My Pet Chicken

thanks to my friend jaci, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of sustainable living that i didn't even know was out there. a friend of her's (they live in boise, ID) is now keeping chickens in her backyard to grow her own eggs. i'm not clear whether or not she started this webpage or if this is a site she used to get started, but check out: My Pet Chicken. how fun is that? i had absolutely no idea that urbanites were now taking organic, free-range eating to a whole new level. have you ever seen such a chic little contraption for keeping "pet" chickens?



and this thing COMES with 2 hens. that brings a whole new meaning to online purchasing. despite the fact that it has a wire run to keep them safe from "predators," i think hawkeye would still scare the shit out of the poor things. so no hens for us. i feel pretty confident about the amish-grown, free range eggs i currently buy through hy-vee. although i have to admit, i could totally see myself loving this in the future if we lived somewhere further out from other neighbors (i'm thinking that even the nicest of neighbors may have some qualms about us keeping chickens...and aren't there city ordinances against farm animals being within city lines?) this is probably the closest i'd ever get to farming, though. the site is really cool, so if you have time, read through it a bit. one of my favorite excerpts is this (on the page, "10 great reasons to have chickens"):

"Be the Coolest Kid on the Block
Despite their many merits, backyard chickens are still relatively uncommon. Wow neighbors, friends and family by being the first person they know to have chickens. Amaze them with the green eggs from your Ameraucana hens. Confound them by scooping up your pet chicken and cuddling it. Astound them when your chicken falls asleep in your arms after you've lovingly stroked its comb and wattles. Make them green with envy at the lawn your flock has made effortlessly fabulous.

Chickens are, after all, the most "chic" pet you could possibly have. And we think it's time everyone knew."

sick and sad

many of you may have already heard on the news about the shootings in iowa city this morning. i got a call early this morning from the u of i's emergency "hawk alert" system, warning me of a shooter driving around the city. not much info. was given, so you can imagine my concern for all of those i know and love in ic. as it turns out, it was a banker (awaiting conviction on charges of embezzlement) who shot his wife and 4 children, then drove his van onto i-80 and into an accident where it went up in flames. i just can't understand the motives of people who do things like this. to feel so sorry for yourself that you not only commit suicide, but you take the lives of your spouse and your own children as well. these kinds of mass shootings, along with those on university and high school campuses, malls, and other types of public rampages is the scariest trend in the last 15 years, in my opinion. how can you feel safe when at any time someone can go postal in a target while you are shopping with your children? here's a short summary of the news from IC:
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2433104920080324

A Culinary Tour of Iowa City

Hiya all. Mike and I had a fun and relaxing weekend in Iowa City. It was my first time away from Jack overnight, which I thought was important seeing that I'll be away from him when in the hospital for 2ish nights not so long from now. He stayed with my parents and I don't think he even noticed we were gone. He loves my parents. So I'm glad that went well. On our end, the weekend was fun and quick. We used our 1 night's stay at the Coralville Marriott, which we had "won" through a silent auction at the American Diabetes Assocication's Gala last October. Bed and Breakfasts have their charm, but in the sense of wanting to just get away and not have to owe anything or any time or any schedule to anybody, a big hotel like that is nice. And this one is really quite nice. We arrived around 11:30, checked in, and didn't come back again until about 11pm that night. It was incredible to not have any responsibilities to anyone! Every now and then I'd look at the time and wonder when we had to get going, and it was always nice to stop and realize there was no dog that had to be let out, or baby that needed a nap, or even a cat that would be lonely without us. I haven't had that type of freedom in over 19 months :)

Our trip really seemed to revolve around meals/snacks/coffee breaks. Some of the things we miss most about IC are the great little independent shops and cafes that WDM doesn't have. Our first stop was for lunch at a place I hadn't been before, but had wanted to try: Fairgrounds Coffeehouse. This place offers a huge menu for a coffeehouse, with lots of innovative and unique drinks and menu items. They are fully vegan friendly, and even make their own vegan cheeses. It's a place after my own heart, in the sense that every item on the menu is followed by a detailed description. I love it. And the Virgin Bananas Foster French Toast was the very best french toast I've ever eaten. For any of you out there who are menu connoseiurs like me, check it out online! After lunch we wandered around the pedestrian mall, stopping in Prairie Lights bookstore to peruse the shelves, the Soap Opera to gaze at the amazing array of lotions and cleansing agents available, and the Java House for a warm cup of joe. That afternoon we stopped by the new home of Carrie, Rob, and Eleanor and had fun doing some catching up. The girls took a walk over to the Design Ranch, where we purchased some fun mobiles for new and upcoming babies. When we left the Hough residence it was already dinner time (yes, another meal) and we decided to head to one of our old favorites, Givanni's for the fabulous gnocci di oro. Givanni's has always had the feel inside of dining in NYC. Dinner ended just in time for us to head over to the newly reopened Englert Theatre, and catch our first play there. The renovated theatre is really gorgeous; the play was not so wonderful. Mike is harder on it than I am (he was ready to leave after the first act, and I believe he said numerous times that he had seen highschool performances that were 10 times better). It was pretty amateur, but I still felt it was somewhat entertaining. They were showing The Who's Tommy. Considering the show ended at 10pm, you would think we were ready to call it a night. But guess who was hungry again (um, Benjamin?) So, on our way back to the hotel, we stopped into Mondo's for some oatmeal pie. Our waiter told us they were out of the cinnamon ice cream to go on it, so it was on the house. I felt bad not paying for anything, so got a side of fries, too :) Mike took a photo of me eating fries and pie at 10:30pm.

The next morning we really wanted to sleep in, but 8:30 was as far as I made it. Still, much later than usual! We took advantage of the "free" breakfast that came with our night's stay at the hotel's Edgewater Grill restaurant. The crunchy grilled french toast was good, but couldn't beat Fairgrounds' french toast I had tried the day before. After that we went swimming, and I dangled my feet in the hot tub. After check-out we headed to The Hound's Tooth to get my parents a gift for watching Jack, to Terrapin coffeehouse for (yes, even more) coffee, and then through the New Pioneer Co-op to buy some olive bread (link in a previous posting). After that I decided to stop by Scheel's in the Coral Ridge Mall to get my father some fudge and to buy some new shoes. At that point, believe it or not, it was 2pm and we were feeling like a late lunch. So lunch was the last thing on the agenda before heading home. We headed back downtown and ended up at Atlas. It's the kind of place that never really changes much, which might annoy me if we still lived there, but was fine with us. They broke my heart by being out of their macaroni and cheese, and then once we did order, they "lost" our order and we waited an extra long time before our server realized it. This led us to be offered our second free dessert of the weekend. More food! FINALLY we finished lunch at 3:30 and were headed back home. See what I mean about all the food?! That's what it's like to travel with me :) It was fun and great to see friends and old haunts. It sure went fast, though.

(not so) little red wagon

before i had children of my own, my memories of red wagons were pretty classic: little, metal, and with a little black, metal handle to pull them. i think that's what i had as a kid, and i figured not much had changed. little did i know that wagons now are much more high-tech! i think they are the children's version of SUVs. we wanted to get one for jack for christmas, but decided it wasn't a good christmas gift (given that we wouldn't be able to use it for 4+ months until spring came). our neighbors tipped us off this past week, though, that the wagon they have for their son and love was on sale at target, and that it was a good price. so off mike goes on friday night, at about 9:45pm, to get the wagon before the sale ended and we left for iowa city. i won't say how much wagons cost these days, but suffice it to say that they are WAY more than you might imagine. however, you can't help but be tantalized by all they offer! this thing has a big canopy, so i won't have to worry about being out in the direct sun too long. it has front wheels that turn 360 degrees, for maximum turning capacity. it has two fold out seats for kids to sit down lower inside the wagon, as well as 4 cup holders for the kids. the handle goes up to my chest, so even the tallest parent can't complain about having to bend over while pulling it around. and it has an added storage bin, to boot. it might seem strange that a wagon would need a storage bin, but i do admit that when we have 2 kids riding around in it, it will be nice to have an extra spot to stash picnic stuff for the park, etc. the craziest thing is that this version wasn't even the most "luxury" version out there. there are others! one is called the ultimate family voyager, or something like that. i have no idea what it could possibly offer that this one doesn't.... built in ipod dock and speakers?? solar-powered cruise control?? sheesh. but we are now set for summer outings!

feeling old(er)

birthdaying was fun yesterday; a nice and quiet day. mike had the day off since he worked last weekend, so we just puttered around and ran errands, had breakfast at IHOP (harvest grain and nut pancakes...ummmm...), and dinner last night at azalea. azalea was good but didn't blow my socks off, as i was hoping. good to try, though. i must be getting pickier with my restaurant reviews. mike's gift to me was (is? will be?) a mother's ring. we went to anglo to look at settings and get an idea of what i'd like. it will probably be awhile before we order it, though, since we don't know if benjamin will arrive in april or may, and my fingers are so swollen this pregnancy that i wouldn't have a clue as to my ring size for my right hand. it was fun to get ideas, though. i'm going to get a style where we can add a stone later, if and when we have a 3rd. heehee.

the downside of my day was the haircut i received. i decided to go and use the gift certificate i had from christmas for a local salon. everytime i've gone before i have ended up erring on the conservative side, telling the stylist that i still have to be able to put it in a pony tail, i don't want to go too short, etc., etc. this time i said i wanted to notice a change, and needed more layers and shorter length. i gave her complete freedom to do what she thought would work. that sort of backfired. my heart skipped a beat at one point when she was combing my hair over my eyes and i felt a snip against my forehead--- she did NOT say anything about bangs. bangs are not my friend. but i sucked it up and waited it out. the result is what i believe to be an 80s haircut. seriously, i could be on the cover of a whitesnake album. the top is all poofy and the bottom hangs flat; somewhat like a long mullet. as i turned the corner into our culdesac, mike was outside with jack. when he saw me driving up, he was already on the ground laughing. supportive, eh? he also told me, "well, you definitely look like you're 30 now." and "it makes you look like a Mom." who is this guy? getting a new cut to look OLDER was not my plan for the day i entered into a new decade. but i'm keeping a sense of humor. at least hair grows. if i try hard, i can get it into a tight ponytail, which will happen on those days i can't deal with it. once the bangs grow, i may be more at ease. this morning i showered all the crap out of it she used, and did not blow dry it or straighten it. it's more of a disaster now, but i'm dealing. see for yourself:

family photo on brandy's 30th and jack's 19-month bdays:


not as bad when behind the ears....


the morning after (i.e., catastrophe.)

fun weekend

mike had to work this weekend, and normally the weekends he works are long, long, LONG for jack and i. he leaves at 8:30am on saturday mornings and comes home about 6:30. by then jack is finishing up his bedtime routine and is sleeping by 7pm, so that means i've got him from waking till bedtime, all to myself. it's fine, but often feels quite long. this weekend, however, flew by since we had lots of fun things planned. on saturday my parents took me out to lunch to celebrate my upcoming birthday, and my brother came from iowa city to join us. we went to dos rios, a new restaurant downtown that i mentioned in a previous post (we went there for mike's birthday dinner). it was much more affordable at lunch. i'm still not completely blown away by the food for the price, but it's still good. the food looks and sounds great, but some of it is missing that incredible flavor punch you expect to get after reading the menu descriptions. nonetheless, it was a great lunch and fun to be out. afterward we headed back to our house, where they surprised me with a champagne cake from highland park bakery; this old hole in the wall place that has been around on the east side of des moines forever. not a place i frequent because of the location, but the champagne cakes can't be beat. we opened gifts, ate cake, and played a rousing game of cranium. my family is a gaming family :) here are some photos:

my parents at dos rios


jack's urgent need for cake




jack and "ba-pa"


jack and mama


looking at these photos shows me how much i have swollen up with pregnancy :) not that i would or could change anything; i know it's a natural part of the process. but it's strange seeing yourself through other people's eyes (or at least the eye of a camera), when you don't notice the daily changes in the mirror!

today was also fun, as jack and i went to the home of some friends for lunch. colleen made a SPREAD, and it was all delicious. jack had fun playing with caleb, who is 3 months younger than he. i got some cute items for baby ben, as well as a wonderful birthday gift-- my coveted bebe au lait nursing cover! i think outings will be much easier with a nursing baby knowing i have this little tool to make breastfeeding in public more comfortable (for everyone else). i have a feeling i'll be OUT more this time around, too, since i'll have a toddler who needs to get out and exercise and be entertained.

in other news, i was psyched to find out that des moines has a crepes cafe that i didn't know about. i miss all the places that served crepes in NYC, so i'm excited to try this one. it's mostly a coffeehouse and bar, with a few pizza and crepe offerings, but sounds delightful nonetheless: black cat cafe. mike and i are trying to get out and eat as much as possible before benjamin arrives. it's hard enough to do now, but we figure it will be even harder to feel okay with getting a sitter when we have two. so my parents have been coming out many fridays to take jack to dinner and to play, while we go out and eat dinner alone and then run errands without jack. it's a definite perk of having family nearby! we're going to try azalea, a relatively new restaurant downtown, for my birthday on tuesday. i'm pretty excited to try the artichoke and goat cheese spring rolls. are you catching on that the best part of a birthday, for me, is all the special food? :)

today i finally placed an online order for biobags, a brand of biodegradable trash liner. for a long time now i have made an effort to take canvas bags with me when i go grocery shopping (or to target, or any kind of shopping, really). i feel good not using plastic bags, knowing that they just fill landfills (working at the DNR taught me a lot). but we always buy cheap plastic can liners for our kitchen trash can, and often use any plastic bags we do receive as liners for our bathroom/bedroom trash cans. i've been wanting to look into biodegradable bags for some time now, but never had seen any at hy-vee or our local health/ecofriendly stores (oh how i miss the iowa city co-op. i didn't shop there much as a college student, but i think that at this point in my life i would REALLY appreciate it). it wasn't until last week when we reached an all-time low, with running out of spare plastic bags to line the upstairs trash cans (into which we scoop the litter box contents) and mike bringing home hy-vee plastic bags just for this purpose, that i decided i need to do a search online for the biodegradable kind. biobags seemed to be the most common and popular, so i made an order for the 13 gallon tall kitchen size, and for the 2 gallon small can size. it was $30 for 50 2 gallon bags and 36 kitchen bags (this includes the $8 shipping), which i didn't think was that bad. so hopefully they'll fit the cans well. if any of you have used eco-friendly trash liners, or have had experience with biobags, i'd love to hear about it.

oh my god.

Premature newborn lives after falling from train
A newborn baby girl fell through the toilet in a moving train and onto the tracks moments after her mother prematurely gave birth, surviving nearly two hours before being found, relatives said Thursday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23386092/from/ET/

Fun photos

Jack insists on putting on daddy's shirt this morning...



Compliments of his grandma Debbie, Jack now has a "baby" to practice being a big brother on. He took to him very well this morning at first meeting. And the baby is French, so we're thinking of naming him Jean Pierre...





Giving baby Jean Pierre a hug:


Baby goes ni-ni:


Baby rides...the horse?

for carrie

32 week belly shot (note the stretch marks!)

Feeling Bloggish

Hi everyone. I don't have anything exceptional to report, but I have some free time and have been feeling "into" the blog lately. So I'm just here to say hi, and update on minute things.

For those of you not living in IA, the first of March also brought us the first taste of spring. 55 degree weather! I love my birth month :) However, it was too weird when after a day of 55 degrees and melting snow, we wake up this morning to 17 degree weather and 4 inches of fresh snow. Iowa never ceases to amaze. Mike and I took advantage of the warm weekend to paint the ceiling in our basement. We're hoping Thursday will bring back the heat again so we can paint the walls for Mike's day off. Then we just need to wait for the carpet installers to come and we'll be ready to move the office downstairs. Thanks to all who chimed in on the low light houseplant question, by the way. I'll see if I can take your suggestions and make them work.

I'm excited to get the basement finished so that we can move onto Jack's new room. He's very into trucks, so that's the theme. I've already got the quilt and curtains, and plan to paint red halfway up the wall and leave the rest white. Here's a photo of the bedding set I bought for him:



Recently I also happened upon some local art that I fell in love with, and ended up buying matted prints of the sketches for each of our bedrooms. The artist(s) who does the work is from Decorah, IA and the website for the art can be found at: Storypeople.com.
Here's the one I bought for Jack's room:



The one for Benjamin's room:



And the one for our bedroom:



The art is funky but I love the bright colors and uniqueness of it. And the sayings on each really speak to certain things. I found many of them that I really loved.

Let's see, what else is new.... in 8 days I turn 30. I used to believe I would absolutely freak out when the time came to leave my 20s. I reallly felt I would have a harder time with 30 than with 40. But now it's not phasing me at all. I think being a parent took me into a new era alltogether, and I feel far older...or shall we say, wiser? :)... than I do about entering my 30s. Mike and many of my friends are already in their 30s, so I guess I feel like I've been there for awhile, anyway. I love my life, so I can't imagine loving it less 8 days from now.

I recently took a 2-week traditional, vegetarian Thai cooking class through the DSM community education system. I picked up a few recipes I liked and some handy cooking tips. It was a nice way to get out and do something alone, and for no other reason than fun. Tonight I made green curry, and it turned out pretty well. The one thing I was definitely not into at the class was the use of a lot of fake "meat." The first week we made two dishes with "vegetarian chicken." It's this processed wheat gluten stuff that's molded into the shape of a little chicken. You cut it up and cook with it, mixing it into stir fries or curries. The second week it was "vegetarian prawns," which were the worst. They *look* like real prawns, but the texture is just like biting into a banana, and it has no fantastic taste to win you over. I think tofu has more nutritional value, anyway. I'd rather learn more ways to cook innovatively with vegetables than try to find non-meat substitutes.

Tomorrow I'll be at 32 weeks. It's still going FAST! I'm not sure I'm mentally ready still, but I'm working on it. I realized today that I keep waiting for the warm weather so Jack and I can get out and be free during the day more, but by the time it warms up enough to be out all the time, we'll have a new reason to be shut in. Hmm. Guess we'll figure it out one way or another. Hope you are all well. Here's hoping for more 55 degree weather....