5 (backyard garden, year two)

i ordered the seeds this week. lots of them.

chard, kale of two kinds, spinach, lettuce, golden tomatoes, zucchini, patty pan squash, watermelon, green beans, yellow beans, carrots, purple carrots, basil, cilantro, marigolds, red cabbage, green cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, garlic, beets, bell peppers, and more.

i don’t know what i’m doing. but this year i’m determined to learn as i go.  i am confident that SOMETHING will grow, and probably quite a bit. last year’s negligence showed me that God is the one who grows things, not me.

we have 8 8′ x 4′ raised beds in the back yard. i suppose the soil needs some prepping, but then they’ll be ready to receive seeds and seedlings. i have territorial seed’s garden planning software to help me know when to plant each thing indoors or out, and to help me determine spacing. and i have a gardening book about companion planting that’s helping me know what to put together in each of the beds.

we’ll transplant some raspberry bushes from the boiler room yard, and some strawberry plants from another lead. and we’ll get the tomato and pepper plants from a friend of the boiler room who works at a nursery.

and we’ll start composting at last, i hope.

i am looking forward to this. i am looking forward to showing hazel, right from the beginning, how food grows. i picture her chubby little, dirt-smudged hands carrying a fistful of peas or basil. ah. i love it.

2 (projects occupying my mind)

a million projects running through my mind. all the to-do lists are mingling together. it’s no wonder i sometimes have trouble falling alseep. this also explains why it took me fully half of the rosie thomas concert last week to quiet my mind enough to be present to the music and the husband seated beside me.

• the community garden in our yard. how can we steward it better this year, and share it more fully? should i start the seeds indoors, and if so, how? i need to order the seeds soon, which means i first have to decide what to plant.
• the boiler room website, which i suddenly have a major itch to improve upon. i hope to solicit the help of friends much more adept at web design and logo/branding than i am. but my mind is running with ideas about content and how we can communicate our identity to the designers so that it comes through clearly. i want it to be attractive and clear and to be a place where the stories of God’s activities here are told beautifully and in such a way that others feel connected to it, and know how to plug into it.
• my own log for brookecollierphoto.com, which i have gorgeous raw material for thanks to the very talented emilie of leif designs. but now i need to get some things back to her so we can do phase 2.
• city of GR taxes that i still need to pay. but first i need to be sure that the filing is done accurately and fully, because turbo tax appears to have done only a draft version of it. i was mad at first about having to pay city taxes, but then i remembered that scripture that talks about “seeking the peace of the city where you are in exhile.” God promised His people that if they seek and pursue the peace of the city whe

 

oh blast. time up.

a new creative project

a sample of what's involved in this creative project: daily diptychs of beauty in the midst of gritty

jointly undertaken with my dear jenn, who lives 0.4 miles from me.

it’s another year of mornings with a heart of gratitude for what’s beautiful in the midst of grit.

you can see us here. (don’t forget to subscribe).

finished: the baby’s room

small, grey-walled, and filled with unique items (antique, second-hand, hand-made). i’m rather pleased with how this small space has turned out, and cannot wait to introduce our little girl into it.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

making space for her

six more weeks until her estimated due date.

in the nursery, the walls are painted the softest gray, and the it now houses its furniture: crib, dresser, changing table. it also still houses the book-case and sewing cabinet that will NOT remain there (they’ll be moved to another room a bit later on). but even with the extra furniture all stuffed in that tiny room, i can begin to see what the space will be like, and it’s a serene and sunny spot that i think she and i will both love to linger in. the closet and dresser are filled with wee little clothes, some cloth diapers, soft toys, stuffed animals, blankets, burp cloths, art to hang on walls, booties, boppies, pack ‘n play, high chair, car seat… we’re pretty well set, minus a few remaining necessities.

last weekend we had two baby showers. i think that showers have gotten a bit silly and i often dread them because of things like games in which one creates a “poopy” diaper out of various chocolate foods. but mine were lovely, both. in each case, the room was filled with good, godly, loving women who love me, and who love my daughter already. and as if the presence and emotional support and wisdom and prayers aren’t enough, there were lots of gifts, too. wonderful gifts of every sort. many hands reached out to caress my belly, many voices spoke to her little ears, telling her of their excitement to meet her soon. ah, ’twas very sweet indeed.

and i have been nesting, just a bit. i was so impatient to get that furniture in the nursery. of course, i couldn’t do it myself because it violates all sorts of things-pregnant-women-ought-not-do rules, which meant that i had to wait on tim and friends to do the job for me. it’s really hard for me to wait on others sometimes, which is why in so many cases i end up just saying, “ah, forget it, i’ll do it myself!” but that wasn’t a possibility here, so i resolved to try to glean the rewards of that spiritual discipline we call waiting. anyway, the furniture is in now. and as i was waiting for it to come, i got out all the myriad stacks of baby clothing we’ve acquired and began to sort it into stacks by size. now the dresser and closest just contain clothes for size newborn through six months, and the six months through twelve month sizes are in a rubbermaid container in the basement, awaiting their day to shine. stacking all those tiny clothes into the drawers of my antique dresser was such a special thing.

and then i sewed. yes, i sewed. you may recall that i attempted to foster this hobby over a year ago, but that it sorta sputtered out. however, it seems that while i will not sew for myself, i will get motivated to sew for our baby. so i had a couple women friends over (you know who you are) and we set up our machines in the dining room, and gave each other pointers and encouragement and a helping hand while sipping tea and eating carrot dip on rice crackers. and that was enough to jump-start me. that day i finished a portable changing pad, and later velcro pouches for storing smaller items within the diaper bag, and a tiny pillow case for a tiny pillow. a few days later i used a tutorial for making crib sheets (thanks, jess, for pointing me that direction) and sewed two of ‘em, both from vintage bed sheets. that seemed easy enough so i found another tutorial for making a changing pad cover and sewed that up, too. yes, i’m unstoppable. later this week two other friends are coming by to have a sewing party (i think sewing is better in circles of other women), and then i’ll tackle the snuggler/swaddler pattern that i’ve been so eager to make, because kristen, who is an incredible seamstress, will be able to help me navigate those slightly more complicated waters. it makes me really happy to have some handmade things for our little one, and besides that, that things i’m making are more unique (one of a kind!) than anything i’d get in a store, and cheaper, too.

furthermore, i cannot contain my joy over the recent discovery that using reusable baby wipes — in addition to cloth diapers — will save us HUNDREDS of dollars over the course of the years our baby will be in diapers. seriously, it’s sick. you should take a look at this article that calculates it all out. i hadn’t seriously considered reusable wipes because, like all unknowns, it felt like a vaguely daunting task. but after reading this guide to creating your own reusable wipes system, and finding all the things i’d need for only $92, i totally sprang for it. and i got so excited about it all on the night i discovered this that i had trouble falling asleep.

i’m signing off now,

the mother-to-be who is in a flurry of happy nesting activity

 

762: more thoughts and photos

my last post about working on our house was filled with reflections about the spiritual significance of redeeming a house. and still i’m meditating on these things as i work over there, and praying small prayers in my heart when i see neighbors pass by the front windows or through the alley. but this week has been a lot of task-orientation, too. we’ve been busy. hard to believe that we haven’t even had access to the house for 2 weeks yet, but SO MUCH has been accomplished. without all the help of friends and family and neighbors, all of what has been finished would not be finished for 2 more weeks yet. seriously. work parties and friends helping with projects has made the hugest difference. it’s been the “barn raising” that i wrote about in my last post. i’m unspeakably grateful.

today, as i write this, tim is over at the house with a couple of our friends, sanding the floors down. he’s working over there all day, with friends coming by in shifts to help out, and by the end of tomorrow we hope to have the last coat of polyurethane on the floors. then, once it’s all dried, we’ll move in.

can’t believe that day is right around the corner.

and the house looks now like a place where i’d like to live. i can begin to envision our things filling the rooms, our people filling the space with their laughter and their voices, my cooking creating homey smells… yes, i can see it now.

we still don’t own the house. sometimes this makes me nervous. sometimes i have horrible thoughts about the owners changing their mind, refusing to sell to us, and renting it out to someone else, even after we have invested so much energy and time and money into improving it. i don’t think that’s rational, nor fair to the owners. and the fact is that we do have an accepted offer on the house. just waiting — still — on the bank. i thought we would have heard from them by now. i’m trying not to let this bother me.

is this crazy-ness or faith? sometimes the line is blurry, isn’t it?

well, i want to throw some photos up here for ya’ll…

first, our room:

the carpet was emerald green and the walls and trim were all the same pale sea-foam green color.

next we painted the trim white and the walls a quirky greenish-yellowish color.

finally, we painted the floors white!

now, here is crystal’s room:

when we got the house, the carpet was bright crimson and the walls mauve.

we painted the walls vintage yellow (still need to do the trim)

then, we painted the floors white. and we still need to do the trim. (we’ll do that just before crystal moves in, i think)

here’s the kitchen:

when we got the house, the drawers were all pulled out for extermination of roaches, and everything was dirty. no fridge. green-ish colored walls. grime on walls.

after our first work party, things look CLEANER at least.

during the paint party, we got the walls covered in a gorgeous tidewater blue.

today we have our “new” appliances installed. the kitchen is almost ready for use.

well, i’ll leave it at that for now. i’ll post a string of photos from the living/dining room soon, once those wood floors are refinished!

i wrote a book

well, sorta. it’s a wee little cookbook, thrown together rather quickly as a parting gift to Big Oak. i wanted to leave them with all the recipes the kiddos there have gotten to be so fond of.

and, i made a home edition. meaning, with the recipes scaled down for a family of 4-6 rather than massive quantities to feed 38 small children and a handful of adults.

you can get a copy, if you like.

Brooke Cooks for Big Oak: Home Edition (click on this one to buy it)

Brooke Cooks f…

By Brooke Collier, MA

Book Preview

ps: as you may have guessed, my commitment to whole real foods pervades this book.

letter-writing, bicycles, silly t-shirts, and such

here’s a bit of small talk:

oh, letter-writing. that long-lost artform whose practice now leaves a deeper impression because of its rarity. i want to recover it in my life, though it takes so much will-power to step away from the more plugged in diversions and sit down with pen in hand to write. when you write a letter, you feel as though you ought to say something Very Special, because it is in ink. goodness! here i was writing to chelsea, that sister of my heart, whose daily company i deeply miss. and i am writing on the stationary given me by my other dear chelsea, who is the best gift giver and spoils me when i haven’t enough courage to spoil myself. and, i was eating pasta. mid afternoon pasta. yes.

the other day tim called me while i was at work, and he was about town with a client. they had happened upon a yard sale and at this yard sale was a vintage schwinn bicycle with flat tires and the remnants of still living vines clinging to the spokes of the wheels. he wondered could he buy it, even thought funds are a bit tight, because this could be The First Bike I Fix Up. it would be really wonderful, couldn’t i see? and when it was finished, he could give it to brother jonny, who needs a bike. and so, because he believes in my creative pursuits, and let me spend $50 on a sewing machine this fall, i said yes.

the other day at [another] yard sale we stumbled upon a children’s shirt featuring darth vader. we bought if for our nephew sam (even though it won’t fit him for years perhaps, we know). but one morning as we were leaving the house to get some breakfast with the aforementioned gift-giving chelsea, i put it on as a joke. my mid-driff showed. tim said i ought to go ahead and wear it to breakfast anyway. so, here i am. no, i am not a star wars fan. at all.

and then there is salad. oh, the glorious greens being grown these days. we have a CSA share at Big Oak now, and that means we’re getting lettuces. so i’ve made salads for the children and yes, they do eat them! they love it. i made the salad above for us to eat at home. it featured red leaf lettuce, sprouts, raspberries, walnuts, scallions, and goat cheese. the dressing was made of rice vinegar, honey, grapeseed oil, garlic, lime juice, and a bit of salt and pepper. yes, it was lovely. we had smoothies with it, too.

and, we had to bid farewell to this one last weekend. i wrote more about her here.

we went to see our friend dustin pence play some music at Cafe Zoma. he’s really excellent. and if i had a link to send you to to get some of his music, i would do that here.

and tomorrow we are going to see patty griffin in concert at the house of blues. very last minute, slightly irresponsible (financially speaking), and also very awesome. (t is especially geeked about this).

how are things for you? what have you been up to?

64 of 101: a photo website on my 30th

i’m turning 30 today. and, in addition to being taken out for dinner, receiving a few lovely gifts, and eating gluten-free chocolate cake, i am also celebrating my birthday this year by launching a website.

www.brookecollierphoto.com

yup! there it is: my official photography website.

i’ve been shooting for 10 years. i love it and haven’t stopped loving it, which is something to listen to. and so, it’s about time.

it’s time to boldly declare that YES, i am a photographer and you can hire me to make beautiful images of things that matter to you. like your wedding or your family, your marriage, or your baby.

what a gift to be able to do as work a thing that gives such life.

ps: i have a may portrait special going on. and a wedding photography booking discount, too. see the “specials & faq” section on my site.

29 of 101: chaff and beans

jenn was the one who opened our eyes to this possibility: of roasting one’s coffee at home. the brilliance of this idea seemed self-evident: it’s thrifty, it’s a unique hobby, and it’s product is delicious. so, after reading up about it a bit at Sweet Maria’s, we decided to give it a go, which is why i put it on my 101 in 1001 list.

a little while later, while browsing at St. Vinnie’s, i came across THE recommended air popcorn popper for home-roasting coffee. so, for $6.50, i bought it home and set it on the shelf next to the ice cream maker.

but it was months before i finally ordered the green beans. they came on friday afternoon, and all day saturday and most of today we thought with wistful romanticism about what it would be like to roast our first batch of beans. but, i felt nervous. would i burn it or otherwise mar it? would it stink up the entire apartment? would the colander i had on hand for cooling work, even though it’s not aluminum?

but because we were completely out of coffee, and i couldn’t bear the thought of starting my monday morning san caffeine, i decided i had no choice but to take the plunge.

tim hovered nearby, the delight of a fascinated child dominating his facial features. we watched as the fluffy beige chaff separated from the beans and floated into the bowl under the popper’s spout. we marveled at the spinning beans, propelled by hot air alone. and we were amazed to see the color turn from pale green to deep brown in under 6 minutes.

now, these beans are cooling in the colander in the open kitchen window. and in the morning we will have what is perhaps the freshest cup of coffee we’ve had to date.