10 Facts About Me and My Better Half

I was inspired by Elisa over at Elisa Loves to join in on Betty's 10 Facts About Me and My Better Half lists.

1} The first time I tried to get his attention he handed me a computer magazine and proceeded to play his computer game. I decided that I didn't like him. That was in late elementary school.

2} We went to the same school, the same church and our parents were good friend so we saw each other a lot. For the longest time I ignored him and spent time with his younger brother. Then his parents bought a cabin on a lake. He would do water sports and I was interested again.

4} We started dating when I was in grade 11 and he was in grade 12. I asked him out. The next year he left to go to university and convinced me to come the following year. I wasn't hard to convince.

5} He studied engineering (for work) and played piano and computer games (for fun) and I distracted him when I wasn't doing my own studying. He didn't mind.

6} We went through a lot of discernment about our relationship in that first year we were both at university. Finally we decided to get engaged, I was 19 and he was 20.

7} We got married one year later and lived in a tiny apartment on campus. Sometimes Hubby would come home with flowers, picked from the neighbors' yards. I would make him crepes.

8} My Hubby randomly brings home "Best Wife" certificates and write ridiculously silly poems that make no sense but do rhyme.

9} He is very supportive of my crazy ideas (like raising meat rabbits or pressing 500lbs of apples) except when I mention something absurd like planting a garden on the roof of our house (which would be very challenging).

10} Almost 6 years later we have two little ones (with the hopes of more) and we learn to love each other more as each year passes by.

Early Spring Line Drying

It feels like spring is slow to arrive up here in the North. Wait! That's because it does! As you might have guessed I am desperate for Spring. Mix desperation and a little impatience together, and envision me trying to rush nature along. I don't go so far as shoveling snow off my yard into the street, but I do have a habit of prodding at any dirt around (repetitively) to see if the ground is thawing. I'm happy to say that I've found a few spots that yield.

Today I decided that 8 degrees Celsius (46F) was warm enough to take out my clothespins and hang Sweetpea's diapers to dry. I've heard countless stories of my grandmother hanging sheets to dry outside in -30C weather. Sublimation, apparently that's how it works. Thank goodness I'm not planning to sublimate Sweetpea's diapers. But, they still won't be dry until some time tomorrow or maybe even the next day. Nevertheless, seeing them hang outside makes it feel like Spring is here.

From the Rabbitry: Taking Care of Kits

Our rabbitry has increased in size exponentially over the last two weeks. We went from seven rabbits (5 does, 2 bucks) to twenty-nine! Don't worry, the other twenty-two rabbits are still pretty small. It doesn't look like there are twenty-nine rabbits in our rabbitry right now but soon the little rabbits will come tumbling out of their nest boxes. It's so cute when they do!

Water, Food and Treats

After the doe kindles I make sure that she has plenty of water and food and a nice treats for all her hard work. It can take a day or two for the doe to regain her appetite after kindling but once she does she's hungry! Breastfeeding tend to do that, I can assure you. A breastfeeding doe can drink a lot of water so it's important to replenish the water frequently. I tend to offer the doe as much feed as she can eat as well as some hay. The mama also loves treats like apple and carrots and it can be a great way to distract an anxious doe when you need to check the kits. Eventually the kits come out of the box and start to drink and eat the doe's food so it's important to keep everything topped up at this point. When the kits emerge from their nest I stop leaving treats for the doe (or hand feed them to her instead) because the treats can make the kits ill.

Odette's kits are 10 days old and have started to open their eyes.

Cleanliness

The nest boxes get cleaned out weekly (or more depending on the size of the litter). This ensures that the kits have a dry and clean place to grow. I try to save as much of the clean fur that the doe leaves behind in the nest box when I clean it out. After a few weeks not much fur is left in the nest but at that point the kits have enough fur to keep themselves warm. It's very important to check the nest boxes daily to ensure that they are dry, there are no dead kits, and there is no poop left behind by the doe. Clean nest boxes mean healthy kits!

Inside a nest box

Yarn Along (no.18)

The last time I was such a serious knitter was in my university days. By serious I mean completing more than one dish cloth or scarf here and there. Ginny's Yarn Along has been such a great source of inspiration and motivation. I love checking out other knitters' projects and I'm amazed to see how many yarn-alongers there are out there.

This week I've been knitting Sweetpea's Sorello shirt. Ravelry is such a fun place to get patterns. I've discovered that I really like seamless tops; it's fun to see how they turn out. I've also noticed that Ravelry has groups you can join - anybody belong to a fun Ravelry group?

This week I'm reading two books: my book club book Her Fearful Symmetry and Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens.

We just ordered 35 chicks and they'll arrive April 28th. We don't have room in our backyard to raise chickens (the rabbits have already made their claim), so the plan is to set them up for the first few weeks in our basement in a brooder and then bring them out to my parents' acreage. My parents have being dreaming of building a chicken coop for a while and it looks like those plans will finally become a reality!

The Snow is Melting

The sun is out and the snow is melting. The sound of melting snow makes me happy. At this rate the snow might be gone by mid to late April. I'm itching to start my garden. I tried poking some dirt yesterday but it's still frozen (darn!), at least my neighbors' cats won't be able to poop in it yet.

Monkey loves the fact that he can use his sunglasses. Even though there are still huge piles of snow it feel like Spring is coming...

Even Sweetpea seems to enjoy being outside and playing with Monkey.

Lenten Fridays - Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Lentils and beans and barley, these are my three heros for Friday Lenten meals. This Friday beans are taking the spotlight in a simple meal of black bean and corn quesadillas. There are many recipes online for bean and corn quesadillas (check out the recipe at allrecipes.com), but here is my take:

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
serves about 4

1-2 Tbsp. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups(ish) cooked black beans [from a can or from dried black beans - soaked in water overnight etc.]
1 cup(ish) corn [fresh, frozen or canned]

2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbps.(ish) chili powder
1-2 tsp.(ish) cumin

Some cilantro (a couple Tbsp.-1/4 cup... or none), minced

Salt and pepper
Around 8 (10 inch) tortilla shells
A lot of cheese (2+ cups), Monterey jack or mozzarella, grated
Sour cream and salsa to serve

1} Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Add oil and once it shimmers (which should be right away if you pan is heated) add the onions and cook until softened.

2} Add the beans and corn and cook until the corn begins to brown.

3} Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4} Taste it. Add salt and pepper, and more spices. Taste again :)

5} Toss in the cilantro, stir and remove from heat.

6} Heat up another skillet and add a little oil. Take your shells, one at a time, and brown up the sides in the pan.

7} Take the browned shells and fold in half. Open the shell and sprinkle cheese on one side, add the corn-bean mixture on top and then sprinkle more cheese on top. Fold in half again and press down a little. Put it back into pan and cooked on each side for a minute or two, until the cheese melts and the shells brown. * I usually brown two shells, fill them and cook them side by side in the pan.

8} Serve immediately or pile the quesadillas on a plate in a warm oven until you've made them all.

Enjoy!

Yarn Along (no.17)

I've found that it has been trickier to join Ginny's yarn along the last couple weeks. I've given up daytime computer for Lent and by the time the evening comes along I've felt too tired to blog.

I finished Sweetpea's dress but I still need to find (or make) a cute head band for her to wear with the dress. I'll post a picture of her dress soon...

I told myself that when I'd finish the dress I'd knit something for Monkey. Initially I wanted to knit him a vest for Easter, but I didn't find any vest that appealed to me (if you know of a particularly cute little boy vest let me know!). In the end, I picked up another pattern for Sweetpea. It's an adorable tee designed by Georgie Hallam: Sorello. The yarn that I'm going to use for this project is Mission Falls 136 Merino Superwash in turquoise.

This week I'm reading two books Love on Assignment and Made from Scratch.

Sweetpea Has Turned One!

Happy 1st Birthday Sweetpea!

Lenten Fridays - Mushroom Barley Soup

Many people eat fish on Lenten Fridays. We don't. We live inland so eating fresh sustainable fish is a luxury for us. The last time we ate seafood was for Christmas when we hosted the Feast of the Seven Fishes. That's eleven weeks ago, but who's counting! Actually we did eat wild sockeye salmon earlier this week (but it was the first time in eleven week!). I had some frozen salmon that I received as part of a trade for a doe (female rabbit). The fish was too good to be Lenten Friday food.

So tomorrow we are eating soup. Soup is good Lenten food especially when it's mushroom barley soup. The recipe is from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and I'll include it below.

We have a friend that dislikes mushrooms. I thought of him when I picked out the recipe. I wonder if he would eat it? Actually, our good friends are coming to visit us and I'm tempted to serve this soup when they arrive... but that would be plain mean. I'd like to think that I'm not mean. My Hubby had an aversion to mushrooms when we were dating, but I like mushrooms so he had no choice but to eat them. Eat them he did and now he can freely say (even when I'm not in the room) that he likes mushrooms. He can't say the same about peas...

Here is the original recipe. Consider it a source of inspiration. I won't be using fancy mushrooms because they are too expensive right now so button mushrooms will act as a replacement. I know that the flavour won't be as amazing but this is a Lenten meal after all.

Alternatively we could all eat chalk instead.

Mushroom Barley Soup
serves 6 to 8

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped fine
1 lb cremini mushroom, stemmed and quartered
1 lb portobello mushroom, stemmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
salt
2 carrots, peeled and chopped medium
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
pepper

1} Melt butter in large dutch oven over med-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and 1/4 t. salt and cook until they have softened and browned, 10 - 15 minutes.

2} Stir in the carrots and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, barley, thyme and 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to simmer. Cook until barley is tender, about 50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

To make ahead: this soup can be cooled, covered ad refrigerated fr up to 3 days in the fridge or 1 month in freezer. Reheat over low, adding additional water or broth to adjust consistency.

My First Quilt

In February and March I took a beginners quilting class. I was the only one there under retirement age and the only one that had never actually quilted before. I almost finished my small quilt at the last session but the binding still had to be sewn. I am proud to say that I've finished it today!

I learned a lot of things along the way. Like how... assembling a quilting foot on the sewing machine can be somewhat tricky, quilting with a bad sinus cold isn't the best for precision and making sure you've quilted all your lines before returning the borrowed quilting thread to the teacher is very wise.

What can I say though, I'm hooked! I'm already making plans for a few projects... some hotplates, placements, and a quilt made out of men's dress shirts, those kind of things.

Lenten Fridays - Lentil Soup

During Lent we abstain from eating meat on Fridays to remind ourselves that Jesus was crucified on this day. Even if you don't practice Lent, eating one vegetarian meal each week is good for your body, your wallet and the planet.

One meal that I make often on Lenten Fridays is lentil soup. Lentil soup is earthy and can easily take on a variety of spices like curry, cumin, coriander, cayenne, chile pepper flakes, ginger, garlic, or bay leaves (probably not all at once though). Other tasty things to try in lentil soup are chickpeas, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, parsley, cilantro and coconut milk. There are a lot of great flavour combinations.

This Friday we'll be trying a barley lentil soup with swiss chard. It sounds different and intriguing. I can't wait to try it out.

Where Do You Live?

I live here. In this cold Northern part of Canada. This is where I grew up. I left after high school but then returned again after finishing my nursing degree. Both Hubby and I have parents and siblings that live here. Also, housing is affordable. These were our reasons for returning.

But for the last six months I've felt unsettled. I'm not sure why. It could be the weather. The winter has been so long with no end in sight. The piles of snow outside are ridiculous. At this rate Spring won't arrive until the end of April or the beginning of May. For someone that enjoys gardening and walking outside barefoot, sometimes I wonder why I live here. Thinking about living somewhere just a little warmer crosses my mind almost daily. But Hubby has a good job and our family is close... am I just suffering from the grass is greener on the other side syndrome? Or am I hearing a call to move Southernly?

The snow is so high. 

Monkey and Student can climb the neighbors tree with no effort.

Yarn Along (no.16)

As of tomorrow, I'm giving up daytime computer use until Easter. I'm hoping that this will free up a little extra time for knitting, reading... maybe even some simple quilting. It might be too much to hope for, especially during The Meltdown, but it's good to be optimistic sometimes.

I sorted out the pattern issues from last week by contacting the designer. It was nice to know that I wasn't going crazy and the problem was simply an errata in the pattern. I have now completed both arms of the dress. Next is the collar. It looks like I'll have the dress done in time for Easter!

This week I'm reading books on back pain and quilting. The two aren't necessarily connected. I'm also reading The Fire in Ember: A Novel.

To see what others are knitting and reading this week visit Ginny's Yarn Along.

Sewing Bean Bags

My mother dislikes sewing. I have memories of her cursing under her breath while she worked at the sewing machine. Sewing seemed so awful that I never wanted to learn how to do it. So I didn't, not even in high school.

At one point while I was at university, I volunteered to make a banner for a club that I was part of. I bought the material and after struggling to sew the darn thing Hubby (then my fiance) did it for me. A few years later I received a gift from a dear family friend: a sewing machine. Somehow, since then, I've taught myself to use it for mending and sewing simple projects.

It always amazes me to see what others create with their sewing machines. My sister-in-law makes the most amazing quilts. My other sister-in-law sews clothes and toys. Their work inspires me to learn more about sewing. So, I decided to take a beginners quilting class. The classes were a fabulous learning experience. I met some nice people and I made three new wonderful friends:

Meet rotary mat, ruler...

and rotary cutter!

These three friends have changed my sewing life forever - they make me want to sew! Yesterday, I was itching to hang out with my friends so I made these Counting Beans Bags. Measuring and cutting the fabric was too easy which gave me the energy to focus on the applique, which is something I had never tried before.

Preparing for Lent: Fasting. Almsgiving. Prayer.

Through the traditional practices of fasting, almsgiving and prayer, which are an expression of our commitment to conversion, Lent teaches us how to live the love of Christ in an ever more radical way.~Pope Benedict XVI 2011 Lenten Message

The time of Lent is drawing near. This year Lent begins on March 9th which is also known as Ash Wednesday. Over the last few days Hubby and I have been reflecting on our plans for Lent. There are so many ideas out there but we've come to the conclusion that it is important to keep things simple during this time.

FASTING

Fasting [...] takes on a profoundly religious significance for the Christian: by rendering our table poorer, we learn to overcome selfishness in order to live in the logic of gift and love; by bearing some form of deprivation – and not just what is in excess – we learn to look away from our "ego", to discover Someone close to us and to recognize God in the face of so many brothers and sisters. ~Pope Benedict XVI 2011 Lenten Message

Friday Lenten Meals.
During Lent I will not be posting my regular weekly menu. Instead every Friday I'll post a simple vegetarian Friday Lenten meal.

Media.
During Lent I will be giving up daytime computer use as well as secular shows and movies.

ALMSGIVING

The greed of possession leads to violence, exploitation and death; for this, the Church, especially during the Lenten period, reminds us to practice almsgiving – which is the capacity to share. [...] The practice of almsgiving is a reminder of God's primacy and turns our attention towards others, so that we may rediscover how good our Father is, and receive his mercy. ~Pope Benedict XVI 2011 Lenten Message

Development and Peace Share Lent Campaign.
We will be following the solidarity calendar and making a donation at the end of Lent to support the Development and Peace partners in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

PRAYER

By meditating and internalizing the Word in order to live it every day, we learn a precious and irreplaceable form of prayer; by attentively listening to God, who continues to speak to our hearts, we nourish the itinerary of faith initiated on the day of our Baptism. [W]hen we pray, we find time for God, to understand that his "words will not pass away" (cf. Mk 13: 31), to enter into that intimate communion with Him "that no one shall take from you" (Jn 16: 22), opening us to the hope that does not disappoint, eternal life. ~Pope Benedict XVI 2011 Lenten Message

The Jesus Tree. 
This is similar to the Jesse Tree but for Lent instead of Advent. We have found the Jesus Tree to be a great way to involve Monkey in preparing for Easter.

Lenten reading.
Hubby and I have both selected books to read for Lent. My choice is End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life. To be honest I'm a little nervous about reading it. This book significantly affected the life of St. Terese de Lisieux... what will it do to mine?

Lenten house cleaning and fixing-up.
I've created a list of house cleaning and fix-ups that Hubby and I will work through during Lent. We want to joyfully prepare our home for the celebration of Easter.

Yarn Along (no.15)

I'm joining Ginny for her Yarn Along today.

I'm frustrated. I've been stuck on the sleeves for Sweetpea's dress all week. Knitting, unraveling, and making no progress. The pattern doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe someone can help me make sense of these instructions:

Sleeves (make 2) 

Using size 8 needles, CO 62(66, 70, 70, 74, 82, 86).

Make ruffles as for hem. 33(35, 35, 37, 37, 41, 43) sts. Knit 4 rounds. Next round: K1, m1, knit to last st, m1, k1. Continue until sleeve measures 1(1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75) inches from join with ruffles. Sleeve cap will now be worked flat. BO 2(2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4) sts. Dec 1 st every RS row 7(8, 9, 11, 13, 13, 15) times, then every row 4 (4, 4, 2, 0, 2, 0) times. BO 7 rem sts.

I've completed the ruffle, knitted the 4 rounds and completed the K1, m1, knit to last st, m1, k1. Now do I continue the K1, m1[...] until the sleeve measures 1.75 inches or do I just knit in rounds?

And then the sleeve cap makes no sense me because the stitches don't add up. Only 22 stitches are decreased or bound off. What happens to the rest? Any ideas or suggestions?

[Update 02/03/2011 2:20pm] I contacted the designer and there is an errata in the pattern. The pattern should read. [...] Continue in stockinette until sleeve measures 1(1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75) inches from join with ruffles. BO 2(2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4) sts at the beginning of next 2 rows. Dec 1 st at each end every RS row 7(8, 9, 11, 13, 13, 15) times, then every row 4 (4, 4, 2, 0, 2, 0) times. BO 7 rem sts. I followed the new directions and successfully completed the first arm!

When I'm not unraveling the sleeves of this dress I'm reading The Write Start: A Guide to Nurturing Writing at Every Stage, from Scribbling to Forming Letters and Writing Stories.

Virus Crisis

Not long ago I read the Virus Crisis chapter in Mom to Mom, Day to Day. Now family members (including myself) are suffering from colds, viral acute sinusitis, and ear infections. We are officially living in survival mode. I know that we aren't the only ones suffering right now. I have family and friends who are also sick and suffering a great deal more and my thoughts and prayers are with them every day.

So Hubby and I decided to start praying a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes for all those who are suffering and in need of prayers. There is so much suffering all around us; everyone suffers.

Apart from prayer and suffering (and listening to Fr. Stan Fortuna), we've been enjoying lots of soup, steam, teas and pain-fever reducers.

Pax Christi!