White

To a minimalist, there is nothing more gratifying to look at than white.  It's clean, motionless, and absent of drama.  Yet it is the contrasting backdrop that allows us to see color, shape, and pattern in it's most dramatic form.  January in the country is white.  I don't remember all my years growing up in Duluth seeing the vast miles of pristine snow.  Untouched, undisturbed.  Stretched across flatland and the perfect backdrop to the red barns, gray silos, and gold cornstalks poking through.  It's almost unnoticeable, without change, yet I find myself just wanting to look at it. 

My apologies for being absent for so long.  I can't believe I haven't written for over 2 months!  So much has changed over the past 6 months for our family, and I just can't express how content I feel in this life.  And now it's a new year!  A rebirth, a time to reflect as we turn a page.  So, what are a few of the interesting changes we have experienced moving from Vegas to Baldwin?

1)  Perceived Distance:  I used to think Henderson was soooooo far away.  I despised having to drive there, especially during rush hour.  If I was "running to the store" from my condo, it was a store I could have literally run to.  I rarely ran to the store.  Now, we run to the store, in the next town, through miles of cornfields and the sporadic home or bar (this is Wisconsin, afterall),  but it still only takes 10 minutes to arrive.  Ten minutes on the road in Vegas got me down the street.  A neighborhood block, a city block, and a country block are such different things.  I find the country block the most enjoyable to walk.

2)  Trash Disposal:  As urban dwellers, we filled our kitchen trash can at least 3-4 times a week, and took 5-6 bags of waste a week to the community dumpster .  EVERYTHING was thrown in the landfill trash.  Gulp, I'm saying it on record, we did not recycle ever in Vegas.  We could have, though not easily (no community pick up at our condo complex), but we could have.  I say that, because we go through great efforts now to reduce our trash.  Maybe because we drive 15 miles to drop it off rather then having it collected.  We can save time and money that way, and we have so many alternate ways of disposing and sorting our waste (kitchen scraps to the chickens, burnables to the burn barrel, recycling box for glass, plastic, and metal, and the compost pile).  Doing this has reduced our landfill trash to about 1 bag a week.

3)  Food Sources:  The other night I made an amazing stuffed Acorn squash.  As I was eating it, I realized all the various places the food inside came from.  The squash itself came from our local farmer's market in the fall.  The pork sausage we recently picked up from the processing place in Amery (about 12 miles away).  The pig was killed, processed, and in our freezer within a month, and Chris actually met the farmer in Baldwin where it was raised.  The onions were purchased at a grocery store, and the blue and cheddar cheeses came from the Ellsworth cheeseshop...where they make and sell the cheese, and other dairy products just a few miles from our home.  We drive quiet country roads to buy farm fresh eggs for $2/dozen.  We drive up, honk the horn, and eggs are brought to the car.  It's amazing.  Our "medicine" cabinet is stocked full of local honey products from the Wolf Honey Farm in Baldwin, and our quarter cow will be ready this month, giving us about 200 pounds of local, grass fed beef.  In Vegas our food came from a mix of stores; Costco, Trader Joe's, and Albertson's primarily, and occasionally we would visit the local Farmer's Markets and stock up on "local" vegetables...generally driven in from California. 

Of course, much has changed beyond these things for us specifically, but, in general, I think these are changes most city-to-farm transplants experience, and embrace.  I know we are.  And, hey!  One of my New Year's resolutions is to start blogging more often!  My other one?  Find out in the next post!  Cheers to you and your families!  Welcome 2013!

Breed On!...I got your clothing covered

A lot of people ask me when I'm out selling my clothes "Do you just make baby clothes?", usually followed by "I want this in my size!!!".  It makes me think often, why am I so enamored with the idea of making such hip things so small?  I LOVE clothes, I LOVE fashion, I LOVE brands...I always have.  I think clothing is a very important way to define our style, our personality, social status, and the ever-changing nature means that we will never be stuck in that definition, but can evolve and try new ways of expressing ourselves through our clothing and accessories (don't even get me started on accessories...I LOVE them!). 

So...why babies?  I have been asked this so many times, that I have a laundry list of reasons:  they are small and less expensive to make, less sizes means more vairety for my customers, baby clothing is a HUGE industry encompassing billions of dollars in sales each year, it's a never-ending market...new babies will always need clothes, baby showers (enough said), and the list of reasons to make baby clothes my business goes on from there.  But, I don't just make baby clothes because it's my business, it's also a passion.  I just don't think there is anything cuter than a well-dressed baby or toddler.  Babies' are not born loving Sesame Street, baby farm animals, or pastel colors.  Actually, newborn babies are most intrigued by bold colors, strong shape, and contrast.  As a minimalist designer, these are the overlying themes in my art, and my clothing.  We teach children (with a LOT of help from the media) to love cartoon characters and the shows they represent...but we can also teach them to appreciate art and design, and the basic shapes, colors, and textures that make up our natural and industrial world.  We can teach them to use their imaginations when they look at abstract design, the same way we encourage them to find recognizable shapes in the cloud formations. 

Babies don't choose their clothes, their parents do.  I want my designs to reach out to parents and grandparents who have an appreciation for the unique, artistic design elements in my apparel.  Parents and grandparents who value versitility, longevity, and above-the-trend concepts that make my attention-getting items timeless.  I want them to see these items as keepsake items as perfect for family photos, coming-home-from-the-hospital wear, and special occasions, as they are for everyday.  I want these to be the items that find their way into the cedar hopechest to be worn by the next generation.  The piece that brings back a special memory or reminds you how small your child was once upon a time.  Babies are babies for such a short amount of time, and sometimes clothing is our best way to remember just how precious that time is.

I make one-of-a-kind items in limited edition modern fabrics...as much as I know I should repeat those great selling designs, it is not in my nature to ever do 2 things exactly the same way.  I am an artist, who also happens to be a very talented seamstress and have a notion for great quality and intentional imperfection.  Breedbaby is all about style...and style begins at conception.

Please visit my shop and just for reading my blog you can use the coupon code HIPHOME25 for a 25% discount on anything listed!

www.breedbaby.etsy.com

I can make clothing in most sizes, even adults.  I am happy to take on custom orders in larger sizes, just ask!

Warm and Fuzzy Fall

One of my favorite relaxation activities has always been walking.  Even in Las Vegas, the concrete playground, I always appreciated walking through our neighboring housing community.  It was one of the rare areas of town where every house did not look the same, most were older, and the color pallette ranged from blue to red, rather than the monochromatic tans the newer communities seem to embrace.  Now that we are out here in the country and the warm fall days are barely hanging on (40's in the next couple of days...for the high!) I've been trying to take advantage and get out onto these peaceful country roads where houses are scarce, passing cars rare, and the landscape is literally exploding in fuzzy, white beauty. 

It's that time of year when the plants are preparing to die for the winter and they spread their seeds in anticipation of the following spring.  I remember cattails as a kid because my grandma had a decorative can of them in her living room.  All the years that I saw those cattails hanging out in the corner of the living room I never realized that when they seeded in the fall they burst open to reveal a  pillow of soft, natural stuffing.  While walking down our road I had to take a second glance to even realize that's one of the plants causing the snowy storm.  I love researching the wild plants around our area and always find a multitude of uses that were once revered by pioneers.  Many of these have been lost in modern society, but if you'd like to learn more about them, I have a list of useful websites for the plants I mention in this post at the end.

Of course, as a kid growing up in Minnesota, we were never short of dandelions.  Our backyard was full of them...yellow in the summer, and in the fall they become hours of entertainment blowing the white seeds off the stem.  We did have dandelions in Vegas, which I always had the best laid plans of taking the kids to Pioneer Park to harvest and try naturally dying onsies in the yellow heads...but that did not happen.  Luckily, we have them here, too, so maybe next summer you will have the opportunity to purchase some dandilion-dyed clothing from me!


I saved the best (or at least my personal favorite) for last.  The milkweed.  I first noticed this plant on a walk with the kids and thought the shape of the plant was so interesting.  When closed up, it looked like a fruit or vegetable  hanging from the plant.  I often photograph interesting shape, color, and composition of natural objects to use as inspiration for art. I am studying abstract minimalism, which is based on the art of shape, form, and color with the absence of a story or emotional connection.  The natural world is chalk full of this, and I photographed the milkweed plant a month ago just for that reason.  I was delightfully surprised when I saw one spilling with the softest, white filling attached to coffee-brown seeds in a perfect package.  The entire inside of the milkweed plant is soft to the touch, like micro-fiber.  And I can only imagine using the floss (or silk) as stuffing in a down baby quilt...hmmm.  The milkweed is, infact, a vegetable, and, like the cattail, a food source that has been dubbed delicious and versitile...a real lost treasure in modern cooking.  Maybe we'll be the ones to remedy that.  I think I may go harvest some milkweed today!



Information about Cattails: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/duffyk43.html
Information about Dandelions:  http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2008-04-01/Dandelion-Recipes.aspx
Information about Milkweed:  http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/87/87-2/Sam_Thayer.html

We're Being Attacked By Killer Tomatoes!!!

Why, no, I have never been referred to as a drama queen, why do you ask?  Ok, ok, we're not being attacked... and the tomatoes aren't the same ones from the movies that I recently read are making a comeback (you can read about that on their website).  However, at times recently it has felt as though we are being overrun with this squishy, red fruit.  No matter how many bowls or baskets we harvest, there always seems to be more.  BUT, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I know we will be extremely thrilled when we can pull the cans of salsa off the shelves to go with homemade tortilla chips, and the bags from the freezer to throw into chili on a cold winter day. 
 


Our patio garden in Vegas...
complete with Pirate Owl Guard
 

Since we came from the desert, you can only imagine that our growing of fresh food was very limited.  Notice I say limited, not nonexistent.  I always have to give Chris the credit he deserves for trying and succeeding (in Las Vegas standards) to garden not only in the dry desert climate, but also on our condo patio, in pots, with no real "land" to speak of.  We occasionally had fresh peppers and a bean here and there, a strawberry a day, which were always eaten by the kids before we could get our hands on them, and a good portion of lettuce.  Tomatoes never did well.  And, although there has been a greater number of farms and community gardens popping up in Vegas in recent years...I feel torn on that issue.  What is the trade off for using already limited city resources to excessively water plants that are not native to the area versus having them trucked in from neighboring California farms using fossil fuels?  Maybe a discussion for another post, but feel free to comment if you have an opinion.

So, what to do with all these tomatoes?...and I haven't even mentioned the apples!  Two large apple trees grace the land near the house.  I'm not sure what kind of apples they are, nor are the owners of the property, but they are a little tart.  This isn't an orchard, so by no means are they perfectly round apples with no flaws.  Quite the contrary.  We've seen some pretty deformed apples growing on those trees, and many that were worm infested, bug bitten, and, the ones that make it to the ground on their own, become the property of chickens and ducks. 

Canning, freezing, saucing, and souping.  That's the answer, and that has also become our weekend activities for the past few weeks.  Our shelves are quickly filling with canned tomatoes, salsa, and pizza sauce.  Our freezer is housing large bags of frozen tomatoes and tomato soup.  This is our first time ever canning and so we won't really know how we did until this winter when we go to open up the jars and hope for the best.  Chris has done all of the tomato work, and I have worked on the apples.  One thing that is a prominent part of my creative persona is never wanting to do the same thing twice.  It comes through in the clothes I make (no matter how popular a design is...recreating it will always take on a new twist), and it came through in the applesauce recipes I tested.  Each batch was a slight variation on the last one...and then it was perfect.  I have posted that recipe for you here.  NOTE:  This can be used exactly the same way to make the best rhubarb sauce ever, or a combo rhubard/apple sauce (just be careful not to burn it like I did!).  Maybe next year we can give a little more info and instruction on canning, once we see how we did!

Hip Homestead Applesauce

So, from what I have read, people suggest using specific types of apples to get the best sauce, and often times recipes count on the number of apples.  I didn't prefer either of these suggestions.  I say, use what you have, whatever is available and in abumdance.  And, since I was using home grown apples, they weren't always useable in their entirety.  I figured my recipes in cups of apples rather than a number.  Also, I didn't measure the cinnamon or nutmeg, so the amounts are in "shakes" and approzimate measurements...perhaps you can appreciate this, too!  This recipe represents the best I got after several variations.  In one I added about a 1/4 cup more sugar rather than the honey...too sweet for my taste.  I also tried cloves in one version...not bad, but not my fave.  This exact recipe can be used also for rhubarb sauce, with the same amount of chopped rhubarb replacing the apples, and you can also do a rhubarb/apple version with half rhubarb and half apples.  Just be careful because rhubarb burns easily...so keep stirring!  Enjoy!

The Hip Homestead Applesauce

6 cups chopped, peeled apples
3/4 cup water + 1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar
10 shakes cinnamon (approx. 1/2 tablespoon, I guess)
10 shakes nutmeg (approx. 1/2 tablespoon, perhaps)
2 tablespoons honey

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Cook covered over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until apples are soft and mushy.  You can mash them at this point, or cook 5-10 minutes longer, do not mash, and have a little chunkier sauce (I prefer it that way).  Enjoy alone, over oatmeal, or even over a freshly baked banana chocolate chip muffin!  Yum!

Farming Seems so Easy...

...when you're an onlooker, that is.  And even then, we're pretty quick to see that there is a lot of hard physical work to be done...we just aren't doing it at the moment!  The way I see it, we are at a perfect starting point seeing what's involved in farming, the responsibilities, the difficulties, the benefits, with none of the responsibility. 

The house we are renting lies between Baldwin and New Richmond in a little township called Erin Prarie.  How little, you ask?  Chris found out the other day that in order to register to vote in Erin Prarie he has to visit the County Clerk...at her house.  (I told him to ask which days she bakes cookies).  The house, which is at least twice as big as our condo in Vegas, sits on 10 acres of land, most of it pasture land.  There is a large barn, a nice yard, a couple of chicken coops, and a lot of grass and trees.  The farmers are the landlords, and visit the property at least twice a day to tend to the 15 cows, 100+chickens, 30 ducks, and 3 horses, as well as do labor around the property.  That was probably my biggest concern with the property when I was on my house hunt...was it going to be strange to have the landlords around everyday?  Were they going to be overprotective and overbearing of what we were doing on their property?  So far, no issues. They have been friendly, complimentary of the kids and how well they listen (what?!? which kids are those?), and given us pretty much free reign on the wealth of tomatoes they are unable to keep up with in the small garden patch...it's truely amazing how many of those will grow on such a limited amount of land.


We often offer help around the farm, with lifting or moving things, harvesting, or winterizing, but generally are turned down.  However, we have been invited to some pretty significant events like sharing in the excitement of the birth of a new calf and watching as the immunizations were ministered only hours after being born.  We've also got our share of farm fresh eggs, in exchange we are gifting of homemade cookies, apple crisp, and banana chocolate chip muffins.  It's been a good relationship so far...and since they do the lawn mowing AND snow removal (Hallelujah!), I have no complaints!

The house was likely built in the 20's or 30's and has been owned and farmed by the current couple for 30 years.  For the last 15 years, the house has been a rental, as the couple moved into town.  (I won't tell you about the condition of the house or what happened to the previous owners in this post...that will be for another time.  Ooh...now I've got your curiosity peaked! ;).  It's a beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2-story home with all hard wood flooring, large rooms, and great woodwork.  It has so much rustic appeal that creates a nice backdrop for our contemporary-meets-vintage decor style.  I tend to like either really old things or really hip, modern things...not a whole lot in between.  Most of our furniture is either vintage in nature or from IKEA.  I would have to say, currently our master bedroom is my favorite room in the house...very minimalistic, very zen.  It is very safe to say, we really like living in this house.

I tried to do a little video tour of the property, as promised...but the quality was not good and I haven't had any luck with the editing.  I will have to work on those skills...maybe between homemade applesauce and applique-ing sushi onesies!  Don't discount your ability to assist in the purchase of a new camera!  Shop www.breedbaby.etsy.com!  Shameless marketing...get used to it.

Our First Month of Life on a Farm

We made it!  And, as promised...we're blogging!  We've been on the farm for almost a month now, feeling quite settled in, and starting our homesteading adventure.  I am finding it's pretty hard not to dive right into our new lifestyle. Time seems almost irrevelvant and the activities of a homestead become quite obvious when growth is present all around. The demands of keeping up a country home seem to almost tap you on the shoulder when they are ready to be done (or buzz in your ear as you set the dinner table). 

I have felt like I moved at a million miles per hour for the past 8 1/2 years.  Something about living in the city seems to make us feel the need to always "keep up".  We see people moving all the time.  The city is constantly in motion.  We start moving fast to try and keep up, and they move faster to stay ahead...financially, socially, and mentally.  Though exhilerating and exciting in many ways, it can also be exhausting in others.  Working, trying to grow my businesses, have a social life, own a home and raise a family had left me unfulfilled those last days, and took a toll on us all.

Much of that has changed since quitting my job to stay home with the kids and moving to a place where things happen much slower.  We are more concerned with how fast vegetables grow and how long it takes a neighboring farmer to cut down a thousand acres of corn.  Driving 30 minutes in the city got me to work...after fighting freeway traffic, slowing down for (and cursing) jaywalkers, and waiting on trains to pass.  Now driving 30 minutes gets me through several small towns, with shops owned by the people working behind the counter, and offering services like taxidermy...I don't think too many animals were stuffed for trophy in Las Vegas.  Instead of grumbling, I smile and take interest in everything that makes those small towns tick.  I had stopped paying attention to when a new fast food restaurant opened on a corner where a different one had stood a year earlier (they all look the same anyways).  Now I pay attention to everything, wondering how one day it will fit into my life to stop and enjoy what's inside each building I pass.

So there I was, pushing paperwork, attending meetings, and offering my creative thought processes in many directions.  And here I am now, picking apples for applesauce and apple crisp, canning tomatoes, cooking for my family, and using my creativity for me through my art, clothing, and children.  I think it is safe to say we are in a happy place...still wearing my rad dreads, keeping up with the latest on Facebook, and running my online Etsy shop with the most uber hip kids clothing ever seen.  Although much about homesteading and country life easily takes us back to simpler times, we are still of a modern breed...and that's what the Hip Homestead is all about!

P.S.  The photos I am posting now are taken on my Iphone and I apologize in advance for the quality.  We are hoping to get a kick-ass camera soon so all the photos will be amazing and really illustrate the beauty of the place we live.  Help us get there by shopping at www.breedbaby.etsy.com for all your baby shower and baby gifting needs ;)!

If this first post has got you a little confused and asking yourself "How are you growing tomatoes already?  You've only been there a month!" stay tuned for the next one where I'll give you all the details of where we are living and even a video tour of the property!