Grounds For Change

I'm not really a coffee drinker. I'll have the occasional McDonald's iced coffee, but that's about it. My husband, on the other hand, is somewhat of a coffee connoisseur. Every month we get gourmet coffee delivered right to our door. While Rob insists that this is the best coffee in the world, we are about to make a change. We are going Fair Trade. 

The term Fair Trade can be applied to any number of goods. It basically means that:

• * Producers receive a fair price - a living wage for their goods. A minimum floor price is also set and abided by. 
  
• * Forced labor and exploitative child labor are not allowed.
• * Direct trade practices are employed. Importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to strengthen their organizations and become competitive players in the global economy.   
• * Producers have access to financial and technical assistance.
• * Sustainable production techniques are encouraged.
• * Community development is a goal. Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like health care, new schools, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification.
• * Equal employment opportunities are provided for all.
• * Transparency is important. All aspects of trade and production are open to public accountability.

Sounds pretty good, right? But what are the real world benefits of Fair Trade coffee? Well, I'm glad you asked. 

• * Empowered by the economic stability provided by Fair Trade, members of the COSURCA coffee cooperative in Colombia successfully prevented the cultivation of more than 1,600 acres of coca and poppy, used for the production of illicit drugs. 
  
• * In Papua New Guinea, the AGOGA cooperative, is investing in a medical team to meet the healthcare needs of its isolated rural community. 
• * In the highlands of Guatemala, indigenous Tzutuhil Mayans in the La Voz cooperative are sending local kids to college for the first time. 
• * Near Lake Titicaca, in Peru, the CECOVASA cooperative is assisting members from Quechua and Aymara indigenous groups in raising coffee quality and transitioning to certified organic production. 

Fair Trade coffee is available in most grocery stores and coffee houses. Will Fair Trade coffee cost a little more than the Maxwell House that you usually buy? Maybe. But it seems worth it to me. We are going to start ordering from this company. But there are lots of other online outlets as well as local stores to get it. Look for the Fair Trade logo to know that you are getting certified Fair Trade products.

Please consider switching to Fair Trade coffee. A little change on your part can make a big difference in someone's life. 

40 Years and Counting...

My mom and dad celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary yesterday. They met freshman year of high school and dated for 7 years before they got married. I dug up some old pictures to celebrate them and their marriage (they may kill me for this). Enjoy. 

I think this was my mom's senior picture. Isn't she pretty!

My mom and dad always had cool cars (and still do).

Wedding day June 7, 1969

40 years later

Housing Crisis

We moved from Cincinnati to Nashville almost a year ago. We still own our house in Cincinnati. It's been on the market for over a year now and hasn't sold yet. That kind of sucks. We are currently living in a rather nice apartment in Nashville. Our lease is going to be up soon and we need to decide whether we want to sign another one (which of course, then rent has significantly gone up) or find somewhere else to live.

While we are certainly not hurting as much as some families, our own personal housing crisis has definitely effected me. This whole house situation has kept me up more nights that I would like to admit to. When we first put our old house on the market, I was sure that God knew what our time frame was and would make sure it sold in time for our move. I mean, God loves me, right? He knows what I need, right? It was Him that facilitated our move to Nashville in the first place, right? I was sure He'd come through. Our moving date came and went and the house didn't sell. And here we are, a year later, and the house still hasn't sold. The house that I love and that I would pick up and move to Nashville if it was physically possible.

I've been through several emotional phases over the last year regarding this situation. First there was hope. Then disappointment. Then stress. Then I tried to ignore the whole situation. Then stress. Then hope. Then more disappointment and stress. My prayer life also went through phases. At first, I was praying regularly to God asking Him to let our house sell quickly. Then I pleaded with Him. Then I stopped talking to Him about it. Then I would mention it every once in awhile. Now, I'm in the occasional pleading phase but mostly trying to ignore it.

I'm smart enough to realize that my timeline is not God's timeline and that He is probably using this situation to teach me about His provision. Blah, blah, blah. My head knows these things, but they haven't downloaded to my heart yet. Ideally, I would love to sell our house in Cincinnati so that we can buy one here in Nashville and put down some roots. But, I don't know what God wants. I'm trying to ask and listen. Your prayers would be appreciated.

4 Years and Counting...

Today is our 4 year anniversary. I think we're starting to get the hang of this marriage thing. Here's a little collage of what we've been up to over the last couple years. The music in the background is being played by Rob on cello and his grad school roommate Joe on guitar. Bet you didn't know he was that good. 

.

When the Science Hits the Fan - Penguin Poop

Emperor penguins are ridiculously cool animals. Many of you have probably seen the movie March of the Penguins that chronicles their migration to breeding grounds amidst harsh Antarctic conditions. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. It's actually a real tear-jerker. While it is utterly amazing that these creatures can travel up to 60 miles in winds that exceed 100mph and temperatures that routinely dip below -60F, that is not the subject of this post. Today, I would like to focus on another facet of the emperor penguin - it's poop. 

Scientists have recently discovered previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins by noticing their poop stains from space. I know it sounds crazy, but stick with me. Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey found this out by accident when they were looking at satellite images of their bases. A reddish-brown streak on the colorless ice was located right where they knew a colony of penguins were located. The stain was penguin poop. Because penguins stay on the same patch of ice for months, their poop collects in one area and is visible from space.

Using this unconventional yet effective method, scientists were able to scour satellite images of Antarctica for the reddish-brown stains and identified 38 distinct penguin colonies, 6 of which were previously unknown. Considering that scientist predict one third of Antarctica's sea ice will melt by the end of the century, this information will prove very useful in studying the effects of climate change on the emperor penguin population.

My friend mentioned this clip the other day and it piqued my interest. So, I looked it up on YouTube. Penn makes some interesting points. What do you think?

New Phase

Yesterday, I discovered that Harper has entered into a new phase of life. She is now very jealous (like busts out into tears jealous) when I hold or even touch another child. As a mom, this kind of makes me feel good in a way. However, it can create problems when I volunteer in the church nursery with her...

These are obviously old pictures of Harper. I think she was about 10 weeks old. But, they seemed to fit the post for today. One minute Harper would be happy and playing by herself and then if she saw me playing with another kid, she would cry and want to sit on my lap. Oh, well. I'm sure this phase will be short lived. And like I said, it does kind of make me feel good. Is that wrong???