Garden Changes & A Bit O' Preservation

The garden is in transition. We're still getting green beans and the tomatos came on full force. I picked our one red pepper this last week and we managed to get three small-medium pumpkins. I spent part of the weekend ripping out some of the stuff that has passed its prime and some that never really did what it was supposed to do. We did fairly well for our first trial run and we're discussing adding winter covers to one of the raised beds to try our hand at some basic fall/winter gardening. There definitely will be some changes to the lay-out of the raised beds next year, but altogether I am impressed by the variety of fruit and veggies that we planted, grew, and harvested. A few things to add for next year: other herbs (especially basil), potatoes, potentially corn, and hot peppers. A few garden pictures and one of preservation:

 The last artichoke blossom left to seed.

Two tiny cantalope that hopefully will still be good eating.

Some of the sweetest grapes we've ever eaten, coming over the fence from the neighbors.

 Harvest one of the tomatoes.

And I can take absolutely no credit for this, but my parents gave hub and I their old canner to use and hub made his first batch of salsa. He has a few other recipes in mind, but we'll see how timing goes with the craziness of the week ahead of us. His salsa is delicious and mild enough for me, although he wishes it was spicy enough for him. ;) Now that he's got the canning part down though, hopefully we can try our hand at more preservation next year.



Chick Update

At the one week marker of having the chicks in our home, we lost the smallish one. My aunt had come over to meet 'em and announced that Pip Squeak didn't look like she was doing too well and sure enough when I got up the next morning she was stiff. We'd tried to do some research and do what we could to help her, but she must have been too far gone by the time we noticed. Sad day for Pip Squeak, but luckily the other two seem to have really bonded and are thriving for now. The other plus side is that losing Pip Squeak got hub on board a bit more and he's been a fabulous help throughout the craziness of the last week. So here are the two survivors, pecking away at the area rug in the office:

 Hub built a perch and they've come to absolutely love it! They've also been upgraded to our mid-size dog kennel so they have even more room when they're "cooped up." :)

Major has stopped caring as much about the chicks. He still hangs out in "their" room most of the time but he's back to his regular lazy self.

It took Lady a week to even notice the chicks since she's in the house much less than any of the other animals and really only ventures into a few rooms in the house. She is the huntress and is fascinating by these chirping creatures that are behind bars. ;)

And ironically Anna continues to LOVE them. If they squawk and she's across the house, she comes running to investigate. If their cage is open she wants to be right there to keep watch and "help." First thing in the morning she runs to make sure they're still there and doing alright. We're continuing to build their relationship as we hope it will transfer outdoors--in case there start to be any critter issues, hopefully Anna will protect them.

We also are trying to make sure that we take them out of the dog kennel and give them time to run around free every day. Last week we alternating evenings running around in the office with sunny afternoons outside. Additionally, I introduced them to our raised beds a few days ago and they absolutely love them. They're fluffing their feathers and burrowing, plus are able to get some good grit from the dirt, etc. It's highly entertaining to watch and the dogs are constantly whining at the injustice of the chicks getting to be in the raised beds even though the dogs aren't allowed. ;)

To say the peepers are "cheep" entertainment is hardly even giving them full justice. ;)

It's All About Presentation

So if you know me really and truly, then you know that I've had a secret love affair for YEARS with the BBC and TLC versions of What Not to Wear (WNTW). Now while I will readily admit that I am definitely not Ms Fashionista (in fact there is much that is IN fashion that I think is ridiculous to spend money on) and while I also have issues with how fashion influences our throw-away-focused society, I have to say that I definitely think that how an individual dresses oneself can say a lot about him/her.

The interactions that I have with many individuals in my professional roles are sometimes influenced by whatever I am wearing. For example, when I am dressed in a professional manner (think pencil skirt and button-up shirt), I definitely receive more respect from fellow coworkers and from my students. In the past, I have noticed times when I have received better service while traveling and in other public situations based on what my appearance conveyed. I also can say from additional personal experience that what I wear on any given day generally is reflective of my mood and/or assists in changing that mood. For example, heels give me better posture, help make me feel more assertive, and thus convey more confidence.

The PNW (Pacific NorthWest) is known for its laid back attire, ie cargo khakis can be considered dressy here and fleece is in fashion no matter the season. We tend to think casual is a good thing and we don't hold it against people for showing off their awesome tattoos and piercings.  In the heart of my public health grad program and my focus on a life of simplicity, I wore less make-up and limited my wardrobe to what was always functional and what was needed. BUT the real South is a much different place in terms of a woman's presentation and frequently a woman is judged on her appearance. From my time in the South and in my adjustment to marriage, I definitely returned to putting more time in with my appearance, making sure to "put my face on" almost every.single.day, and taking care to select work appropriate attire which conveyed both professionalism and a feminine touch. Thus fashion in a sense has been its own transition for me after moving back from the South, and even though I'm back in our great PNW I'm not really noticing too much of a deviation from the professional dress standards that I adopted from the South (especially since they follow "the rules" of WNTW--double win!). As much as I really do hate to say it, one's appearance definitely sends a message to the individuals s/he interacts with and it does have the ability to impact the initial assumption that is created. In my professional role, I always want the initial perception to be a positive one, so to me putting in time to convey a message of professionalism is something that I feel to be important.

However, I definitely don't feel like a put-together-look has to be expensive. I will readily admit that my two go-to stores for YEARS (for work clothes especially) have been Target and JC Penney (and in rural Louisiana, they were my only real options anyway), although I'm a huge fan of finding JCrew style in their racks. ;) Moving back has had additional perks, as during the last few weeks, my mother has altered some of my clothes to better fit my body--LOVE THIS and I owe her immense gratitude.

Additionally, one thing clothing wise that I am absolutely loving about being back in the PNW is the fabulous availability of thrift and second-hand stores. Thrift stores in our rural location in the South never were that great and so it's been nice to be back in the land of reuse, where even "new" clothes can help save the pocket book and the environment. (And if I hit the downtown ones, I actually CAN find JCrew.....) Another thing I always love is when any of my friends of a similar size clean out closets....some of my most loved items have been acquired via someone else. ;) Thus I'm sure you can imagine how on cloud nine I was when two weeks ago I finally hit up the local Goodwill and picked up some immense steals:

Awesome (H&M) skirt for work: $4.99

PERFECTLY tailored work pants (Express) aka my butt has never looked so fabulous: $7.99

Black heeled patent shoes: $4.99 each

(Although I will totally admit that the pair on the left, while it was the EXACT shoe I've been searching for throughout the last 3 months, was at Goodwill for the simple reason that it rubs feet raw....so they've been relegated out of the closet....at least it's only $4.99 down and I still got two different wears out of them.....)

And this is also a pair of my most recent fab finds via my gal Heather who hosted a blog sale of her cast offs this summer and allowed me to scoop up this comfortable and amazing pair for a fraction of the price brand-new. (Plus the dogs LOVED smelling their old doggie friends via the package when it arrived!) I really love her idea of hosting a sale like this via the blog, if you want to see how she did it, you can find it here.

Since I'm such a fan of saving the greens (both the dollars and the Earth), anything I no longer wear I ALWAYS either pass on to someone else or donate to Goodwill, as long as it still has life left in it. It's incredibly rare that I throw clothes out and in the few moments that I do (aka ratty underwear or a totally stained tank), I still feel a sense of guilt.

Ironically this entire post originated in a mad closet organization session I launched on Labor Day, where hub had the immense joy (sarcasm) of watching me try on almost every.single.item in my closet and assist me in deciding if it looked good, bad, or tolerable. If I didn't love it or hadn't worn it, it either got put in the "mom-please-alter" pile or the donation pile (minus a few extreme winter items). The whole clean out process was good because I realized I have a lot more than I thought I did, I took stock of what I do have and developed some new combinations, and I made sure that whatever is in my closet is actually realistic for both my work and/or personal life. Now its all organized and it makes getting ready for work a more pleasant experience.

And since you've made it this far in the post, I'll let you in on a little fashion happiness secret:

one of Roxi's most-favorite-things-ever is "assisting" me with dressing for work in the morning. Every morning when I head into "my" room and open the closet to decide what to wear, Roxi comes scampering alongside with her tail a-waggin' and her big ol' smile. I know when she really approves of something when she flops down on her back and begs for a tummy scratch---that most definitely means the outfit is a keeper. ;) She (and a big cup of espresso) make getting dressed in the mornings a pretty entertaining experience! (And yes, if I could loan her out to put a smile on everyone's face, I most definitely would!)

(Two much older but similar posts I've written on clothes can be found here and here.)

So what about you---do you think fashion matters? Do you have a go-to outfit that you fall back on every time?

Hope you have been enjoying a great week and here's to a great weekend!

Fill in the Blank Friday

Image taken from the Fill in the Blank Friday post hosted by The Little Things We Do.

Sometimes I really enjoy jumping in with the blogging community and I recently found The Little Things We Do and enjoyed some of the fun things she sponsors/hosts on her blog. If you care to participate, vist and link up! ;)

1. You should always take time to floss. Dental hygiene impacts many other areas of your personal health! 


2. Coffee and dogs make(s) the world a happier place to be.

3. I can hardly wait for a) organization and balance to arrive with the new job and b) the happy dance I will do once my student loans are paid in full.

4. Any day off is my favorite day of the week.

5. Something totally dumb and ridiculous that I love is beating hub to the punch when collecting the mail (although other days I love letting him have the joy of it!).
6. If I could, I would a) erase all suffering in the world and b) travel the world on vacation.
7. I rather like sleeping in and staying up late.

Weekend plans:
--Upload and finish prepping for my fall courses
--RELAX
--Perhaps test drive cars
--Perhaps paint a room (or two) in the house
--Read

Letter to a Military Spouse

This has been going around Facebook and I decided to hunt it down online to see if I could find the author. I know this won't apply to everyone, but I've been feeling the need to pass it on to my military wife gals, especially those currently supporting a deployed spouse or looking toward a deployment in the coming year. I can't speak from experience as by the time I met hub he'd just returned from a 15 month deployment, and luckily he didn't have to deploy at his final duty station for the first two years of our marriage/relationship. But for all my military wife gals, here ya go:

"Letter to a Military Spouse

While I have never had the pleasure of meeting you and your husband, I felt the need to write you and express a very deep feeling that I have in my heart.

I as a person, am not brave. I do not tackle things head on, as I hate confrontation. I will travel 100 miles out of my way just to avoid a conflict. I am a American woman that has no idea what is going on in the military other that what I hear on the news. I never had to let go of someone so that they could go fight for people that they did not know, people that sometimes do not appreciate or understand what they are fighting for.

I have never had a sleepless night of worry because of a report that another bomb has exploded and I still haven’t heard from my husband. I have never had to wait for months on end to hold the one that I loved so.

I have never had to tell my children that daddy wasn’t coming home tonight because he was so far away fighting for something that they aren’t yet old enough to understand. I have never had to hold my head up high and suppress the tears as I hear that it will be at least another six months of separation before my loves one gets to come home.

I have never had to deal with a holiday away from the one that I thought I would share every day of my life with.

And I have never had to feel the panic, rising in my heart at the sound of a ringing phone or knock at the door for fear that it is the news that everyone is terrified of getting.

For the reasons listed above, I can not tell you that I understand how you feel. I can not tell you that you must be strong. I can not say that you shouldn’t be angry, because you " knew what you were getting into when you married a military man." I can not say these things because I have never had to walk in your shoes.

What can I say for certain is that because of your unselfish acts of bravery and your husbands willingness to stand up for those who see him as "just another soldier"—- I will never have to walk in your shoes.

I do understand that a military wife you are expected to uphold a certain amount of control , but I never understood how you could do it, until now. I have figured out that you are not like other woman. You are of a special breed. You have a strength within you, that holds life together in the darkest of hours, a strength of which I will never possess. The faith you have is what makes you stand out in a crowd; it makes you glow with emotion and swell with pride at the mention of The United States of America.

You are a special lady, a wonderful partner and a glorious American. I have more respect for your husband than I could ever tell you, but until recently I never thought much about those that the soldier leaves at home during deployment.

Until this moment I could never put into words exactly what America meant to me.

Until this moment, I had no real reason to… Until I heard of you.

Your husband and his military family hold this nation close, safe from those who wish to hurt us…. But you and those like you are the backbone of the American family. You keep the wheels in motion and the hearts alive while most would just break completely down. Military families make this nation what is today.

You give us all hope and you emit a warming light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Because of you and your family…I am able to be me. I am able to have my family. I am able to walk free in this great land. Because of you and your family, I can look ahead to the future with the knowledge that life is going to be okay. Because of you and your family, I can awake to a new day, everyday.

I realize that you are a stronger person than I will ever be because of these things and I just wanted to take the time today to say thank you to you and your family for allowing me that freedom.

I will never be able to repay this dept to you, as it is unmatchable. However, I hope that you know that no matter where you are… what you doing… what has happened today…or what will happen tomorrow…your husband will NEVER be "just another soldier" to me… And you, my dear sweet lady, will never be forgotten.

You are all in my prayers everyday and I pray that God will bring you back together with your loved one safely.

Sincerely,
Melissa G. Bouldin-Reeves"

We've Got New Friends!

Three lil' chickies sitting in a box. The poor things had quite an eventful first few hours in my care as I bought them in Vancouver, WA when I was picking up my bridesmaid dress and meeting the bride-to-be for conversation/lunch. I couldn't exactly leave them in the hot car during lunch, so I attempted to sneak them into the bar/restaurant, although their peeping soon made them not-quite-so-hidden. Luckily the manager gave me the go-ahead to keep attempting to hide them, and then when there was about 10 minutes left of lunch and their chirps were getting louder, I took them outside to chill out in the shade until we were done. Thanks to the bride-to-be for being such a good sport for my chickies today! ;)

Major and Anna were quite intrigued by the chickies. In fact, Major didn't leave the cage for the first hour that they were here, hence why they are in a locked old puppy kennel....no critters can get in at them!

Anna and I laid in front watching them for quite a while. The lil' chicks are pure entertainment!

Of the three, we have one that is quite smaller than the other, one that is much more vocal than the rest and already had a blocked poop vent that I had to clear, and then another larger and more adventurous gal. Well at least we're hopeful they're all girls, really and truly.....AND that they make it to adulthood in my care. 

I've dove back into the chick-care book and already made some slight changes. The water dispenser is sitting on a plate to make it harder for them to contaminate their own water with their feces. I've instructed hub to help monitor the-poo-in-the-water situation so we decrease their chances of getting sick. I cleaned off the lil blocked vent chick so she hopefully won't croak this soon on us, and I'm monitoring where they are in the kennel in relationship to the heat lamp. 

We did spend about an hour with the three of them tucked up in my curled up shirt, snuggling on the couch and they actually were pretty content with that situation. Now they're passed out--hopefully for a while and hopefully content in their little abode! They're incredibly sweet and seem to like when I pet their lil heads. ;)

And in case you're a chicken lover, they are Blue Laced Red Wyandottes, which means they might look like these when they're older:

Pretty no?! Picture taken from FeatherSite.com. 

Now I've just got to get hub to build them a coop ;)