A Very Bookish Birthday

Yesterday Clint and I celebrated our 32nd and 26th birthdays, respectively. If the day was an indication of the year to come, then I'm liking the look of 26. I'm liking it a lot. My birthday was filled with so much love that I'm positively overflowing from it all.

I told my sister that my one birthday wish was for Vivian and I to Skype with her and Briella, my brand new niece! Briella Ann was born on October 7th, but since we live exactly 724.06 miles away from each other, Skype is the closest I can get to this little sweetheart for now! Getting to see her was a wonderful birthday gift. Isn't she absolutely beautiful and just as sweet as could be? Vivian was so excited to "meet" her cousin! She got really hyper and turned into a little wild woman. I could barely keep her contained. She wanted Briella to come over and play!

Clint came home early from work, and while Vivian was taking an extra long afternoon nap for us we shared our free birthday entree from Moe's - yum! Then we exchanged gifts with each other. I had gotten Clint a nice new pair of wool socks, and he gave me . . .

. . . a book about making my own clothes that has been on my wish list for ages! Since my parents got me a sewing machine for my birthday, he couldn't have picked out a better gift! I can't wait to get into it and start experimenting, but I'm forcing myself to finish Briella's quilt and some long overdue birthday gifts before I embark on any other projects. Clint is a really good gift-giver. He puts a lot of thought into it and always comes up with exactly the right way to say, "I love you."

My mother-in-law gave me a little money to buy myself something, so I marched myself and Vivian right down to our local independent bookstore, Avid, and just happened to catch them on their one year anniversary! I finally picked up a copy of one of my all-time favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird, and also chose Wendell Berry's Bringing it to the Table. For Vivian I picked out a simple animal board book and also another BabyLit board book, Dracula. I thought it was fitting with Halloween just around the corner. Have you seen these BabyLit books yet? They're amazing! They are board book versions of classics. Our first one was Jane Eyre (another all-time favorite book of mine, and is probably Viv's favorite book too), and we also have Alice in Wonderland. I'm planning on A Christmas Carol for a stocking stuffer, and the other two current BabyLit books are Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet. And I hear three new one are due out in the spring. I'm not excited or anything.

I also received a completely unexpected package in the mail from my dear Sharon.

Three board books for Vivian about famous artists (how amazing is that?! I especially adore the van Gogh one) and an awesome quilting book for me! This is another book I'm refusing to let myself get into until I finish some of my lingering projects! The package also included some amazing fabric, selections that are just exactly my taste. (Sharon is another really good gift-giver.) They will be included in the quilt Sharon, Maggy, and I are all sewing our own versions of together. And check out that handmade card! It's easily my favorite thing from the whole package. So creative and full of love! And I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I opened it. She included TWO unbelievably beautiful pendants from her etsy shop Wrought. I was blown away by her generosity, creativity, and friendship.

I also received sweet cards, texts, and facebook posts from other friends and family. I was totally feeling all the love!

And finally, I'll include a few photos from our hike up Tray Mountain on the day before our birthday. What more could I wish for than to spend a beautiful fall day in the mountains with my two favorite people in the world? Nothing, there is nothing more I could wish for.

Pre-hike. Just before setting off!

At the summit! Viv sure does love her dad.

Standing tall on the highest point of the mountain.

Vivian has started pointing at everything. I just can't help but squeeze her and kiss those sweet cheeks!

Beyond Organic

The main reason I buy organic items at the grocery store is not to avoid consuming biocides. Nor is it to avoid polluting the earth with these biocides. It's not to avoid synthetic ingredients in my food either. Although those things are all important to me, the main reason I buy organic is because that's the only way to be absolutely certain that I'm avoiding genetically modified food. (Today's post is not about GMOs, but we'll talk about the dangers of GMOs another time.) Beyond that, I'm not too impressed with certified organic food anymore. Why? Because what started out as a local, value-based movement has by and large transformed into just another arm of the industrial food system, a marketing tool, and a label behind which to hide loopholes, exceptions, and slack regulations meant to further line the pockets of food-producing giants. Let me explain.

Earlier this summer, the substance carrageenan was approved by the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) for the use in foods carrying the USDA's official organic label. Carrageenan is a stabilizer and thickener derived from seaweed, and it's a carcinogen. Yet, the NOSB, which is largely comprised of agribusiness representatives, has deemed this substance safe in food. And not just any food, we're talking certified organic food. How does a synthetic cancer-causer belong in organic food? This is just one example, an illustration to share with you what's really behind that label. You can see the list of all the substances approved in organics here if you're curious to know more. I personally like my food without a side of carcinogens and synthetics, but the organic label does not guarantee that these harmful substances won't be present in my food.

Let's turn to organic meat and eggs. One of the (many) reasons I stopped buying conventional animal products is because these animals are raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where the conditions are inhumane, unsanitary, and just downright horrible. Other than the fact that I don't think it's right for animals to be treated that way, this system of producing food is dangerous. Sickness and disease in these animals is rampant. Cows are eating a diet of corn their digestive system isn't designed to handle, and so they become infected with E. coli. The conditions in which laying hens are kept are so cramped and filthy that 80% of eggs in the supermarket are contaminated with campylobacter. You wouldn't think that these same conditions would be acceptable under an organic certification, but they are. The feed has to be organic, but it's still the same system, just tweaked a bit here and there to continue to pull the wool over the eyes of the public.

I could go on and on . . . and on. But you get the point, right? "Organic" does not mean what the public thinks it means and wants it to mean. And that's the problem with certifications and labels. Their original meanings can become twisted, things can be hidden. So where do we go from there?

We go to our gardens, farmers markets, CSAs, and co-ops. We opt out of the food industry in general and become as locally oriented as possible. We eat at restaurants who source their food locally. We buy food that has no bar code and no packaging, from people with a face and a name, people we know! The more I've learned about the industrial food industry, both organic and conventional, the more my eating habits have shifted in this direction, and I encourage you to do the same! You will have to learn to eat seasonally if you don't know how to do that yet. (I'm still learning!) If you want tomatoes in January, you'll have to preserve them during the summer. You'll have to learn to eat fruits and vegetables that grow in your climate. You will have to buy food more than once a week because you'll be using fresh ingredients that won't keep in the fridge for days on end. You will have to eat "beyond organic," the term Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm uses to describe his farm. Well, he actually calls it a "family owned, multi-generational, pasture-based, beyond organic, local-market farm and informational outreach." And this is why labels fail us. You can't put all of that on a package. The solution? Opt out of the package.

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!