My Days

Lately, my days have consisted of:

chasing chickens out of the flower beds, raccoons out of the coop (no birds lost, thankfully!)
tending to the veggie garden - watering, weeding, watering, weeding.....
rearranging the house and putting flooring down in part of the addition to move the girls into the bigger bedroom, as we get ready for my sister-in-law moving in next week
being excited with cooking again
trying to find my voice in the land of blogs, as it seems to have gone quiet
visits from a mama bear and her two cubs, finding and easy meal of chicken scratch grains on the ground (sorry for the blurry photo, I was tucked away safely in the house, had to zoom and crop)

Keeping it Real with Monica

Weekend {A Lot of Photos}

A weekend trip, celebrating my 35th birthday.
Longwood Gardens and Amish Country in Lancaster County, PA.
I'm not sure I can ever describe just how much I love Lancaster. 
It's immense.

Thrifted

It always makes me a little sad when I see handmade items at thrift stores

and yard sales.  Someone put so much time and love into them, to just have them

be practically given away...well.  I can't help but frown a bit.

I picked up this granny square blanket for $6.00 at the thrift store.

$6.00!  For a handmade blanket!

a little boy decided it made a great driving mat for his remote control truck

it's folded on the old blue chair, next to an old wooden bench 

(once my great great uncle's) that's being used as a book shelf.  

I have a great love for England, with books on English cottages

and country gardens being a big weakness. 

 All the books were purchased second hand, or given as gifts. 

thrifty goodness

Next Step

I've been a vegetarian for over four years, now.  It's not something I really have to think about anymore.  I just don't eat any meat.  That simple.  I know what plant foods to eat to have a healthy, balanced diet.  What I'm struggling with is no dairy.  For my 34th birthday, one of my wishes was to

adopt a vegan diet.  This month, I'll be 35, and I haven't gotten very far with my wish.

I know what cheeses don't contain rennet.  I buy organic dairy products.  I found a local

farmer that sells raw milk, kefir, and yogurt.  For a while, I told myself that maybe that was fine.

But, the voice in the back of my head kept telling me that I knew better.

Even if I get my dairy from local, organic farmers, my consumption is still contributing to the 

inhumane treatment and slaughter of cows.  Just like humans, cows only produce milk after

giving birth.  To keep producing milk, cows have to be continually pregnant and birthing

calves until their bodies are spent, and often in pain.  Even on friendly organic farms.

Once they can no longer produce calves and milk, they are sent to slaughter (usually

for dog food since they are too damaged for human consumption).  

Since male calves are useless to the dairy industry, they are sold to veal farms .

There they are kept on chains so short and in crates so small they are prevented from

 having any movement - no lying down, no turning around (keeps the meat pale and tender). 

Luna

I'm not going to lie - I drink a lot of cream in my coffee, enjoy cheese, and

of course ice cream.  But, I've reached a point where I no longer enjoy these

things without the pangs of guilt.  So, how much am I really enjoying them?

This is in no way to cast judgement on others.

I respect everyone's choices, as I hope for others to respect mine.

This is a personal choice, a journey that's right for me.  And, for the record, I can't

call myself "vegan" as I eat honey (from a local apiary) and I use eggs for baking.

But, I have my own chickens, know how they are raised, so I'm okay with it.

We all have to make choices that are right for us, not follow the rules of a label.

I don't like labels.  And, my chickens don't have a vegetarian diet, either.
Since they are free range, they eat bugs, grubs, and worms.

I'm already considered a freak, the black sheep of the family.
I make my own cleaners and beauty products.  What I don't make must be cruelty free.
I refuse to wear leather and suede, most wool, and absolutely no feather earrings or hair clips that are
all the rage right now (roosters always die from the stress caused by painful plucking!).
I will not bring my kids to circuses, most zoos, and Sea World is always off limits.
 Instead we visit animal sanctuaries.  This summer there will be trips to here and here.
Why not take it to the next level and really piss people off?!  ;)

So, no more dairy ... for me.
I'm anticipating a  bit of a struggle.  But, I'm ready for it.
Hopefully, this will become second-nature for me as being vegetarian did.

(I know the pic is of a chicken, but I don't have any cows.  So you'll have to enjoy Luna, instead.)

Real

To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path,

and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest.

~ unknown

dark

sooner than expected financial burden

the above resulting in a delay of chasing dreams

feeling out-of-sorts

preschool teacher retiring, closing the school

Little Bird with her little bird

shine

realizing I can still chase my dreams, may just take a bit longer

seeing an opportunity to be a homeschooling mama, even if it is for just one year

warm weather

opening the pool for the summer

Keeping it Real