Moment #3

Moment #3:  Arrival

Waiting...

This moment started a week or so ago.  I have been eagerly planning my Spring garden for months.  Months I tell you.  I started devouring gardening books in October and reading all I could on what to plant for the upcoming season.  And it is here!!!

Typically, I buy transplants and just put them directly into the ground or pots.  It feels safe planting something in my garden that has already begun.  Seeds are a different matter entirely.  There is no guarantee they will amount to anything and that scares me.  This year, I decided to try and sprout my own seeds and see what happened.  This has been a year of throwing off all that binds and moving forward in spite of the fear, not matter how big or small the fear may be.

Nature has a way of knowing exactly what it needs to survive.  My role in this is to use good soil and water attentively.  Seriously, people have been planting seeds for thousands of years.  I do not know why I was afraid of seeds.  I suppose it was the uncertainty of them.

Anyway.

I planted.  I waited.  And this happened:

Zucchini

And this...

More Zucchini

 And this...

Even more Zucchini, Kitchen Beans, and Cucumbers

I have a few more weeks of waiting before I transfer the seedlings into my garden.  I'm pretty excited about that.

Moment #2

Moment #2:  APPLES!!

Front Yard Picnics 

This moment involves apples.  Who doesn't love apples?  They are delicious.

The Loin Fruit loves him some apples.  Ironic, no?
I managed to capture the first time he decided to eat a whole apple.  Glorious.

Sometimes we have picnics in the front yard.  Why the front yard?  Because our backyard is boring.  Why picnics?  Because both of us love to be outside so when the opportunity and weather cooperate we go for it.

On this particular day, we were taking advantage of a cool wind and eating our lunch out front.  Maddox, naturally, ran around the yard and brought me a variety of interesting objects to add to our picnic:  sticks, acorns, leaves, rubber bands, etc.  As the pile of stuff continued to swell, my apple diminished.  I was killing this thing.  It was tasty.

At some point I set the apple down and the Loin Fruit swooped in to rescue it from the lawn.  He took it and began to eat it with all his heart.

Apples Rule!
 (and no he is not drinking coke zero)

...seriously, you are taking pictures of this

Apples make me happy.  They make him happy too.

Moment #1

Yes...he is sitting in a puddle of water in his diaper

I had a moment yesterday.  Not the one you see above.  This particular moment lasted a mere 20 seconds or so.  I was not timing it so I cannot be sure but I know it was less than a full minute.  

The moment I am referring to happened in a rocking chair.  I was sitting in it reading to Maddox who was, naturally, running from place to place picking up this and that doing all the things a precocious 17 month old does.  

But then time stopped.

He came to me and wrestled himself up beside me in the rocking chair.  He looked at the book I was holding.  He looked at me.  Then he quietly rested.  

And then the moment was over.

But that moment of quiet and rest with my son gave me perspective.  I adore him.  I love his tenacity and curiosity.  I love the constant motion of who he is but sometimes I need a little snuggle.  That isn't who he is though.  However, yesterday, he gave me that.  He gave me a few seconds of stillness and I am keeping that tucked away inside my heart and brain.

So here's to finding moments in the everyday monotony.  

To the Farm

Have you ever taken the time to think about where your food comes from?  Not where you purchase your victuals but where they are born, how they live, how they are grown and nurtured, how they die, how they are transported, how they are treated?  I suppose I have had some awareness on this topic for quite some time but recently it has been living in the forefront of my mind.  I often think about places where there are no options.  I know I do not live in one of those but how can my daily living impact the lives of others within my community and outside of it.  My own garden has taught me so much about caring for something else.  My own child has taught me more on the topic than any other singular thing.  You might be thinking, "but it is just food."  Indeed, it is just food.  The one thing that we all need to survive and so greatly impacts our health and environment.  So on the one hand it is "just food" but on the other it is so much more. 

I recently joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) organization here in Melbourne called Florida Fields to Forks.  It is a wondrous thing I tell you, wondrous.  I have become increasingly interested in producing my own food and since I live on a plot of land the size of a postage stamp I am painfully aware that I cannot do this all on my own.  Those of you who follow my blog know all about my garden and the joy it brings me.  Florida Fields to Forks is a natural extension of my homesteading love and I am so glad I found it.

I felt like Liz Lemon, "I want to go to there."  I want to go to there, the farm, and live forever.  I really do.  I often feel like a restless wanderer and have come to accept this fact but when I am at the farm I feel like I am home.

The owners are Jan Pence and Brock Hall, a delightful mother son team.  I do not know either of them well but I do hope that changes over the course of my interaction with them on my visits to the farm.  What is so great about a CSA is that it is financially supported from within by its members.  A one time fee of $35.00 grants you membership into the organization and from there you can order glorious organic grass fed meats, raw milk, cheeses, eggs, nuts, and crazy fun produce.  I wholeheartedly believe this is the best $35.00 I have spent in quite some time.  Produce orders need to be submitted ahead of time and are picked up on Thursday.  My first order was two weeks ago and I am hooked.  

My first Pick-up

The Loin Fruit and I made our way to the farm on Thursday and this array of vegetation was on display in all its glory.  Seriously people, I teared up.  I know that sounds super melodramatic but it is the God's honest truth.  They probably thought I was crazy.  Here is what we drove up to:

The Stables

We parked and walked up to the stables where you go to pick up your order.  First off, it is beautiful.  Like, "I live in the country and wear aprons while I churn my own butter in the sunny 60 degree weather," type beautiful.  My soul started singing immediately.  I felt connected to this place.  It was like all my inner yearnings became manifest in this one location.

After we picked up our order, the Fruit and I did some exploring.  Have I mentioned that on pick-up days it is "open farm."  You can wander around and see the animals.  I die.  

Checking out the view

Testing the Tractor

Field of Dreams

We had a great time exploring and I have deemed every Thursday "To the Farm" day.  I think I need these visits for the nurturing of my soul and I want the Fruit to know what open expanses of land look like.  I want him to know horses and cows and pigs and chickens.  I want him to be connected to the land.  I want that for myself too.  

If you have any questions about the Farm please ask me.  Visit the links I have set up to find out more about Florida Fields to Forks.  You won't regret it.

Happy Eating All.

I cried

I get to do life with this kid.  Call me lucky.  Call me blessed.  

Call me exhausted.

Chagrins with the Fruit 

But this kid gives me more pleasure than anything or anyone on this earth.  Sometimes I just have to be really stupid to remember that.

Case in point.

A few days ago my friend Dana asked if I could help her out with a photo shoot.  She's a supreme photographer and sometimes I get to tag along and hold her equipment.  I love it.  I need moments of creativity throughout the day to keep me sane.  Bonus for me is that Dana is cray cray in the best imaginable way.  I let her know I was available but that the Loin Fruit would be with me and asked if that would be a distraction, knowing full well it would be.  I didn't get her reply until I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of the gym.  Side note:  I typically go to the gym everyday at the same time.  Gives me some stress relief and allows the Fruit to have some play time at the kid zone.  Win win for both of us.  I usually leave my phone in his diaper bag so I won't get distracted or break it while I'm getting my sweat on.  I had just put the Fruit in his car seat and closed my own door and decided to check my phone before I pulled out.  Safety first!  That's when I got her text confirming my suspicions.

And then I got angry.  Angry at my son.  Angry because I couldn't go do something I wanted to do and the only reason why was because of him.  

The anger was fleeting and lasted mere moments but it was enough for me to feel terribly ashamed of myself.  I actually got mad at my innocent child through no fault of his own.  None.  He was doing nothing more than existing in my backseat and I resented him for it.  

Then I cried.  I cried because I was angry.  I cried because I couldn't do something I wanted to.  I cried because I am selfish.  I cried because I don't know if it is wrong to desire things.  I cried because I keep feeling like my Jesus is telling me that my life truly isn't my own.  I cried because I don't like that very much.

All those tears and all those emotions in like 2 minutes.     

I don't exactly know why I am sharing this.  I guess it helps to process things and it has been a few days  since the aforementioned "incident."  What I learned from it is that I suppose it is okay to be angry or frustrated but not at my child simply because he is here.

Motherhood is hard.

Simplification

Greetings Readers,

I have spent so much time focusing on my projects and attempting to update them on various locations within the internet that I am tired.  Therefore I am making a change.  From now on, it is just "In The Garden With Lauren." I live here in this space.

From Junk to Joy

From This to That

So we have a small one drawer contraption thingy that has been sitting in our bathroom for years holding various odds and ends.  Basically, it is a bathroom junk drawer.  I bought it for $10 at an antique shop quite a while ago and it has always been black.  Here's the thing:  I love to think about being crafty but I don't necessarily enjoy the process.  I definitely don't think scrapping paint is fun but it is a necessity, at least for this project, and had to be done.

Said Black Drawer Thingy

I decided that I would try and strip the paint and then put my own spin on things.  There are a few things you will need before you begin making your visions reality.

1.  Paint Stripper

2.  Rubber Gloves

3.  Metal Bowl

4.  Paint Brush

5.  Drop Cloth

6.  Lots of freakin patience

Step 1:  Gather Your Supplies

Stripping agent, metal bowl, brush

Don't forget your rubber gloves you sexy beast

  **ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear protective gloves.  This stuff can be nasty and you don't want it infiltrating your skin.  Protective gloves aren't sexy.  That's okay.  You are still a diva.

Step 2:  Apply Stripping Agent
-Be sure to read the instructions on the back of your stripping agent.  This will tell you how long you can expect to wait before the paint can be successfully removed.  Citristrip, the brand I used, was ready to go in 30 minutes but I found that waiting about an hour was actually better for this project.

Step 3:  Using a metal or plastic scrapper, gently scrape away the paint.  I tend to try and get a workout in at every possible opportunity and this mantra certainly applied to my sanding experience.  I made my shoulders needlessly sore scrapping the paint.  Trust me, this isn't the best way to go with this.  Gentle and slow really does work best.  The harder your scrape and the more force you use the more likely you are to get sore and damage the wood.

Sand Paper Fun

Step 4:  Sand.  I hate sand paper.  I hate the way it feels.  I hate the way it sounds scraping flesh away.  I hate the sensation of holding it.  However, it is necessary if you want a smooth surface to work your magic.  Come on, you've come this far so why not finish in regal style.  If any of you are ardent sand paper haters like myself, I found that sticking out my tongue while sanding seemed to help.  Don't know why? 

Step 5:  Paint.  This is the fun part.  This is what you've been waiting for.  This is when you get to see your ideas come to life.  I suggest using a paint and primer in one.  I used Behr Paint and Primer and was impressed.  I also figured out that I probably didn't need to do all the stripping beforehand because the primer in the paint covered the interior area that I wasn't able to apply the stripping agent to.  Oh well, I learned something in the process.

2 Coats of Paint

Step 6:  To be Continued.  I'm almost done with the project.  My next step is to use the dreaded sand paper once more and distress the edges of the piece.  I'm going for a coastal-worn look.  I'll be sure and post pics when I'm done.

I finally finished the project.  I roughed up the edges using sand paper until I liked the look.  Here it is: