On being Pregnant (first trimester)

Hot Milk Lingerie

 (I don't really like this picture that much, but I wanted something and I'm too tired to keep looking!)

Hello There~*~*

So I'm pregnant! with child! carrying! so many wonderful words to describe the miracle that's happening inside me right now.

I still have a hard time believing that I'm pregnant so I often talk to my tiny baby, or make up little songs about what it's probably doing :)



Other than making up songs, I've noticed that I'm tired a lot of the time and I get hungry much more often. But I try to have healthy snacks of almonds, cheese, as well as organic veggies and fruit.

I've also noticed that my BREASTS are REALLY SORE. They usually get sore during my womanly time, but now they're like EXTREMELY TENDER! I also have cramps on and off sometimes, not like during my womanly time, because those are SEVERE, these are more just...on again off again little feelings. 

I'm also enjoying talking to our baby and referring to my Sicilian as "Daddy": saying "I wonder what Daddy will want for dinner" or "I wonder what Daddy is working on right now. I'm very excited for this entire process. Maybe not the birthing so much, seems scary, hard, and very painful. But, I've even started researching trying to have a positive birthing experience, so I'm reading this book:

Learn More

Diary of a Midwife: The Power of Positive Childbearing
One of many by the way.

I'll tell you more about it after I've read more.


Ps. I'm having a hard time finding pictures I like that really illustrate the mood I'm trying to convey, so I think I'm going to start illustrating this blog myself! After searching for so long, I'm tired. Goodnight. Wow, I stayed up till 9.15pm...I think that's a record. I've been conking out at 8 o'clock!

~*Imogen~*

Becoming a Homesteader: Step 1 Growing My Own Food

I figure I need to start small.

My Mother bought me the cute...odd present you see above, for Christmas.

At the time, I just thought it was a sort of funny last minute gift, which is quintessentially my mom's style. But with this gift, she (perhaps unknowingly) supported my desire to homestead and to live closer with the earth...

Talk about synchronicity! I think it was the Universe, speaking through my mom's odd gift, saying..."Go Imogen! Go after your homestead dreams! You can do it!" And since I'm always up for receiving encouragement and mystical signs from the heavens...I accept the challenge & responsibility of this Chia Garden!!!

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3(I need dividers, I'm very visual)<3<3<3<3<3<3<3>


So I'm currently in the process of creating a step-by-step plan that will allow my Husband and I to actually buy our homestead...in a couple of years. This sort of venture takes lots of planning and commitment. I don't just want to drag my husband on the bandwagon with me, so I HAVE needed to make sure that this was his dream too...And I'm happy to report it certainly is! But after doing some research, I've found out that the best "from city to country" plan includes learning & honing homesteading skills NOW, before moving to our homestead of dreams

So what can I do now in a small flat? I can't raise chickens or keep a cow!

But there are loads of things I can do! My ultimate goal would be for us to even produce our own electricity. Solar panels, wind turbines, and live completely off the grid, borrowing from no one and only buying from whom we wish! But that's a ways off.

As a beginning homesteader, I will hone my skills in:

cooking and baking from scratch (I'm already pretty good)
(but meal planning and eating locally are very important when you want to be budget and eco-friendly...so I need to work on those things)
making homemade candies and granolas (awesome)
pickling (cool, but I'm scared of Botulism! )
canning (Botulism again)
preserving (and again!)
and
growing our own food!

(There's plenty more that I want to learn how to do, in my quest to become self-sufficient, from making butter to making clothing....but I'm sticking with my Food theme for today)

So, that's where I'm starting: Growing my Own Food!
And I'm starting with an herb garden. My Husband and I tried to do some container gardening this past summer; and since neither of us had ever grown ANYTHING before...it was definitely a learning experience! My Husband gathered his gumption and built 2 wooden containers for our plants. And we planted peppers, tomatoes, and green beans from seed! AND THEY GREW!!! It was such an amazingly SATISFYING experience: watching green buds burst from the soil, watching the VERY FUZZY unripened veggies form! It was such a miracle. The sweet, simple miracle of growing.


So I'm currently in the process of planning our patio garden for the upcoming spring and I'm very excited! I hope to lay it out with lush, fruit and veggie sprouting plants!

And since I don't plant till Spring, I thought it would be wonderful to start my small herb garden today. Eventually, when we have our homestead (our homestead is my dearest wish. To have a home with my Husband, and to live a long & healthy life with him, is truly my dearest and only wish. If I could just have anything, it would be that. And I'm so grateful I even get to DREAM of such a thing.)

So yes, Eventually, on our homestead, I would like us to have 3 gardens:
A medicinal herb garden
A culinary herb garden
A rose garden...I'd like roses all over really!
A vegetable garden
A fruit orchard

Ok, that's really 5 gardens.

I'd also like to have:
1 or 2 sweet tempered dairy cows
a few beautiful brown buxom hens
3 or so sheep
and much more.
but while my Husband and I do research on these animals and scout out for our farmland, I'll begin buffing my homesteading skills so they'll shine!


So starting with my Chia Pet Herb garden is a wonderful first step.
since...
one of the basic tenants for being a homesteader, is growing your own food.


So Let's get started!

As I took out the Chia pods, I noticed condensation on bags. Maybe something's Awesomely alive!

So this is everything that came with the kit: seed packets, clay pots and holders, plant tags, and Chia dirt pods. And lots of literature! cool!

And through the magic of blogging, I'm done! seeds are planted, pots are covered to create a "greenhouse atmosphere" and I'm excited to see what pops up! (in 5-14 days).

Do the Chia pods have chemicals in them? I hope not!

So we'll check in on my herb seedlings in a couple days! Hope they sprout!

What's your dearest wish? To homestead as well?

I admire these strong women

Since I can't find batteries for my camera, I have to push back my first installment of "Becoming a Super Awesome Homesteader." And instead I'll tell you about two women who I truly admire.

Ok, you might disagree with me, and think I'm a bit strange. And that's totally fine.

But I love these two women:

Mrs. Michelle Duggar! and Victoria Beckham


"Weird!" I hear you shout to your computer!

"How?! They're so different!" I hear you call out incredulously!

"No Way!" ...well, you get the idea.

But yes, these are two women in the popular media who I really like and whose adventures I really enjoy reading about or watching.

They may, at first glance, appear to be total opposites, with one being a former international pop star and the other being a homeschooling mom in Arkansas.
But they do share a few similarities.

Michelle Duggar and Victoria Beckham..."They've got something in common!"

1. They both adore their children
Yes, Victoria has 4 while Mrs. Duggar has 19
But through their many interviews and articles, you can see that both women love the fruit of their looms...loins.


2. They both adore their husbands
Victoria and Michelle BOTH GUSH over their husbands:
Victoria...over David's sexiness and how well they suit each other
Michelle...over Jim Bob's humble godliness and how he's the spiritual leader of their home.

(I can respect both feelings, and I feel the same way about my Sicilian! I absolutely adore him. Even when we quarrel, I usually forget like 2 minutes later, and seek him out so we can play scrabble, or so he'll read to us or kiss me. )

3. They both love fashion
It may not be apparent for Mrs. Duggar at first glance, but she DOES enjoy fashion, she's just not dedicated to it. And it's BABY fashion she favors, especially baby hair bands with GIANT FLOWERS attached, and leopard print baby carriers.
Victoria...well, we all know she's becoming a fashion icon in her own right, not only wearing haute couture creations of fashion house legends, but also creating her own lines.


4. They're both relatively financially set and self-sufficient.
With this one, I have to include their families, since their wealth is not singular, but familial. And being "self-sufficient" doesn't mean that you're an island onto yourself. When both you and your spouse can publicly lean on each other for love and support...to me that shows you understand something bigger than your ego: the human need for companionship.

But I think both women (and their families) DO show amazing self-reliance:
Mrs. Duggar's family's motto is: "buy used, save the difference." This enables them to live in a luxuriously grand home they not only paid for, but built to their own specifications. They live debt free. They have income from their TLC show and also the many real estate ventures in which they participate. They Duggars also garden so they can harvest fresh produce and they even make their own laundry detergent!
I have to say that I like Mrs. Duggar's approach a bit more, since it's sustainable...they grow, they save, they flourish. (Yes, they need to recycle a bit more though! I wish one of the many people who complain about this family's carbon footprint would actually offer them some assistance in becoming more eco-knowledgeable!)

Victoria and her family are also self-reliant when it comes to money: Her husband is a multimillion dollar earning sports star. But Posh (Victoria's nickname) also has her own funds: she was a very popular popstar in the 90s, with international success. Remember "Girl Power?" But now, Victoria has taken the fashion world by storm, with her own self-named label, producing dresses worn by stars and dignitaries all over the world. She also recently debuted a handbag collection, to accompany her jeans and eyewear lines.

So both Victoria Beckham and Michelle Duggar are doing well in their finances.

And while I really respect both women, for their differences, as well as their similarities...I'd have to say there is one thing I really appreciate about Mrs. Michelle Duggar: her outright love of God.

It's not too often that people talk about God in the media, without being put in the crazy catagory. The only other person that I can think of who has talked about God in recent years, was Kanye West, with his "Jesus Walks" song. If you don't know it, or immediately cringe because of the name "Kanye West" google the lyrics, and just read them, as you would any other text. Dissect them and see what you get out of it.
I'd be very curious to know your take on it.

ANYWAYS!

I feel that Mrs. Duggars vocal appreciation for all her blessings and her dedication to learning and developing spiritually, puts her a bit ahead of Posh for me. I just feel like, I would LOVE to be as elegant and funny as Victoria Beckham, but I would LOVE even more, to be as sweet and kind and gracious as Michelle Duggar.

AHHHH! I really can't choose! I love them both!

Who do you favor?

(I say they are "strong" because they both stand up to adversity and slander and don't stray from what they believe in. They are both dedicated to family. And they just exude different types of strength at different times: quiet, humble, motherly, daring, exuberant, protective, attractive, feminine. )

The Amish...and my long awaited decision

(above image is the property of Bill Coleman, of http://amishphoto.com)


You most likely don't know this...and probably would never guess...but

I LOVE Amish culture.

I love their sustainable lifestyles, their familial communities, their spiritual dedication, and in my most private thoughts, I often fantasize about living in an Amish Community.

Is that odd? For an urban Brown-skinned girl to want to give up the trappings of modernity to return to the land, bake bread, pickle, darn & spin yarn? I don't rightly know since I haven't REALLY shared my love of Amish culture with anyone besides my Husband...who does find my infatuation a bit cute, if not totally off the wall.

But when I talk to my family about the Amish and how I admire their ability to work the land and live simply...I begin to get the look I've gotten since childhood...a look that basically says...
"You're really strange...aren't you?"

Then I'm belittled AGAIN for the fact that I don't have a television. And they talk about what they cannot live without: televisions, xbox, wii, etc. It's as if the trappings of popular culture have stopped up their ears so completely that they can't see past the newest item of interest...to get at what really matters: family,love, spirituality & peace.


But my love for Amish Culture and (and really my love for)the Culture of Simplicity has been steadily growing.

I've been enchanted by the Amish since I was a child. I remember my grandparents took me to Amish country once. It wasn't far away, but I'm sure they thought a "Modern Child" wouldn't want to go and see such simple things, so they only took me once or twice. But I was enamored with that magical place, time seemed to have been gentler to...where buggies bounced down roads to the "clip, clop" of horse hooves, where shops were friendly...but didn't practically twist your arm to buy. Where the produce was fresh and bountiful.

The first time I encountered Amish people close-up, was when I was very young and I went to a local amusement park with my family. I was a wee little thing and so we spent a fair amount of time at the petting zoo. There I saw a man, woman, and children dressed in dark clothes. They stuck out a bit, not because they were mean or odd;...they just had an air about them that said the only things that were visible to them were the baby animals on display.
Years later, in college I remember being hysterically happy to see the rare buggy trot past.


It hadn't occurred to me that I was enamored by the Amish, dazzled by their simple garb and...their simple, quiet ways.
Their quiet, spoke to something inside of me...it awoke some unknown desire within me for peace, open spaces, community, spirituality and love. Although, it's just now that I'm able to see that.

Within the last 5 years...I've sensed a change in myself, moving from wanting to be in Paris...ALL THE TIME to wanting a place of my own.


I want to homestead...to dive my hands into fertile Mother Earth and plant roots.

WOW. That's a big step for me. Actually getting my intention out into the Universe...to make it real more real.

Yes. I AM BECOMING A HOMESTEADER.

With my Husband, I would like:

A fairly large piece of LAND

A large yet cozy HOME for our large family (we hope!)

I also want a few COWS

A couple of SHEEP

Two or three CHICKENS

I want to GROW our own food

MAKE all our meals (except when I want something fancy)

and make some of our clothes.

I want to be thrifty (already accomplished)

Fashionable (check there too! Most of the time)

And independent (working on it)

I still want to be chic and informed and dress nicely...after I've milked our cows, fixed breakfast, ect. I still want to be a hot classy wife....


My Husband and I think a lot of people are feeling this pull to go back to nature...not to "go back to simpler times" but to become a simpler, more wholesome people.


Many MANY things have influenced this decision: from the horrors in the news, poor food at the grocery store, high prices for produce, and just feeling distant from the land. I've been influenced by visiting local farms, and locally owned/produced markets, small towns, and reading Mother Earth News, thepioneerwoman.com's everyday adventures and also going back to Amish country to feel such a wholeness settle into my bones...a deep-sung happiness that I've never found within the confines of the city.

And while my Husband and I both enjoy the pleasures the city has to offer...we do feel as though it separates us from our Humanity sometimes... ceaseless traffic, lung-clogging pollution, petty crimes, violent crimes, uncaring neighbors, fast-food with no indication of the actual animals and vegetables it comes from, the indescribable rudeness of strangers, the abject poverty, the proudly insensitive...

I have been preparing myself, slowly but surely for this huge change...designing a food garden for our flat's small patio, which will hopefully supplement, if not provide all our fruits and vegetables this autumn (fingers crossed).

And since last year I've been honing my skills at making homemade, hand-kneaded bread...loving the work and artistry that goes into every loaf.

:) I'll be the first to admit I have a long way to go.

But In the words of one of my favorite songs:

"Hey come along and join the fun...."


Question: Do you ever think about leaving the city behind and homesteading?




Disclaimer:
I freely admit, I have a wonderful rose colored view of Amish life, and I know there are many hardships in that community, as in every other; from domestic violence to abuse. I just wanted to say I do really enjoy reading about Amish Culture and visiting Amish country, and I appreciate and admire their sustainable way of living with the Earth.