Project 4: Baby Journal + status updates

I'm not much of a diary writer, but I love the idea of preserving memories, thoughts, and feelings on paper. (that's kind of what blogs are for!) I have some nice journals that are just not getting used, and I had a good idea a few nights ago on how to use them. I will preface my idea by saying that during pregnancy, I used to go on babycenter.com a lot and they send out emails every week that say how your baby is growing and weekly activities and stuff like that. One week the activity was to write a letter to your baby. I think I was 8 months along when I wrote it. We still didn't know her name, so I wrote Dear Baby. So I decided a few weeks ago that I would continue to write her letters, and give them to her when she moves out. But then a few nights ago, I thought why not write them in a journal? That way they will all be in the same place! So that's the plan. I just keep forgetting to start it!

Here's some updates on previously started projects:
Knitted blocks: I have one completely knitted, one halfway knitted, I just have to cover the blocks with fabric first because the styrofoam is kind of sharp, and then I was thinking of attaching velcro to one side of the knitted cube to make it removable for washing. It's going slow, but I really only have time to do this at school during my lunch break if I don't have homework.

Garden: My seeds are still doing well, I finished all the digging, now I just have to remove the grass and add some compost and I'm ready to plant. This is my slowest going project because someone has to be here to watch the baby while I work.

Eat Healthy: This one's going really well!
Here's some of what we've been eating:

Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade marinara and garlic bread

Peanut padang tofu and veggies with wild rice

Project 3: Eat Healthy

Let me start this off by saying I love food. I love eating, I love cooking, and I really love eating. I'm hungry right now, and I'd probably go get a snack if I didn't have a sleeping baby in my arms. I'm also a vegetarian, and have been for about 4 years. (it's awesome!) But even though I don't eat meat, I don't eat the healthiest diet in the world. I love to snack, and I looove sweets. I could probably eat sweets all day long and not feel sick. I'm pretty sure I've done it too (home alone, summer vacation maybe?).
Anyways, having a baby really got me started thinking about food and setting a good example. Yeah, I know the basics on nutrition already--doesn't mean I follow it most of the time. Sure, I read ingredients and nutrition facts on everything I buy--doesn't mean I won't buy that candy bar or bag of chips. What I needed was motivation: something (or someone) to force me to do better. I'm not saying I had a shit diet before, probably better than a lot of people's, but I definitely have a LOT of room for improvement.

My goal is to eat more fresh, whole foods. I'm kind of stuck on this pasta/stir fry/whatever's in the freezer rotation because half the time I'm too tired to cook a nice meal, but I want that to stop. I need more creativity!
So, I'm going to post pictures of the healthy meals I've been making!

whole grain spaghetti, spinach and cheese ravioli with pesto; cannelini beans with roasted veggies

leftover fajita veggies, spanish rise, sesame spinach with almonds, garlic lemon tofu

Damn, just looking at this food makes me hungry. I woke the baby up because my leg fell asleep and now I can't walk because of the tingles. I guess i'll never get my snack. I really want nachos.... (not healthy!)

As I write this I remember that we're going out for pizza tonight, score! I think i'll postpone healthy until tomorrow. I did a good job yesterday though, I swear! (fruit smoothie and toast for bfast, veggie pesto and hummus sandwich for lunch, and wild rice, veggie souffle and veggies for dinner). Plus, who can resist date night and pizza in one go? Not me.

Project 2: Garden!

I've always loved having a garden. It's so nice to just go outside and pick fresh, ripe vegetables for dinner. And what better for a vegetarian( or anybody) than to have a steady stream of cheap organically grown produce available every day? So, I'm excited for this one. We have a prohibitively small backyard, so the garden is going to take up at least half of it. Eric says I can use the whole thing since we never use it, but it's just too much work right now so I'm hoping to add to it slowly as the seasons pass. With the baby around, I hardly ever get a chance to go out and dig. Consequently, I've been working on it for months and am still not finished and I really need to start planting.
Here's what it looks like so far:

I'll tell you what, digging up sod is a lot of work!
About 2 months ago I started the first batch of seeds in a flat, and one month ago the second batch. Here's how they look now:

Here's what's above:

• crookneck squash
• patty pan squash
• lemon cucumber
• eggplant
• jalapeno
• strawberry spinach
• black krim tomato
• cherry tomato
• yellow pear tomato
• roma tomato
• cherokee purple tomato
• pearson tomato
• basil

Here's what I still have to plant:

• carrot
• bell pepper
• lettuce
• mesclun salad greens
• zucchini
• broccoli
• anaheim pepper

I can't wait for all the fresh veggies! I need to start planting asap because the seedlings are starting to wilt. The little peat pellets are too small, the roots are already coming out the sides. Hopefully this weekend I can get all the grass removed, then its just add some compost, rake, and plant! I'm going to do intensive planting instead of rows.
I bought all my seeds from bountiful gardens a place in Northern California. All the seeds are open pollinated and heirloom and really inexpensive. I bought some and so did my mom and we share.

Project 1: Knitted Blocks

Before Sienna was born I bought a book called Easy Baby Knits, and one of the patterns that really caught my eye was one for knitted building blocks. So I've finally started on them. I've had to adapt the pattern as it calls for 4 inch cubes and I was only able to find 5 inch and 3 inch ones.

my colors

so far I have 5 squares done, and am working on the last side of the first cube! I think I'm going to cover the cube in fabric first because the styrofoam flakes off into these sharp bits that I really don't like. I'm just going to go to the thrift store and buy some big t-shirts for that. I'll update as I get further along!

Intro

I'm Skye, 21 (though soon to be 22), and mama to a beautiful baby girl named Sienna. I don't get much time to myself, but there are many things I like to do when I find the time. Among these are knitting, photography, sewing, gardening, cooking, etc etc. After Sienna was born, it was hard to find time and energy to do anything for myself, but now that she's getting older I'm able to do more. I'm also going to school, so I'm cutting into my study time with me time, but so far it seems to be going well. My goals are to teach Sienna about the beautiful things in life that aren't all about flashing lights and sounds. I want to teach her about the joys of making things with your own hands, and going outside and smelling the fresh clean air and the sweet earth. I really love my life and I want to share all of it with her. Of course, she's only 5 months old, so for now I'm doing all this for me. I want to feel good about the things I've done and make some really awesome stuff in the process.

On to the projects!