Dishwasher Detergent Chronicles

Well, as many of you know, I am on a slllloooowwwwww quest to rid my household of unnatural toxins. Here are my guidelines for now:

1. Use up what I have that works for me now or find a good home for it. The idea is to minimize waste.

2. Replace with well-researched options from companies who conduct themselves with morals and values that align with my own and with an emphasis on supporting local small businesses.

3. Replace with items that are effective!

4. Remember that keeping costs low is a priority, but not THE priority. Sometimes it is financially worth it, to me, to support a great company and a great product.

5. Aim for simple and homemade but no lamenting when my homemade option stinks.


6. No fretting when a good option isn't available, viable, or practical. The grand scheme of things is what matters in the long run.


So, where did I start?

Dishwasher: We didn't have a dishwasher at our old house so that was one of the first things on my mind when we moved to the 1240 House.  First, I bought dishwasher cleaner. It is a small bottle with a wax seal on the top. I don't remember the exact instructions but you put it upside down over a tine and run the dishwasher empty on the hottest setting. It supposedly cleans, freshens, and disinfects. I didn't really care what kind of chemicals were in it because the only thing I find more disgusting than cleaning chemicals is other people's ick and filth. I did run three cycles on hot with copious amounts of white vinegar to make sure all of the toxic-ness from the cleaner was washed away.

As far as day-to-day detergent goes, we finally have settled with two options after SIX failed attempts. Yes, I had dirty dishes coming out of the dishwasher for a very long time because I refused to throw away the failed brands. I started with a non-toxic liquid detergent from Target that only worked about 80% of the time. We thought that maybe our older dishwasher model was just a piece of junk, but then I tried a homemade version with NO borax in it (I'm just not comfortable using Borax on food surfaces) and it did a slightly better job. Stubborn foods like avocado, cooked eggs, and some dairy never really came off so I ended up washing about 5% by hand. We also tried Seventh Generation tablets which didn't fare much better. I slowly worked through all of the non toxic liquids and tablets sold at Central Market (a local co-op type grocer) and Target. The two brands we use now that work wonders are the Honest Co Pods and the Method Smarty Dish Plus Pods.  Note: none of the other Method products worked well for us!

I wish I was one of those people who was awesome about keeping track of prices, but I'm just not. Especially after so many failed attempts, I didn't care how much the pods cost once I found a kind that worked.

So preferences....I don't prefer one option over the other, in the end. I honestly haven't done much research on either company but the ingredients and packaging of the products both meet my standards. When they run out, I'll pay attention to prices, I promise!

Here's the link to the Method product on Amazon. They look to be about $0.30 each before shipping.

Method Smarty Dish Plus, Fragrance Free

And here's the Honest Co link:   Honest Co Dishwasher Pods

95 Days

95 days until our due date. How on earth did it all go by so quickly? When we first found out I was pregnant, the due date seemed forever away. I could blame it on hormones, but I actually cried in October because I felt like I was going to be pregnant and bloated forever and ever and ever and never get to meet the baby.

And now? I'm feeling the opposite; I'd like to keep this bun in the oven for more than just 95 more days. It's miraculously easy being the BEST mom in the world right now. My job description is to eat, sleep, hydrate, waddle, and nest. That's it!

I'm sure when I'm full-term and truly waddling that I will say otherwise. I'm positive I'll be begging baby to make her appearance, but for right now, I'm already feeling sad that she won't be in there, kicking around, for much longer. I'm already feeling sad about how empty I will feel (physically and emotionally) when she's born into the big, scary world.

Then again, I know how completely excited I am to meet her, smell her, and hold her. Maybe 95 days is just the right amount.

Stuffed Zucchini and Cauliflower Bites

Well, I have a few minutes on my hands for once, so I thought I'd share tonight's dinner.

(Also, in case you were wondering, Don is in the garage, working on a new project that isn't any of the ones I put in my last "Project Ideas" entry. You'll have to be patient and find out whenever I get around to posting again!)

Tonight we had Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini and Cauliflower Bites. Both turned out awesomely and made for a super-hearty, vegetarian meal. 

(Also, also, in case you were wondering, neither of us are vegetarian, but we do try to incorporate several vegetarian meals into our meal planning to save money and for the health benefits. Many of them turn out dismally, so it was nice to have a good one tonight.

A disclaimer or two: I always, always line pans with foil because I'm lazy and I hate doing dishes by hand. If you don't want to, don't. If I forget to mention it in every recipe, assume I do.  Finally, please forgive the quality of my photos....they are taken on the fly with a camera phone and are for general entertainment only.   :)

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Recipe

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed (I used organic Bob's Red Mill quinoa which doesn't need rinsing)
-5 medium zucchini, about 8-9 inches long
-1 15 oz can of beans, rinsed (I used cannellini tonight and we didn't love them....trying black beans next)
-2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
-1/2 cup chopped almonds (about 2 oz, but I was generous)
-2 cloves of garlic, chopped (or about two tablespoons of the jarred stuff since I'm too lazy to chop garlic)
-3 oz grated parmesan (I used organic parmesan/romano blend from Trader Joes)
-4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1. In a large pot or pan, boil 1 cup of water. Add quinoa, give a quick stir, reduce heat to medium, and cover. Leave for 12 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Don't let it cook after the water is gone or you'll get the wonderful opportunity to cook it twice!  Remove from heat, fluff (I don't actually know what this means...I just stir it), and cover.

2. While quinoa cooks, rinse and halve the zucchinis, carefully. They are tricky little suckers that like to roll around. Science, please make me some square zucchinis!! Cut off the ends and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. I did several passes because it was hard to actually see the seeds in the zucchini that I had. I left about 1/4 inch of zucchini "meat" in the skin. Put the zucchini in baking dishes lined with foil.

3. When quinoa finishes cooking, preheat oven to 400F. Fold beans, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, 2/3 of the cheese, and 3 tablespoons of the oil into the quinoa.

4. Spoon/stuff the zucchini with the filling, making it slightly mounded over the top.  Top with remaining oil and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more until golden brown. Enjoy!  Or cover with foil to keep warm and enjoy whenever you can convince your husband to come in from the garage.  Also, we weren't sure how to actually EAT these, but it turns out you can just cut the whole thing into bite sized pieces with a fork and eat! The zucchini flesh is soft.


Cauliflower Bites

Ingredients:
-1 head cauliflower (organic heads always last longer in my fridge and are worth the cost to me for that reason)
-1/4 cup olive oil, give or take. I don't actually measure out the volume.
-3 tbsp lemon juice. Again, I don't measure.
-2 cloves of chopped garlic or two tbsp minced jar garlic. 
-Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. If you're doing these with the zucchini, I started after the zucchini went into the oven.  Break down the cauliflower into florets. There are some good youtube videos showing how OR you can just cut it into quarters and sort of cut out the stemmy parts and rip off the florets. Either way tastes the same.  I learned that this makes a big mess either way you do it so next time, I'll do it over the sink. You can throw your florets into a large roasting pan lined with foil.

2. If you're like me, then the timer just went off for the zucchini, so pull the foil off and avoid steam burns. Now back to the cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil generously. Spoon the garlic overtop in a haphazard way, pretending like you sort of care that it is equally distributed.  Turn the spoon over and gently pour your lemon juice over the spoon to give the florets a little citrus shower. Top with salt and pepper.

3. Whenever your zucchini get done hogging your oven (if you are a person with two ovens, I don't want to hear about it!!)  then cover them up with foil to keep warm and crank your oven up to 500F. Bake the cauliflower for 15 minutes, stirring every five or so.

4. That's it! Eat!!

Here's the quinoa, bubbling away, the SECOND time.

Masterfully carved zucchini. I ended up using two pans to make it all fit.

Chopped almonds...I used a Pampered Chef chopper which is a Godsend!

Rinsed beans with chopped tomatoes thrown on top.

Bahahaah. I forgot to take pictures of the cauliflower.

Gratuitous cute dog picture.

Project Wishlist

Well, now that we have basic mastery of our table saw, I'm excited to design and build things for around the house to my specifications and in my limited house budget. Here are some ideas:

I'd love to put our beloved coat tree and matching bench from my parents in the garage since we don't really have room for them in our current entry way. Instead, I'd love something flatter than hangs on the wall and would have a mirror and some strong hooks for coats. Someday we'll live somewhere with space for my coat tree again! I saw a photo in a magazine (pardon the horrid photo) and have been musing on it since:

Actually, I think this is straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog and the price was insane. I think it'd be easy to find a good-sized mirror from Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity Shop and build around it. Instead of those shelf cubbies, I think a plain shelf across there would be dandy. I also want to put in a small, discreet hook up in the corner so Don can hang his cover there. Where's a good place to get hooks with character?

The other project on my mind comes from Pinterest and is a tribute to my neglected master bedroom. The master bedroom is arguably the nicest room in the house because it is huge and full of light. However, it has been at the bottom of my list when it comes to decorating. We'll get there...someday. I spend so little time awake in that room, that I'd rather put my little house budget towards the living areas. Anyways, I'm looking forward to having matching planters for our matching dressers that look like this:

Pretty!

I like how they add a lot of impact but don't take up much real-estate. I'm hoping to find some good tutorials for how to make them look like vintage crates with black paint or something similar.

The next Pinterest thing on my list is a giant letter H for my mantel similar to this one:

I'm pretty sure from reading the tutorial months ago, that this one is cardboard with the design painted on in Elmer's Glue with a coat of black paint, a coat of white paint, and light distressing.  Sounds good to me. Except no cardboard.  Things need to be durable to survive in this house.

After that, the projects get bigger and more involved like custom built-ins in my office. Eeek!  Let's hope we're here long enough to have time for something like that, especially once baby comes.

Nursery Progress!

Don was hard at work this weekend so I decided to devote a post to all of his hours of labor and to give everyone who is curious a little sneak peak inside the nursery.

First, here's a little history on the nursery:

Our upstairs has the master bedroom, master bath, two extra bedrooms, and a guest bathroom. When we first found out we were expecting, I chose the bedroom at the end of the hall, closest to the bathroom and farthest from the master to be the nursery. It's a bright room and I liked that it was close to the bathroom.  The next weekend, we spent hours moving around furniture, trying to make everything fit right in the nursery and the guest bedroom. It was dismal. We quit only because I was sweaty and tired and knew Don was on the verge of divorce. (Not really.) 

However, I was not happy with the layout of EITHER room. They were both tough puzzles to crack. The nursery had to hold the crib, dresser/changing table combo, a full-size bed, a book case, and a glider with ottoman. I wanted the crib to be far away from the window and not within reach of anything else, have the changing table near the crib, have the book case near the glider, and have a little floor space to boot. In the guest room we needed to fit two large dog crates, a large dresser, and a queen sized bed! EEK.  It all technically fit but something just nagged at me.

I ended up finding a nifty, FREE tool on pinterest called The Make Room which lets you build your floor plan exactly and then try out different furniture arrangements. You can customize every little detail including window sizes and which way the door swing to make sure it will work in real-life. You can find it here!

I spent about thirty minutes measuring the rooms including the windows, closets, and doorways and then another twenty minutes measuring all of the pieces of furniture. It's a good idea to be generous with your measurements to help account for baseboards, furniture anchors, and general human error. I then put another two hours into using The Make Room and scowling at the computer until it all looked perfect. 

Poor Mr. Head. He came home after a full-day at work only to have me spring my "fictional" computer rooms on him. (By the way, I forgot to mention that after tinkering on The Make Room, I decided that the rooms needed to be switched completely!!!)   He let out a sigh and slowly walked upstairs. What a good sport, my husband.

But you know what? The Make Room worked.  I only changed ONE thing after we assembled both rooms and that was to rotate the bed a little.

I went back to Pinterest for some design inspiration and we both agreed that a vibrant green was the answer, especially since we didn't know the gender yet. 

I'll stop boring you with all of this text and share some pics now. They don't really give a good idea of the finished product since it's still mid-construction, but I think you'll be able to tell where it's all headed!!

Pre-construction, the entire house had faux oak trim and doors. ("Faux" because it isn't even real wood....it's like press-board with a plastic veneer made to look like oak.) In many places, the sun has made the stuff fade from "oak" to "pink gross crap."  After my dad sent us home from holiday vacation with a table saw, we decided to start replacing trim in the nursery.

"BEFORE" shot of fake wood trim and door.

As you can see, there's nothing technically wrong with the trim or door as-is but they're bland and very cheap feeling. I am more of a lover of substantial white trim so this is about the opposite of what I dream about. Was I excited when Don said he wanted to help do new trim? Ecstatic.


Here's a photo off of google that shows the color truer to life than my little camera phone does:

A google photo of Benjamin Moore Basil Green

Here's the nursery with all of the trim removed and the upper walls painted. The color is a bit off thanks to my phone cam but you get the idea. The actual color is Benjamin Moore Basil.

We both love the paint color we chose. It's actually a bit bolder than either of us were initially comfortable with, but it really is lovely. Since this house is going to be a rental someday, we were aiming for something gender neutral and happy. This fits the bill! 

The first thing Don did after ripping all of the old trim out was to research, research, research. I really had my heart set on a very plain, craftsman-style, ribbon trim. We ended up choosing 1x6 pine for the baseboards and 1x4 pine for around the doors and window. I bet you're also wondering what we're doing with the bottom half of the walls?! Ok, you might know from past posts, but we're putting up beadboard wainscoting.

This will probably win an award as the worst blog pic ever, but that's OK. Here's a first look at the door trim and baseboard. I can't wait to see it all painted white!

Not bad, eh? I don't have a great imagination when it comes to things like this, but once the wainscoting and chair rail are up and I paint everything white, it's going to look smashing.  Oh, and that dangling light fixture will get some love too. 

Almost there...all of the beadboard is up!

See that long board leaning in the right corner? That's the two-inch chair rail that will cap off the top of the beadboard. We have it all cut and ready to hang, and I'm soooo anxious to see it all up and together.

After that, I have a loooootttt of work ahead of me. I'm the lucky girl who gets to fill every nail hole with spackle, caulk all of the seams, sand, and make every inch beautiful. Then I get to paint. Joy!  I'll post pictures eventually, when it's all done. We have 12 weeks until this baby is full term, so please pray that I get my act together and get it done sooner than later.

So what did we learn?

1. Cutting long boards and sheets on the table saw takes two people, minimum. Since neither of us knew what we were doing, a third probably would've been even better.

2. Always use eye and ear protection. And if you're pregnant, get a good mask for fume and dust protection.

3. Don't let Lowes cut down your giant sheets of beadboard. Their saws are not very accurate and we wish we would've squared off all of the sheets before hanging them. There are gaps at the bottom that will hopefully not be noticeable once I caulk...hopefully.

4. If you know you have a big, stupid dog who is afraid of loud noises, DRUG HIM IMMEDIATELY before you begin cutting or using a pneumatic nailer or you will find him huddled in a corner shivering and drooling everywhere. Poor guy. I have Xanax from the vet that fixed that right up.

5. Trim work is much easier than beadboard and chair rail, but if you have a little gumption and the right tools, you can do it yourself! Really, you can!


Well, I can't wait to see the finished product. We already love the trim so much that we're considering redoing all of the trim in the house.

It's always nice to finish off the post with some sibling love, right?

Three ways to save today.

1. Stop paying for bottled water and get yourself a Brita or other type of water filter. I think I touched on this last post, but bottled water really is insanely expensive. Additionally, many bottles have BPA or other chemicals in them that can leach out if they get warm or exposed to UV light. It is truly worth the investment to get some BPA-free, reusable bottles and a filter and keep them in the fridge. I should post a photo of our fridge currently....we devote an entire shelf (yes, ENTIRE shelf) to our reusable bottles and Brita. There are times where I get frustrated and would prefer to have the space, but those are few and far between. We drink a lot of water (I am for two gallons per day, now that I'm pregnant....it seems to be the right amount for keeping me hydrated) and we both drink about 32 oz before bed. I take one with me every time I leave the house and I'm sure there are a few rolling around in my car. When we empty one, it goes straight into the dishwasher.  Ok, so I know it's an investment, but count up how much you spend on a case of water at Costco or the grocery store and write it on your fridge or somewhere handy.  Give it a month or two and see how it adds up.  For those of you ready to make the leap, consider splurging on a few Contigo waterbottles (on amazon or at Costco) because they are AWESOME. They don't leak, they fit in most cupholders, and, with a little practice, you can drink out of them without sitting up in bed. Lazy points!
2. Make a coupon folder and use it religiously. This is similar to tip #1 except it requires more habit building and almost no investment. Every time a coupon comes your way that you think you'd use, write the expiration date on the top in sharpie, and find your coupon folder. I use a plain manila file folder.  Inside the cover, write down the date the coupon expires along with  the business it is for. Stick it in the file folder.  Once a week (or whenever you think about it, throw away the expired coupons and cross them off the list.)  Now, before you leave the house, you can either browse the envelope and grab coupons you want to use OR browse the envelope and then bring the whole thing with. I'm not a fan of unscripted errand stops so I usually don't bring the whole thing with, but if you get used to checking it every time you leave the house, you'll be surprised. You can also stick any benefit or charity cards you've purchased in there with a blown-up list of all the businesses they work at and give it a once over as well.  We bought a Kitsap Card last year. I paid about $25 for it and definitely got my money back. However, I can't tell you the number of times that I missed out on using it because I forgot I had it with me.
3. Find two "go to" meals for you and your family members that have ingredients that are freezable or have a long shelf life and keep those ingredients on hand. For our family, those meals are meat, cheese, and mustard sandwhiches (I keep three or four pre made in the freezer!), fried egg and avocado sandwhiches (the avocados I only buy when they're ripe and on sale) and an easy, vegetarian soup using chicken broth, chicken bones from the freezer, canned veggies, barley, flax seed, sometimes some pasta, and any other veggies that need to be used up. I'm not a huge fan of ready-made food like Campell's soups or TV dinners because the cheap ones are nasty and the good, healthy, safe ones are expensive (like Annie's).  By the way, if you've never tried any of the Annie's frozen meals, DON'T because they're amazing and you'll crave them forever and ever and they cost an arm and a leg, even with coupons and sales.  With that said, I do keep a handful of read-to-make foods on hand for picky kids or if I'm not feeling well. Trader Joes has a wonderful selection of freezer foods that are relatively healthy and not full of chemicals. They have seasonal sales where we try one box, and if we like it, we go back and stock up. I think right now we have organic mini-pancakes, sweet potato pierogies, and organic broccoli medley in the freezer for a hectic night.
What I've learned through major trial and error is that being healthy and saving money CAN go hand in hand, but it takes a lot of planning, awareness, and good-habit building. It's tough work but it gets easier every week and the fact that I've never been in better health or had so much money in our savings means something is working.
Finally, I have to rant a little after a conversation with a "friend" yesterday.   Just because I tout or talk about a topic doesn't mean I think it's the ONLY way to live and operate. I do not judge others for the bulk of their choices, but I am willing and ready to help them make different choices if they want to.  We, for example, are choosing to cloth diaper (and when I say "we", I mean to say that I chose but my husband is willing). I do think that most disposable diapers are toxic and not something I want on my baby's skin. However, I don't look at other babies in disposables and think, "Geeze, they have negligent parents!" or anything like that. I mostly share our choice to cloth diaper because I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "What? I didn't even know that was an option. Can you tell me more?" or, even more meaningful, I often hear, "My baby has been suffering so much from rashes and serious issues like yeast infections, staph infections, and chemical burns. I didn't even know that it could've been from the chemicals in her diaper. I didn't know that things like dioxin, which is illegal to use in diapers and  tampons in Europe, is in my diapers here..."   So here's my plea: You don't have to read any or all of my wordy posts, but you do have to make choices for your children, family, and yourself. Making a choice means you have researched your options and you have educated yourself and you are confident in your choice. Do the work because your kids can't, because you are their advocate and their voice.  Don't feel pressured to make the same choices that I am: do feel pressured to know what you are choosing, the possible consequences, and the justification. Do feel pressured to know what you are doing is, indeed, right for your lifestyle and your family.

Accountability and Change

Well, everyone wants to have more money in their accounts, right?  Then why don't we? I think it's probably the same reason why we end up eating more junk than we mean to....because it takes time and energy to be accountable for ourselves, and life is busy enough as it is!  What I'm finding, slowly, is that the more you make being accountable to yourself, your spouse, your everything, the more time and energy you have for everything else. Why? Being accountable makes life simple, once it's a habit.  It forces you to think about what you are eating, what you are spending, what you are bringing into your house, and how you manage your time. For me, all of this thinking is often painful. It's difficult to admit all of the crappy things I eat or spend money or time on.  Being accountable helps me think about my choices BEFORE I make them. It helps slow the gush of bad choices to a trickle. Do I still make them? Yes, all the time, in fact. But do I make them less? Absolutely. And that's what is truly important. 
The other thing I'd like to emphasize is that for me, change is best made in the smallest increments possible and by making habits. This means that I get from point A to point B VERY slowly and with a lot of backslide. It is discouraging but it's who I am for today.  Accepting the kind of change-maker you are is perhaps the most important part of being able to change.
Because it's been the biggest issue in my house, I'm going to start by looking at money and being accountable for money. Everything, including time and non-toxic products, tie into money accountablility so the lines are going to overlap a bit.  
Baby Steps:
Here are three tips to save a little that I used today:
-Running all of my errands in one sitting but limiting errand trips to 5hrs.  This saves gas and means you have to prioritize your errands!   I also only run errands with a strict list from which I do not deviate. The time limit is important because when you're tired, your will-power weakens and you'll find yourself buying things that are not on your list.
-Pack snacks! No matter how long you think you're going to be out of the house, take a healthy snack and a bottle of tea or water. If you are running errands with kids, take two options and take more than you think they'll eat. One of the biggest money pits is being out and about and having a hunger pang.  Fast food is EXPENSIVE and NASTY.   Also, thirst can manifest itself as hunger, so taking that tea or water is very important!  My favorite snacks are Annie's cheese bunnies, dried fruit from the bulk section at the grocery store, organic beef jerky from Trader Joes, nuts and trail mix, ganola bars, and dried cereal. I keep a little lunch box in my car at all times full of Annie's cheese bunnies and little stainless steel water bottles in case I forget my snack. Now that we have cool weather, sometimes I'll grab a juicebox and some greek yogurt to-go as well. (Side note, I store all of my snacks in zip-locks made of cloth that I bought locally at a craft fair or in stainless steel. It's not a good idea to store food and drinks in containers with BPA especially if they'll be in a car that has fluctuating temperatures.)
-Before you Goodwill an item, do a little research to see if there's somewhere that will take it and give you a little for it.  I turned in a big box of books today at Page's Books in Silverdale. They'll sort through them and give me store credit for them! Easy as that!  That whole box was destined for Goodwill and instead, I can go shopping "for free" after they price them. Not a bad deal.  It's always worth it to try and sell electronics, tools, and jewelry to pawn shops before you Goodwill them. You never know what is popular there, and something you might consider junk might net you a few dollars. I also highly recommend taking clothes to local consignment shops. Each shop has varying policies, but most will give you the option of having the store donate unsold items to Goodwill for you.
Hopefully I'll be back soon with more ideas. Until then, make a budget!!  It's the VERY most important way to be accountable for your money.  Forget fancy software or books. Head over to www.mint.com and get started there. It's really easy to use, and a wonderful place to start.  Give yourself  time to work through all of the steps, and don't feel too overwhelmed.

Operation Dinner

Well, somehow Operation Dinner turned into Operation Browse Etsy. Oops!

Yesterday I realized I hadn't blogged in a good long while, so I figured I'd post a quick update and then finally, finally get back to dinner.  :)

Hmm. Well December flew by in a blink!  I am not sure where the first two weeks went. I babysat a lot for local friends, and then Don and I drove to Montana with the dogs for almost two weeks.  It ended up being completely wonderful in every way to be home with family.  It was a little weird knowing this was our last Christmas without kids!

Right after Christmas we packed up and headed back to Washington. Since we've been back, it feels like we haven't done much, but we've actually been fairly productive around the house. We've finalized the design of the nursery and will start trim work this weekend!  The office is about 75% functional (up from 0%) and the dining room is finally almost clear of boxes. Most significantly, the garage is starting to be functional. Don't get me wrong, it's still filled to the rafters with boxes of all sorts of stuff, but Don has a redneck work bench made out of boxes and a closet door (don't judge!) and things are finally grouped with their peers (garden items, meet your fellow garden items, etc) That's actually the most exciting part of what we've done the past few weeks because we finally have a workspace which means the trim work can start! Yay! 

Pregnancy-wise, let's see. Well, when I was home, Mom and Don got to feel the baby kick for the first time. She went nuts during Christmas Eve service and kung-powed Don right in the palm during the First Noel. Lately she's decided it's fun to stretch out as straight as possible and I can see her feet through my skin.  I probably should be saying how neat it is, but it's actually really creepy and a little, tiny-bit scary. I know she has a lot more growing to do and I don't think I can accomodate downward-dog-baby-yoga in there if she's going to keep getting taller and stronger.  I have faith in the strenth of my body, though. She's 100% imprisoned in there, no matter how much she pushes!  Hah!

Well, this past week, I thought I might start blogging on how I save money and de-toxify and hopefully get some tips from everyone else too. We'll see how faithfully I manage to post, but maybe it'll be good for someone!

Hope everyone else had wonderful holidays!