This weekend has been chock full of self sufficiency. The cowboy and I were left to ourselves while D put in some very, very long hours moving his office to a smaller suite in the warehouse building.

I made the decision that I would spend lots of quality time with the boy, seeing as he regularly gets dragged to places that are little fun for 4 year olds. A picnic in the park today with his buddies and the farmer’s market are two of his very favorite things to do.

I have been thinking a lot about self sufficiency and how reliant my little family is on convenience. Now that gas is at the highest  price I have ever seen it, I am thinking more about resources and how we expend them unnecessarily. I read a few blogs where folks are questioning the same ideas and doing more urban homesteading.

I settled up my debt to the Enoch Pratt Library and checked out a few books to help in my quest.

Bread Machine Magic

I really love this book. The Sunflower bread is WONDERFUL. I made 2 loaves this weekend in no time flat. I am slicing and freezing some of the breads as to have fresh bread for the week. I have a buttermilk cinnamon raisin loaf in the bread maker right now.

I also checked out Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Around. I want to try to wrap my head around her process.. I would like knitting to become more of an organic exercise for me. Less pattern oriented and more innate.

My other book that has me all jazzed is a book on Middle Eastern cooking. The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. I love Middle Eastern cooking. I also am looking to make my own hummus and babaganoush this summer. I buy them at the grocery store so frequently and feel that I can make them just as easily and way less expensive.

The overall feeling that I am getting right now is to do more for our family and not cash in the convenience chip as often as we do. I live in a city that is chock full of resources that do not rely on wasting resources. I have a fully planted garden and a membership in an organic CSA. I am making our bread (way too easy!) and getting our milk locally (and delivered! Yup…Mama has a milkman!)

Who else has great ideas?

Dear D and Cowboy,

This mother is very, very proud to be the lady in your life (lives).

I want to thank you for being so kind, and funny, and responsive to my often crazy ideas.

D… thanks for being my best friend. The person who never (out loud) thinks that my zany ideas are , well, zany. Thanks for giving me room to explore my creativity and to be me. The me you met and dated, and later made an honest woman. You are the best friend a girl could ever hope for… and I love you with all my heart and am so proud to be your wife.

Cowboy, you are an amazing child. You have a sensitivity that I hope never leaves you. You are polite beyond your years and you take delight in all that comes your way. You have the creativity bug, too. And I think it is as bad as the one that bit me. And, I love you. Like a love that I have never had with anyone else. Your my boy… and I am so, so proud to be your mama.

So, my boys, thanks for making me a mama. Thanks for a very special day of gardening yesterday and of toying with my new GPS! Thanks for making me laugh, giving me direction, and making me whole.

I love you both so much,

E.

Umm… just found out that Chewy… the wonder cat… has anxiety disorder.

Thank you nice vet man for the 245.00 bill (and 135.00 in a supply list) to say that my cat is crazy. Let’s hope the feliway works… shall we?

Let’s not forget the kitty prozac too.

Oy!

Things have been rollercoaster-y here at Chez’ Mama.

There is the Good:

• Maryland Sheep and Wool is a mere few weeks away.
• Michelle is coming to play with me for the festival!
• Sarah and Stacy will be around too!
• There is an Open House at my studio!
• The Warehouse re-opened with great success!
• Crazy 8’s part Deux Club has a few more openings. you choose your option… lace, sock, spinning fiber or combinations thereof!

Then, there is the bad.

The cowboy and I were in a car accident. We are very, very thankful that we sustained very minor injuries. The cowboy has a scrape on his poor little face from the seatbelt. He calls it his ANNAKIN mark from STAR WARS: Clone Wars 1. I felt so bad for him that I let him get his hair cut like Annakin Skywalker, complete with spiky flip in the front (not rat tail though… Daddy vetoed and I was inclined to agree). Cowboy says his haircut is “Jedi in the front and business in the back”. Funny kid!

I am sore still but getting better. I think the adrenaline really set my muscles into lockdown. My little Scion -that-could is in the shop. THANKFULLY, they can fix it. I have so little left to pay on it… I was terrified that we would have to have ANOTHER car payment.

So, we are crazy. Astrologically, there must be something going on. My br-G-Tiddy just had an emergency appendectomy. My poor mom was so not happy to hear about all of the negative vibes surrounding her adult babies.

I am hoping your weekend is warm and wonderful! I am resting and crafting this weekend. Cowboy gets a new tae kwon do belt on Saturday. Go Jedi master!

If you have ever met my boy, you would know a few things about him.

He is very, very energetic. He really does not stop moving (unless in front of the TV). He has a pretty vivid imagination and high level of creativity. He is extremely polite without prompting. He enjoys all manner of gross, fart-like, silly preschool antics and he makes friends really easily.
He has found a soulmate in Ms. Rosemary. He has found a “Fairy Godmother” in Ms. Rosemary’s mama, and I have started what looks like to be a long and wonderful friendship. Stay tuned…..

The cowboy had a belt test this weekend… he is now a Blue stripe belt!

There is my boy breaking a board with his foot!

Getting his new belt.

His class of “tiny tigers” .

This is one of his teachers… (who is one of the nicest, kindest, gentlest men ever)

Can you say”fierce”?

In other weekend news…

One of my lifelong dreams came true this weekend. My uncle is now an employee of the Orioles… and we got the VIP tour!

That is the view from the owner’s suite.

That is me, the cowboy, and my brother sitting in the O’s dugout!

I got to walk on a major league field. Cross that one off my list!

(Michelle… those are my Evangelines!)

There I am giving the new scoreboard some good “juju”. Bring on opening day!!!

So apparently, the yogurt episode was an indication of bad things to come!

The boy has the icky-virus.. you know the one? The high fever, listless, cough and chills kind. I feel so bad for him. He has not sat this still in over a year (since the last visit from Mr. Icky)… or while not sleeping.
So, we here at Chez Mama have plans to rearrange and schedules to adjust. *sigh*

I can say that I dyed 60 skeins of yarn and 24 bumps of various fiber for here and here and Spinster’s Fiber (no web site yet… but Andrea can be tracked down here on Ravelry)… some club dyeing was dispersed in there too! I *MAY* have even dyed a colorway named after this chick…
Whew! It was a marathon… it must have been the yogurt!

Just an FYI… the 8 month spots in this club are almost gone ALL GONE!!! There are a few spots in both  the 4 month club left… wow! You guys rock.

Off to motrin down and cuddle up to my boy…

I found a very cool resource in my neighborhood… a donation based yoga studio. And…it’s Power Yoga!

Classes have a suggested cost between 0 and 12.00 … based non what you can give. How freakin’ cool.

I went last night with my buddy of 10 years, Mrs. R (who happens to be the cowboy’s pre-k teacher) and rocked some yoga. Can I say that I am slightly sore today… but feel great!

Before I left, the cowboy had a major meltdown. Imagine a tired, cranky, on-the-verge-of-sick 4 1/2 year old yelling, “I wanna go to yogurt too! ”

Thank god daddy is great at letting the boy decompress in the tub! I am going to try to find a kids yoga class for the boy so he can Yogurt too!

Cowboy experienced his first symphony this weekend.

The BSO POPS put on the Sci-Fi Spectacular and D thought we should take the boy.

Man… was he right! We sneaked the cowboy’s jedi robe into the car and put it on him as he was walking into the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. He didn’t get it at first… but he sure did get it when he saw this:

Boy… what’s a jedi to do?

Luke and Obi Wan

The light side and the dark side collide…

tuning up…

tuning in.

This was a fantastic program and a great night for our little family. The cowboy loved the symphony as much as we do!

This photo truly captures my relationship with my son. It was taken by my older brother on Christmas Eve at my mom’s house.

Those moments are some of my most cherished ones. Thanks Bro!