Author Archives: Haley

This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 54

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I imagine that seeing a 40+ weeks pregnant woman chasing escaped chickens around her yard has to be one of the funnier things in life. You’re welcome, neighbors! Hope you enjoyed that! Those little stinkers got out of the coop while Daniel was at work and I felt both ridiculous and slightly awesome that I managed to get everybody back inside.

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Pregnancy Update:

41 weeks tomorrow! Baby Gwen is now officially past her due date and I am officially losing my mind. This is my date night attire from Friday and it’s about as fancy as it gets these days. But this little girl seems to be doing great despite her lack of cooperation. Non-stress test on Thursday at the hospital showed that she’s moving around just beautifully. And at least I am 2 cm so we’re making some progress toward being labor ready! We’ll have to do a biophysical profile tomorrow if she’s still in utero to make sure there’s enough amniotic fluid and that she’s still thriving in there. Of course, now I’m glad that she’s late because Benjamin had a stomach flu Sunday/Monday and I was relieved that Gwen was still safely in the womb away from the germs and that Daniel and I were home to tend to our little pukey boy instead of away at the hospital. Speaking of pregnancy, my friend Stephanie relaunched her ebook From Maiden to Mother: Your Guide to a Conscious Child-Bearing Year and it’s on sale for $6.99 until June 1st so if you’re an expectant mama or thinking about pregnancy, definitely check it out! (Warning, there is some colorful language in the book.)

On the Homestead:

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Oh, how I love squash blossoms!

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Oh my, yes! I’m so excited about all the tomatoes!

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“There’s always room in Grandaddy’s lap.”

The Quotable Benjamin:

Maybe Gwen will come out tonight when you’re sleeping and then in the morning you’ll be so surprised a little baby is snugglin’ next to you!” (I certainly wish that’s how it worked)

“How come dwarves never get pink eye?”

See, mama?! All you needed to feel better was a nap, playing outside with your kiddos, then getting your toes cleaned off!” (Wise words about saving an afternoon after a grumpy super pregnant morning)

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The Quotable Lucy:

Daddy! I WOVE WOU!” (Yelling at the window with her face pressed against the glass as Daddy bikes off to work each morning.)

Me: “What should Lucy be for Halloween this year?

Benjamin: “A sign.

Me: “A sign? What would it say?

Lucy: “Dis e’ Habogene!” (This is Halloween!)

Links:

What to Expect When You Totally Weren’t Expecting Spina Bifida: Wifeytini

Stocking the Kitchen for Post-Delivery Days: Simple Bites (I have a few freezer meals stocked up but I wish I had more for postpartum!)

A Good Kind of Crazy: Time Flies When You’re Having Babies (Loved this post!)

“The point is that these kids bring the the worst parts in me and then they have to deal with them. But I try to think of it like they are like little florescent flashlights that God has given me to shine on all the sick, sinful parts of who I am. I feel like each kid has been a brighter light and shown me more and more how much work I need. So why would I stop now?”

Did Pope Francis Really Say All Atheists Are Redeemed?: Strange Notions

You can also find me…:

I’m really thrilled that my post for Mama and Baby Love that ran last week got such great feedback. I really hope it encouraged some mamas out there!

How I Almost Became the Smug Mom: Mama and Baby Love

I hope you’re enjoying summery weather wherever you are! I’ll keep you posted on this little stubborn baby girl :)

Love,

Haley

P.S. You can also follow me on Twitter (@haleycarrots), Pinterest (haleyofcarrots) FB, and Instagram (carrotsformichaelmas). I love connecting with my wonderful readers!

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What I Wish I Knew Before I Got Married

Happy Memorial Day! We’re celebrating by not giving a stomach bug Benjamin picked up to all the friends we made plans with and are just taking it easy instead. Today you can find me over at Little House in Chicago where the lovely Tess blogs. She’s running a “What I Wish I Knew Before I Got Married” series of guest posts while she enjoys her honeymoon (congrats Tess and Frank!).

“None of us have enough love to satisfy another human being when our heart’s deepest desire is to be loved by God. St. Augustine’s prayer is so true, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” What happens when we try to make another human being our source of love, affirmation, and security? We will be bitterly disappointed. What happens when we try to satisfy another person with our love? We will fail miserably.”...Read the rest at Little House in Chicago.

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Little Holydays: Trinity Sunday Blueberry Pie

On Trinity Sunday (May 26th this year) we celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity–the doctrine that distinguishes Christianity from all other faiths.

A concept like the Holy Trinity is difficult to denote through food, but in our family we try to start food traditions for the Christian Year that also tie into what’s seasonal where we live. During early summer in Florida, blueberries are fully in season.

We love to take Benjamin to a U-Pick-Em local organic blueberry farm and stocked up on pounds and pounds of them.

A great way to celebrate Trinity Sunday in our neck of the woods is by putting together an easy Trinity Blueberry Pie.

For the pie crust I used Ree Drummond’s recipe but I substituted butter for shortening.

For the filling mix:

5 cups blueberries

3/4 cup Sugar

3 TBS Flour

1 tsp Cinnamon

Once you add the filling to the crust, bake in the oven at 375 degrees for approx. 40 min. Just keep an eye on it so that the crust on top doesn’t brown. Then, of course, you can top it off with some vanilla ice cream. Very easy, very delicious!

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Any Expectant Mamas Out There? Check Out From Maiden to Mother

I’m three days overdue with Baby Gwen (Lucy was 10 days late) so I’m starting to lose my mind a little. I really gave all my natural labor induction methods a good try yesterday, including acupuncture, spicy Thai food, long walks, etc. but to no avail! One more weekend pregnant just sounds UNBEARABLE. C’mon Baby Carrot!

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I’m doing my best to distract myself from the fact that I’m still pregnant so I was thrilled to read my dear friend Stephanie’s newly re-edited ad relaunched ebook From Maiden to Mother: Your Guide to a Conscious Childbearing Year. It’s so readable and filled with good info that I wish I had known before getting pregnant with my firstborn.

I met Stephanie at the park a couple of years ago and then became a staff writer for her blog, Mama and Baby Love. I’m so bummed that her family just relocated to S. Florida! But before heading out Steph stocked my freezer with some of her slow cooker freezer meals and some lactation cookies for when Gwen arrives because the woman has organizational SKILLS. Anyhow, Stephanie is my go-to gal for all my crunchy pregnancy/real food/birthing/postpartum questions since she’s a certified doula and a Birthing From Within mentor as well as a licensed massage therapist specializing in pre-conception, pregnancy, and postpartum. I’ll have even more questions for her if I end up doing a home birth at some point (maybe if we’re blessed with another baby after Gwen?) like she did with her little girl Penelope.

From Maiden to Mother has lots of great info for new mamas, particularly about pre-pregnancy and pregnancy nutrition. And there’s lots of links to great resources to get you thinking about labor and post-partum as well. Now, Steph’s a little bit crunchier than I am and has blazed some trails I haven’t attempted yet, like eating her placenta. The woman is brave. And there’s a little bit of colorful language, so fair warning. But, Stephanie knows her stuff and shares all the advice she’d give to a friend in this ebook. I think it’s a great resource and I contributed a little of my own advice about motherhood in the ebook, as well. Does that make me a published author?

Just wanted to share with you since it’s on sale right now for $6.99 until June when the price will jump to $9.99. And stay tuned for Steph’s e-course on holistic parenthood preparation and personal growth/healing which will include interviews with some amazing folks like midwifery pioneer Ina May Gaskin! I can’t wait for it to launch!

Also, prayers for this little daughter of mine to decide to exit the womb? I am so ready to be holding her in my arms!

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Sharing About Almost Becoming “The Smug Mom” and Hello Due Date!

Today you can find me over at Mama and Baby Love sharing about how I almost became “The Smug Mom.” 

In other news, it’s Baby Gwen’s due date (c’mon little Carrot!) and my sweet, sweet, saintly mother just picked up the other two kids so that I can TAKE A NAP. Heavenly, no?! I feel so sleepy that I don’t even WANT to go into labor because I don’t have the energy. Thank you, Mom! I’m sure I’m feel so much better after a good nap and then I have an acupuncture appointment this afternoon to see if we can get things moving and meet this sweet baby!

Prayers appreciated! This mama is ready to be holding a baby instead of waddling around and groaning about still being pregnant :)

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A Dance Mix to Start Your Morning

So here I am at almost 40 weeks, completely exhausted, uncomfortable, and so ready to have this baby. And each morning it gets harder to start the day. I figure there might be some other folks out there as the school year comes to an end that also need a little help getting their morning started, so I thought I’d do something a little out of the ordinary here at Carrots and share a morning dance mix with you. (I haven’t shared a mix since posting our Advent playlist). My kids love dancing to this music while Daniel and I cook breakfast. And the tunes give me a little boost to get my hugely pregnant self moving. I hope you enjoy some new tunes!

Disclaimer: I haven’t looked up lyrics or examined cover art or other songs/albums by these bands so I’m not vouching for their appropriateness for all audiences!

If you’re seeing this post in an email or a reader you may need to click over to the actual site for the Spotify playlist to show up below:

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This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 53

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Three things jump out at me when I see this picture from Sunday:

1. I look tired. (Accurate portrayal. At 39+ weeks, I’m exhausted.)

2. My son’s face! Goofiest smile ever!

3. Daniel’s beard is OUT OF CONTROL.

Pregnancy Update:

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Nothing exciting to report. Well, being this close to having a new beautiful baby is certainly exciting! But nothing dramatic to report. Baby Gwen seems mighty comfortable in there despite the intense Braxton-Hicks I keep having every couple of days. It’s unlikely that you’ll see me with makeup or wearing anything but stretchy, comfy pajamas until this baby arrives. Sorry, world. My midwife says I’m 1cm. dilated but that labor doesn’t look imminent. Waaaaaah! My plan is to pull out all my natural induction methods  tonight when the kids go to their grandparent’s house starting with a spicy food dinner date with Daniel followed by a long walk and sitting on the birthing ball while eating tons of pineapple and massaging the labor-inducing acupressure points on my feet. If nothing happens over the weekend, I’ll make an appointment on Monday with my acupuncturist. No castor oil for this gal, though, unless my only other option is Pitocin! Apart from the discomfort of being absurdly pregnant, I just really want to meet this little lady! C’mon, baby carrot!

On the Homestead:

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Tomatoes everywhere! I am having the hardest time letting them ripen instead of just frying them green and gobbling them up.

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The layers are all laying now! So there’s beautiful eggs everyday. I need to take pictures of each of our ladies and introduce them to you!

Reading: I finished North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell from my 2013 Reading Goals as well as A Biblical Walk Through the Mass. I started Wives and Daughters (also by Gaskell) and we’re almost done reading The Hobbit aloud to four-year-old Benjamin which has been so fun!

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The Quotable Lucy:

Toast, Charles! Toast!” Yes, we begin indoctrinating our children with Brideshead Revisited as early as possible.

The Quotable Benjamin:

On The Phantom Menace: “This is boring. Can we watch the REAL Star Wars now?” (We were so proud.)

Links:

Who Gets to Say How Many Children You Should Have? Kitchen Stewardship

Catholic. Nuff Said. Bad Catholic

How to Subscribe to Blogs (Or, why you shouldn’t panic about Google Reader’s demise) Simple Mom

(p.s. After trying both Bloglovin’ and Feedly, I officially like Feedly best. The mobile app is awesome.)

And I spent some time this week updating the archives so if you’ve been trying to hunt down an old post, hopefully it will be easier now!

Excuse me because a miracle is happening: both kids are napping AT THE SAME TIME! (I know!!!) This pregnant mama is going to jump on the chance for a nap! Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Haley

P.S. You can also follow me on Twitter (@haleycarrots), Pinterest (haleyofcarrots) FB, and Instagram (carrotsformichaelmas). I love connecting with my wonderful readers!

P.P.S. Has anyone seen Gatsby yet? Is it worth the price of a movie ticket? I might need something to distract myself from the fact that I haven’t gone into labor yet…

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6 Must-Have Books and Cookbooks for Seasonal Eating Inspiration

Since our conversion, I’ve gained more appreciation for the rhythms of the Christian Year and that by observing those seasons, the story of the Gospel unfolds. One way to participate in the Christian Year is to feast and fast according to the traditions of the Church which, obviously, involves food! Sharing food with family and friends should ideally be a daily reminder of sacred things: The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist, and the Wedding Feast of the Lamb (all connected, of course). If we consider the partaking of food not as a mundane event but as an intersection with the sacred, then what we eat, where it came from, and who grew it becomes more important.

Something we try to add to the rhythm of our lives is the practice of eating seasonal food. It seems elementary to eat according to what’s growing but until recently I never knew what was in season–produce is available at the grocery store all year round! Until we started growing a garden, I really had no idea if it was the season for tomatoes or for butternut squash.

A few books have been really helped me understand some of these ideas.

I love this collection of Wendell Berry’s agrarian essays: The Art of the Commonplace. I’ve written about how Berry’s emphasis on the value of home has helped me embrace my vocation as a mother, but his essays have been just as life-changing in regards to food ethics. Please read ASAP!

Barbara Kingsolver’s farm memoir Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a wonderful introduction to eating local and seasonal foods. It chronicles her family’s experience moving back to a family farm and producing almost all of their food for a year. I don’t agree with every little thing she says, but it’s a delightful read that found informative and inspirational.

Seasonally-organized cookbooks have also been really helpful in training me about what’s in season and how to cook according to what’s growing in our garden.

If you’re just starting out, I highly recommend Simply in Season (by the creators of More with Less, an essential on my mother’s cookbook shelf). It is organized by Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter recipes and is very real food friendly. For someone like me who didn’t have the first idea how to cook an eggplant or a spaghetti squash when they showed up in our CSA bag or our frontyard garden, there’s a handy and simple guide in the introduction explaining how to prepare different kinds of produce in a myriad of ways. It is definitely my first stop when I’m trying to figure out how to prepare a veggie I’ve never cooked with or when I want to attempt a seasonal meal. The recipes sometimes need additional spice added but then again, we like things spicy!

And I also adore Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila Latourrette’s cookbooks. They contain simple, frugal, almost entirely vegetarian natural food recipes by a monk who cooks with ingredients from his monastery garden. I love that they’re organized according to season and the Christian Year! Although, because Brother Victor-Antoine’s monastery is in the northeast, we have to make some substitutions because what’s in season in sunny Florida is usually a little different.

Twelve Months of Monastery Soups is a great and easy way to incorporate all those seasonal veggies. This one was gifted to us and we use it often. “The Monk,” as we affectionately refer to him, also has a Twelve Months of Monastery Salads, but we haven’t added it to our Cookbook Library yet.

We also love Sacred Feasts which is organized by month according to the feasts and fasts of the Christian Year. January, for example, contains seasonal recipes as well as specific ideas for Epiphany and Saint Anthony’s Day.

We recently acquired From a Monastery Kitchen which is similar to Sacred Feasts, but organized according to the four seasons instead of by month. We’ve never tried a recipe by Brother Victor-Antoine that didn’t turn out delicious!

Do you try to cook seasonally? What books have inspired and assisted you?

 

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A Picture of the Incarnation on My Kitchen Floor

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During this pregnancy (my third) my mood swings have been unreal. One minute everything is rosy and the next I find myself sobbing for no reason. And if I wait too long to eat or don’t get enough sleep, I am sure to be an insane hysterical basket case.

The worst meltdown occurred for really no reason at all at about halfway through the pregnancy. We put the kids to bed, then Daniel ran some errands while I made treats for a friend’s baby shower. When he left, I was in my right mind. When he returned, he found me sobbing in the kitchen as I iced carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing, my mascara running down my face.

What’s the matter?!” he asked as he walked over to put his arm around me.

Nothing, really!” I sobbed. “Except everything! I’m always tired and I’m always throwing up and and it’s so hard! I love my baby, but I feel so physically miserable and I can’t stop crying and I don’t know why!

Being the wise man that he is, he knew I was in no state to hear reason and nothing he could say would stop the crazy that was spewing from my mouth. So he just listened while I exploded with pregnant hysteria until I wore myself out and I sat down on the kitchen floor.

He took a deep breath, sat down with me, put his arms around me, and we leaned against the dishwasher while I sobbed my little pregnant heart out for several minutes. As the meltdown fizzled out and I stopped crying, I had an epiphany: my husband was an image of Christ right here on our hardwood floor. Instead of talking me down or telling me I was being ridiculous, he got down into the middle of my pregnant crazy meltdown, sat there, and shared it with me.

His love was a reminder that God’s great love prompted him to actually come down to us, share our humanity, and suffer in our stead. I know I am more than fortunate to be married to a man who lives out that love each day of our marriage.  

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Motherhood, Hard Times, Fear, and Love

As Mother’s Day approaches and Baby Gwen’s due date nears, I’ve been thinking about motherhood and trying to wrap my mind around the idea of the labor that will begin any day and the reality of a new little soul waiting to join our family. I also have about 4 brain cells left in my 38 week pregnant brain (I forgot what we planned to eat for dinner 3 times yesterday and had to keep asking Daniel), so I’d like to share some links to my favorite Carrots posts on motherhood from the archives:

A Letter to My Former Self When Became a Mother

“Nothing can prepare you for the sight of that stretching, crying, smiling, dreaming, little one that makes you feel that you are looking at your very heart outside of your body. At every moment for the rest of your life, no matter where you are, or what you are doing, part of you will be thinking about your child…” 

When Motherhood is Hard…

“I think motherhood can be a little bit like marriage. Sometimes it is just pure bliss. Other times, well, it’swork. And when you’re in the midst of those times, it’s hard to imagine that it will get better. But the truth is, it does and suddenly the struggle behind you is like a blip on the screen in your long journey“ 

There’s No Paycheck for Motherhood: Finding Value in the Home

“I think we need an entirely different perspective. One that doesn’t equate value with money and liberation with consumption

A Mother’s Love, A Mother’s Fear

It was the night that we brought our firstborn home from the hospital and I was crying like my heart would break

 It might be quiet around Carrots during the next couple of weeks. Our internet is down (hopefully getting fixed tomorrow!) and I’m focusing all my efforts on preparing for sweet Baby Gwen. For those of you on baby watch, there’s lots of contractions here and there but no “real” ones so I think this little lass has decided to stay put for a few more days. If I haven’t answered your email or comment this week, mea culpa! With any luck, I’ll catch up this weekend :)

 

 

 

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