Who Changed the Menu?

Today C's day care called and said "there's been an incident in the infant room," to my horror.  Apparently the head teacher was out of the room and another teacher accidently gave one of C's bottles (breast milk) to another baby (a formula-fed baby).  At the moment I was just thankful that by "incident," she didn't mean "murder" or "massive diarrhea outbreak," so I took it in stride and ran another bottle down there for my C.  Now, though, I keep thinking about how I would've reacted if C had been given another kid's bottle.  I would've been livid even if it were formula, but totally grossed out if it had been breast milk.  The assure me that steps will be taken to ensure it doesn't happen again, but let me do this...

Dear parents of baby inadvertantly fed C's bottle,
I understand if you're disgusted and worried.  However, let me put your mind at ease.  I don't drink alcohol, consume caffeine, take drugs, or eat poorly.  I mostly eat organic foods (and the occasional Winchell's doughnut when I'm particularly weak).  C is thriving on my milk.  Look how beautiful and smart and happy he is!  Come to think of it, your darling child probably enjoyed that gourmet meal!  You're welcome! 
Respectfully,
Milk Donor

I kid. 

You Are My Sunshine (July 25-July 31, 2010)

One of my favorite things to do in California is visit The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino (right by Pasadena).  It has two nice little galleries and gardens that will feed your soul.  My favorite is the Japanese garden.  Ahhhhh...just look:

Glorious.  They also host lectures and plant sales regularly. 

In their permanent collection are Thomas Gainsborough’s Blue Boy:

and Edward Hopper's The Long Leg

Check it out if you're in the area.  After a weekend in LA, it's the most calming, refreshing thing I can think of.  Oh, and have some tea while you're there. 

BB, on the other hand prefers a trip to Amoeba Records on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.  (We've not yet been to their two other locations).  It's not just a store, it's also a venue.  Check out their live music schedule here, and go early.  One more important thing to keep in mind about Amoeba  - they are devoted to sharing their profits with some wonderful organizations, such as the Rainforest Action Network, the Humane Society, and AIDS/Lifecycle.  So go there, pick up some new or used cds or vinyl or posters or movies, etc, etc, etc, and feel good about it!  Besides, MP3 files can't replicate the ambiance of vinyl. 

Does Anyone Smell Waffles??

So today I went to the dermatologist to have three cysts removed from my scalp.  I know, gross, right?  Anyway, this post isn't about the details.  To backtrack, when C was about 3 months old I suddenly had a drop in my milk supply and ended up restoring it by pumping once an hour and taking fenugreek.  One of the side effects of fenugreek is a distinct - ahem - aroma of maple.  Hey, thought I, it's totally worth it if I can continue breast feeding.  Then, a couple of weeks ago I had a skin check at the dermatologist.  Thinking myself wise, I brought a sweater for the waiting room (doctors' offices are ALWAYS cold, right?  Right??).  They put me in an exam room, I donned the gorgeous paper gown, and waited.  Quickly I noticed that the room was horribly under-air conditioned and it was a 113 degree day.  Here comes the sweat.  Followed by the odor.  Followed by the panic and embarassment.  Followed by the let down.  Oh God, the let down.  In comes the doctor.  Poor woman had to go over my sweaty skin and through my sweaty, maple-y hair while I basically sprayed milk over a three-county area (okay, that last part is an exaggeration - I put my bra back on when the action started).  So today I'm sure she was less than thrilled for the follow-up and surgery.  All was going well, though, until they realized that the cysts were too far back on my head for them to do the surgery while laying down.  So I sat up, braced against the raised exam bed back.  They started discussing doctorly things, like blood, sutures, etc. and I passed out.  Fantastic.  When I came back around I think I heard someone offer me toast, but that's besides the point.  I was also sweating profusely.  Bring on the maple!  Should I have explained, or just ignored it?  It was like a waffle house in there.  With blood.  And no waffles. 

If fenugreek also made the milk taste like maple, I'd be raising a little Buddy Elf.  :)

I hope you can block the visuals out next time you have pancakes. 

Bake-N-Blog

Staci Edwards over at Staci Edwards Design has a fun little blogger/baker project going on right now, Bake-N-Blog, wherein a group of bloggers choose one of the amazing cupcake recipes featured on Ming Makes Cupcakes, bakes away, and posts about the deliciousness on August 19.  Brace yourself before viewing those cupcakes.  I lost a good 15 minutes of productivity on one cupcake alone.  I'll be making Lemon Cupcakes with Jam Filling.  Lucky, lucky BB gets to taste test. 

You Are My Sunshine (July 18-July 24, 2010)

Spring and summer bring some crazy storms to Nebraska.  Aside from the tornadoes, hail, and crazy wind, I really miss them.  There's something about a thunderstorm and the cooling rain that comes with it that I long for.  The air smells so clean and fresh...

These pictures remind me of home.  I can almost smell this one:

(Taken by Brian Thalken)

You Are My Sunshine (July 11-July 17, 2010)

Bet on the Farm!  Every week Mario Batali hosts a farmers market open to the public for a couple of hours at his warehouse (Thursdays 11a-1p at 7485 S. Dean Martin Dr., Ste. 106).  If you've ever been to a farmers market in LV, you've noticed that the pickings are slim.  THIS farmers market, however, has a much wider selection of goods, though you'll want to act fast.  We're never going to have a huge market of local, organic, sustainable goods here in the desert, but this is a lovely small one.  When I went last, I came home with pesto, squash flowers, honey, and dates.  I really wanted to dive into the cherries, but it was clear that I was annoying people with the stroller, so I made my exit. 

Speaking of Batali, when are he, Paltrow, Bittman, and Claudia Bassols getting back on the road? I hope the next stop is Greece.

This just makes me smile.  Smiling is good.

Find it at Snorg Tees.

Scorpions, Spiders, and Ants - Oh My!

Um, do you remember when I complained about spiders?  That was nothing.  The other day I was on my way to the laundry room - barefoot - when I spotted a scorpion on the floor .  Being a self-preservationist, I ran.  I thought the damn thing was dead, but when I finally gathered the nerve to return, it had moved.  It so happened that we had a bucket in there, so I slammed it over the scorpion, topped that with a big container of laundry detergent and ran away, screaming.  I could hear it banging around in there.  I was home alone, but for the cat, and emailed BB and called the exterminator.  Both said not to worry, but really, those are horrible creatures.  In the end, BB and I coordinated an attack when he got home - we wore boots (ready to stomp), BB armed himself with some harsh bug spray, we stuffed rugs against the cracks under the doors to prevent escape, and I grabbed the swiffer to corral it if necessary.  There was a lot of screaming, but we killed it.  In Three Stooges manner, we killed it.  Scorpions:  Another reason no human belongs in the desert.  I'd post a picture, but it was so scary that I didn't take one.  By the way, the scorpion matched the color of our tile and carpet.  I'm genuinely scared now, and C is unlikely to ever get to move from our room into his own room, which is near the laundry room.  That happened on a Monday, and then on the following weekend I saw an enormous spider that looked similar to a daddy long legs with thicker legs and a bigger body.  I have the creeps just thinking of it.  Again, BB had to kill it for me, as it had penned C and I into our bedroom.  Then there are the giant ants taking up residence in our back yard.  Gah!

You Are My Sunshine (July 4-July 10, 2010)

Not long ago BB developed an obsession with Chipotle.  Now I'm hooked, too.  What's not to love?  They are dedicated to healthful, sustainably raised foods, and use organic and local produce when it makes sense to do so.  Not many chain restaurants - or restaurants period - demonstrate such responsibility - responsibility for their end product as well as responsibility to the environment and the greater good.  I'm all for a healthier society and environment, and the food is fabulous, to boot!  Cheers to Chipotle!!

Take a look at this, describing their commitment to food with integrity.