Taking inventory

Disclaimer: I use my stroller a lot to go on little errands around town that I can walk to. And the stroller is BIG, so instead of carrying my purchases by hand, I pack them in the stroller. And you can't use bags in Portland lest you pay the price of public humiliation, so I just stick them directly in there, bagless.

Nevertheless, these are the items I just found in my stroller after a good cleanout.

1. one quart sized can of water based paint, sage green
2. two bags of pumpkin granola, on sale
3. one hand-me-down dinosaur slipper, left foot
4. one brochure entitled "Biking in North Portland"
5. one bottle of Pinot Noir, proceeds to benefit rural development in Africa
6. one light blue baby blanket with monkeys, muddy on one corner
7. one hard-paged book, entitled "Blue Square"
8. one Under the Nile stuffed corn
8. one black headband
9. one "chuck-it" ball thrower with purple tennis ball
10. four pieces of mail, forgotten about for approximately two weeks
11. two nuts. as in nuts and bolts.
12. one paper coffee cup, empty

Good times.

"It's Got Great Bones."

After nearly two months as a Portlandian, a few observations about our new fair city:

1. Recycling: no laughing matter. So, when you move to Portland they give you FOUR, yes FOUR, plastic bins. Blue for recycling plastic, paper, and metal. Green for yard debris and compost. Yellow for glass. And grey for trash. Please take note that your grey container should be nearly empty, and the others should be overflowing. Now let's just pretend that you just moved here from a place that didn't have city recycling, and you make a mistake. You put a glass bottle from a Who-Dat-Party in the blue bin. You put a piece of paper towel in the green bin, because - well, it's compost-able. You think that wood is yard debris and stick that in the green bin as well. The next day, after the various trucks roll through your street, you will find your misplaced items littered all over your lawn. The message is clear: you didn't recycle properly, and now you will be publicly disgraced. This method is quite effective in getting you to think twice about where those eggshells should go. (Green bin.)

2. "It's Got Great Bones." People in Portland say this. A lot. When we were first looking at our house, THREE different people came in, looked around and said, "wow, this house has great bones." Then yesterday, someone came over to look at our yard and commented that it too had great bones. Now I consider this to a compliment: that at its core, our house and yard have some redeemable qualities. But think about if you were at the doctor's office and he gave you a thorough exam and came back with that analysis: great bones. Nothing else. The organs, nerves, hormones, skin, hair, etc could all use some work -- but the bones? Perfect.

3. Tights and boots, tights and boots, tights and boots. Oh and a hat. Handspun from organic wool, please. If you are coming to Portland and want to know what to wear, this is it. You need only two items. It's actually a very cute look, and all Portland females are sporting some version of it. Floppy black skirts with red boots. Long green skirts with brown boots. White wool skirts with black boots. Thigh high pointy boots, low moccasin boots, cowboy boots, shiny boots, rain boots, lace up boots, pull on boots, all with ubiquitous cotton tights popping out of the tops. Everywhere.

4. Pedestrians, babies and dogs rule the earth. And if you are a mom, walking a dog and pushing (or wearing) a baby at the same time, all cars will stop and bow down to you. Seriously.

5. The end of the plastic bag. I don't know when the last time I got a plastic bag was. You specifically have to ask for them if you want them, and then, you almost feel bad. They used to overflow from my cabinet under the sink, and now, I don't have one in the house. Everything is just put in your basket directly, no matter what delicate goods you may be carting. If you've got a problem with that, bring your own...

6. Produce sidewalks. If you walk around our neighborhood, instead of bright flowers or hedges lining yards, you will instead see: garlic, kale, spinach, chives, and herbs. Gardens sprout alongside the street, beautiful, bountiful and probably delicious. Have I thought about "borrowing" a sprig of rosemary as I walk by when I need one for a recipe and don't want to schlep over to the store? Um, yes. I have controlled myself so far, but it's only been two months. The neighbors may have to put their produce under lock and key...

So, all in all it's a big, funny change. We may be the least "green" people on the block, but we did only get one thing thrown back in our yard this week by the recycling truck. It's a start.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Wow - we are thoroughly exhausted from a truly wonderful day! I have been hard at work cooking, cleaning, wrapping, and planning, and today it all came together for a special day that was all about celebrating Tate's life.

A few highlights...

1. CAKE. Oh, how he loved his cake. He shoveled it in his mouth like he was afraid it would disappear. I made a ton of food for today's big event, and this was the only thing from a box....but! it was organic, so I could wish Tate a happy birthday with the knowledge that his cake didn't contain GMO's and wouldn't glow in the dark when the lights went out. It was delish! The brand I used was Dr. Oetker. When your birthday cake mix has the name "Dr" in it, you truly qualify as a mom geek.

Oh and mom, I used THE CAKEBOOK! Thank you so much for passing this wonderful birthday tradition along to me! Here is how the Boo-cake turned out:




2. MUSIC. He got some musical instruments today! A triangle, moraccas, a tambourine, and some other wooden clackety type things. He loved them, as did the other kids. (Which he did not love. We are working on sharing.)


3. FRIENDS. Now who would have ever thought that my best friend from my childhood would be there at my son's first birthday, singing right along with me? And that SHE'D BE MOVING IN UPSTAIRS in a week! This is the kind of stuff we dreamed up when we were in third grade, out collecting rocks together and planning our future. How blessed we are.



To my mom, my dad, brother and sister and their families: Wow, you were so missed today. And everyday. This place is so beautiful, and so exciting for us - and the only thing missing is the biggest thing of all. Love you.

Birthday Eve

It's amazing to think that one year ago today, Chad and I were attempting to jump-start my labor in a thousand different ways. Homeopathics, herbals, acupuncture, walking, yoga, raspberry leaf tea, N.S. (sorry - I *cannot* write it out here)and everything in between. All that transpired in the following 24 hours is too much to record here, but when our arduous journey of labor and delivery finally ended, our real journey began.

Tate Donald Gilman. He entered the world purple and not breathing, bigger than we anticipated, with one ear shaped like a heart and a bit of a grimace on his face. After our move across Lake Ponchartrain and four exhausting months of colic, he started to emerge from the cloud of infancy into the beautiful, joyful, adventurous little boy that he is today.

It's impossible to step back and get an accurate picture of where we are in this stage of parenthood, in this stage of life, because we are in the midst of it and perhaps can't see what a miracle it truly is. A year ago, I couldn't imagine what he would be like. Today, I can't imagine anything better than being surrounded by this beautiful chaos of Radio Flyers, organic cake mix, wrapping paper, balloons and the World's Ugliest Hand-knit Hat that I have made special for this day.

What a blessing Tate is. And what an honor it is to be his mama.

My intimate day with produce

I woke up this morning with and old achey, feverish feeling that I have felt only once before, about 2 months ago. Tender chest, headache, chills, and a general don't-make-me-get-out-of-bed-ness that only spell one thing for a breastfeeding mama: mastitis. I hesitated going to a doctor and getting antibiotics because a) I didn't want the hassle of going to the doctor (my PJ's were entirely too cozy), and b) I don't really like taking antibiotics.

So, after consulting Dr. Sears, Kellymom, The Nutritional Guide to Healing and a really nice lady at New Seasons Market, I had my antidote: two tiny blue bottles of homeopathic pellets, and a head of cabbage. I take 5 homeopathic pellets every few hours...and the cabbage, I stick in my bra. Yes, my bra.

This whole thing is super weird -- as I type, I have 4 crisp pale green leaves popping out from under my shirt. Hug me and hear a crackling crunch -- and if you stick around long enough, there will be borsch for all.

What a wonderful and strange ride motherhood is. Will keep you posted.

Hello, world..

Blogging is something I said that I would never do. And yet here I am. Dreaming about lovely banner images and weighing my options of font colors. I am blogging so that I can better share my life with my family and friends that live way too far away, and to encourage me practice the art of writing on a regular basis. I do realize that a lot of blogs border on the line of self-indulgent, so I promise now that if, indeed, I do keep this blog alive and kicking:

1. I will only take pictures of my food if it's seriously THAT good. There isn't a whole lot that you can expect food-wise. But tonight's lasagna ruled.
2. I will not complain. Despite how much I want to rattle on about that 50 minute long phone-call this morning with an automated JetBlue recording. I will not.
3. I will be honest.

I hope that you enjoy what I hope to share. Please do send me in your comments, thoughts, ideas, etc so that this project becomes more interactive and less Les.
XO.