Last little bit of nesting...

Everyone keeps asking me, "Are you nesting?". I think I am. I don't think you'll find me scrubbing the oven with a toothbrush or our baseboards (ever)...but I feel like in other ways I've been creating our little nest, just right for our babe to come home to.

The diapers are washed...


More wool covers have been made, this time using recycled sweaters...


Our bedroom now has all the necessities for a little one to join us...


Our living room is ready for rockin'!


A fresh batch of yogurt is in the crockpot as I type...


And of course, I had to make some granola to go along with the yogurt...


It wouldn't be right to allow spring to begin without some homemade sorbet (lemon-blackberry flavor, that is)...


And, of course the ginger snap cookies that must be eaten with the sorbet...


Ryan and I have been enjoying lots of great quality time together as just the two of us, eating dinners on the back patio, going for walks, and playing cards. We are very eager to meet our little one any day now!!

Four Years of Bloggin'...

Today is my 4 year anniversary of blogging! I am pretty sure that more people read blogs now than they did then. In fact, I don't think too many people knew what blogs were then. It was a time before "blog titles" mattered (hence my very simple "The Green Family" blog title and my non-matching blog address of "ryanandabbygreen.blogspot.com"), before fancy blog backgrounds existed, and to my knowledge before people earned livings off of blogging. If I knew then what I know now...maybe I would have entered into the blog world a little differently. But to be honest, I'm glad I didn't know then what I know now and that my blog is just simply "me" with no agenda of having sponsors or making money...just sharing a little bit of green living with friends and family. (Though, donations will always be gladly accepted. :)
Here is my first ever blog entry.

Bountiful Baskets!

There is this great thing going on in the western part of the country called Bountiful Baskets. It is similar to CSA, however instead of it just being Tucson farmers, it is growers from the western part of the country. (If it was just from Tucson, we'd only get citrus, and maybe a head of lettuce...a.ka. we'd starve.) The beauty of bountiful baskets is that you don't have to commit for a whole season, you can choose from week to week if you want to pick up a basket or not. On Tuesday or Wednesday you sign up online, and then on Saturday you go to your designated park and pick up your laundry basket of produce...it's awesome! And, it only costs $15 ($18 for your first time)!!

Today in my basket I got:
2 heads of orange cauliflower
2 bunches of asparagus
3 bunches of green onions
1 bunch of celery
1 head of romaine
6 or so roma tomatoes
1 head of savoy
1 head of purple savoy
1 bunch of bananas
6 or so apples
4 mangoes
a container of strawberries
a bag of kumquats

probably other things too that I'm just not remembering right now...it's quite the deal...and its communal...and at a park...what's not to love?!

Blanca and Estrella in line to pick up their baskets!


Baskets ready for pick-up! Each person gets a basket of fruit and a basket of veggies, you actually don't get the basket itself...everyone brings bags, their own baskets, etc to fill up.


Estrella tasting the goods!

sock pocket!

(That was to be sung to the tune of "Hot Pocket"). :)

My favorite socks finally wore out, with major holes in both heels. I was having a hard time throwing them away, so I decided a little recycling project was in order. I cut off the bottom part of the sock (the foot), flipped it inside out, serged (you could also sew) across the opening I had cut, flipped it right side out, and then added a little snap. It literally took all of about 5 minutes to do. I love it! My camera bag was too bulky for my new purse, so now I can just carry my camera around in my "sock pocket"! The other sock is in use as an ipod case right now. Last night I came across a lonely sock with no match, I think it may become our new GPS "sock pocket"!

Fire Brigade...

Nothing like a little morning excitement at the Green house today! This morning I was out and about running errands and then came home and parked the car in the garage and shut the garage door. Totally normal behavior. About an hour later I was in the back part of the house where the garage and house attach, and smelled smoke. I opened the door that leads to the garage and sure enough the entire garage was filled with smoke! Ack! I opened the garage door to air it out and called 911. Two full-size fire engines, 2 "ambulance size" fire engines, and 13 firemen arrived. The street was blocked. Neighbors were out gawking. It was really quite the scene. Turns out something under the hood of our car was smoking...I'd get technical here, as I really know cars, but I figure my blog audience probably doesn't care too much about the details. :) (aka, I really have no clue about cars, but if you do...the heater core went out). Our car was towed to our mechanic, and luckily it was under $100 to repair it. Had this not happened when it did parked like this, they said it could have really been quite the car fire next time I drove it as all of my radiator fluid was gone as well. They were great. Thanks Tucson Fire Department!

Loving so many things...

It is raining right now in Tucson. Rumor has it that we are already over our yearly average rainfall and it's only March 8th! I have to admit, now that I'm not working at the outdoor cafe which is negatively effected by such gloomy days, I love the rain! I'm sitting inside Spill The Beans Coffee Shop, enjoying its coziness of the indoors and watching out the window as the sun peaks out and reflects on the puddles jumping with raindrops. One of my favorite parts about getting rain in Tucson, is that the rivers finally have water in them! I know, we're a little batty in calling dry riverbeds "rivers", but we do, there are even signs that call them rivers. Living on a different side of town has introduced me to my new favorite place to go for walks, the Rillito River! Here it is with water...


I woke up with a nasty cold on Saturday morning, and I've been trying to nurse myself back to health with all sorts of natural remedies. A few favorites have been...

Ginger Tea: (good for congestion)
1 liter of water
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
and a bunch of fresh ginger cut into pieces

-put all ingredients in sauce pan
-let simmer for about 20-30 minutes
-add lemon and honey before sipping!

Honey Ginger Elixer: (good for sore throats/coughing)
1/2 C honey
1/2 C water
1/4 grated fresh ginger

-put all ingredients in sauce pan and let simmer about 10 minutes
-take 1-2 teaspoons at a time

And...the famous Neti Pot! I've heard about the Neti Pot for years, but have never really felt the desire to try it. But, I'm now a convert. It's a saline solution that you pour in one nostril and let it come out the other. Pleasant, huh? Do it once while congested though, and feel the difference...you'll become a believer too.
My CVS brand Neti Pot...


I don't know if I'm allowed to say this or not, but it's my blog, so I think I can say whatever I want...I love my profile! In fact, I think I'm going to miss the full-figure picture of myself.


It's hard to believe that I'm already 37 weeks pregnant, and therefor considered "full term"! I feel so thankful to have been able to carry our baby this far to where they now consider it safe and healthy for the baby to arrive. I really really really can't wait to meet this little person growing inside of me! Though, it is our prayer for an on-time delivery, so we are happy to wait another 3 weeks for this special meet-and-greet. :)

I'm also loving self-striping yarn! I found another pattern for wool diaper covers (well, to be honest, there are hundreds of patterns out there), but this one I felt called for self-striping yarn and baby green's lil' bum.
Here is what the cover should like in the end...

And, this is the self-striping yarn I'm using and the start of the cover...


And, I also loved the way I felt encouraged by SouleMama's blog today when I saw her photo of wool diaper covers drying in the sun.

(photo compliments of soulemama's blog)


I haven't done a whole lot of reading lately, but I have been loving the reading material I have on hand when I do pick it up...

(the book title is covered by the library bar code, but it's "Montessori From The Start".

comments of the day...

Last night I was running around Reid Park when I heard a boy of about high school age shout, "Hey, that lady just took off with my basketball!"...I looked around, didn't see any lady with a basketball, and then realized he was talking about me and my big ol' belly! I think that was my favorite heckling that I've ever received.

Then today at the store some woman said to me, "When are you due? Today?" And I looked at her and said, "No, in 4 weeks." With which I got, "Lord have mercy..." mumbled back at me. I must be looking real good today. :)

Booties to match the Booty!

Look what I got in the mail today...

A booty cover with matching booties!! Sooo soft and adorable, thanks Kristin!!

Prego Party!

There are lots of prego mamas in my life these days! It's been so fun to go through this stage of life alongside so many others.
In order of due date...

While my mom was in town...I was showered with lots of baby love from friends and family...thank you!

Aunt Sara, Great Grammie, me, Grandma Sue, and GG (Grandma Green)...

Mama in town!

My mom came to town last weekend to get a glimpse of my big ol' belly. And, let me tell you...it's getting BIG! My t-shirt (non-maternity of course, I'm too cheap to buy a t-shirt just to run in while pregnant) no longer stays down over my belly while running. And, for some reason I don't feel the draft while running, and so my t-shirt remains a belly shirt until a 1/2 mile or so later when I realize my belly is FULLY exposed. Lovely. I know.
So, if the belly is going to be exposed...it might as well look good. My mom henna'd my belly while she was here. (Thanks Jilly for sending the henna!)

We also spent some time in the pool, something she isn't doing much of in Michigan these snowy days. :)
Please note: you will probably never again get a bathing suit shot here on The Green Family Blog, unless of course I'm carrying twins and the occasion calls for such.
The tankini trying to keep me modest...

The tankini gone bikini for comfort measures...

And, my current shadow...

Vital.

Yesterday I went to visit our friends that are from Congo. They have a little guy who is 2 years old, Vital. He doesn't talk too much yet, probably the result of being raised tri-lingual...which will have many benefits ahead of him!
Anyway, I think this was the first time when he really realized how big my stomach has gotten. He went and got a basketball and put it on the couch next to me and just kept pointing from the basketball to my tummy, and then back to the basketball. Then he realized my tummy would make a great ramp for the basketball, so he would put the ball at the top of my tummy and let it roll down onto the ground (over and over and over again...)...it was hilarious. However, his grandma didn't think so and she made him stop, afraid that he was going to hurt the baby. So next Vital, just climbed up on the couch, cuddled next to me and slipped his little hand under my shirt to rest on my tummy and feel the baby for the rest of our visit. It was absolutely priceless..I wish I would have had my camera, or a video camera...

Here is a photo of Vital from several months ago...

homemade yogurt!

In 7 minutes, the timer will ding. That will mean my 13.5 hour wait for homemade yogurt will be over...and I'll be able to snack in heavenly bliss! I love yogurt, plain yogurt to be specific. I like it with nothing in it, or berries in it, in a smoothie, mixed with granola, on my enchiladas...I eat a lot of yogurt. I found this recipe, it was super easy , and cost very little to make.

***oops, I guess it was less than 7 minutes. I'm back from checking out my yogurt...looks great and tastes great too! One batch made enough to fill 2 of the large yogurt containers from the store.

To baby with love...

I have finally completed my first knitting project!! After having picked up and put down knitting needles several times over the past 5 years, and never completing a project, I decided I needed to find a project I really cared a lot about. For some reason washcloths and scarves just didn't do it for me since I could much more easily crochet them and not have to count any stitches. When I began researching various cloth diaper options I came across wool diaper covers. Not only are the cute and made from natural materials, they are also cooler on baby's bum for wear in warm environments, naturally anti-bacterial, as well as waterproof. That sounded like a perfect fit for our family in hot and sticky Arizona!

(Please pretend not to notice that the left leg hole is smaller than the right...I have thought about taking out the right and re-doing it, but to be honest, I am just too happy to be done to think about that right now...it's a small enough cover that the baby won't be squirming around too much yet, so two leg hole sizes will work just fine...I hope!)

Getting paid by CVS...

...yes that's right. A while back my friend Heidi introduced me to the idea of couponing. Not just casual Sunday clipping and save 25cents here or there, but where she pairs coupons with sales and other offers, and then pretty much gets paid by the grocery store to take home their products. I would love to have a system in place where I'm saving beaucoups bucks like that and getting things I could really use for practically nothing...and I will hopefully someday soon...look for a post in the future. :)

But in the meantime I'm taking small steps. Heidi specifically told me about the coupon offer for changing a prescription from one pharmacy to another in return for a $30 gift card. I was quite reluctant to do this. Partly because I love Target's pharmacy (and they don't participate in the offer) and partly because I was feeling a little shy. But with the encouragement of Jolon, another couponing friend, I did it. AND, I got $30 giftcard for CVS!!

And with that $30 gift card, we got a new CVS Sonic Toothbrush, originally $50...for only $20, plus we earned 4% cash back credit, or something like that...not really sure what it means...but maybe we'll get another giftcard? I hope so. :)

OH, and to top it all off...we just got another one of those $30 coupon offers for a competitor's store to change a prescription over, and Heidi said that Rite Aid (and hopefully CVS too) will accept the coupon and give you another gift card just so you keep using them as your pharmacy...how sweet is that?

I don't know if any of this made sense...I'm a little too excited about my new toothbrush to think straight right now. :)



p.s. if anyone knows of any coupon blogs that are specific to Arizona grocery stores (Fry's, Safeway, Basha's, or Sunflower) let me know.

Missing our neighbors!

Most of you have probably heard a story (or two) about our neighbors Roger and Marlena that live across the street. They are in their early 80s, and totally unique characters each in their own right. Roger loves to do dramatic readings as part of a performance group, and subsequently talks as if he is always doing some sort of dramatic reading. He is also quite fond of hanging out next to the mailbox so he can chat with the mailman everyday as he makes his rounds. And, he never misses the chance to say "welcome home" when we pull in the driveway after a tour (or a trip to the grocery store). After our last tour we received this voice mail approximately 30 seconds after pulling into the driveway: (I couldn't post the audio alone, so here is a photo of Roger at our block party a few years ago for a visual)...



Only 4 more weeks Roger and Marlena...we'll be back soon! :)

More baby craftin'...

Living amongst the animals, surrounded by the desert, and flooded with lots of sunlight...I've been quite creatively inspired the past few days.

My favorite two rooms of the house are the kitchen:


And my bedroom/studio:


Preferably with all of the doors and windows in the house wide open to let in lots of fresh air and sunlight. The temperatures have been quite warm (unseasonably?) and I'm loving it!

Here's a little peak at what I've been creating...

A few bibs made out of scrap fabric on one side and an old towel on the other so they can double as a washcloth after meal times.

A receiving blanket.

And, a little washcloth (I don't know if I can really say that I "made" this...I just cut up an old towel and serged around the edges.



A couple more bamboo velour diapers...this time with decorative jersey knit on the outside:



And, the kimono top to go with the owl pants in my previous post...I wish I had the pants here with me so I could show it together as an outfit, but instead I'll just post both photos:



I had originally thought I'd applique the top with part of the pants material to bring it all together, like this...

or this...


But in the end, I liked the plain best. :)

Oh, and I've been making lots and lots of sandwich & snack bags, here is a small sampling...

more here.

Happy Weekend to you!

Bisbee Birthday Bash!

A few weeks ago our friend Samantha turned 30!! Her celebration request was to take a handful of friends to Bisbee, for the weekend. I love everything behind that request...the experiential style of the gift, the community, etc. It was an extremely memorable and fun weekend.

Bisbee is one of the cutest towns in all of Arizona (a purely objective statement). It's about 2 hours from Tucson, and 20 minutes from the Mexican border. It's an old mining town with a very European, narrow streets, kind of feel.

Here we are strolling the main street (Samantha is in the green scarf!)...


Checking out the great finds in the antique shops. My favorite part, is that the fine print on the box says, "A California Product for Zestful Living"...(thanks for the correction Eileen! :)


Birthday Dinner!


Hanging out in our cozy vacation home for the weekend...about to embark on boys against girls "Truth Be Told" and "Guesstures"...if you see Jacob, feel free to ask him for the video footage from Guesstures...quite entertaining indeed. :)


Happy Birthday Samantha...thanks for a wonderful weekend!!

The Preggo Shuffle Rap

I know I already posted once today, but this second post just seems to go along with the first, so I couldn't resist putting it up.

Our friend Katie got me the "Classic Kathy Smith Pregnancy Workout" video. And though, I'm still a little disappointed, one of Kathy's french cut leotards didn't come in the dvd case as well, I worked out to it today. Half of the workout is the humor of all of the feathered bangs, french twists, slouch socks, and unitards. These women are what we should model every 80s party off of.


There is a moment in the workout though when Kathy stops to do a little "Preggo Shuffle Rap" to make sure that no one is over-exerting themself and can rap along with her...I really truly do not know how this got past the producer...it's really too much. Sadly, youtube's "embedding was disabled by request" (for understandable reasons) on this part of the video, so I can't embed it, but here is a link for your viewing pleasure.

Mom Jeans!

Eileen showed me this youtube video a couple of weeks ago, and I've been laughing about it ever since.



My theory is that after being pregnant, moms forget what a "normal waist" is on jeans...and well, they just opt for a little too high. I mean, compared to the 13" maternity waist band, a 9" zipper is nothing! :) (please note though, you have every right to stop me from the denim applique vest).


**Jill...can't help but to say this video immediately made me think of you and your dallas jeans... :)

Half Marathon Threats...

I received the following text message from Natalie (Megan's sister) while I was at work today:

"Ok, Megan and I are now registered for the chicago half marathon. And, we decided that unless you respond in the next, lets say, 24 hours, you may find yourself registered as well. :) "

Followed by this email from Megan:


hi abby!

you will never believe what is happening....

i was just innocently checking my email, when i saw that i had been registered for the chicago half marathon. it seems my dear sister is looking out for my health and well-being.

and to think that i was preparing my "back out of half marathon" speech for you, since i so quickly committed without thinking straight.

and if you aren't careful, she is going to register you too!!!!

so, I guess i'm going to see you rain or shine on Sept 12th. that is in exactly 220 days 13 hours 7 minutes and 0 seconds from this moment (so says the race countdown)

love and miss you!

megan

So, I guess I'll be running the Chicago Half Marathon on September 12th!! I did mean it the other week when I said watching Jacob run the Phoenix half marathon inspired me to want to run another...I just didn't realize how quickly I was going to commit myself. :) I guess we should start booking shows in the midwest for that weekend!

Here's Natalie (in purple) and Megan (in green) at the 2008 Chicago Half Marathon!


I've been running while pregnant. My midwife is all about it, given that I wear the following contraption:



It's basically a bra for my belly with some additional back support. Sexy, huh?

Yes, I am pregnant!

I went to see a new primary care physician last week, since my normal pcp doesn't take my new insurance. I liked the new doc, really, she was nice. BUT, I found it a little unnerving when she said, "I see you are taking prenatal vitamins, are you pregnant or planning to become pregnant?" HUH!?! Lady...look at me!


I watched a documentary earlier this week called, The Business of Being Born. It's all about the birthing/hospital vs. midwife industry. Quite interesting indeed. It's been eye opening for me to realize how many people have expressed that they are "uncomfortable" with the idea that I'm using a midwife instead of an OB. However, I learned in this documentary that although in the USA less than 5% of births are attended by a midwife, in Europe and Australia over 70% of births are attended by a midwife. To me, it just makes sense to have someone who is trained specifically to help women give birth, deliver our baby. And I must say that our experience with the midwives at the Birth Center have been wonderful and nurturing...a place Ryan and I truly love to go for appointments and classes...and look forward to soon going there to deliver!

Noah's Ark

I'm dog/tortoise/bird sitting this week for the parents of a friend in Tucson. It has been a wonderful little retreat so far, and it's only day 1! Their house is full of sunlight, and the view of the sunset this evening was incredible (as was the sunset!). AND, they have wi-fi! I hate to admit how dependent I am on the internet, but I finally feel like a normal person again being able to access the internet from the convenience of "my own home".

Meet the family:

Whoopie, the sweetest shar pei...I think this may be up there with pugs as my favorite kind of dog!


Brody, a Boston Terrier. He has a sister, Olive, that looks just like him, however I couldn't get her to pause long enough to take a photo.


The talking parrot:


African Tortoise #1:


And, African Tortoise #2:


I'm not sure yet how long I'll be here. The parents are in Chicago visiting their daughter who's having a baby today!

Thanks Meredith!

One of my very first re-usable sandwich bag buyers on Little House Creations was Miss Meredith Barnhart, a great friend from Boston. Since then, she has made more orders, and sent many customers my way. If there is an award to be created for my #1 PR person, it definitely goes to her! Thanks Meredith!!

Please check out this etsy conversation I received today:

********************************************
Hi Little house creations,

I am a colleague of Meredith Barnhart. I saw your great bags, as everyone in my office is using them. I am hopelessly out of style with my ziplocs. I would like
to order three sandwich size bags with the floral dot pattern, but it only lists one
available. Is it possible to get three? If not, any type of "girlie" floral,
polkadot, stripe, fruit type fabric you have around would be great. I like cute.

Many thanks,
Tricia
*********************************************

I will be posting more bags on my etsy site throughout this week. If you are interested in them, please check out www.littlehousecreations.com.