a little house by the big woods

A couple of awesome things in my life...

2011-11-16T14:00:00.001-08:00

We got a dishwasher! This is an awesome thing in my life.

Another awesome thing in my life is that I'm pregnant and due in April. With a boy. Because I KNOW you were wondering. :)

Just a couple of the many awesome things in my life right now.

Beach trip!

2011-08-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Mark's mom treated us to a wonderful trip to the Oregon coast. I'm not really much of a blogger anymore, but I do have some lovely pictures I wanted to share. We all had a great time. Thanks Grandma!

You can't go down Hwy 101 without a stop at the cheese factory for ice cream. Happy Friday!

About the bald eagles

2011-06-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Mid-April, right in the midst of our daily online bird watching, I was washing dishes when I happened to glance up and spot a commotion amongst the cows. I paused for a moment and watched. There seemed to be something foreign moving just inside the fence. As I watched, a saw a white head bob around, and huge wings flapping along the ground. "Oh!" I thought. "There is a bald eagle in there and it is HURT!"

The cows were curious and they kept moving forward, then startling back when the eagle would leap forward. Suddenly, I spotted a splash of orange at the bald eagle's feet, and then it hit me. The eagle is not hurt, is has something in its feet and is trying to take off, but it can't. It must have one of our chickens. I dashed outside and ran over to the fence.

The bald eagle did not have one of our chickens. It had plucked our beautiful drake from its little pond we had built in the creek. The eagle dropped the duck when it saw me and flew a little ways away. It was reluctant to leave such a tantalizing lunch, and I ran back up to my house to grab my camera. I was able to get a few pictures. They are beautiful and so big! But I must admit, my feelings toward the bald eagle has changed a bit. I couldn't watch the eagles online without thinking of our dear little duck grasped in this eagle's large talons.

A sunny day on the Oregon coast in May! Hooray!

2011-05-29T19:37:00.001-07:00

If you're looking for a nice beach along the Oregon coast, we would highly recommend Oceanside. Bonus: The Tillamook Cheese Factory is only 10 miles away.

Rainy day nature study

2011-03-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

We started watching these live streaming bird things just yesterday. Lia really loves the hummingbird babies. "Look Mom, it stuck out its tongue! Ahhh, there's a bug crawling on its head!" I'm pretty excited to see the bald eagle babies. They are supposed to hatch out around April 1.

I know we are pretty late hopping on this bandwagon, but are there any other good live streaming animal channels you like? I think they'd be good for nature study on rainy days. We've already learned so much about hummingbirds because Lia is truly interested in them now.

Live Video streaming by Ustream

Live Broadcasting by Ustream

2011 Kids' ATC Swap

2011-03-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

Abbie emailed me yesterday about the 2011 Kids' ATC (Artist Trading Card) Swap yesterday and I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. Lia is going to do this for sure! A kid can never get too much mail, you know? Check out the link above to get more information and to sign up.

Happy Friday!

Scribble Art by Maryann Kohl

2011-03-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to do an official "art project" with Lia every Wednesday during Eden's nap. Eden is 2 1/2 now and into EVERYTHING. She's like a busy little raccoon, leaving a trail of torn paper and crumbs wherever she goes. Anyways, it's nice to spend some time with just Lia, and the baby, and do things that would be difficult with busy 2-year-old hands in the mix.

I checked out several art books from the library at the beginning of the year and fell in love with "Scribble Art" by MaryAnn Kohl. The projects in it were perfect for Lia because they focus on the process, not the product. There were several that I vaguely remembered from my childhood that I loved but couldn't remember in enough detail to replicate. Our project yesterday was especially successful, and Eden was even able to join in when she woke up.

SALTY WATERCOLORS

For this project you will need:
Table Salt

Shallow dish or tray
White Glue (Elmer's)
Watercolor paint (Prang works well)
Thick watercolor paper or matte board (It needs to be thick enough that it won't bend and crack the glue/salt after the painting is dry
Paintbrush and water

Step 1: (Optional)
I cut our watercolor paper down to 9" x 6" and then 4.5 x 6 so that Lia could do several projects without me feeling like we were burning through all our watercolor paper.

Step 2:

Make a design on the paper with the glue.

Step 3:

Place paper in tray and generously shake salt over the top. It's important to make sure all the glue is covered. Shake excess salt off and place paper back on table.

Step 4:

This is really magical. Load your paintbrush with water and paint, then very gently touch it to the design on the paper. The paint will spread a bit through the design. Repeat. Seriously, I wish I had more time to do this myself. It's really fun.

I actually bought Scribble Art brand new from Amazon, and I almost never buy new books. It's that good.

Captain!

2011-03-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

I loved reading all the name suggestions! We just decided yesterday on the name Captain. The girls have a pirate ship (mound of dirt) in the yard and they had been calling the pup "Captain" while they were playing. It seemed to fit, and we finally had a name that everyone liked. So Captain it is. He is such a good pup!

Our new baby!

2011-03-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

Isn't he sweet? He's a Great Pyrenees and the best puppy I've ever known. I'm not a huge pet person really, but I loooove this pup. He still doesn't have a name though. Any suggestions? He is going to be really big, and white, and furry.

6 months!

2011-01-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

Lucy turned 6 months old yesterday.

I can't. believe. it.

Where did my tiny little newborn go?

You had me at braided wool rug...

2010-12-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

Winter is the best time for reading, especially here in Washington where the days are so short and dark. Embrace the coziness! (I have to keep reminding myself) There are some books that are especially delicious during this time of year.

I Capture the Castle

The Little House Series (Especially the Little House in the Big Woods, and Farmer Boy)

Laddie, a true-blue story

Anne of the Island

The Blue Castle

The Ox-Cart Man

Far From the Madding Crowd

Little Women

My Antonia

Kristin Lavransdatter

The good thing about it getting dark at 4 pm is that Mark gets in early enough for us to occasionally watch movie. We watched The Scarlet Pimpernel around Thanksgiving (recommended by my sister) and it was so good. So good. You must watch the Jane Seymore version.

Any other cozy winter reads?

4 months old

2010-12-07T12:16:00.001-08:00

Whoa, I didn't mean to be away for almost 3 months. Let's just pretend that I've never been gone.

Lucy is 4 months old and such a little dream baby. She's happy and sweet and lights up with the biggest smiles when you even glance her way.

almost 6 weeks

2010-09-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

She rewards me with smiles every morning now.

Half-smiles.

Double-chinned smiles.

Crooked smiles.

Whole smiles.

Gummy smiles.

Sometimes she surprises herself with the way they burst onto her face and her whole head bobs backwards, then forwards again.

She saves them up and spends them all on me, leaving very little to share with other people.

Don't you have a smile for Dad? Show Dad how you smile. A little smile for Daddy?

Soon, soon there will be more than enough to go around.

Lucy's hypnobabies birth story (Continued)

2010-08-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

This is the second part of Lucy's birth story. Read the first part here.
hypnobabies lingo:
pressure waves = contractions
transformation = transition

Sunday, July 25, around 6 am
When I talked to the midwife on the phone, I didn't have a single contraction during the conversation. I was still a little worried that the waves would stop again, so I told her I would call her back in about 20 minutes if I was ready for her to come.

After talking to the midwife, Mark filled our bathtub and I got in. There was one pressure wave when I was walking to the bathroom that I was unprepared for and it was probably the most uncomfortable one I had. I had been lying on my side in bed with my light switch off (meaning my body was completely limp and relaxed, no moving). I walked to the bathroom with my light switch on (not in hypnosis) and was caught off guard when the bathroom door was locked! I started pounding on the door, panicked because I had planned on making it to the tub before the next wave. Mark opened the door and I kind of collapsed onto him because the pressure wave had just hit. After it was over I got in the tub and it was so nice. So nice. I was able to lie on my side with my knees bent and I used a couple of towels as pillows. We timed some more contractions and decided it was time for the midwife to come. (She lives about 50 minutes away) They were 4 or 5 minutes apart and very strong.

I had Mark turn on the "Early First Stage" track on the computer, because I didn't want to worry about my ipod with the water. By this time my mom and the girls were up, and I could hear all the happy morning noises in the other rooms. My pressure waves felt quite powerful, but not in a negative way. During each wave I would relax completely and picture my muscles working to make way for my baby.

Sunday, July 25, around 7 am
My midwife arrived at 7:15. I can't remember exactly when we stopped timing waves, but they were about 3 or 4 minutes apart at this time. It seemed like there was so much time between the waves, and I wished they would come closer together because I felt like I was still so far from having the baby.

Before the midwife checked me she asked me how dilated I thought I was. I said "Oh a 3?" and secretly hoped for a 5 or 6. She laughed and said she thought I'd be farther along than that. She was right, I was almost an 8!

Almost an 8! I could hardly believe it. When I had Eden I was struggling at 6, but here I was, almost done! As I settled back into a comfortable position I tried to prepare mentally for "transformation." When the Early First Stage track ended I had Mark put on the Deepening track. Everyone left me alone for awhile. As the intensity increased, I started to vocalize during the waves, saying words like "relax" and "open" and I don't remember what else. I know some people feel totally uninhibited when they are giving birth, but not me. I actually felt quite silly and self-conscious but vocalizing helped me so much. It seemed to override any discomfort that I might have otherwise felt.

During transformation I felt totally in control. I never had that "I can't take this for a moment longer" feeling. I still felt like I had plenty of time of rest time between pressure waves. I did get a couple right on top of each other, but I was able to accept whatever came my way. If I felt discomfort at the beginning of a wave I would say "relax. relax. relax" and remind myself that it was just pressure and tightening and that's what it became. I had a completely different experience when I had Eden, so I know how painful transition can be. But this was not painful. Intense, yes, but so so different.

Sunday, July 25, around 8am
Mark sat next to the tub and held my hand during this time. The midwife was in the bathroom too, and told me to let her know when I felt like I needed to push. Soon I felt things change, and during a pressure wave I felt the baby's head move down a bit, then slide back up after the wave ended. I told my midwife that I was ready to push. She knelt down next to the tub and with the next wave I started to push and felt the head move down, and then out it slid. I wasn't about to stop pushing though! A second later the baby's body slid right out and the baby was lifted up to my chest, all warm and pink and beautiful. It happened so fast I was shocked. One push and it was all done! Oh, and the feeling just after you have a baby. There are no words.

After a minute or two the midwife asked if we had seen what the baby was. Oh! I had totally forgotten. In those moments the whole boy or girl thing didn't matter at all. This was my baby, and my baby is healthy and beautiful. That's all that I thought. But of course, after she asked Mark checked and it was a girl! And no, we were not disappointed. Another girl is just perfect.

My mom had taken the girls outside to play, thinking it would be a while longer until I had the baby. She didn't believe Mark when he came out and announced it was another girl! They all came in to see the new baby. That was one of the best moments, being together as a family for the first time.

Lucy was born at 8:07 am, less than an hour after the midwife arrived. Amazingly, I pushed the baby out in one push without tearing at all. This was the first time I didn't have to worry about the dreaded stitches. After I got out of the tub and cleaned up we hopped into bed. Lucy was happy and calm and eager to eat. All I wanted to talk about that day was how amazing the experience was. Even my mom, who was terrified about me giving birth at home, is a bit of a convert now.

I think I may do one more wrap up post here, and then that will be it. But maybe not. I know that giving birth is a different experience for each person and for each birth. But it doesn't HAVE to be "the most painful thing you will ever experience." It can be a beautiful and joyful experience. I feel so blessed to have had the experience of bringing this little person into the world. It's so hard to write a birth story, because there's no way I can really capture the experience. Anything I could write would fall short. But, it was magical. The end.

Lucy's hypnobabies birth story

2010-08-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

I finally sat down and wrote half of Lucy's birth story. The other half will be posted tomorrow at 8:07 am pst to celebrate sweet Lucy turning one month old.

One thing about hypnobabies - you use different words to describe common birthing phrases. Pressure waves = contractions. Birthing time = labor.

Thursday, July 22, just after midnight
I wake up a little after midnight with pressure waves that are quite regular and strong. I listen to the "Early First Stage" track, and soon after that was done I decide that this is it! I woke up Mark and convinced him it was absolutely necessary to get up and clean the bathroom and the loft, do some laundry, etc. This is it! So exciting! And only a day past my due date! I get back into bed and turn on my ipod and try to get a little sleep.

Thursday, July 22, morning
My pressure waves are farther apart and not as strong, but still coming. I call my mom and ask her to start driving up here. (She has to drive up from Utah, and is taking 2 days to do so. I planned on having her arrive after I had the baby.) I would be having the baby today!

Thursday, July 22, afternoon
Faint, irregular pressure waves. Quite discouraged, but still hopeful. Mark has spent the whole day with me, instead of working. The girls have been with Grandma all day. I'm starting to feel quite silly.

Thursday, July 22, late evening
Pressure waves are picking up, hurrah!

Friday, July 23, morning
Call my mom, sobbing. The pressure waves have almost completely stopped. I will never have the baby, and my mom has already driven half-way up to my house. I cry and complain and whine. After I get off the phone with her, Mark gives me a no-nonsense pep talk and I decide that life must go on. I take the girls to town and stop by a few garage sales. I feel better when we get back.

Friday, July 23, evening
Nothing. But my mom arrives, which is a welcome distraction.

Saturday, July 24, morning and afternoon
Pressure waves throughout the day, becoming stronger. I ignore them. Sort of.

Saturday, July 24, evening
I'm exhausted, hot, and completely break down because the apple berry crisp I made is too runny. Mark is working late, putting in the hay. I try to ignore the pressure waves that are coming more often.

Saturday, July 24, 11pm
Mark gets home and we watch an episode of Jim Henson's Storytellers on Netflix. I tell him, very hesitantly, that maybe my pressure waves just might be getting stronger. We head to bed. Mark is asleep in about 12 seconds, but it takes me a little longer.

Sunday, July 25, early, early morning
My pressure waves continue all night. They are 10-15 minutes apart, but growing stronger. I'm able to get quite a bit of rest/sleep by listening to my hypnobabies tracks. I'm pretty sure I would not have slept otherwise, but my after months of falling asleep listening to these tracks I found it so easy to relax and let any worries or stress go.

Sunday, July 25, 5 am-ish
I wake Mark up. My pressure waves have suddenly jumped from about 10 minutes apart to about 6 minutes apart. They are strong. I feel a lot of tightening and squeezing and a dull ache during the pressure waves. Mark times them for a little while, then calls the midwife to tell her that I think I'm really approaching my birthing time...

hypnobabies

2010-08-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

I think there were three big factors that contributed to having such an amazing birth this time.

1. I had the baby at home in the tub.

2. I had a midwife I really liked.

3. I used the hynobabies program to prepare for the birth.

This post is pretty much just one big advertisement for hypnobabies, but no, I'm not getting paid. I just wish I had used this with my first two babies, so maybe sharing my experience will help someone else have a better birth.

I saw a video of a woman giving birth using hypnosis some time (I don't remember where or when) before I had Lia. The woman was totally relaxed, and quietly and calmly pushed her baby out. I thought "That's great for her, but I could never do that. Having a baby is terribly painful. Plus, I don't believe in hypnosis." That was about it. I had an epidural with Lia and the typical terrible birth experience that you hear about all the time and I won't go into.

When I had Eden, I knew I didn't want an epidural, but I didn't really do anything to prepare myself for her birth. I made it through without an epidural, but it was hard, and painful, and stressful, and really really awesome when I pushed her out and I had done it! I labored in the tub from about 5 or 6 cm to when I felt the urge to push. Then I had to get out, because the hospital wouldn't allow me to actually have the baby in the tub.

When I was pregnant with Lucy, I decided I wanted to be a bit more prepared. I checked out a bunch of books from the library, including Hypnobirthing. After reading part of the book, I did some research on the internet and found that many people recommended the Hynobabies program. The real clincher for me, though, was when I read a birth story by someone that had had a great birth using Hypnobabies even though she didn't think it would work for her. I bought the home study program and figured that, if nothing else, I would be able to feel more relaxed and prepared for labor. (Read more about hypnosis for childbirth here)

What I liked about Hypnobabies:

* Instead of dreading the labor part of pregnancy, I looked forward to it and was actually excited to try out my new hypno-skillz and see how they worked.

*Listening to the tracks at nap time or at night helped me relax and go to sleep. I was able to clear my mind and forget all the little worries of the day instead of lying awake with my brain racing.

* I gained more control over my emotions, and found myself choosing how to feel, rather than always being "made" to feel stressed, upset, etc.

* The last couple weeks of pregnancy have, in the past, included quite a bit of crying and whining about being so heavily pregnant, and going past my due date, etc. This time I felt so much happier and able to accept that my baby will be born when he or she is ready.

*I had an amazing, quick, and even quite comfortable "birthing time."

I've debated about sharing my birth story, because really it's quite a personal thing to publish on the interweb. But what the world needs now is more positive birth stories. It will be here, on the blog, shortly. If I can just find the time!

Sunday and two weeks old

2010-08-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

I love her.

bliss

2010-08-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

lucy mae hornby

I'm so happy to be through the first week. The first week is hard. Wonderful, but hard.

Mark and I hadn't discussed names too much. I had a little list in my head of possible girl and boy names, but the girl names were especially vague. As I was sitting in the tub holding my third baby girl, I asked Mark what he thought we should name her. "I was thinking Lucy," he replied. And that was exactly what I was thinking too.

For whatever reason, it took us several days to commit to it. But there was never any other names that we considered.

So our sweet Lucy is here and could not be any more adored, especially by Eden who is relishing her new role as big sister. Thanks for the kind comments. Things are going to be a bit baby-centric around here for awhile. Stick around if you like that sort of thing, or come back in six months if you don't!

Our baby girl

2010-07-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

arrived Sunday at 8:07 am.

We had her at home, in the tub.

Best experience ever.

Her name? Still working on that.

6lbs. 8 oz. and 20 inches

She's so tiny and wonderful.

More/better pictures and words to come.

hay hay hay

2010-07-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

It's sort of pathetic that I can lounge on the couch in my house under the ceiling fan eating frozen grapes when the boys are outside doing this all day...

Summer!

2010-06-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

My favorite season is finally here! Cherries, I love you. Tomatoes, I love you. Grass, I love you.

Sunshine, I really really love you.

camping at ft. stevens

2010-06-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

Camping around here in June is a bit of a gamble...will it be rainy or sunny or overcast and cold? I planned this camping trip and made reservations a few months ago, before I knew that this would be the year with no spring. We went camping at Ft Stevens on the very northwest tip of Oregon. It was a really beautiful area (of course) with lots to do. Since we pretty much live right by the "woods" I thought a beachy camping trip would be more interesting, with a chance to see some other places along the way. It was overcast and coolish (maybe reaching a high of 60). It sort of blows my mind to be walking around in hoodies in June, but oh well.

PS I am 35 weeks pregnant and feeling quite fat and waddly and apt to complain about having to bend over to pick things up. We bought these pads from REI during their recent sale and I was no less comfortable sleeping at night than I am in my own bed. Good investment.

Pictures!

The Astor Column in Astoria. $1 for an annual parking pass + a few $0.75 gliders that they sell at the visitors center to fly off the top = Bargain of the year.

Battery Russell in Fort Stevens.

Hands down the most terrifying moment of the trip was when Eden fell into a pool of water at the base of this shipwreck. It was cold and windy and the beach wasn't that great so we didn't stay for long.

Playing in the sand at Coffenbury Lake.

At our camp site.

Exploring Astoria on our way home. Lia woke up with a nasty mosquito bite on her eye, the poor thing.

Good fish and chips at the Bowpicker.

Fort Stevens was nice, though we'll probably never be back. I did enjoy the bathroom facilities in my heavily pregnant state. I really want to find an awesome beach in Washington. We love the beach in Oceanside, OR but it's pretty far away.

Happy Friday!

moving to the trout farm

2010-06-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Moving the cows over to the trout farm is always an adventure. The boys string electric fence down the driveway to the highway. Then they string the fence around our neighbor's property on the other side of the highway down to "the trout farm" (which no longer has trout, just a lot of grass). They keep the cows closed off from the highway until the herd is ready to cross, then we stop the traffic, run the fence across the road and pray pray pray that the cows will move in the right direction. There's always this intense moment when the cows just stand there, unwilling to cross. I think they're leery of the white line on the road. White line = electric fence.

I wish I had better pictures, but I had to hold the stop sign and was pretty far from the action. This time when the cows got to the end of the driveway they decided it would be good to turn around and head back the other way. Madness! The boys got them turned back around eventually, but it was exciting (or something like that) while it lasted.

the avocado pit - 4 months later

2010-06-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I blogged this because otherwise I would have had no idea when I started it. My baby avocado tree is finally ready for soil! I potted it this morning, but lost interest in taking pictures after the pre-pot photo shoot.

what you're about to see is not pretty

2010-04-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

I feel a need to make excuses for this mess. Our house isn't finished, we don't have all our furniture moved in, we don't have our shelves up, etc. But really, there is no excuse for this. This is the bookshelf in our room, and it has been the catch-all for stuff without a home since we moved in. I like to think I'm sort of an organized, uncluttered person. That's the way I like things to be anyways, but this photo is saying otherwise.

I finally took a deep breath and tackled this mess a couple days ago. Let me just tell you, that this bookshelf is what I went to sleep looking at every night. That can't be good. But I still let it go until I realized that if I cleaned it up, I would have space to unpack some of our books. I have missed our books so much, they've been packed up for almost two years.

This is what it looks like right now. Sorry, no books organized by color. I organized mine by silly categories like "sewing books" and "fiction." I still have more boxes to unpack, and each one is really thrilling. Yes, thrilling. There are books that I picked up at the thrift store or garage sales just before we moved that I didn't even remember we had. So exciting.

Mark and I are both book-lovers, but we try to keep our bookshelves limited to books we really love or things we are really interested in. There's just not room in this house for a library. Some day though, in our dream house with the summer sleeping porch and real wood floors and big stone fireplace, maybe.

Capturing the swarm

2010-04-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the helpful advice from those of you with beekeeping knowledge! We ended up getting a box (and some advice from a local) for them and capturing the swarm. They were in a difficult spot though, close to the ground and draped between posts. Mark started to collect them without any protective gear, but quickly changed his mind and we rigged up this little bee suit for him. Lia thought it was hilarious that Mark was wearing one of her dress-ups on his head.

The guy Mark talked to recommended the book The ABC and Xyz of Bee Culture. I requested it from the library and can't wait to do a bit of studying. Bees are fascinating.

when i went out to check on my tiny garden today

2010-04-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

I saw Samson

I saw the chickens

And I saw this...

A swarm of bees! I was so excited I ran to the house and told mark he had to come see RIGHT NOW. I was afraid they were going to fly off any minute. They didn't, but the sad thing is that we have nothing to put them in. So they are still out there in the neglected raspberry patch. I keep looking out the kitchen window to see if they have left, but I guess the scouts haven't found a suitable home yet. Meanwhile, I'm on edge and wishing we had bumped "Find bee equipment" up on the list of things to do around here.

april 16

2010-04-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

The list of things to do before the baby is growing and growing. Camping and hiking, gardening and canning, learning to really sew, thousands of projects around the house (curtains! hanging pictures! fixing up furniture!). I feel like I need to do everything before I have the baby at the end of July because it takes me at least 6 months to really get back into the swing of things. I'm excited for this summer though, as Eden is old enough to walk around and really enjoy being outside. Summers in Washington are THE BEST. Seriously. It's not too hot, everything is green and lush and growing delicious things like cherries and blackberries, and the mud dries up. Oh I can't wait for the mud to dry up. Happy Friday!

On the day before easter

2010-04-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

we brought home some new babies. they have already doubled in size. they really like water. they really like to splash all the water out of their water dish and then chirp chirp chirp at us when we come to give them more. they live in our loft where it is toasty warm. they will eat slugs in our garden this summer, i hope i hope i hope.

baby names

2010-04-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

I somehow managed to name my first two girls without a single glance into a baby name book. I remember a baby name book that we had at my house growing up, and it basically consisted of thousands of names and their meanings. I sort of thought that is what all baby name books were and never felt like "wasting my time" looking through a name dictionary.

About a month ago, my friend Emily emailed me about a baby name book called The Baby Name Wizard and I requested it from the library without very high hopes. I was really surprised though, as it was really fun to read. It doesn't include an exhaustive list of names, which I really liked. My favorite part is the brother and sister name suggestions. I even found a name (Elle) that had BOTH Lia and Eden and sister name suggestions. What are the chances?

The best part was Mark even sat down and made a list of names. We now have four boy name possibilities and two girl names that I am happy with. I don't want to pick the final name until we meet the wee one, but I just wanted to recommend this book to anyone that is having a hard time coming up with names. There is also a website and a blog, which you may be familiar with. The blog is surprisingly interesting.

We didn't find out

2010-03-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were wondering.

I think it was the right choice this time around. :)

Thanks so much for your comments and stories!

It's a...baby!

2010-03-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

image via

Thanks so much for all the thoughtful comments! At first I thought there would be a landslide victory (not that it was a competition, not at all) in favor of finding out. But then there were a whole bunch of really great (and convincing) comments in favor of not finding out. Mark and I had fun reading them together last night. Mark says it's like peeking at your Christmas presents before Christmas. I really do see the magic and general wonderfulness of not finding out, and I do know that finding out is ALL for me and has nothing to do with the well-being of the baby. I'm just really curious! If anyone else has stories about how not finding out is so wonderful, please share them. I need to be extra-fortified for my appointment this afternoon. We weren't going to find out with Eden, but then the ultrasound tech asked if we were "really sure we didn't want to know what it is?" and Mark could tell that I was about to die of curiosity and caved. Boy or girl, we are just delighted that God has blessed our family with another little soul.

monday=random

2010-03-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

So, we could find out this week if the baby is a boy or girl. Mark wants to wait and I want to find out because I am soooo curious. How do you people NOT find out what the baby is without going crazy? Give me some tips here because I really want to humor Mark but I just really can't stand the anticipation. Plus, if it's a boy, I need to start collecting boy clothes, right? And there's the baby quilt that needs to be made. And a name? I don't really want to wade through girl's names again if the baby is a boy. The worst thing is I keep trying to convince Mark that he would like to know what the baby is and I'm pretty sure it's getting annoying but I can't help it!

This has been the best pregnancy so far. I finally feel sort of comfortable with the whole having a baby thing. With Lia I was terrified because I didn't know what to expect, and with Eden I was terrified because having Lia was so hard. This time I feel like I really know what I want from the whole birth experience, and I know I can have a baby without an epidural, and I can sleep with a baby in my bed without suffocating it, and that I will be able to take care of more than one child and the whole thing is so exciting.

This has also been the best winter since I lived in Arizona. I honestly can't believe it's almost over, it never really seemed to get started. The faster winter goes by, the happier I am. Daffodils and plum trees are blooming and the grass is growing and I am apparently really happy today, though I didn't know it until just now. Hooray for Monday, and spring, and babies! And green sequined bows!

chicken coop treasure

2010-03-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Lia brought in the cutest mini-egg a few days ago. She thought it was a guinea egg at first because she found it on the ground in the coop. Those guineas seem to lay their eggs wherever they happen to pop out...we even found one in the waterer!

But it was darker and smaller than a guinea egg, so I knew it must have come from one of the chickens. I did a little research and found out they are not terribly uncommon. But still, so cute, right? I was hoping it would have a tiny yolk inside, but it was all white. I wish I knew who laid this little gem!

good gardening books

2010-03-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

our garden last year in August

This time of year I just can't read enough about gardening. I was going to do a post about my favorite gardening books, but instead I compiled a list on goodreads with some of the gardening and homesteading books I've read, along with some quite poorly written reviews. I also included some books that I want to read this year.

You can check out my list here. (I don't think you need to sign up to see it. Let me know if it doesn't work).

Does anyone have a favorite gardening book that I haven't read?

2010-02-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

awesome:

sisters

sisters making faces in photo booth

sisters sleeping in the same room

salad for lunch

girl scout cookies for dessert

2010-02-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

today

2010-02-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

"E's wearing an edie-tard and I'm wearing a lia-tard"

little edie

2010-02-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

She still has the most delicious cheeks.

It's hard to believe we are having another baby while Edie is still very much my baby. I was thinking back to when Lia was this age, and I thought she was so grown up.

Her favorite book lately is My New Baby. I'm starting to wonder if she knows and understands more about the changes that are happening than I think she does!

lunch

2010-02-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

I threw together this tasty little combo a few nights ago for dinner for myself. Mark was gone and the kids had already eaten. I needed something easy that didn't require a lot of effort or dirty dishes. I gauge a lot of my activity in the kitchen on how many dirty dishes it creates, and this one is a winner.

After eating it for dinner, I was so excited to have it for lunch the next day. I just might have it again today. Filling and healthy and easy.

Here we go. When you start to feel a little hungry, or about an hour before lunch, scrub up a potato (or five) and throw it in the oven. I recommend Yukon Gold, but red potatoes would be good, or even a russet. This meal is super filling, so the potato should probably be smaller than the size of your fist. I baked this one in my toaster oven (new!) at 400 degrees for 50ish minutes. Take it out, cut an "X" in it, and press the two ends together to split it open. Plop a good knob of butter in there to melt. (You could skip the butter, but why?)

While the butter melts, get an egg frying on the stove. I like mine runny inside for this recipe.

While the egg fries, take a knife and fork and slice up your baked potato. I like to slice the skin into bite size pieces so it's easy to eat while I read blogs during my lunch hour. Salt and pepper to taste.

Now add a big handful of greens. This is the organic spring lettuce mix from Costco. You know the one. Baby spinach would also be good. They get a little wilty, so keep that in mind when choosing your greens. I topped it with a balsamic vinaigrette (just olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, s + p) that I had in the fridge. It will drip down and soak the potatoes in spots and be SO GOOD.

Don't forget the egg! It should be about done now, slide it on top of the greens.

Add a generous grating of real parmesan cheese.

Eat! I like to mash and stir mine all together, but it doesn't look so appetizing then. Relax with your beverage of choice.

I love lunch time.

a triumphant return

2010-02-18T11:15:00.001-08:00

It's been a long time, and I've missed you.

Top to bottom, left to right

*Leftover baked yukon gold potato, black olives, lightly steamed carrots, skinny celery sticks

*Hard boiled egg, spring lettuce mix, cauliflower, raisins

*Baby bella mushrooms, cheddar cheese squares, frozen peas, tiny fuji apple pieces

The olives, cheese, and eggs were gone in the first round.

My biggest focus with the snack tray right now is to get more vegetables into the girls' diet. This one doesn't have much fruit, but it IS the middle of winter and they don't really need help in that area.

Eden took a bite of, then spit out, an olive, a pea, a celery stick, a piece of lettuce, and a piece of baked potato. Wonderful. At least she tried.

and the winner is...

2010-02-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

Becky!

(and she has really wonderful news posted on her blog right now. Check it out. Congratulations!)

Email me your address and I will get the seeds out asap. Tomorrow, hopefully. :)

It's overcast and rainy here today. I am making this tomato soup with frozen tomatoes from the summer that I am roasting in the oven and leeks from the garden instead of the onions. What's for dinner at your house tonight?

The garden in February

2010-02-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

We didn't tuck our garden in for a long winter sleep last year...things were busy around here and my enthusiasm was completely spent. There was really hard freeze here in December, but after that the weather has been quite nice, and even beautiful on some days. It was sunnyish today so I took the kids out to see what was left in the garden...

Eden is cute

The chickens love the garden...must put up chicken wire once we start planting things.

These carrots are actually really tiny. I planted them in July and they just didn't have enough time to grow. Plus...I never thinned them. Maybe that was a problem?

A few beets and some garlic that wasn't harvested.

One sad kale plant and a lot of beautiful brussels sprouts. Too bad I don't really like them.

Lots of leeks...though many of them are quite thin. And earthworms!

Thank you garden, for growing food even when you are utterly neglected. I promise you this year will be better.

ETA: Yes, I totally published this post before I was done.

last chance for seed de-stash

2010-02-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

Add your name to the post below if you're interested in the seeds. I'll draw tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and send them out. Happy gardening!

Seed de-stash and giveaway?

2010-02-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

I went through my seeds from last year recently, in an effort to chop down my shopping list for this year. I kept them in a jar in the fridge, so I think most, if not all of them should still be quite viable. I'm too lazy to actually test them.

Anyways, I sorted them into three piles...seeds for my little garden, seeds for the big garden (aka I'm not interested in expending effort with these, but someone else in the family might be), and seeds that need a new home.

Most of the seeds that need a new home are better suited for a warmer climate and longer season than we have here in western Washington. Some need to be started really early and I don't want to mess around with. Some we honestly just didn't like. Turns out I like my tomatoes to be red.

Anyways, is there anyone out there that wants to give these seeds a new home? They are all heirloom varieties from Seed Savers, with the exception of some celery seeds from Territorial.

A quick list:

kale

leeks

kidney beans

sunberries

ground cherries

peppers

squash

watermelon

tomatoes

onions

lima beans

celery

As I said, many of these are suitable for warmer climates and longer seasons, so keep that in mind before you volunteer to adopt them. If several people are interested I'll have a little drawing. They really are good seeds, they just need more love, time, and heat than we can provide this year.

a little business talk

2010-02-11T15:12:00.001-08:00

So, remember a long time ago when I said we were going to sell grass-fed beef? Well, after a year and a half on the farm, we are finally to the point where we can start selling!

If you are in the Seattle area, and specifically in the Issaquah area, we are going to be out there with a freezer full of meat on Saturday. I've had some people contact me in the past, so I thought I would post here in case anyone was still interested.

We will have drop point in the Issaquah area where you can pick up your beef. Our meat is USDA inspected and sold by the pound. Quarter, halves, and wholes are sold by reservation only. For an order form with prices and more information, please email me at jillthornby at gmail.com.

Our beef is

*100% grass and hay fed

*Hormone and antibiotic free

*Organically raised (though we aren't certified organic yet)

*USDA inspected

*Dry-aged

*Tasty

Ok, that's it for the business for now. Back to the regularly scheduled programming.

waiting for spring

2010-02-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the congratulations! I really missed you all. So happy to be back.

So, I'm finally able to think about the upcoming spring and return to gardening without dread. I was completely burned out by the end of September last year, and was worried that I would never want to have anything to do with a garden again. Over the weekend I picked up a seed catalogue and something magical happened. I could feel the old enthusiasm returning (much to my relief...as a garden isn't so optional anymore).

This year I'm going to leave the big garden planning to the rest of Mark's family, and will happily pitch in for the planting and weeding. But with the baby due with the middle of summer, I am going to have to scale back. I'm hoping Mark will be able to build me a little 4 x 20 ft. bed to putter around in, sort of square-foot-garden style.

Anyways, it's not quite time to start any seeds, so Lia and I started an avocado pit this morning. With luck this little guy will sprout some roots and we can keep him as a house plant for a few years.

A three month unexplained blog hiatus can only mean one thing

2010-02-05T16:24:00.001-08:00

Morning sickness and the generalized first trimester apathy to most anything I once cared about. With Eden it was scrapbooking, with this baby it was reading. I read one book during the first twelve weeks (The Hunger Games). I also decided I would never blog again, but here I am.

WE ARE SO EXCITED. I don't think that really came across in the first paragraph, but we are. I think (as I did with my other two pregnancies) that this one is a boy. We've had a boy name picked out since I was pregnant with Lia that we both love, but what if it's another girl? I feel like I will never be able to find another girl name that we both love.

I better stop before I go off on a baby/pregnancy ramble. I think I will be around more, and I might even take some pictures and post them! Dream big!

PS-thanks to those who have checked in on me. We are all doing fine. :)

negligent parenting on Sunday mornings

2009-10-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday mornings can get pretty crazy around here. Especially Sunday mornings when I have to teach in Relief Society and Mark has meetings before church and there's a potluck afterwards.

I was bustling around trying to get ready. Both girls were already in their church clothes, and Lia even let me put her hair in braids! I dashed into the bathroom, pulled my eye makeup out of the medicine cabinet above the sink where Mark was brushing his teeth and proceeded to apply it in another mirror. Black eyeliner on the top lash line only, then curl my eyelashes, then mascara. Where's the mascara? I know I took it out of the medicine cabinet. Not on the floor. Not in the drawer. I couldn't find it anywhere so I pulled out an older tube and carefully brushed it on.

A couple minutes later I hear Mark gasp and I turned around to see Eden toddling into the bathroom, with my tube of mascara in her dimpled hands. She had carefully brushed mascara onto her eyes and lips, and hands, and white smocked dress. Oh my! She was dashed down to the clean-up crew (aka grandma) so I could bake some cookies and print out my lesson. But of course we had to take a few pictures first. There's always time for pictures.

That winsome smile! After making such mischief!

Saturday

2009-10-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

I wasted most of beautiful Saturday cleaning my house...not merely tidying, but actually cleaning. We dashed outside after Eden woke from a late nap and just caught the last of the golden sunshine before it sunk behind the mountains. It was one of those evenings where I really get all the fuss over autumn, and I wished we had had more time to savor it.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. They really do go by too fast, don't they?

the newest additions

2009-10-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

Two spirited little girls have made their way to the farm. I wouldn't exactly call them cute, but they are good-looking in their own way. They are not pets, and therefore don't have names. Sort of. But Mark might have named one Lucy, and I can't help but call her that when I go to visit. They love to root around more than anything else in the world. They also sleep snuggled together under their heat lamp which is terribly sweet. But they are not pets. Not pets.

Our chickens are happily laying in their nest boxes, with the exception of those wild Americaunas. We found a nest in a pile of debris with 9 light blue-green eggs and promptly stole them all away. We found one blue-green egg a day in the nest box for the next three days, but they've since found a new hiding place. Even without their contributions, we are getting about 10 eggs a day. Today Mark found a guinea egg on the floor of their coop! Those silly birds have less common sense than any other animals on this farm!

garland of autumn

2009-10-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago the girls and I ventured outside to collect some Autumn decorations. I didn't have anything specific in mind...I just knew that this would be the year that I did more than just think about decorating. I would actually do it.

I made this garland with some of the leaves and Alder seed pods we collected, along with some fabrics scraps and jute. Super easy and fast. I also thought of pressing the leaves, but I'm quite fond of the unruly look of the curly leaves... like they were just blown in by the autumn wind.

Lia wanted a decorated pumpkin similar to one the Grandma got from a Relief Society dinner. I was worried that she wouldn't like my version as I used real leaves and such. It's not quite as colorful, but Lia loved it and insisted that it must reside in her room.

I also found the prettiest moss covered branch, which I hung over our bed and added some of our well-loved vintage birds. As there is a decided autumn chill in the air, some have donned acorn caps for extra warmth.

The best part of all the decorating was that I didn't have to spend a penny. Everything came from outside or around the house.

I hope you're all enjoying the cozy weather and lots of apples! We have a couple of new additions to the farm. Pictures soon!

For future reference

2009-09-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

If a chicken has a small nest in the small barn, perhaps you should check for a big nest in the big barn....

The first egg

2009-09-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Conversation with my brother-in-law
Friday afternoon

Jon : I think I saw one of the chickens making a little nest in the hay in the small barn.

Me : Oh really? Are you sure she wasn't just having a little dirt bath, but in the hay?

Jon : Well, it was looking a lot like a nest.

Me : Huh. Well I don't think so, they're not going to be 5 months old until October. I think it's still too early.

Conversation with my husband
Saturday mid-day

Mark : Did you know there's a chicken making a nest in the small barn?

Me : Jon told me, but I doubt it's making a nest really. What kind was it?

Mark : An Americauna.

Me : Hmm. Well I don't think they're quite ready to start laying yet. I talked to a chicken guy yesterday and he said it probably wouldn't be until November, and that the first to start laying would be the Barred Rocks.

(Mark throws me a doubtful look)

Saturday evening Jon asked Lia if she wanted to go see if there was anything in the nest in the barn. And guess what they found...

Lia was waving this perfect little green egg above her head triumphantly. It was so exciting.

PS- The chickens have a half-finished nest box area in their coop, but it's obviously not good enough. We'll have to work on that.

Check it off the list

2009-09-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

We finally finished the chalkboard wall. It was one of those projects that we had been meaning to do, but just hadn't gotten around to.

There is still so much to do in the house...

Paint/install trim
Paint doors
Install pantry door
Build closet/pantry shelves
Install tile backsplash and shelves in kitchen
Install stove hood
Install kickboards under kitchen cupboards
Finish loft stairs
Clean/organize/arrange loft with guest beds and craft stuff
Install cupboards in bathroom
Install vanity light in bathroom
Build storage in computer area
Reupholster kitchen chairs/couch and matching chair
Make curtains for the windows
Make shower curtain for bathroom
Hang pictures

Those are the big things that I am constantly thinking about. I also need to do another massive purge. Oh, that will be so fun. I'm hoping this fall and winter we'll have time to tackle most of this stuff. We looove our little house so much.

An early bloomer

2009-09-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

I wasn't expecting any eggs until October, maybe November, but it looks like we have an early bloomer in our little chicken flock. I'll tell you the story of how it all went down tomorrow (oh the suspense!) but in the meantime I thought I'd post a little comparison picture. You know one of the first things we had to do with the egg is compare it to the competition.

The top egg is ours, and though tiny, it really does have that lovely orangey yolk that you hear so much about these days. The middle egg is from a local organic farm that feeds their chickens greens and grass clippings, but the birds don't really "free range" like ours do. The have large pens but the plant life has long since been torn out by the constant scratching. The bottom egg is the basic grocery store chicken egg. Looks pretty sad, huh?

the best thing in eden's little world

2009-09-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

My 13 month old baby finally managed to pop her first little tooth out, and she has another one following right on its heels. I am experiencing the whole drama of "teething" for the first time. Lia seemed to just wake up with a new tooth every now and then...but that's so not the case with Eden.

Anyways, last week I went to this big flea market weekend and I bought a chocolate covered banana to share with Lia. Eden started mmmm mmm mmming as soon as she saw it, and the sweet lady at the booth pulled out a half a frozen banana on a stick and handed it to her. She said she freezes the bananas when they break for just such occasions.

Eden, who normally refuses the soft and creamy banana goodness, was in heaven eating her little banana popsicle. I have to imagine it felt just wonderful on her sore little gums.

I know frozen bananas are nothing new, but they are so easy and so good and so healthy I thought I might write this as a little reminder. I haven't had a frozen banana on a stick for years, but I'm thinking it might become a daily ritual as long as these summery days last.

We've been sooooo busy (for reals)

2009-09-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

Remember that mudslide back in January? Mark, along with his dad and brothers, spent the spring and summer working to repair the farm. With all the repair work, and building the house, and putting in the hay, and all the normal farm stuff going on, Mark has hardly had a moment to breathe.

But the farm is looking so much better. They just finished the corrals - quite a big milestone. You can see them in the back of this picture.

While I'm sad to see summer fade away, I'm looking forward to the slower pace and shorter work days that fall and winter will (hopefully!) bring.

Li and E

2009-09-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

A sister is to share her yogurt.

The guinea fowl

2009-09-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe these are the same birds!

The poor guineas are so...well...lets just say they make the chickens look brilliant. Every morning they are presented with the almost insurmountable task of finding their way out of the chicken coop. When Mark or I open the door the chickens fly out. If the guineas manage to stay with the crowd they're fine, but if they are on the other side of the coop or busy eating...oh dear. They pace back and forth, raking their heads against the chicken wire, completely unaware of the 3 foot hole just inches away, trying SO hard to join the rest of the flock.

They have been adopted by one of our sweet barred rocks, and they follow her around devotedly. The rest of the chickens just seem to tolerate them. Though they haven't become the organic pest control we hoped they would be...it would be strangely quiet without them around. I've grown quite used to (though not fond of) the constant chatter they provide.

lia's room

2009-09-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

a huge milestone

2009-09-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

A pile of fabric scraps all neatly folded by lia - without my knowledge or guidance.

No more laundry folding for me! woohoo!

we've been sooooo busy

2009-09-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

happy weekend

2009-08-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Pictures from our little (or long, depending on who you ask) hike today. (That's Mt. Rainier in the background.) Lia carried her bear for almost the entire 3.4 miles. Feeling blessed to live in such a beautiful world.

early this morning

2009-08-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

this guy decided it was time to exercise his vocal cords. We call him the little rooster, the "big rooster" is over 16 lbs and quite lazy. I have little love left in my heart for him. Call me crazy but I'm not fond of any animal that attacks me when I try to feed it. He would have been in the stew pot a long time ago, but the men have been too busy to harvest any chicken.

The intrepid chickens roam all over now, but they tend to stick to shady areas for most of the day. They make me so happy, except when I have to chase them out of the garden in the evening.

don't you hate it when

2009-08-18T17:59:00.001-07:00

you finally get the kitchen kind of clean...just in time to make dinner?
it sure beats than trying to cook in a dirty one though!

ps- i cropped out the cluttery parts.

another rainy day

2009-08-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

I know we really needed this rain...but I'm feeling anxious for the return of summer. I'm avoiding the garden as much as possible because the slugs are out in full force. I know, I should probably be out there exterminating them but, yuck.

The guineas have been free ranging with the chickens this past week. On the first day we let them out, I scooted them over to the garden with instructions to eat as many bugs and slugs as their little hearts desired. They proceeded to walk through a bed of newly planted green manure, nibbling at the plants (i thought they didn't eat greens!) and then made four neat dust baths right in the middle of the bed. Needless to say, they were promptly scooted out. I didn't want them dust bathing in my beet and radish seedlings.

blackberries!

right now

2009-08-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

it's dark and misty outside

Eden is asleep in my lap

Lia is eating granola in mismatched pajamas

the guineas are making a racket. It sounds like we have three terribly squeaky gates outside being open and shut, open and shut

the dirty dishes are too much for the sink to contain

mark is out working, despite his cold

ripe plums are falling from the trees

green beans need to be picked

I have an extra long to-do list, but I'm tempted to stay inside all day to read books and play with legos.

in the quest for garden domination

2009-08-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

I think the pumpkins may be winning. The spaghetti squash is not far behind, with weeds coming in at a close third. Hopefully this cooler weather (highs in the 60's) will slow them down a bit. Seriously...last week the highs were in the 100's, and this week we're all bundled up.

How is your garden doing?

Wild plum compote with honey

2009-08-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

One of the wild plum trees around here is loaded with these sweet cherry-sized orange-red plums. We went out and picked some yesterday. I found their texture different from the plums I'm used to...it was kind of a cross between a plum and an apricot. I can't say that I really LOVE eating them straight off the tree. But after coming across this recipe for plum compote, I knew I had found the perfect use for them.

After rinsing all the plums, I had to pop all the pits out. It was a huge pain. I used a bobby pin and slit the plum from them stem end to the blossom end, then squeezed the two ends together gently to loosen the pit. Then I used the pin to pop it the rest of the way out. Yes, it took forever.

I put all the plums in a large stock pot and poured some honey on top. Then I simmered and stirred for maybe 10 or 15 minutes. I didn't add a ton of honey...I wanted it to stay nice and tart. After I finished cooking the plums I let it cool in the pot for an hour or so, then drained off a bit of the liquid. I think I'll mix the liquid with some sparkling water for a little plum soda. The rest I froze, and plan on stirring into yogurt and oatmeal, or topping pancakes or dutch babies. Ohhh, I think it will be so good on a dutch baby with a little powdered sugar.

the beach

2009-08-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach this weekend to celebrate our 5th anniversary on the 31st. It was also Eden's birthday on the 1st! I have no words to describe the trip, so I'll stick with pictures.

milkshakes for lunch

2009-07-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

milk + frozen blueberries + a bit of honey = perfect lunch when it's 88 degrees inside the house

bonus: it's purple. perfect princess food.

minis

2009-07-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of May I stuck some garlic cloves in the ground, just to see what would happen. I had missed the optimal planting time by, oh, months. But anyways, I had one of those big bags of garlic and so I stuck them in between the spinach and fennel.

I had waited so patiently, never even sneaking a peak to see what was going on. Today I couldn't stand it any longer, and I pulled up one of the little garlic plants and discovered the cutest head of garlic I ever laid eyes on!

I'm not sure what to do with it, should I use it right away? Let it cure first? I don't think it's really mature...so I don't know. Anyone?

UPDATE: I just peeled the outside of the garlic (though I'm not sure this was necessary) and sliced the garlic cloves thinly then stir-fried them with the baby carrots, peas, broccoli, and an onion. I added just a bit of soy sauce, grapefruit juice, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil and served over brown rice. The garlic slices were mild and delicious.

I also thinned some of the carrots. I have been meaning to do that forever. I did manage a pretty little bundle of babies for lia.

The garden is seriously out of control right now, and so is the heat wave that is hitting us...tomorrow it's supposed to get up to 99 degrees! I know, i know, the Tucsonians have no pity for me. But it's not a dry heat! And we have no AC! What to do!

i love chickens

2009-07-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

do you?

an adventure

2009-07-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

dance party

2009-07-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

a day with the cousins is never complete with out dress-ups and a dance party or two...or four...or five.

cherries!

2009-07-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

The cherries are ripe for the picking on the cherry trees around here. I have plans to dry and freeze some, but I've also been looking for other ways to preserve them. I know I could make jam, but I'd prefer something with less or no sugar. Does anyone have any ideas? Or really good cherry recipes? Time is running out...please help!

around here

2009-07-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

i know, i know

2009-07-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

I keep saying I'm back. Really I am. But things are just so busy. The garden eats up any spare time I have. It is marvelous though.

The weeds are really trying to get the better of me. We didn't have time to build the real raised beds with the fancy wood borders, and we're kind of paying the price now. The weeds creep in from every direction.

The chickens are really growing. We built them a portable coop and let them free range during the day. If I had the time, I would pull up a lawn chair and watch them for hours. At least one of our "laying hens" is a rooster...a few more are suspect.

I had this big post planned. I took pictures of the garden and the cherry tree that is heavy with fruit and the cows that are back from their visit across the road. Our house smells like blueberry muffins because I'm dehydrating some of the 40 pounds of blueberries we bought from a place nearby.

I'm starting to understand what it's really like to live with the seasons, and how backwards things have been most of my life. There are no lazy days of summer on a farm. House projects, sewing projects, scrapbooking, have all been pushed to the back of my priorities. They don't even make my to-do list. Life right now seems to revolve around food, both for us and the animals. Growing it, eating it, drying it, and putting it up for the winter.

the fourth

2009-07-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I made a very last minute decision to catch a ride down to Utah with my brother-in-law. I took the two girls with me, but Mark had to stay behind to take care of the farm. They have been haying like mad...5:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night. I can't imagine how exhausted he must be. I'm heading back home tomorrow, with my mom and sister! So excited to show them the farm.

Here's some pictures from the ballon launch in Provo that we went to on the fourth. :)

Back

2009-06-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

So I finally ordered a keyboard from ebay, along with a new (used) mouse. It shipped yesterday, but today I found a $2 apple keyboard at the thrift store and brought it home with me. And it works! Hooray! The bottom two rows of keys on my keyboard didn't work...and I realized how many words contain "n" and "m" and "c" and "b" because if I wanted to look something up I had to type the word and then fill in the blanks using the Edit>copy method because my keyboard shortcuts didn't work. Anyways, it's amazing to be able to type again. Thanks to Ellen for offering to send me one. I probably would have taken you up on the offer if I hadn't already ordered on from Ebay.

Four cute guinea fowl have found their way to our farm. I'm hoping they will eat the pests in my garden when they get older. I heard they are great for organic gardens because they eat the bugs and leave the greens alone. I've also heard they are very loud. We will see!

2009-06-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

wisteria

2009-06-06T21:18:00.000-07:00

I think I'm back. We finally have internet in our little home and we have most of the garden planted. My two biggest excuses for not blogging are gone, so here I am. I've missed you all!

This is the wisteria the is growing at "the old house." So pretty.

weekly chick update

2009-05-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

Mark summed it all up this morning when he said, "Ah, they grow up so fast."

Check out the same chicks just a week ago here.

the trout farm

2009-05-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

We moved the cows across the highway to a new piece of property. There's not enough grass in the pastures this year...the herd is larger and a lot of the ground is still covered with mud.

Anyways, we call this land the trout farm. In some places the grass is taller than I am, and the cows are in heaven.

today

2009-05-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

The cow crossing went off without a hitch! I missed it because Eden was sleeping inside. It's weird not having the cows around though. Very quiet.

I finally pulled out my scrapbooking stuff. I let the dirty dishes sit in the sink, and the clean clothes sit in a heap, unfolded and jumbled together. I knew if I waited until I got all the house work done, I would never actually get to scrapbooking because I have two sidekicks that help to undo much of what I do throughout the day. Craft time is making a comeback.

moving

2009-05-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Tracy asked where i got the rug in the kitchen. I got it at an estate sale a couple years ago so who knows where is came from originally.

Becky asked what I'm going to do about the mole. I found a few ideas after googling moles in the garden. To be continued...

hardening off is hard to do

2009-05-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Romanesco Broccoli

Red Russian Kale

Ground Cherry

Mexican Sour Gherkin

After a many, many rainy days, the sun came out. It was time to harden off the plants. Mid-morning last Friday I set them out. We spent some time in the garden. I had this nagging feeling that I should probably bring the plants in...that perhaps blasting them with sun after days of clouds and rain probably wouldn't make them happy. But then I decided to leave them, telling myself that they would be fine because the deck is shaded by the house in the afternoon anyways.

When I finally made it back to check on my plants, some of them had been sunburned. The edges of their leaves were turning white and looking quite sad. Oh my babies!

There are things that should have already been planted out that I'm trying to harden off without killing but I want to plant them out now! I have very little patience for this sort of thing...the shuffling of the 10 assorted boxes and trays of stuff in and out, and stressing over whether they can tolerate more or less.

And to top it all off, there are moles swimming through our fluffy raised beds. I'm sure they think they've found paradise but they've decimated my dwarf sugar peas.

I'm ok, really.

the weekend

2009-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

hooray for warm, sunny weather!
we visited the tulip fields yesterday.
hope your weekend has been as beautiful as ours.

meet the cast (3 week old chicks)

2009-05-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

the chicks are 3 weeks old(ish)
I want to introduce you to a few that have stolen my heart.

(i apologize that the text is so hard to read. click on the pictures to see a larger version. it's too lovely a day to spend any more time fiddling with photoshop.)

the farm girl

2009-05-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

"Farm girls don't care when they step in a cow pie."
-Lia

meet the cast

2009-05-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

on simplifying

2009-05-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I wrote some posts on simplifying. I felt a bit like a fraud writing them because I hadn't actually LIVED much with my drastically reduced possessions. I pretty much gave a bunch of stuff away then packed the rest into boxes (about a year ago now).

We are slowly moving into our house (farm stuff has been taking priority) and it's been really fun opening some of the boxes and pulling out the stuff. My kitchen is almost entirely unpacked, except for one box that is missing that contains all my good kitchen trinkets. The lime and orange juicer (essential) the whisk-looking thingies that go on my hand mixer, measuring cups, ladle, pizza stone, rolling pin, whisk, spatulas, etc. I had all this stuff in one big miscellaneous drawer at my old house, and therefore packed it all together for the move. And it's missing and driving me crazy.

I've had to borrow some essentials from Mark's mom...a whisk, a rolling pin, a measuring cup. But a lot I have been doing without and I'm actually ok. I actually kind of like the challenge of trying to beat the sugar and eggs until they are light and fluffy with just a whisk and my arm muscles. (So far I'm only mildly successful).

I have opened up some boxes and wanted to shut them right back up and send them away. After all, I've lived a pretty happy year without it. And there are boxes of stuff (like my fabric) that I haven't yet opened but I'm eagerly anticipating.

There is one thing that I think I gave away and I wish I hadn't. It's this high chair from ikea. I really liked it! I cannot recall why I gave it away, other than we have one that hooks onto a chair and I probably thought that one was more space-saving. I pulled it out a couple weeks ago only to find the straps covered in MOLD. I have never had a problem with mold, other than perhaps growing on some old bread or gravy that was pushed to the back of the fridge for 2 months. But up here, mold grows on just about anything damp if you're not careful because it doesn't dry out.

Anyways, until I can deal with the mold problem, Eden is kind of high chairless. Or she would be, except that someone from our church gave us this walker. And it fits perfectly in the parking garage (where we decided we didn't need a dishwasher after all). The little tray in front is perfect for little pieces of food. Last week Eden was pinching little grains of rice and carefully placing them in her mouth, when I noticed she was moving slower and slower and getting that glazed look in her eyes. Just moments later she dropped off to sleep.

The walker works for now because she hasn't figured out how to move around in it much. Soon she will though, and then it will have to go. But it reminded me of this article my friend sent me about finding exactly what you need when you need it, and I found it so true in this situation.

So, if you've made it this far, have you found anything lately (or ever) that came to you just in time? Do you even really believe that this happens?

the cows

2009-05-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Our cows are so happy to be turned out on the fresh green grass. No more hay until fall!

Isn't it beautiful? All of the Pacific Northwest is so beautiful, but I'm pretty sure we live in the most beautiful area of all.

Mark really loves his cows. I have to suppress a little twinge of jealousy every now and then. Just look at how happy they are together. I used to be the only woman in his life, but now he's got a whole herd of them following his every move. (It doesn't surprise me. He's very charming.)

what we've been up to

2009-05-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

last week mark brought home 24 new chicks. We lost one the first day but they've been growing like weeds ever since. lia is quite the mother hen, and wants to help with everything, even cleaning out their brooder.

We have four breeds...Rhode island reds, Ameraucanas, Black orpingtons, and Barred rocks. I'm quite fond of the little rhodies myself. These ladies will hopefully provide us with eggs in about five months. We're planning on building a portable coop to move along behind the cows, as they help fertilize the pastures and eat flies.

I never realized that chicks were so sweet. When you pick them up they usually are content to snuggle up and drift off to sleep.

to my mom

2009-05-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I woke up to the sound of Lia coughing in her room. She wasn't really awake, but she kept coughing and coughing. I pulled myself out of bed to check on her. She was still sleeping and didn't take me up on my offer of a glass of water. I tried to prop her up in bed, just like you used to when we were sick. I sat down on the bed and rubbed her legs. She woke up and mumbled "mama, I'm not doing well."

I snuggled under her quilt (made by Mark's mom when he was in high school from squares of his old blue jeans). I rubbed her back and talked to her, but I was thinking of you and the things you would to for me when I was sick. Orange juice with a straw. Sleeping on the couch at night watching movies to take my mind off how miserable I was. Holding my forehead. Rubbing my legs. Propping me up so I could breathe better.

My thoughts wandered to other times. Tapioca pudding after going elk spotting at the Hat Ranch. Dr. Laura on the radio as you drove me to diving practice (I sat in the back of the car with headphones on). Shells and milk. Hiking through the aspens on Mt. Lemmon. Warm banana bread. George and Henry stories. Making moss cookies at the wash. Veggie grinders and pizza pretzels from Eegee's. Breakfast in bed on my birthday, complete with flowers from the yard and the comics all to myself. Playing Rook and Blind man's bluff. Running home after a bat swooped by our heads. Washing my hair and rinsing it off so tenderly under the warm water from the faucet. Holding my hand when I became a mom for the first time.

Thank you for your unselfishness and patience. They don't come easily to me so I appreciate them all the more.

I love you!

PS- If I was there I would make you a pan of cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and freeze them individually so you could make them last a long time.

the cherry tree

2009-05-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

this cherry tree was uprooted and washed down the crick (as they say around these parts) when the mudslides hit. it has still managed to put on an amazing show this spring though, with delicate clusters of white blossoms.

the hair

2009-05-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

an ongoing battle between the brush and lia's hair.
the hair usually wins.
she insists she likes her hair long and in her eyes.

clover

2009-04-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

Lia is always on the lookout for "heart leaves" on our walks in the woods.
We pick a few and nibble on the lemony leaves as we explore.
They like dark, shady spots, and fold up like little tripods when the sun finds them.

my loves

2009-04-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

a walk with just the three of us