Out in the Fresh Air

First, the bad news. About a day after the fourth chick hatched, it died. We're not sure why. This just happens sometimes. The good news is that the other three are doing beautifully, as is mama Emma. See the LABELS list in the right hand column under 'Broody Hens' to read more about Emma and her chicks.

Emma was already teaching them how to scratch and peck in the pen. She would purposefully spill out chick feed from the feeder onto the wood floor and then scratch and peck through the straw, tapping her beak on the floor to show her chicks where the food was. Scratching in the grass and dirt has to be more fun, so we were excited to move them outside and felt confident it was okay since the Broody Hen Wizard gets them outside soon after hatching, too. So, on Sunday, we moved Emma and her brood outside into the chicken tractor.

After Jamey carried Emma outside to the tractor, he came in for the chicks. We tried transporting them in a box without a lid, but forgot that six and seven day old chicks can already climb very well. Instead, for fear they would fall out of the box, he scooped them up in his hands.

Sadie just had to hug them before he took them outside.

Once they were in the tractor, Emma immediately got to work teaching them how to scratch, hunt and peck in the grass. They were very attentive. At one point, Emma caught a fly out of the air, spit it out on the ground and tapped at the ground until one of the chicks caught on and gobbled the fly up.

Now, let me explain this one. It's the cutest thing. Occasionally, a chick climbs up on Emma's back as if they're playing horsie. Emma tolerates it for a little while and then rolls her body to the side, gently dumping the chick off. For the life of us, we couldn't get a picture with the chick on her back. So sorry.

Here's a little sequence for you, showing how these little chicks get in under their mama. Emma appears to be sitting, but she's actually squatting close to the ground to allow them space underneath. Talk about sore quads.

The four of us sat outside and watched this little family for about an hour after getting them settled. Somersault enjoyed watching, too. For different reasons, though. Don't worry, they are safe and sound inside.

Talk about a chicken picture fix. You should be good for awhile now, right?

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Saturday Night's Dinner

We had friends over for supper Saturday evening. The menu consisted of Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos, Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad, Applesauce and Rhubarb Coffee Cake.

I have already written about the Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos here.

Let me tell you about this Butternut Squash Salad- AMAZING. I can take no credit for the recipe. I came across it at Smitten Kitchen and, come to find out, Orangette has written about it, too. My goodness, if they both wrote about it, I knew I could not go wrong...and was I right.

We still have butternut squash from the fall- it has stored very nicely. I doubled the recipe, using two whole squash. I kid you not, there was only a cup and a half left over- from two whole butternut squash! Four adults and four children came very close to polishing it off completely. I used yellow onions instead of red onions and lemon juice from a bottle and it still turned out incredible. And, because we liked it so much we made another batch yesterday to eat this week- yep, it's that good. You can find the recipe and photo here. Now, go get started. Well, after you've read the rest of this post, of course.

If you've missed our Applesauce post, you can read about how we make it here. I think we've finally determined the amount of applesauce our family requires. The 144 quarts is lasting nicely.

Ok, now for dessert... I made my Grammie's Rhubarb Coffee Cake. There are still numerous bags of rhubarb in our freezer, so I had a good excuse to make it. This cake is very moist and very flavorful. Our rhubarb is just coming up outside along the fence. When you get your hands on some (if there isn't any in your freezer), try this recipe out. I know you will be pleased.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake (my Grammie's recipe)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen and drained)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cream shortening and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar. Add the egg and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to the shortening mixture alternatively with the sour cream/plain yogurt. Fold in the rhubarb. Spread the batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan coated with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it evenly over the top of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Excellent with homemade vanilla ice cream. Or all by it's lonesome.

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An Education For Me, Too

I don't talk too much about homeschooling here. It's certainly not because I don't think about it. I think about it every day, because we are doing it every day. I often think about homeschooling in the evenings and as I lay in bed at night if I can't sleep. I'm not worrying about it, mind you. I am just running our endless options through my tired brain- becoming energized by the choices.

You see, I am learning, too. One of my favorite quotes is, "To teach is to learn twice" by Joseph Joubert. While teaching Sam kindergarten, I re-learned ( know I learned it, but just couldn't remember learning it) about the life cycles of insects, the positioning of the planets and sun in relation to the earth, Bible verses that are invaluable in our day to day life...oh, the list goes on and on. This year, first grade, I am re-learning Bible stories, ancient history, spelling rules and the names of shapes (beyond circle, square and rectangle- c'mon I do know those).

I'm beside myself with giddiness (yes, I'm a bit of a dork) over what Sam and I will be learning about next year- American History. Can you even stand it? I have discovered that when it comes to reading for pleasure, I enjoy non-fiction over fiction and the reason is that I enjoy history. I was as surprised as you. The curriculum that we (loosely) use makes heavy use of living books. Living books (my definition) are real books/literature (not textbooks). Learning about subjects and history through story form helps you retain information, putting it in the context of real life versus memorizing isolated dates and facts.

This time of year, I am known to get antsy about what we are doing for school the next year. I'm a planner, hating to leave things to the last minute. Knowing that I will have a baby (who right now has the hiccups) on my shoulder, in a sling or on my hip all summer is also a reason for me to get my ducks in a row.

The final box of materials arrived today.

These are just a portion of the American History/Geography books we will use next year.

Here is Sam's science book, artist study books and handwriting paper. Next year is cursive, people! These pictures don't include his math, spelling, grammar and Bible materials.

And, for my Sadie girl, who next year will want to be up at the table doing school with us, a few preschool books to get her accustomed to school until she starts the phonics book.

Oh, the lessons we will learn!

If you are interested in reading about one family's pros and cons to homeschooling, please read this post written at Holy Experience just yesterday. Hers is a blog I follow regularly. She, also, rarely speaks about homeschooling. So much of what she writes about in this post resonates with me deeply. She put into words what would have taken me years to. Enjoy.

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This Week's Happenings and Musings

So, other than giving cloth diapers a go (still going great) and watching Emma's chicks hatch, what else have we been up to this week? Here's a little peek.

These are newspaper pots filled with soil. Right now, there are no seeds or plants inside. As our seedlings in the office grow big enough, they will be moved into these little pots which will reside in the cold frames in the garden. Later, when the weather is warmer, they will be moved into the garden, allowing the newspaper to become mulch, thus not disturbing the plants (much).


Sam stepping off peas. Last year we planted peas the entire way around the garden, using the garden fence as their support. This worked really well, so we're doing it again this year. Sam is our official pea-planter. He does an excellent job.


Here he is dropping a pea into the ditch Jamey hoed. After all the peas are dropped in, Jamey and Sam walk around the fence, Jamey covering the peas with soil and Sam stepping on the soil to pack it down a bit.


Here is our third attempt at keeping the chickens out of the garden. Here you can read about attempt one and attempt two. Jamey is hoping that the tape will either scare them or add height to the fence or both. It's been 3 days and so far the yellow tape has worked.

In this photo you can see our plastic dome tent thing. Under this is lettuce and spinach started early. I can't wait for greens. Also, you can see one of our two cold frames (where the newspaper pots will go).

So much right now is about stages. Steps up and out. Emma and her chicks are in the chick pen. Then, they'll move to the garden tractor, then out to free range with the others. Our seedlings now reside upstairs in the office under lights. Then, they'll be moved to the cold frames, later to the garden.

For us, and these stages move much slower, we are living in the stage of parenting small children. This stage is time-consuming, energy-draining, patience-challenging. Before we know it, the children will all be dressing themselves, completing school work independently, managing chores without (much) supervision and growing taller than I. Beyond that, they'll move out, empty our house and begin lives of their own. We will miss them.

Plant, tend, release. This is the cycle. May we appreciate each stage so as not to regret not appreciating it later. After the release, a different sort of life begins...one that is hard to imagine, but one I am looking forward to all the same. Pin It

Emma's Final Count

Emma is the proud mother of four chicks. The last two eggs were not viable. She is doing a wonderful job keeping her little ones in under her wings and breast. Once, when Jamey picked her up, two little chicks fell out from her feathers (only inches from the floor of the pen).

Her pen's been cleaned out and the cardboard box removed. As soon as it warms up a bit, we will move them outside to the chicken tractor so she can teach them how to scratch and peck.

I don't know if hens get anxious as their chicks are hatching. She certainly has been very focused on them during this whole process. I just wonder if my anxiety for her and those chicks surpassed hers. I'm so happy they are finally here. Pin It

Chicks Hatching, Day Two

Let me start out by apologizing. I apologize to those of you who would rather see pictures of food or our seedlings, but instead find yet another post about chickens. I also apologize to those of you who have been waiting patiently to find out how many chicks Emma has by now.

I really did not mean to make you wait. Let me explain. As of my last post there was one chick out, one halfway out and one that had just poked a hole through it's shell. We went out again, after dark, only to find that the one who had been half way out of it's shell never made it all the way out and had died. Sam was with us and while I thought he might get really upset, he handled it very well. We removed the one who had passed and watched the egg (that had just had a hole in it earlier) wiggle as the chick made the hole larger. Here's that wiggly egg...

We went to bed hoping that this third chick would make it even thought it's next eldest sibling didn't. First thing this morning, I went out to the shed and peeked in on Emma. She was setting on whatever eggs/chicks were under her, but I didn't dare move her. We were a little concerned that she had stood on the chick who had died, killing it by mistake. I didn't want to increase the chances of that happening again. The suspense was killing me, so I shot an email to Jamey at school asking him if he looked under her before he left.

He wrote back that he had and there were three chicks fully out and moving around well. Yippee! Now the kids and I just had to wait until 4:30pm when Jamey got home so he could lift Emma for us. We barely gave him time to use the bathroom and drop his bag before we were all out the door once he got home.

Instead of three chicks out and about, there were four! Three very fluffy and one still damp. For those of you keeping close count, this left three eggs (we found one empty shell in the water this morning that was unfertilized and had evidently broke, which Emma then proceeded to eat- I know, weird). We took a little video of these four...

See the brave one climbing up the back right corner of the box?

According to the Broody Hen Wizard (how I have come to think of her), if you hold remaining eggs up to your ear and shake them gently, you can tell if there is a chick yet inside. If the egg makes a sloshing sound, it is unfertilized, and if it seems solid, there may be a viable chick inside. I tried this trick and found two to be sloshy and one to be solid. Not trusting my Broody Hen Wizardry, I put them back in the nest. I then picked up a chick for the kids to pet. We don't trust them to hold the chicks when they are this small for fear they might drop one if it gets too wiggly or pees on them.

Then, Jamey placed Emma back in her box. She immediately stepped over the clutch and onto one of the eggs, cracking it. Then, she started pecking at the crack and appeared to be eating it. At first we thought it must be one of the sloshy ones, but soon we saw a little beak inside and Emma gently pecked at the goo a couple more times and then settled on top of it. Then she started corralling the other chicks under her again.


Talk about a long explanation. Now, you are up to speed. Emma started out with nine eggs. One broke very early on. One hatched yesterday, one died yesterday, two hatched today, one was eaten today, one is hopefully hatching right now and two are unknowns. Pin It

Chick Update: Evening Edition

At 6pm this evening, we had one chick fully out (and fluffy), one half way out of it's shell and one egg with a hole poked out (from the inside). Here are some photos and videos for you. Check in tomorrow to find out the final number of Emma's brood!

In this photo, you can see the chick who is out, the one half way out (upper right hand corner) and the egg with the crack/hole it in (just to the left of the chick who is half way out).

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Chick Status

The kids and I have been checking on Emma throughout the day (day 20 out of 21). Around 2pm we actually heard peeping coming from under her, even though she is still setting on the clutch.

We sat out in the shed with her listening and watching for about 45 minutes. At one point, Emma got up to check on the eggs and we could see that at least one egg has cracked. We couldn't see a chick yet. The kids got a bit impatient, so we've come inside for a break. Emma just clucks away, cocking her head to the side when she hears peeping as if she's coaxing them out.

I'll keep you posted and will post photos soon! Pin It

First Night in Cloth Diapers

This weekend, I got (from my sister) my part of our diaper order. You can read about my cloth-diaper-decision-making-process here. So, last night was our first experience using Bumgenius cloth inserts in gdiaper covers.

I am using these on my just-turned-three year old daughter, Sadie. She is only wearing a diaper at night, so I thought this would be a nice, slow way of me becoming acclimated to the process before the baby comes along.

Being away for the weekend threw Sadie for a loop. She didn't sleep well (her first attempt at sleeping in a sleeping bag) and therefore, was quite a mess on Sunday. As we loaded into the van to leave my sister's she was crying and had the most pathetic expression on her face, not wanting to leave her Pop and Gram. I moved to the back beside her and held her hand. She sucked her thumb and within minutes she was asleep. She slept the entire two hour drive home.

Once home, she was once again a mess. I hesitated to try the new diapers on her last night for fear that because of her mood, she'd refuse anything new and different. Thankfully, I was wrong and she was thrilled to put on "new diapers". The fact that they are soft and orange probably helped.

On the Bumgenius website, they recommend using two washable liners for toddlers since they have the capacity to fill their diapers more. After I had a good look at this liner, I thought one should be enough- it was large and appeared extremely absorbent. We put the new diaper on Sadie and she went to bed around 7pm.

Here is a gdiaper cover (size L) . If it looks a bit backwards, it's because the velcro tabs wrap to the back, instead of the front, so little hands can't pull the cover open as easily.

This is the gdiaper cover with it's plastic liner (each cover comes with two of these liners). The four corners easliy snap into the four corners of the cover. They are the high-tech version of rubber pants.

Here is one of the Bumgenius washable inserts. If you look closely (or click on the picture for a better view) you can see a series of little snaps. These allow you to adjust the length of the insert so that these inserts can be used in ALL size covers (for all size babies).

Here is the insert folded and snapped to fit the cover.

Here is the cover with it's liner and insert, ready for a sweet little rear end.

Sadie woke up around 8am and as soon as I entered the room, I asked her how her diaper was. Before she would answer my question, she said, "I hidin", like she says every morning. She lays in her crib, in full view, but has her hands over her eyes. I pretend to look for her, find her and ask her again about her diaper. "Big poopy", she replies. Nothing like breaking me in right away.

I lay her down and cautiously start removing clothes. Her pajama bottoms are dry. Nothing is leaking from the gdiaper. I slowly open it and find it completely saturated with pee and full of poop. The plastic liner had the tiniest bit of poop on it, but the cover stayed completely dry and poop-free. Success!!

I swished out the washable liner in the toilet and plunked it into a bucket in our upstairs tub that I had filled with some Seventh Generation detergent, white vinegar and warm water. A little more swishing and rinsing of the liner under the tub spout and I was done. The gdiaper starter kits come with a swisher and an s-hook to hang the swisher from the toilet, or in my case, the bucket (we don't use our upstairs tub regularly). I am planning on adding inserts to this bucket throughout the week and then washing the small load of them.

The gdiaper plastic liner is hanging over the tub spout to dry. Soiled insert in the bucket, soaking.

First night, a complete success. The few minutes of extra time it took were well worth it knowing I kept a disposable from being disposed of. Even though we are at the very beginning of our cloth diaper adventure, I'm sold. Thanks, Em:-). Pin It

So She Sits

Our broody hen, named Emma, has been setting on her clutch of eggs for 17 days now. I told you about how all this started here.

On day ten, Sam, Jamey and I headed out to the shed after dark equipped with flashlight and camera. We intended to candle the eggs to see which ones were growing chicks inside. Jamey found a flower pot that had a drainage hole in the bottom center of it. We turned it upside down, holding the flashlight inside the flower pot, shining the light up through the hole. Then, as he gently held Emma in one arm, he placed an egg on the hole (where the light was shining up through). What did we see?

Not much. Poor Emma didn't quite make it to the bathroom a couple of times and therefore, the eggs were dirty and not at all easy to see through. In the couple we tried we did think we detected large dark spots, one even seemed to move. We abandoned the task and made plans to try another night but never decided what we would do differently.


Now, at day 17, we still haven't candled the eggs. I like to think of it as waiting until birth to find out the sex of your baby (this is what we do). Only in this instance, we are waiting to find out the sex of the chicks and how many there will be.

Anyway, come Monday or Tuesday, I should have pictures of chicks to post. Oh, I do hope it all goes well. I hope Emma isn't too nervous or stressed about whether she has enough diapers on hand or whether her milk will come in soon enough or how her other children will react to a baby in the house who will be taking up a lot of mommy's time...oh, wait, Emma probably isn't thinking those things. Hmm...I wonder who is.

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Classic Tomato Soup

This is really not the season to be sharing this recipe. I should be sharing it with you in August or September when you are drowning in tomatoes. I would have told you about it then, but I decided not to can this wonderful soup this past year because I was over zealous in my canning of it the year before. This is how I learn.

It's on my list for this coming harvest season because we are running low. Baby attached to my hip, I am making this soup again. I am sharing this recipe with you now because it's perfect for these cool, rainy days. And, it's even more perfect for cold, snowy ones.

I have always adored tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. It's a meal that exudes comfort for me. Before we started growing our own food, I was a proud supporter of Campbell's Tomato Soup. It was one of those items I refused to buy the generic version of. Don't mess with my tomato soup.

Then, a little over two years ago, I came across this recipe. I tried it. I loved it. I have not eaten Campbell's since. In the original recipe, they recommend making extra and freezing it. I am pretty darn comfortable with canning, so I decided to can it instead. It worked beautifully.

So, here is my assignment: to remind you of this recipe come tomato season. Here is your assignment: to make it when I remind you of this recipe come tomato season. Agreed?

Usually, when I serve this tomato soup (all that's required is to pour it in a saucepan and reheat it) I make grilled cheese sandwiches for along side/dunking. Yesterday, Jamey made oatmeal rolls and roasted some of our garlic that is beginning to sprout. So, instead of grilled cheese, we toasted oatmeal rolls with roasted garlic spread atop. Perfect. Even Sam preferred the garlic-topped rolls to the plain ones.

Roasted garlic with black pepper. The green you see is the garlic sprouting.

Classic Tomato Soup (adapted from Everyday FOOD magazine, March 2006 issue)
This recipe makes 6 quarts and can be frozen or canned. *If you intend to can this recipe, see the notes below (under "To Can") before starting.

8 tbsp. (or 1 stick) butter
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
6 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped, fresh basil
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
14 cups whole, peeled tomatoes
3-5 tsp. salt
3-4 tbsp. honey
freshly ground black pepper

In a large stock pot, melt butter and add oil and chopped onion. Cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook another minute or two. Add chopped basil, broth and tomatoes, breaking the tomatoes up a bit with your spoon. Bring it to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Puree the soup one of two ways. If you have an immersion blender, use this in your pot to puree the soup to a consistency of your liking (you can puree it smooth or leave it a bit chunky). If you do not have an immersion blender, transfer the soup to your blender in batches until it is pureed (and, most importantly, add "immersion blender" to your wish list- it's a wonderful tool).

With the pureed soup in the stock pot, season it with salt, pepper and honey, tasting as you go.


To Can:

*We can this recipe as is, but if you would like to increase the acidity further, soften the onion in a little water instead of butter or oil and place 2 tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of each quart jar before adding the hot soup. 

Once it's perfect, transfer the soup to hot, sterile quart jars, leaving adequate head space. Clean the rims and top with hot, sterile lids and rings. Place the jars in a hot water bath for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the jars from the canner and wait for the blessed 'pops'. This recipe makes 6 quarts.

And, don't fret because you want some of this soup now. These days will be here again before we know it.

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Spring Break

Jamey was home on spring break last week. While his, mostly much younger and single, classmates were home visiting family or vacationing in warm, sunny places, Jamey was home working hard to get the garden and other things ready for spring. Spring will be here on Friday, you know.


Here is a list of of what he (with a little help from Sam) accomplished last week:

~ started seeds in trays (on our table in the office- they are up already as you can see above)
~ pruned the red raspberry bushes
~ planted potatoes and onion sets
~ clipped the chickens wings (again) and they are still flying into the garden. advice??
~ cleared out the debris from the asparagus beds
~ planted lettuce and spinach in the cold frame dome
~ borrowed the neighbor's wood chipper to chip branches leftover from the pear trees being cut down
~ ran a 31 mile trail race
~ volunteered two mornings at the local free clinic
~ built a new grow-lighting system
~ cleaned the bathrooms

It makes me tired just reading the list.

What did I do during spring break? The usual chores; food making, laundry, teaching Sam, keeping the house in order, as well as clearing some debris from flower beds and sorting through kids' clothes to get ready for the warmer season. That was plenty.

I can usually keep up with Jamey just fine. These days, small tasks are all I can handle. He's not growing a baby, peeing every 15 minutes and waking up every hour in order to will myself to roll over because my legs are achy. Give me about six months and I'll be back.

He did good, though. Very, very good. Thanks, dear. You're my lobster. Pin It

Unable to Post

I had a post all ready to go for today but cannot bring myself to publish it.

Instead, I am overwhelmed with concern for a young man and humbly ask that you lift up thoughts and prayers for him and his family.

Thank you. Pin It

Pasta with Green Beans and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I have been meaning to share this recipe for awhile. I was waiting until I made it again, so I could take some pictures. I love cookbooks with photographs of the dishes. I like to know what it's going to look like (to see if it's appealing to me) and, just as importantly, what it's supposed to look like to see if I'm doing anything drastically wrong.

The first time I made it, I was thrilled. We all loved it. The tomatoes and red wine vinegar give the pasta and the green beans a little kick. Green beans need a little kick. But, that's just my opinion.

As you know, I love finding creative ways to use our frozen green beans. I've already mentioned a couple here. This recipe allows me to use our green beans, roasted tomatoes (in place of the sun-dried variety) and garlic, too.

Pasta with Green Beans and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (adapted from Cooking Light, Annual Recipes 2001)

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 quart frozen green beans, rinsed with hot water and drained
12-16 ounces dry pasta, any variety (I usually use shells or penne for this)
2 cups chopped roasted tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

To begin, place the oil and green beans in a large skillet, on high heat, covered with a lid. Next, cook the pasta according to the directions. When the pasta is done and drained, transfer it to a large bowl. While the green beans are cooking, chop up the garlic and roasted (or sun-dried tomatoes).
Add the garlic and tomatoes to the green beans and continue to cook the green beans, stirring often and keeping covered with the lid. If you are using dry (not packed in oil) sun-dried tomatoes, or if the green beans become too dry, add 1/4 cup of the pasta liquid to the beans.


Continue to cook the beans until they taste done (just soft, but not mushy). At this point, add the salt, pepper and breadcrumbs. Toss and cook a few minutes more, then turn off the heat and cover them to keep them warm until the pasta is done. Once the pasta is done and in the large bowl, transfer the beans in with the pasta. Add the red wine vinegar and parmesan cheese, as well as a drizzle of olive oil. Toss well and top with a little more parmesan.

Serve with additional red wine vinegar to drizzle on top if you need a stronger kick.

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Looking Towards Birth

With the potential for baby chicks to hatch later this month and my own approaching due date (late May/early June), I have been thinking a lot about birth lately. So far, I have been blessed with two fairly uncomplicated births.

With Sam, almost a week after my due date, my water started trickling (versus gushing) at about 10am in the morning. We got to the hospital at 2pm after the midwives confirmed that it was amniotic fluid (and not pee) I was leaking. Hours passed and while labor had definitely begun, I wasn't progressing like they had hoped (since my water had ruptured). Late in the evening, I was started on pitocin (to quicken my contractions) and fentanyl (IV medication for pain). I pushed for 45 minutes- it actually only felt like 15 minutes (I like pushing- at least I can DO something). Finally, at 3am Sam was born.

Sadie was hard on me while I carried her. Toward the end, I had a lot of trouble walking and was told that the only thing holding her up and in (I carry low) was my skin. My muscles had given out long before. We scheduled an induction a week before she was due. In a non-pregnancy state, I am not an advocate for early/convenience inductions, but when I am 39 weeks, exhausted and in pain, I change my mind. We went into the hospital early on a Friday morning. I walked the halls and was given cirvidil (to ripen my cervix). Labor barely started. At noon, we decided to break my water instead of starting pitocin. After that, labor came. Swiftly. No pitocin needed.

A couple hours later, both the midwife and I were concerned that I wasn't further dilated for how hard the contractions were coming. I confessed that I felt the baby was so low (and in front of the canal) that I wasn't sure how he or she was going to get up and then down the birth canal. We brainstormed and soon I found myself sitting on the bed with my midwife kneeling on the bed behind me. She looped a sheet under my belly and at each contraction pulled upward. My, that hurt. I could only stand this for a couple contractions, but when I laid back down, I could feel the baby moving down between my legs. Midwives are awesome.

Things really picked up then. After a really hard contraction, I told my midwife I didn't think I could do it anymore. She encouraged me on. After the next contraction, I told her I was serious. She asked if I wanted drugs and I said yes. Then, I prayed that with the next contraction, I would feel the urge to push. The Lord answered my prayer. I pushed for 15 minutes this time and Sadie was born 4 hours after they broke my water. I never got those drugs. And, I survived. And, I felt as if I could lift a truck over my head. Endorphins are also awesome.

So, those are my stories thus far. I love birth stories. I love the miracle of birth. And, even after this last baby of ours is born, I need to find a way to be a part of births. Hopefully by becoming a doula one day.

I also look forward to sharing this baby's birth story with you. Stay tuned...well, for a few months at least.

Me, yesterday, at 28 weeks. Photo taken by Sam.

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Food Lover's Companion

Do you have a Food Lover's Companion? This one (there are many variations) is by Sharon Tyler Herbst. It's one of my most favorite books that sit on my cookbook shelves. But, it's not a cookbook. Instead, it's more like a food dictionary. This book gives you the pronunciation, definition, origin, tips on buying and nutrient content of every food-related item you can think of.

Do you know what a cloudberry is? Click on these photos to make them larger/more readable.

Now you do. What about the proper way to pronounce quinoa?

Now you can let it roll off your tongue, confident you are saying it right. What about gnocchi? Can you say that?

Look at you learning! Want to know their definition of shoofly pie (since I talked about it yesterday)?

What about clabber? I hear that Jamey's uncle was using this word just the other week. Way to go, Uncle Dan!

Well, I highly recommend having a book like this on hand. It's great if you come upon an ingredient in a recipe you've never heard of, if you aren't sure how to prepare a certain fruit or vegetable or when your kids are bemoaning having to eat this or that vegetable- just look it up and you can lecture them on it's origin and nutrient contents.

Now, what I am not recommending is that you go order/buy this book. You heard me. I'm trying to reign in my limited spending and it is Lent, for goodness sake. Instead, grab the list you keep in the drawer next to your refrigerator- well, that's where I keep it- and jot down this book. This list is your wish list. Keep it going all year. This way, when your birthday or Christmas or Mother's Day (this one is coming up!) comes along, you won't be scrambling to think up or make up ideas of what folks can get for you. You'll be all set.

And, before long, you'll be wowing people with your food knowledge. Pin It