Fund-raisin'

Far before I accepted the position at my new job and made an extremely difficult decision to leave the restaurants, I was able to help fund raise for some amazing non-profits in Eugene. As the events coordinator for two very popular restaurants, I was able to use my position as a platform to encourage philanthropy and unity in our community in small but important ways. I'm very lucky to be a part of a community that loves on each other. Below are my memories of my last events with Agate.

Above was an event for The Boys and Girls Club. 12 ex-Duck current NFL players donated their appearances/signed jerseys/commitment to raising money to help tutor/feed and keep kids in Lane Co. healthy and safe.

Above is the annual "Chef's Night Out" which contributes funds to Food for Lane County. FFLC feeds thousands of families in our area. Did you know that a postal worker who also volunteered for FFLC is the man who started the postal canned food drives? Kind of cool.

I've been incredibly blessed in my young, professional career. I've gained an abundance of love and support, friendship, experience and extended family. I'm thrilled about this new chapter but fondly look back on the previous.

Recipes

I am anti-clutter...ish.... The "ish" is an addition to that

statement that I am recently grasping.
The "ish" is referring to the fact that I can tolerate it,
when there is no use in spending time to pick something up
or organizing it when it's going to be torn apart in the
near future anyway. This "ish" can be summed up into picking
your battles and using your time wisely.
For example, this is my junk drawer

This will always be my junk drawer so I am safe to keep it up every once in awhile.
(Although, honestly, it always looks like this so I don't really need to organize it)
But, this is what I mean. Even my junk drawer is organized, but our office...during tax season.. when you own a construction company... is cluttery.
There is no use (and would actually be extremely counter-productive)
in cleaning up all of the paper work after prepping for part of a day.

I do, however have some hidden exceptions around the house.
My recipe collection is one of those exceptions.
I used to just store the ones I found or created in a little recipe box and just
dug through them when I needed to. But lately it has been truly been on my
nerves that I don't have them organized.

So I started with this mess And eventually got everything organized into a recipe binder that was given to me as a gift for my bridal shower (3 years ago... I know... I know). I have the fondest memories with this particular gift, everyone who attended the shower put their favorite recipes into the book. It's fun to cook other peoples' recipes, especially if those people are family.

And here's what I ended up with.

The box is going to go into our baby closet.. Once we have kids we are going to compile our childrens' favorite recipes from their childhood to send with them once they are out of the house.. Did that just sound as crazy as I think it did??
How's that for over planning, eh?

Fever

It has been getting pretty hot and feverish around here. With Jeremy out of town, it's hard if either of us get sick. We just want to be taken care of by each other. Unfortunately this type of fever won't be going away any time soon. We're talking years. I'm talking baby fever. And... Jeremy.... has... got.... it..... BAD! It could be coming from the fact that he's going to be turning 29 in July and maybe nearing 30 has something to do with it? Or maybe it's the fact that he's been working in a home with small children and it's creating this urge? It definitely doesn't help that we have an entire closet full of baby gear in our weight room. We're talking breast pump, bottles, clothes up to one year, picture frames, the start of decor if we have a boy (we are doing a "lake tahoe/cabin" feel with a boys' room, that's IF we have one), toys, a stroller, a play pin, several swings and bouncies, a heartbeat monitor, baby books, a car seat.... I can't think of more but I'm sure the list would go on if I got up to look to see what was in those bins...

Now, you get the idea, right?
Oh! and not to forget the swings and bouncies skeletons that are filling the shelf in the closet.

Now, why is all of this stuff out of their bins? Well, Jeremy is home the first part of this week and I decided to show him all of the stuff that goes into the first stages of a babies' life. He had no clue what over half of the stuff was. I didn't do this to shut him down or to humiliate him, I just wanted to show him that having the stuff doesn't mean we are ready. And if knowing what the stuff is and how to use it all was going to be rough what about the actual baby? I know that he will be a fabulous father, but I think this education cured his fever a bit and helped his head to get back on track so we can stick to the plan!

side note: I actually adore the fact that he is the one with baby fever, and that he actually sat the hour and a half to listen to what each of the baby things did! He's so very much a keeper!!

Extra, Extra! Read All About IT!

I am not sure how much more like "Fall-y" it can smell in my house at this point. I've canned 7 jars of apple sauce this morning. The cinnamon and spice that permeates every nook of my house and my senses gives me a pleasant feeling of everything lovely that Fall has to offer. In my quest to conquer the giant bucket of apples I had from our tree, I decided to add to the preservation of food and go farm hopping. I got a lot of fresh, beautiful produce at an equally beautiful discounted price.

For Example:

50 ears of corn for $15
A bag full of organic honey, jalapenos, portobella mushrooms, freshly cut/packaged meat, acorn squash, tons of fruit and a pound of green beans for $36!This bucket was full and gave me 7 jars of apple sauce, 12 tarts, 3 apple crisps for free!

I used to think that organic was grocery code for much, MUCH more expensive. Well it is when you get it from the grocery stores. If you grow your own or visit a nearby orchard or small farm (one that doesn't distribute to grocery stores and is certified organic) it is much cheaper and is much more rewarding. It requires a little bit more work to preserve the bulk you are bound to end up with after leaving these farms but the rewards are well worth it.

There is a wonderful farm near our house, River Bend Farm and Pleasant Hill Orchard, that I visited for the first time today and was blown away at the gobs of produce/nuts/honey/meat/fruit/etc that they have. It's all either grown on the farm or is brought from within the county. All local. Which we LOVE. River Bend is involved with a fantastic program called the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). It is a program that benefits both community and farm. It is a program that, for a small fee, provides a large amount of in season produce weekly for those who are members. A CSA membership assures you of the finest and freshest food for your family and supports local community agriculture. This particular farm provides a membership that includes a weekly box of produce/baked goodies from their farm store kitchen for 20 weeks. The purpose for this program is to generate revenue in the farms off season. Which leads me to my next point: supporting/purchasing local.

It's not just a lovely thought. It's not an idea I had because I live in Eugene, Or (hippie-ville USA). There are serious health risks for those ignorant enough to assume that the produce/meat they are buying at the grocery store is actually what it says it is when it says it's "organic" or FDA approved. So, say you take the risk and buy "organic" from a grocery store, you pay up the yin yang for it, right?? OR, let's say you can't afford the "organic" selections from the grocery store. An apple's an apple, right? Ugh, no. Unfortunately, we live in the age of the quick buck. In addition to the unfortunate concept of the quick buck, we are suffering illnesses due to herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. You think it's not that big of a deal and that there's a small chance of us getting sick by being "healthy" and eating "organic" produce and meat. Seriously, do your homework before you assume this. If you don't care for yourself, care for your existing or future children. It truly doesn't take a whole lot of effort to find a local small farm and pick your own berries and freeze them or buy corn in bulk and can them. Grow your own vegetable garden. As John C. Maxwell said "There are 5 small words between success and failure; I do not have time." If you make it a priority and make time, it is totally doable.

Pajama Program

I recently helped to celebrate a beautiful babies first birthday. I've been with this family helping with their children for almost 2 years. One thing that bonds this family and I is our love for giving. For this particular birthday, instead of guests bringing gifts, they brought donations to the Pajama Program. A non profit program that provides pajamas and books for children around the country waiting to be adopted. It was a beautiful idea and such a wonderful cause. Check out their website and feel free to adopt this idea. I know I will.... in a couple of years ;)