stock

Posted in Run Da House, zero waste home by ElaineMarie

i’ve been making my own vegetable stock as part of my zero waste efforts. we eat a lot of soup in the winter months and i’ve cut down on a lot of cardboard veggie stock cartons. we also eat a lot of salad and fresh veggies so i just keep this pot in the fridge and any peelings or stems get tossed in here until the next boiling. soups have been extra yummy thanks to the freshness factor. veggie peelings then get dumped in the compost after boiling is done. it makes me feel so savvy and smart to get three different uses from our food stuffs.

11Feb2013

rolez

Posted in Momma Needs a minute... by ElaineMarie

i’ve been thinking a lot lately about the different roles i play, specifically in relation to what everyone else needs from me versus what i need from me. i realized at the retreat there are a lot of things i do because i think others expect it from me and not necessarily what i expect of me. sometimes this is a good thing since i have rarely expected me to mop the floors, but i think i need to let some of these “roles” go and focus a little more attention on what i need from me. and i think what i need from me is more chocolate…

11Feb2013

weekending

Posted in familyness, i dig music, Kiddie Hangouts, let me let me update ya by ElaineMarie

exhaustingly good amounts of fun time this past weekend. weekend bits:

1. new bird feeder project 2. selfie before the en vogue show 3 & 4. the terribly anticlimactic show that was somehow still tons of fun and i would go again in a heartbeat 5. tried el camino for the first time. thank goodness for healthy, cheap tacos. and i mean CHEAP. 6 & 7. year of the buffalo in-store at vinyl frontier. Mike arranged his first in store and i have to say, he picked a mighty fine band {biased!}. 8. darla worked her magic and made fast friends with the band. they gifted her a copy of their ep and a guitar pick. it’s been our soundtrack in the car ever since. you should check it out. NOW. 9. finished the weekend with a valentine-crafting & pizza party at our friends’.

weekend also included but not pictured: a karaoke session at mickey’s, sunday brunch with lady friends, darla’s introduction to star wars, and cousin hang-time at our place. all normal things like gym, grocery and housecleaning fit in where they could…or not.

i love busy weekends full of life. keep them coming.

9Feb2013

birth linkz

Posted in birth links, doula work by ElaineMarie

just a few birthy links and reads for you for some weekend reading pleasure:

A new article highlighting the findings of the National Birth Center Study II. the study shows profound evidence that more of our mommas should have access to birth centers:

Evidence for Birth Centers – One of the most important findings of this study was that more than 9 out of 10 women (94%) who entered labor planning a birth center birth achieved a vaginal birth. In other words, the C-section rate for low-risk women who chose to give birth at a birth center was only 6%—compared to the U.S. C-section rate of 27% for low-risk women.

and some more good news that the number of birth centers and parents opting for birth center care is on the rise: 5 Reasons Birth Centers Have Met Their Moment – According to the AABC, the number of centers in the United States has grown by 27% in just the past 3 years, accelerating a growth trend that has been seen for decades.

and lastly, a W. Eugene Smith photo essay from LIFE magazine from 1951 about Maude Callen, a South Carolina nurse and midwife. I hope people can see past the “poor porn” aspect of these photos because what i see is a great sense of community. Maude was a pioneer nurse midwife. My favorite photo is #8 and also #29.

happy reading. have a fantastic weekend.

8Feb2013

Ace

Posted in advantageous adventures, Travels by ElaineMarie

well, just add me to the long list of twenty-somethings that made themselves feel cooler by staying at the ace for our last day in palm springs. because it definitely made me feel cooler and somehow less cool. because everyone else was so cool. it was like a 7th grade dance all over again. complete with the fact that i was still donning a fake tattoo from the retreat and got really embarrassed at the pool feeling sure all the hipsters would think i had it on to try and fit in.

anyway, the vibe at ace was….pretty cool. i really dug it. even though people were making out in the hot tub the entire time. i hope my future will find me back there someday for a longer stay.

7Feb2013

touches of love

Posted in kiddie-do by ElaineMarie

darla brought a few touches of love home with her from her weekend with the grandparents. it’s starting to look very loverly around here (misspelling intended).

6Feb2013

desert directive

Posted in advantageous adventures, Travels by ElaineMarie

^^^^ i don’t even know where to begin ^^^

i guess i will start where this photo essay starts. the picture of ladies flowing from one space to another in brightly colored kaftans is what symbolizes this year’s Life(dot)next retreat for me. the locals thought we were a dance troupe.

i am longing to be back in that desert suspended in a space of self-improvement and introspection. there i was able to be california elaine. i was able to be desert elaine. i was able to be the elaine of my past and, hopefully, the elaine of my future. i was able to be warm. it’s cold here in ohio. reentry is not easy.

i’m finding it hard to write about this experience. there is so much i want to share with you, friends, but i am also feeling this deep, sacred bond and want to hold those events secret in my memory. in catchwords the weekend was filled with:

sun, warmth, laughter, windmills, torched smores, crafts, talismans, blanket forts, disco balls, kaftans, goddesses, vinho verde, connection, skill share, tutus, laugh-crying, hot tub confessions, origami fortune tellers, headbands, glow sticks, visualization meditation, exploration, walks, newness, cousins, MOUNTAINS & TACOS!!!

seriously, 75% of the meals i had while in palm springs were tacos.

for all of you fellow attendees- i fell head-over-heels in adoration of all of you. i’m forever thankful for all that you gave of yourself. that’s all we can ever give anyone.

already looking forward to the next one, whenever that may be, with much enthusiasm.

“if you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your life. there are no limits. there are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” – bruce lee

6Feb2013

errands

Posted in familyness, kiddie-do by ElaineMarie

re-entry was a little bit hard yesterday but this girl made it enjoyable with her cat ears during grocery trips and her new one-raised-eyebrow tricks. i missed her.

5Feb2013

senses

Posted in advantageous adventures, Momma Needs a minute..., Travels by ElaineMarie

i’m catching up on the senses photo essay. my senses were extremely happy last week while attending the Life(dot)next Desert Directive. I have lots more to gush about but here’s just a little bit of my sensory stimulation last friday:

^^^mountains. i want to see mountains, gandalf^^^

^^^the sounds of women’s laughter & beautiful, intelligent conversations everywhere^^^

^^^the feel of a kaftan from abu dabi is divine^^^

^^^the taste of some vinho verde while crafting our goddesses project^^^

^^^this had to make it in there. small smores fire. NBD^^^

1Feb2013

Palmy

Posted in advantageous adventures, Momma Needs a minute..., Travels by ElaineMarie

I’m having coffee and conversation with the mountains this morning. Life(dot)next Desert Directive kicked off yesterday and the weekend is going to be stellar. I mean, we’ve all been gifted kaftans from Abu Dabi already. Even if nothing else fruitful happens the retreat has already been a success.

BUT a lot more will happen.