Thank you

I am finding strength and inspiration in many things.

I am thankful for my family
I am thankful for my health
I am thankful for my friends

Sometimes I wish my loved ones were closer and at times I dwell too much at how far or busy they all are, but I am choosing to instead be thankful that I have them at all.

I am trying to stop living in the past and worrying about the future.
I am trying to live for today.

Every night when I got to bed I ask for the strength to be a better mother, wife, friend, and human.

Every day when I wake up I try to take many moments where I just stop - look at the sun, take a deep breath, and look at my surroundings. I try to look through the eyes of a child.

Each moment I try to choose wisely, speak carefuly, and act kindly.

I may not always do these things

but I try.

Each day I try.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This fall has been a time of reflection and transition for me. Enzo started 1st grade, Sal started preschool,my nephew had brain surgery, a friend had a brain aneurysm, we had a history making election and the economy went to shit.

It has been an emotional roller coaster so far. Having loved ones in the hospital and an economy dangling over the edge has made me slow down and think a lot. Lately the conversation around our house has been about money. It sucks. We are broke. I quit my full time job in 2005 and we have been struggling since. It has been hard but so worth it for our family. Last year I was lucky enough to have consistent consulting gigs that I did from home so the extra money kept us a float. I haven't had a paying gig since the spring and so we are now feeling the pinch having gone through the summer without any extra cash. Now of course the holidays are coming and the stress is building.

So the talk about me getting a job has resurfaced. I have such mixed feelings about it. I want to work but I don't want to give up being with my kids after school. It seemed so much easier back when Enzo was younger and in daycare and preschool. Now that he is in 1st grade and I have two kids it all seems more complicated. In order for me to go back to work full time outside of the home I would need to pay for after school care for Enzo and find a full time preschool for Sal. Ideally I would work from 9-2 so I could pick them up after school and be able to be home so Enzo could do his homework and school projects before dinner. I thought this would all get easier when they entered school but it is actually much more complicated.

I feel guilty for not working because we are struggling. I will feel guilty if I have to work full time because the our lives will become so rushed again. damned if you do, damned if you don't. I know either way everyone will be fine but it is such a hard call to make.

delizioso!

I have recently been trying to cut back on the fake meat soy products in an attempt to cut back on processed soy. I am not a nutritionist but I know enough about the topic to agree with some of the recent articles regarding our now over consumption of processed soy products. Soy became the next craze and now you can't get away from it. Recently I found soy listed as an ingredient in several Celestial Season teas. In my opinion you eat it in moderation as you should with everything. Try to stick to the least processed versions. Tofu, tempeh, miso and soymilk, in my opinion are the safest bets. Just limit how much of them you eat. What I would avoid or seriously limit are all of the fake "meat" products out there. If you flip over the box of the most mainstream brands you will find soy protein isolates as one of the main ingredient. Soy protein isolates have been in the news lately. Do some research.

I have been a vegetarian for 16 years now and cooking has become a passion of mine. I have come a long way from the pasta and bagels with cheese I used to live on when I first turned my back on meat in college. In becoming a vegetarian I also migrated towards natural cooking. Starting a family 7 years ago also forced me to stretch my culinary passion even further in the attempt to feed my family whole foods as much as possible.

Lately I have been trying to cut some soy out of our lives and save some money. This week my focus was on a substitute for meatless meatballs. Being part Sicilian I love a bit of substance with my pasta but I am sick of buying frozen soyballs. I wanted to make a soy free homemade version and I have finally done it!

I was bursting with joy last night after creating a recipe for what I am calling Sicilian round balls. I am not yet posting the recipe as I need to refine it a bit but I am thrilled to finally be able to rid myself of store bought, expensive, soy filled alternatives.

My husband and kids loved them. The real test will be my Italian mother. I called her up all excited last night and told her I thought my Gramma Grasso was smiling down from heaven.

They may not have been meat in my meatballs like she used to make but there sure was a ton of Sicilian passion and love.

I have been emotional since last night. An article in my morning newspaper explained how thousands UVM students marched down mainstreet last night after the announcement. Celebrations in streets happened like this all over the country. Regardless of your choice this is a time for all of us to embrace this wave of change, renewing our faith in the country and in each other. We can do this. Yes we can!

Nuby BPA-Free Bug a Loop Teether Bead Necklace

This Nuby BPA-Free Bug a Loop Teether Bead Necklace helps your child with the natural process of teething. Constructed of firm, smooth material, the Bug a Loop allows active gum exercise prior to the emergence of teeth. For newly emerged teeth, the soft texture promotes development. For ages 3 months and above.

Get it at a discount price of only $4.29 at Kid Surplus

The very first Crafter Spotlight has been posted at Queen City Craft. Check it out!

Week in review

Last week we John's sister Catherine was here visiting from CO. It was her first solo trip without other family members. It was great to spend alone time with her. John had taken the week off of work also so it was like a vacation for me having two adults around all day to talk to and help out with the kids.

Thursday we went to a corn maze at Sam Mazza's farm.
Friday we we took a drive to Middlebury (a place I would love to move to) so Catherine could do some leaf peeping. The leaves were past their prime but still pretty enough to capture a few pictures. While in Middlebury we decided to stop at Ottercreek Brewing and pick up a few growlers.


Friday night we had a babysitter and the three of us enjoyed a night out at Red Square as we said goodbye to to friends and ex-coworkers who are moving on to other things.

Saturday afternoon I took Enzo to a pumpkin carving party and John took Sal to a birthday party while Catherine had a few moments of peace and quite in the house. Later that evening after the kids went to bed we enjoyed our local brew and good conversation.
Sunday morning (very early) John took Catherine to the airport. We spent the morning slowly getting the house back together. My friend Amy and her daughter stopped by for a visit. After lunch we drove to our favorite farm to get pumpkins and helped the kids carve them when we got home.

It was a whirl wind of a week but oh so nice. I just wish I had one more day to decompress.

Queen City Craft

A few months ago Erinn and I decided to close down the Burlington Craft Mafia. It was a tough decision for us but for various reasons it just didn't feel right any more. We are very proud of what the group accomplished in the 2 1/2 years we existed. Erinn and I have been talking about wanting to continue our mission of promoting indie craft in Vermont. This weekend a light bulb lit up in my head and Queen City Craft was born.

From our new blog:

Welcome to Queen City Craft. A place to spread the word about indie craft in Vermont.

Indie craft is about pushing the limits, finding your own line, reusing, recrafting, and creating. It is about offering an alternative.

Craft has taken on a whole new meaning over the past few years with the boom that has taken place across the country. With a punkier edge indie crafters are breaking the mold of traditional craft.

Vermont is our home. It is also home to many talented writers, artists and musicians. So far though we don't really fit into any of the existing creative groups. We hope to create a space where all indie crafters in Vermont feel welcome. We want to give us a voice, support, teach, and spread the word.

Join us.

Thanks to Sara (formerly of Made Boutique & Gallery) for letting us run with the name and passing on the logo for me to rework. We are so thankful for all the work Sara did in Burlington and we hope we can continue her mission. Sara is moving on to other adventures. We wish her the best of luck.

Check out our new project www.queencitycraft.com

Clearly I am having a shoe issue this week. While shopping around online tonight I found my next obsession.

Hush Puppies Women's Eco-Friendly 'Tikuna' Boots


* Women's Hush Puppies shoes are as comfortable as they are good looking
* Women's mid-calf shoes feature 100-percent natural hemp lining for extra soft feel
* Boots boast breathable bamboo-molded footbed
* Genuine wood buttons
* Antibacterial
* Moisture wicking
* Absorbs odor
* Natural latex rubber outsole with jute insert, water-soluble cements
* Features eco-friendly, full-grain milled nubuck from ISO-14001 tanneries
* Padded footbed
* Available in black and hickory color options

The best part is they are available on overstock.com for just a bit more than the slippers I blogged about below. Cute boots, eco friendly, and a great price? Oh what is a girl to do now?

The perfect slipper

I have been on a search for the perfect slipper. We don't wear shoes in the house so once winter comes slippers are a necessity. Having two kids and a dog the floors get quite messy. It has been a tough challenge though since I have some specific requirements.

• Eco friendly construction.
• Cute enough to look like you are wearing shoes around the house but aren't.
• Comfy enough to feel like you are wearing slippers and not shoes.

I have finally found the perfect pair. The Layaway slipper by Simple. Simple has an amazing line up of eco friendly shoes for men, women and children. You can check out the full line at www.simpleshoes.com. I will probably purchase mine from Zappos because of their super fast service.



Ok back to the Layaway slipper. I jumped with glee when I saw this slipper. It is exactly what I have been looking for. Felted wool uppers, lined in certified organic cotton knit, coconut buttons,a layered natural crepe outsole, held together with water based cements, and they are super cute to boot.

I know at $59 the price seems a bit steep. I am biting my lip as I contemplate what I am going to do. I wonder if my husband meant spend $59 when he said "buy yourself some slippers online today" as he walked out the door in response to my constant bitching about walking around in wet socks.

My thought process around it being ok is based on these facts:

• I usually end up spending $10-$20 on a cheapo pair each year that are barely still together by the time spring comes.
  
• Since I am home full time I spend more time indoors so this is the equivalent of buying a new pair of shoes for work
  
• I need the slippers to be good quality with good soles since I am chasing around two kids and a dog and running up and down stairs all day.
• Even though I am home full time I need to keep up my "coolness" factor. I can't have the UPS guy see me in pink fuzzy slippers. He might think I just sit around and eat bon bons all day. We can't have that.

I think my reasons are valid don't you? Should I get them?

Weekend wrap up.

We had an amazing weekend. On Saturday we celebrated Enzo's 7th birthday with two parties. In the early afternoon we had 4 of his friends over for a Halloween themed party. All the kids came dressed in costumes. I had made origami bats to hang on the clothes line. The best part of the party was the skeleton hunt. I bought a large plastic skeleton that had easy to remove body parts. I took apart all of the arm and leg bones which ended up being 12 separate parts. I then hid them throughout the yard and had the kids find them. Once all 12 were found we worked together to put all the pieces back on the body. It was great fun. The weather was a perfect fall day.


The kids left at 3:00 and then at 4:00 we had invited our close friends to stop by for a second celebration. This one included handmade pizza by me and some yummy VT beers. I made 6 pizzas total. The dough and sauce made from scratch. A second cake went around and everyone was full by the end. I made an apple spice cake but instead of making it a double layer I served one layer during the early party and the second layer in the afternoon.

Colorful trees in our backyard

Enzo posing in front of the origami bats

me and the boys

Skeleton scavenger hunt fun.

Cake time

Enzo Turns 7

Today we are celebrating the birth of Enzo. Today he turns 7.

7 is such a magical age. So much changes in the 7th year. In the past year you learned how to read, tie your shoes and build creations out of legos and zoobs like a pro. You are amazing to watch grow. Your mind is constantly absorbing and tinkering, building and sharing. You have changed so much emotionally too. You broke out of you shell a bit more this year and gained a lot of self confidence. I can't even describe in words how very proud of you I am.

Happy Birthday my sweet love.

style watch

An homage to the cakeybabes
Originally uploaded by .breanna.

I am loving this style.

Motivating ones self while working from home can be a tricky thing. I don't have a very typical job and it doesn't have any certain tasks that I must perform each day but I still need to organize, prioritize, and get things accomplished. Now that the boys are in school I have a small window of opportunity to have child free work time each day. The window is very small. 2 hours and 45 minutes to be exact. Since I decided to have a third child this summer (aka the dog) that window actually becomes 2 hours since he requires a trip to the dog park each morning. So 2 hours to myself. Sounds like a lot but it really isn't. I try to pick one day each as my errand day. On this day I don't come home after dropping the kids off and just head right into town to do errands. I also try to pick one friend day each week. This day includes meeting a friend for coffee or some other activity following school drop off. So that leaves me on average 3 days to stay home during those two morning hours and focus.

The time is usually spent on the computer. I am not currently doing any web consulting work (hint hint) so my jewelry and book business is my main focus. I can usually be found taking pictures of products, listing products, promoting products all morning long. It is amazing how much time and effort this takes. My online marketing includes:

*my own website
*my web shop on smashing darling
*my barefoot books website
*flickr
*facebook
*myspace
*various parenting social networking sites that I blog on
*my blog


For all of these I need to upload pictures, write descriptions, update banners, widgets, promote new products, offer specials etc. This in iteself is a full time job. Which is why the 2 hours I get in the morning each day doens't cut it and this is why I am on and off the computer all day performing these tasks. Social network marketing maybe free but it sure does come with a pricetag.

Crash

So I got into a bike crash yesterday and had to go to the ER with the kids. I picked E up from school he was on his bike and I was one mine with S in the bike trailer. I was coming up on a gas station and there was a big bush that my bike got to close to and it through my bike down. The handle bar was sticking straight up and I fell down on it getting it right in the sternum. I couldn't get up and next thing I know all these people were around me and I was freaking out because I kept making sure the kids were ok and then an ambulance came and took me and the kids to the ER. The owner of the store had called. He also gave the kids some ice cream and was so nice to all of us. So were all the other people who stopped. My husband met us there after a friend who stopped and saw it all called him. They took X-rays and luckily there were no breaks or fractures and no bleeding or evidence of a damaged lung so they sent me home. I am ok but it just hurts like all heck.

It was so scary. One of my greatest fears has always been something happening to me when I was alone with the kids. They were so scared but so brave. I am so proud of them. Ironically as I was leaving the house I decided to leave my bag at home. I always bring it with me and it has my cell phone in it. For some reason today I chose to leave it there and actually said to myself "I'm coming right home after picking him up so I don't need to lug it with me." I also always have a piece of paper in my wallet that says In case of emergency call - and then I have my husbands name and number. I always felt silly having it in there but now I know why. I feel lucky that someone I actually knew stopped.

The other thing I feel lucky about is that my youngest son was in a bike trailer and not one of those seats on the back of my bike. Even though my bike spilled the bike trailer stayed upright.

So I am home now and feeling better but my chest kills. I have to take it easy for a few days and not lift anything but the scare of internal bleeding or fractures was ruled out.

Super Shop Update

1st day of 1st grade

Well I survived the first day of 1st grade. Yesterday my oldest son started school. There was a lot of excitement and nervousness in the air. We had been going to an alternative program at another school for Kindergarten but since there were going to be dismantling the program we decided to move him into our neighborhood elementary school for 1st grade. The best part about this new school is that we can walk or ride bikes! Drop off went well. JB came with me so we could all see him off together. He seemed to do fine until we got into his class line. All of a sudden I could see the look of fear on his face. I asked him if he was nervous and he gave me a quick nod of the head. I gave him one last hug, the bell rang, he went inside, and I cried. All in all he said he had a great day. When I asked him how recess went he said he had fun but that he didn't have anyone to play with. This broke my heart. All the kids already know each other because they went to Kindergarten together last year. So he is the new kid on the block. He had so many great friends at his last school I think it is hard for him to be on the outside now. So here we are on the second day. I am hoping he has better luck breaking into some friendship circles today.

We also had a preschool open house for Sal yesterday. That was quite exciting. I can't say that I was thrilled about the room. It was stark and cold but in their defense it is a brand new program at the school and this will be the first class so I know I need to give it some time. He starts up in a few weeks. He went zooming right off to play though. No shyness in that kid.

So all in all we survived the first day. Lots of paper work to fill out, new school handbooks to read and lots of prayers that everything goes well for him this year.

We took a quick vacation to NH last weekend. It was way too short but we had a blast. The boys look so big in these pictures. I guess they are now.
Time is flying by.

Sweet Product Find: The Munchie Mug

I love this! I must get one.

Introducing the Munchie Mug for infants and toddlers:

Innovative in both concept and design the patented spill-resistant Munchie Mug eliminates snack-time messes for children 10 months and older. The Munchie Mug features an easy grip handle, secure screw on top, soft fabric opening and durable cup; making it ideal for snacking at home, in the car or on the go. Munchie Mug is Made in the USA with all FDA food grade compliant materials.

Children love
the colorful cup and soft fabric while parents appreciate the
convenience and spill-resistant quality. Munchie Mug is the newest must
have product for messy little snacking hands everywhere.

Features:

• Spill-resistant snack cup for ages 10 months and up
• Soft fabric closure for sensitive little hands
• Easy to clean: Top rack dishwasher safe
• Great for healthy snacking: Cereals, dried fruits, crackers, etc.
• Additional stay-fresh lid included for keeping snacks fresh when mug is not in use
• Economically friendly: Made in the United States of America
• Child friendly: Made of all FDA food grade compliant materials
• Environmentally friendly:
  Made of 100% recyclable materials & eliminates waste created by
  plastic snack baggies that are used once and thrown away. Use the
  Munchie Mug, again, again, and again!!!

Garden update

My garden is bursting with flavor. I am growing corn for the first time, pumpkins, peppers (sweet and hot), beans, cucumbers, and lots and lots of tomatoes. I have been making home made pizza sauce, pasta sauce and salsa daily. I love summer.

Here are some pictures from my garden.
Corn


Bean tower



Harvest time




Garden friend