What's For Dinner Tonight? Romanesco!

Tonight for dinner we are trying something I picked up at the farmer's market yesterday afternoon.  It's Romanesco.  I'll be chopping it up and roasting it.  I'll let you know how it goes. 

Shamrocks in February

shamrocks spring 2011

It's the 1st of February and things are looking towards spring.  I've got seeds started for Brussels Sprouts (with other seeds started soon) and as I was cleaning out planters at the side of our house I noticed that the shamrocks I planted last year and had died during the summer, have come back to life and are blooming their beautiful white flowers.  I'm a person who tries to hold onto winter for as long as I can because I know that after winter, summer eventually comes (I am not a hot weather person).  For some reason however, I'm excited about this spring.  Maybe excited is not the right word, but I'm in full scale "prepare" mode because I know something is coming.  I can't even tell you if it's good or bad but that I've got this urge to prepare.  It's almost like what happens to me when I'm nesting.  But I'm not. . . honestly I'm not (just in case you were wondering.)

Part of that preparation has been in the form of learning how to do new things frugally.  I'm trying to become as self reliant as a mountain girl stuck in the city can get.  One of those things has been cloth wipes.  "What?  You cloth diaper but you don't cloth wipe?"   You are asking.  I know.  I know.  But I was in the middle of cutting up scraps of old T-shirts to try out homemade (Clorox type) wipes for cleaning things with (not bottoms) and as I was doing that I thought to myself, "Why am I willing to try these homemade cleaning wipes and I'm not willing to try the cloth diaper wipes?"  It just didn't make sense to me why I would do that so I pulled out my scrap flannel and cut up some cloth wipes and gave them a try (spray bottle method).  And the verdict?  Love the cloth wipes (so does Baby Boy's bottom) but hate the homemade cleaning wipes.  I think for now I'll stick to my trusted Clorox wipes.

In my quest for frugality, I came across a web site that I've fallen in love with.  It's called "One Good Thing" and I think you will really enjoy it too.  Some of the things she shares seem a little overboard or impractical but I've loved a lot of her ideas.  So here you go.  One Good Thing

Ok, good bye for now.  I've probably sent you all into overload by posting two days in a row.  Now it's off to the farmers market for me.

Happiness Is. . .

A Snowy Shaver Lake

 Today after we'd been out to the vineyard (well Bryce and Kyle) and I'd done mounds of laundry, we decided to do something fun and went up to Shaver Lake.  Shave Lake has just recently been drained in order to make upgrades/repairs to the dam and so this was the first time in my life time, and I've lived up there my whole life, that I'd gotten to see what the bottom of Shaver Lake looked like.  Now true, snow is covering everything, but it really was a neat and beautiful thing to see.

In this picture you can see both the old dam that has been under water for many many years and the "new" dam that they have been making repairs to.  I wish I knew more of the history of Shaver Lake especially since I'd lived in the area my whole life but I'm at least grateful that I had the opportunity to see a little of that history.

This Girl's Experience with the Blackout: Internet Censorship

Today has been an interesting day for me.  It started at 5:30am when after doing my morning scripture study I fired up my computer to start working on my book.  An e-mail popped up from the soaping forum I belong to telling me I had a message on one of the forums I posted to. When I went to look at it I received another message telling me that the site was shut down today because they were on strike against internet censorship.  I thought to myself, "fine, I'll just look at it later," and then I went to work on my book.

Well, about an hour later I was deep into the outline for the next couple sequences that I'll be writing in my book and I needed to look up a term to make sure that I was using it correctly.  My usual desktop dictionary that I love to use also has a Wikipedia link where you can do a little more research on the term that you are searching and it just so happens that I desperately needed that function this morning.  Now before I go any further, I will point out that I do know I can go to other sites to search for things and I can even crack open an actual encyclopedia but let's face it. . . I was in a hurry and Wikipedia is just so convenient.  So when I went there, the above picture is what I got.

Ok, so I was a little annoyed.  I enjoy my free speech rights and I am against censorship but I know about the SOPA (H.R. 3261) and the Protect IP Act (Senate Bill 968) and I didn't need someone to be shoving it down my throat (which actually is their right because of the First Amendment of the constitution)

Well, because I do like to be an informed citizen and not just follow the whims of what is popular, I swallowed the bait and started some reading.  I read articles on what people were saying about it.  I went to the Drudge Report.  I went to the local radio talk show's web site to see if anyone was talking about it there.  I read the summaries of the bills.  And then after reading these things, I tried to go back to my day and live my life.

Then it came up again.

I went to check on my etsy shop and support for the blackout was there.  It didn't interfere with my ability to work, but it was still there reminding me of the possibilities that could happen if these things pass.  I went to look something up on Google and their logo was blacked out giving their support.  And then, just for kicks, I checked out a number of other sites that I frequently go to and with the exception of the site for my bank and a government operated site for filing my business sales taxes with them, all were showing their support in one form or another for the blackout and against censorship of the internet.

I think that they accomplished something.  "They," the large number of sites that I frequent and have come to rely upon, accomplished disrupting my day and grudgingly getting me to think more about SOPA and the Protect IP Act.  Bravo.  Well played.  But will it be enough?  I wonder sometimes if people are making "much ado about nothing," because supposedly it wouldn't effect the regular common people like me who express my opinions through a blog or any other regular forms of internet activity.  But then I also have to think about this. . . where would it stop?  If "they," the government, can regulate what sites are allowed to operate or what shows up in search engines, then what else in the name of "the greater good" would they then begin to regulate?  These bills aren't about the censorship of the people per say, but it could be a very dangerous start.

How about this, instead of censoring the internet, or anything for that matter, why not just go after the people who commit the crime?  I know that some of the guilty are in other countries, so work with those countries to stop acts of piracy or other thefts of intellectual property.  I know this is all easier said then done but there has to be a way of handling this situation without it ultimately leading to internet censorship in the end.

Our first amendment right to free speech is not something we should take for granted.  This right is one of the fundamental things that makes the United States of America such a wonderful place to be. And it's not just the right to free speech but every other right granted to us in the constitution.   It's our duty as American citizens to protect these rights and I believe that our freedom of speech is the tool by which we are able to protect our rights and help to make the country, and world a better place.  So stand up and pay attention to what's happening not just with SOPA and the Protect IP Act, but with everything.  We should never become so apathetic or lazy that we let our great country be taken from us and we should never, ever give up any bit of our right to speak our own minds.

Little Boy Drawings: Daddy

Here is another Little Boy drawing to add to the archives.  He did this one all by himself and it is a picture of his daddy fighting a monster with a sword and shield with mountains in the background.  I think it's cute how Daddy is the hero.

Clearance Items

Most of the items in my shop are 50% off now and will remain so until they are gone.  I'm just trying to make room for all the new soaps that I will have coming up soon so it's a great opportunity for you to get some of  your favorite soaps at a great price.  Just take a trip over to my shop and see what you might like.  If you are a local, use the code:  local2u for free shipping.  This code is for in person deliver/pick up only.

Not all soaps pictured are still available and more sale items are included then are pictured here.

Hello. . . It's the McGhies

I would say that I'm shocked that I let a whole month pass by without posting on this blog but in reality the time went by so quickly and we were so incredibly busy that it's really not all that surprising.  Between a craft show, holiday sales, custom orders, multiple post office trips, Holiday parties, school Christmas programs, finals, laundry, holiday cooking, Christmas shopping, wrapping, packing, delivering goodie plates, getting sick (still sick), driving up to Washington and back as well as the countless other items I forgot to mention, we... have... been... swamped!  But that's ok.  Aside from the getting sick part we have had a really enjoyable time.

We stayed home for Christmas this year which is the first time doing so for our family.  Even though it was very nice and relaxing to actually be home for Christmas, Christmas day was somewhat hectic and frustrating for me.  Ok, so really it was the getting kids ready for church and then sacrament meeting that was hectic.  We were actually late to church for the first time ever.  I am a punctual person and that morning everything just seemed to prevent us (me and the kids) from getting there on time including being short a car seat. 

Once there at church and in an empty seat (not our usual spot), the kids started a brawl while the sacrament was being passed.  They NEVER do that.  Full out hitting and yelling.  And yes, or course Bryce was sitting up on the stand and there was no one sitting with me to help. I felt like hiding under the pew.  Help did come eventually.  When I had to get up to play the piano for the Primary kids to sing, wonderful Megan Cluff swooped in help.  (THANK YOU MEGAN!)  After the primary children sang, I spoke for a little bit on my testimony of the Savior's birth, and then spent the rest of the meeting out in the foyer with all three kids who just did not want to get along.  Since church was just an hour long on Christmas, I ended up going back home feeling drained and frustrated.  I don't wish away the days but I do look forward to the time when I can actually get something out of church again. We went home and I cooked Christmas dinner for the family and the missionaries.  We had a very enjoyable time and the day ended up being very nice.

The next day we drove up to Zillah, Washington to visit our friends the Iversons.  It was a very, very long drive but worth it.  The Iversons are our closest friends and we hadn't seen them since they moved up to Washington about six months ago.  It was almost as if no time had passed and I think we spent every night except one playing games and staying up way too late.  While there we went to Toppinesh, Granger, Tri-Cities (???) and Yakima.  Bryce got to see the Columbia River Temple, and we also got to visit the Yakima Cultural Center (I think that is what it is called).  We spent a week up there and actually just got home yesterday at 3:30am. 

Well I may do another Zillah post, especially to explain the above picture, but for now I'm going to call this good.  I've got more laundry to do (go figure hu?).