back to the blog-o-sphere:

Hello everyone,

It's been quite some time since I last posted (six weeks, to be exact). Our little girl, Margaret Eden Plating, was born June 5. And so began our great adventure...

I was thrilled to be able to deliver her naturally! I was scheduled to be induced on Friday the 4th. Jack and I had been praying that we could avoid that, if at all possible, and labor without assistance. When we walked into the hospital, I started having contractions! I was ecstatic.

After 12 1/2 hours of the hardest work I've ever done in my life, little Mags was born! As exciting as it was, it was also scary, because she came out blue, with the cord wrapped around her neck and fluid in her lungs. I had been stuck at 9 1/2 cm for several hours before we could begin pushing, and that seems to be when the complication started for her, poor little darling.

Needless to say, all my reservations about delivering at the hospital went right out the window. I was incredibly thankful that care for my daughter could begin right away. She had to be on oxygen for the first 2 days, so we couldn't have her in our room, so that was hard. I wasn't in the best shape, myself, having lost a little too much blood due to a nasty tear. Here's a pic of Maggie in the NICU:


Thankfully, she bounced back in 2 short days, and we were able to go home together. The last six weeks have been spent as you might imagine--feeding baby, changing baby, playing with baby, etc etc, everyone knows about all that. The thing you can't imagine is the important stuff--the way being a parent really does change you at the most fundamental level.
And it is WONDERFUL.

Here is another pic, taken just this morning:

they really do change so fast!

xoxo--Rachel

a few things before i'm off--

Hello dears,

I realize I haven't posted much this week. Its mainly because I was afraid that, had I tried to write anything, it would have come up as discontented and impatient--it would have been the anxious ramblings of a crazed 40 weeks pregnant woman. And no one wants to read that. I am to be induced tonight, if I don't go into labor before, and I thought I'd leave you with a few little things to look at/explore while I am out of commission.

I have long been fascinated by the connection between art and craft--a connection that seems to be growing more and more in the art scene these days. Here are a few artists that have wowed me lately:

ann carrington is a mixed media artist based in the uk. her work has been featured recently on bravo's 9 By Design . One of my favorite pieces by her is called "Pearly Queen of Bow"
it is pearl buttons on canvas--and it's big. about 4'x5' all told. beautiful!











Another artist I'd like to share with you is Mark Giglio. He's from southern california and also works in several mediums. My favorite thing he does are these wonderful little forests, made odds and ends of salvaged wood. I'm hoping I can talk my father in law into doing something similar for me--as I surely cannot afford the originals!









more paper: I love collage. I think I may have said that before. Here is a lady whose collages are serious business: Lena Wolff. Midnight Branch--
graphite, acrylic, collage on pinpricks on paper.

so so so good.







On to the next. I LOVE this room. I tend to be drawn to these light filled, scandinavian retreats every time I see one in a magazine. The thing is, those white floors really scare me. All I can think about is dirt and dog hair everywhere--and being chained to the mop as a result. They sure do look pretty though, don't they? Maybe in another life:


So... I am off for a few days at least, to give birth and spend some time getting to know my new daughter! I hope you enjoy checking out these artists and I'm sure I'll be posting again before long. When I come back I plan to share our bedroom remodel, some more yummy recipes, and baby pictures, of course!

love to all, and keep me in your prayers.

--Rachel (the home made girl)

The below article is a re-posting from the most recent local harvest newsletter. It's a good read, and one I can definitely relate to! I'd love to hear your thoughts. --Rachel

Local or Organic?

Photo by: Z & D Frago FAMILY Farm

At our house, this is the hardest season to find anything good to eat. The freezer, stuffed to barely closing last October, is almost empty now, as are the canning shelves and the makeshift root cellar. Thankfully, it was a warm and early spring here, so we are eating garden salad greens to our heart's content. To be honest, though, my heart is content with just a few salads a week, which leaves a lot of other meals to plan and not a lot of food in the house around which to plan them. Consequently, I have been giving a lot of thought to the question of what to eat.

This is a subject I avoid, even though I love to cook. It's the deciding what to cook that I don't like. Give me a week's worth of menus and I'm happy, but send me to the grocery store without a plan and I could wander around for hours, made miserable by too many choices, too many dilemmas.

I suspect that this is a problem shared by many. Sorting out the most decent and honest options amongst everything at the grocery store is time consuming and difficult. Worse, the ultimate unknowability of which choice is "better" can make it an unsatisfying endeavor. Is the fresh organic broccoli trucked in from 1200 miles away better than the conventional broccoli grown and frozen 200 miles from home? How about the big-ag organic dairy's cheddar versus the small, local rBGH-free but not organic version?

We want to do the right thing. We want to feed ourselves and our family well. We want to do right by our farmers, farm workers, the environment, and the local economy. If we choose to eat meat or dairy products, we want those animals to be treated well. Yet we don't want to be confused or duped, and we don't want to spend our entire paycheck on a week's worth of food. Hence the dilemma.

On the local versus organic question, the ideal of course is to select foods that are both organically and locally grown. But as we know, it doesn't always go that way, and too often we have to make a choice. Many people maintain that we are better off choosing local over organic, the better to influence and strengthen the local food system, and to save the fossil fuel that would otherwise be involved in transportation. Where 'local' also means 'small scale,' many people argue for the value of getting to know the farmer and supporting a network of family farms. Others say that organic is preferable over local, pointing out that while keeping pesticides out of our water and off our food, organic production practices also prompt the soil to sequester significant amounts of carbon, an activity that is key to addressing the climate crisis.

In some ways, there is no reason to belabor such decisions. Small scale local and any sized organic are both good choices. As Samuel Fromartz has rightly pointed out, both are vastly better than anything offered by the conventional food system, which is still responsible for over 95% of the food eaten by our nation.

Still and all, some of us are wont to dwell on the small choices that one after another fill our grocery carts and kitchens and bellies. What about you: how do you choose what kinds of food to buy? Do you make different choices based on the type of food? How much time do you spend sorting out your food choices, and what most influences your decisions?

--by Erin Barnett

www.localharvest.org

Collaging:

Yesterday afternoon Karis and I sat down at the kitchen table with a bunch of catalogs and magazines and made collages, while Jack made dinner. We sang. We were silly. We used our imaginations to make these funny little worlds you see pictured. How long has it been since you used your imagination? I can speak for myself here, and say it had been entirely too long for me! Why have we lost the desire to make? We do so much consuming, and so little creating. I, for one, am going to strive to "make" more often. What is something you'd like to do on a free afternoon? Does anyone else have a favorite craft they'd like to dust off and explore all over again?

90s flashback!

i realize that some of you might not have the fond memories of flannel, combat boots and miniflorals that i do, so bear with me. i came across this girl shot by thesartorialist last week and the whole image really took me back. i think when i have a waist again i'm going to indulge myself in an outfit something like this:






here's my version:

cucumbersandwichesdress and stockbridgetunic
(both from modcloth.com)

constitucioncentenarionecklace
(by t8designs)

randsomboots
(by charles albert)

you make the salad. i'll make the dressing.

I know i've been posting alot of breakfast and baked stuff lately, so I thought I would mix it up and post this salad that Jack and I made last night. We had this with our dinner yesterday and I liked it so much he made it again for lunch! The dressing recipe is one I have adapted from the "Jamie's Food Revolution" cookbook.

for the salad:
-organic baby greens
-walnuts
- sharp cheddar
-fresh peaches (we got ours at the farmer's market on saturday)

for your dressing: maple balsamic vinaigrette
12 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 - 8 tbsp maple syrup (depends on how sweet you like it)
sea salt and pepper to taste.

i make our salad dressings jamie-style, in a jam jar. throw all the ingredients in and shake shake shake. delicious! the dressing will keep several weeks in the fridge. it would also make a great marinade.

love!

A Sweet Treat for Your Weekend: Cinnamon Scones!!!

Happy Friday To All!

I thought I’d share a recipe for one of my favorite weekend treats—scones! This recipe is super-easy and soooooooo good!

Cinnamon Scones:

SERVES 12

• 4 cups whole grain flour (see note below)
• 1 cup unrefined sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sour cream (less if you use yogurt, probably 1 ½ cups)
• 1 free range egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 4 teaspoons cinnamon


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F
Butter up your baking sheets!
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt
Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
In another bowl, combine egg, sour cream and cinnamon
Gently stir until just moistened
Knead dough briefly—don’t overdo it! Your dough should just barely stick together, and be light and fluffy (the more you knead it, the tougher your scones will be—use a light touch!)
Divide dough in two. Place on baking sheets ad pat down into rounds about 1 ½ to 2 inches think
Cut each round into 6 wedge shaped pieces. (if you butter the knife the dough won’t stick to the blade)
Spread scones so they are evenly spaced from eachother.
Bake 20 min or until scones are golden brown. (this will depend on your oven. Mine can take up to 30 min)

Note: when I make baked goods, I use the King Arthur brand “white whole wheat” flour. It’s a whole grain flour that has been ground really fine, so you still get the fiber of a whole grain without the heaviness—perfect for baking!

the search for a diaper bag

as some of you know, i am expecting my first baby to make her arrival in the world shortly!
(maybe even today--fingers crossed)

as a result,in the last couple weeks i have spent a significant amount of time scrounging around for a diaper bag.

in the process, i have come to a few conclusions:

-diaper bags are expensive.
-diaper bags are (usually) ugly.
-it is hard to find a diaper bag that is very functional. who designs these things, anyway?
-it is also challenging to find a diaper bag that my husband could carry without looking silly and emasculated.
-if you are going to spend some cash on a diaper bag, it better be made well, or it's a waste of money. i want mine to last through all my years of babymaking, starting now!

i was appalled by most of the choices i found both in the stores AND online. but then i stumbled onto two companies that make great bags that are functional, beautiful and get this, earth-friendly. amazing.

the first is teamwork bags. these guys are based in grand rapids, michigan and they make their bags from salvaged sails and tire tubes: www.teamworkbags.com. my dear friend, karis medina has their E-Scow bag and loves it.

they don't have an officially dedicated "diaper bag" as of yet, but i've spoken to them and they have ideas in the works. they would have made me one, but i was on a strict baby deadline! in the meantime, i think their A-Scow bag would work just fine. the only reason i didn't order from them was the timeline.

A- Scow (from teamwork bags):











the bag i ended up getting is from another company who uses recycled sailcloth: Ella Vickers
their bags are awesome! six pockets inside. comes with a changing pad. fully washable. pretty much indestructible. i purchased the Zip Tote Large White Dacron. i already have it packed for the hospital, and i've been fighting the urge to empty it out and use it now!




the zip tote large white dacron:
(from ella vickers)

summer dreaming:

every year, when the scorching florida summer rolls around, my husband and i dream of a day when we can pack up dogs and kids and drive to our own little cabin in the mountains. if i had a cabin, i would want it to feel something like this. if you could run away for the summer, where would you go?

bake your own biscuits:

today's breakfast: homemade whole-grain biscuits, yogurt w/maple syrup, grapes, and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice! yum!

in an attempt to cleanse our home of processed foods, we have banned cereals in our house. the initial aftermath of this decision was pretty bloody. tantrums over having to take the time to fix breakfast ensued. indecisiveness. more tantrums. regret over missed cereal. grieving for the cereal. but now that we've been making breakfast for the past few months, a funny thing has happened. we are forced to get up a tad earlier. we sit down and eat together. we are not as cranky by lunch time, because we had a real meal first thing in the morning! amazing! i know that not all of you have the time to make a big meal before you rush off to work and school, so i thought i'd share a recipe that is quick and easy, and something you could do on a weekend and have enough to get you through the week!



this is actually a pretty quick breakfast. it takes about 10 min to prep the biscuits and 15 min to bake them. makes 13 biscuits, so you have plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week! take the last couple minutes while your biscuits are in the oven and prep your yogurt and fresh fruit. so good!

my biscuit recipe:

-preheat oven to 450
-makes 13 enormous biscuits

ingredients:
3 cups whole grain flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp unrefined sugar*
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups milk (or buttermilk)*

-in a large bowl, combine dry ingredients
-with a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
-add milk
-stir until just moistened
-turn dough onto floured surface
-work dough just so that it holds together (if you work the dough too much your biscuits will be more like hockey pucks--so don't over do it!)
-break off in small handfuls, rounding the dough into shape in your hand, and plop the biscuits down on your baking sheet
-bake for about 15 min, or until golden brown.
-stuff your face with deliciousness.

*if you don't have access to a true unrefined sugar, either leave it out or substitute 1 tbsp of maple syrup. add the maple syrup when you add your milk
*i use fresh dairy we get directly from the farmer. if you're already spending the dollars on the organic stuff, it might be worth your while to consider switching to raw, as it has a TON more nutritional value than the pasteurized stuff, and the price difference is negligible if you're already spending the cash on organic. Just be sure to get it from a reputable source!

enjoy!

--rachel

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