growing and juicing

there's a lot more growing around here than just my tummy. our peaches and plums are starting to ripen and pears will be ready soon. from the garden we've harvested one yellow pepper, jalepenos, onions, potatoes, tons of kale and basil. lemons, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, and green beans should be ready soon. of course we've never had much success with the melons. what to do with all this produce (besides share of course)? juice it!

i'll admit, when my mom and then sister and then brother got juicers i thought it was neat but figured i'd never have the time or patience to hop on that kick. that's not to say i didn't indulge in my mom's and sister's healthful concoctions when given the opportunity. during our trip to grand cayman tim and i found a delightful little juice bar and he insisted we grab a cup. tim was not a fan and i ended up drinking both of ours. i figured that was the end of our juicing adventurers, and then out of no where tim decided to borrow rachel's juicer. tim has been juicing the last couple of days and its been quite a bit easier than i had figured—especially when we can juice so much of what we grow instead of buying it at the store. we've juiced kale, peaches, grapefruit, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, lemon, apple, and spinach. its an amazing way to get your daily does of vegetables and served over ice its down right delicious. will we be getting a juicer? we'll see.

i want be a interior designer/diy projects + my book review

i want to be an interior designer...it's true. however, i'm not about to print up some business cards and put an ad in the paper. that's way too scary. i'm hoping one day an opportunity will just fall in my lap—perhaps an interior designer i respect will need an assistant, or someone who's taste is compatible with mine will say, "hey, want to help me decorate my home." till that time i'll continue to hone my skills in my own home and occasionally at work. at the latter, i've been given the task of choosing paint colors, carpet, furniture, etc for a new clinic at HCM. the health care world is fraught with hideous interior design. it actual burdens me on a daily basis. i think there is such an opportunity to bring beauty and style into this industry and i'm super excited about being able to make a difference. that being said, fighting those who prefer "ugly" is no easy job, and yet one i face weekly. but, hey, i'm learning to deal with people which is always a good tool for the tool box and luckily my boss is on my side.

now that i have my own office, i can spread out and actually create inspiration boards—something i've wanted to do at work since my first day. here's what i've got going currently. its a sleep lab, hence the bedroom furniture.

as for the casa, i've been itching for some diy projects, the main one being an upholstered headboard. we currently have only a simple bed frame from west elm with no headboard. tim has agreed to be my carpenter and build the wood frame. i watched this how to video and now all that's left to do is order the supplies and pick a fabric. i love the look of this dwell studio styled shot, and while i'm considering the fabric, i'm thinking i'll stick with a basic rectangular shorter headboard. i like these three swatches. the colors will go well with my bedding options and the patterns aren't too busy. 

by the way, this is the best place to buy your upholstery fabric. the prices are less than half of what you'd pay for the same fabric elsewhere (i'm not naming names). any of these prints would be pretty with these pillows from castle and things and dwell studio. 

and moving along to the other side of the loft (our bedroom will be in the loft 3 months or so after the babe is born). have you heard of bemz? they make covers for ikea furniture in loads of cool fabric options. i have my eye on this pretty olive green for our karlstad sofa currently in a strange dark grey (black). it was fine for a time, but now i find it rather boring.  i've got the blue chair, the rug, and i'm hoping to own a lulie wallace painting one day. the coffee table i found here. 

see that little paint swatch? i plan to paint our loft floor a fresh seafoam tinted grey during my maternity leave in september. 

enough about decorating, how about a book review? i read Simplicity Parenting in a couple of days and found it worth every minute of my time. allow me to start off with a few favorite passages. most of these are from the first half because i got lazy and stopped highlighting.

"They (children) feed on the tone we set, the emotional climate we create. They pick up on the ways in which we are nervous and hypervigilant about their safety, and it makes them nervous; so the feelings cycle...The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears."

"The toys that endure, in reality and in our memory, are often the simplest ones. The less they do, the more they can become, in play."

"Rather than providing the newest in an unending list of "must-have" toys, our generous impulses can be harnessed to provide in simpler, more powerful ways. We can provide for our children by safeguarding their time and opportunities for open-ended imaginative play."

"Children feel more grounded to where they live when they can learn to identify some of the common plants, birds, and animals they see in their yards and neighborhoods."

"If you want your child to try a new food (or food group), you need to have them try it at least eight times."

I don't have a quote for it, but one of my favorite sections was about how we talk of others in front of our children. The author isn't a Christian, but he has some sound moral advice none-the-less when he says we should filter our comments by asking our self is it true, kind, and necessary. 

yes, i read a lot of parenting books. a friend overhead me discussing this latest read with my mother the other day and told me not to worry about being a good parent. it will come natural she advised and i should just follow my heart. i'm not exactly certain what that latter statement meant, but let me assure you i'm not fretting about how my kids will turn out. my recent indulgence in the genre springs from my keen interest in my children and developing their palettes, imaginations, minds, and faith. childhood is such a beautiful thing and i myself had a beautiful one. i want to give the same thing to sailor, and baby bobo, and whoever else comes along. today childlike innocence is lost way too early and it breaks my heart. i'm hopeful and optimistic about being a parent. :)