A Slow Transformation

Obviously, I like to spend much of my time in the kitchen. It's really the only place (other than a yoga studio) I can truly clear my head and feel creative. However...the actual environment of my current kitchen is very dark, dreary, and dirty (in places). We've been here for almost three years, and I have detested the nasty carpet and dark ceilings. Seriously?! Who puts carpet in a kitchen. God only knows what's in that carpet no matter how hard those lovely professional carpet cleaners worked. Every yogurt, milk, juice stain is forever soaked in. I can barely bring myself to walk barefoot. Blah.

Next off, the ceiling is a tin design. Which is cool, but it's gold (never loved) and in the darkest corner of our house. Between the dark floor, dark ceiling, and dark oak cabinets I often feel like I'm in a dungeon. So! My lovely, lovely husband has begun our transformation. As you can see above, we are painting over the tin. That light fixture is gone and will soon be replaced. And, on July 28 my extraordinary husband and father-in-law will install a new bamboo floor! (Huge sigh of relief.) I'm already feeling like I could cry. My dream kitchen is on the horizon.

Here we go!

Wow...I haven't blogged in nearly TWO and a half MONTHS! The reason for this is that I am nearly 16 weeks pregnant with my third "veggie" baby. :) This pregnancy has been much more difficult than the other two thus far. I've felt sick every day since I found out. Therefore, my presence in the kitchen has been sparse - mostly just running in and out to avoid the smells of dirty dishes and most foods. I have seen improvement in the last week or two (as well as bought a dishwasher), so I'm excited to get back to cooking and helping myself recuperate by feeding myself well. I've got iced raspberry leaf lemon tea as my assignment this week. I thrived off of it during Aksel's pregnancy and look forward to enjoying it for many months to come. Best!

That's Why We Don't Eat Animals

I recently began my search for a simple, clear children's book about vegetarianism. I wanted something more than a story about an unrealistic, cartoon animal, as well as a story that touched on the environment and American factory farms (the main reason why we are strict vegetarians). I was really happy to find That's Why We Don't Eat Animals by Ruby Roth.

My three-year-old found the pictures to be very interesting, but he wasn't completely enthralled by the story...I think he may be a tad young to fully understand it. I hope to buy it and have it as our main vegetarian book, so the children can read it when they've got questions as to why we don't eat meat. It's hasn't been an issue yet, and I feel fortunate to live somewhere where my children's eating habits will barely shock a soul. However, they're still going to be different, and I hope to have many resources to help them figure it out.

I personally enjoyed the story, because it made me think more about the animals and how they were made to live. I often just get caught up on ethics of the American factory farms and how it's so hard on our world. Being reminded that we are all "earthlings" really resounded with me, and why it's difficult for me to eat animals and why I never will again.

On my list of many things I want to do this year, writing a reflective essay about raising a vegetarian family is one of them...let's see if it happens.

PS - Another fun find has been the final track on Alphabutt: Sunbeams and Some Beans by Kimya Dawson. It's a simple story about the injustice of our current food system. Again, it's not all gloom and doom, but just an honest story with some hopeful steps of how you can make a difference.

Here I go!

I did it. I created a blog!

Over the past few months, I have found myself scratching down favorite recipes, books and new ideas with the plans of throwing it all on a blog. I hope you enjoy my stories, and I hope to hear yours!

Cheers!
Erin