Goodbye 26.

Today is my 27th birthday. I've decided to treat today like it is the beginning of a new year, a new era. The 26th year of my life was the most difficult year I've experienced thus far. I spent 11 months of it being ill. I can't remember a single time from 26 where I was happy. Sure, there were glimmers and brief moments of happiness but even those were weighed down with huge amounts of stress, illness, and fear.

My 26th year was full of being afraid I was going to die, that I wasn't going to ever improve, that I would never find myself again, that I'd always be an empty shell of my former self. 26 was terrifying and lonely. It wasn't lonely because I didn't have people who loved me around but lonely because I had to say goodbye to the person that I had been. 26 was the year I had to let go of myself, of everything I was, because it didn't exist anymore. I had lost my identity to my illness.

For my 27th year I hope to find myself. I hope to water what roots of the old me that I have left and to mourn the pieces I won't ever get back. I hope to grow new branches of who I am. I hope to encourage happiness in my life and in my heart. I will get that back and I will let go of the fear I've lived in. 27 will be better, I get to start over.

So please, instead of wishing me a happy birthday, could you just wish me a happy new year, and I will do the same for you.

This is Your Brain on Drugs... CRACK!

Did anybody else watch those awful PSAs in school? My brain doesn't quite look like a fried egg but apparently it still doesn't look normal. Last Friday I went up to Portland for another set of follow up MRIs. A preliminary review of my scans showed that all of my lesions are gone except the one in my cerebellum that has been giving me so much trouble these past 9 months. It is still there but it has shrunk and is pretty faint on the MRI. Awesome news!

and now to take the wind out of my sails

Today I got a call from my neurologist, my scans had been read and while most of what they originally told me still holds true, another random little lesion in my brain is also still present. We've never really worried about or focused on this lesion because I had other, much more concerning lesions giving me all kinds of problems and this one doesn't seem to be giving me any obnoxious symptoms as far as we can tell. We're keeping an eye on it now though because it has become "more pronounced" than it was before. Originally they said I wouldn't have to come back but now they're recommending another set of follow up scans in 6 months.

I'm still taking this as good news. The lesion that was down my spinal cord is gone (leaving behind some spinal cord damage that should hopefully heal over time), as are the ones on my optic nerves. It's just my brain that is still lighting up the scans. Three hours of MRIs isn't fun but I'll take it over a lumbar puncture any day.

I was excited to share my good news with you and had a post written about how I only had the lesion on the cerebellum left and it was almost gone and then I got the call that while the news is still good, it's not quite as good as we originally thought. What a buzzkill. I'm so ready to be done with these lesions. Please think some good thoughts for me that this other lesion will change its mind and become less pronounced or at least that it won't continue on its current path.

Yarn Along

As a kid I was head over heels for the Anne of Green Gables series. In fact, I still am. I re-read the Anne books every year. I also loved the Emily Starr trilogy. I never stumbled across Jane of Lantern Hill though. My school library must not have had her because I'm sure I would've devoured this book just like the others. I only discovered it's existence recently but have already read it twice, both times cover to cover without a break and I feel ready to read it again. 3 times in two weeks, that's totally normal, right? I love Jane. I might even love her more than Anne except I grew up reading Anne so I think she'll always hold a special place in my heart. While Anne is more fanciful, and maybe even magical, Jane has her feet planted firmly on the ground, but has all of the same qualities of L.M. Montgomery's other beloved heroines.

I've been knitting this cowl pattern. I've knit it once before but I, admittedly, messed up the pattern. I decided to knit it again, correctly this time. It's good practice before I embark on more difficult patterns. Check out Ginny's Yarn Along to see what other people are knitting and reading this week.

Parents Trying to get Science Teacher Fired for Teaching Science.

My boyfriend graduated from Dietrich High School (in a class of 12 people). I've visited Dietrich, Idaho, many times and it's exactly as you'd imagine. The population in "town" is more than 300 people but less than 400, everyone else lives out on farms. The largest structure other than the school (which houses K-12) is the Mormon church. There is no gas station or grocery store. There is, however, a tiny bar and a little shop called the Mercantile which sells overpriced grocery items and deep fried burritos. The nearest town is 8 miles away and it has something like two restaurants, maybe 3, don't quote me on that. You get the picture, Dietrich is a hole in the wall kind of town that you drive past and never remember, or more likely, didn't even notice. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice little place, but the emphasis is definitely on "little."

Dietrich High School is best known for their sports, their girls' basketball team just won their 3rd straight State Championship title. Go Blue Devils! Nobody thought Dietrich would be on the national news networks for their science program but, alas, it has happened, in the worst possible way. Some overzealous and not-so-enlightened parents are trying to get one of the high school science teachers fired for {gasp} using the word "vagina" while teaching about the reproductive system, straight from the book, I might add. Oh man, what an unfortunate choice to use the v-word. He probably would've been better off with hoo-ha, or perhaps love mound (I read that in a romance novel once), or maybe cum dumpster would've been more their speed. Cum dumpster, got that one from a thesaurus, those things are so useful.

I would be laughing at this whole thing if it weren't real. I'm curious as to how a person is supposed to teach the reproductive system without mentioning the vag. Should they just glaze over that part?

"You see class, after you have the sex, which involves the penis, and well... the penis, you may or may not get pregnant and have a baby after 9 months, but I can't tell you where that baby would come from."

Magically appearing babies actually sound much better than the traditional, through the vagina, mode of delivery. Sign me up.

There is another complaint about Mr. McDaniel though, and that is that he, "supported a political candidate," by having his students watch Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. I think this is probably the actual reason the parents want Mr. McD gone, and the hoo-ha stuff is just a convenient reason to complain. And no, I doubt it has to do with politics either. I mean, Al Gore, seriously? That guy has been irrelevant to politics for a long time, he's been busy inventing the internet (I'm sorry Al, snopes totally has your back). The issue here is climate change, and maybe cum dumpsters. This teacher is teaching about things these parents want their kids either completely left in the dark about or they want to be the only source of information the child has on these subjects, so they can grow up believing exactly what mommy and daddy tell them to. What a great disservice they're doing their children by telling them to not pursue knowledge. Too bad it backfires and now all these kids are spending the next 12 hours staring at diagrams of whisker biscuits on google images (probably) and maybe that one awkward kid is looking at tide tables. And let's face it, in a town of a couple hundred people in the middle of nowhere, kids learn about sex at, like, 10. It's the most fun to be had in Dietrich, except for that one time a guy's dentures fell out at the bar, no wait, that was in Shoshone (the town with gas stations) - scratch it from the record, please.

The nice thing about this witch hunt, if there can be a nice thing, is seeing Mr. McDaniel's former and current students and neighbors stand up for him. They've started facebook groups and letter writing campaigns, they're calling government officials, and they made enough noise that this is now national news, hilarious, sad, pathetic, national news. So G-O, Go Dietrich, Go! Tell those conservative bastards that science is important, that competent teaching is important, that vaginas are important. Tell them that it's not a teacher's job to confirm parents' belief systems to their children. Save your science teacher! The free thinking world is behind you.

I'm going to jump off my soapbox now and return to applying copious amounts of makeup to my forehead to give it the appearance of being round again. I did some damage from repeatedly slamming my face into my keyboard upon originally reading about this ridiculousness.


P.S. What the hell is wrong with people that penis is allowable but vagina is strictly off limits? As if women haven't been oppressed enough, now we aren't supposed to talk about our sex organs...again? This is a discussion for another day, I feel my temperature rising (that indicates I'm about to Hulk Smash) and this after I just got it under control.

We Had Visitors!

A few weeks ago Jake's dad, brother, and nephew came from Idaho for a quick visit. Even though I ran around like a crazy woman trying to get my brother's disaster of a bedroom from his teenage years turned into a guest room, it was so nice to have them. Jake's dad had never seen the ocean so we spent most of our time hanging out at the Pacific. No complaints here, I love the sand and the sea. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I still have trouble with my right leg and with exhaustion, I spent a lot of the time in the car, but that was okay too, I still got to enjoy the view.

We went to beach after beach, enjoyed delicious food and each other's company, and had a great time. We tried to take them to restaurants that offered fresh seafood since they don't get that back in Idaho. A lot of clam chowder was happily consumed. We played and explored and visited. One day when the tide was out the guys went and explored the tide pools. That's always fun and I haven't been since I was a kid. I sat in the car and worked on my knitting, my balance isn't quite up to that adventure yet but hopefully it will be soon.

We had a great time with family and hope they'll come again. It's always a blast to show people around our part of the world, and even more so when they've never experienced anything like it. Watching Jake's dad as he laid eyes on the ocean for the very first time was really special. He was awestruck, and I was right there with him.

Inspired by Miss Dolly Parton.

Recently I found out about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Communities across the nation are partnering with Dolly to provide books to low income children in their area. Dolly's library sends these kids one book a month, every month, until the child reaches 5 years old - school age. I think this is an amazing idea. It's been shown over and over that children who read frequently go so much further in their education than those that don't.

I was so inspired by Dolly that I've decided to try to replicate this within my family for my nieces. I've started checking the children's section when I thrift, seeing if there are any books that my nieces might enjoy. I just started this last week so I have only found two books so far but I'm excited to discover more, and to see if I can keep this up and not let my enthusiasm fizzle. Finding books for my newborn niece is going to be more difficult than for her 2 year old sister but I'm excited to try. I know my nieces are going to love this. What kid doesn't enjoy receiving their very own mail, especially when there is a present inside?!

Dolly also has information on her website about setting up an Imagination Library program in your area, if you're interested.

Baby Crochet.

So many loved ones have been having babies lately. First my sister and now a childhood friend. I used to have such a hard time buying baby gifts because I wanted to clean out the store, baby stuff is so cute. Lately, if a girl is on the way, I've been making this sweet little pinafore. I love them and I think I need to adjust the pattern to make toddler sized dresses too. Now to dig up a pattern for the perfect baby boy garment.

Las Vegas!

Last week Jake and I went to Vegas to visit his cousin who lives there and help him to celebrate his birthday. We had so much fun! We went bowling, ate delicious meals, lounged around the house, visited Fremont Street where the boys went on the zip line, and the guys went to the strip. I decided to stay home and knit while they explored the strip because I didn't think my leg was up to that long of a walk after Fremont Street the night before.

It was so nice spending time with family and having a quick trip away from home together. Being sick this summer meant that I was in the hospital for our anniversary and we had to scrap our plans for that so being able to go away together felt like a real treat.



Don't these strip clubs have the greatest signs? I've always been a sucker for bulbs and neons. Love it.

My Kitchen has been Spoiled Lately.

Okay, so perhaps I'm the one being spoiled. We finally were able to buy a dishwasher in December which was really exciting. It's probably my very favorite appliance ever. I hate hand washing dishes. Ever since the dishwasher arrived in our lives, our kitchen has slowly been getting some pretty items that bring a smile to my face.

Jake's mom gave us some fancy knives for Christmas. These Cutco knives are so much nicer to use than my $3 set from Ikea. I especially love the white handles. I guess they had a family conference to decide whether or not I would prefer the white or black handles. They decided on white and I absolutely love them! I went to the local restaurant supply store to get a magnetic strip to hang my knives on. I feel so fancy.

My little brother gifted me a beautiful Gucci watch for Christmas. It was gorgeous but I don't wear watches and I politely asked him if I could return it. He graciously said yes and I was able to pay off some of my medical bills and set a little aside for something I've been wanting for years. I had saved up enough money from tips before I got sick but I ended up spending that money on prescriptions and I was kind of bummed but I knew I'd get my Le Creuset eventually. After returning the watch I called my sister and found that Le Creuset had opened a brand new outlet just a few miles from her home. Since she's the world's best sister she went and picked up this french oven for me and even got an extra discount because of their grand opening sale. I hugged it for so long when it finally arrived at my house. Pure joy.

Lastly, this is what Jake is getting me for Valentine's day. It's from etsy shop Pinkkiss and I love it. I looked at hundreds of spoon rests before discovering this one. It's going to look great on my stove and save me from having to clean up saucy messes every time I lay the spoon down. Thanks honey!

Learning to Knit

Last night was the second week of my once a week knitting class I'm taking. There are 6 or 7 of us in the class and we pretty much work on whatever we want while the instructor walks around answering questions and doling out advice. I really enjoy how casual it is. We're supposed to complete a project by the end of the course, which is 5 weeks. I'm still not sure what I want to work on. On one hand, I want to choose something simple, but on the other hand, I don't want to do something dull or that will take forever to complete.

I've noticed I have a tendency to want to yarn over in knitting like I do in crochet so I have to really watch myself. I wanted to learn to knit so I could make garments but so far, I find that I much prefer crochet. Perhaps I'll like knitting better once it becomes second nature like crochet is. Because of my brain lesion I have short term memory problems so I have to take my big needlecraft book with me so I can refresh myself on knit and purl every now and again. I am excited for the world of new patterns this will open up for me. Now to find the perfect one for my class project. Off to ravelry I go.

A New Year's Resolution of Sorts.

I wish I had some amazing and inspiring resolutions and goals for 2013 but really, all I want is to get back to being my "normal" self as much as I possibly can. I want to continue recovering from the illness that took half of 2012 from me. I don't think I can ever be the same person I was before I got sick but I want my energy back. I want to get back to doing the things I love. It's amazing just how much not being able to pursue my hobbies made me feel like I was missing part of myself. It was just out of reach, on the other side of my sickness, and each book I read, meal I cook, and crochet project I finish brings that part of me a little closer to home. I have missed it dearly. That's all I want in 2013 and I think it's definitely possible.

Happy Birthday, Little Brother.

This is my little brother. Of all my siblings, he's the one I grew up with. Everyone else was out of the house so a lot of the time it was just the two of us. We drew chicken pox on each other with markers (and later shared real chicken pox), learned to ride bikes together, and screamed, "MOM, he/she is touching me," on long car rides together. Although he was a giant pain in my ass sometimes, I wouldn't trade him for any other little brother in the world.

Happy 25th Birthday, Rouse Rouse. Love you. 

When we were kids, he'd race up the driveway after the bus dropped us off, get in the house, lock me out, and refuse to let me in until I promised we could watch either Die Hard or Chuck Norris' Invasion USA. Are you kidding me, kid? Everyday. Torture.

Winter Preparedness.

Hello friends. I know we dwell all across the world but where I live, winter is upon us. Sometimes I look out and see the sun poking through the clouds and it doesn't quite feel like winter but when I see that the fields and roads are flooded, trees are down all over the county, and people are without power in outlying areas, I'm reminded that it truly is winter.

Preparing for winter is different for all of us, depending on where we live. For me, I like to make sure I have clean water, snacks, warm blankets, candles and flashlights. The power goes out here at least once per winter, usually a lot more frequently. Although the linemen work their butts off, sometimes power isn't restored for hours, or even days. It's important to be prepared for a few days with no power. Don't forget provisions for your pets as well!

Even if it seems you might be lucky enough to experience a mild winter, please be ready for that freak storm just in case. Here is a great site with some preparedness tips. I know it's a tired phrase but it's better to be safe than sorry!

Christmas Crochet.

I just returned home from a rush trip to California. My family had a mini get together to exchange gifts, say hello, get some Chinese food, and head back our separate ways. It's always so wonderful when we get to see each other, it's never often nor long enough. I have the greatest family. I wanted to share a couple of photos of the gifts I had made my niece and my niece that will make her appearance in January. The above are little dresses I made for the new baby. Sorry for the messy backdrop, I was in a hurry to wrap them and hit the road. I'm sure next year I'll have some cute photos of the dresses in action.



This bad boy is a poncho I made for my two year old niece. She didn't grasp the concept since it didn't have arm holes. She put it on, flapped like a bird a few times, took it off, threw it on the floor and took off to go play. That's okay, I have high hopes for getting a photo of this piece in action as well.

The pattern for the pinafore is here. 

The pattern I based the poncho off of is here. 

Currently Crochet.

Jake has had what feels like a zillion appointments lately so I've been accomplishing a lot of crochet in that down time. My lovely sister is having another girl in January so I've been working on a blanket for the new baby. I've been using Bernat's Softee Chunky yarn. I love it. It works up quickly and is soft and thick. It also comes in a wide variety of cute colors.



This blanket is my fall back project. It's for my sister and her husband. Hopefully it will be finished by oh...say...their 10th anniversary. They just had their third.



This will be a Christmas present, hopefully, if the rest of the yarn gets here in time. I originally purchased 3 skeins of Lion Brand's recycled cotton yarn but can't seem to find the 3rd skein anywhere. I'm pretty sure a cat stole it to hide in their own secret treasure spot somewhere. No big deal, right? Wrong. JoAnn Fabrics no longer carries this yarn. Neither does any other local store, trust me, I went to every single one of them. I had to order it straight from Lion Brand's website. I hope it arrives soon!

What have you been working on lately?

Oh to be an Auntie.

This little one and her mama are headed back down to California today. boo. I really hate when they have to leave because it's so much fun having them here. I might get to see them briefly around Christmas but I may not see them again until after baby #2 has already made her appearance. 

Lana and pau pau (grandma) made chex mix the other day and wore matching aprons. I'm pretty sure pau pau made chex mix and Lana just stuffed her face but still, what a good helper! It took me a second but I recognized their aprons, my Auntie and I made them when I was a little girl so my mom and I could match in the kitchen. I'm glad they're still getting use 20 years later. I'm already having Lana hug withdrawals. sigh

Home Canned Cranberries.

I've always loved cranberry juice, it's the only kind of juice I truly care for. Dried cranberries also hold a special place in my heart but I never had an affinity for cranberry sauce until last year. I had bought a can for my little Thanksgiving feast and decided to try it and I quickly fell in love, not surprisingly. When my uncle offered to get me some cranberries during harvest that year I had jumped at the chance and made my own homemade version of the sauce. We had it at Thanksgiving dinner this year and I really feel like I could eat it every single day. I think what really puts it over the top is the addition of ground clove. Now to devise a meat free sandwich to stuff with cranberry sauce.

Oh, and isn't my mom's china lovely? I always liked using it as a kid but was scared to death of washing them in case I dropped one but I never did so it turned out alright in the end.

Oh Thanksgiving.

print by RetroModernArt

Although Thanksgiving has never really been a big deal to me because I don't eat meat and most of the fun is stuffing your face with meat, I still really enjoy it. I get to hang out with my family, whom I love dearly. Last year I made my first Thanksgiving feast at our own house because Jake and I were in Idaho at the time and couldn't get to any family. We had a friend over but ended up spending half the evening in the ER to find out Jake had bronchitis. The food turned out great but we never did sit down at the table and have our little feast. Instead, most of it went in the fridge and we had leftovers.

This year Jake is in Arizona at his sister's where his family usually celebrates Thanksgiving. I really wanted to go, I just love his niece and nephews, but I didn't feel quite up to the 12 day trip so instead I'm staying home with the pets. I'll be celebrating turkey day at both my mom's and then my dad's. My mom is one of those kind souls who always makes sure everyone she knows has a place to spend the holidays. It's fun to go to her Thanksgiving dinner because you never know who will be there and what interesting people you may meet.

I hope everyone has a lovely holiday.

Support.

Having a support system is an important part of life. It can consist of friends, family, co-workers, or even online blogging or gaming friends you've never met. What matters is that they care about you and support you. Jake and I are lucky enough to have a large and caring support system, for which we're very thankful.

Recently I've expanded my support system by attending a women's group for the significant others of those suffering from PTSD. It's a small group and usually just a handful of people show up, but I like that it's small, you really get to know the other ladies and their stories. Just being around other people who truly understand what having a spouse with PTSD is like is really comforting. They can relate in a way others can't and can give advice or share from their own experiences.

Everyone is a different age and our spouses fought in different wars, the PTSD manifests in different ways in our loved ones, and yet our lives are so similar. We all keep constant vigilance, searching for the tiniest signs of a problem, we all know our loved one's triggers, we all have the same worries. It's nice to have the instant bond that comes with having similar experiences.

For me, the most beneficial thing is speaking to the women whose husbands have been dealing with PTSD since Vietnam, almost 40 years ago. It's nice to learn from their experience, and to see that although your spouse may never live a life without PTSD, they can still have a full and rewarding life. Being able to ask questions about their experiences is invaluable. I'm not sure if I ever want to have children, but Jake's PTSD is a real concern of mine, and his, when it comes to having a family. The fact that I can ask these ladies how their husbands dealt with their PTSD in regard to raising children and the effect that has had on the family is incredibly beneficial, even if it's only anecdotal evidence.

I'm thankful we've moved into a VA system that actually gives a damn. In our previous cities, nobody remembered who you were or cared what was going on in your life. Here they refer us to doctors outside of the VA if the wait is too long or if they don't have what we need locally. They call to ask how I'm doing, not just Jake, and they recognize our faces and remember our story when we walk in. It's such a different environment, and such a relief.

Christmas Wishlist.

Awhile back my sister mentioned that she didn't know what to get me for my birthday and that when she looked through the things I had favorited on etsy, she knew some of the things I had hearted were not my taste and I likely had them in mind as gifts for others. So in an attempt to make things easier for her, I made a wishlist of some of the things I liked, all in one easy to access place. I need to update it as I've found a lot of other things I prefer on etsy lately. I just wanted to share with you in case you are a difficult to shop for person. The holiday season is coming up and making your own wishlist treasury might be helpful for your loved ones. In fact, because of this wishlist, I am now the proud owner of that adorable Arrow Ring. Thanks, sis!

Veteran's Day.

Today I just want to thank all of our veterans. They come from many backgrounds, and enlist for a variety of reasons, but they all come together to do a job that is difficult and at times very dangerous. Thank you vets, for your bravery. I also want to recognize military families. I don't know if there is such a thing as military family day but there should be. The sacrifices made by military families are considerable and yet many of them do it with such grace and dignity.

A special thanks to my vet. Jake, you are one of the best people I know. Life has been especially hard for you since you returned from Iraq but you still face every day with the courage and fight that is part of your very core. I admire you so much and love you even more.



Here is a photo Jake took while on guard duty of an Iraqi sunset back in 2005. I'd love to go visit someday.

Again, it's hope.

I just realized that I have been blogging for over 4 years. I only came to this realization as I was trying to find the post I wrote last time Obama was elected President. I was so hopeful then, and I find that, surprisingly, I still am. I think a lot of good fights were won last night all over the country. Now that the election season has reached it's culmination, I feel proud to be American once again. I'm excited for the next 4 years and I'm hopeful that, because he no longer has to play nice, Obama will take off his kiddie gloves and play some hardball with Congress. So on the night of my third election as a voter, I find my hope and excitement renewed. I'm sure there will be many times I'm upset with our President, but I'm happy this crisis has been averted for now. And even though our political system has become quite ridiculous, I'm thankful I live in a country where I'm able to cast a ballot at all. Here's to the next 4 years, may they be peaceful and prosperous.

Happy Voting!

It's my favorite day, election day! I love exercising my right to vote. I spend hours studying measures and reading both sides, always trying to make an informed decision. Voting empowers me and leaves me feeling not only like I've fulfilled a sense of duty but also made those who came before me proud. I dropped off my ballot last week. If your state does the poll thing or you have yet to drop yours off, please don't forget to get out and vote. I know a lot of people are disheartened and don't feel like their vote matters, or will change anything. Please remember that not only are you voting for the President, but you're voting on local issues too, that will directly affect your life and community. Voting is important. It hasn't even been 100 years yet that women have been able to vote and that right is something I never ever want to take for granted. Especially now, when my rights as a woman are being threatened and attacked everyday.

So please, if you weren't planning on doing anything with that ballot, google your local measures or bust out that voter's guide and review it. You might find something has been proposed that could change your community in a big way, and I hope you get your say in it.

If you need further convincing, Jes at The Militant Baker has a great 8 Reasons to Vote post up right now.

Weekly Scenes.

I took my mom's dog to get her picture with Santa this weekend and in addition to the doggy treats they hand out, they also gave some amazing candy made locally at Cranberry Sweets, including awesome chocolate covered marshmallows on a stick. I shared with Jake, but I really wanted to keep it for myself. The next day I went and made Christmas cards at my mom's house for about 5 hours. She teaches a card class every month and already had paper cut and designs ready, which made it so nice and easy. I also took my "welcome to our home" sign down and changed it into a dry erase board that now hangs by our bed. It saves me so much paper to write my list up there instead of in a notebook.

I Scream for Ice Cream.

Last night I went over to my mom and step-dad's for an I scream ice cream party. Jake had to raid so he missed out on the fun but I made sure to bring home some cupcakes and vampire fangs for him so I think he's okay. They had all of their neighbors over for the party and it was pretty fun. The house was decorated and even had a cardboard cutout of Bela Lugosi as Dracula. I have no idea where they found that but it's pretty damn cool. I'm glad I was able to go do something for Halloween. We never get trick-or-treaters where we live and it always bums me out. I love handing out candy to adorably dressed little children.

Farmer's Market Trip.

Our local Farmer's Market goes until the end of this month and since I can finally drive, I decided to take advantage while I can. I went about 20 minutes before it closed down. There weren't many stalls left, but there are never many to begin with. The benefit to going later in the day is that I got two loaves of bread for just over the price of one. Sometimes you can get other discounts like that as well. The con is that everything has been picked over.

In addition to what you see above, I also got a second loaf of bread, more bell peppers and a small bouquet of flowers, all of which I dropped off for my mom at her work. I got myself some flowers too. There's a cute little old guy from the Salem area who comes down with the most beautiful dahlias.

I wish the farmer's market happened more frequently so I could go shopping there all of the time. I love supporting local farmers, bakers, and craftspeople. I also love how flavorful fresh produce is. There isn't much better than taking a bite into a crisp veggie.

Drying Apples.

Since we don't eat a lot of applesauce in these parts, I decided to dry at least one of my 5 gallon buckets of apples. I don't particularly like dried fruit but Jake loves it and it's been a struggle finding snacks that he loves that aren't time consuming to prepare in the moment. I want to have snacks around that he can grab in an instant and keep going with his day.

My mom got us this dehydrator for Christmas last year and this is my first time using it. In the past I've always dried my fruits and vegetables in the oven so having a dehydrator was quite exciting. Let me tell you, it's so simple and easy to use. I would definitely recommend this for someone who is new to dehydrating and/or feels uncomfortable dehydrating in the oven.

So far we've only done apples and bananas but have grand plans to dry some cranberries soon too. I just have to work through all of these apples first. I'm considering purchasing a couple extra trays to take it from a 4 tray to a 6 tray dehydrator so I can do more at once but that isn't really a priority. Oh, and apparently you can also use it for jerky, which I might have to try at some point. I know a ton of people who just love jerky.

What's your favorite dried fruit?

Winter Boots for Men.

There is someone in this household who is really excited over his new boots. I don't blame him one bit, I'm pretty jealous of how nice they are, I wish I had a girl version. Winter is coming and here on the coast that means a lot of rain. Pretty much everyday will be wet, and even on days when the sky isn't falling, the ground is still soaked through, parking lots are flooded and protecting your feet is of the utmost importance. Having never experienced a rain filled winter before, Jake dug out his old Army boots. They probably would work but for one thing, they're really ugly, for another, they smell awful. Wear some shoes in Iraq for a year and then tell me they smell good. No thanks.



We searched the internet for some boots and this is the pair Jake really wanted. He's in love. I'm in love because in addition to keeping him dry, they don't look like redneck/construction/Army boots. He wore them all day (even in the house, he was so excited) and said they didn't hurt at all. It's important to me that his feet stay warm, toasty, and dry. I don't like taking care of runny noses or contracting anyone else's cold. These shoes should last him for years, which is the best part! They were a bit of an investment for us but should hopefully last, as long as he takes good care of them. Sometimes it's better to invest in something than constantly be buying new of the lesser quality item. How are you preparing for winter?

Book Report: The Chalk Circle Man.

When my eyes finally started to get back to normal instead of showing me two of everything, my sweet mother went to the library to get me some reading material. This was back when I couldn't really walk yet. She picked me up a couple Harry Potters and then headed over to the mystery aisle where she dug around for something that looked good. There was a man in the aisle and he suggested trying something by Fred Vargas so my mom took his advice. She checked out The Chalk Circle Man which is the first novel in the Commissaire Adamsberg series.

Vargas is a top selling French author so you kind of have to pay extra attention when reading as the locations are in French, due to the books being set in France. I really enjoyed this first book and so far have read about half of the series. I think there are 6 books but I'm not sure since every time I google it, all of the articles are in French, which I don't speak or read.

The books center around Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, a detective in Paris who is a little shabby, a little flaky, and completely brilliant. In fact, all of her (Fred Vargas is a woman) characters are quirky and interesting. To be honest, the murder in the first novel didn't happen until after at least 50 pages, but it's the characters that won't let you just set the book aside and decide not to read it. They're all so strange and yet the way they're written is very charming. Vargas is a historian so you also learn a lot of interesting things about the history of France as you read.

I also like that (so far) the crimes in the novels aren't described in a gruesome or creepy way. Sure, some of them aren't particularly nice, but it's not like an episode of some of those cop shows that leave you with nightmares later on. She describes these misdeeds in a way that gets to you, but doesn't leave you wanting to scrub your eyes with bleach.

In this first novel, someone is going around Paris drawing chalk circles on the ground and leaving strange objects in them, such as trombones, dead birds, and other random items. Everyone thinks it's a prank, until one night, they discover a body inside a circle. dun dun dun

If you're into a fairly quick, enjoyable, and different type of mystery, I'd definitely recommend these books, for the characters if nothing else.

A Gift of Apples.

Canning is pretty much my number one mostest favoritest hobby. I canned some pears back in May but then I got sick and missed out on practically the entire canning season so I was really excited today when one of my dad's employees dropped off two 5 gallon buckets of apples. She helped install the floors in our apartment and saw all of my jars of food and it was extremely sweet of her to think of me.

Now I have to figure out what to do with all of these apples. I'll make applesauce and apple butter but that will still leave me with a lot of apples. I've seen some recipes for apple pie filling but I don't like apple pie so I don't know about that. I guess it's time to bust out my canning books and find some interesting apple recipes.

How would you put up the apples?