New Digs

So we've made the switch. To a new church, that is. It happened quickly and not how I thought it would. I started researching area gay-friendly churches. Turns out there aren't that many (shock) around here. Of the five I found, four were major denominations that had way too much tradition/ritual and not nearly enough of a children's program. The fifth was an MCC which is it's own denomination of GLBT churches. I just couldn't see being in one of those tiny, storefront churches with maybe four other kids, ya know?
We did a lot of talking about what we really wanted in a church before this switch. Jedd sees non-discrimination as important but he wasn't convinced we needed a church defined by their GLBT policy. We were out 3 weekends ago and he suggested the Saturday night service at a larger church we attended before we had kids. We both liked the idea of having Sunday off so we got some Chik Fil A and headed over.
The kids program was ideal from drop-off to pick-up. When we picked them up they were excited and could tell us what they learned. Not just what story they heard but a concept they were able to grasp. The adult teaching was refreshing. Relevant, new and challenging. So we went back the next week. We liked it again. Then Jedd told me that they had donated money to a gay "fix-it" organization. This does not exactly match up with my values, to say the least. So, I really felt like, "shit, there's just no way around this." I did feel a little more hopeful when I learned that it was a one-time donation in 2005.
This week we went back on Sunday as they were finishing up their Summer of Service (SOS) program. The program itself is pretty amazing and definitely different than the usual Christian summer youth conferences. The minister shared some stories from the week and it was cool to see how these kids went beyond handing out water and washing cars to a real understanding of service. Really, the stories were exciting. Then he got to his last story. A group of about 20 or so kids who wanted to do a service project related to abortion. (Cue my inner nail-biter) So they bought a whole bunch of flowers and went to Planned Parenthood. Understand, this is a touchy issue for me. I believe that abortion ends the life of a human. I also believe the church hasn't done ANYTHING remotely helpful for the women facing this decision. I also love this clinic where I once had the gentlest pelvic exam by the nicest doctor and where we confirmed my first pregnancy.
So their idea was that maybe the staff could give the flowers to their clients. The staff said it was against policy. So the kids went outside and talked things over. They had decided to give the flowers to the staff. During their discussion they started to feel really awful about the high fences and other grand security measures. Why? Because they realized that these people had to come to work this way in large part because of Christians. They felt that was wrong. They decided to go in and apologize. APOLOGIZE. (Cue my outer bawling pregnant lady)
On the car ride home over to the mall I said, "Well, I'm sold." Jedd agreed and Elliet wanted to know what that meant. I told her that it meant we liked the new church (Bailey's church she calls it for her friend that goes there) and wanted it to be our church. "Oh, I'm sold too!"

You Say Tomato

This tomato fandango is starting to feel like the writer's strike. I just want to watch a new show eat a tomato!
How does a tomato get salmonella anyway?
And, Red Squirrel? It does not fill me with confidence that you are the only ones still serving tomatoes on your (super-delicious) double deckers. Okay, so maybe I didn't feel confident pre-tomato either but still.

OMGWTFSTALKERANXIETYSTRANGERDANGER!

Google Maps, Street View. So freaky. Maybe you all know about this already but I just heard about it today. It's making my skin crawl. Those are MY cars parked in front of my house!

Juvenile Pole Beans

They grow up so fast, don't they?
We've planted these pole beans, some carrots, cherry tomatoes and some heirlooms, zuccini and two random herbs--lime basil and chervil. I wanted cilantro because I like to make salsa, I got the lime basil to make the purchase an even dollar. Got home and she had given me chervil instead of cilantro.
It's a tiny corner of the yard that I hope to expand over time. Eventually I'd like a raised bed (the strawberries are in a pot on the table to avoid the bunnies). Our soil is pretty terrible and I'm not sure how the carrots will fare, likely crooked at best. I'm reading about Square Foot Gardening but I'm not completely sold on the idea.
I made a good effort toward composting but it's not together yet and now it's REALLY HOT, so we'll see.
Next up, I'm checking out Redsun Farm in Loveland. I LOVE that I could know where my meat is really coming from and how it was raised. Found redsun on the Cincinnati Locavore blog. I also want to do the chicken thing but only because I think it would be great fun! Thanks to the lovely E at Star Spangled Haggis for that article. E has also inspired Jedd and I to register as bone marrow donors. You should register as well, you know you should.

No. Way.

I thought what the surgeons did to Kenai was amazing. I mean, fishing out the bad pieces, putting in cadaver bone, adding all that hardware. Unbelievable.
But this? Light years ahead of that!

from MSNBC:
Medical marvel: Baby Macie Hope was born twice
The first “birth” was about six months into Keri McCartney’s pregnancy, when surgeons at Texas Children’s Hospital took the tiny fetus from Keri’s womb to remove a tumor that would have killed Macie before she was born.

(Found through Strollerderby)