Birthday countdown!

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Happy Monday to you, lovelies. A bit scattered and restless (yet sleep-deprived) in our nest today. How ’bout with you? Did you have a good weekend?

’tis less than a month until our sweet little birdie turns one, woot woot! And I’ve been thinking a lot about her birthday, her party, this past year… whew. Chris and I keep mentioning how it’s so strange that the time with a baby is oh-so-ultra-vivid and amazing to us and yet she won’t remember a minute of it. Humans, you are so strange and perplexing. Oh! Here’s something silly about little humans that I wanted to share with you too. I better write it down now before I forget… It’s funny how so many little kids have said that Wren is still zero until she’s a year old. I want to get inside their heads. These are the same kids who say they are four and three quarters, thank you very much. Or five and one half. Since when did children become so exact? Love those little people and their big ideas, don’t you?

I’m thrilled to report that I was able to check one thing off my birthday party list. I finished the birthday banner! I had been pondering it for a while and finally got around to doing something about it. Actually, I owe it to my friend, Linda, because she suggested that we have a birthday banner day and work on them together. Brilliant! If it hadn’t been for that kind of deadline, I’d probably still be sewing the damn thing heirlooom a few hours before the little birdie’s party. And, you know what? I’m really happy with how it turned out. There are some things I would do differently next time around, but overall (don’t look too closely…), I think it’s lovely and I’m proud to hang it up in our nest.

Next? Invitations. Against my inner procrastinator’s wishes, I’m loosely following Martha’s party-planning timeline. And I’m already a tiny bit behind, but hey, I’m no Martha. I have a love/hate relationship with Martha, but I’ll save that drivel for a future post… I digress.

Speaking (err, writing) of invitations. I HATE e-vites. Yes, they’re eco-friendly, cheap, easy and everyone uses e-mail, blah blah. But I love getting a real invitation via snail mail, don’t you? I want to feel it and post it up and look at its loveliness every time I pass by it. And RSVP the host and the whole tradition of it all. You? So anyway, that’s next on my list. I’ll work on the design sometime this week and hope to pop them in the mail the first week of May (or so.) That’s optimistic, Pollyanna me talking. I’ll let you know how that goes… If it’s anything like my own wedding invitations, which I designed and hand-letterpress printed (a former life of mine), they didn’t make it in the mail until a couple weeks before the event. Oops!

Is it too early to worry about the weather for Wren’s party? Sigh. Would you like to be on the weather committee and take care of that for me? Let me know. Thanks.

Have a great day, dear readers. I’m off to clean up one of the many (many) disaster zones in our nest thanks to the 19 pound teething cyclone…

Best!

Sunday Confessions. Again.

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Being that it’s Sunday, I think a confessions-only post is à propos again. It’s been a while, no?

Confessions

  • I’ve been feeling bad since last Sunday morning about this one… There’s a woman who’s been coming to yoga and she drives an Escalade. I couldn’t help but shudder, immediately judge and have all sorts of strange, conflicting mean thoughts. Escalade yogini? What?! I’ve been wrestling with it all week. What makes it even more strange is that she seems just absolutely lovely. So what’s up with the Escalade? And furthermore, why do I even care?
  • Before Wren (BW), I used to scoff at parents who attempted to shove food into their children’s mouths while the wee ones were on the go. Know what I mean? So I caught myself off guard this week when I found myself doing just that. Turns out there is sometimes a reason for these kinds of things…
  • A went through the Wendy’s drive-thru for a quick lunch on the go (kiddie burger meal with an under 3 toy, please) this week. Turns out it was Earth Day too. There was a lot wrong with that whole picture… on so many levels.
  • I keep thinking that I’d like to try a “no white stuff” approach to eating while I mindlessly munch on a few chocolate chips and a handful of potato chips or two to get me through the afternoon. Pretty sure it would be a huge improvement over my current approach to eating and I know the first couple days would be the toughest, but but but. Turns out a handful of carrot sticks is really not that satisfying, at least not in the same way, right? Sigh.
  • I bought my first “anti-aging” facial moisturizer this week. Ouch. Something about my laugh lines being not-so-fine anymore drove me to throw it in the basket. This week I also bought some thick, goopy eco-friendly sunscreen for Wren. Hoping this will help her on the right track to keep her skin looking oh-so-lovely when she’s 33.
  • This is terrible. I was so much more saddened this week by the news that *my* yoga studio is closing than I was by any other news in the past year. Michael Jackson and Haiti didn’t even compare. Isn’t that awful? Boy, hormonal, sleep-deprived human nature sure is strange.
  • I was a bit too obsessed this week with my blog stats because of the Ohdeedoh article on Wren’s Nest. Made me ponder why I do this? For me? For you? For the collective good and fun of it all? To become rich and famous, make a million bucks and retire to Tahiti? hehehe, snort, guffaw.
  • So our electric bill was much higher this month and we’re thinking it’s probably because we’ve been eating in a lot more. Stove/oven usage. Factoring in the cost of our electric, it makes we wonder if all those inexpensive homemade pizzas are really costing us more than if we were to order in. Just can’t win, can we?

Have a happy Sunday, dear readers. It’s drizzling here and a perfect day for nesting. The morel hunters are getting very excited! What’s it like in your neck of the woods?

Happy Earth Day!

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Happy Earth Day to you, lovelies!

Do you have any plans to honor our favorite Mamma, Mother Nature? Getting outside? Digging in the dirt? Taking a shorter shower? Beginning some new green habits?

I’ve been wanting to go a shade greener in my nesting so thanks, Earth Day, for giving me this opportunity. Truth be told, I do not have laundry detergent loyalty. I usually just buy the eco-friendly variety that happens to be on sale or sometimes, just has the nicest packaging. I know, I know. This has come with mixed results, but regardless of how clean the clothes may or may not be getting, it’s still really expensive. And I always have green guilt about buying yet another container. It doesn’t really make me feel better that I recycle it because there’s still all that manufacturing, shipping, marketing, trip to the store, etc. It’s enough to make this Mamma’s head spin.

So I scoured (no pun intended, I swear!) the Internet for a super simple, economical, earth-friendly laundry recipe. Sure enough there were 152,000 hits just for “Homemade laundry detergent.” And I stumbled upon this simple idea multiple times so I figured this would be a great place to start. Here’s a secret our Grandmothers knew. This stuff rocks! And you’ll gasp at how cheap it is.

Simple Green Soap for Your Duds

4 cup load of homemade laundry soap, which will endure about 32 loads.

2 cups grated Fels Naptha bar soap
1 cup Borax (check out their new look in the photo above!)
1 cup baking soda

Place in an air-tight container.

Shake or stir and you’ve got a container of laundry detergent. I also threw in an old measuring spoon and labeled the old water container so ALL the squirrels in our nest would know what to do on laundry day.

Directions: Use 2 T per load and dissolve in water before adding clothes.

$$$$$  Financial breakdown  $$$$$

16 oz box of baking soda: $.59. Only used about half the box.  About $.30

Fels Naptha soap: $1.09 for the bar. Only used about 1/4 of the bar.  About $.30

4 lb, 12 oz box of Borax: $4.49. Only used about 1/8 of the box.  About $.30

1 cup=16 Tablespoons so… about 32 loads! That comes out to almost $.03 per load. Wow! Not too shabby. Sorry, Seventh Generation. You just can’t compete with this! Not even with your new(ish) and improved packaging…

Now what to do with all those clean, wet clothes. I’ve been researching easy ways to dry the laundry outside without erecting a permanent clothesline system and not spending a lot of money. Do you have a system for this that you’d like to share, dear readers? I’m not thrilled about the idea of hanging my Mamma panties and nursing bras up for Bert and Ernie to enjoy, but I’d love to hang towels, the duvet cover, jeans, sheets, and wouldn’t a wee onesie or two be cute?

For your Earth Day enjoyment, check back later today. I have a couple more thoughts and pretty pictures to share with you.

Until then, for our Mother’s sake, please don’t buy bottled water today at the very, very, very least. Come to think of it, don’t buy it tomorrow either…

Welcome, Ohdeedoh readers!

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Oh my goodness. I’m just tickled (thrilled, nervous, giddy) that you’ve clicked over here today. Almost every day this year I’ve contributed something to the Cyberspace world via this blog and many days I think to myself, “what am I doing here anyway, you goofy schmoof?” Sooooo I’d like to send a big shout out to the lovely folks at Ohdeedoh for sending you on over here via my work on Wren’s Nest! It makes me very happy, for lack of a more creative term today.

Dear readers, please make yourself at home and let me know what you think. The good, the bad, the ugly… your thoughtful, constructive comments are wanted!

  • If you’re looking for more pics or my own drivel on Wren’s Nest, I suggest you click here or here.
  • Since you enjoy Ohdeedoh (woot woot!), you probably like seeing DIY stuff and home renovation projects. If that’s the case, dear readers, click here for more pics and drivel on our hopelessly optimistic nesting instincts.
  • If you want to know a little bit more about me, you might click here.

Again, I couldn’t be more excited that you’re here today. I wish I could buy you a cup of coffee and we could all chat for a while. But you, clicking in on me today? Well, that’s enough to make a gal buy herself another cup of coffee just to celebrate. Cheers!

Best! Ashlea

Holy tomatoes, Batman!

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I’m simply amazed. Almost a month ago, I planted heirloom tomato seeds with a (very) liberal, healthy dose of GUARDED hope that they would actually sprout. Well, they did indeed sprout. And they kept going. My experiment was working. Some soil, some unseasonably warm, sunny days (thank you, Climate Change?!), regular waterings and voila! Real tomato plants grew in our sun room. In northern Michigan. And the fat lady sings indeed.

So, as you can see, they got so big that I had to transplant them today. I know, right?! Aren’t you amazed, too? Whew.

I was so thrilled with the whole idea of it all that I had to wear my gardening galoshes  while I transplanted them. Silly, but fun! (Hey, this Mamma doesn’t get out much.)

So I gingerly moved the seedlings to their own pots… Do you think they will miss being closer together? They’ve been together since the womb. What say you, dear readers?

My hands even smell like tomatoes still. It’s lovely.

So here’s the question of the day. I really didn’t think these would do very well so now what will I do with so many tomato plants? I suppose it’s a good problem to have…  and I’m probably jumping the gun here because there will probably be some loss moving forward… but I’m thinking that I better revise my raised bed plan to just have a whole bed devoted to tomatoes. Bliss!

How are your seeds coming along? Have any gardening plans you’d like to share? Tomato recipes?

Eye candy

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Something was needed on the blank wall above the changing table in Wren’s Nest. It was just boring ole ‘Northern Pear Tree’ and begged to have some more eye candy. Plus it’s getting (A LOT) more difficult to change the squirrely babe’s diaper so the more interesting distractions, the better, this Mamma says.

It’s funny from where or what or whom one draws inspiration, isn’t it? If I ever pursue a PhD, my dissertation might just be on the elusive idea of inspiration. But I digress. I found some silver frames at a local consignment shop for about a buck each and they’d been staring at me every time I went down to the basement for at least a few months. Soooo… today I got inspired and I designed and printed some fun Wren pictures. What do you think?

It’s a bit hard to see the details in the picture. Maybe this is better? I put all the designs together for your Saturday afternoon eye candy. I’m really happy with how they came out, if I do say (write) so myself! Enjoy and happy weekend to you, dear readers.

Snippets

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Whew, it’s been quite a week in our nest. The little birdie has discovered the joys of mobility and it’s been thrilling and exhausting. She doesn’t “crawl,” but she certainly gets herself around in an efficient way. Chris said yesterday that Wren reminds him of an ant because of her strength to size ratio. (Remember, folks, he’s an engineer.) I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of Wren as an ant, but it’s fun to try. Try it!

I was telling a friend yesterday that  having a newly mobile baby is like having an entirely new person in the house. She’s lovely and amazing, but I have to rethink my whole *system* because she’s into everything. “Didn’t you know this was coming, Ash?” Yeah, but I really had NO IDEA. Again, I mean well, but what do I know?! Needless to say with these kind of shenanigans, I haven’t been spending much time in Cyberspace this week… but I wanted to give you a little visual snippet of what’s been going on around here. I promise that these snippets will lead to future posts so here’s a snack to whet your appetite. Happy Friday!

Still leeking.

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Back to that leek.

A friend and fellow locavore sent me this article, which made me question harvesting the wild leeks. Seems as though the increased popularity of wild-harvested foods like mushrooms, leeks and fiddleheads comes at a cost. And not just to your pocketbook at your local market. To our favorite lady, Mother Nature. Commercialization could easily lead to extinction the article posits. Ouch.

According to the article,

(All) this attention isn’t good news for the leek, says Gérald Le Gal, president of the Quebec-based Association for the Commercialization of Forest Mushrooms and owner of Gourmet Sauvage, a company that sells prepared wild fruits and vegetables.

He doesn’t think anyone should be selling ramps.

“Don’t touch the stuff. It’s just too vulnerable,” he says. When you pick a ramp, you take the entire plant, including the bulb. Once the bulb is gone, there is nothing left of the plant; it will not grow back the next year. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority considers it to be “a species of conservation concern.” And eating a nice sized bulb could be the equivalent of dining on an old-growth cedar. “It’s a really, really, slow-growth plant. A bulb could be 18 to 20 years old,” Mr. Le Gal says.

Ouch. Now I’ve got a bad case of green guilt. You? Anyone know of a way to sustainably harvest the wild leeks, like the article briefly mentions? Perhaps if we just pick a couple handfuls for our own personal use and resist the temptation to bring a car load to the farmer’s market? What’s your opinion, dear readers?

Yummy new quest!

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I’m excited to give you the inside scoop on my yummy new adventure. The Dairy Lodge Diet!

I admit it. My favorite food is ice cream. My passion for the cool, sweet, creamy stuff has led me to be employed with several different ice cream joints; it turns out this is not good for a gal’s waistline. I even went so far as to own and manage an ice cream joint one year. I think I gained about ten pounds every time I was involved in the operations of an ice cream establishment. It took me three times to learn the lesson. Oof. Finally I decided it’s best for me to be a loyal ice cream customer instead. When our local ice cream stand, The Dairy Lodge, opened for the season this year, I could hardly wait to scurry our family on down there for a vanilla cone with colored sprinkles. While waiting in line and looking at all the possible offerings, I wondered, “who eats gummi bear flurries & marshmallow shakes?” Someone’s got to because they’re still on the menu, right? Why not me? Why not branch out and try everything they have to offer? It always comes from a smiling face so it must taste good… so goes my reasoning.

Please join in and follow along on my quest to try everything on the menu at The Dairy Lodge. What are your favorites? I’d like to hear about them!

In full disclosure, this is my own silly, fun, tasty idea. The Dairy Lodge is not paying me to take this adventure. I’m simply a loyal customer who conveniently lives within walking distance. Dangerous!

Check out my new blog and let me know what you think. mmmmmmm.