Ack! My links page is gone! (Click on the “Links” tab above. There are normally dozens of links there, but now it’s all wiped out, except for some generic WordPress links.)

I can still see all the links when I go to edit the page, but no matter how much I edit and re-publish, the page is still gone. Can anyone help me figure this out? Do you see the links still?

I use that links page all the time. And based on my stats, many of you do, too. Argh, argh, argh!

There’s an old dilapidated farmhouse on 100 acres for sale in my township. It’s your typical corn/soybean rotation industrial monocrop, but such beautiful land. And the farmhouse – it’s in shambles, but all I can see is potential. I haven’t even seen the inside; I don’t need to. I’m sure it’s horrible and wonderful all at the same time.

The asking price is $999,999. It’s in a prime development area for a residential subdivision, and clearly only a developer could afford to pay a cool million for that property. No farmer, big or small, would be able to swing that.

*Sigh*

Our township is largely rural/agricultural, and from talking to neighbors, most folks want it to stay that way. But there are a few developments cropping up here and there, and it’s definitely a place where developers see dollar signs. Looks like I need to get involved with local government and make sure our officials are truly representing the citizens, esp. when it comes to zoning.

I wish I could buy that farm and turn it into organic gardens and pasture land. I’d even rather see the corn/soybean rotation than a development.

Jason planted our garlic last Thursday, 10/29/09. We’re a couple of weeks behind last year (10/12/08), but there’s been so much rain that we just did it when we could.

I pulled out our garlic harvest and sorted out a large bowl full of the largest heads. From those, I plucked the largest cloves, totalling 115 (or more, Jason thinks). We’ll eat what’s left, but it won’t last us all winter. That’s okay. It’s so tasty!

We didn’t do any fancy prep this year; no time. We didn’t peel them, or soak them overnight in baking soda water, or dip them in rubbing alcohol for 3-4 minutes prior to planting.  (These are all probably great things to do, and we did them last year, but there wasn’t time this year. So we’ll have next summer’s harvest to compare, and see if all the prep last year was really worth it.) Jason dug up the northwest row (where peas were planted this year) inside the big garden fence and planted the garlic right in the ground, 3-4″ deep, three rows 12″ apart, 6″ spacings within the row. We decided to space the rows further apart this year so that the garlic doesn’t need to be watered unless it gets really dry; last year, we planted 6″ spaces and 6″ rows in order to fit them all in our little prepared raised bed. But we have more space ready this year, so we stretched them out a bit.

Hopefully, we’ll get a good harvest next July!

Okay, someone agree with me that it’s INSANE that Asher is two today. Anyone? Because I can hardly believe it.

Here’s a link to his birth story. I just re-read it and got teary eyed. Can’t wait to do it again in a couple of short months! I think mothers feel differently on birthdays than other folks do; it’s the anniversary of my giving birth to him! Such an amazing thing. I don’t care if I never wear a bikini again; I grew and gave birth to another human being!

This means the October Birthday Roundup is nearly over. It’s always so exhausting and emotional, celebrating my husband’s birthday, my own birthday (30 this year, whew!), and two of my sweet kids’. All the crafting, planning, cooking, baking, wrapping, unwrapping, pictures, sweets…I need a nap.

Look for birthday posts for Maya and Asher in the week to come, as well as a homeschool update, a garden review, and knitting pictures. (The excitement never ends, does it? I know, you can hardly contain yourself.)

As Asher says every time he sees a candle, “Happy to you!”

Happy to you, sweet, sweet boy.

Is it bad that I’ve been knitting forever, but I’m not sure I’m getting any better?

I love to knit. But I am mostly self-taught, with a little help from my friend Tricia in college, and a lot of help from books and (lately) grainy internet videos.  (With no sound. I don’t have speakers on this dinosaur.) Problem is, there’s only so much you can learn from a book. Sometimes, you just need someone to show you how to do it.

I need a knitting mentor! Anyone want the job? I can pay you in cookies (or bread or home-cooked meals or farm fresh eggs) and gratitude. Must be chatty (or a good listener; I’m chatty enough for the both of us) and live near by!

I need to learn how to do the following:

• Seaming. I hate seaming, I’m terrible at it, and no amount of video-watching is helping. I will post pictures of Asher’s sweater as proof; there are only two seams, under each arm, and they look TERRIBLE. Just wait. At least I’m in good company; the venerable Elizabeth Zimmerman also hated seaming, though I’m certain she was much better at it than me.
• Weaving in Ends. Or learning ways to hide ends, without having to weave them. Asher’s sweater is striped, and my heavens, THE ENDS. I’ve tried weaving, I’ve tried hiding, I’ve tried felting, I’ve even tried knotting (in desperation). No years of experience will improve my dealings with ends, I am convinced.
• Purling. Another similarity between EZ and I. (Don’t think I’m comparing myself to her; I’m not. She’s, like, ten classes above me. It’s just that I find comfort in disliking the same things as she.) And okay, I do know how to purl. Come on. But while my continental/German knitting is getting quite good, I’m terrible at purling continental. And rib knit? Forget about it. My gauge is so loose when I rib that I have to go two needles sizes down just to come close to what my gauge will be when I switch to stockinette (say, for a hat). Things like seed stitch are like torture.
• Cables. I’ve never tried. Scared.
• Intarsia. Also never tried. More scared.
• Knitting on DPNs. Circular knitting? Check. Using double pointed needles? Fail. I’m terrible at it. It takes me twice as long to finish a hat on DPNs as it does to do the first 2/3 of it on a circ. I’m that slow. I feel like an awkward teenager; I just can’t figure out how to hold the needles so they work right.

Okay, so after reading the above, you will conclude that I’m only good for knitting large seamless tubes (trash can cozy, anyone?), or perhaps making garter stitch washcloths. And you’d probably be right.

In all truth, I’m not that bad of a knitter. I’ve taught quite a few folks to knit, successfully, which means I must know something. But those items in bold up there? They’re holding me back. I need someone like EZ to be my grandma or aunt and teach me all the things I just can’t do well. My LYS (local yarn shop) will only help you if you pay them hourly; I’m not even kidding. I went in, once, when Maya was a baby, to ask for help on a pattern. They turned me down and handed me a flyer with their class and personal tutoring rates. (Guess how much business they’ve gotten from me? Seriously, how alienating can they be?)

I’m thinking of hitting up the local senior center.

Wherein I type as my little listy brain desires.

• We have lived here over a year now. Whenever I get discouraged by the ups and downs of our first big garden, I remember meals like last night: herb roasted chicken, spaghetti squash, roasted sweet potatoes, baechu kimchi, radish kimchi…all grown on our farm…in addition to rice, apple crisp from locally produced apples and honey, and local organic apple cider.  With God’s help, we have accomplished so much on house and farm over the last year.
• When I actually think about all we’ve done to the house and grounds here, and force myself to list it out, it’s really quite amazing. But a personal struggle I have is that all I can see is what isn’t done. I bet many of you can relate. You walk in and see the amazing transformed fireplace, floors, walls; I see unfinished baseboards and a lack of appropriate living room seating. You drive by and see our enormous garden; I drive by and see weeds and fall garden work yet to be done. You see our charming laying flock; I see a pasture longing for goats. You see all the living spaces that I’ve cleaned up for you; I see all the boxes and chaos and clutter behind closed doors.
• Part of my recent need to get more work done is the ticking clock that is pregnancy and new life. Ten-ish weeks left, and those will be filled with one last October birthday (three down, one to go!), Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas…
• My sweet, darling, amazing firstborn turned SEVEN last Friday. I know every mother says this, but where does time go? How do I have a seven-year-old? I hope to get a birthday post up this week, before my little Asher turns TWO on Friday and gets a post of his own.
• We are hoping to sell our 2000 Toyota Sienna XLE in order to purchase a used diesel Suburban with a snow plow. More seating, more hauling power, the ability to clear our own quarter-mile-long country lane driveway, all for only a small trade-off in gas mileage.
• We really need to be able to clear the snow from our driveway without shoveling this year. With Jason’s two jobs and my big ole belly, there won’t be man power to get it done by hand.
• Are you (or anyone you know) hunting for a great deal on a solid minivan? Let me know.
• Are you (or anyone you know) selling a diesel Suburban, with or without a snow plow? Please holler.
• I dream of using our yet-to-be-bought Suburban to haul a camper out west with my family. We want to take our time heading out, stop and see the sights along the way, then saunter up the west coast to see all our friends and family: LA, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle. Then head back east a different way, see more stuff. We’d cook most of our own meals, making sure to shop at as many farmer’s markets as we could (how fun and delicious does that sound?). Maybe two months. A working vacation; Jason can bring work along, if it’s summer. No garden that year, of course. But wouldn’t it be awesome? Once in a lifetime.

For those who are interested, I updated our list of baby needs/wants:

Baby Listy

My friend Grace is tweeting her birth, right now! Amazing. I have to say, I’m a little jealous. First, I’d like to be having my baby sooner than later, and 12 weeks seems like a long time to wait. Hearing about birth, especially now, makes me all excited and anticipatory. Second, I’d love to tweet/blog my birth for you all, and for me, but that’s seriously never going to happen. Too fast. By the time I got the computer booted up, the baby would be out. I suppose one never knows; if there’s at all a chance to hop on here during labor, I will do so.

Mixed blessings. Who’s going to complain about a fast birth? Not me. But I do regret that I’ll probably never be able to live blog one of my own births.

While I’m here, I’ll post the prayer requests that Jason and I are trying to pray every day, regarding our upcoming birth:

• Healthy, full-term baby
• Bag of waters breaking at the end of labor, not the beginning
• Smooth, quick, easy labor and birth
• No complications for either mother or baby
• No snowstorm
• Midwife arriving on time (prior to birth)
• Children to be sleeping or adequately cared for

The girls had fun feeling the baby kick this morning. Asher always tries, too, so I’ll have three little hands on my belly from the outside, and various little appendages kicking me from the inside. Too precious.

I am feeling well. The honeymoon trimester is quickly coming to a close, and I can tell, because I wake up sore and tired every morning. My back hurts, mostly, and it stinks to wake up tired and sore rather than refreshed and rejuvenated. But it’s part of the deal. I feel bigger, more awkward, slower. Par for the course.

I have gained anywhere from 9 – 14 pounds, depending on who’s scale you’re following. My scale says 14, the hospital-based midwives’ scale says 9. Either way, I hate weight gain. It’s emotionally difficult for me, as someone who has struggled to overcome an eating disorder, to go ahead and gain weight. As a former Bradley instructor, I firmly believe that you should let your body gain as much weight as it needs to – provided you’re eating the best quality diet you can, with lots of protein, produce, and whole grains. If you gain 60 pounds eating chicken and veggies, feel good about it. If you gain 10, as long as you’re eating well and satisfying your hunger, that’s fine, too. I know I’ve indulged my sweet tooth a little too often lately, so I’m trying to cute back drastically on sugar and see how things go. If I continue to gain weight, I will make myself stop caring about it. But it’s difficult to stay away from sugar with all of these birthdays…

As for a birth attendant, things are still up in the air. We are still praying about homebirth, but finances are a serious concern. If there’s any way to make it work, we will. The biggest concern, beyond finances, is distance. The two midwives closes to us are 30 – 50 minutes away, and I’m fast, so it’s tricky. It feels late in the game to be figuring this out.

I had a ton of heartburn a few weeks back (studies show that redheads cause their mamas more heartburn!), but the last week has been heartburn-free. However, I’ve been having other, um, digestive issues, so I’m thinking of cutting all dairy for a while and seeing if I feel better. My tummy has been miserable.

The baby is active and growing. I’m trying to achieve that elusive balance between enjoying the last months of pregnancy and looking forward to the baby’s arrival. I tend to do more of the latter than the former, and get antsy toward the end. 12 weeks (or less) to go!

I know a picture is warranted, but I’m still having so much trouble with my full hard drive and dated computer. One day, soon, it will all be fixed, I hope.

We have really been enjoying our pumpkin harvest. There are about a half dozen pie pumpkins left, and I probably ought to roast them and freeze the puree before long. I read that pumpkins don’t keep as well as other winter squash, so I want to be sure and preserve them before they rot.

Home roasted homegrown pumpkin is sooooo good!

Two recipes I’ve been digging:

• Stevia Sweetened Pumpkin Pudding – In a startling departure from my standard pumpkin pudding recipe (which I’ve been making steadily since Tricia introduced me to it about three years ago), I’ve made this twice in the past week. I’ve been trying to cut back drastically on white sugar, so the stevia aspect of the recipe caught my eye. Additionally, now that we have a nicely laying flock, I’m always looking for a way to use up our eggs. This new recipe uses four eggs (versus the two in the other recipe). I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9 x 13 dish, using eight eggs (!) and only 1 teaspoon of powdered stevia. It’s so amazingly delicious. I love how creamy and flavorful it is, without being overpoweringly sweet. It does have a slight stevia aftertaste, as many stevia sweetened foods do, but I imagine that could be reduced by buying the right brand of stevia. It doesn’t bother me in the least. I’ve made it with both heavy cream and coconut milk, and it tasted just about the same to me. I favor the dairy-free version because my body doesn’t like dairy too much. I’m sure I’ll still have many uses for the old pumpkin pudding recipe, but for now, this is hitting the spot.
• Pumpkin Cheesecake – My honey turned 33 last week (happy birthday, babe!) and he requested a pumpkin cheesecake for his celebratory dessert. Now, I know I must’ve made cheesecake at some point in my adult life, because we own three very new-looking springform pans that we’ve been moving from house to house for years. But I honestly can’t remember ever making a cheesecake, so I don’t think it counts. So for my first(ish) cheesecake, it turned out very well! (Did I mention that cheesecake is probably my favorite dessert, and also that I have no self control when it comes to such things? This is why I never make cheesecake. Seriously, the leftovers just kill me. They aren’t leftover for long…) Anyways, while I used the recipe here, I followed the baking instructions here (reliable old Martha). Mostly because my only roasting pan large enough for a water bath wasn’t very handy. It turned out great, beautiful with no cracks, and I’m inspired to make more cheesecake for special occasions around here.
• Pumpkin Spice Latte – Okay, so I haven’t actually made this yet, but I’m going to.

(ETA: I’m realizing now that it doesn’t look like I’m trying very hard to reduce my refined sugar intake, but honest, I am!)