Seven Things I Learned in August

1. I love short hair. It's me. 

I enjoy change and variety, so for over ten years, I've repeatedly gone through the cycle of growing my hair long only to chop it all off. My hair had gotten super long over the past year. I chopped it into a long bob a couple of weeks ago. It feels so light and free. I'm already dreaming about how short I'll go next time it needs a trim.

2. You cannot grow summery vegetables with little sun.

Our garden is a sorry sight these days. Our brussels sprouts and artichokes completely failed. Our squash and tomatoes are only barely producing. I sometimes catch myself dreaming of what I could produce if I had the requisite 6+ hours of sunlight. I'm looking forward to being successful again when winter rolls around and we grow veggies for the leaves not the fruit.

3. How to make homemade Greek yogurt in a crock pot.

It's so easy, I've made batch after batch. My go to breakfast these days is yogurt drizzled with honey with a handful of granola mixed in and a cup of tea alongside. I found a recipe for how to make homemade ricotta cheese from the yogurt whey. I hope to try it soon.

4. My husband listens to eclectic music.

I suppose I've always known this, but I learned it at a deeper level. This summer, while doing reading for a seminary course, he listened to chip tunes, movie soundtracks, instrumental bluegrass, and bluegrass/Classical fusion. Ever seen a world class mandolin player play Bach? It's pretty incredible. Watch it.

5. Ten hours of work without childcare is the right balance for me! (For now.)

Women (and men more and more these days) all have different ideas of what is the "right" balance between work and home time. I started working again about a month ago. In the past few weeks, I've discovered that about ten hours of work is totally doable with a six month old. It's refreshing, mind stimulating, and fun. More on what my work is to come...

6. My daughter looks like my husband.

7. Nose piercing doesn't hurt much.

That's right. I got my nostril pierced. I've wanted a little stud for years. A year and a half ago, I was going to get it done with my sister, but had a fainting spell and lost the courage. A year ago, I went again to get it with my sister, but they refused to pierce me because I was pregnant. A month ago, I went again with my friend, but they again refused, this time because I was breastfeeding. I called my doctor, got the green light, went in a few days later, and finally got it done. I love it!