Summer Recap, Part I: Alaska

This summer we were lucky enough to take a trip to Alaska. We had perfect weather (truly!) and had a really interesting time. It's the kind of place that would be interesting to live in for a year or two. Of course, the inviting notion of 4 regular seasons would win me back over, eventually!

Near the Chilkoot Pass.

A gorgeous day in teeny town of Skagway (year-round population of about 900).

Sea kayaking in Ketchikan.

We saw tons of bald eagles and got to spend the morning out in the quiet of nature.

Yes, you've been hiking, but have you hiked on a glacier? We spent an amazing 50 degree day climbing and hiking on Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.

One of many wildlife sightings in Glacier Bay National Park. I heard many people say they saw more wildlife that day than they had on other trips combined! We saw humpback whales, a moose (swimming!), puffins, otters, and seals.

Before the cruise, we had to be a little touristy in Vancouver and check out the Olympic torch.

The flowers in Vancouver and Alaska were huge and beautiful. They often used lettuces and herbs in flower beds through the cities - especially in Vancouver and Anchorage. Foliage really goes crazy during the short summer because the days are so long that far north.

The other thing you may not know is that Vancouver intentionally helps the bee population by installing bee hives on skyscrapers throughout the city. Our hotel even keeps a full-time bee keeper on staff!

New Discovery - JJ Sneed

I'm working on a small project for a local art show, and as usual, I googled the artist to see what he was all about. I'm really enjoying some of his pieces, especially this one, called, "Together." (We won't talk about the fact that I am past my deadline - yikes!)

My favorite, which I could not show here, is called "Reunion." Check it out on his website at www.jjsneed.com. I love discovering the work of artists who are currently creating new pieces all the time!

Thankful Thursdays

This week, I'm thankful for:

• an exciting opportunity to work with a different group of youth at church.

• rain that doesn't make the power go out at work.

• helpful customer support people.

• "marriage therapy" chats with my awesome hubby.

• an unusual amount of oboe gigs.

• kind compliments from church members.

• a puppy who brings me smiles and stress relief.

• hiking and playing outside in the cooler weather.

The wheels are turning in the meat industry

Thank you, NYT for this article, "U.S. Meat Farmers Brace for Limits on Antibiotics." 'nuff said. Read up, people.

It's time for healthier and safer practices in the American food industry.

Seeking Rest

I am a doer by nature. I am not satisfied with myself or my day unless I can somehow see the fruits of my labor. This often leads me to be exhausted, overworked, and irritable at the end of the day. Over the past few weeks, I have tried to intentionally allow myself to rest more - and to enjoy it!

Two summers ago, I had the privilege of hearing Lauren Winner, author of Girl Meets God and Mudhouse Sabbath, speak at my church. Her great articulation on the traditional Jewish concept of rest has stuck with me since that day. The extreme application of this is that some Jews avoid working or creating anything on the Sabbath. In other words, there would be no scribbling down a phone number on a post-it because that note didn't exist before. There would be no lighting candles or turning on a lamp if that light was not already glowing.

It is hard for me to learn the discipline of sitting still, but I often think of the day I first learned to think about rest this way. Resting is not simply the lack of productive work. Rest in itself can be productive - it is a time for our minds to rejuvenate, a time to meditate and pray, and a time that reinforces the value of doing important work when the time comes.

Going Organic?

I enjoyed and learned a lot from this Whole Living article. If you eat organic foods, do you really know what that means? Ever wondered what some of the government-stipulated mandates are for organic foods?

Did you know that the "Organic" label means that at least 95% of the ingredients are organic? "Made with organic foods" label can be only 70% organic! And what does that really mean?

Where do the extra costs come from?

Is local better than organic? It depends! The argument is not an apples to apples discussion.

This is one of the most informative articles I have read on organic foods, however this is only the tip of the iceberg! This doesn't address the colorings, additives, and preservatives that are allowed to be included in "organic" label foods.

For me, the conclusion is that locally grown, organically raised, whole foods are best!

I'm still here!

Well, it's been an extremely busy and jam-packed summer. I kind of fell off the blogging wagon, but I don't really care - it was nice to just enjoy the time doing other things.

However, I have been up to more craftiness lately and wanted to share! These are some of my latest projects:

No - Close Pillowcase

Last week, Chris and I decided it was finally time to buy some decent curtains for our living room. We picked out a fun-looking design, got home, and hung them up. Lo, and behold - we had an extra tie-back! I wanted to use it in a fun way, so I found an old pillow and created a new pillowcase for it out to the tieback and two new cloth napkins. The secret is that instead of sewing the pillow into the case, I decided to make it fold into the case just like a pillow sham for the bed:

This second picture shows the opening:

Homemade Peach Jam

Last week at the CSA pick-up, I was easily talked into buying a basket of fresh peaches. (It was not hard for them to convince me!) There was great debate in our house over what yummy method we should use to preserve them. Jam was the final option, and we really got a great system going. Now, we have 18 delicious jars of homemade peach jam! It was so good, I just started eating it with a spoon.