Creative Sunday

I took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend to spend an ENTIRE day in my scraproom creating pages. It felt so good to be among patterned paper, scissors, glue dots, and cardstock again. I haven't been consistent about scrapbooking lately, so this day was a welcome return to my little creative world.

I took Stacy Julian's class Twelve at Big Picture Classes at the beginning of the year. Although the live part of the class is over, there is an ongoing assignment to continue to create twelve layouts a month in each of twelve different categories ("you," "holidays," "family stories," etc.). I was diligent in getting my layouts done each month through May, and then I got off track. I have thoroughly enjoyed this challenge because it encourages me to create pages and tell stories on topics that I would not normally explore. Here are two of those layouts:

Recently my dad gave me a huge box of old photos, most of them from when my sister and I were little. The box sat in the basement for a while because I didn't know what to do with all of those pictures. I mulled over several possibilities, all of which seemed overwhelming. I couldn't imagine scanning all of those photos or organizing them into albums. So I just started scrapping them. Once I got over the fear of cropping them and adhering them to a page, I had such fun making these layouts. This page is one that I made based on a sketch at Simple Scrapper. Almost all of the supplies I used are from My Mind's Eye.

I normally wouldn't scrap a page about a place, unless it was somewhere we went on a vacation or field trip. But one of the categories in Twelve is "places," and our church is definitely a place that plays a huge role in our lives. This layout was inspired by Shimelle Lane's beautifully layered and embellished pages. Again, I used mostly paper and embellishments from My Mind's Eye.

The Dilemma of Healthy Eating

Lately I have made a huge effort to get our family eating healthier. I have bought whole food and grain cookbooks, read numerous blog posts about eating locally, and stocked my pantry with items like amaranth flour and agave nectar. Last week, I even made the hour trek into Winston-Salem to the Whole Foods Market to bask in aisle after aisle of everything organic, grass-fed, and devoid of high fructose corn syrup. It was wonderful.

Today, however, I read the following in Foreign Policy magazine:

"The trendiest new staple at your local Whole Foods is probably quinoa, an Andean grain so high in minerals, protein, and amino acids that the FAO says it can be substituted for mother's milk. Quinoa was introduced to the North American market three decades ago, but since 2000 it has really taken off, with the price jumping nearly sevenfold. That's great news for the Bolivian farmers who produce the vast majority of the world's supply, but it may be bad news for the country's health. With their country now exporting around 90 percent of its quinoa crop, many Bolivians simply can't afford it anymore. Domestic quinoa consumption has fallen 34 percent in the last five years, and health officials fear a rise in obesity rates as Bolivians abandon the highly nutritious grain they've enjoyed since the time of the Incas and switch to imported staples like rice and white bread. President Evo Morales's government has even designated quinoa a 'strategic' foodstuff and included it in a subsidized food parcel for pregnant women. But more drastic measures may be needed to keep up with the insatiable demand of Western foodies."

I have a whole container full of quinoa and I have made some very tasty quinoa muffins that even my children like. I felt so great about giving my kids such a nutritious breakfast. But how am I supposed to feel now? I may be snapping up the quinoa, using it to make myself feel better physically and mentally, and at the same time robbing a Bolivian family of a staple of their diet. I realize that the farmers who grow the quinoa are probably much better off now that there is a huge demand for a once lowly crop. I am glad for all of the fair trade efforts that exist today. But I can't help feeling guilty for the fact that I may be driving another family into subsisting on white rice and bread--the exact thing I am trying to avoid with my family.

Happy New Year!

We spent a quiet Christmas and New Year's on the farm this year. The kids got new cameras from Santa and the horses got peppermint treats (which they love). Happy New Year!

Halloween 2009

We had a rather different Halloween this year. We usually make a special trip to the pumpkin patch, carve Jack-o-lanterns, then go Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night. This year, we barely had time to get to the pumpkin patch, we didn't get a chance to carve Jack-o-lanterns, and we went Trick-or-Treating on the day before Halloween in downtown Madison. It was rainy and dreary on Halloween, so we stayed in and watched movies. Not our usual traditions, but it worked for us this year. I did manage to get some cute photos!

Fall on the Farm

We knew this place was beautiful in the spring when we moved in. There were trees budding and flowers blooming (especially honeysuckles) everywhere. The farm was even more wonderful in the summer when all things turned leafy and thickly green. But fall has been the most spectacular season yet. The blazing reds, yellows, and oranges surrounding us have been amazing. The pictures below are some views from our back porch.