life

today i dragged my poor children to the following places:
1. an elementary school - to drop off flyers, etc for a class the Jr League is putting on there
2. the park - bryson actually liked that
3. to get an oil change
4. post office
5. trader joe's
6. bagel shop
7. see's candies - okay bryson liked this too, as evidenced by his chocolate sucker mouth/shirt/hands/shorts
8. back to oil change place to pick up the car
9. staples
10. ralph's
11. bryan's basketball game
needless to say...i, along with my children, are spent...i hate errand days like this, but wanted to post this to give myself encouragement that i can have a day like this and still at the end of the day look back and realize how we made it somewhat enjoyable, like telling bryson stories while he was in the shopping cart and telling myself what a workout i am getting having Bodie in the ergo for approximately 4 hours, like trying to have some alone time with Bodie after bryson fell asleep in the car and let me put him down for a nap (he did say, 'i am not tired' with his eyes clossed as i laid him down i must mention).

an older lady at the grocery store saw me and asked if my baby was a boy. "yes, another one" i said (i am paranoid that people mistake bryson for a boy with his long hair...especially old ladies) and she smiled and said, "aren't you blessed?"

yes...yes i am very blessed.

labyrinth

my poor child...part 2...i already am turning bryson into the star wars geek that i was once...okay still am...i never turn down a viewing of the amazing trinity...he knows more characters than bryan and repeatedly hums the theme song at random, which makes me VERY happy.

so - sorry about that bryson - although it seems to connect with young boys everywhere...but to add insult to injury, being a huge Bowie fan, labyrinth is also a favorite movie of mine...i probably have seen it close to 100 times...and also will not turn down a viewing. when the family was in tahoe my niece and nephew, who are older (11 and 8) wanted to watch it since i brought my DVDs. i didnt know if bryson was ready for it...i guess it can be a little scary...seeing that goblins steal a baby and all...so i was ready to take him away and preoccupy him if needed. not needed. that boy is so strange. he LOVED coraline...LOVES labyrinth, but certain veggie tales scare him. not sure what its about...still havent figured it out...perhaps his fear of veggies in general are to be suspected.

so 2 amazing things have come of this. 1) we were in the car and the song "changes" came on and bryson said, "hey that sounds like jareth bowie" - i swear i didnt say anything. i swear i didnt say david bowie's name (i told him who the character jareth is in the movie - david bowie in real life) i swear i didnt say anything at all - he totally recognized it on his own, which i am still a little in awe over. and 2) after watching the movie again the other night he repeatedly said my FAVORITE line in the movie "nothing! nothing tra-la-la!" again - i did not tell him this is my favorite line (i had a conversation with bryan about it minus bryson not that long ago) nor did i repeat it after bowie said it in the movie. he continued to repeat this line approximately 40 times to the point that even i said, enough!

but i secretly smiled...

pooey gooey update

the other night at dinner bryson drew a picture of pooey gooey for us (i didnt keep it...bad mama) it was basically a looong blue crayon oval. he said "pooey gooey looks like this. he is 9 foots tall. he likes to eats crackers. his mommy says, 'no crackers' " i had no idea crackers cause such bad indigestion!

how i make beer

this post is for those people who have expressed their curiosity about making beer and how difficult it is, expensive, etc. it is very easy - if you can follow a recipe - you can make beer. the tricky part for me is the sanitizing (i use iodine by the way) because that is not how my brain thinks. to get started i visited my local homebrew shop and bought a kit - i was told by my husband's uncle to be sure to get the glass carboy because over time plastic can scratch and hide bacteria, which is beer's arch nemesis. It was $119 for the kit, which came with my first ingredients as well. along with my kit i purchased an auto-siphon, which i highly recommend for sanitary purposes. you can also buy them at multitude of online stores...i have used Austin Homebrew Supply, but thats it. there are several online resources as well - like this and this. my kit also came with a book, How to Brew, by John Palmer.

before i begin, please note the title of the post...please note it is NOT how to make beer...because that i am still trying to figure out. it is part science, part art, part cooking, part creating and there are people CRAZY into it and then there are people who just want to make good beer with no extra stuff put into it...that would be me. still before i begin, please also note that just about every step - every ingredient - every technique - every everything in beer making is HIGHLY debated. again, i explain that this is how I do it...okay...now i will truly begin




1. if you have dry yeast you need to activate it in warm water (you can also do this later if you desire - this is how i make bread, so therefore i make beer this way too)- if you have liquid yeast you need to start bringing it to room temperature. This is a Pacific Pale Ale and i am using Nottingham Ale #00394

2. Pour 2.5 gallons (i use distilled water) into your stock pot and get temp to 155 degrees. once there turn heat off and "steep" your grains (like a teabag) - In this recipe i used 1/2 lb Crystal 60L and 1/2 lb 2-Row. Steep for 25 minutes. Remove Grains after the water drains and discard grains and grain bag. Return to heat and bring to a boil.

3. Turn off the heat and move the stockpot to a cool burner. Add the malt extract (i used 7lb Extra Pale Extract). Stir until completely dissolved and return to heat and bring to a boil.

4. now the wort has a lot of sugars and can burn easily, so bring to a nice "rolling boil" and stir to ensure everything is mixing and lower heat to prevent boiling over. Once the wort is to a boil you can add your first set of hops.

5. For my bittering hops i used 1 oz cluster

1. 
   

6. At this time i put in about 1/2 tsp of irish moss (optional) to help everything settle....i am a SUPER lazy brewer and do anything i can to prevent having to use a secondary fermenter...this is a nice way to help the hops and yeast crud settle to the bottom faster.

7. Boil the wort and the bittering hops for 60 minutes. You add the flavoring hops during the last 15 minutes of the boil (mine was 1/2 oz Saaz and 1/2 oz Cluster) At the last 10 minutes of the boil i tried some yeast fuel this time - it is supposed to help fermentation happen faster...we'll see if its any worth it! At the last 5 minutes of the boil you add your aroma hops (i used 1/2 oz Saaz and 1/2 oz Cluster)

8. This is the wort nice and cookin!












9. Once the wort is done you need to bring it down to around 80 degrees as fast as you can (best if within 15-20 min) a nice ice bath with cool water running does the trick. you can also buy a wort chiller, but it definitely isnt a MUST.

10. when the wort cools down you pitch the wort along with the yeast and the remaining 2.5 gallons water to bring it to 5 gallons. you pop on the airlock and put it somewhere cool (room temp for most ales) and watch the MAGIC happen when yeast and sugar get together and make yeast crud babies. its a beautiful thing.

I am excited about my summer brew. I am debating on the name - either Swine Flu Pale Ale or MRSA, MRSA Me! Pale Ale. Anyone have any favorites or other suggestions? i think Pooey Gooey Pale Ale is just a little gross even for me!

In a couple weeks time it will be ready to bottle...which is a bear of a thing to do...i will attempt to post about that when the time comes...not nearly as exciting though, except for the fact that you are one step closer to drinking it! in the meantime, save all your (brown) imported beer bottles (you need to cap them so domestic screw off bottles dont work) and do yourself a favor and clean them before you store them!

The Case of the Closet Poop Thickens

soooo....about 2 or 3 months ago (all i know is that it was after bodie was born) we were in our closet and bryan picked up a shirt to find a nice pile of poo on the ground. this was very perplexing to us because neither of our cats have ever had accidents before. "perhaps one of them were locked in our closet?" was the theory i had for a while....until....

bryson woke up one morning (in our room of course) and the first thing he says when he woke up was, "remember when i had a dream that i pooped on the ground?"...interesting...thought I...could the poop in the closet and the pooping in his dream be somehow related? i asked him where he pooped in his "dream" and he told me by the door (which is sorta where we found the closet poop), but when he showed me the exact locale it was indeed by our bedroom door - not the closet. hmmm...mystery unsolved but highly suspicious.

this morning after waking bryson told me that there was a man in our room "fahting" over there. hmmm...what is his name? i asked..."Pooey Gooey" he said. he told me that Pooey Gooey poops and pees on the ground. He has red hair and red eyes "jedi eyes" and lives in outer space in a spaceship. "was pooey gooey the one who pooped in mommy and daddy's closet?" i asked - YES! he said...

Mystery solved...the poop was not from a locked-in cat, or sleepwalking 3 year old - it was from a red haired alien monster named Pooey Gooey. i think bryson should consider a career in CSI.