Live Like No One Else

Finally! We started the local class of Financial Peace University on Sunday night. Big Monkey was reluctant to go to the preview class last month but once we got in there and he realized how funny Dave Ramsey is, he agreed to come with me. Last Sunday was the first official class and there are 20 couples in the bloomin' thing! It's huge but in a weird sort of way a comfort to know that we're not the only ones living paycheck to paycheck (appearances are verrrry deceiving) AND that we're not the only ones who want to change that and learn to be better stewards of our money. The church where we're attending offers free baby-sitting during the class; the nursery was slam-full of kids. I always figure Lil Bit will be the only kidlet around but not here! I think the lovely ladies who'd volunteered to watch the kids were a bit overwhelmed by the number. Hopefully next week there may be a few more hands around.

We decided to go forward with our plans for our annual OBX vacation this weekend. While that money could go towards our Baby Step 1 Emergency Fund, we have long had this money squirreled away for this specific vacation and both of us desperately need a real break, even if only for two days. I'm already hard at work on the next show and Big Monkey is exploring his options for moving around (or out) so doing a lot of personal work this week. Add to that he hasn't been able to get out in the field yet so he's had no stress relief lately. We need to smell the salt air, feel the water lap our toes, and eat as many oysters as our bellies can hold.

A Masterpiece of Potential

My garden this year was... not a dismal failure, but a failure nonetheless, from what my original goal was: not only to feed us through the season but also to have enough to put away for the winter. Looking back I know exactly what I did wrong. It wasn't the heat (which was brutal at times) or the bugs (which got to the squash plants again). It was me, plain and simple. Tending a garden requires actual tending: time, energy, emotion. One of the leadership books I read over the summer says "Good decisions plus daily discipline equals a masterpiece of potential." Since I did not put in the daily (or even weekly) effort that a good garden demands, I got instead this: "good decisions minus daily discipline equals a plan without payoff." I didn't thin seedlings like I was supposed to so I wound up with tall spindly okra that barely produced and a handful of baby-size carrots instead of 6" long nightsticks. I didn't water as needed so my green beans quit flowering and my tomatoes broke as they ripened. I didn't fight the caterpillars that eventually came crawling and had to chop down my chard plants to get rid of them (actually, those plants are releafing with the turn to cooler weather).

I love gardening. Every year when we start to get even a little warmth and sunshine I start to imagine the full beds, the green seedlings, the white and yellow flowers, the red and green and purple and orange fruits and vegetables. The pride I will have at feeding my family. And yet, every year, I find myself at the end of the growing season with nothing to show. 

"The reason most goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first." I have many goals, many projects that take up my time, not even including my paid work. My home projects seem to always get short shrift, after gearing up for theater stuff, or doing the necessary daily chores, or spending time with my family. Not that those things aren't important, but I say that the personal projects (gardening, scrapbooking, reading, blogging) are important too. And with trying to increase my hours (and thus pay) at work, it means less time for everything else. And while I understand the importance of winnowing down, of being able to say "no" to things that fall outside of what I can be best at, I also want to be able to do ALL that I want to do, of feeling like a Renaissance woman. 

Maybe I should only sleep for 15 minutes every few hours, like Da Vinci was rumored to do.

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1.02.28

The Path Not Chosen

I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. I can see before me two distinct paths, very different from one another in type yet with the same "helping others achieve happiness" at their core. One has a paycheck already associated with it and would likely be much more lucrative while the other one doesn't have an easily visible monetary reward but I trust that the universe would provide.

I do not know how to make the two worlds mesh. In fact, so disparate are they that to follow one, committing to what it entails and the choices that would have to be made, would mean leaving the other one behind, with only a nod and a passing glance of a reminder.

Would it be fair to say "Okay, I'll pick this one for now? And give it X amount of time? And then maybe I'll try the other for a while?" Or is hedging my bets not allowed?

Or is there a 3rd choice I'm overlooking?

Needle In A Haystack

I'm a glutton for punishment, I swear. In the midst of planning for the Gala plus prop work for the first show of the season, we took a long weekend and went away to Redbarn Farm to see the fam. And to celebrate Big Monkey and my 11th Anniversary by driving to Asheville for the afternoon. It's only an hour and a half away from Upcountry South Carolina (crazy how the land lies/roads go) so an easy drive from the farm. We had a wonderful time, drank too many really good ales, and want to go back for twice as much time with four times as much money.

Which, since I took the trapped time in the car to actually do our budget together, we know we have none of. Not literally, of course, we can pay our mortgage and put food on the table and keep the lights on. But, honestly, beyond that, not much! It was kinda scary to put together a realistic, not extravagant budget, that included saving for yearly payments (property taxes, vacation) and minimum payments on debt, only to realize that to pay everything would put us in the hole $430 every month. We're not congress, we obviously can't do that. And with Big Monkey's insane schedule at work making earning extra income and still being a presence in Half Pint's life not possible, it looks like it will fall to me to pick up the slack.

I'll start, of course, by working my full hour allotment at work (show hours being purely bonus and will go towards saving our emergency fund and then straight toward debt payments). But I'm also going to get serious about pursuing consultant work (I guess that's what it is. Maybe you know a better term.) in organizing and personal shopping.

I'm calling it "Needle In A Haystack" and the tag line is "Finding the Perfect Item for you, for your loved ones." I'll offer both personal shopping services (drawing on my many years of retail work and prop shopping for theater) and home/office organizing help (from my years of management, planning, and obsession with details). $50/hour with a $20 initial consultation applicable towards final bill. Packages available, corporate discount offered.

I would love to start with 2 jobs per week, totaling about 8 hours. Even setting aside a percentage for taxes, I should easily be able to make up the difference in our budget without breaking the time bank with either Half Pint or Big Monkey.

You're the second person I've told about this idea (the first being Big Monkey, of course) so I'd love feedback. Or a referral! I think I may have really found my Hedgehog Concept (you haven't read Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap? Shame on you!) and am excited to see how great it can be.

Did Someone Change My Calendar Early?

I know we're all asking it but really, where did the summer go? Just yesterday I had a grand plan for these few months between seasons, full of promise for bigger-better-bolder! Now, it's August 2nd and my day is so full trying to get ready for the gala at work, the season opener, and make steady progress on projects at home that I'm planning out my day, as opposed to just making a to-do list and going forth. I suppose that might make me a bit OCD but, hey, whatever gets the job done, right?

Yes, this is my daily planner, not just a one-off for a busy day. I created it, printed it, and live by it. Everything goes in it: family events, project notes, food charts, funny quotes, flylady lists, so forth and so on. There's a pocket in front for cards and other loose ephemera. 3 (count 'em: 3!) different calendars: a quick yearly glance (useful for planning vacations around shows), a monthly block-style as dividers (you can just see the blue tabs at left), and then these daily pages.

Obviously, I work in pencil.

I may have a slight calendar obsession. Is that bad?

In other craziness: if I ever say "oh, I'll just make the pasta from scratch!" someone please bean me upside the head with a pasta machine. I made lasagna from scratch today. Literally: pasta, sauce, cheese. Well, I didn't grow the spinach but... no Stouffer's grodiness here (not that I don't eat the frozen take-n-bake kind when offered it elsewhere but I wouldn't be Foodie Mama if I did that at home, now would I?). And we can't afford to run to the store and buy noodles but I still had 00 flour on hand and had eggs from the farmer's market on Saturday... and time, although I had forgotten how freakin' long the process takes. That's where today really got thrown off: I never remember how long it takes to make pasta from scratch. Luckily, I did remember that the egg was going to go everywhere when trying to incorporate it into the flour, so I was prepared for that and kept it together. And lasagna, like most pasta dishes, is one of those easily-forgiving things that you can just lump some stuff in the dish, throw it in the oven, and it'll pretty much turn out edible. I had leftover meatball meat from making meatballs over the weekend (again, from scratch. I'm a glutton for punishment) for the sauce, plus a huge block of mozzarella (not the good stuff but it was on sale) and a frozen package of spinach so it turned out quite tasty. I love spinach in my lasagna. In fact, the best lasagna that I've ever made was a spinach/portebello mix that was completely vegetarian and to die for.

Of course, pounds of cheese make most anything tasty.

This picture is NOT my homemade lasagna, but rather an old recipe called "Johnnie Marzetti". "Spelling varies according to locale, but it is the same hearty, flavorful, economical dish no matter how you spell it." From the Southern Heritage 'Beef, Veal, and Lamb' cookbook (more on the set in a later post). It's not quick since you have to chop, brown, and simmer and then bake it all for 20 minutes, but it hella cheap and makes a ton. Be prepared to eat on it for lunch for days.

Which in this economy is a pretty good idea.

Johnnie Marzetti

1 pound ground chuck
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium-size green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1 Cup water
1/4 teaspoon basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
2 (5-oz) packages wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
1.5 cups soft bread crumbs
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Saute meat, celery, onion and green pepper in butter in a large skilled over low heat until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain off pan drippings. Add tomato paste, water, basil, salt, pepper and bay leaf; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard. Place cooked noodles in a lightly greased 2.5 quart shallow baking dish. Spoon meat mixture over noodles; sprinkle breadcrumbs and cheese over top. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20 minutes or until cheese melts. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Rain may stop us, but not heat

We braved the heat last Saturday to go to the Saxapahaw Rivermill Music Series. Not that we were the only ones there, but it was definitely LESS populated than when Half Pint and I went two weeks ago. But we were rained out last week (my birthday, too, what a bummer) so I was determined we'd go and have a good time.

We had to go into Hillsborough first so swung by Weaver Street Market and picked up picnic foods (they make the best pimento cheese ever) before taking a circuitous route to the hill. We picked up some ale at the General Store after making sure it was okay we could take glass (I couldn't remember and didn't want to chance it).


Half Pint had a great time: she danced some, ate, and played with the bubbles, of course. Big Monkey and I enjoyed hanging out together (even if I did spill some of my beer on the blanket). It was fun people watching, too, and not having to worry about her getting into something she shouldn't. It's a very family friendly event and everyone out there -- with kids or not -- smiles and enjoys watching the little ones play. Looking around, they were the missing element over two weeks ago; I suppose other parents with toddlers didn't want to stand the 100 degree temps. Turned out to not be an issue; in fact, about halfway through the show, we were worried we'd get rained on. Clouds started to move in, brought by a refreshing breeze, but luckily the precipitation stayed away and we were able to finish our dinner before heading out right before the show ended.

There's a great farmer's market there, too, during the concert and we picked up a couple of things, including a wonderful cantaloupe from Byrd Farm since she was soooo nice to let us borrow her bottlecap opener. Twice. And several food stands set up shop, including a place that sells Maple View Farms ice cream. Half Pint opted for strawberry: yum.

Dog Days of Summer

I already suck at this blogging thing and it's only been two months since I started it. One of the things I've learned is I need feedback, public acknowledgment, even just a "hey, I read that. it sucked." to keep at projects like this. I LOVE the internet because of the worlds it opens up and the people you can meet. But I HATE the internet because I don't get the immediate gratification of someone's smile at my work that I get in the Real World. I think that's what kept/keeps me in retail/customer service: that immediate happiness I can afford someone.

Not that I don't think what I'm working on here on the webs is important, but, well, anyway.

We got a dog. Two, actually. They are Plott Hounds, about 3 months old, shelter-adopted pups. The lighter brindle in center is Nikola, a boy and the dark one on right is a girl, Tesla. The one on the left in Elmo pj's is Half Pint. The cats (we rescued an older cat, Blitz) were on the bed. One large, furry, happy family. But you can see: it's a been a tad busy around here lately.

Nights in the Kitchen

I had to call in some help on Sunday night to cook what was on the menu, as I would never have been able to time it out right by myself. Fried crappie, locally caught by Big Monkey and his Papa, thin-sliced fried potatoes, and homemade coleslaw (remember the cabbage from the last post?). We don't own a deep fryer so everything was going into the widest, deepest pans we have along with generous amounts of lard. Yes, folks, you read right: we fry our food in good old-fashioned NON HYDROGENATED lard. I can get it from a couple of local farms with pigs and keep it in the fridge for just this purpose (bacon drippings, I find, work much better for frying eggs or seasoning greens. But lard has no flavor to itself so better for deep-frying and leaves everything super crispy and oh-so-delectable!). Screw the low-fat people: I much less worried about old-fashioned animal fats that have been eaten forever than I am about the new-fangled chemical concoctions foisted on us by an industry that exists only if we stay sick and obese. Follow the money trail, is all I'm sayin...

Dinner: cold beer, fried fish and chips, leftover batter as hushpuppies, with coleslaw on the side. I said to Big Monkey, "If you were always home on Sunday nights, this might be our standard dinner." Course, that would require him fishing a bit more often. Yeah, something tells me he wouldn't mind that too much.

Monday was Date Night At Home and another from the MSLiving "What To Eat For Dinner" collection. Oddly enough, I found it all as a cookbook at the Farmer's Market on Saturday at their cookbook swap table. I chuckled as I hadn't realized I was already doing what they wanted me to pay for (again, since you have to pay for the magazine)! My way has one key advantage: the cookbook is arranged in traditional fashion: all the apps together, all the entrees together, so forth and so on. With the card sets, the night's menu is put together for you, no picking-and-choosing required. I'll stick with my three ring binder.

This week was marinated goat cheese (skipped), minestrone salad, italian sausage with arugula pesto, and macerated berries with creme freche (also skipped). I opted for some of our venison bratwurst on the grill instead of buying pork sausage; at roughly 5 minutes a side it turned out juicy and wonderful. I had leftover chimichurri sauce from last week so just used that instead of hunting down arugula and pine nuts. But I did spring for all the ingredients (that I didn't have on hand) for the minestrone salad. Totally worth it. I'm not a bean fan but this salad has enough different textures and flavors to be worth the time it takes to make. And drizzled with balsamic vinegar and EVOO just makes it that much better. We had a ton left over and we were figuring out ways to change it so we wouldn't get bored eating it every day: add feta cheese. Or parmesan. Sprinkle liberally with fresh chopped basil. Or oregano. Add the stock back to it to make soup. Add chicken for some protein or chopped ham or shaved proscuitto. I mean, really, the possibilities are endless. I don't know that it will make it into the normal repertoire, but definitely something I'd pull out for a dinner party.

Hillsborough Farmer's Market, Saturdays, 8 to Noon

I don't work for the Hillsborough Farmer's Market, although sometimes I wish I did. They have become "my" market, out of the plethora that are available in Orange County. They're convenient-- a mere 10 minute drive from my house -- and still small enough that you can get to know the farmers by name. My only complaint is part of that: because they are still so small (roughly a dozen regular vendors, give or take a couple) there doesn't tend to be quite the variety of foodstuffs that you can find at, say, the Carrboro Market. I'm not 100% certain the story behind the story, but there are two farmer's markets in Hillsborough: this one, which meets in the Home Depot parking lot at the intersection 86 and I85, and the Eno River Farmer's Market, which holds court -- literally -- in the sheltered area behind the new Courthouse on Margaret Lane. I went to that one a few times last season but didn't find enough to keep me going back on a regular basis. There is an apple orchard that has a stall there, though, so might be worth going back once in a while (or figuring out where the orchard is and their pick-your-own times).

This weeks haul was small as it's between paychecks: cabbage (a HUGE head the guy gave me for $3. we'll be eating on it for a whole week), cucumbers (mine are leafing but not flowering yet), green tomatoes (for frying), peaches (glory be hallelujah! fresh fruit!), eggs, and -- a first!! -- shitake mushrooms! A rarity at ANY market but he says he's gonna be a regular. Whoopee!! I love it when I can stop buying anything that has to be trucked across the country. Maybe I can convince him he should start growing buttons and creminis, too. I asked him if he foraged for wild ones and he laughed and said no, he only trusted what he grew himself. Understandable, but I'd love to try some wild fungi from a knowledgeable mycologist.

Gratuitous picture of Lil Bit smelling the flowers at the market.You didn't know you needed that, did you?

Lots of Green(s)

Big Monkey and I agreed that Monday nights would be our official "date night." Fridays we're always working and we don't want to fight the crowds on Saturdays (not to mention the struggle to find a sitter!). We're almost always off on Monday nights, restaurants and movie theaters are relatively quiet, and family members are usually available to watch Lil Bit. The plan has worked out well but now that we've hit the lean days of summer, we won't be going out on dates much. Rather, we'll stay in, cook up something yummy on the grill, rent a movie, and kick back with a local ale.

For a while now, on the Mondays we didn't have a sitter or whatever and wound up at home, I've been working through my stack of Martha Stewart Living recipes. Not the cookbook (although I use it a lot) and not the Everyday Food ones but the ones that come on the tear out cards towards the back of the magazine. I've been collecting them for nine or ten years now, off and on, and have a 3-ring binder full. Some have turned out better than others but all have thrust me outside of my cooking comfort zone and let us eat something different. This week was (top photo) grilled goat with grilled peppers and onions. The whole dinner (each tear out page is four recipes: an appetizer, main course, side, and dessert) also included eggplant fritters, which I didn't cook cause we do not like eggplant, and a lemon-yogurt sauce, which I didn't fix cause I didn't realize before starting that the yogurt in the fridge had gone bad. But everything was still pretty yummy, even if I like my peppers and onions a little softer than the time alotted in the recipe had them. Dessert (bottom photo) was a plum-raspberry-tarragon chilled soup, minus the tarragon (cause my herb guy at the farmer's market didn't have any). Again, outside of my cooking comfort zone, on a couple of levels, and it was okay, but we both agreed it would be better as a granita or sorbet, and needed more sweet to cut the tart of the raspberries. Live and learn.

Tonight's dinner was back to standard fare: grilled chicken, corn, and green beans. I wanted to share this one with you because one of the blogs I follow posted about the Green Music Group issuing an "eat local" challenge for this week. You can use the Eat Well Guide to find local food in your area and then commit to eating one meal (per day, per week, whatever) that's primarily local. I thought about actually signing up for the challenge but got to thinking about it and realize that I already eat local so much, I didn't really need to validate it by joining another website. Now, I will admit that I could patronize some other farmers or markets, but I do pretty well with the local thing. Case in point: the chicken is from Roland (you'll just have to get used to the fact that I will reference him a lot. I'll get a picture next week. He's cute.) and his farm is literally within walking distance of my house. Even closer: the green beans are from my garden. Now, the corn I did not get locally; it's still a little early in the season. But almost every day I eat at least one thing that was grown right here in the OCNC. I can't say that it's always been that way but I have been doing it now for 2+ years so I would say that rather than a gimmick challenge, it's pretty much our way of life.

Today's harvest: (t to b) mixed chard, cilantro, green beans, loose leaf lettuce. Green green and more green.

Greetings from Redbarn Farm!

Our vacation was wonderful last week, both away and at home. I always think it's nice taking more time off than you'll be gone to a different location in order to relax, unpack, and take care of a few things at home before heading back to work. Not only did Big Monkey get his shop cleaned out as part of the expansion prep, we also had the time to go help his folks repaint their living/dining rooms and kitchen. They give so much of their time to us for watching Little Bit when we have to work that I feel blessed to be able to help them in this small way.

I could make a whole section on our visits to Redbarn Farm. And this time was even more special: two baby goats had joined the herd! The last time I was visiting I remarked that a couple of the nanny goats looked a bit preggars. I got a shrug and "maybe?" Hah! Vindication. Sure enough, Peachy was the first to pop out twins, two girls named Polly and Pearl. It's fun to see newborns of different species. The baby goats were only two days old and already bouncing on rocks, nibbling grass, and checking out the chickens. The only things they shared in common with the last newborns I saw (human babies) was drinking their mother's milk ("From boobies!" as Little Bit has just learned) and sleeping a lot.

While there, we finally got to go into downtown Greenville, something we've wanted to do for only three years now, we've just never had the time. It was everything we'd hoped for and more, really, with the beautiful Riverwalk and Reedy Falls Park and Suspension Bridge and and and! We lunched at High Cotton, a wonderful nouveau southern cuisine restaurant that was high falutin' but still pampered Little Bit. Big points with Mom! Just check out this Reuben sandwich! We only spent a few hours there, between lunch, walking part of the river, and visiting Mast General Store and OP Taylor's so there's still a ton to see and do. We may have to start building in a few hours every time we go down there to venture out and see one new thing. There's a couple of independent breweries that we know of so next time Big Bro is up with his family, we'll have to sneak them out for a tasting.

Start of Summer pt 1

I only have about 10 minutes to type this because I'm trying to pack our bags, dress the daughter, fix my hair, and the million-n-one other things that have to be done to leave for vacation as soon as Big Monkey hits the door from work. I was telling an acquaintance the other night that "when I have the money, it means I'm working a show and don't have any time and when I have loads of free time that means I don't have any money." Hourly folks understand this, the dilemma it forces on choosing what to do when. So our real vacations-- where we stay by ourselves and eat food prepared at a restaurant-- are in the fall or early spring, between my shows. When most folks take their vacations, we are sitting at home, trying to find friends in town who may want to hang out, or we may hit the road to see family and friends, stay with them, enjoy their cooking, and try to save money. Both types of vacation are great but both are needed, too, to stay sane.

There was a lot I wanted to write about for my second post: the bone-sucking pork chops we had last Monday, our summer budget (ha ha ha), checking out Orange Leaf in Timberlyne, finally going into Phydeaux in Chapel Hill but the day after our dog died, my thrice-weekly walks around work, the Hillsborough Farmer's Market, my ideas for Baby Step 1. I guess I needed an outlet for a lot more than I thought! My friend Roland (he of the "my meat farmer" fame) asked what I was taking pictures for on Saturday and I told him I'd started a blog. He wasn't all that surprised (he's known me for a few years now) and asked me if I had a focus for it yet. "No," I said, "but I do know I want to focus on Orange County and sharing all that there is here." Every time I get in my car and start to cruise around, I see more and more things to post (the yoga options alone in this county are amazing) or ideas to hash out or events to celebrate. I hope you bear with me as I find my voice and please, join me and voice your opinions, too!

Fried Okra, Sliced Tomatoes, Butterbeans, and Cornbread

Hey, yall. It's the middle of May and my mouth is already watering about the bounty in the months ahead. Already I have green beans, swiss chard, mixed leaf lettuces, yellow straight-neck squash, 4 different tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and cantaloupe in my garden. I still have plans to get okra (we stripped the two plants I had last year) and maybe watermelon for the season, plus fall crops that won't go in til later. Big Monkey says "I don't like sweet potatoes that much." but, shoot, you can't garden in North Carolina without planting sweet potatoes, right? Plus I've got two kinds of basil, cilantro, thyme, and oregano (along with the ever-present rosemary) already and hope to put in more basil, dill, garlic, and onions and -- if I can figure out a pot to put it in -- a Bay Laurel tree (they're not hardy for this zone so must overwinter inside. Perfect! Laurel wreaths for Saturnalia!).

I guess a little blurb is in order for what (I think) this is: I'm a Foodie Mama with a Half Pint at home in Orange County, North Carolina. I am crazy about local, sustainable food and living, feeding my family right, and raising our daughter in harmony with the land. I'm also a retail widow: Big Monkey works for one of the big box home improvement stores. He works hard, but wishes he were home more, too. More on all of that later.

I want to share the bounty that is the OCNC with you, to show you what is available in my own backyard, both literally (my garden) and figuratively (the depth of wonderful things to do in this locale). We're on a pretty limited budget, so there'll be a lot in here about Slow Living and Slow Food and Slow Potty Training (the Half Pint is starting). I hope someone may find something of joy here, of southern passion, of the kind of happiness that reminds one of eating a homegrown tomato, straight from the vine, on a warm August day.

And, because it fits on so many levels, you must check out this video of "Cornbread and Butterbeans" by the local bluegrass group, the Carolina Chocolate Drops.