Pantry Moths

A few weeks ago (or more!) we spied a pantry moth fluttering around. We killed it and went about our business. Then we noticed another one. And then my husband noticed a larvae on the wall above the door. Yikes! I went to a couple of stores looking for pantry moth traps and found none. Really? Are we the only house ever plagued with pantry moths? The internet didn't fail me; I ordered traps and some gifts from King Arthur Flour Company. (BTW, we love that place/cookbook/flour!)
So the traps were set and my husband kept finding moths and larvae in strange places, like on the wall. Another plot line began during this time, too. We have an extra adult living with us who has, of course, her own stuff to add to our kitchen and pantry stuff. This is all well and good except that the pantry was beginning to turn into no mans land where you couldn't find what you needed and no one really knew what we had. I grumbled and complained about the extra stuff that we don't need and tried to not make it about wanting my own space back. My husband, who happens to be this person's brother as well as a S5 person laid it out for me. "This is what we are going to do. We sift, sort, classify, and organize (I think I am missing some S's!) and we tell my sister that we are doing it at this time and we would appreciate her input." So there.
We ended up tackling this at the same time that my sister-in-law was baking massive amounts of cupcakes and utilizing all the free space on the kitchen counters. The kitchen table was still free!
As we emptied out the pantry we carefully looked in all of the bins and boxes. We made a nice stack of things that we just don't need anymore, a stack of things that we don't use often enough to warrant then staying upstairs in the pantry, and a stack of trash. The items that went in the trash were the ones that were filled with pantry moth eggs or squirmy moth larvae. The old bag of hazelnuts were the jackpot. Who knew? It was really disgusting and made me want to eat out for the next century.
Once all of the shelves were cleaned we placed labeled post-it notes to plan where everything would go back. It felt really great to put everything back in and realize that there was still room for a supply of emergency non-perishables if it should come to that. (Thank goodness.) It still felt great the next morning until I dumped some dried cherries on my cereal, took a bite, and then realized that there were eggs in the bag! I almost hurled. When I looked in the pantry I was hit with a huge wave of dread- we had not looked inside the boxes of dried goods or looked carefully at the contents of two plastic bins of dry food goods. How the hell did that happen? And why am I having to do this alone in the morning before I have food in my belly while my daughter is chattering away and needing to get ready for school?
I had a serious case of the heebeejeebies as I found larva after larva curled up and heaving on the bottom of almost every box right underneath the bag of dried food. Some stuff had eggs inside or those cobweb-like sacs that creep me out. The couscous box was particularly disturbing. Couscous could maybe be mistaken for pantry moth eggs and larvae were it not for the wriggling nature amidst the fibrous tendrils holding it all together. I think I might be sick.
I did manage to eat some cereal and dried cherries (from a different and carefully examined bag) but it took all of my attention to not focus on pantry moths or any of their life cycle stages.
Yesterday I bought a plastic tub (made in the USA!!) to store the remaining boxes of dried goods. I also set up one more trap. Every time I go into the pantry I check the traps, cross my fingers, and pray to the pantry gods that they will keep their moths to themselves!

Made in the USA

Why is it so incredibly difficult to find products made in the USA? It frustrates me to no end. Most of the time it is a good excuse for why I really don't need the item, but sometimes there is a need that just can't be filled with something made on our own soil. Or it can't be filled by going to a store. I love and hate shopping online!

I find that going to a resale shop alleviates some of my angst. At least the clothes are being saved from a landfill. But it still doesn't help urge companies to make USA goods.  When I go shopping I am constantly muttering to myself about the labels. I don't pause long enough to notice the expressions on other shoppers' faces. My daughter, bless her soul, repeats my mutterings at home when she plays grocery store or goes "shopping" in our closets. "Nope, I can't buy this because it is made in China." Too cute. The other day she asked me on the ride home from preschool why I like to buy things made in the USA. So I explained my reasons: I like to support American jobs and the economy, I like to know my neighbors and family have jobs, and I prefer to have my things not travel excessive amounts to reach me. Now I have to wait to see how this information will be processed and spit back out! :)
I like to visit Reuseit.com because they have neat reusable options along with some that are made in the USA.
I also like to make presents and clothes and things for me and my family and friends. But guess what is hard to find? Made in the USA raw materials like fabric and yarns. So the Snackbags and reusable lunch sacks I bought on Reuseit are great but where did the fabric come from?? That is going to be my next major focus- finding fabric and yarns made locally or nationally without breaking the bank! Any suggestions?

Green

It's that time of year when green starts to be replaced with yellows, browns and sometimes shades of red. I love fall but I also love green.  Green has got to be the most ubiquitous color in nature; it comes in all shades and hues. It is because of nature that green is my favorite color. You can tell just by wandering through my house. We have a green couch and lots of green house plants. All of our bathrooms have different shades of green, which turned out to be completely accidental and amuses me when I think about it. My bathroom has bright green accents that are the very specific shade of green that is my absolute favorite. In my closet I have a new fleece coat from LLBean that is a bright green as well as other green clothing items. My craft area in the basement is mostly green and Emma's playroom in the basement has a dark, bright green floor, too. I think I like having so much green in the house to remind me of nature, especially in the winter.

I used to live in California- right in the heart of the northern part of the central valley in Davis. Winters were mild and variably moist. Summers were hot, dry, and dusty. And this weird thing happened with the change of the seasons. Deciduous trees lost their leaves in the winter and stood bare and craggly throughout the rains; the grasses all turned green and lush.  Yet come summer when the heat was stifling and the grass turned brown and died, the leaves on the trees were green. Not a pretty green- a dull, waxy, olive green. It was a strange juxtaposition that left me missing the familiar Midwestern change of seasons and the numerous shades of green.
Green just makes me happy!

The Longest Day

If you have read the book with the same title you will not be impressed with my version. It's not like I woke up early or stayed up late. The sun's rays have been shifting all day but I swear that is just to make me crazy. I did however clean the toilet, actually two of them. Since time flies when you are having fun I guess it makes sense that time is practically standing still. Does anyone have fun cleaning the toilet?

So what have I really been doing (or not) that has me feeling like this is the longest day in history (barring D Day of course)? I have been entertaining my 4 year old daughter.  Should be fun and easy right?  She never has preschool on Fridays but this week she was also off of school for Wednesday and Thursday. In all honesty one reason we signed her up for preschool starting last year was that I could not keep up with her. I play soccer so I should technically have the physical capabilities and I am fairly intelligent, but her 3 and 4 year old self require the most energy and mental capacity of the greatest sports and smartest legendary figures. Do I think she is special in that manner? Definitely not. But do I think that some people rise to that challenge and excel at mastering their stay at home days? Certainly. But it's not me.
I want to play this family or that family (like Winnie the Pooh or Strawberry Shortcake). I do want to play a game or practice ballet with her. But the reality falls short of the vision. I wonder if she feels the same way? I make the effort for a couple of minutes and then I have to make lunch or dinner or clean the bathroom. Why can I do an awesome job of teaching preschoolers at the nature center but not be able to entertain my own daughter? OK, so I only teach the preschoolers 1.25 hours once a day every other week but still.
 I did just write a note for her on the back of a very nice coloring of Hello Kitty. That falls seriously short of making either of us happy or content!  I think that what today boils down to is that I am experiencing some hormonal imbalances and got up on the wrong side of the bed. Tomorrow is another day.

The beginning

I have been having so much fun teaching preschoolers as Miss Tara that I decided to use that name as the basis for my blog. I am also a green head- always looking out for the environment.

I keep a blog about my daughter and have been wanting to have one for me. So here it is. I hope to post about my favorite color, share parenting thoughts, and pretty much amuse myself in any way I can.