genes

every once in a while i get inspired. my dad is a painter and my sister and brother got most of those creative genes. as lame as this sounds, i feel most creative when i entertain and can make the table look pretty. i know, lame right?
well, recently our neighbor who is extremely talented made us a wooden dollhouse for maggie. (pictures forthcoming). its huge and just right for maggie's imagination to flourish. i dont like the plastic furniture inside the wooden house so i decided to make some. i'm slowly making more pieces and would make more if i wasnt constantly fixing the pieces that Abe breaks.
anyway, here's my genes coming out....

twin bed with night stand

master bed with curtains

another view of bed with wine cork legs

    'wooden' stove with buttons for cooking

city garden, city life

i know i talk a little too much about how i love st. louis. here is another reason why. on hot days we have lots of water fountains, art for my kids to climb on, and an urban 'garden'.

                                              um, perhaps the best action shot of the year?

new mohawk

                                               too cute for words huh?

                            and really, this is too. this is nathan, they are 6 weeks apart and great buds.

                                     art you can climb on!

                                    and that makes music!

        

stop and smell the tulips

beautiful spring day brought to you by the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

swirling, swirling

when i read non-fiction i have to read a few at a time. i'm not sure why-although i think its so that i don't read too fast and can actually retain what i am reading. lately, i have been reading three books and its really rocking my world. most of this stuff is information that i already knew but i think because i am reading alot of it together-it is actually taking root. its strange, but i actually feel myself changing. i notice my thoughts are different, my perspective, and my desires. its pretty interesting that its happening slowly enough that i can watch it take shape in my life. my community of friends here are also being shaped by the books they are reading, some of which are the same, and movies they watch. it helps to have encouragement on this path towards betterment.


so whats all this change about? well, let me share the books with you. First off, is a book i fell in love with on page 1. friends from nashville read it last year and i finally got around to checking it out.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle....The author and her family spend a year eating locally and seasonally and this book is her story.

by Barbara Kingsolver.




The second book, by Thomas Kostigen, I picked in honor of Earth day and its been such a great tool to read along side the other books. YOU ARE HERE-

Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet

And finally, a book that has taken me years to read. (i know i am so behind).... Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

These books are really helping me get my thoughts in order for whats best= for not only our family but also the Earth. In the book, YOU ARE HERE he reminds us why people began to "go green." He says now we are being sold "green" things and not even knowing why. He travels all over the world to show us how the daily choices we make really do affect the world on a grand scale. He goes to the decaying walls in Jersaleum, the trash heaps in Mumbai, the felled rainforests in Brazil, the melting ice caps in Alaska, and on and on and on.

Even last night I was reading about the largest landfill in the world. You can even see it from space. Its called, ironically, Fresh Kills Landfill and its right outside of Manhattan. I learned that 13% of landfills (which is actually the 3rd largest substance after paper and yard waste) is from food scraps. I just assumed that the food scraps i throw away would decompose. But actually, it doesn't receive enough oxygen so food scraps take decades to decompose and then emit massive amounts of methane gas (which contributes to global warming). By me taking the steps to compost and commit to that, could lessen that amount while nourishing the earth. Again and again throughout the book he says Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and honestly, i think its finally sinking in.

The other books confirm these things and what is swirling around in my head is this: The way that God intended for us to eat (healthy, whole foods) is not only best for our bodies, but also best for the animals that we eat and also for the earth that we live on. It seems we take the short cut and choose foods that are "cheaper" but in the end, more harmful for our bodies and ultimately for the earth. 

I realize that I am like the last person on the planet to begin to make these changes but I figure its better late than never. Buying foods that are local and seasonal not only taste better (& builds excitement much like buying Pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks when they were only available in October) but it also uses less fossil fuels and puts less stress on the earth and there is less packaging (from zero shipping) and no chemical additives.

And choosing meats from ethical farmers not only provides meat without hormones and antibiotics to my children-we are also saying to major corporations: Lets care for the animals that we eat. God entrusted us with these rights to tend to the flocks and we have destroyed that honor.

Well, those are my thoughts lately. We are slowly changing around here. And I hope we are changing slowly enough to make it lasting. I leave with you a picture of great irony. My son in a "Love your Planet" shirt from Target, probably made in a sweat shop in china and the person that makes it doesnt make enough to live on, then it was shipped great distances plus he's drinking from a plastic water bottle. ahhh, i'll get there one day, right?

if you have any great tips on things to do around the house to lessen trash accumulation let me know! i'd love to hear! 

this moment

glorious spring

we're so thankful around here for some sunshine and for Forest Park. Dinner on Art Hill as the kids run around....doesnt get much better...

egg hunting and chocolate

r

really mom? bunny ears? i'm a guy.

just because you put them on me doesnt mean i have to take good pictures

collecting his first egg. he went right to it!

showing off his goods.

mya being cute

torture taking pics while candy is being waited to be eaten

another day, another hunt

isaac worried he is missing some candy somewhere

the masses ignoring my plea for a cute pic

my big boy

mimi got abraham big boy pjs and my oh my, he really no longer looks like a baby! he's just the cutest!!!

nashville trip

there are just too many cute pictures to do our trip justice so i'll just give you the highlights. lots of new babies, lots of kisses, learning how to play baseball, family, sweet friends, and of course, sitar indian food.

my cousin's new twins!

my big brother had a baby! Welcome Harmony!

wonderful, chaotic playdate