KitchenAid eulogy

Well, it finally happened.  My trusty KitchenAid mixer has died.  I knew it was coming.  About 3 years ago, I was making sourdough bread weekly.  I used my mixer to knead the dough for the first five minutes or so before I took over by hand.  It wasn't long before I started smelling a faint burning smell coming from my mixer.  I started to get really nervous and knew that I had to either give up the bread making or say goodbye to the mixer.  I actually think I just needed an excuse to start buying bread again (who can say "no" to a loaf of Tall Grass Bakery bread?) so I gave up making bread.  I stopped making bread but I still use my mixer weekly and every so often I smell that burning smell again.

Yesterday, I decided to push my luck and used the mixer to knead some bread dough.  Well, about 3 minutes in, I hear this horrible screeching/grinding sound.  I look over and notice that the dough hook is not moving.  I could hear the gears grinding and slipping and I knew it was over.  I turned it off.  It was the end.  I kneaded the dough by hand, let it rise, and put the bread in the oven knowing it was the last delicious treat to be made with the aid of the mixer.

So, my KitchenAid, I will miss you.  I thank you for the many loaves of bread you have helped me make and the endless batches of cookies you've mixed...the granola, biscotti, apple pie filling, pie crusts, rum balls, cheese crisps, chocolate mouse pie, pudding and more.  It's a sad day.

Here's the thing...I eventually need to replace the thing.  I can't really live without one (well, okay, so I COULD live without one but I certainly prefer not to!).  I had the best they make...the Professional 600 series and I killed it.  I imagine myself making bread again and would like something that could stand up to that.  I've looked around online briefly and the only thing I have found is the Viking and I must say - I find it rather ugly...not to mention it carries a pretty hefty price tag.  So, if you happen to know of a good quality stand mixer out there that can knead bread dough, please let me know.

spicy sweet

As it turns out, drinking coffee all day is just not acceptable to my body.  My solution?  I start drinking Chai when I reach my coffee quota.  It's spicy, sweet, and keeps me going.  I have two recipes that I use for making Chai.

The Real Deal:
So far, my favorite Chai "recipe" is to take a bunch of spices (cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cloves, cinnamon), bring to a boil, and then simmer for a while (1 -2 hours), add honey and a bit of black tea, let the whole thing steep for about 10 minutes, cool, bottle and refrigerate.  I make 2-3 quarts at a time.  The longer you boil it, the more concentrated it becomes.  When I am ready for a glass, I add a good amount of soy milk to the Chai and microwave it.  I wish I had a way to steam it but the microwave works fine.  Creamy goodness!

This stuff is pretty spicy and, for those of you familiar with the place, it's very similar to Morning Glory Chai.  Yum!

Chai Concentrate:
I made this for the first time last week after discovering the recipe on the internet.  Basically, you take a bunch of ground spices and mix them with sweetened condensed milk and refrigerate.  You then brew a cup of black tea and add a teaspoon or two of the concentrate to the tea.  It's pretty good but not spicy enough for me.  I did add some black pepper and grated ginger and that seemed to help...but it is still a bit on the sweet side for my taste buds.  One thing I really like about this Chai is that you can easily make a decaf version which makes my little girl very happy.

city of subdued excitment

Bellingham is officially unofficially known as the "city of subdued excitement" - look it up on wikipedia if you don't believe me.  I guess i haven't lived here long enough to know what that means.  We do have a music festival in the late summer called "The Subdued Stingband Jamboree" - they must be related.

Today at dinner, Rowan was trying to figure out how many people lived here in Bellingham and how that compared to the number of people who live in China (she is "studying" China in school - as much as a preschooler can study anything).  Eric and I, the math geeks that we are, figured out that if you place all the people in China (approx 1 billion) shoulder to shoulder, that they would fill the entire city of Bellingham (approx 32 square miles).  How's that for subdued excitement?  Rowan wasn't impressed either.

it's not warm but it looks pretty

I've been really into creating little mini quilts lately.  I have all these ideas for future quilts floating around in my mind.  There is so much inspiration out there for these.  I like that they are small (much more manageable that a bed quilt), I love how they look up on the wall, and I like how detailed you can get with them.  I've only made a couple but I see many more in my future.

This is the little quilt I made this week and it's actually for us.  I didn't think much about it in advance - it just came together.  I did actually have an image of it in my mind before I started but it's completely different...the one I was envisioning didn't even have a bird on it!  One of my favorite parts about making art quilts is knowing that when I get interrupted while creating one, it changes the final product.  Here are some close ups:

little differences

It's all about the little things in life that make the biggest difference.  Life has been speckled with little differences since we moved to Bellingham.  Take garbage pickup for example.  In Seattle, you best get your garbage out on time or you are out of luck.  Also, it's best to steer clear of the garbage trucks.  They have lots to pick up and don't have a spare moment.  If you happen to get behind a truck, don't expect them to move out of your way - turn around and go back the way you came.  You'll be glad you did.  I've missed the garbage pickup too many times to count - running after the truck as it drives away - knowing that next week, I'll be paying for extra pickup.

Up here in Bellingham, it's different.  In fact, so far, I have had three positive garbage experiences.

1.  We were new to the neighborhood and had not yet figured out how the garbage pickup works though we did know that you get a very large bin and it gets picked up either once a month (our plan), twice a month, or every week depending on how much garbage you generate.  I hear the garbage truck coming down our street and I run outside to put the bin out.  Of course, by the time I got out there, he was driving away.   But, all of a sudden, he puts the truck in reverse and COMES BACK!  I was in disbelief.  Then, he takes the time to look up in his little computer the date of our pickup (it was the following week), puts a new sticker on our can to help me remember, and takes my trash away even though it is not "our week" for garbage pickup.  Nice guy.

2.  I was driving Rowan to school and got stuck behind the garbage truck.  The street we were on has lots of hills and valleys and visibility was not great for passing.  We were running late and I said out loud "shoot, now we are stuck behind this truck for who knows how long." Of course, Rowan got concerned about making it to school in time for outside play.  At his next stop, before he even picked up the trash (actually, I think it was recycling), he went into the road and waved me by the truck.  Again, disbelief.  It wasn't even like there was  huge line of cars behind me...he was just being considerate.

3.  Today...I get home from an appointment and noticed the empty trash can on the side of the road.  I hadn't realized it was the last Friday of the month and was so happy that Eric had remembered to put it out there.  Stakes are high when you only have pickup once per month.  Anyway, I come inside and say to Eric "thanks for getting the garbage out - I am impressed you remembered."  He looks at me and says "I didn't do it."  The guy (yes, I know he is a guy) actually went and got our can by our shed, wheeled it to his truck and emptied it for us.  For real??  Yes, for real.

Life is good, even when it comes to trash.

they call it wordless wednesday

it's not a commune

...or a compound...it's cohousing!

So, what is cohousing anyway?  Here is a description from www.cohousing.org:

Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhood and are consciously committed to living as a community. These neighborhoods bring together the value of private homes (containing all the features of conventional homes) with the benefits of more sustainable living such as shared common facilities and good connections with neighbors.

This is what has brought us to Bellingham.  We bought into Millworks Cohousing about 2 years ago now.  It'll be three years before we move into our new house that we are building on the property...and I'm sure it will be worth the wait. That said, if you had told me it would take 3 years back when we decided on this, I'm not sure I would have been patient enough to wait that long.  Anyway, we are a group of 8 households (small compared to most cohousing projects) that have been working very hard to make this a reality.  A pretty diverse group: young couples, families, retirees, single folks...all of whom I am very excited to be neighborly with.

the Millworks gang

Collectively, we own 2 acres in the Happy Valley (can you believe it's called Happy Valley?) neighborhood.  If you are familiar with Bellingham, Happy Valley is just south of Western Washington University and just east of Fairhaven (the "historic" district).  There is currently an older home on the property - this will be our common house (guest bedrooms, place for events, extra storage space, etc).  We will each be building our own custom designed homes - they range in size from 900 sq ft to 1700 sq ft.  The idea is to build small to reduce impact and increase things like energy efficiency. We plan to share resources such as a tool shop, gardens, hot tub, sauna, chicken coop, and a play area.  There will be no driveways...a gravel path will connect our homes, green spaces, and gardens.

current site rendering

We were drawn to this project because we like the idea of sharing things that can be shared, reducing our impact on the earth, and most of all, we can better align our living with our values.  We like that we are close in to the city, that we are building a custom energy efficient & green home, that we can balance our life a bit more (not so much working due to a lower cost of living), and that our kids will know their neighbors.

the property

We are *almost* set to break ground in early April.  My guess is that this is something I'll be blogging about quite often over the next year.  Our first project is to enclose our wetlands with a fence (about a quarter of the property is wetlands which will need to be restored).  Exciting times....

A couple FAQ's:

1. Did you know any of the people?

We knew one person - a long time friend.  Everyone else we have met since we joined the project.  It's a great group and we get along amazingly well.  Sure, there are disagreements and such but things have gone remarkably smoothly thus far (and yes, we have been tested!).

2. What if you want to sell?

Yes, you can sell if you want to - you would sell your house along with a your percentage (1/8 th) of the common property and facilities.  Sure, it might be more difficult to sell a house that is part of a cohousing community...this type of living does not appeal to everyone.  Actually, so far, 3 people have sold their shares to new members and it's worked out just fine for everyone involved.  It's just like owning a condo - you own your home but share the land it's on.  This type of shared living has been around a long time.

3. Will you have your own kitchen?

Yes yes...of course!  along with your own dining room, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.  Our house will be a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom...more details on our house design to come later. 

4. How will you maintain a sense of privacy in your lives?

Think of cohousing as a place where you know your neighbors well.  We aren't living WITH them, we are just living NEAR them.  This isn't something that I am worried about  but it seems to come up all the time when I tell people about the project.  I don't imagine there will be people peeking in my windows or watching if I come and go - but perhaps, if I am out in the garden, someone will join me.  Or, if we are playing on the playground, maybe other kids will come out too.  We will probably have meetings about once every month or so, work parties when we need them and maybe social events (potluck? party? pool tournament?) every now and then too.  I know some cohousing communities do quite a bit more "social planning" than we will.  All of us want to minimize any type of required group activity...which is a good thing is far as I am concerned. 

a box of treasures

Yesterday, i got a treasure box in the mail.

my dad & his twin brother

This was our Christmas gift from my mom.  A huge pile of fabric, photos from past times, toys, and books.  It is such a wonderful gift - a mixture of new and old.  So many memories rediscovered. Rowan has really been enjoying all the photos of me as a little girl.  It's like she has just discovered that I existed before she was born.  It's very sweet watching her just stare at the pictures - I can only imagine what is going on inside that little mind of hers.  Yesterday, she took two of the photos, cut out my face and put it in this little mini photo album that she is now carrying around with her.  Heart melting. 

me when i was 4 or 5

The fabric will certainly make an appearance in future projects.  Most of the solids are hand-dyed and are so very soft.  The prints are eclectic...some I love while others I wouldn't likely choose on my own.  I like having different fabrics around to play with - especially when it comes to making art quilts. 

Rowan's part of the gift were a set of My Little Pony's that belonged to my sister and I when we were kids.  She loves these ponies and was very excited to see that they came with outfits she can dress them in.  She puts them to bed, signs to them, tells them stories, dresses them, and brings them for walks.  She usually isn't very interested in dolls, stuffed animals, or similar toys so it's a bit of a surprise to see her playing like this.  I think she likes that they used to be mine.  She keeps asking "did you do this with them when you were a little girl mama?"

I also love the reuse-reclaim nature of this gift.  The fabric was just sitting around her house collecting dust.  The toys were sitting in a closet taking up space.  The photos were stuffed into a drawer in their hutch.  I'd look through them every time I came home though it always overwhelmed me to choose a few to take with me. Most of all, I love the memories & love that were packed in this box.

one from the vaults

I found this poem when I was cleaning out my work files.  I wrote it in 2004 on my way home from an engineering conference I attended.  I'm not one to write poetry often...I remember this one just pouring out - I guess it was the only way I could really process it.

SAMPE 2004

men in suits stinking

they seem to never be thinking

can I lick you from freckle to freckle

you know I love speckles

conversations so perplexing

sex, tongues, and spankings

we laugh, smile and joke

but I go home up in smoke

- next time I’ll say something –

- next time I’ll do nothing –

I have taken off the tight pink shirt

given no invitation to flirt

since when does the band on my hand

mean I am the perfect one night stand

I wonder how else to say no

it’s inappropriate, disgusting, please go

without playing that age old game

the shuffle of subjective blame

- next time I’ll say nothing –

- next time I’ll do something –

I berate myself now

it’s my job to stop this somehow

there are many who follow behind me

I say it’s so great and tell them we’re free

ha! Look whose made a liar of me

please tell me this sort of thing is rare

it no longer happens anywhere

that you need to take a trip back in time

in order to understand mine

- next time I’ll say something –

- next time he’ll do nothing –

warm feet

I just finished up this pair of felted wool slippers and boy, are they fantastic.  Warm, soft, quiet, cozy and a perfect fit.  The pattern is from French Press Knits and is fairly simple.  I have to say, these were not my favorite thing to make.  I didn't enjoy using the big metal needles - clink, clank, clink, clank.  Nor did I like how you really had to keep track of which row you were on.  It made it so I actually had to pay attention rather than just zoning out.  Luckily, it was a fairly quick knit because it wasn't quite as relaxing for me as knitting typically is.


Here is what they looked like before felting.  It's not obvious in the photo, but they were HUGE!  It was hard to believe that they would actually get small enough to fit my feet - though, it did take 4 runs through the top loader washer before they got to the right size.

And here they are keeping my feet cozy warm.  The pattern calls for buttons on the sides but since I didn't have any and didn't want to go to the store, I decided to use felted wool pieces. 

post holiday funk

It seems like everyone I've talked to over the past 2 to 3 days is in some sort of mood.  It seems to vary from person to person.  Here is some of what I have heard: depressed, heavy, moody, emotional, grumpy, lethargic, sick, like maybe I am getting sick, tired, bored.  Personally, I've been feeling exhausted, run down, and bummed out.  I have no real reason to be bummed out so I'm gonna blame it on the post holiday funk that I seem to get every year.  Yup, all those parties are over, the treats are gone, routine is back, and the dark has really set in.  The dark.  It's so dark here.  Our house is nestled against a north facing hill and the sun does not touch our house from November until probably March.  It's a damn good thing that this house is temporary.  Then, there is the rain.  Usually, the rain doesn't bother me too much but right at this very moment I am dreaming of putting my feet into warm, dry sand on a hot beach in some far away land.  Here is the weather forecast for Bellingham this week:

Pretty exciting huh?  Looks like we'll be spending some time indoors.  Well, let's all just weather these blues together and get through this funk.  Seems like a good time to plan a trip.

the year to come

The past few months, Rowan has really been into counting days and months.  She loves to talk about what day it is, what month her birthday is in, when Charlie will be one, how many days there are until Saturday, what months are winter months, and so on.  It is so fun watching her learn about the days of the week, counting to 20 (and beyond) and discovering the seasons.  So, this Christmas, I decided to make her a calendar to help her further explore numbers, days of the weeks, seasons, and months.

The calendar is made of wool felt, fabric scraps, buttons, and velcro.  The construction was fairly simple though it did take a bit of time to get it all together.  In fact, I still have some work to do.  The snowflakes will get replaced with hearts in February and an umbrella in March.  The rest of the months have yet to be made.  The decorative panel is attached to the body of the calendar by buttons.  The number squares are made of wool felt (I just wrote on top with a fabric marker for the letters & numbers) and the days of the week are embroidered.  If I had had the time and energy, perhaps I would have embroidered the numbers and month names.  But, honestly, I thought that was going a bit too far especially when I am not skilled at embroidery. 

Together we invite the year to come.  So far, she loves putting her new number up every day.  It's the first thing she does in the morning...and it seems to start the day off right!

welcome to bellingham

One month ago today, I officially resigned from a job that I loved.  A job that I had been working at for 9 years...investing my time, energy, love.  I did this so I could watch my children grow up.

I've had some time to get used to being home with my kids.  I haven't been working since Charlie was born in March.  I love it.  I love being here to see all the small things.  I love waking up in the morning knowing that I'm here for them when they need me.  I love not having to juggle so much.  So many people have asked if I miss my job.  Right now, I don't miss it at all. 

There was a lot that had to change in order for this to happen. We had to move.  Anyone who has done that after being somewhere for 12 years knows that the transition to a new place is huge. So, we put our house on the market in June, sold it in August, and resettled in Bellingham in September. 

Leaving my job was actually a result of moving to Bellingham.  It was the move we decided on first...so, I guess I am a bit out of order.  And that move was prompted by an amazing cohousing project that we are now involved in.  So, I guess that is what started it all.  We start building our new house in March.  2009 was certainly a time of change for us and, so far, this has been a very welcome, very loved, change. 

So, with that, I'll get back to the kids.

why wait?

Now that the new year has begun and we are starting a new decade, I decided I'd take the plunge into the blog-o-sphere. I've done the website thing & spent too much time on facebook lately, yet I find myself looking for another way to spend time sharing parts of myself. So, it is here that I will share all things related to kids, crafts, home, and life.