The Baby's Room

Well, it's July 1st. Our due date is 9 days away and we finally got the baby's room in order. Let me give you a tour...

The crib and changing table were bought with graduation and birthday money (Thanks, Yia Yia and Opa!) and we found both items on Craigslist. They look brand new but were oodles cheaper than brand new baby furniture.

This is the picture hanging above the changing table. It was a birthday gift Carrie gave me years ago and I love that it's hanging in my baby's room now. It reads, "I hope it will be said we taught them to stand tall and proud, even in the face of history, and the future was made whole for us all, one chid at a time." Amen. =)

The glider and ottoman were a gift from the baby's aunties. (Thank you Rachel, Emily, Lauren, and Carrie!) The wicker basket, night stand, and lamp are items we already owned but moved to the baby's room.

The baby's bedding (a gift from Grandma) is our big ticket item. But it is OH SO CUTE! We decided to reuse a piece from our baby shower as "art" on the wall.

This was a gift from a family at Trinity. This baby has a safe place to sleep and grow and a family who loves him. I'd say he's already blessed.

This is the cradle my brother and I slept in as babies. It is now in our bedroom next to our bed.

I'm pretty dang proud of how simple we've kept things (Babies R Us can make you think that babies need a lot of crap!). We're trying to reuse things instead of buying new. Thanks to my sister--who gave us a boppy, baby monitors, and baby clothes--and a friend--who gave us a gently used car seat and TONS of baby clothes--we think we have everything we need (and more!)

Now we just need a baby. =)

Soapmaking

I'm so lucky to have so many friends who are moving toward sustainable, organic, and mindful ways of living. My friend, Lorissa, has a compost bin and a vegetable garden. Greta has worms that do her composting for her and has recently become an expert in macrobiotic cooking. My friend, Lauren, has inspired me to try baking my own bread and to eat less meat. (Read an awesome post of hers here.)

Last Friday I was invited to go to a soap making party at my friends' house. Glenn is a friend from Iliff and his wife, Bridget, makes her own bar soap that is organic and has no harmful chemicals in it. It was so fun! Bridget was a very patient teacher and made me feel like, with the right supplies, I could make my own soap too. =)

Here are a few pictures from our soap making extravaganza:

Meal Swap

My friend, Lorissa, and I have been doing a "meal swap" for the past couple of months and I've been encouraged to post something about it on our blog...

A couple of months ago we decided to try a meal swap. I plan two meals and Lorissa plans two meals and we make enough for both families. I usually spend a couple hours on Saturday or Sunday preparing our meals and then we find a time to get together and "swap". (It gives us a great excuse to get together!) 

Here's what I LOVE about meal swap:

*I only cook once a week and I get FOUR meals out of the deal

*During the work week we don't have to cook when we get home from a long day

*I get to try things I would never have thought to cook myself (Lorissa has made falafel, chowder, and maple-glazed salmon)

*I'm inspired to cook things I probably wouldn't make for just the two of us (Last time I made homemade egg rolls and fried rice!)

*We eat less meat. (We each plan one meal with meat and one meal without) 

*We swap every other weekend so it never feels overwhelming

I also love that it helps me practice mutual interdependence. In a culture that values "rugged individualism" and complete independence, participating in a meal swap reminds me of the joy that is found in mutual interdependence. I am learning that our burdens are a little lighter when we rely on each other and seek to live more communally.