Baby Showers

This weekend T and I had a baby shower for the taco super hero. 

Chalupa Batman- taco superhero!

She’s got approximately one month left of incubation before she’s ready for the big world. It’s all very exciting. I’ve never done this before so it’s all been a learning experience too. Well one thing I knew before I ever got pregnant was I hated baby showers. I hate the games. I hate the abundance of estrogen and light pink or baby blue. It’s just all too girly for me. So when it came time to start talking about our own baby shower I told T I would prefer a BBQ where all of our friends could feel comfortable to hang out. Not just the ladies. 

So in planning the number one thing I stressed was this going to be a little bit different. We had some great food. Tons of awesome friends, and for the most part it was everything I wanted in a shower. The only thing I was unable to get away from was the dreaded opening presents. I’ve always been uncomfortable opening presents in front of people, especially if I was the only one opening. But that’s tradition right? That’s the reason you give the gift, to see the person open it. But, the things I’m thinking are am I making the right face? Did I express how grateful I was? How bored is everyone else at watching me? It’s all very stressful. 

totally adorable outfit, terribly ridiculous face

 Then there’s the pictures! Let me just say I’m so glad I wore shorts, otherwise there’d be some terrible crotch shots. (do you know how hard it is to reach the ground with a basketball in your lap?)

Tiny helpers make the ground closer.

We were so lucky to have such amazing friends. We got a lot of presents. I’m not that super emotional pregnant lady, but if I were, I would have cried from the love that I felt that day. I’ve always been a sucker for those gifts that are homemade. Have a unique story. Are hilarious because of some inside joke we have. The part I did like is when that person came up and told me a little story to go with the present, some personal reason why the present was special to them. So, while I could have taken them all home and opened them there, I’d have missed that personal touch. I received a present that had among other things hand written birth affirmations. This did make me tear up a bit. See, I’m having a hippie birth (I’ll make a post on that later) one of the things I keep stressing to myself is the positive. This woman got it. She made cards to help me focus on those positives. It really meant a lot to me. 

This is birth.

On top of those kind gifts there were tons from people in the know. This thermometer is great for babies? I have no idea about baby thermometers, but I know one night down the road when Chalupa is sick and crying, and I’m frazzled and scared, that thermometer that doesn’t have to be inserted into an orifice, will be a godsend. Those breast pads? Right now they just look like funny ice packs, but when I’ve been nursing for three days and my nipples are on fire, I’ll be so grateful they exist. 

I also had a long distance friend send me a picture. He said “You’re going to be getting a bunch of stuff for the baby. This is for you two.” The picture has come to represent that we are still people, adults, humans that came around a long time before this tiny wonder. It’s a really nice reminder to me that without us as people, Chalupa couldn’t have been a people either. I don’t know if he meant for it to have that much meaning, but that’s what I see. 

“Don’t forget, you are still you.”

The biggest thing I learned from the baby shower, is there there is a small army of people who love us, support us, and want to be here for us. It’s still so overwhelming. We may be far from our biological families, but out here in the great state of Texas, we’ve cultivated an amazing family from our friends. If I haven’t said it enough I want to reiterate it just so you know,

I love you guys, and thank you thank you thank you!

 

I’m Back

After two years, I’ve decided to dust off the cobwebs. So much has changed lately in our lives over here at Leetsstreet. T and I are currently expecting a tiny person, baby girl Chalupa. At 8 months pregnant I’ve had a lot of changes personally and physically. I do believe that I may be smuggling sporting equipment under my clothing.  We’re very excited, nervous, and confused about all things baby. Ever the hippies, we’re going to use cloth diapers and breast feeding, as well as our own strange blend of personalities to raise this tiny bundle of energy.

Our little flock has grown to 13 hens and one rooster. (with many planned and unplanned deaths in the last two years) They provide a lot of interesting adventures and lessons on how to raise animals. We’re constantly learning and being challenged by our fine feathered friends. This spring we want to start hatching our own baby chickens for sale or eating. Stay tuned for that little bit of fluff and excitement.

Of course I’m still doing a lot of cooking, but it’s not as paleo as it once was. We still eat fairly healthy but some aspects of our meals have changed.

I’m excited to share my new life with you. Please feel free to comment with topics and ideas you’d like to see covered in the future.

-Cassie and the Leetsstreet family

Hiatus

Okay, so I’m sure it’s become pretty obvious that the posts have dwindled to a bare minimum lately. I don’t feel like I have anything new to share lately. I’m going to take a month off. I’ll leave this up so you can reference old recipes and posts it you like. I’ll update the Facebook occasionally and use that to let you know if/when a new post comes up.  I’m worried I have nothing interesting left to post about or discuss. I may change the focus of this blog in the future. For now, though, I’m just going to step back and figure out if this is still what I want to do.

Thank you for all your support.

much love,

Cassie that girl down south

Chicken Coop 2.0

We’ve been sweating our behinds off lately refurbishing a boat covering into a chicken coop. A huge chicken coop. Here are some pictures of the progress.

 

We added support with 2×4’s across the middle and extra 4×4’s in the middle of the long sides.

T also built a very nice functional door.

We moved the concrete parking blocks into the middle so the grass would grow in and the house had something to rest on.

The house was built out of scraps we had lying around the house. We’ll add hay for the ladies to lay on. We also have a large rod secured in one corner for the gals to roost on at night.

We intend to add lattice to the two sides that the dogs have access to so that the walls are more secure. The other two sides are cordoned off and inaccessible to canines. I also moved a potted plant that likes to creep up lattice to one side for some more curb appeal.

Hopefully this is a happy home for our fine feathered friends. We’ll know soon enough and report back!

MMM meat

Just a delicious picture of smoked pork shoulder.

Leets Garden

So we finally did it and planted a garden!

I haven’t taken any pictures up till now because I’ve been busy.

So far all we’ve eaten are some herbs and lettuce. I can’t wait for more veggie to come in. We have two raised beds with cabbage, collards, tomatoes, lettuce, about 3 kinds of peppers, cucumbers, 2 kinds of summer squash, strawberries, and onions.

Along with an herb garden with basil, thyme, mint, cilantro, and more onions.

You can’t tell from these pictures but the leaves on the squash are huge!

Everything is thriving right now and there has been enough rain that most of the watering has been done naturally or from collected rain water.

I have been hesitant to plant anything more because I usually kill everything I try to grow, but with the success thus far I foresee adding another box next year. This is living the homesteading dream! Now to just learn canning…

Being Paleo Fabulous!

My dear friend Brittany just started her first paleo blog. She is awesome, beautiful, and makes the tastiest food. Please check out her blog.