To market to market to buy a fresh...

$10 dollar bag of bell peppers!

We woke up this beautiful fall-ish Sunday morning a bit on the early side.
Not at all by our choice, but Naomi apparently had things she needed to get to with subtle urgency.
After wiping the sleepy out of our eyes, and acknowledging that it was a gorgeous cool sunny morning, we decided to venture over to a Farmers Market just down the street. Seemed like a perfect Sunday morning thing to do, and I was in the mood to cook.

We pulled up to the scattered array of white tents and wooden stands, grabbed our eco-friendly mesh bag, and cash from the ATM to see what delicious, local, organic treasures they had for us!
After walking the loop sampling apples and coffee cake, we both realized that there was nothing specifically indicating that anything at this market was organic.

I love being what they call a "localvore", and want very much to support locally grown agriculture, not only because it is fresher but also because it didn't float into my grocery bag on what Michael Poland (the Omnivores Dilemma) would call "a sea of petroleum". It bothers me that when I shop at My Organic Market (Mom's) down the street, that my apples are from Brazil, and my kiwi from New Zealand. However, if my food dollar is a vote so to speak, and if I really am convicted that protecting my family and environment from pesticides, insecticides and herbicides is of great importance, than I simply can not settle for local conventional, and I am going to have to vote no.

Disappointed we circled one last time. I found a guy that sells home-made soaps and couldn't help myself to a bar, as well as a booth displaying fresh home-made pasta, which I can't wait to boil el dente, and smother in pesto!

Finally, a humble little organic booth emerged, on the far side of the market, selling a table full of assorted bell peppers, beets and garlic. We piled hand fulls on the scale, stuffed our bags full, thanked the man for what he does, and headed home with our rare treasure.

What to do with a bag full of bell peppers? A little onion, garlic, saffron and brown rice, pile of cheese, basil, parsley and toasted pine nuts stuffed into our colorful bowls should feed us well...not only our tummy's but our belief that we did the right thing.

Just a day at the park!

Our favorite place to hang out is this cute little park a few blocks from our front door. Naomi is quite the brave one, and loves the slide, or the "sply!!" So far this mommy-full-time gig rocks.
My days are filled with everything hanging out with a 1 1/2 year old should be; peanut butter sandwiches, runs in a stoller to target, starbucks trips and cardboard books, baby songs, stacking blocks, dirty diapers and peak-a-boo...when does peak-a boo get old anyway?

"welcome to the rest of y(our) life"

Exactly what the card on the HUGE bouquet of flowers from my amazingly loving husband read, sitting on the table for me, as I walked home from the office for the last time! On August 8th, 2008 (8-8-08, cool eh?!) I was released into motherhood full time, and out of a life-sucking, uninspiring, beat-your-head-against-a-desk, past 6 years of my life wearing black and white, office job!
I worked for Avalon communities, an apartment rental company, as a leasing consultant since 2002...So much longer than I imagined when I took the job out of desperation back in my $8 an hour Starbucks California days...I totally know how people end up in jobs they hate simply because of a decent pay check and benefits. Is this really the way to live?
Here are some pictures of me at my office, during the final stretch at Avalon...when our studio was taking off, my child care was running out, and my days processing paperwork, mailing out post cards and following up with prospects were coming to an end...see that bright and uncontrollable smile!...and yes, that is me, escaping out the window...
Escaping into the beautiful world of full-time mother hood, involving things such as grocery shopping at 2pm on a week day, training clients and teaching classes, folding laundry fresh from the dryer (as opposed to it sitting in a clean but wrinkled heap until my next day off), eating dinner before 10pm...wait, this we still do, but now, at least, I can do the dishes tomorrow!