Helen, Harriet, Clementine, ClaraBell and two others...

Welcome to the chicks!  They're sleeping right now...so not too much excitement yet.   

Lessons thus far

Gardening is a very Zen activity.  You can't really control anything, your patience is rewarded and hope for certain results should be abandoned. 

Practical lessons thus far:
-Growing lamps need to be VERY close to the seedlings.  Too far away and the seedlings get leggy.  Leggy, in the world of seedlings, is bad
-It doesn't matter what the seed packets say - the "time to germination" will just depend so don't get frustrated when the 5-7 day germinating eggplants take 14 days
-When you first plant seeds - it can seem like you're planting waaaay too many.  When they begin to sprout - it doesn't seem like enough.
-You have to be close to the seedlings.  They need a lot of care and watering (literally) or they shrivel up.  This can happen overnight.

We get the chicks tonight or tomorrow morning. We build garden boxes today.  Exciting stuff!

Seeds and chicks

Hello.  Yes, it's been a while.  You're looking good - keep up the good work.  I've changed the name of the blog.  Moving on. 

In a new chapter of our life - we're taking on a Victory Garden.  Our suburban-farm will be comprised of a vegetable garden, herb garden, some fruit and a chicken coop with 4 layers.

I've felt compelled to learn how to make food out of dirt and little pebble-like things called "seeds".  I'm not sure how good we'll be at this.  I'd say that John has a closer heridatary link to farming but I seem to have more of an interest in learning how to plant seeds and pray the buggars turn into plants.  Last week I planted a flat of heirloom vegetables and a flat of tomatoes (13 heirloom varieties).  So far - after a week of waiting - about 5 plants have popped out of the soil - leaving about 90% of them unmoved and me worrying that I've planted bum seeds.  This new hobby requires a lot of patience and reading the fine print on heirloom seed packages. 

The other major component of our farm will be four egg-laying hens.  We're really excited about the chickens.  We can only have four because Longmont requires that a) you have a permit for Urban Hens and b) that you can only have 4 living in a coop 6 feet from your house and from your property line.  Sooo...4 chickens it is.  Since John grew up working for McMurray Chicken hatchery - he had a pretty clear idea of the rare birds he wanted to get.  No Rhode Island Reds or CXRs for him...we're getting beautiful heirloom birds.  Next Sunday we will become the proud owners of two Light Brahmas, one Silver Laced Wyandotte and an Auracana.  They will lay brown eggs and the Auracana will lay blue and green ones.  We get them as 2 day old chicks...so egg producing won't actually begin until September or so.  We've got names picked...stay tuned. 

The S-W family continues to do well.  Ada-Ruth is the light of our lives and has been growing like a weed.  The past 2 weeks have been a bit rough - she's had her 1st ER visit, 1st ear infection, 1st hospital stay, 1st IV, 1st diagnosis of pneumonia and 1st bout with thrush.  She comes off of her antibiotic tomorrow and she's feeling much better.  John and I are both battling some un-diagnosed malase...hopefully we'll all begin Spring feeling healthy.  I know one thing for sure - I am ready for Winter to be over.

Last but not least - just in case you've been looking into career options during these economically difficult times...consider chicken sexing.  Enjoy.  Part 1 and Part 2.

Returning to work? When the hell did that happen?

So - I'm sitting here in wrist braces and a baby wrap with a snuggly, wiggly little baby inside.  She is waking up off and on and reminds me how quickly I need to get stuff done when she's sleeping - because she could be awake and hungry at any moment.  I am trying my hardest to fully appreciate these moments - because in less than 2 weeks I return to the work world again.  

I think like any new mom, I have very mixed emotions about this return. I won't be able to sleep in until 8am and wake up to my smiling baby girl.  But, at the same time, I'll be back in Adult-land - speaking and thinking like a grown-up, not cooing and wiping spit-up.  I am nervous about this return.  I'm much heavier than when I got pregnant - so clothing options may have me returning to maternity clothes (ugh).  I will be commuting from my home north of Denver to the "Tech Center" which is south of town (ugh).  The client and project sound very promising - and it is actual Change work - just like I've always wanted.  So...we'll see. I'm cautiously optimistic, excited twinged with sadness...it is somewhat like that feeling I had when I'd return to school after a holiday or summer break - but this time it's somewhat less jubliant.  

I really enjoy the questions from people asking "Oh, are you returning to work?" as if this is a choice I have.  Yes - I'm going back.  Not exactly a choice right now.  After a move, maternity leave and all of the joys of homeownership (the most recent joy being termites....eeeeek) - I really have to return to work.  I don't know what I'd be doing if I did have more of a choice - yes I'd still go back- but would I be trying to do something part time?  Humm...not sure.  

I'm incredibly lucky that my little Ada-Ruth will be cared for by people who care about her.  I know this makes it easier.  Mom will be here a couple days a week.  John will be here on Fridays (or Mondays?)  and it looks like our doula Abby will care for Ada-Ruth a couple days a week as well.  We are blessed to have options.

I have so much I need to do - write thank-yous (it's embarassing at this point how far behind and how many we need to write), start yoga again, finish organizing the home office, finish appealing the insurance company, lose 50 lbs, understand taxes, write my birth story...it's overwhelming.  And, not all of it will be finished when I return to work.  This is a good lesson in letting go and non-attachment.  I wish I could delay a return to work (and stop Ada-Ruth from growing so quickly) until just a couple of those were finished and put to rest.  But - well - I can't.  I have felt myself get a touch panicky recently - and I'm just having to let it go.  Ok- I'm not the best at writing thank-yous.  Emily Post would make an example out of me.  There are people who write thank-yous as soon as they recieve gifts.  Yes- they're superior letter writers - but I have to let go the feeling that they're better than me.  They're human, too.  Right?  I can't let unwritten thank-yous keep me up at night- especially when my baby girl is sleeping!  

I don't know.  I don't have answers.  I just have a lot of rambling observations and questions.  Yeesh.

Nourish US - our new family recipe blog

Dear Family and Friends -

Here is a Christmas present for you all from me and my dear cousin Meliors. 

Nourish Us, a new blog at http://nourishus.blogspot.com/ is a gift for all members of our far flung extended families to have a place to share family recipes, stories and photos.  We hope that it will help family members stay connected, ensure that family memories and pictures are shared and recorded, and provide many delicious dishes for us to remember or try.

This was designed as a space to post and find favorite recipes. It was inspired by our maternal grandparents - Ada Ruth and Jess Kellerman - who shared a love of cooking and large meals shared by family and friends alike. Their house rule was one visit you were company, but on the second visit you became family. (Being family also meant you had to do dishes...but that was an easy price to pay after enjoying a delicious meal at their table).

We would love to have you post to this website to share your favorite heirloom or new favorite recipes.  You can either send me or Meliors your recipes and we will post them.  Or - if you would like to post recipes yourselves - let us know and we'll add you as an author for the blog.  

Please keep in mind - we are still working out some of the setting-up kinks across our different time zones (with me here in Colorado and Meliors in Melbourne, Australia).  However...please hop on board and send us your recipes!  Also - please send this to family or friends who I've missed or who you think would enjoy the blog!!

Meliors and I hope that this will be such a lively family meeting place that eventually we can plan fun activies like a virtual family reunion dinner, where we nominate a dish or menu to all cook on the same day, then each share our photos and stories - it could be the next best thing to sitting down to eat around the same table.

Lots of love, and Merry Christmas!!

Kimberly & Meliors