At the Farmers' Market

I try really hard to support local businesses and businesses that have fair business practices by paying their employees a fair wage, and not using suppliers that engage in child, slave or underpaid labour.  I think it's good for the economy, good for the people I buy from, and I know it's good for my soul.  When I can, I like to buy right from the source.  I would so much rather buy carrots from the farmer that planted the seeds and dug them up than from the produce isle at Safeway. I 'm pretty sure that they taste better that way!  I love buying homemade goods off Etsy.  One of my favourite shops is Ten Thousand Villages, a shop that markets products from artisans in low-income countries that have been fairly purchased and made from sustainable resources.

I'm not, by any means, perfect.  I would love to say I wear all organic, local clothing, but my vanity stands in my way.   I like to avoid it, but I find myself in Walmart every once in a while looking for a good deal.  I know that most of the chocolate in the world is produced by child slavery (that's right, I said slavery), yet, I still enjoy a chocolate bar every once in a while.

Still, what would we be if were weren't always trying to reach perfection.  So, I try.  I don't think being poor is any excuse.  I can certainly live with less and use the money I do have to purchase responsibly.  Living out of a few suitcases for the past six months has taught me I can live with very little of what I own, and I certainly don't need the vast majority of the things I want.  And, if it comes down to it, I would rather live without than have someone else, a slave child in Africa, a factory worker in China, pay the real cost for me. So, I continually try to make more responsible purchasing choices, and am totally inspired by people who do better than me.

Last weekend we went to the Farmers Market at Sandpoint, which is one of my favourite farmers' markets of all.  It not only has fabulous produce, meat, dairy and baked goods, local and usually organic, but it has local artisans selling their handmade treasures. And, they usually have some sort of musical entertainment too.  Eli's favourite part of the farmers' market is definitely splash fountain in the middle of the square!

And my favourite part is to be with him!

Ten places

There are many places that I love in the world, but my top ten places to be are as follows:

1. Sandpoint, Idaho - specifically, on the beach at my parents' cabin

2. Flying Goose Farm - so, so, so many happy memories there

3. Cardston, Alberta - in the temple

4. Rochester, Michigan - my other home

5. Newfoundland - bright houses, awesome accents, amazing views, puffins!

6. Waterton, Alberta - in the town site and a top any of the mountains

7. Ryman Ranch - preferably on horseback

8. Shuswap - okay, I admit it, the place has kind of grown on me

9. Banff National Park - not necessarily the town site, but definitely on top of the mountains

10. And, as cheesy as it might sound, but completely true, ANYWHERE my family is.  I've learned anywhere can feel like home as long as I've got Jared and the boys around: Michigan, Spokane, the room in the basement.  Hopefully we can settle down and my top choice will be in our dream house on a farm, but until then, my very favourite place to be is wherever I am with them!

Lately

Sometimes I feel like the third of my brain that I lost during pregnancy has taken a permanent leave of absence.  Seriously.  When does it come back?  Isn't nine months long enough? I don't know what is up, but I feel completely frazzled with my life, for the first time since Eli was born.  Maybe it is being back in Alberta where I have so much more to do, maybe it is living in my parents' basement, maybe it is Jared being in Washington and me single mom-ing it. Whatever it is, I want my brain back.  Who cares about my body, I miss my brain!!!

So, while I feel that I accomplish very little on a daily basis, here's a smackerel of some of the things I've been working on.

I made aprons for the gift exchange I am part of. I actually made 5 aprons: three big ones and two little ones out of the scraps.  They are all so cute.  Can you guess which one I am keeping for me?  I realize that they are pretty basic, but I could barely afford the fabric, let alone a pattern book, so I pretty much just cut out a square of fabric, sewed on a tie, embellished with a little ric rac and called it a day.  They were fun to make, and I now I am sickeningly fashionable in my cowboy apron while I cook macaroni and cheese. I love it!

I looked out the window and what did I see...

...two very persistent Robins re-building a nest in one of the worst places EVER: the Evans` back door.

I mean seriously, what would compel them to rebuild where they were, just two weeks before, evicted from?  The Evans' back door is one of the most used back doors in the neighborhood: not the place for any birds' Best Nest. I'm not sure if I should be impressed by their persistence, or saddened by the fact that this nest is going to be abandoned just as surely as the first one was.  Maybe I need to go out with a broom and disuade them before they waste their day... again.

Three years ago...

Three years ago today, this is the face I stared into when I fell madly, deeply, wildly in love:

 Then, two years ago, that face had transformed into this:

Just last year, this is the beautiful face I got to look into:

 Today is the day that my baby turns 3.  Three.  THREE-YEARS-OLD!!! I know it`s the age old cry, the denial that my kids are growing up, but I can`t believe it: MY BABY IS GROWING UP!!!

And today, this if the face I get to love:

 I love my Mr. E.  I love him so much, most days it hurts.  Happy birthday, Eli!

Apparently I have a horder of my own

Nothing wrong with a little blog banter...

Day 5

We had a great day today.  My cousin Eli came in from BC, and got to spend the entire day with him and his family. Perhaps I can count my Eli's absolute adoration of Big Eli as a gift - though I'm not sure  if he would consider it such.  After they left, my Eli couldn't stop talking about "the other Eli". He thought they should go hang out, just the two of them, and I think his suggestion was that they go get hair cuts together - apparently that's what real men do together.

The gift I'm actually going to count for today is the Le Leche League meeting that I attended tonight.  I am a LLL Leader, and was able to go to my sister's meeting tonight.   With four other leaders there that seemed far more capable than I, I'm not sure that I was very helpful with breastfeeding knowledge, but I do believe that just being there to offer support and encouragement is worth more than information any day.  I know it was when I was starting out my breastfeeding journey.  I really do believe that breastfeeding is one of the most important things we can give our children, and so being able to support other mothers to do that successfully is one gift I feel is so important to give.