2010 near and far

Dear Friends, 

I have thought of this post for a while now, seems thinking is the only bit of blogging I get to do these days because life is so hectic. It's been quite the year (I say this every year) but this time I can truly say it was great. I stuck to my 2010 resolution which was to step out of the box. I always play it safe when buying anything from shoes to jewelry, I prefer warmth and convenience and I like some pumped up fast paced exercise. This year, I ventured into yoga and wow! what benefits! I bought a few fashionable accessories for my wardrobe which usually means spending a bit more but you know what? I also started taking the bus to work (boy oh! boy is it cold out there!!) and for the amount of money I save on gas and parking, I think a few wardrobe additions are perfectly acceptable don't you? 

Stepping out of the box also means letting go of a few convictions. When you let go of ideals, you'd be amazed at how much more relaxed the household can be. This Christmas Eve we celebrated as a family and we all had a wonderful time. No one noticed the laundry baskets full of clothes upstairs and so what if there were a few Cheerios on the floor! Santa still came, left his presents under the tree, ate some of our homemade candy cane cookies and Rudolf had some organic-but-not-local baby carrots. 

That brings me to my real post intention: living local, the reality. What a challenge it is to live local, in winter, working full-time outside the house and feeding a family with 3 little boys. Realistically, the only "local" fruit available are apples or the few frozen berries I have in my freezer from this summer. The local vegetables at the grocery store include the few greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers along with onions and root vegetables. I suppose with some careful planning I could build every meal around these vegetables but to be honest, I'm not really a big fan of parsnips and rutabaga. I'm trying though, that's what counts right? :) I still buy seasonal produce even if it isn't local and I consider organically available vegetables ok in my shopping cart even if they are imported. I used to cringe at the thought of imported produce and I still consider the travel distance before buying but honestly, if my 4 year old requests sugar snap peas for his school lunches (and actually eats them), how can I say no? 

What's in store for 2011? I think I will try homemade root vegetable chips. I'm pretty sure the boys will love them and I can certainly find a good variety of local produce to make them. I will continue to find some creative recipes to feed my clan. I will master the homemade granola bar recipe. I will continue to spread the word about the importance of supporting local businesses. I will branch out my little lavender bath salts venture to include more local products and diversify the flowers by growing more in my garden. I will find some time to be creative and blog about my local gems. 

Best wishes to everyone in 2011 and bon appétit!