Because it was there....

Every once in awhile I get a crazy notion about doing something from beginning to end. You know, like in the olden days when men were men and women were really tired all the time because there was no "Diego" to turn on during dinner prep, and laundry took all day and was a full body work out with the great possibility of third degree burns. I got one of these notions a couple of weeks ago when I realized that some of the straw that we'd used to mulch our garlic crop last fall, had sprouted and that along with all the tasty tasty garlic there was a fair quantity of wheat popping up. "Hmm..." I thought to myself. "Hmmm....I wonder how much wheat you need to make a loaf of bread?"More than I managed to gather, that's for sure. I understood the basic mechanics of threshing, you lightly crush the seed head to release the "chaff" and then you shake it to bring all the loose stuff up to the top and the seeds fall to the bottom. I vaguely remembered something called a "winnowing" basket from anthropology class, which was basically a big flat loosely woven basket that you would shake around so that all the wheat could fall out. Since I wasn't processing a lot of wheat I figured I could make do with whatever I had in my kitchen...in retrospect, it's probably easier to process A LOT of wheat, and the small amount that I was dealing with would be considered the waste.
Pretty huh? Just like on the beer bottle labels?
And yeah, it worked pretty much like that...I used the "rubbing it between your hands" method for releasing the wheat berries , and the "blowing on it lightly over a kitchen sink" method for "separating the wheat from the chaff" (an adage which I now feel uniquely qualified to over use). If you have about three hours of time to devote to the production of a small quantity of wheat berries, and you are resigned to the fact that your final product will have a fair amount of straw left in it, then yeah, I'd say it worked pretty well. Towards the end I got a bit more efficient with my technology, using a flat plate, a round bottomed bowl and kitchen strainer with widish holes, for successive winnowing.
And here's what I have. An eight ounce jelly jar full of wheat. Wheat like I can go and buy by the scoopful out of the bulk bins at the co-op...whoo hoo! My best option for grinding it is probably our little coffee grinder, so I guess it's a good thing that I don't have much. What to do with this precious stuff?

This is how my great notions usually end. "Well...as romantic as it is to think of times gone by, I'm sure happy I live in the 21st century, and not the 18th. Isn't it lovely that spinning wool can be a hobby, and that if I don't feel like knitting I don't have to worry about my family having cold feet in the winter?" Sometimes you just have to do something to find out why it's better to let other people do it for you...people with big machines.

Ragnar...21st century girl.

An ode to my adopted state...

(chives, growing on my back porch, I got my first harvest off of these puppies back in March!)

I overheard a conversation at the farmer's market this morning that badly made me want to intervene, although I ultimately decided that walking away was better than butting in with an "Actually, I know more than you" attitude. However, I've been thinking about it off and on for the last couple of hours and I've decided that this is an appropriate forum for rebuttal.

The farmer's market in question was one of the few local markets that allows wholesalers to sell their wares, meaning that you can buy a peach there in May. I don't disapprove really, I'm happy to see small companies with an outlet that allows them to compete with the huge chains, and I'm pleased to see people supporting them. If you can't buy local, then at least buy from a local, right?

The conversation I overheard was between two market shoppers and went something like this:

"You didn't get that peach here did you?"

"Oh yes, but I'm sure it was grown in California or someplace."

"Oh! Because I was going to say! That's amazing."

"No, no, of course not. We live in Michigan. Nothing grows here! You hear about these 'localavores' but they're living in central California and places like that!" (I have to confess, the "know-it-all" tone is probably what was getting to me) "I mean, you can eat local in Michigan if you want to, but you'd be eating lettuce and radishes!"

"Ha, ha, yes I guess so."

"I came out to the market last week looking for strawberries, and there wasn't a single one to be found! I think they must be very late this summer, I'm sure there were strawberries here last year."

We were at a very crowded market, the third or fourth week that they had been open, on the tail end of a cold and lingering spring...and it's true, there weren't too many local veggies to be seen. (I also overheard another woman complaining that there was no "fruit" available) The local eats were there though, tucked behind flats of garden starts, and bouquets of hot house flowers. There were hot house tomatoes and peppers. There were hoop house strawberries. There was asparagus, rhubarb, cucumbers, zucchinis, seed potatoes (that were for planting, but looked way more edible than the ones I bought at the "real" store last week), lettuce, spinach, green onions, and more herbs than you can shake a stick at. There was also every type of meat you could wish for including fish and shrimp (yes! local shrimp, in Michigan!) and lots of prepared pastries, and breads etc.
(My back porch lettuce, and a Michigan grown pineapple...which has barely stayed alive for the last two years, but god-damn it, it's a pineapple and I'm proud of it)

Rather than butting into a private conversation I thought I would just mention it here:

ACTUALLY! Michigan has the third largest crop diversity in the country. Just about the only thing you can't grow in Michigan is Bananas, although I'm sure someone is working on it.

Which is not to say that I don't eat my share of out of season produce. I have Washington apples and California grapes in my kitchen right now. I buy bananas like they are going out of style, because my picky kids will eat them. I have some overly firm, underly tasty supermarket strawberries sitting on my counter right now, because The Destroyer practically jumped out of the shopping cart begging for them, but you can bet that in a couple of weeks when they are actually in season, that I will be buying them by the flat load, eating them by the handful and turning them into jam and ice cream.

It just broke my heart to hear my adoptive state maligned as a place where "nothing" grew. I couldn't let it go...so, lady, wherever you are, I hope that when Michigan peaches are in season later this year that you can get your hands on a couple. You'll probably fall for the California peach scam again next year, when you haven't seen a peach in months and they're sitting there looking all perky and miraculously unbruised in the grocery store, but at least you'll know what you're missing.

(some pretty flower I bought to liven up the container garden...pretty huh? Some Michigan farmer grew it for me)

Ragnar...mama first, then pirate, and then adoptive Michigander.

PS: Stay tuned for more "scratch that" from scratch vs. store bought posts in the near future. Next up: Mayonnaise.

Scratch That...Hummus.

There are a few things that I've been making from scratch for as long as I can remember...okay, two things: bread, and hummus. It's no coincidence that they go REALLY well together.

If your family is like our family than the tiny little $5 a pop hummus tubs that they sell in the grocery store are a joke to you. We could finish off one of those in about 10 minutes and look around for the next one. Plus, Five Bucks? For Hummus? Are you kidding me? It's bean paste for Goddess' sake. Then you can go on to the other reasons to make your own: the store stuff is slimey, and they fill it full of weird crap (sundried tomatoes? seriously?).

To make hummus you need:

A good blender or food processor. I specify good blender because this is a pretty thick paste and it stresses the motor on the lesser models. I have personally burned out the motor on two $30 blenders making hummus.

Chick peas, also known as Garbanzo Beans (which always makes me think of Gonzo from the Muppet Show). We favor "La Preferida" brand, which is frequently shelved in the "Mexican" section. It comes in big fat 29oz cans which makes a decent sized batch.

Tahini. This could possibly fall into the realm of "special ingredient requiring a separate trip to the grocery store" if you have a slightly less exotic pantry than I do. It's also the most expensive ingredient in the recipe, at about $6 a jar. If you happen to live in a neighborhood with a Middle Eastern grocery store, buy it there because it'll be cheaper, and come in a bigger jar. It doesn't spoil quickly as long as it's refrigerated, so even if you don't use it that often, you won't lose out on your investment. Tahini is a seed butter, so when you buy it it will have about half an inch of separated oil on top, like natural style peanut butter. When I first open a jar I pour the entire contents into the food processor or blender to remix it, and then pour it back in to the jar. If you refrigerate it after that the oil will emulsify in the fridge and it shouldn't separate back out (if it isn't so throughly mix it will tend to separate). You don't even have to clean the blender, you just make a batch of hummus right on top of the tahini dregs.

Garlic.

Lemon Juice.

Olive Oil.

I sometimes add a dash of toasted sesame oil to punch up the sesame flavor. If you stir fry you probably have this.

Notice I don't have measurements on any of this stuff. That's because I am too lazy to measure. This is very much "to taste" and you can easily adjust things as you go.

So...go get all that stuff. Then:

Drain the chick peas, and throughly rinse them under cool running water. I rinse all canned beans, and (although I haven't done a side by side comparison) I firmly believe that it cuts down on "wind" the next day. Let that sit in the sink and drain for a minute while you peel the garlic, one clove, two if you're brave, three if you don't have any friends and don't want any.

Add the garlic, about a tablespoon of olive oil, two or three tablespoons of tahini and two or three tablespoons of lemon juice to your blender and give it a good chopping. When there are no more big chunks of garlic add about half your chick peas. Adding them all at once clogs the blender. If the paste is too thick to blend, add water until it's thin enough to blend smoothly. This is a good time to do an initial taste test. I almost always add more tahini and more lemon juice at this point (and if you want a roasty toasty tasting hummus, a dash of toasted sesame oil is delicious...I think, although their are puritans in my household who do not agree). Then throw in the rest of the chick peas and (if you need to) more water to thin it out. If you are making hummus in a blender it will be a little thinner, in a food processor chunkier and thicker...personal preference as to which you like better. When you like the consistancy, then you can salt to taste and (if you must) add any junk you want, like chives or bacon bits or whatever the hell they put in those store tubs of hummus.

I don't add very much olive oil. I think a bit is great to improve the texture, but why add more oil than you have to? If you like really creamy hummus then you can, of course, add more oil.

I estimate this recipe to cost about $2.80 or so. $1.50 of that is the chick peas (so if you are a "boil your own from dry" kind of person the cost would be much less), and I'm (over) estimating a $1 worth of tahini, with about $.30 worth of pantry staples. If you use the big can of chick peas you'll end up with a tub of Hummus that is about two or three times bigger than the slimey stuff in the deli case, and the whole process takes about 15 minutes. This used to be my potluck staple, along with a store bought bag of pita chips, but I was at a pot luck last year where half the people brought hummus and the other half brought brownies...a good potluck in my opinion!

Ragnar...mmmmm...Garbanzo-licious.

PS If any of you have hummus making tips or favorite add ins (blech!) please comment! Just don't suggest that I peel the garbanzo beans because that's just flat out not happening.

Scratch that...

When The Destroyer was born, I didn't step foot in my kitchen for about 4 months. He was an..ahem...intense newborn. He was a constant nurser who barely slept, and Manimal was working long days trying to get our house renovated so that we could move back in (see "the other blog" if you missed the story of our renovation). He hated his car seat and would scream from the second the door opened and he saw the offending object, until we arrived at our destination and he was reconnected with his boob. Grocery shopping was not high on my list of fun things to do, and the few times I did manage to get fresh food in the house it would inevitably spoil before anyone got around to cooking it. Breakfast and lunch were whatever snack foods I could prepare for myself with a baby in arms, and dinner was "out," where we would eat quickly in shifts so that we could take turns bouncing the baby. Usually I would prop him in place with a boppy pillow, and spread my napkin over his head so that I could eat over him (one handed of course) without staining his onsies with bar-b-que sauce.

We didn't take a lot of time to think of the ridiculousness of this situation, we didn't have a lot of spare moments for intuitive self-reflection. There came a day, though, when The Destroyer learned how to crawl and discovered that there was more to life than boobs and not sleeping, there was...destruction. Manimal was home before 8 o'clock for once, The Destroyer was happily destroying and we (miraculously) had something cookable in the refridgerator. I don't remember what culinary miracle I pulled together, probably some version of "eggs scrambled with whatever we had on hand," which is sort of the signature dish of our house. I do remember that we sat around rapturously eating it, and commenting about what a treat it was to eat in for once. When eating at home has become a big treat, something is seriously out of balance, so we started working on eating at home more often.

When we eat out, we don't hit the drive thru at MacDonald's. We eat a lot of Thai, Korean, Middle-eastern...generally what's considered to be the "healthier" of the available restaurant options. When I cook at home, I don't spend a lot of time worrying about fat content, or carbs, or really nutritional content in general. We eat a lot of vegetables because we like vegetables, and we eat them with full fat cheese, and in sauces that are laden with salt and oil. None the less, when we made the switch (back) to eating at home instead of eating out, we all lost weight without even thinking about it. Our "food" bill was suddenly about half of what it had been, and this was all without an conscious effort on our part, other than a desire to eat our own food in our own home.

When Ragnarbaby came a long some of our "take out" standards slipped back in, of course, as well as a few pantry "staples" that I'm not especially proud of (boxed macarroni and cheese...). I don't beat myself up about it, and I don't really fight with my kids about what they eat. I chop the vegetables up small enough that it's hard for them to spit them out, and I put enough butter on top that they eat it. We get pizza about once a week and sometimes dinner is canned soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I'd never bought canned soup in my life before having a second child, but something's got to give. When I went back to work things gave a little bit more, and now our "diet" is a mix of simple homemade food, mixed with some things that come in boxes, cans, and bottles. I don't like to go grocery shopping more than twice a month if I can help it, and if it dirties more than two pans, I don't cook it. I do still make some of our staples (chicken stock, mayonnaise etc.) from scratch though, but they have to pass my "test," which is something like this:

Do I habitually keep all the basic ingredients in the house, or would I have to go and buy something new?

Does making this involve complicated steps, or a lot of time?

Can I make it "in bulk" to save time later on?

How long will it last in the refrigerator or freezer?

Is there a significant cost savings over buying this at the store?

If whatever it is fails that little test then it goes on the shopping list and I pay going rate for whatever it is.

The cost of everything in the grocery store is going up, thanks to gas prices and other economic factors, so there has been a fair amount of discussion in the "blogosphere" about making from scratch. Of course I can't sit idly by while other people offer advice, so I'm going to do a series of posts about things that I've found it to be worth making from scratch...you're on the edges of your seats I'm sure.

Ragnar...full of good intentions.

Mommy Brain...

Some think tankey folks came out with a study a couple of years ago showing that "mommy brain" is a myth, and that women with children are just as smart as they were before they had them. I didn't read it of course, but I remember clicking "like" on facebook when someone else (a mom friend, who also presumably didn't read it, because who has that kind of attention span really) posted it. I do "like" the idea that I'm just as smart as I was before I started this wild roller coaster ride that is motherhood (or as I like to think about it, preventing my children from killing themselves), but all personal evidence points to the contrary.

Today I arrived home to find two concerned pollsters standing in my front yard, cell phone in hand, waiting for the police to show up at my house because I had left my front door standing wide open when I packed up my children for a trip to the grocery store. "Do you live here?" one of them asked me as I pulled into the driveway. "Uh...yes." I answered, opening the doors of the minivan and releasing the hounds. "Well, uh, we called the police because your door was wide open, and we were afraid you might have been robbed." "Oh!" I waved away her concern nonchalantly, "I'm sure that was me, my children are very distracting." She raised her eyebrows at me, and motioned for her partner to call the boys in blue and tell them that there was no emergency, just a brain-fart by a mother of two. Then she asked if I might want to hear about the millage (for the police no less, those pillars of society that might even manage someday to save me from myself). While she politely gave her talking points about how even with the new millage my property taxes would probably go down, my eldest grabbed on to the knees of her jeans and rocked back and forth growling "I am a baby jaguar! I am a baby jaguar." If nothing else I think he demonstrated that it IS possible for a woman to be so distracted by her children that she might walk out of her house with the door wide open.

Lest you think this was some sort of aberration, let me assure you that this was simply the latest in a long line of mommy moments.

There was the time that I came out of the grocery store to find that I had left the side door of the mini-van standing open.

There was the time that I came out of the coffee shop to realize that I had not only left my keys in the ignition of my van, but had in fact left it running.

There was the time that I left my purse in the back pocket of the stroller parked in our front yard...overnight.

Not to mention the fact that I can't wrap my reading mind around any plot more complicated than "have you met my hunky boyfriend, he's a werewolf!"

I can only imagine the hijinks that will ensue when baby number 3 is born in September.

So, whoever you are, think-tank guys (or more likely defensive mothers), I appreciate the credit, but I beg to differ. I'm not saying that I won't recover those lost IQ points when my kids are...oh say...married, but for the moment, I am blaming my lack of smarts on mommy brain.

Ragnar...proud owner of one mommy brain

PS Manimal insists that I add that while I was proofreading this post I was holding Ragnarbaby in my arms while he simultaneously riffled my wallet and chewed on a ballpoint pen.

Odd years are good years....edited version.

I don't know why, but in my own personal numerology I've always had a thing for odd numbers, and double numbers, so 2011, ending in a double odd...I'm expecting good things. Literally expecting as it turns out. In my eternally optimistic little mind as I read through the glossy brochure advertising the benefits of theIUD I had selected as my "let's not be surprised again, shall we?" birth control method, I simply looked at the large number under the "effectiveness" rating and thought to myself:"Wow! What a big number." As it turns out, any number less than 100 is not that big. As with any pregnancy, it boils down to a simple either or equation. Either it works or it doesn't. Either you're pregnant or you're not. I am, as it turns out. And really how could I not be? It is an odd year after all. 2007 began the Epoch of the Destroyer. 2009 brought us the beginning of Ragnarbaby's Reign, a title which he is going to have to give up to his younger sibling at some point, and now in 2011, of course, why not? Let's have another one! Which means some slight alterations to my 2011 plans. 1. Plan, and do activities with my children, all of them. 2. Write more, watch less. Unless I'm breastfeeding a newborn. Nothing gets you through those first awkward weeks of breastfeeding like a lot of mindless television. 3. Buy music, lullabyes mostly. 4. Do a pull-up. 5. Subscribe to a magazine. My "Mothering" subscription finally ran out.... maybe I'll re-up. 6. Schedule "studio time." HA! 7. Publish three knitting patterns. A baby hat, some longies and a diaperwrap maybe? 8. Eat something I've never eaten before. 9. Make curtains for the living room, so that the neighbor's can't see us walking around in our pajama's day after day. 10. Reupholster the goddamn dining room chairs. On second thought, why bother, they'll be covered in spit up. 11. Yell less. Yes, a very good idea. 12. Journal. 13. Get more involved with "the farm." Things that don't involve much bending. 14. Plant something in the planter boxes on the back porch. 15. Cook with Isis. Or maybe just ask Isis to cook. 16. Go camping...or not. Maybe send the boys out camping with Manimal. 17. Make time to spin. Or not. 18. Make something out of wood. Or not. 19. Read a book that someone else recommended...as long as it doesn't require more than 2 braincells because that's all I can find while under the influence of "mommy brain." 20. Write letters to my mother...hysterical letters. 21. Brush and floss. 22. Make a household budget...make sure it includes money for a maid service. 23. Put some money out of each paycheck into a savings account...so that we have money for diapers. 24. Shop local. 25. Keep up with the push-ups. 26. Drink less...because you're pregnant! 27. Take the kids for nature walks...or waddles. 28. Figure out a way to get both of the little ones on the bike...nope. Don't bother with the bike for another couple of years. 29. Visit someone out of state (not my parents)...sooner rather than later. 30. List something for sale on Etsy. 31. Keep in touch with my brother. 32. Hang closet rods. 33. Give presents. 34. Be deliberate about sugar. 35. Get a tattoo. 36. Clear off the top of my dresser. 37. Settle Ragnarbaby into a "big boy" bed, also known as "making room for the new small human." 38. Get camera fixed...since grandma and grandpa will murder me if they don't get regular photo updates of their new grandchild. 39. Get better at taking pictures. 40. Sing...lullabyes. 41. Balance the bank account. 42. Go to a concert. 43. Weave. 44. Get in shape a round shape. Become a Warrior Fertility Goddess. 45. Use the phone to keep in touch with far away people. 46. Laundry. Don't let it eat the house. 47. Practice swimming. 48. Preserve food. 49. Chore schedule...make one. Make sure it involves everyone else doing all the chores. 50. Go to an improving lecture. 51. Explore the idea of writing for a local news outlet...perhaps a "Women with stupid numbers of children" advice column. 52. Try to appreciate the "boyness" of my boys...and hope like hell that this one is a girl. 53. Write the birth stories, both of them. Or rather, all three of them. 54. Try to be less bossy...no, try to sound less bossy while still organizing everyone else to do the things that I am unable to do. 55. Practice jumping rope...nope. Don't. 56. Clutter....just don't do it. 57. Be serious about "stuff," what I need, what I want and what I can do without, and remember that babies really prefer to play with plastic bags and electrical cords and there is no reason to fill the house with plastic crap. 58. Experiment with savory pies. 59. "Run" (or walk really fast) a 5K. Or waddle one. 60. Continue with book binding experiments. 61. Clear out the backyard enough that I'm not worried about the kids playing out there. 62. Mural a wall in the house...maybe not. 63. Eat more fish...but not too much. 64. Make some kind of shoe...a baby shoe? 65. Read a non-fiction book that is not about gardening or food, or about other people's ideas of how to raise children. 66. Read with the first born. 67. House friendly knitting storage...think of something. Or just shove it in a closet and take it back out in two years. 68. Dance. 69. Do more gleaning with the food bank folks, but bring a nice sturdy stool. 70. Go to a play, take one of the kids if possible. 71. Install kitchen drawers or engineer having them installed by someone else, and also shelves and other organizing infrastructure. 72. Go to art openings, at least once in awhile. 73. Cook outside. 74. Send birthday cards. 75. Invite people over for Sunday Brunch...and them make them cook it. 76. Buy a sewing pattern from an independent designer. 77. Trade or sell unused craft supplies. 78. Make a tool kit for the house so I don't have to borrow a hammer from Manimal every time I want to hang a picture. 79. Make a sewing kit for the house so I don't have to run to the studio for every minor repair. 80. Find out more about curing leather. 81. Make a monthly meal planner and make sure it includes a lot of "freezeable" things. 82. Make a stuffed animal toy for Ragnarbaby. 83. Eat local meat. Lot's of it. Making babies requires protein. 84. Take the boys to a parade. 85. Host an out of town guest, before September. 86. Find "sweet tooth" stuff that's not 100% bad for you. 87. Dry clothes in the air instead of in the dryer....this might involve rigging a clothesline. 88. Keep 0n working on the "mostly plants" part of Micheal Pollan's food advice. 89. Keep track of my blood pressure. 90. Wear more dresses...empire waistlines might be a good idea. 91. Beg, borrow or steal to acquire a pair of really awesome boots, because I'm going to need all the help I can get feeling beautiful and kick ass. 92. Use human powered transportation whenever possible...preferably powered by a human that is not me. Maybe we can get Manimal a rickshaw. 93. Get a calcium supplement and remember to take it, and hell, why not throw some pre-natal vitamins on the list. 94. Buy flowers for myself whenever I feel like it, even if I can't exactly afford it...and also whatever the hell else I want that's just for me. 95. Draw portraits of my children...all of them. 96. Make "mixed CD's" for friends, and hope that they make me some in return. 97. Forage. 98. Knit from the stash. 99. Try not to buy anything new (with reasonable exceptions like art and underwear). 100. Have a garage sale...before September.

1 comm

Odd years are good years....

I don't know why, but in my own personal numerology I've always had a thing for odd numbers, and double numbers, so 2011, ending in a double odd...I'm expecting good things.

Some of the things that weren't reflected in my big "look back" at last years list o'possibilty, were the major changes that happened in our lives last year. Among other things: I've got a job (part time, but still more than my few hours a week at the yarn shop), and The Destroyer is in school. There were major advancements from Ragnarbaby as well, of course, moving through the whole spectrum of babyhood, from inert lump to walking/running/climbing toddler.

So without further blithering, here it is: the 2011, super fantastic, extra fabu, nifty neato list of things that it would certainly be great if I could accomplish:

1. Plan, and do activities with my children.

2. Write more, watch less.

3. Buy music.

4. Do a pull-up.

5. Subscribe to a magazine.

6. Schedule "studio time."

7. Publish three knitting patterns.

8. Eat something I've never eaten before.

9. Make curtains for the living room.

10. Reupholster the goddamn dining room chairs.

11. Yell less.

12. Journal.

13. Get more involved with "the farm."

14. Plant something in the planter boxes on the back porch.

15. Cook with Isis.

16. Go camping.

17. Make time to spin.

18. Make something out of wood.

19. Read a book that someone else recommended.

20. Write letters to my mother.

21. Brush and floss.

22. Make a household budget.

23. Put some money out of each paycheck into a savings account.

24. Shop local.

25. Keep up with the push-ups.

26. Drink less.

27. Take the kids for nature walks.

28. Figure out a way to get both of the little ones on the bike.

29. Visit someone out of state (not my parents).

30. List something for sale on Etsy.

31. Keep in touch with my brother.

32. Hang closet rods.

33. Give presents.

34. Be deliberate about sugar.

35. Get a tattoo.

36. Clear off the top of my dresser.

37. Settle Ragnarbaby into a "big boy" bed, also known as "reclaim the sleeping space."

38. Get camera fixed.

39. Get better at taking pictures.

40. Sing.

41. Balance the bank account.

42. Go to a concert.

43. Weave.

44. Get in shape. Instead of "become a babe" like last year, this will be known either as "become a goddess" or "become a warrior princess." I'm undecided so far.

45. Use the phone to keep in touch with far away people.

46. Laundry. Don't let it eat the house.

47. Practice swimming.

48. Preserve food.

49. Chore schedule...make one.

50. Go to an improving lecture.

51. Explore the idea of writing for a local news outlet.

52. Try to appreciate the "boyness" of my boys.

53. Write the birth stories, both of them.

54. Try not to be so bossy.

55. Practice jumping rope.

56. Clutter....just don't do it.

57. Be serious about "stuff," what I need, what I want and what I can do without.

58. Experiment with savory pies.

59. "Run" (or walk really fast) a 5K.

60. Continue with book binding experiments.

61. Clear out the backyard enough that I'm not worried about the kids playing out there.

62. Mural a wall in the house.

63. Eat more fish.

64. Make some kind of shoe.

65. Read a non-fiction book that is not about gardening or food.

66. Read with the first born.

67. House friendly knitting storage...think of something.

68. Dance.

69. Do more gleaning with the food bank folks.

70. Go to a play, take one of the kids if possible.

71. Install kitchen drawers or engineer having them installed by someone else.

72. Go to art openings, at least once in awhile.

73. Cook outside.

74. Send birthday cards.

75. Invite people over for Sunday Brunch.

76. Buy a sewing pattern from an independent designer.

77. Trade or sell unused craft supplies.

78. Make a tool kit for the house so I don't have to borrow a hammer from Manimal every time I want to hang a picture.

79. Make a sewing kit for the house so I don't have to run to the studio for every minor repair.

80. Find out more about curing leather.

81. Make a monthly meal planner.

82. Make a stuffed animal toy for Ragnarbaby.

83. Eat local meat.

84. Take the boys to a parade.

85. Host an out of town guest.

86. Find "sweet tooth" stuff that's not 100% bad for you.

87. Dry clothes in the air instead of in the dryer....this might involve rigging a clothesline.

88. Keep 0n working on the "mostly plants" part of Micheal Pollan's food advice.

89. Keep track of my blood pressure.

90. Wear more dresses.

91. Beg, borrow or steal to acquire a pair of really awesome boots.

92. Use human powered transportation whenever possible.

93. Get a calcium supplement and remember to take it.

94. Buy flowers for myself whenever I feel like it, even if I can't exactly afford it.

95. Draw portraits of my children.

96. Make "mixed CD's" for friends, and hope that they make me some in return.

97. Forage.

98. Knit from the stash.

99. Try not to buy anything new (with reasonable exceptions like art and underwear).

100. Have a garage sale.

Good-bye, old year that was.

For the last couple of years I've gotten in the habit of making a list of 100 goals/ambitions for the new year. I don't call them resolutions because there's not really any resolve. I guess it's a "power of positive thinking" thing. Why not start the year off with a huge amount of gung-ho?

The only problem is that I do feel a need to check back, oh, right about now, and see how I did.

So....here it is: the list of things that I did or did not accomplish in 2010.

Duh-dun-dat-dat-dun!

1. Remember that your children are CHILDREN, cut them some slack, woman.

Hmm....definitely need some work on this one.

2. Organize the crafting supplies so that they are no longer in danger of swallowing the house. Just because it's a horizontal surface that doesn't give me a license to pile yarn upon it.

Uhm...no comment? I do periodically haul bins of yarn over to the studio, but it always come creeping back.

3. Follow Michael Pallon's simple rule about eating: Eat Food, Not too Much, Mostly Plants. I will be concentrating a lot on that middle one: not too much!

Still working on this one, but getting better.

4. Do as much shopping as possible at the Lansing City Market, which is a walkable 2.5 miles from my house.

Utter fail. I think I've been there maybe 3 times this year.

5. Write Petoh's birth story.

6. Write Ash's birthstory.

Fail, fail. Whoa, not doing so good.

7. Work in the studio.

Well, I did work in the studio...maybe even half a dozen times.

8. Keep track of knitting and sewing projects, with an eye towards finishing things and not starting new projects until others are finished.

I do think I've made progress in this area. I haven't brought (too) much new yarn into the house, and I've finished a couple of projects that have been dogging around for awhile.

9. Strength train.

Well, I didn't start it until about three weeks ago, but I have been doing my push ups and sit ups.

10. Finish the Red/Orange spinning project.

DONE! Unequivocal success. Take that 2010.

11. Eat locally...Michigan is my local and doesn't that make me lucky.

I think we've done pretty well with this lately, although I've been backsliding recently because, well, it's winter, and I still like broccoli.

12. Make To Do Lists. Somehow I seem to get a lot more done when I can put an efficient little check mark next to something.

Not so much.

13. Take the kids to plays or concerts, or cultural somethings or other.

Fail.

14. Work with Abby, Katie and Brian on the knitted stuff into clay project.

15. Also the quilt blocks into tiles project.

16. Landscape the yard...at least plant some grass or something.

17. Write an artist's statement and resume.

18. Get the Viking Hat Pattern edited and ready for distribution on Ravelry.

19. Make soap.

Fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail...man. This is...uh...very inspirational in terms of getting my shit in order for next year.

20. Teach a class.

Done! Thanks Thursday night ladies.

21. Take a class.

I'm pretty sure I did take at least one class this year.

22. Find out about selling things at the farmer's market.

23. Make a chore schedule.

24. Go camping.

25. Make computer time more constructive. Updating facebook status and playing solitaire, not constructive. Updating blog (assuming it's a real update and not a glorified facebook status) and editing knitting patterns, constructive.

Fail, fail, fail, fail...

26. Commit to cloth diapers. I've gotten a little lax about using cloth, since we keep a packet of disposables around for nighttime (and when we are running errands and when I'm too lazy to wash diapers, or worse yet when I'm too lazy to take the clean diapers out of the laundry basket...it's a vicious cycle).

Not only have I failed at this, but since returning to work I've switched almost entirely to disposable...the ones we have are just too worn out for an active toddler, and our washer doesn't get them clean enough. Stinky leaky diapers...yeah, sorry mother earth.

27. Make clothes for the kids.

Fail

28. Make or acquire some dress up clothes (the imaginative kind, not the formal wear kind) for Pete.

Fail.

29. Get involved with some of the amazing stuff Lansing has to offer.

Fail.

30. Knit a sweater for myself. I finished my first "for me" sweater last year. It's boxy and not that flattering, and made from itchy wool (handspun!) but I LOVE it and I wear it everyday. I think knitting one sweater for myself every year is a great goal. Rogue, I'm looking at you.

I'm wearing it right now. It's not the Rogue, but I have cast on for the Rogue. Average of one new sweater for me each year? I can handle that.

31. Bind books.

Yes! I've learned my first binding stitch and I've made notebooks out of old coffee cups and postcards.

32. Edit the toy collection with an eye towards imaginative play, and less banging.

Well, they just bang with whatever is left, be we have culled the toy collection down to a manageable mess...and the awesome play kitchen that Grandpa built sees a lot of use, and only some of it is as a jungle gym.

33. Keep up with laundry, both mine and the boys.

34. Alternatively transport. Walk, Bike, Bus and only as a last resort Minivan.

Fail, fail. We haven't managed to work out a bike transport system that works for both of the boys. I have high hopes for next summer though.

35. Become a babe. This is my amusing way of saying "get in shape." Somehow it's more motivating to say that I worked on becoming a babe, than that I remembered to exercise.

I have lost 5 pounds in the last month and a half.

36. Get rid of clothes I don't wear.

Success!

37. Cook with Ragnarson. Ever since the day I came downstairs to find him elbow deep in flour and broken eggs, I've been meaning to compile some "easy" recipes to make with him. Banana bread and guacamole have lots of smashing.

Fail.

38. Etsy store...everything, banner, name inventory. Sheesh.

Fail.

39. Go to spinning guild meetings. This means babysitters.

Well, if I had been smart and said "meeting" instead of plural I would be able to say "success!"

40. Preserve food. I am looking for a dehydrator if anyone has one gathering dust in their closet.

Success! I dehydrated pineapple, fruit leather, and tomatoes. I froze broccoli, kale and green beans, rhubarb, peaches, raspberries and blue berries., and I canned tomatoes, jam, apple and pear butter and peaches.

41. Reupholster the dining room chairs.

42. Weave.

43. Write. There was a time when this space was used for witty little essays instead of lame excuses about why I wasn't writing in it. I'm not promising to blog more but I'm acknowledging that I miss doing some more "conscious" writing. Facebook, you have made me lazy.

Fail, fail, fail.

44. Trillium Gallery...Kalle will sell my stuff, if I get her stuff, so I have no excuses.

I am sorry to say that the Trillium Gallery has become another casualty of Michigan's economy. We miss you Kalle!

45. Get something ready for entry into Art Prize

46. Plan crafts to do with Ragnarson, Play-doh, watercolor, etc.

47. Make an effort to get out of the house.

48. Ween Ragnarson off of Youtube. We don't have a television, but somehow I've fallen into the trap of letting my kid sit in front of the idiot box. It's harder to make supper with a toddler underfoot yes, but I'm getting sick of listening to "I want TV" temper tantrums.

Fail, fail, fail, HUGE fail...now we're streaming Netflix and we've all turned into zombies.

49. Be deliberate about acquiring new things, clothes especially. I would like to stop supporting a disposable culture.

Moderate success. I had to buy some work clothes, but I mostly like the one's I have. I think the only off the rack clothes I bought this year were tights and underwear.

50. Edit the photos on Flickr, there is a lot of crap that can just be deleted and a lot of new photos that haven't been uploaded.

Fail.

51. Encourage Ragnarson the Younger to nap in the carrier as opposed to on my lap. When he sleeps in the carrier, I get work done, when he sleeps on my lap, I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns on Hulu.

What a difference a year makes. Ragnarbaby regularly takes two hour long naps in bed, and has been know to sleep through the night...miraculous.

52. Get better at taking photos of my work, process, completed objects. The whole sheebang. Exploit Kat's generous offer of help.

Fail. The camera has been broken for about six months.

53. Tackle the toy storage problem. This will probably require making or buying some sort of shelf system.

Moderate success. Plastic bins it is.

54. Make a cover for the duvet so that it doesn't get all funky like our last...several.

Fail.

55. Grow some houseplants. We need more oxygen in here.

We now have two, three if you count the bean that Pete planted at a friend's science museum birthday party. Better than nothing.

56. Post projects on Ravelry, Craftster and Instructables. A curved piecing tutorial would probably be a good place to start.

Fail, success, success.

57. Enroll Ragnarson in some sort of active class or activity like swimming or gymnastics.

We are starting swimming for both kids on Saturday. Better late than never.

58. Eat less sugary crap. Quality Dairy donuts, I'm looking at you.

Lately, pretty good. Over the whole year? Not so much.

59. Experiment with new grains in cooking. Rice, I like you, but you are starting to get boring.

Success! Millet, barley, and qinuoa have all graced our table.

60. Read longer, more complicated stories to Ragnarson.

We did really well at this in the beginning of the year. Pippi Longstocking, Stewart Little, Henry Higgins...but then Ragnarbaby got mobile and bedtime became more complicated.

61. Defeat clutter.

How about moderately contain clutter by stuffing it in a closet or drawer?

62. Sew curtains for the house.

63. Hike a half marathon.

64. Be more active in seeking "finishing" work (I sew people's sweaters together for them) and more timely about returning the work that I take on.

65. Use the Postal Service for more than paying bills. Doesn't everyone love to get mail? Send birthday cards.

Fail, fail, fail, fail....sigh.

66. Salad, it tastes good. Eat more of it.

Success!

67. Dye.

Success...walnuts, onion skins, random black berries that I thought were elderberries but I don't think really were and sumak have all imparted their pigment into my yarn this year.

68. Refresh my knowledge of accounting. I think keeping a ledger for home and for Manimal's business would go a long way towards sorting out our money problems.

Did really well at this for Manimal's business for the first six or so months...then...not so much. Still haven't implimented a household accounting system.

69. Brush. Floss. Seriously.

Seriously, fail.

70. Barter with my artist friends. I'd like to have more work on my walls by the people I love.

Fail.

71. Use an apron.

Moderate success.

72. Invite people over for dinner. I'm specifically thinking of other couples with children, since I'd like Manimal to get to know the parents of some of Ragnarson's friends.

Success.

73. Make a "kitchen inventory" shopping list. What do we like to have on hand. What are we out of? Where do we buy it? I think this will cut down on impulse buying.

I started this, but never finished.

74. Make "parents night out" a priority.

75. Schedule some "unschooling" time with Ragnarson.

76. Work on self promotion.

77. Make a realistic and complete household budget.

78. Stick to the budget. This is going to require some help from Manimal, but I think he's on board.

79. Make time to "play" with Rat Girl. I spend too much time utilizing the "free babysitter" aspect of living with a 12 year old, and not enough on "having fun."

80. Sew clothes for myself. I have some nice wool that wants to become a skirt, I'll start there.

81. Write a children's story.

82. Sketch.

Fail x 9.

83. Find a place to garden. I am getting very frustrated with the community garden, because the poaching is out of control.

Huge success. Some wonderful friends bought a small farm and we're involved with a gardening co-op. Really hoping that I can be more involved this year now that Ragnarbaby is walking and won't be strapped to my back.

84. Stencil something.

Not just fail, but what the hell was I thinking? Stencil? What is this, Martha Stewart?

85. Gaze adoringly at my babies.

Success! I love those guys.

86. Build a wood oven in the backyard.

Fail.

87. Drink wine.

As we speak...

88. Have a girls' night out.

And it was fantastically super fun, and I need to have more of them.

89. Start to rebuild the book collection. It was decimated during the remodel.

Fail

90. Go to the dentist for a cleaning.

Success! Still haven't got my cavities filled, but, babysteps.

91. Start or join a knitting group.

Do Thursday night classes count? Sorta?

92. Make a quilt for one of the beds in the house, maybe Ragnarson's so we can have our quilt back.

How about, piece about a third of a quilt?

93. Make a dressform...assuming that my size stabilizes at some point. There was really no point in pursuing this last year, since I was PREGNANT. I did ask Nancy once if I could host a T-shirt and Duck tape party at the shop and she was (at that point) unopposed to the idea. I'll have to make her cookies and ask again. Kyle: I'm totally taking you upon your offer of help.

Done! I even have a shirt halfway tailored on it...of course I'm trying to lose a whole bunch of weight this year...we shall see.

94. Go to the beach.

Done! And it was fun.

95. Etch some glassware.

Fail.

96. Knit from stash. Documenting stash on Ravelry should help with this.

I knit from the stash, but I did not document it on Rav.

97. Set up a mail program such as outlook, so that my website email actually gets checked.

Fail.

98. Limit brain rotting activities, such as watching television on the computer and reading crappy novels.

Huge, mega absolute fail.

99. Find some new things to cook, middle eastern maybe?

I've actually gotten less adventurous cooking...BUT we have been eating at home a lot and I have two kids who make that difficult, so if I've come to rely on some version of fried rice or noodles and sauce...who can blame me?

100. Make ice cream.

Fail.