To the botanical gardens we go

Vivian has had her first outing! Clint, my sister, Viv, and I ventured to the UGA Botanical Gardens on a beautiful, spring-like day last week.

My new favorite photo. I love babywearing.

Jess got some great photos inside the conservatory. (There isn't much blooming outside yet except for the daffodils.)

It felt so good to get out of the house further than a walk around the neighborhood!

Viv stayed zonked out till the very end. Then she had a bit of a meltdown. Other than that it was a great trip.

Working up ideas and the courage for our next outing. (It's nervewracking taking a newborn out!) Any suggestions?

A Confession

I just ate a bag of candy (not going to tell you what kind so you don't get the craving) because I was stressed out, not having a great day, and not feeling real well. Sick Sick Sick. Isn't it weird how I craved the very thing that is worst for me right now? Highly processed foods only add to the stress on our bodies, and sugar actually depresses the immune system. Brilliant. But, even as long as it's been since I've had such a packaged and processed food, that's still what I craved and then gave into so easily. And you know what? I don't feel any better. And I knew I wouldn't. Ok, there's my confession. Time to move on to better things.

I've been getting kale in my CSA share every week! Considering that kale is one of my favorite foods, it's been marvelous. Last night, I made Spicy Kale and Cannellini Beans from one of the best food blogs ever, YumUniverse. Almost everything I make from there becomes a favorite recipe. My version turned out to be as ugly as it was good, so I didn't take a picture, but she has a pretty picture on her blog, so you can see what it should look like. So easy, healthy, and delicious.

Yesterday I got to eat lunch at The Grit, Athen's vegetarian restaurant! I've been dying to try it out, so when the opportunity finally presented itself I was all over it. In addition to the delightfully pleasant company I enjoyed, the food was divine. I had a falafel pita and a spicy garden tomato soup. Yum. They have a cookbook that's at the top of my birthday list if anyone was curious about that :)

The day Irene blew my best friend to my doorstep

The first time I met Maggy was when she showed up on my front porch to move in with us. She had recently gotten back from Ghana and her long hair was still in braids-turned-almost-dreadlocks. She had about one suitcase and one box for her bedroom, and the rest of her car was packed full of plants and kitchen supplies, including peaches she had canned herself and other things that seemed weird to me at the time. The only other thing I knew about her was that her favorite color was pink, and in light of what I was seeing as she moved in, I wasn't all too sure I was going to like her very much. Well, to make a long story short, we became the best of friends in the three short months we lived in the same state, and have been ever since.

Now she lives in Virginia Beach, and last weekend she and her husband were mandatorily evacuated from Fort Monroe as Hurricane Irene made its way straight toward them. They were conveniently evacuated straight to my house! We spent a glorious day and a half visiting all my favorite spots in Athens, eating as much good food as we could stuff ourselves with, and talking pregnancy and babies, since she is also pregnant and due in little more than a month! And, as usual, she bestowed on me all sorts of little things she had been gathering over time, including this way too adorable stuffed elephant that she made. I seriously can't stand its cuteness, and she made me a matching burp cloth to go with it.

Thankfully, Irene didn't cause much damage at all to their neighborhood, but because it didn't, her husband was called back to duty after it seemed they had barely arrived, and they were whisked away again as quickly as they had come. As short as our time together was, I couldn't be more thankful for those invaluable moments we got to spend together. Having a friend like Maggy is a rare thing. I consider myself supremely blessed for the honor of having her in my life!

I love this town!

Athens population: 86,000 or so.
Savannah population: Around 135,000.

Savannah is more than 1.5 times larger than Athens, but Athens has so much more to offer! There are little gems tucked away all over the place. So much character. Yesterday's find: Daily Groceries Co-op. It's a co-op that's open to the public, but members get special benefits.

How can you not love a place with a sign like this?

They have a great bulk section that includes things like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and herbs! They have a great little produce section too that includes local and organic produce. The best part is, you can become a working member. In exchange for every hour spent cleaning, stocking, cashiering, or performing other miscellaneous tasks, you get a 5% discount on your groceries that week, up to a 20% total discount!

My favorite find yesterday: Kombucha Wonder Drink, green tea and lemon flavored. Ever tried kombucha tea before? Yesterday was my first taste, and I thought it was delicious! Kombucha has lots of health benefits and is a good alternative for soda-lovers Plus, you can make your own at home, but I didn't want to get into that without a sample first. I saw kombucha starter kits on sale at the Co-op, and I think I'll have to pick one up soon!

Farmers Market Loot

Today's delicious finds

Out and About

Equipped with my GPS and giant water bottle, I headed downtown today to check out some local businesses. I had some great finds! First stop: reBlossom Mama & Baby Shop.

They sell used maternity and nursing clothes, baby and toddler clothes, and nursery equipment. Everything was in great condition, and the owners are super nice! I will definitely be going back in the future.

I then decided to make a quick stop at Ike & Jane, a delicious and adorable cafe and bakery. I got a Pink Lady cupcake (strawberry cake, cream cheese frosting) and let me tell you, it was the best cupcake I've ever had in my life! Nothing else even comes close. Whenever a special treat is in order, I will be making a beeline for Ike & Jane!

I hope this post motivates you to support your favorite local businesses or go and find some new ones. It's tons of fun!