A bunch of excuses

One thing I am bad at is keeping up with blogs. I am so impressed with the Mothers who blog on a regular basis. I cut the tips of two of my fingers and it hurts to type a lot.  Adapt and overcome!

I checked out The Backyard Homestead, edited by Carleen Madigan from the library. Very good read! As soon as I return it, I plan on purchasing it. Full of lots of great information. Have been working on a garden plan (pictures to follow when finished), planning on two raised beds and an in-ground, edible decorative garden/herb garden surrounding door front. Thinking and planning helps get through winter.

Oh! And the bird feeder finally has birds. The chickadees were there eating from when I woke up at 8 am allllll the way until dark. It was a form of entertainment for all of us (Isaac, theo and I. Daddy was at work.) throughout the day. I laughed so hard every time Isaac pushed his forehead into the window calling out, "come heeeerreee birdies," the same way I yell for Theo to come back in mornings.

Vegetarianism is an easy transition, albeit my lack of creativity in the kitchen lately. Lots of kale, lots of squash. The weight loss is not the only perk. I have had increased energy, I sleep better. I am starting to tire of stirfries as lunch/dinner. I guess this week I'll challenge myself to try a new recipe.

Cutting this one short because that thing about my finger was true and it really does hurt to type. I'll leave you with a song i can't keep out of my head lately.  

First steps

There are changes to be made and it is about time I start making them. I have never been one for Big New Year's Resolutions® or sudden changes of heart, instead opting for staying consistently unhappy, overweight, and absurdly wasteful in my day-to-day life.  This has been a long time coming and it's about time I just get on it. 

Theo, who loves nature more 

than me

I have always loved nature. So much. There's this fuzzy memory I have from when I was in grade school, hugging a sad looking tree and telling my chainsaw holding dad that I would not move. He tried to explain that it was weak and needed to get cut down, but I was a brat and somehow got my way. The tree still grows meekly, still just as sad looking, to this day. I have not, however, lived my life in accordance with my love of nature. I ate pesticide ridden vegetables, the cheapest cuts of meat I could find, and dry goods with the ingredient lists up to here. We recycled casually, but that was the extent of it. Sometimes I garden, but usually for herbs. I was (and am) incredibly wasteful. That fact has always, always bugged me; more so in recent years. So I checked out a two books and watched a movie about two weeks ago that just one hundred percent changed my life. 

What led me to going to the library and checking out said books was watching the documentary Hungry for Change (trailer located here.). It started a whisper oin my mind, stuck with me for days after watching. It was informative, yet entertaining. It made me feel like, "yes I am overweight. Yes I am unhappy. But that is how I was taught to be, now that I know otherwise I need to change." 

So the next day Isaac and I got bundled and headed to the Library and checked out Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer to remind me how terrible big agriculture was and The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone because it looked like it had some pretty tasty recipes. And then I read for about 48 hours straight (not true, I read when Isaac was napping and in the car and while waiting for Collin to get out of work and in the bathroompleasedon'tjudgme and anytime I could get a sentence in)

After I was about half way through Eating Animals I stopped eating meat. Forever. The thought of eating it is revolting. I want to state for the record that I am not morally opposed to eating meat. I think in moderation it can be a great thing, but the way big meat industry has forced meat production to be...I just can't. I don't want the chemicals and they pain and the suffering inside my body or Isaac's. So I stopped buying it and I stopped feeding it to pie (however, Grandma and Grandpa still eat lots of meat, so he still get's some about 2 or 3 nights a week).and I don't miss it at all.

And that made me me realize that if dropping meat was that easy...then continuing to better myself would be to. See, I've always kind of lived my life like eventually everything would just be better. This self-reflection has made me realize it won't. You have to fight for every bit of happiness and it will alwaysalwaysalways be worth the fight.

So thus begins my journey. We start with the onset of vegetarianism and continue forward with a summer of raised beds eating seasonally and detoxing my life. We'll see where it goes. Keep reading to follow my journey and see how it effects my life and maybe you'll want to change your's, too

T