A Blessed and Bountiful Monday

It's been a quiet yet busy few months here in Florida. We're adjusting well to the new location, making new friends and integrating into our community more smoothly than even I, the consummate traveler aka Army brat, could have imagined.

Here's a fairly recent picture of the container garden, taken from the back balcony. Over the past few weeks I've Freecycled many extra okra and tomato plants; there's just not room enough on our little patio to hold 40 okra plants and 35 beefsteak tomatoes, no matter how much I'd like to try. I've whittled the container garden down to about 15 of each, plus as many seedling eggplants, some peppers, and assorted herbs. So far, the only harvesting we've done has been from the herbs, some of which I'll use tonight. Some gardening books philanthropically suggest that one "plant a row for the hungry." Since that's not possible due to our garden's tiny size, I've been "planting a flat for the Freecyclers." Starting seeds doesn't take much space at all and it's been just lovely to share the plant bounty with other gardeners!

The blessings have been returned in kind via the Freecycling community- I recently received a bag of clothes in my size, many of which I like enough to have worked into the rotation. The best gift so far came today in the form of five pounds of assorted dry beans; we'd finally worked through our stash of lentils and chickpeas and the timing could not have been better!

Between the beans, the bounty from our local Farmer's Market and Greenmarket, and a little bit of augmenting with the grocery store, this week we should be eating well. Tonight's menu:
- herbed mashed potatoes (butter, heirloom local organic potatoes, homegrown thyme, sage, rosemary & parsley, garlic from the farmer's market)
- brussels sprouts (with dried currants, shaved heirloom local organic carrots, olive oil, thyme)
-beef salad (organic greens & homemade dressing, topped with leftover strips of marinated skirt steak)

All of the above take only minutes to make. Later in the week I hope to do:
- split pea soup with leftover ham and whole wheat bread
- white bean hummus & quinoa tabbouli with homemade whole wheat pita bread
- pink bean salad with summer squash, zucchini, onions, chilis and fresh corn, perhaps with jalepeno cornbread muffins

All of the week's meals will be served with green salad. Oh, how I love the bounty of summer! Once the garden starts producing vegetables we'll be having eggplant-tomato rolls with feta, eggplant fried with turmeric & mustard oil, a dazzling array of curried and fried okras with tomatoes & onions, sliced tomato, mozzarella & basil sandwiches and omelettes, sliced tomatoes dipped in cornmeal & fried up, eggplant parmesan with pasta, stuffed peppers, delicious pesto everything... who can resist it? I'm hungry already.

I hope that your week has gotten off to a blessed start as well!

A Nice Cup of Tea

Just the thing while the kiddo is about to wake and the day is young.

In the garden and more

I didn't need to find a wire structure after all; I turned around and realized that the run-over bicycle abandoned by the previous tenant would provide for the air plants nicely.

Peas, lettuce, basil, parsley, rosemary, green onions, tomatoes and peppers are all poking around in their ghetto garden containers. The Mr. got into the act and provided another empty cat litter bucket this morning; I got 2 Easter baskets behind the Dollar Tree and a couple of drawers from a pile of household stuff at the curb a few streets down. They're now lined with window screening found in the same pile, planted with more lettuce and tomatoes. I forgot how crazy peas are about growing; I always forgot to plant them through winter in AZ and it was too hot for them by mid-April. The peas I planted two weeks ago are already a foot high and twisting around looking for supports. Maybe I should put some strings on the front balcony? The only thing I'm out of now is decent potting soil.

It was a very vegetarian week here- though it started off on Sunday night with the Mr.'s chicken curry. Between that, some veggie-laden whole wheat pasta and masoor dal & rice with yogurt, we made it through the week in dinners. I'm about out of milk and eggs, plus bread is in short supply- this might mean the dreaded trip to Costco is in order. I visited a local Indian grocery and stocked back up on those essential dry chickpeas and pickled mango, yum. We're still rich in rice and lentils, but I need to find a source for bulk dry pasta, nuts and dried fruit that won't cost me an arm & a leg. Any suggestions?


Yesterday I made an exploratory trip to the main library in downtown Jax for their family story time. It was great! Afterward we ate lunch in the square across the street and then headed to the farmer's market, where I scored all the produce my little heart could hope for, including my first intimidating head of collards (above, wrapped in a plastic bag). Yum. I'm going to have an experimental cooking escapade and make them 2 different ways, both Ethiopian style. The little guy had a fabulous time at the market as well, being presented with his own banana and a slice of watermelon from friendly folks. He came home sleepy, sticky and satisfied.

Here's the recipe for masoor dal that I use, in case anyone's interested (courtesy of my MIL):

Clean masoor dal (small, yellow rectangular split lentils) and rinse thoroughly. Boil until soft (less than an hour).

Meanwhile, heat some oil (preferably ghee or butter) in a large pan. Add crushed dried red chilies, cumin seeds, then some chopped tomato, turmeric & chili powder. Pour in the cooked dal and boil. Add chopped green chilies & plenty of chopped cilantro. Salt/lemon juice optional.

"For pink dal use mustard oil & onions instead of ghee & cumin."

Organic Brands Ownership Chart

I saw this link on Boing Boing and all I could think after viewing it was, "Man, I sure hope that the Hain Celestial Group, in the spirit of Unilever and P&G, comes out with a coupon insert for the Sunday paper."

But then, I'm not a corporation hater flat-out. One has to see these things in the larger context- one in which we are all complicit, all flawed sinners, and as such all our man-made institutions our similarly flawed. Besides, was anyone still naive enough to believe that these nationally distributed brands had anything to do with

But to get back to the link- how much would you like to see an insert full of coupons for Horizon Organic milk, Casbah couscous & quinoa, Earth's Best baby cookies and Celestial Seasonings tea?

Take my coupons

Yes, I have a large manila envelope of coupons that I won't use (for everything from makeup to processed food to cleansers) and I want you to have them. Comment and they're yours!

***UPDATE***

OK, they're taken. But hmmm, I do have loads every week that I don't use... would anyone be interested in doing a regular exchange? I always keep the ones for pet treats, kitty litter, all cat food and canned dog food (what I don't use myself goes to the local Humane Society)... plus anything for milk or eggs, bar soaps, gum, baby wash, razors, sunscreen...

I usually get at least 5 Sunday papers' worth of inserts each week, so there will usually be many duplicates. I always give away the ones for makeup, paper products, hair products (we have too much shampoo/conditioner already!) feminine products, baby food & diapers, and most cleaning products. Comment if you'd be willing to swap your unwanted but useful-to-me coupons for something that I don't use and maybe we can get something going!

A busy weekend of "gleaning & cleaning"

This afternoon was a bit of a whirlwind. I went "coupon gleaning" at Starbucks & the local diner and found 5 papers' worth of coupon inserts on my stroll with the Little Mr. We all went to the beach in the afternoon briefly, but came back for naptime and I started dinner & cleaned inside while the Mr. raked up the pine straw in the yard. Now I'm getting organized for tomorrow's shopping trip. All I need are bananas or apples, some other fruit, and organic whole milk. Maybe parsley & cucumbers for tabbouli... maybe mushrooms for quiche. If I get anything else it had better be free or close to it!

Yesterday I got the lettuce & green onion seeds planted. Tomorrow I need to do some tomatoes & peppers & maybe beans; if I can glean another wooden crate or lumber to make more that'd be great. Tomorrow is trash & recycling day & that means all kinds of interesting stuff at the curbs. I find it interesting on my walks that there are so many others cruising the streets, on bikes or in cars, scouring the curbs like me for things that they can use. I wonder what they're looking for? My eyes are looking for these things this week:
- things that I can use as planters
- non-rickety wooden chairs to use for balcony seating as low tables for plants
- some sort of hanging wire structure or birdcage, on which to hang air plants
- coupon inserts (including coupons for free cans of dog food, cat treats & feminine products)

What I found this past week:
- lumber
- a large wooden crate, now lined with pine straw & newspaper, full of compost & potting soil and about to be planted with tomatoes
- two jumbo plastic jars that once held animal crackers- I'm going to use them to store basmati rice
- coupon inserts

I'm so tired now. I just rearranged my blogroll too, so that's done. Too tired to think or write more 'til tomorrow.

I'm back

I mean it. I'm going to get blogging again. Life has settled down, I'm in a healthy routine, and there's lots to talk about and discuss; a recipe for blogging if there is such a thing.

So, what's new with you? There's a lot new here (though no new baby news or anything shriek-worthy like that :) ). Here's the short of it: back in August, the big mortgage company that employed both the Mr. and I shut down. Everyone got laid off. We were fortunate enough to have work for awhile afterward, but soon enough we had no jobs.

Strangely enough, it wasn't a terrible blow at all- aside from grieving the loss of our work community and the losses of our co-workers, we leapt at the opportunity for change. We made an inventory of our lives and came up with an outline for our goals that boils down to: move somewhere new, preferably within driving distance of family, preferably on the East coast and preferably not in the South. Preferably, I stay home with the little guy. Live somewhere where we can garden and the Mr. can see music performances. Find a church community in which we can thrive. Have more kids, God willing. Be as eco-geeky as possible. Spend a lot of time outdoors.

After 3 months on the job market, the Mr. got a job offer in Jacksonville, Florida- the East Coast AND the South! We had 4 yard sales, gave away about 1/3 of our remaining belongings including furniture, made all kinds of little and big repairs to our house, sold both my cars, hired a property manager, moved and rented out our old house. We found a nice rental near the beach east of Jacksonville. The yard is shady but the mint & parsley are coming up just fine and we even have a little curry tree coming along. I've been successfully Compacting (with 3 exception purchases) since last July (more on that later). We spend a good part of every weekend on the beach - walking or playing - and the Mr. takes his daily runs there. I've joined a couple of local parents' groups and the little guy has been loving the local playgrounds & library story times & the kids he meets. We're still working on settling into a church. I got a new-to-me car but have driven it exactly twice- we're living the pedestrian life down here.

So that's it for the moment... I like Jax so far. I like walking to shop at Publix, Winn-Dixie, Walgreens, CVS, the local Italian market and the local natural foods store. I like being within walking distance of the beach, the library, parks & playgrounds, the post office, the vet, the groomer. We like our landlord and our rental. We like the neighbors that we've met so far. There's an awesome Indian store near the Mr.'s work.

Of course, there are some new things. Fleas, for example. There were no fleas in Arizona; it's too dry for them. Tips gladly accepted! The dog is fine (she has Advantix) but the cats and carpet (ugh, carpet), not so much. A yard that we have to rake and eventually mow - I haven't used a mower since we lived in NC. Can I get a self-push mower these days? How do I go about sharpening the blades on one of those? Ah, I'm sure the Internet can answer those questions. The Mr. is the only brown person on our street- in fact, we have become acquainted with exactly zero people of color (maybe church can remedy that?). I miss my family & friends (but we've been sending lots of mail, so maybe we'll see a return on that... hint hint).

All in all, things are great and we feel as blessed as we ever have. The little Mr. is growing and charming me more each day. He "helps" me with cleaning, cooking and laundry. You're right, Internet- kids want to do whatever they see us doing. My little shadow loves to help!

Here's hoping and praying that whoever is reading this finds God's blessings everywhere in their own lives today. I would love to hear from you in a comment!

MYHAH Mondays - getting things done

This Monday I am back in AZ, taking care of some things at our old house and trying to take a breath here & there. Here's what I got accomplished today in order to make our OLD home a haven for our future tenants:

1. Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)
I spent some time in bed with my little one, nursing him while I read the Word. He lifted his head to vocalize during my spoken prayers.

2. Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)
While the little Mr. ate his breakfast, I made a few lists in a notebook: who to call today, what to get done at our house, and questions that I had for our property manager.

3. Do Something! (5 -15 minutes)
There were actually many of these today!
- Called bank
- Called investment bank
- Sorted through documents & mail from our box, packed in organized way
- Cleaned kitchen skylights
- Replaced outside & closet lightbulbs
- Moved unwanted patio furniture to alley for bulk pickup and posted about it on the Free section in Craigslist
- Packed up about 8 boxes (in 2 goes) for Big Brothers Big Sisters (and made 3 drop-off trips later on)
- Walked through house and touched up paint, filled in nail holes
- Painted the baseboards in 1 bathroom and 2 closets
- Met with property manager & had all of my questions answered!
- Called handyman to see about yard work/roof shingle replacement
- Did nursing/singing bedtime routine with baby, who is now snoozing peacefully

Each of these things took 15 minutes or less, who knew? It feels like I got so much done and could then call my sweet Mr. and relieve him with the details.