Newborn Cloth

In my last post (months ago) I mentioned sewing newborn cloth diapers, a project I undertook to try and keep costs as low as possible. Now that my 5 week old squish has sailed past the 10 pound mark, I feel like I can comment on what worked, and what didn't, in my newborn stash.

My stash had a little bit of everything in it, as I wasn't sure what would work the best, not having diapered a newborn before. Most of it was sewn by me from old stash fabrics or upcycled materials. Knowing that cloth diapers used in the newborn stage won't be used for long, I upcycled some t shirts from the "too worthless to donate" pile, repurposed some inserts I'd messed up from previous diapers I had sewn, and seamed some free receiving blankets from a buy and sell group into prefolds. The goal in using cloth during this was to reduce our trash, but also to do something useful with old materials. I don't believe every t shirt will find a new home via Value Village.

I should have trusted my instincts a bit more. I'm inherently suspicious of AIOs, and I shouldn't have made them - I didn't use them more than once, when I felt moisture around the legs. I knew I needed more covers but didn't bother buying or sewing more. This held me up a couple of days when we ran out. I also had a feeling that the "little bit of everything" approach was going to be a bit confusing for my husband, who likes the easy peasy inserts and Flip style covers we use on our eldest. The little bit of everything approach was flexible as babe grew, but not that easy to keep up with.

The tuckable covers with preemie prefolds worked very well for the first week or two, but after that point needed to be doubled up to have enough absorbency. The flannel prefolds were slightly more absorbent than premie ones I had bought at a diaper swap. However, I found getting doubled prefolds to fit in a cover was a bit tough when baby was fussy, so I preferred fitteds from the third week on.

Before my oldest was born, I had made 15 or so flannel fitteds from the small Cloth Revolution pattern; after learning more about cloth diapering and sewing, I decided to add another half dozen fitteds made of stretchy materials. These latter fitteds still fit the best as the babe nears 6 weeks, and probably almost 11 pounds. However, they're made with better materials, and more experience. I found them too bulky during the first couple of weeks, but am preferring them as the last diaper before we move to a one-size system.

Ultimately, my overall stash was larger than I needed. I had way more fitteds/prefolds, and less covers, than I needed. I haven't found new love for fitteds and won't incorporate them into my one size stash, but I did have fun sewing them.

Summer Sews

While we shift my explosion of sewing/crafting supplies downstairs, I have been hacking away at a few pieces to get me through the summer. Because I'm running after my daughter a lot this summer, I felt a good maternity swim top was in order. I've been eyeing up 5 out of 4 Patterns for awhile, as they do quite a bit of on-trend Activewear (in particular check out the Agility tank, which you see versions of every day). After my bomb of a Bombshell attempt last fall, I had almost sworn off swimwear.  Almost.

They sold me on the pattern when I saw all the options the tank came with. One swim tank also comes with nursing and maternity options, AND also can be made as a bra - so essentially a nursing sports bra. Sold. Although I'm not happy with the binding on my muslin, and I've bought power mesh (aka power net) for my next attempt, it's very wearable. So much wearable that I doubt I'll make another maternity option, saving my intended fabric for a "regular" one next summer. My other favorite thing about 5 out of 4 patterns: no trim patterns. I always find trimming, assembling and taping PDF patterns the most tedious bit.

A slew of showers and birthdays at the end of August led me to try out Brindille and Twig's Super Slim Harems and Super Slouch Beanie as gift sets. I know I'm really late to the game on both of these, and I'm hoping to add a few pairs to my daughter's own closet so that she isn't entirely clothed in Maxaloones this winter. I found that the harem pants seemed to look a bit more ridiculous as the sizes increased, with the skinniness of the legs quite pronounced against the baggy harem bum. Must pay more attention to seam allowances. I made the slouch beanie unlined, and didn't do anything consistent to amend the hem line, just winged it.

As the space in which I will sew gets closer to being workable, I'm starting to plan a newborn cloth diaper stash. While there is a risk of wasting my time on diapers that won't fit or work well, and the subsequent frustration of not having time to sew up more that do actually work, I'm looking at it as an interesting exercise in cost effectiveness and upcycling.

Seed Starting

One of the most alluring features of our home is the sunroom at the back of the house. This undergoes the conversion to seed starting room over the next few weeks, although I have already started a flat of them and will likely do another two before I arrange more shelves. Although my seedlings stretch more thinly than commercially grown ones (I do not use grow lights, so the tiny plants stretch towards the sun until the days grow longer), they usually fare well once in the ground. In my opinion, sun is the most important factor to starting seeds without grow lights, and the sunroom offers plenty of it.

I start seeds for the variety. There are dozens and dozens more varieties available via seed catalogue than you can buy in your garden centre. This year for the first time, I received a catalogue from Heritage Harvest Seed - I cannot wait to receive my order, which includes the very rare Reisetomate, Canada Crookneck Squash, and Worcester Indian Beans.

I also start seeds for the wonder. Simply put, it is amazing to watch them grow.

I do not start seeds for the savings. I get too excited and buy too many seeds. In theory, however, you could save quite a bit if you split packages with friends, or used up all your seeds before buying new ones. Or only bought exactly what you needed. I am neither organized or controlled enough to manage this.

That being said, my favorite types and varieties that pass the "easy-peasy to grow and maybe even economical" test include:

• Tomatoes - any type, but our family finds in particular that paste tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and heirloom tomatoes offer savings and are easy to grow. I pick varieties recommended for home growers from my favorite seed companies, but also ones that look interesting: that is how I have tried Sicilian Saucer, Big Brandy Hybrid, and this year the Reisetomate, and Opalka.
• Kale - Darkibor hybrid - I had success overwintering this kale for 3 seasons before it got in the way of an expanding garden terrace. It did not survive the transplant. However, it was prolific, and worth a try for the gardener who likes kale.
• Squash - I have had success with both butternut squash and pumpkins. I am going to try tucking them into beds near the front of the lot (and the road), which I am converting into perennial space. This year, I am also growing zucchini, something I've held off on because I have a friend who drops off mega-zucchinis every week. It's payback time.
• Beans and radishes - all kinds, any kinds. Both germinate readily when sown directly in the soil, meaning that you don't even need to start seedlings!

I generally seed everything within a one month period, creating a timing disaster come planting time, and consequently everything goes in late, and bears fruit late. This year will be different. I repeat! This year will be different! I am exceptionally pleased with myself for having already started a flat's worth of perennials.

My seed starting routine

1. Select your seeds however you will: my selections are largely based on what I want to eat, what has grown well in the past, what looks interesting and unique to grow, and approximately how much space we have. I write a list of the kinds of seeds I need that year - there are likely a dozen or so types/varieties on that list - then select seeds from catalogues, grossly exceeding the number of things on the list. I make one in-person trip to William Dam Seeds. I have yet to pass a season where I don't buy at least twice as much as I need.

2. Plan out when you will start each type, and write the dates down on a calendar. (I have a calendar dedicated to gardening and also record the actual dates that I seed things, as well as projected planting dates, etc). I use instructions on the packet and an approximate last frost date. Sweet Domesticity gives an easy-to-follow schedule in her Seed Starting Bootcamp post, which is much more comprehensive and knowledgeable than this post is.


3. Prepare your materials: pots, trays, and medium. I am using newspaper pots this year, as after a few years of working with Jiffy Pots I have decided they don't hold enough soil, and therefore require more frequent watering. I generally use cheap seed starting trays and their fitted covers, but managed to misplace all but two of them this year. So I am jamming my seeds into take out containers. You SHOULD make sure your trays are rinsed out. Mine this year were not, as evidenced by the strange seedlings popping up from the bottom of the tray. For medium, I usually buy whatever seed starter is available at Canadian Tire. It is not the cheapest option, but generally comes in nicely contained small-ish bags, which don't make a mess in my sunroom.

4. Plant according to your schedule. I add soil to the pots, moisten them with water (which also helps keep your paper pots together), arrange them in the tray, create my labels, and then plant.

I plant 2 - 3 seeds per pot, again, according to the instructions on the packet for depth. I always cover the tray, preferably with a fitted lid, which keeps the soil moist. Seedlings are labelled and the tray is placed in a window with southern exposure.

And if for no other reason, at the end of winter, starting seeds is a wonderful way to rejuvenate hope for spring.

Refashion: T shirts to Nighties

In November of last year we were headed to the Dominican for a wedding. At that time, most Canadian stores don't have any kind of summer clothing for sale, so I rounded up most of little's wardrobe on buy and sell pages. It wasn't until we only had a few hours before we left for the city that I realized her fleece one-piece jammies might be a bit warm for Punta Cana.

Immediately I thought of my box of too-dear-to-toss t-shirts. These could be an answer.

Of course they're not dear to toss, but I did save them because 1) I once cherished them (they were mostly staff shirts from my old summer camps), and 2) no one would ever want to buy them from a second hand store. So instead of relegating them to rags, I jammed them in a box for a time when I could figure out how to give them a death with honour.

The first tutorial I found said that I would have a new nightie in 15 minutes - about the same amount of time it would take me to drive to the mall, one way. Sold. I decided that I would cut a shorter sleeve and forego the elasticized cuffs, which would cut down on time even more. From my discards box I pulled out two t-shirts that had some drape to them, leaving the "crunchier" shirts for a more fitted project.

I traced a shirt that fit her fairly well, estimated a sleeve length to give her a bit of a cap sleeve, then sewed the sides and arms up again on my regular machine. I was surprised to find that a one year old's neckline isn't too far off an adult's. Kids have crazy big noggins. 

After we tried it on I hemmed it. I didn't bother to hem the sleeves. I love that the major construction work is already done in this garment (sleeve setting and neckband), so you get to reap rewards after 2 easy seams.

And my beloved staff shirt lives on.

cdcd and Next Gen Love

I can't claim that 2015 was a very successful year for me on the blogosphere. After a couple of months of trying to find a balance between themes of reading, sewing, gardening, and general domestic feats, I quickly became distracted by Instagram, its ease of updating, and its browse-ability. My daughter became more aware of the world around her, and consequently, the time during which I could plug away on my phone became limited to her sleeping hours. When fall came I wanted to newly commit to the blog, but found myself in one of those periods of time where you lose someone dear to you, and you feel your life changing. In October I started the process of trying to redefine life in this new world without my father, a process which I imagine will continue for years.

Several years ago I opened an Etsy shop under the name cdcd, which stood for "Canadian Dad, Canadian Daughter." While the shop itself never made a sale and rarely had any listings, I am still satisfied with the concept behind it. The name, a private poem to myself, was motivated by the shifting meanings that evolve from one generation to the next, whether referring to the life of a good (such as a physical thing), or a person. While my father was born in Germany and would fondly refer to Koln as "home," there were many elements of his personality that made him more Canadian than German. Although I called him "Papa" instead of "Dad," and he only obtained his Canadian citizenship within the last 10 years of his life, his immigration and our relationship embraced the casual attitude that helps Canadians define themselves as they wish, rather than adhering to pre-defined traditions that lay out the way things "should be." For the store, my concept was to reuse discarded materials to make new products, such as books into journals, which is an obvious regeneration of the old into the new. Sometimes the old into the new doesn't actually involve a physical transformation. Generations shift. For the banner, I was able to use a picture of my father and his friends from Germany, before he immigrated in the 1950s.

As I continue to read, sew, garden, and attempt to manage their competing time constraints on domestic life, I will be moving this blog to another location, which may or may not manage to capture some of these same connections. While cdcd quietly awaits further direction, I will be moving the blog over to NextGenLove.ca within the next few weeks. I hope to steadily document some of the changing ways I live within my space, and with my family, in 2016.

Canning Pressure

The funk that seems to have settled over my gardening activities has similarly affected my canning this year. I had been imagining jar upon jar of home grown produce, lining the shelves of our rarely used pantry. Move over old Costco snacks, I would think. Here come the jars.

But this year has been an absolute downer for the garden. Tomato planting was postponed while a second garden terrace was built, so we have only had a handful ripen on the vine this late in September. Last year's garden terrace was planted with beans, broccoli and cabbage, but I soon found it was home to an aggressive ant colony, determined to keep me from weeding at all costs.

And the animals. My beans, kale and broccoli were all chomped off at the stem. This was particularly disheartening, as we terraced the south side of the house specifically to plant veggies there. The backyard was deemed too much of an "animal zone," but I felt the side of the house had shown little evidence of furry friends. Surprise: you plant veggies, and the animals will move. New animal scat appeared daily, deterring me from spending time out in the garden with my newly mobile daughter.

So while I wait for my tomatoes to finish ripening, I have been buying 10 pound baskets at the market, and canning small batches. I have tried fermentation, a new and somewhat frightening experiment for me (is it done? is it safe?) I want to buy the bushels. I feel like I should be able to handle the bushels. But this year, I just can't. The babe rarely allows me ten minutes alone in the kitchen, never mind the time it would take to can a whole bushel of tomatoes. So even though those large ripe baskets of farm fresh produce are beckoning me, I'm holding firm to my resolution to can when I can, and forgive myself if I have to buy a jar or two.

Mid-summer Flakiness

It has become increasingly hard to sit down and write in this beautiful summer weather, something I haven't experienced to its fullest in a few years. When our days are filled with swimming, hiking, avoiding gardening, and enjoying our messy backyard, the short time between little one's bedtime and my own is usually spent calming the tide of housework that threatens to overflow on us, and occasionally reading a bit before lights out. So if you're reading this, my apologies for the lack of new posting. I will get better soon, I promise.

Garage Sale Love

Because although I want to learn smocking to make a beautiful hand smocked dress for baby, I really don't have the time/space/patience to learn another craft. So these beauties came home with us from the Whispering Hearts Garage Sale.

Brantford Villages - Hard Core Volunteering

A year and a half ago I was finishing up my Master of Library and Information Science degree, and took a course on "The Creative Economy." One of my assignments in this course was to report on a festival, and so I developed this short video about the Brantford Villages. The video is about 8 minutes long, and looks at how the festival shares and celebrates traditional knowledge (aka information).


Brantford Villages from Erica Dudszus on Vimeo.

It gets a bit dry and library-science-y around the 3 minute mark, but in summary: as a result of many, many volunteers, the Brantford Villages continues to create a really unique representation of the changing local immigrant culture. Although the dances and programs may be similar year after year, the experience of the Villages is one that goes, for the most part, unrecorded, undocumented.

The focus of this report was information, which in this context was the traditional cultural knowledge shared and displayed at the Villages. What wasn't relevant to the report, but that I feel very strongly about, is that this truly amazing festival is made precarious by its total reliance on volunteer labour and non-annualized grant funding.

The coordinating committee of the festival puts in an insane amount of hours. The treasurer, secretary, villages chair - none of these are paid positions, though they are responsible for chairing numerous meetings, meticulously reporting attendance and volunteer efforts to funders, and securing grants so the festival can run for yet another year. Also putting in many hours are the coordinating members at each club. I know people that used to regularly take two weeks off work for the Villages, which obviously leads to burn out. Unfortunately, working volunteers beyond the time they can reasonably contribute doesn't make for a healthy organization, which is a problem that many organizations participating in the Villages face on a regular basis, not just at this time of the year.

While I almost always hear unequivocal praise from festival attendees, I think the volunteer efforts should be more widely acknowledged - what they have accomplished for decades is absolutely astounding.

My orientation to babywearing

Over the last two months I have been learning about babywearing. At first, I didn't really understand why the act of using a baby carrier, sling or wrap needed its own name. I came to learn that the name babywearing represents not only the act, but also the babywearing community, where people share knowledge and the actual carriers themselves. There are many resources out there telling you why you should wear your baby - I am not going to add to these. However, I would like to share my learning experience, in hopes that it might assist someone new to babywearing.

Looking for an alternative to our Baby Bjorn, I found my local babywearers group, attended a couple of meetings, and borrowed a few different carriers from their lending library. I joined the Canadian Babywearing For Sale or Trade Facebook group and browsed the sales for a few weeks, cross-referencing prices with those of retailers. I found the market for carriers quite confusing, and was surprised to find most didn't depreciate in value much, if at all - some actually rose in price.

I decided I wanted both a soft structured carrier, as I had become accustomed to how convenient my Bjorn was, but it was starting to hurt my back with baby's increasing weight. I also wanted a woven wrap, as I liked its flexibility (so many types of carries with the same cloth), and had used a stretchy wrap when baby was wee.

Soft structured carriers (SSC) generally buckle on, and are relatively easy to use. They might be made from a wrap (wrap conversion or WC), which likely means they are softer and have a nice pattern, though these generally cost more. SSCs allow you carry your baby facing you, and most allow you to carry your baby on your back. When buying, look at the types of carries the SSC can do, ergonomics, fit, and weight limit (some do infant to toddler, some companies make multiple sizes). Style may be important to you as well. We own a Manduca, and a Baby Bjorn. The latter isn't as widely promoted in babywearing groups, likely because its standard option is not ergonomic. I use our Manduca for grocery shopping, and when I want to get baby up quickly and securely. I'm not experienced with back wrapping, so it takes some time and patience - both of which are in short supply when babe is crying or fussy.

Wraps can be stretchy or woven, the latter being the generally more preferred amongst babywearers because they continue to be supportive once your baby isn't so tiny. Stretchy wraps are good for newborns (also referred to as "squish" - my FAVORITE lingo from babywearers!), but cannot be used for back carries. There are also hybrid wraps with some stretch in them, but I am completely unfamiliar with these.

Woven wraps are made with natural fabrics such as cotton and linen (which are breathable), come in different sizes, and are tied in specific ways to support your baby. With each size you can do different carries. Longer isn't always better. Some wraps need "breaking in" before they tie easily, depending on the material and weave. When buying, look at what size you would like, how supportive you would like the wrap to be (ie. thicker or more durable fabric supports larger children), how easy you would like it to be to wrap with, and - very important - appearance. Ultimately, I decided to buy a new handwoven wrap, a Turkish Towel size 5 that I picked up on Etsy. The price range for these is similar to a higher end machine woven wrap, so quite good for a handwoven. I spent some time looking for something I really liked at a reasonable price, and I'm not too concerned about reselling it as I'd like to use it for as long as possible. We have also used a Boba stretchy wrap.

I know very little about mei tais, which are similar to soft structured carriers in that they have a square of fabric for the baby to sit in, and straps extending from it to wrap around the person carrying the baby. This carrier is also very lightweight, but seems like it would be a bit more convenient to use than a wrap. Similarly, I am not familiar with ring slings, which use rings to tighten the wrap around you and the baby. They also seem lightweight and convenient. Babywearing groups generally have both of these types of carriers available in their lending libraries.

As with any community that is built on knowledge sharing, there tends to be a lot of lingo, a serious learning curve for newbies, and the occasional person who might come across as a know-it-all. My initial experiences with the local group could have been intimidating if not for some friendly and helpful group facilitators. While the learning curve will seem steep, there are plenty of resources to help you on the way:

1. Your local babywearing group. Find it (Canadian groups here) and attend a meeting, where people can help you wrap and lend you carriers.

2. Facebook swap pages and retailers. Research prices, research weaves. Look at everything to figure out what you really want. Serviceable, stunning, or somewhere in between? Wraps can range from roughly $80 to several hundred (or even a thousand) dollars. Be prepared to see some beautiful things. Do not be surprised to see some very expensive things.

3. Make sure you are following safety precautions. Your babywearing group will be your number one resource for this, as they can observe and help as you put your baby into a carry. This site visually reviews optimal positions for all types of carriers.

4. How-to wrap videos are also indispensable. Watching the same wrap performed by different people can shed some light on what works best for you. My favorites are Wrapped Life, Babywearing Faith, and Wrap you in Love.

I started learning about babywearing to "get more stuff done," but find that wearing is soothing to both baby and myself. I'm no expert, and still have a long ways to go before I can comfortably throw little one up on my back and wrap her. We practice, I fail sometimes, we try again when we are both in a better mood. With wraps playing nicely into my love of fabric, my goal is to resist developing yet another massive stash - no matter how much handwovens, fantastic colours, or beautiful designs tempt me. And this is something you may learn: buying carriers and wraps can be addictive.

This is the first post that I am going to promote in any public way (heart thumping). I know this isn't a comprehensive review of babywearing - it isn't meant to be. But if you have any thoughts, please let me know!

Canning for a New Generation - Review

Although it doesn't seem very timely to be reviewing a book published in 2010, fresh produce is nearly upon us! I have started to pull my canning titles off the shelves after their winter hibernation, and Liana Krissoff's Canning for a New Generation was the best place to start. Having used this for two seasons already, I have found this book a pleasure to read and cook from.

For me to purchase a cookbook, I need to know that it contains more than a handful of recipes I will use; furthermore, it should teach me something new about working with food. This book falls strongly into the latter category, though I have tried several recipes from it each year with great results.

Krissoff's approach to preserving is actually very traditional. She avoids commercial pectins by straining and boiling down her product, working with with the pectin content naturally available in the fruit and amending it as necessary. This makes for lovely, flavourful preserves, even if they are a bit time consuming. For the total newbie, she thoroughly goes over the various aspects of canning, providing some rarely seen detail about your pectin options. For the more experienced cook, her recipes are at once classic and innovative, each jar presented in tantalizing photography. She has something for everyone, including the "new generation." Will your friends stare blankly at a jar of strawberry preserves? Maybe these friends might be more impressed with one of the book's more ethnic options, such as Persian Tarragon Pickles or Japanese Fermented Bran Pickles. Ooooo. Food cart-y.

Inter-dispersed among the recipes for canned goods are recipes in which you can use them, which I typically don't like to see. Let canning books be about canning, I would say. For this book, however, these are sometimes quite necessary. I might make Do Chua (Vietnamese Carrot and Daikon), but how will I use it? Krissoff tells me, and clinches the deal: her "Asia Tacos" look delicious. I planted daikon this year. Furthermore, the narration in this book is so engaging I was surprised to find how much I liked the personal voice and anecdotes she carried through the recipes. She won my trust, and for that, I will try her scones (or rather, Reagan's scones).

Krissoff's pantry (Canning for a New Generation Facebook page)

The book's Facebook page is well maintained. Krissoff carries on excellent dialogue with her followers, and displays some mouth-watering shots of her preserves.

On my "must make list" this year? I am hoping to start her Pickled Young Spring Garlic recipe by the end of the week, to help my desperately overgrown garlic patch. Last year's batch of apple butter is nearly exhausted, and from the looks of things at the market so is last year's apple harvest, meaning that I suspect we will be picking up cheap butter-grade apples again soon. And I will absolutely be making one of her strawberry jams or preserves, and something with rhubarb. For a start.

The life changing magic of tidying up: review

In the midst of feeling completely overwhelmed by all the stuff in our house, I heard of this title, published last year in English (translated from Japanese): The life changing magic of tidying up, by Marie Kondo. I jumped on the holds list at the Brantford Public Library when it was only a few people long; now there are almost 20 in line behind me.

I'll get right to the point: reading this book was a good experience for me. Entertaining, thought provoking, and very likely useful in helping me to keep a better house. At the beginning I was a bit shocked at Kondo's obsessive behaviors. As I read on, I became impressed that she made herself so vulnerable by sharing these things. I found the book very readable, and wasn't turned off by some of the zanier suggestions she makes, such as communicating with your house or thanking possessions for their service to you. I am fine with these things.

I respect that Kondo sticks to her mission, in focusing totally on tidying and discarding (the latter of which is really the main event). In its directives, the book is very simple and I don't think I will have problems following the instructions even after I return it to the library. However, I think she does have a blind spot; there is a lack of comment on responsible disposal of your discarded stuff. If you slow down to recycle and re-home goods, will it impede the discarding process? Possibly. She doesn't discuss this. While she is impressed with the number of garbage bags that her clients discard, I cringe at the thought of throwing out 60 bags at one go.

Donate it, you may say. While I do use trips to the thrift store as a way to destash, I often feel like this is making my garbage problem someone else's problem. You may be aware that unsold thrift store goods are sometimes donated or sold in developing countries, where in some cases they may be supplanting local textile industries. Eek. What started as a way to be environmentally friendly - recycling your clothes - can have a whole other set of consequences for people in southern countries. Value Village states on its website that they ship unsold product to "developing countries to help supply economies with a steady stream of high-quality goods." However much negative impact this has at a local level I am unsure of, but it makes me wary. What about locally made products? I haven't ever thought of my used t-shirts as "high-quality goods".

But really, is my problem with disposing of things in a manner that I feel comfortable with Marie Kondo's problem? No, not at all. She stays on topic. While certain things in this book don't feel realistic (turning over a seasonal wardrobe is fairly important in a country where temperatures spread over 60 degrees Celsius, for one), I also believe that things hold an energy, and that having too many things often means you don't get to appreciate the ones you have. There are many Konmari before and after pics out there, but this set from the New York Times is particularly good, I suspect because it shows a room Marie Kondo worked on herself. I'm not ready for before and after pics yet, but I do think I will start with getting rid of some items. Once I figure out where to send them.

Shorts for the week

I don't remember watching the original airing of the season of Friends where Chandler seems to gain 5 pounds and then lose it again every other episode.

When did we stop caring about aluminum in deodorant?

Walked behind McDonald's carrying the babe. She started coughing from the McStank.

Thinking now that it is shower-every-day weather, I am screwed.

Writing on a time budget

Since going to Toronto at the beginning of the month, my blog activity has dropped off. The two week break took all my steam away; I don't approach my posts with the same excitement as I did a month ago. Part of this, I feel, is a lack of focus with the topics I am covering. At the moment I am passionate about gardening. Our new kitchen means more cooking. And of course the baby, who is the most exciting thing in my life, always. Too many adventures, but perhaps not enough of any of them to classify this as a gardening, knitting, crafting, cooking, reading, or mommy blog. And to focus on one - and the requisite online presence in that area - would require giving up time devoted to those other hobbies.

To that end, I am going to reduce my posting goal from three posts to one quality post per week. Since I haven't widely publicized this blog, I feel like I am writing this to a bit of a non-dience, who in their nonexistence will not care if I do not write, or if I cease to write about their topic of choice. If I am wrong about this, please let me know.

I hope to update my About page shortly with my other online coordinates.

BBQ Ribs

Ted Reader is my go-to for BBQ recipes. He celebrates good, rich, barbequed food, and following him on Instagram or Facebook will seriously inspire you to grill something. So when ribs went on sale before the long weekend, I decided to try his back rib recipe from Everyday Gourmet Grilling.

Horrible picture, delicious ribs.

I always BBQ my ribs. While there are a few different ways to do it, I give them a good rub with something and letting them sit for awhile, then put them on the grill low (around 325) and slow (for at least 2 hours). Turn on one side of the grill and place the ribs on the other, with a drippings pan underneath. My ribs tend to take a bit longer than the recipe calls for, probably because I open the lid far too many times - usually to add other items to the grill. Sunday evening I also grilled sweet potatoes and baked some brownies on the BBQ.

I also treated myself to Ted's Thai Chili Lime Coleslaw, a recipe I have been wanting to make since I got the cookbook. I made a few omissions: didn't grill the pineapple, didn't add the chili (I know this is nearly unforgivable), and didn't add the rum. Yep, you read right: no rum in this coleslaw.

May Garden Pics

Working on the Instagram photo challenge hosted by Sweet Domesticity, I caught this shot of my thyme one evening:

#thyme in the sloping bed out back - such a dainty texture #garden365

A photo posted by edud5 (@edud5) on Apr 28, 2015 at 5:02pm PDT

I once read that to get the best shots of your garden, you should try getting out first thing in the morning, or last thing before the sun sets - this one was taken at just the right time.

Book sale haul

One of my favorite events of the year is the Brantford Symphony Orchestra book sale, which happens every April. Book donations are collected and sorted for weeks before the sale, and it is fair to say there are thousands of items. This year's venue was the closed Brantford campus of Mohawk College, but it has also been hosted at closed factories and schools.

Books are priced between 50 cents and roughly 5 dollars, though there are plenty of 25 cent finds and the rare book that costs more.

This year I arrived within half an hour of opening. I was so excited I could hardly stand to park the car; I wanted to run inside, to stop people from getting to my wonderful book deals. In addition to very keen readers, opening day is also marked by dealers pushing around shopping carts filled with books, with boxes of more books piled on top.

This year I walked away with 16 books, 5 patterns and a tape of awesome hits from the early 90s for $28.50. That is about 10 dollars more than I usually spend, but this year I started looking at the 3 and 4 dollar books (which I usually set aside because of their "high price" and then regret this foolishness when I get back home).

Please don't judge me for the Twilight books - as an MLIS holder I consider it a kind of research to read the YA smash hits.

Though I am very excited about my patterns, my favorite score at the book fair was a beautifully laid out Audubon bird book. I have been looking for an affordable source of Audubon prints for our living room, and this book almost appears to be made for it - one picture per page,  high quality paper. If I can bring myself to cut it up.

The spring thing

I took a break from blogging during our kitchen reno, as we lived out of our car until my cousins in Toronto warmly welcomed us. Now that we're back it is obvious spring has overcome this small town.

Looking forward to writing more as daylight extends.

Spring stitchery

What's it going to be?

Granola bars vs. Lemon buns

Yes, I will eat you granola bar. But I am not going to enjoy it.

Ok, I will enjoy it. But not as much as I would have if I wasn't limited to what was available in my cupboard, baked in the spirit of "use it up." Based roughly on Sprouted Kitchen's recipe, minus the dates, plus raisin paste, wheat germ and hemp seeds.

But you! I am going to love eating you, you delicious sticky lemon roll.

Made using the Kitchn recipe, but in a bread machine using the dough cycle. I reduced the yeast to 1 1/2 tsps, and probably should have reduced the flour to 3.5 cups. I had to hand knead it at the end of the cycle, as not all the flour had worked in to the dough. I let it rise an extra time for good measure.