i like blueberries.

Recipe: Versatile Vegan Risotto

2012-02-01T06:42:00.000+13:00

Phew...between crafting and a music festival this past weekend, I've been one busy bee. So here's a short little post to give those of you in winter something to look forward to...

There are two types of cooks: ones who thrive upon looking at what's in the pantry and creating a masterpiece and those who live and die by recipes. I am the second. I am horrible at being creative in the kitchen. This becomes a problem at the end of any given grocery week. Let's just say, we eat a lot of stir fry. One thing that I've really been into lately, however, that is just as easy is risotto. The staple ingredients are things we always have on hand, then you can just throw in whatever vegetables you please! You can change it up depending on the season: pumpkin and sweet potato in the winter, asparagus in the spring, spinach and zucchini (or peas, green beans, etc) in the summer. The possibilities are literally endless. It's a great thing to throw together for friends. It's hearty and filling. Again: vegan friendly, as well as gluten-free!

Versatile Vegan Risotto

1 T olive oil
minced garlic*
diced onion*
1 C rice
2 C water + 2 t veggie bouillon
OR 2 C veggie stock
splash of white wine*
vegetables (up to 4 C)
salt & pepper

*starred ingredients are ones that can be omitted if you don't have them on hand; however, they add a lot of flavor. If you're shopping for this recipe, definitely include them.

1. Heat oil in the pan and saute garlic and onion until soft.

2. Add the rice and stir. Heat about 1 minute until the rice is clear with a white dot in the middle.

3. Add the veggie stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat (medium to low-medium) and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes.

4. Add a splash of white white and vegetables (frozen is even fine). If you're doing root vegetables, you'll probably want to pre-roast them to save time. Cover and cook a few more minutes.

5. Season as desired. If you're cooking for non-vegans, some finely grated parmesan cheese will go nicely as well.

There you have it. If you're using frozen vegetables, this recipe will literally take you about 20-25 minutes. Easy peasy. Enjoy!

Things I love: Face Stencils

2012-01-26T15:33:00.000+13:00

My friend Kristen is super talented. She is a crafting machine. One thing she is especially skilled at is stencils. She can make all kinds of stencils. One thing that is particularly difficult that she does well, though, is stencils of people's faces. It's unbelievable how accurate they are. Here's a shirt she made for our friend Nathan several years ago:

And here's a stencil she inspired of my dad. That's my lovely sister wearing the shirt, and my dad with her:

I've known for years that she has had talent, but my jaw literally dropped when I checked my facebook one day to see her latest use for her stencil skills:

Seriously. That is a cake with her husband's face on it. Brilliant. Genius. So freaking adorable. I want this every year for Atticus' birthday, for real. And I can. And you can too. Shoot her an email on kristenwenttovietnam@gmail.com and order your personalized stencil. Right. Now.

Tutorial: DIY Reusable Baby Wipes

2012-01-24T10:15:00.001+13:00

Ever since wee Atticus was born, Dave & I have been on a mission to make the best nappy changing (diapers for the North Americans) experience possible. We have quite the set up. We got an amazing changing table/station on TradeMe (NZ's ebay) for so cheap. As far as diapers and wipes go, our requirements were as follows:

1. chemical-free
2. the least amount of waste possible
3. as cheap as possible

Through a lot of different trials, we definitely came up with the best system (for us). We love it so much, I thought I'd share.

Firstly, the nappies:

We're using Baby First, some new, but most from TM again. We really like the way they work, and we don't have much trouble with leaks (a common complaint with reusables). Here they are:

shell

liner

next, the barrier:

Originally we were using store bought, disposable barriers. The purpose of the barriers is to catch the poos and make washing the liners much easier. We found that we were wasting quite a bit on just wees, though. After using these blue Chux cloths (so cheap!) as wipes originally, we gave them a go as barriers. They work just as great, but can just be thrown in with the wash if they only have wees. Perfect! Yesterday I added them to an old tissue box to appease my need for organization and ease.

wipes:

Wipes are where we have experimented the most. We originally used paper towels, but didn't like the waste we were producing and how quickly each roll would run out. We moved on to Chux cloths, which were great in the wash; however, they are quite thin and often left a mess on our hands. Finally, Dave had the brilliant idea of cutting up some of his old undershirts. They are SO soft, but are much more durable than both the Chux clothes and paper towels! Originally (again), we soaked our paper towels or Chux clothes in our baby wipe liquid mix. We found that on hot days, though, they would get a mildew-y smell. We also had a hard time with them either drying out or being too wet. Eventually we came up with the solution of just putting the liquid in a spray bottle, and giving Atticus' wee bum a little spray before we wipe him. It not only works GREAT, but the liquid lasts a lot longer!

Here's a picture of the liquid in a recycled water bottle:

As you can see, the oils rise to the top, so we just give it a little shake before we use it, which works great. See:

Now, here's the recipe, so you can do your own baby wipes and save heaps of money and waste all in one go!

DIY Baby Wipes:

NOTE: Apart from the water, play with the ratios to see what works best for your baby.

2C warm water
1T eco baby shampoo
1T olive oil
1T calendula oil*

Mix all ingredients, add to your favorite bottle that is easy to spray with one hand.

*You can omit this to save money; however, I urge you to try it, especially if you have issues with nappy rash. It cleared Atticus' right up (after nothing else worked!), and-after a couple months-we haven't had any signs of it since.

If you like the ease of normal baby wipes, but like the idea of making your own/saving money/chemical-free, you can learn how to make easy tear-away paper towel wipes from my lovely friend, Talia, here.

Try it out! OR Get all the supplies together, print out the recipe, and throw it all in a cute basket for a great baby shower gift!

And just for cuteness' sake...

Atticus in just his nappy :)

Date 3/52: Kid's Toy Fair

2012-01-23T07:01:00.000+13:00

I missed posting about date #2, because it wasn't very exciting. I had planned for us to have a Burger Fuel Picnic (an anniversary tradition of ours), but we got rained out. Instead, we had a picnic in bed. So...

Date 3/52: the Kid's Toy Fair!

Every year, Hamilton City puts on "Summer in Garden Place" (Garden Place is the main city square in town). There are all sorts of events put on like a Lantern Festival for Chinese New Year, a kid's water carnival, battle of the bands, etc. Last Saturday, we took a family date to the Kid's Toy Fair. Held every year, this is a place for kids to set up a spot with all their old toys, games, books, and clothes to sell. Seeing as this was our first year with a bub, we figured it'd be fun to check it out.

The kid's were really cute setting up their shops, quite excited to be having their public garage sale. Most of the stuff was junk (I'm into buying second hand, but really, who wants used, slobbered on plush toys?). There were a few little treasures, though. We picked up two old hardback (quite hard to find nowadays) Dr. Seuss books (Dr. Seuss' ABC's and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) along with a white board/abacus. We're pretty stoked with our purchases. There were a few good board games too, but we figured we better wait until he's actually old enough to play them.

Here I am with wee Atticus and our purchases:

Afterward, we had a nice sushi date at (what is turning into) our favorite place-also in Garden Place-and watched the big kids play in the fountain. All in all, it was a lovely day. We're especially thankful for the sun to be back!

Birth Story: Atticus Oliver

2012-01-22T20:27:00.003+13:00

Today is Atticus' last official day as a newborn. To celebrate, I'm sharing his birth story. I really love sharing my birth story. I couldn't get enough of them towards the end of my pregnancy. Believe it or not, I was really looking forward to my labor. I was looking to it like hiking. Every time I go hiking with my husband, I cry and complain and hate life the entire time. Once at the summit (and again upon completion), I am so pleased and happy that I've done it. I was really saddened by the fact that most (but not all) of my mother-friends were trying to discourage me and treated me as if I was silly for having that outlook. Boy, am I glad I was wrong. It wasn't like hiking...it was better. So, it's a bit lengthy, but without further ado, here is my birth story:

Coming from the States, I didn’t know much really about home birth or even birthing centers. I found my midwife, Karin, by just walking into a birthing center and finding the first person available (which ended up being the best case scenario for how it turned out). Karin was what some might consider “hands off”; but she was the perfect mix of supportive, while allowing me to figure out what was best for me/my baby. It was quite empowering. I was in control of my entire experience, but knew she was there for me if/when I needed her.

I knew I didn’t want to go to hospital, because I didn’t want the temptation of an epidural while in the throes of labor. As my due date approached, I became more excited about the labor process, and decided that home birth was the right choice for us. My partner, Dave, had concerns for my safety and that of the baby, but the fact that we do live 2 blocks from the hospital “just in case” helped ease his/our worries. We also went to a “Labour Support Seminar” (taught by my prenatal yoga instructor), which helped answer a lot of questions and concerns.

Everything was so textbook and easy with my pregnancy that Karin and I both expected that I would go overdue, this being my first baby. So, I heavily doubted my contractions were “real” when they started just minutes before my due date. I had also vomited, but wasn’t sure if my contractions were definitely contractions, as they felt so light (though quite regular at about 15 minutes apart); so, Dave and I debated whether or not to call Karin or just wait until the morning since we were most likely in for a long process if it was true labor. We decided to call just to touch base, and we agreed to keep her updated through the night via text. In less than two hours, my contractions had already moved to within 5 minutes of each other, though still quite short (about 20-30 seconds) in duration. Karin decided to come over and crash on our couch “just in case”, since she lives about 30 minutes away. She brought what she needed for me, but also for work, as she had a shift at the birthing center the following morning. It did make things a bit more “real” knowing she was coming. I spent a little bit of time in the bath, which felt relaxing but difficult to find a comfortable sitting position in. Jack, our dog, kept a vigilant guard throughout this process, ha. Being at home, I really enjoyed the freedom of walking around wherever I pleased, and spending my contractions leaning over a chair.

When Karin had arrived (Jack went NUTS), Dave and I went to bed to try to get some rest. Through the night, I would have a set of two contractions very close together, but about 20 minutes between the sets. The first of the set was much more mild than the second. I remember thinking that 24+ hours of this would be agony, but that in the moment it wasn’t the worst pain I had felt and found it to be quite manageable. I had been going to a weekly pregnancy yoga class (with Claire at the Parents Place Hamilton) since about 20ish weeks. For weeks, I was excited about trying the different positions and breathing techniques from the class in my labor. All that knowledge went completely out the window, however, the mental focus I learned from the class is 100% what got me through and made it an “easy” labor. With each contraction, I would focus on two words “open” (visualizing my body becoming more open and my breaths helping ease my baby down) and “soft” (physically softening my face, hands, pelvis, etc). Doing this made each contraction seem purposeful and as if I was really able to push deeper and further into the labor process. It also gave my mind something to do outside of freaking out.

At around 5:30 AM, Karin came in to say that it seemed to all be going smoothly, and she would head to work to try to get a replacement in so she could come back. She decided to go ahead and check my progress-both of us expecting for me to be a centimeter or so. We were both surprised to discover that I was 6 cm! She decided to hang around longer to monitor my progress until the second midwife was able to come in. After another hour of much of the same laboring, the second midwife was nearly at our house. At this point, I had moved to the toilet, supporting myself on the door, as that felt much more comfortable for me. It’s here that I both had my bloody show and my water broke. It wasn’t until this point that I really mentally accepted that I was, truly, in labor and having my baby. Karin decided to head into work to get her replacement sorted. I was completely happy and comfortable with this decision, as I still felt as if I had a long journey ahead of me. Dave began to set up the birthing pool, and my sister came in (after just waking up to discover I had been laboring all night) to support me while Dave was in the other room.

With my very next contraction, my body lurched from the toilet. The only thing I can describe it as is like being possessed. I had no control of the movements of my body, but just let it do what it naturally wanted to do. Dave called Karin to say I felt like I needed to push, and she immediately returned. Upon arrival, she called Dave in from setting up the pool saying there was no time-baby was coming! It must have been quite a scene having 5 people (me, two midwives, my partner, and sister) all crowded in our little ensuite! I could feel my body releasing baby’s head, and was just overwhelmed with how fast it was all happening. There was some stinging-but nothing unbearable. At 7:32 AM, after only about 30 minutes of pushing (which my body did all on its own, without any effort on my part), Atticus Oliver was born. The first few moments are a bit hazy to me, but I remember sitting back down on toilet and having his tiny body in my arms, attempting to feed.

(No pictures from labor, as I was asleep through most of it. Oops.)

My entire life, I have always had the desire to adopt, and was quite indifferent to having my own. David really wanted one of his own, and I’m so glad for that. After such an amazing, empowering, and beautiful pregnancy, labor, and delivery, I am so excited to try one more time. The experience was a complete spiritual high, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Wee Atticus is absolutely perfect and thriving, already double his birth-weight at 3 months old.

I have such fond and happy memories of my entire birthing experience and only hope that other first-time pregnant moms can realize that their experience doesn’t have to be a negative one. My advice: take the time in your pregnancy to prepare both physically and mentally for your labor/birth. You can’t run a marathon without getting off the couch! I’d love to hear any sentiments, stories, questions, etc about your pregnancy, labor, birth, or mothering experiences.

Recipe: Sweet & Salty Pretzel Bark

2012-01-22T00:20:00.000+13:00

You will either love me or hate me for this blog. Or both. You will love me, because this bark is so ridiculously delicious. You will hate me, because this bark is ridiculously addictive. Even as someone without much of a sweet tooth, I found myself getting into the stash I made my husband for Christmas at about 7AM each morning. And several times throughout the day after that. The mixture of sweetness and saltiness is perfectly balanced and oh, so delicious. You have been warned.

Sweet & Salty Pretzel Bark
(originally found here)

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks (225g) butter
1 C brown sugar
a bunch of mini twist pretzels
a bunch of chocolate chips (not pictured)
rock salt

DIRECTIONS

preheat oven to 180C/350F

Melt Butter in a saucepan.

While it's melting, cover a cookie sheet with baking paper. Spread a single layer of pretzels on top.

Add brown sugar to the butter and turn the heat up. Stir. Keep stirring until the mixture is thick and bubbling and looks burnt as if you've completely ruined it.

Pour mixture over the pretzels.

(Atticus was helping out in his sling).

Bake 5 minutes.

Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Use a baking spatula to spread out the chocolate (the heat from the toffee with melt down the chips).

Sprinkle liberally with rock salt. Allow this to cool for a few minutes, then place in the freezer.

Once hard, break (or cut) apart.

Now eat. Eat like you've never eaten before.

Tutorial: DIY Deodorant

2012-01-20T13:27:00.000+13:00

When I was in high school, I took an AP Environmental Science class. I did not get along with my teacher whatsoever. I remember him saying to me once, "I can't wait until you're an adult, because you're going to be such a hippie." I don't know exactly what he meant by that, but I think this is the moment he was talking about.

A couple days ago, I made my own deodorant. I've been off commercial deodorant for quite some time. I didn't like the fact that pretty much all female deodorants in the States contain aluminum. I would use alternatives like Tom's; but after moving to New Zealand, this became too pricey. I started just using a mix of baking soda and water, which works okay, but is quite messy. I found a tutorial for DIY deodorant here, and was pretty stoked to try it out myself. I stayed to the basics, but added some essential oil for a nice smell. So, here you go:

DIY Natural Deodorant

1/8C (2T) Baking Soda
1/8C Arrowroot (a thickener, found in the baking aisle)
3-4T Virgin Coconut Oil
a few drops of essential oil, I used Grapefruit! (or none if you want unscented)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well-incorporated. Spoon mixture into an empty stick deodorant container. Place in refrigerator to set.

Mine turned out really well and smells GREAT! I'll probably keep mine in the refrigerator for now, since we're in the middle of summer. It apparently is fine, however, in temperatures below 76F/24C. Also, it melts onto your skin SUPER easily from your body heat-so less is more.

Enjoy!

Pattern: Cute Little Crochet Flowers

2012-01-17T14:21:00.008+13:00

I know when I first started to move beyond scarves and potholders, one of the crochet skills I was most looking forward to was flowers. They look simple enough, but add a lot and have so many uses. I scoured the internet for good flower patterns, but found that most were still beyond my skill level. I would end up frustrated and giving up...or spending about 30 minutes per flower. Now that I'm far more confident in my skills, I've decided to come up with a few very simple flower patterns for new(er) crocheters. Let me know if I've missed anything or you have any trouble at all. Enjoy!

All patterns are using USA crochet terms and a size E (3.5) hook.

Flower 1

This pattern uses a half double crochet (hdc), which is quite simple if you're not familiar with it. Work an hdc as follows: YO, insert hook through st, YO and pull through, YO and pull through all 3 loops on hook (literally working half of a dc)

ch 10, slip stitch in first ch to make a round

ROUND 1: *sc in first ch from hook, 2 sc in next ch* rep from * all the way around (15 sts)

ROUND 2: *sc in first sc from hook, hdc in same st as sc, 3 dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in same st as hdc* around to make 5 petals, sl st

Finish off.

Flower 2

ch 5, sl st in first ch to make a round

ROUND 1: 2 sc in each ch around (10 sts)

ROUNDS 3-4: work the same as rounds 1-2 above

Flower 3

ch 10, sl st in first ch to make a round

ROUND 1: *sl st, ch 3, dc in same st as sl st, dc in next st* rep from * around to make 5 petals, sl st

ROUND 2: *sc, dc, 3 dc in next st, 3 dc in next st, dcc, sc* rep from * around, sl st

Finish off.

Recipe: (Nearly) No Fail Zucchini Bread

2012-01-14T06:56:00.011+13:00

I call this "(Nearly)" No Fail, because yesterday...I failed. I have made this recipe a million times. It's so easy! I failed. Ha. I'm guessing I didn't preheat fully, then didn't test before I pulled it out of the oven, so lesson learned. My loaf had a gooey center. Luckily, it's so good...I'm still going to eat it. This bread is delicious, and safe for your non-dairy friends too! Credit for this recipe goes to my mother-in-law.

This is a dessert bread. It's good for morning tea. If you want to feel good about yourself, remember that it has vegetables in it (just ignore the fact that the vegetable to sugar ratio is 1:1). Dessert breads are always a really great place to start for new bakers who are apprehensive about breads. Just think, if baking your own bread for daily consumption is your Everest, this bread is walking to the mailbox. So easy (just remember to preheat).

That being said...

Preheat your oven to 160C/320F

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
3C flour
2C grated zucchini
1t baking powder
1/4t baking soda
1t salt
1/2C oil
1C white sugar (*you can substitute agave if desired)
1C brown sugar, plus extra for dusting (extra is optional)
3t cinnamon
3t vanilla essence

DIRECTIONS

Seriously, if you haven't preheated yet, do so now.

1. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
2. Add everything else.
3. Mix.

Pretty hard so far, huh?

The mix will seem dry at first, but keep stirring. You'll eventually get to the consistency of overripe mashed banana.

4. Line two loaf tins with baking paper. If you don't have baking paper, you can just grease the tins, but the paper makes your life WAY easier, as you can just lift the loaf out.

5. Pour in your mixture and (optional) sprinkle with brown sugar. (The extra sugar will give it an irresistible crunchy crust on top). NOTE: When filling tins, please remember that this bread does rise slightly.

6. Bake 40-60 minutes. In my opinion, the longer the better for the crust.

DONE! How easy is that?! Let it cool completely (doesn't even matter if it's in the tin or not at this stage), slice it, and enjoy! It's delicious on its own, but I love it with a bit of (non-dairy) butter. If you want to be really indulgent, add some cream cheese icing. YUM.

DIY: Baby Play Gym

2012-01-12T06:09:00.007+13:00

Today, I thought I'd share one of the brilliant things my husband has recently done. I'm blown away by the random skills he pulls out of nowhere to create really great things. More recently, we've felt the pressure of having something to "stimulate" our newborn (and honestly to just be able to put him down in front of-other than tv-for a few minutes while I do the dishes). When visiting my sister-in-law, she had one of those play gyms with all the hanging toys and mirrors for baby to lay under and bat at. The only problem is that I absolutely loathe the bright colors and plastic shiny grossness of most baby toys.

Dave came up with a lovely solution. My husband is a bit of a hoarder, which is unbearably frustrating to me, but comes in handy more often than I like to admit. When this project became a necessity (ie I hadn't put Atticus down in about three days), he went out to the shed to see what he could dig up. Out came a very weathered deck chair with rotting canvas that was in our backyard when we bought the house. Within an hour, the frame was deconstructed into a lovely A-frame. From here, I got excited and hung some of the wooden and plush toys we have been given from twine. Thanks to my master hanging skills, I like to claim half ownership of this project. We just put it over top a cute little rug that we got at our local hardware store of all places, and voila!

Unfortunately, because it was a random repurpose (and Dave did most of it), there's no tutorial. However, I do suggest trying to find something similar around your house/local thrift store that you could use (old chair, coffee table, bed frame, etc).

And just for good measure/cuteness factor...here's Atticus enjoying the fruits of his daddy's labor.

(Please do not use images/videos of my son without permission. Thanks.)

Here We Go: Date 1/52

2012-01-10T07:48:00.009+13:00

My lovely husband is much, much, much better than me at showing affection. He is a very thoughtful man. For Christmas, I wanted to do something that would not only show him at this one moment how much I care for him, but continue to show him. One thing he always wants/needs is a good planner/calendar. So, I had the idea of getting a planner, and entering a simple date to go on each week. Some will be family dates, some just us, and some group dates to organize with friends. A lot of the time, we get caught up in what "needs" to get done and, therefore, miss out on some quality time with each other. I'm excited to have already planned something special each week to spend time together.

This week's date to kick things off: Fly Kites.

Dave and I used to have a bit of an obsession with flying kites. Any windy day, we'd be out of the house in no time. We've flown kites on three continents and many, many states. My parents bought Dave a pretty nice kite for Christmas one year, so it's really nice to fly. The only problem with kite flying: weather. If you are in NZ at the moment, you know we've had nothing but rain for the past...two months...pretty much. Unfortunately for those of us that love summer, this rain isn't supposed to clear until March! Worst. Summer. Ever. That being said...

Yesterday's weather was glorious! The clouds miraculously parted and the sun shone through. Not only that, but there was wind! It was not the annoying dry-out-your-eyes, whip-your-umbrella-inside-out wind, but wind just right for taking our kite out. What a little blessing. So, we packed a tired Atticus into his pram, put Jack on his leash, and headed out to the nearest park (after a quick visit to wish my sister-in-law a very happy birthday). Here's Jack and Dave setting up the kite:

*NOTE: forgive the out-of-focusness; I will never claim to be a good photographer

And, here we are working our magic...

Yesterday was a really great day. I'm very much looking forward to what dates 2-52+ bring! For now...it's raining again...

Project: Wool Organization!

2012-01-07T02:52:00.008+13:00

So, I potentially may lean slightly towards the obsessive compulsive side of things when it comes to my organization. Sometimes messes and clutter don't bother me; but when it comes to cupboards, cabinets, drawers, etc, they NEED to be organized. Anything that is considered "away" should be tidy. For this reason, I would stop friends from helping with the laundry days after wee Atticus was born. (How dare they not fold things to exactly the right dimensions!) A jar put away in the wrong place in the fridge or pantry will literally drive me NUTS. Thankfully, my understanding and unorganized (in my mind at least) husband has come to accept me for who I am and tries to follow suit.

Most recently, I decided to undertake the organization of my yarn. It had been kicking around in our loft for about 18 months, and not getting as much use as it should due to where it was stored. First, I decided to wind it all the skeins into balls. This process literally took four days. My hands cramped like nothing else.

(notice Atticus' wee baby feets in the background) EEK!:)

Next, I color-sorted and gave them each one of these boxes, where they can clearly be seen. Not only do I love the way it looks, but it's right in my lounge and much more accessible (ie I don't have to scale a nearly-vertical ladder in my kitchen with a newborn in order to reach it, then do the same in reverse with yarn in tow).

UPDATE: Yesterday, Atticus and I had a playdate with my husband's cousin and her daughter. NOTE: this system will need to be changed before Atticus starts crawling/pulling everything apart. Must...sort out...craft room...

owen.

2010-03-11T08:02:00.003+13:00

i have a neighbour called owen that was a police officer in johannesburg in the 70s. i'm too scared to ask him about it, but i really want to. one morning when out jogging, there was a big cardboard box in his front yard overflowing with green beans. a sign next to it said "FREE BEANS (take a packet)", with plastic bags beside it. I took heaps-two full bags-barely putting a dent in the pile. a few days later, i saw him for the first time and thanked him. he invited me to see his garden. "garden" is an understatement. apparently, after retiring from the police force, owen was a farmer for years and years. he now does it as "hobby", since he can't find a job. his entire backyard is an oasis, an eden. he sent us home with lettuce, tomatoes, parsnips, turnips, carrots, and so many other treats. he apparently has transformed two friends' yards as well. i'm mostly excited for the guavas and pomegranates he has coming in. anyway, after a few more gifts, i decided to bake him some bread as thanks. it's a really nice arrangement we have going on now.

owen is a really good neighbour.