Book Club: The Last Lecture

Last week we had another book club meeting. I must say, I'm enjoying book club so very much. I encourage anyone with a love of books or a like of books to join a book club. Ours is an open book club, anyone can come, and our numbers are growing by word of mouth. It's so fun to meet and share one another's impressions and thoughts of a book and then be influenced by the thoughts of others.

This last book was The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (you can see my review of the book here). The discussion was a great one. We talked about our impressions of the book, childhood dreams, satisfaction with life and how we can keep our dreams alive - even if they change.

Some of my childhood dreams were: become an Astronaut for NASA, be a teacher, a conductor of a symphony, and a mother. Although some of my dreams haven't come true, lots of them have or have morphed into something attainable and suited more to my current situation.

So what are some of your childhood dreams, how have they changed and what do you do to keep the dream alive?

The Fifth Element

(statements in orange have been updated to this post on 2/24/08)

Meaty Chunks recently posted "While You Were Sleeping"
Xochitl Girl posted "A Beautiful Mind"

Now, I certainly can't deny the temptation to follow suit and post "The Fifth Element"

What are the first four elements? Well if you've seen the movie then you know they are Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. If you didn't see the movie, well, now you know.

The fifth element is the human element. I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and it really has got me to think about the human element.

Most of my life my food has either come from a can or a box. Growing up my mom worked full time and raised at least 4 of her six kids pretty much on her own (please note, I'm not downing my dad here, I'm just painting a picture) so she didn't have a lot of time on her hands and it was a struggle just to get us all up in the morning, much less prepare food from scratch. Sure, I had grandparents, one set had a huge garden and the other set had a pretty good sized garden, chickens and even a peach farm. Yes, my family even had a garden, peach trees (5), blackberry bushes (2), chickens and birds too. But pretty much all of that stopped for all 3 house holds at about the same time, that was when I was in my preteen years. So, yeah, I knew corn could be grown and eaten but that's corn on the cob - not regular corn...or at least this has been my thought for many, many years. I'm not saying I'm stupid, what I'm saying is that I simply didn't put 2 and 2 together and with supermarkets...who needs to.

Well, I need to now! That's what I'm talking about and thinking about, and when you see my book review on Michael Pollan's book you'll see where this all started. I lost the human element, the element of being connected to my food source and knowing how it came to be and what it is.

Sometimes at dinner we play this game...Either Jason or I say "Man, Mommy/Daddy sure does make good xyz." Sometimes it's pasta, sometimes beans ... whatever happens to be on the menu. Then we begin telling the story of how it all came to be right there on the table in front of us (or at least how it would have come to be on our table IF we were the human element of our food). Jason is way better at this game than I am, he'll say, "You see Abygail, last fall I harvested the wheat that was growing in our field..." and he'll continue on with what harvesting consisted of. Then he'll tell how he made it into wheat, and how that wheat was combined with eggs from the chickens (including how the eggs where gathered) and so on and so on through all the elements of our dinner, until you get to the cooking, setting the table and eating stage. Sometimes we have to stop and really think "wait, how does that happen, how does cheese come about, or where would we have to go to catch a salmon". (The first time we played this it was Macaroni and Cheese - try that one, a seemingly simple dish can be very complex.) It's fun to see what it would take to really make a meal without help from the supermarket or farmers market. (Again - not down on supermarkets because let's face it...if it wasn't for them I would have starved to death a long time ago and my mom would have gone insane too.) You should try this game - it's great family time fun.

Another thing that's been running through my head: I look at our dinners/lunches/breakfasts in a different way now. Mostly dinners because they are more complex. I think about how I can make it from scratch. Take last night's meal for instance: black beans, Rotel tomatoes, canned corn mixed with spices and simmered for a good while then served over rice. I look at it and think - "how can I make this fresh". It dawns on me, you shave the corn off the cob and freeze it, you preserve the tomatoes with hot peppers, you dry the beans (I don't know about rice, is it even possible to grow in this country?). Then when it's dinner time you use what you harvested.

My point is - I'm really excited for this summer and the change it will bring. I'm really excited about being an element of my food and for my children to know where food comes from. I know it's going to be hard and it's going to be a lot of trial and error and there will be some successes and some failures but, we'll be connected.

How Green Can You Go?

So by now most of you know that I'm a little green conscious. I don't consider myself green though because we don't do as much as we should. Sure, we have upgraded 2 of our light bulbs to CFLs and will continue to upgrade as the old ones go out. Yes, we use cloth diapers on our kids the majority of the time. Of course, I'm a light Nazi and turn out lights as I leave the room and if I see one on in an unoccupied room. As a general rule I don't run the air conditioner during the summer unless I'm about to die OR Jason is home. I always use cold water to wash our clothes (except for when washing diapers). etc.

But... I still take nice hot and semi-long showers when I get more than 5 mins to shower, the major electronics (computer, tv, dvd player and radio) are on a lot of the time. I don't unplug electronics that are not being used. We don't really think about our water consumption. We have itty bittys (little ones) so we don't try lowering the gas bill or worry about the temp. indoors being too high in the winter. etc.

However... We do plan on growing our own garden and making our own compost when we move. Since reading A,M,V I try buying organic and free range when possible. This year almost all our produce will be purchased from local farmers through a Community Supported Agriculture program, to prevent 'Oily Foods' (foods shipped over lots of miles using un-needed gas, non organics using fertilizers with petroleum. If we had the money we would put up a solar energy cell on the house. etc.

But this, wow! My green hat is off to you Ms. Chile. I'm not sure that I could ever be that green.

Book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I know I said I would not post anything more about book reviews here but I must share this one little thing. I just got a book in the mail that I ordered several weeks ago and I've been tapping my foot and drumming my fingers for it to arrive. Dutifully checking the mail as soon as I hear it drop, with a flutter in my stomach and a pitter patter in my heart just to have my hopes crushed by bills and no book. Well IT is finally here.

IT is called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. I haven't even finished the first chapter but I just want to yell and scream with joy:

"YES, YES, YES!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
MORE, MORE, MORE!"

IT is a true story about one family's adventure of eating only what they could either produce themselves or obtain locally. The author is a novelist, her husband is a biologist who contributed to the book with side bars of information and one of their daughters wrote essays on her experience which are included in the book as well.

I hope this book turns out to be just like the beginning of the first chapter because I can think of nothing more important, more compelling, more soulful than this.

{as she looks up towards the heavens she says} "Thank you so much, I will try my hardest and do my best to learn. THIS is my dream, what I am meant to do."

I Heart Quilts

I Heart Quilts with all my love! They are one of life's simple pleasures, nothing feels better than a quilt (at least to cover up with). It warms my heart every time I cuddle up with a quilt...not only am I supremely comfortable but I am also literally surrounded by love. Someone (not I because I haven't made one yet) put lots of love in that fabric by cutting it, sewing it and quilting it. They picked out the fabrics, or used scraps that were left over. They spent time and energy to make a work of art. I think of the person who made it with their hands and time. I think of what that person means to me and how the quilt was received (hand me down, gift, etc).

My love probably started back when I was in middle school. I had a friend, Rhonda, who I would spend the night with from time to time. We would frequently spend the night at her grandmother's house and they always had quilts on the bed. They were worn and thread bare (the best kind - well loved) and all different colors. I rememeber that the weight of them laying on my body was the perfect, PERFECT, weight to sleep under and the feel of the fabric on my face was delightful. They smelled of home and family - I knew then that I loved quilts.

I have a quilt that was made by a friend (John) of mine's grandmother. This friend didn't want it anymore (how awfull!) so he gave it to another friend (Allison) of mine that was my roommate for several years. I am now in possession of the quilt and I love it and the memories of both of these friends fill my mind when I cuddle with that lovely brown and green quilt.

Jason has a quilt that was his grandmother's made by her grandmother. I only met his grandmother once before she passed away but I think of her when I cuddle with that cherished orange and white quilt.

Abygail has a quilt that was made by a very dear friend of mine (Allison, a sister in my heart). When ever I see that quilt or wrap my babies up in it I think of the love that she put into it. It also happens to be the first quilt that my friend ever made and her grandmother (Billie, who I know and love too) showed her how to make it. That red and green quilt will forever be a part of our lives.

Jason and I have a quilt made by the same dear friend's grandmother (Billie), it was given to us as a wedding present and I love cuddling it. It's the perfect size and I adore thinking about her and her entire family when I see it. Now a family heirloom that purple and white quilt has warmed me on many a chilly night in Utah, Idaho and now New York.

ALL of these quilts are used frequently and adorn my living room furniture. ALL of these quilts are well loved and hold a special place in my heart.

I HEART QUILTS!!!

I went to the fabric store today to buy some felt to make 'duck feet' for Abygail's duck/chicken Halloween costume (duck/chicken is another story). While there I couldn't keep myself from looking at the fabric, I saw two ADORABLE prepackaged quilt patterns that included fabric and instructions. So today I bought 2 quilt sets. I aspire to make a quilt for Abygail and for Jackson. I have never done it or been taught how to but I have a deep yearning in my soul to do it so...I will. Jackson's fabric is orange and blue and has animals, Abygail's fabric is brown and aqua and has flowers. I hope that when I get a sewing machine and some time to make them they will turn out great and I hope that they too will share my adoration for quilts and know that I love them, my babies, with all of my heart.

Abygail is currently sleeping all snuggly on the couch with the orange and white quilt that Jason's grandma's grandma made.

Dress UP

Yesterday Abygail decided that while I was folding clothes she wanted to put on her dresses. After putting on the dresses, she then picked up a few other random articles of clothing and wanted me to put those on her as well. I chose to put the bloomers on her head and the socks on her arms...she thought this was funny. It was so cute, she took the socks and bloomers off within 15 mins but wore the dresses for most of the day. Imagine, my little girl's first dress up day.

She has been a little sick with a runny nose and then last night she started running a fever, but she is doing fine and fighting whatever it is.

Jackson now prefers to ride facing forward in the front pack that we have and looking at all the different things and colors around us on our walks. He is actually playing in his exersaucer and jumperoo now. He likes the things that make noises and the colors.

I was reading in National Geographic today about a couple that have a GREEN home. OK, I'm a real dork, but check this out. This is our dream to have a house that provides it's own energy, a yard where we can grow our own food and be mostly self sustaining. I'm sure it costs tons of money to do it but...like I said it's our DREAM.