babies

One of our chickens, Honeydew, started to act broody a while back - wanting to sit on eggs. After she kept it up for a few days, Nana made her a private nest in the old dog house annex to the chicken coop. She passed a trial run of sitting on a clutch of Sophie's wooden play eggs, so Nana went to Swampy Acres to get some possibly-fertilized eggs. Honeydew sat on her eggs faithfully for 23 days, until first two, then four, then six babies hatched!

This is Radish.

Espresso.

And Mama Honeydew, not happy with me for intruding.

There were two more eggs that had chicks inside, but sadly they didn't make it out of their eggs. Papa helped Sophie bury them in a flower bed. The other six are doing fabulously - Honeydew is such a great Mama hen! They are not yet a week old and they are already following Honeydew out into the yard, where she pecks treats and drops them in front of her chicks, teaching them what to eat. Then they all go back in their little nest house for a nap snuggled under Honeydew's wings. It's incredibly entertaining to just sit and watch them eat, drink, play, and fight. And I love watching Honeydew's mothering.

Sophie is working on taming the chicks right from the very start. Welcome to the next generation of chickens in the family: Stew, Mindy, Espresso, Radish, Darrell & Darrell. 

good advice

Sophie gave me some really great advice this morning. I'm so glad that I listened to her! First some background:

A couple weeks ago a spot in my lower back started hurting pretty badly and I began to suspect that I might have a compression fracture (lovely prednisone side effect), and it got so bad one day that I went to the doctor. Among her advice, she strongly suggested that I wear athletic shoes at work instead of my usual Dansko's. I have worn and loved Dansko shoes since I was 13 years old so I was skeptical, but I was in enough pain to give her advice a try. I bought a new pair of tennis shoes (all my old ones were too dirty from camping to wear at work) and wore them for a week. Within a day or two I felt immensely better. Then the weekend came, and I wear slippers at home and did wear Dansko's a couple times out and about.

So today it's Monday, and as we're rushing out the door (always happens...) I was hesitating between wearing the tennis shoes or the Dansko's. I decided on the Dansko's, and Sophie looked up from putting her shoes on and said, "Mom, those shoes will make your back hurt, you're supposed to wear your fast shoes." I responded that my back had been feeling better and I thought I would try wearing the Dansko's again. She held my "fast shoes" up to me and suggested I take them with me in case I changed my mind. So I did - mainly just to make her happy so as to get out the door faster.

Fast forward a couple hours and I'm on my feet at work, bending over the counter to write in a chart, and I realize that my back hurts so much that I'm practically stuck bent over and I have to push myself back up to standing. By lunch time I was more than ready to change into my fast shoes that I had left inside the car; another couple hours of wearing my fast shoes and my back was already feeling better and I was so thankful that I listened to Sophie earlier. Thank goodness for bossy, know-it-all almost-five-year-olds!

homemade dry shampoo

It's been over ten days since I went all hippy again, and apart from one or maybe two semi-bad-hair days, it's going well and I'm happy with it. Today though, I was driven to the kitchen to concoct another hair product by greasy hair at my roots. This is mainly a problem because of the length of my hair - I'm letting my bangs grow out, and they're too long to be bangs but not long enough to stay put with the rest of my hair. Therefore I push them to the side a million times a day, and this area ends up getting oily faster than the rest of my hair. I have a can of dry spray shampoo in the cupboard, but I've been steering clear of it for obvious reasons. Besides those, it stinks like fake fragrance. Solution: good old baking soda and some cornstarch.

Find a cute little jar and an old makeup brush, and you're set.  Here's my "recipe": 

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch

some powdered rosemary (not sure why I did this, but it seemed like a good idea; feel free to omit)

Shake it up. Wait a day till your roots are oily. Dip the makeup brush in the powder, apply it to your roots, massage it around a little and then let it sit for a few minutes. Then all you have to do is use a natural bristle hair brush (I use one with wooden bristles because I have enough hair for two people, but a boar bristle brush would work too) to brush it through. Even though my hair is medium to dark brown, it completely disappeared and I'm completely happy with the results! Hooray!

Let me know what you think if you try it!

unconventional use of garlic

I'm immunosuppressed due to the medications that I take, and this means that I get frequent infections. I average a sinus infection and resulting Z-pack every other month or so, not to mention every cold that comes around (which with a preschool child is quite a lot). I also get yeast infections more often than I'd like due to the frequent use of antibiotics. Yeast infections, as most women know, cause maddening itching, pain, redness, and gross vaginal discharge. Yeast is among the "normal flora" of our bodies, but when it gets out of hand it's no fun at all.  

A couple of years ago (coincidentally around the same time I started on immunosuppressants) I recognized the early symptoms of a yeast infection and since I knew I wouldn't be able to get to the store for a couple of days, I Googled "natural cures for yeast infection," or something along those lines and decided I didn't have anything to lose by giving one of the results a try. The one I chose to try was garlic. The next day I had no symptoms of the yeast infection, and they didn't return (that time around). It worked! And it always does, as I've seen no reason to use anything else ever since. All you have to do is: first, recognize the early symptoms, or "warning signs," of an impending yeast infection. Then, peel a clove of garlic, squish it a little, and then insert it into the vagina just like a tampon.

Now stay with me here. I know this is pretty hippy or whatever, but it really does work. According to an article by Midwifery Today addressing garlic for vaginal yeast infections, garlic kills not just yeast but also many harmful bacteria. Plus it doesn't have any side effects, as opposed to OTC yeast treatments (like Monistat or other brands) which can cause stomach pain and fevers as well as increasing the irritation in the vagina (PubMed Health). It's probably already in your pantry, so you don't have to go to the store (potentially delaying treatment) and buy a box of over-priced and over-packaged medication. Better for you, your wallet, and the environment! 

So yes, it's pretty hippy or whatever. I'm ok with it.

making changes

Last night I was cruising around Pinterest when I saw this picture:

It led me here, and from there I started clicking and reading and before I knew it, I was mixing oils in bottles and clearing the shampoo and conditioner out of my shower. I've been down this road before (some of it) and stuck with it for quite a while - about a year total, probably. But I always seem to get pulled back to the "dark side" of chemical products. Apparently advertising works on me, or something. I'll have to work on that.

The "oil cleansing method" on my face is new, though. And so far I really like it. It feels good (facial massage and steam, who could ask for more?), and even on my troubled skin it seems to be working. I've been taking oral steroids (prednisone) for longer than I can remember (on and off for 2+ years, and steady for over a year now), and along with every other lovely side effect from this evil drug (or miracle drug - it's a love/hate relationship), my skin has really taken a beating. It's thinned, fragile, and I've broken out in "steroid acne." I never really struggled that much with acne, even as a teenager, so this is new to me and I've tried just about everything in the book to combat it. "Natural" products, truly natural products from Etsy sellers (two of my favorites are Rainwater Botanicals and DressGreen), and most recently the Bare Minerals line of skin care. I also started using prescription clindamycin (an antibiotic) on my face. Nothing worked all that great. So now? I'm cleansing with a mixture of 1:1 sweet almond oil and jojoba oil with lavender essential oil added, and moisturizing (using only a few drops) with jojoba oil and essential oils with healing or antibacterial properties (right now I'm using lavender, clary sage, lemon, and tea tree). I'm still using the clindamycin as well - maybe if all goes well I'll consider eliminating it. I'm not expecting a miracle cure here or anything, but it's an enjoyable process so as long as it doesn't make my skin worse I'll probably stick with it.

I also washed my hair with baking soda and vinegar last night. I've done the 'no-poo' thing before and I know it pretty much works but I also like to use handmade soap shampoo bars, so I'm going with a combination of these for now. You'll find plenty of explanation as to why it's a good idea to stop using shampoo and conditioner (and body wash - that's where good old Dr. Bronner comes in) on Google, so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. But I'll tell you what it's done for me. First off and most noticeable, I'm just as clean as ever. I'm all about being a hippy, but I don't want to stink. So that's taken care of. The next thing, and what occurred to me as I massaged my scalp with baking soda and water, is that using natural - truly natural - methods of cleaning and taking care of your body changes the focus of your attention during your daily routines. Instead of noticing the product (its smell, the foamy lather), you notice your skin and your hair, and in doing so makes you feel better about yourself and take better care of yourself.

scraps = stripes

After I finished the last pair of mittens, I had a bit left over of two balls of the same kind of yarn (Baby Cashmerino) but in different colors. I had some more of the same yarn left over from the last two sweaters I made Sophie - it's the only yarn that doesn't itch her. Therefore I knit with it a lot - she's lucky I love her!

I'd also been thinking lately that Sophie needed a new hat.

Stripes!

So far Sophie is very impressed with it, and at bedtime tonight she requested that I finish it so that she can wear it to preschool tomorrow morning.

I better get knitting!

trending

Mittens, mittens everywhere...

I've been on a mitten-knitting spree lately - today I'm finishing up the last pair (for now!). I call these playground mittens because they are the perfect weight and warmth for playing at the playground and holding onto cold swing chains - and they fit so good that kids can actually grab onto things without having to bunch up or tug on their mittens.

I have a couple more finished objects hanging around but I haven't managed to get good pictures of them yet! I better get on that. Maybe that should be my new year's resolution - take more pictures! I think I've made that resolution before.... hmmm.....

holiday inspiration

I received this book for Christmas, and got to start reading it during our annual Christmas Day Nap. (Sophie even took part this year - I tricked her by saying she only needed to lay down and rest, and she ended up falling asleep!). 

I haven't finished reading it yet, but I got through the first few sections and got inspired to start implementing some of her ideas for creating spaces and providing supplies that encourage kids to create. I made some blank books for Sophie to fill in, using plain white paper inside (I used 4 folded sheets per book), construction paper for the cover, and pink duct tape to cover the spine (hey, it's what I had!).  

I showed them to Sophie when she woke up from her nap and she wasn't super impressed; she's always grumpy when she wakes up so it probably wasn't the best time to introduce them, but I was excited about my creations!

I cleaned out her big art drawer and re-stocked it with blank drawing paper, construction paper, origami paper, notebooks, the new books I made her, and cards and envelopes. So far she's only gotten into the blank drawing paper, but I'm sure she will "discover" it all on her own in good time. My stubborn girl only does things when she decides to do them!

Here's a picture (bad lighting, sorry!) of Sophie's newly-organized drawing tools... She got lots of new art supplies for Christmas - from Santa, me, grandparents, and friends! It's so neat to see her growing and expanding as an artist. I decided I need to find a way to keep and remember her artwork as she grows and goes through different stages with her art. For now I started keeping a file folder of her current artwork to save and go through later (once a year maybe?), and I want to get her a portfolio to keep her favorites/my favorites from each year. Also on my shopping list is cloth tape (to make nicer bindings for her books!), plastic envelopes and some more organizational-type supplies like small baskets to keep her supplies easily accesible and easy for her to put back when she's finished.

Now that I'm done with school (finally!!) I am excited to have more time to spend just being with Sophie and being more present with her all of the time since I no longer have a running list of deadlines and to-do lists weighing on me in the back of my mind. Of course I still have a to-do list - but I'm very thankful that for now at least it consists of things like "clean house" and "write thank-you notes." Hopefully you'll be seeing more of me here, as well - I've even been knitting! Finished object post coming up soon :)

emergency! winter has arrived

That is the view from the 7th story of Alaska Regional Hospital, where I was doing my intensive clinicals for three weeks. Winter was ahead of the game in Anchorage - there was a snowstorm on Halloween night!

Anyway, winter has made its way down the coast to Juneau. Yesterday, Sophie and two of her friends were playing in the front yard while the mamas sat inside drinking coffee. All of a sudden we heard boots running on the porch, and muffled yelling. Sophie shoved the front door open, saying, "Emergency! Emergency!"

My friend and I both jumped up and ran towards the door to see what the "emergency" was - expecting a crying child at the very least. But no one was crying, and Sophie pointed up at the roof of the porch, where there were ice-sickles hanging from the eaves.
"We can't reach! We want to eat the ice!"

Emergency indeed.

on (and on, and on) about nursing school

26 days until my last final exam of nursing school. It can't come soon enough! If only all I had to do was take the final, I'd be set. Unfortunately I have 3 more papers to turn in, one 9-hour clinical day, three 12-hour shifts with my preceptor (this part I'm looking forward to!), and a medication map, in addition to two final exams left to do.

I just sent in one paper - I love checking things off my list!

Unfortunately, I'm trying to stay focused on getting more things done while sitting on the couch with Sophie, watching Caillou. Thank goodness for the Roku and Netflix instant streaming for sick days. Sophie and I both have colds, plus she has a terrible rash all over her neck and back from (I think) shampoo I used on her a few nights ago. It's making her pretty miserable and it's taking a long time to go away :(.... Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream are only helping her a little bit.

It's good to be home after spending 3 weeks in Anchorage doing intensive clinicals. It sucks to be under the weather though. I feel like since I'm sick from my autoimmune issues nearly all of the time, I should somehow be exempt from colds.... too bad my immunosuppressive medications don't play nice with viruses :(. I am going to start on a new medication soon, though - I have high hopes for it working! It'll take probably six months to be able to tell if it is or not, though.

sneaky peanut butter cookies

Sophie and I are gearing up to go to the Haines Fair - and camping for six nights in Haines!

Today I am busy baking snacks to take along with us. These peanut butter cookies are delicious and also sneakily (almost) healthy.

Sneaky Peanut Butter Cookies (adapted from The Fiddlehead Cookbook)

1 stick + 4 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup whole grain flour (I used Bob's Red Mill's gluten-free all purpose flour)

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugars together. Add egg, vanilla, and peanut butter, beating after each addition. Mix together dry ingredients, then add to butter mixture and stir until completely combined. Spoon dough onto cookie sheet, then flatten with a fork dipped in sugar.

Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes.

finished object, a rainy day, and muffins

First off, the finished object - Habitat by Jared Flood. I wore it today to the beach hoping that the rain would block it to my head all by itself. It may need some actual blocking some day, but for now it'll work!

It was a rainy summer day, warm and very wet, and we joined Outdoor Preschool at Outer Point for three hours of fun in the woods and on the beach. Here's Sophie with a limpet she found, right before she tried to stick it to her nose :)...

And then we came home and made muffins! My kind of rainy day. I used the recipe from the bag of Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran, and instead of whole wheat pastry flour I substituted 1/3 quinoa flour, 1/3 wheat germ, and 1/3 Bob's gluten free all-purpose flour, plus a handful of whole flax seeds. For the wet ingredients, I put a banana, three carrots, a handful of raisins, and a couple handfuls of walnuts together in the food processor and then mixed them in. I also halved the amount of sugar.

They turned out good, very tasty. The only thing is that every time I've tried to use the gluten free all-purpose flour, things turn out slightly burnt on the outside before they're done on the inside. Is there a trick to getting gluten-free things to turn out right? I'm not even doing all gluten-free, just trying to incorporate more alternative grains (other than wheat) into my baking.

tangled knitting

Or rather, knitting tangled. Or, never mind. This:

... is what I'm working on. It's the first time I've picked up needles in far too long, and it did take me a couple tries to get it going well, but I've got the hang of it back now. It's to be a hat, for myself (what? crazy talk), and it's called Habitat (not 'tangled'.... why do I keep thinking that?) by Jared Flood.

The yarn I bought in Portland, at the one and only yarn shop I went into, and it is in fact the one and only skein of yarn I bought in said shop. I was quite proud of myself for only coming out with one skein, and a skein with a purpose at that. I've been wanting a new hat, and there was a sample knit up in the shop of a hat out of this yarn, so it seemed it was meant to be. It's Blue Sky Alpacas worsted, half merino and half alpaca, and it's so soft and wonderful to knit with! I can't wait till it's done and I can wear it :)

oatmeal raisin cookies plus protein

I bought this stuff at the store the other day and have been wanting to experiment with adding it to baked goods. Being the lazy vegetarian I am and Sophie being the picky eater she is, neither of us tend to get enough protein on a regular basis. I know that Sophie's mood and self-regulation fares much better when she's eating enough protein (and I'm sure it's true for me as well) - so in the spirit of Deceptively Delicious I thought I would try some sneaky protein additions.

Today I went with cookies. I started with the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe from Deceptively Delicious and went from there....

The original recipe calls for zucchini puree and banana puree. I didn't have either but I did have a zucchini in the fridge and an over-ripe banana on the counter! I put the zucchini in the food processor and called it good (I didn't cook it first, not even a little), then mashed the banana in with everything else.

I wanted to make the cookies vegan (just for fun really) so I substituted ground flax seed with water for the egg white called for. This is really easier than you think - just whisk the flax in with water, microwave, whisk, and microwave again until you get something that looks like this:

Ok, I know it's hard to see in that picture, but basically you want it to gel up enough that it hangs off the whisk for a second before dropping - kind of like an egg white - which is, after all, what we're going for here.

I added six tablespoons of the protein powder along with the dry ingredients, which according to my (very rough) calculations only added a measly 2g of protein to each finished cookie. Humph. At least the oat flour has a good bit of protein in it too. I think this addition made the cookies a little dry, so next time I'll probably add something else with the wet ingredients to balance it. Maybe applesauce. Or not, who knows.

The finished dough looked like this:

And the finished cookies, well, they look a little weird. They didn't flatten in the oven, so I squished them down with a spatula half way through. I think this is the too-dry issue caused by the added protein powder. But they taste good, and Sophie keeps asking for more - success!

Alright, here's what I did:

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - adapted from Deceptively Delicious

6 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 zucchini, ground in food processor

1 banana, mashed

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup whole oat flour

1 cup rolled oats

6 tablespoons soy protein powder (optional)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat the margarine and sugar in a large bowl. Add zucchini and banana; mix (and mash at the same time if you're lazy like me). In a small bowl, whisk together the flax and water. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, whisking in between, until the mixture gels. Add to ingredients in large bowl and mix well.

In another bowl, mix together flours, protein powder, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to wet ingredients and mix gently. Add raisins.

Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 12-15 min.

Enjoy!

pumpkin muffins

I messed with one of my favorite recipes and came up with these:

I think they're pretty good, they passed a double kid taste test, and they're super healthy. And I even remembered to write down what I did! Here it is:

Pumpkin Muffins

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup pure olive oil

1/2 cup applesauce

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2T ground flaxseed

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup whole oat flour

1/4 cup quinoa flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

4 heaping tablespoons powdered soy milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Vanilla soy milk (about 1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a big bowl mix the sugar, oil, applesauce, and pumpkin. In a small bowl, whisk the flaxseed with 1/2 cup water. Microwave for 30-second increments, whisking in between, until the mixture gels up. Add to the big bowl and mix. In a medium bowl mix the dry ingredients together, then add to the wet ingredients and mix gently. Add soy milk at this point until the matter reaches the right consistency for muffins. Bake in greased muffin tin for about 20 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.

You could use different oil and experiment with different flours, and don't worry if you don't have powdered soy milk. (I finally found it hidden on a bottom shelf in our health food store). Also, I used a ton of spices - if you (or your kids) don't like super strong spice flavor, use less - a lot less - maybe half of what I put.

Enjoy!

new favorite: rainwater botanicals

I love shopping on Etsy, and recently came across what just may be my new favorite shop: Rainwater Botanicals.

Check it out!!

version 2.0

Of Pumpkin Pie Muffins - recipe adapted from 'Deceptively Delicious' -

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup almond milk (or soy milk) with a splash of apple cider vinegar

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour (or whole oat flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sophie loves these! Next time I will add some oat bran and wheat germ as well. These are moist, light, and airy - kind of cupcake-like, actually. Bake at 350 for about 14 minutes.

And Tiger's Candy -

This time I rolled them in shredded coconut, and they are immensely better. Sophie is gobbling them up. Success!!

tiger's candy

My mom used to make these things called Tiger's Candy when I was little. I remember them being amazingly delicious, and even better because I was allowed to have them almost anytime I wanted one.

I'm mentally getting ready for camping season (one more month maybe??), and I have begun experimenting with different ways to get more protein into Sophie without a fight. Protein = energy = kids who will hike without fussing (as much). This is my theory anyway. So I found the recipe for Tiger's Candy online and made a test batch while Sophie was at preschool today.

I rolled them in cocoa powder since Sophie loves chocolate, but next time I will try rolling them in shredded coconut.

In my opinion, these aren't as amazingly delicious as I remember, but then again everything's better as a child. I'll have to ask my mom what substitutions she used.

Here's the recipe - adapted from Diet for a Small Planet:

Tiger's Candy

1/4 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup ground sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon wheat germ

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup finely chopped raisins

cocoa powder

Blend peanut butter and ground sunflower seeds together, then add wheat germ, flax seed, honey, and raisins. Blend well. Form into balls and roll in cocoa powder.

The original recipe calls for powdered milk, but I looked all over the grocery store and couldn't find powdered soy milk to substitute, so I just threw in some wheat germ and flax for fun instead. I'll have to look at the health food store, because that seems like a good way to add protein to just about anything.

beetle

A few weeks ago, Sophie found a beetle on the kitchen floor. At first she was a little scared of it, but once she realized it wasn't a spider she decided that it was her friend. She convinced Papa to put it in a jar for her so she could keep it as a pet, and she fed it lettuce and watched it for a couple days. Eventually she decided Beetle wanted to go back outside to play with its friends, so she let it go on the wood pile.

A couple days ago, Sophie was playing in the kitchen while I got ready to leave in the morning. All of a sudden she got super excited - "My beetle! My friend beetle come back!" - and ran to get a jar. She plopped the jar down on top of the beetle so it couldn't get away, and started singing a song to Beetle (she's constantly singing a narrative of her play). Part of it went like this, "My beetle, my beetle my friend beetle name is Beetle, he come back to play with me again, and I saw him on the floor and I almost step on him, but I didn't! And Beetle be my pet beetle, and I keep him in a jar..."



Unfortunately Beetle's jar got knocked over and Beetle got away, but she's still on the lookout in case he comes back to play again.

peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies

Sophie and I are home together today. I have the day off of school, and she's on spring break from preschool.



She's a very good helper. I struggle with being patient and letting her actually help me - especially if the oven's already done preheating and we're not ready yet. I'm getting better at it, and she's getting better at helping, too. She cracked the egg today and didn't get any shell in with it!


My rule is that you can't eat any cookie dough until the first batch is in the oven - this is her "hurray I get to eat dough now!" face.



After the first batch came out, Sophie decided that the rest really needed to have chocolate chips in them.

Delicious! We used this recipe, and substituted half whole wheat pastry flour.