I love nettles

Nothing means warmth and sun and the end of winter to me more than picking nettles. My mom would always make her nettle soup as soon as the leaves were up, and it was manditory eating as it was known as a "spring tonic" that would clean the blood and just generally perk a person up. We never minded though, we always loved the green stuff as far as I can remember.
There are a few good patches around the property and it has been a joy these past few years to pick from them every spring. I did discover that collecting nettles with a toddler in tow is a little more challenging, what with the stinging bits and all, so I didn't get as many picked as I wanted. Just enough to toss in with some spinach to make a yummy spanikopita,

And serve it up outside in the sun.

Add a greek salad and a great big spoon and you have one happy, sunny, perky family!

the great chicken round-up

The baby chicks are getting bigger, and are out of their little enclosure. This is great news for Ari as he is able to take up a new hobby- chicken herding!


And he's off!

Wondering why they keep running out the door, and if he could figure out how to follow.

The chickens that know what's good for them, waiting outside until the toddler gets scooped up and carted back home.

ring the bells

This is Ari's in his sweet little poncho from his auntie and uncle. Perfect for throwing over a pair of PJ's for an after dinner walk and visit of all the favorite local attractions, which include the wind chimes outside the big house. Chickens, ducks and any and all collections of pine cones are also on the list. And Perry and I have to check the garden obsessively for signs of growth. We think we lost our asparagus, but still hold out hope that it might be there one evening tall and happy and ready to be cooked up.
When we've all said goodnight to our favorite farm sites, it's back home to sleep. Or, more accurately a rowdy dance party leading to sleep. You wouldn't believe how this baby likes to dance it up before laying his head down. He is also developing some very fine dance moves of his own. His fancy footwork is one of the cuter things on the planet in my humble opinion. But then any one year old tap dancing to arcade fire would be up there on the list.

just playing

Outside playing by the campfire. Many more days like these to come this summer. We are having a hard time coming back inside to eat and sleep with such wonderful sunny days and so much to see- ducks on the pond, plants coming up in the garden, hummingbirds fighting over the feeders, and always other folks playing and working outside. With the light lasting so long (10:00!) and so much fun to be had outside, it is hard to convince the babe to sleep. We are all a little sleepy but enjoying the summer that has finally arrived.

laundry out to dry

Today was the first day that a beautiful day coincided with a laundry day, and I was able to hang out the clothes on the big line we have on the farm. I can see the line from the kitchen window and love noticing the different family's clothing out hanging- I always notice whose clothes are out and what sizes the kids clothes are. This post by tinyhappy got me thinking about the joys of laundry hanging, and the process of hanging it up. Group the clothing items with all the pants hanging together and all the underwear side-by-side? Hang each family members clothes separately? I tend to put all Ari's clothes together since it looks so cute blowing in the breeze.

I lived in a neighbourhood when I was going to university that did not allow residents to hang up their clothes (it looked bad for the tour buses apparently,) and I appreciate it all the more now. Hanging laundry has such a nostalgic feel- all our grandmothers and great grandmothers must have done this thousands of times. And it is a bonus that it is good for the environment, and that the laundry just looks lovely flapping in the wind. I especially love the feel of sheets hanging on the line, like cool airy forts just waiting for children to play in their midst. Here is a picture of Ari's current favorite past time. He has been trying so hard to say "dandelion" today I am almost ready to call it his second word. His first is "hot" which he says when we light the fire or turn on the oven in the kitchen. Nothing like "mama" so far, though we spend so much time together I'm not sure he has found the need for that one yet.

babywear and the great outdoors

A couple new things for a new baby. Some onesies and this little bear for the baby's big sister. Just have to cook up some treats for the mama, and make some soup for their freezer and we'll be set. Maybe add a pair of babylegs cause I think they are grand. And me, I'm off to bed. We all smell of woodsmoke and are feeling lighthearted after a wonderful campfire with friends. Ari chased bubbles and played ball with the big kids and just generally had a jolly time. I snapped a zillion pictures but haven't looked at them yet. Perhaps some to follow if they are any good. Now, bed. Happy long weekend!

tea in the garden and 7 random things

Here is our mother's day tea. Ari liked trying out all the spoons. He also had his first taste of sponge cake, the sweetest thing I think he's ever had and he thought it was pretty fine. He loved the horses and the dogs and he had to visit just about every daffodil we came across. This involved crouching down and putting his forehead to the flower and cooing. It took awhile to wander through the garden this way but we couldn't keep from smiling.

So I've been tagged by Di at woolly wanderings for the 7 things game. Seven things about myself. Lets see.
1. I sing a lot. I mostly make up little songs that don't rhyme very well or have much of a tune, but they entertain me. Now that I have a baby they usually involve whatever we are doing- changing a diaper, having a bath etc, but I did this before the baby too, much to my husband's amusement (at least I'd like to think it's amusement.) Although I used to be part of a band (hi nik!) I always hated the stage and am much happier making up songs in the comfort and safety of my own home.

2. Before blogging and having a baby I was a devoted journal keeper. I have boxes and boxes of the things. I haven't a clue what to do with them all, they mostly make me cringe to look through. Especially the teen years. Those journals hurt. I still have a journal on the go, but I don't get to it much these days.

3. I was raised on a macrobiotic diet. My parents were young hippies and believed wholeheartedly in natural foods. As the first child I was subjected to the fervor of this belief system (they lightened up a good deal with my siblings later on,) eating heaps of brown rice and tofu and steamed veggies. (Okay I still eat these things, but now it's by choice.) I remember orange juice being a big treat and my first taste of chocolate at about 7 or so. The funny thing is, they were also musicians and would go out for pizza and beer after gigs (pizza is about as unmacrobiotic as it gets,) and I remember waking up in the middle of the night in pizza parlors where we would stop on the way home from the babysitters. Pizza was the first word I learned to read and spell and I remember chanting p-i-z-z-a over and over hoping to end up in the pizza parlor more often.

4. I am afraid of flying objects. Needless to say any sports involving balls, Frisbees, or other projectiles are not particularly fun for me. Walking past ball fields makes me kinda sweaty and anxious. I hated taking kids to the gym as a substitute teacher. 30 kids with volleyballs in an enclosed space was challenging to say the least. I am trying to get over this. Someday I hope to actually enjoy a game of soccer with my kids.

5. When Perry and I met I wore army boots and had a shaved head. He had dreadlocks and wore clothes that had been patched a thousand times. We've both cleaned up a bit, but there is a little dreadlock and army boot in us still.


6. I went into education because I hated my own education. I always felt there had to be a better, more life-filled, joyful way of learning for children. I still hope to start a school one day, although I suspect I will be homeschooling my own kids in the meantime.


7. I have always been curious about the little details of other people's lives. I often listen in on strangers conversations (I try not too, they are just so interesting!) and report back to Perry about random things people have said or done. I love back alleys for all the little bits of people's lives that are scattered about in their backyards. I don't nose about or anything, I just like to notice what parts of themselves people show or leave about.


and I also like to cook. I made these pitas yesterday. mmm. And I'm not up to tagging, but if you want to play, consider yourself tagged.

mama's garden

Happy mothers day! I thought a picture from my mom's garden (last summer, not much blooming yet this year,) would be a good way to celebrate the day. Aren't these hollyhocks delicious?

We are celebrating in other ways too, planting our garden and travelling up to our favorite farm for their mother's day tea with my mom after the babe wakes up from his nap. I would wish my mom a happy day here, but I am officially still in the blogger closet and she doesn't know this alter identity of mine. So I'll have to hug her in person which is better anyway.

a few things

At least once a week when I go into town for a play date or visit with my mom I hit the thrift store. These are a few things I've gathered recently. These books are sort of like that invitation to the secret sewing society I was looking for. Tons of hints and ideas. I should have known that what I really needed was to read some books. I got a ton of patterns too, the ones shown and a bunch of old softie patterns. I especially love the one for doll clothes- it was well used and has a cut but still unsewn piece in the envelope. Gold weave panties. Eww. Probably best they never got sewn.I also dyed an old wool yellow blanket a few days ago inspired by mollychicken's woolyness and soulemama's love of wool. What fun!I used dylon dye- scarlet and havana brown- and just kept adding different pieces to the dyepot to get a bunch of different shades. I tried to choose colours that would work alright with the yellow and I'm pleased with what I got although the lightest shade of scarlet needs to be re-dyed because it came out blotchy. I'm not quite sure what my first project with it should be though I'm itching (ha!) to make some more softies soon.

Night walking

Tonight Perry is out as a sponsor for his school's 30-hour-famine, an all night affair, and Ari and I had the day and evening on our own. Perry has recently been handling the bedtime routine, and so Ari found it a little funny for me to be bathing him and reading him stories. And when it came to the part where Perry usually dances him to sleep, well he was having none of it. He wasn't upset, he just had no plans of sleeping. 8:00 passed. 8:30. 9:00. Nothing was working. It had been a long day. The house was a disaster and I was in need of a break. 9:30. 10:00. No sleep. I started getting desperate. The lullabies were not working. Killing time watching babies laughing on youtube was not working (yup, that desperate.) So I pulled out the wrap sling that we have not used in ages, put a hat on him and wrapped us both up in a warm wool shawl and headed outside. It was dusk and the sky was still a pinkish orange. The birds were singing their last noisy evening songs and we could hear an owl's rusty hoot in the distance. Wood-smoke wafted down from the house's chimneys as I walked determinedly though the hayfield. Ari looked around surprised at this change of evening ritual. I just kept walking. The air felt good in my lungs and I could feel us both relaxing. We watched the first stars peek out and the colour change in the sky. Eventually Ari looked up at me and watched my face for awhile. He gave me a smile and then laid his little head on my chest and fell asleep. His warm little feet under the shawl, his deep contented breathing, the cold evening air filled with spring, the birds and the grass and the great big sky. I walked up to the swings on the open edge of the big hay barn and we swung gently together as the light faded from the sky and the house lights shone out across the yard and the trees turned to silhouettes against the sky. The warmly lit house with the lullaby music still playing felt quiet and blessed. I laid Ari down in the bed and watched his little chest rise and fall for awhile, both of us breathing deep and slow and contented.

around the farm

Until now it has been too snowy or wet or generally miserable to even think of taking pictures around the property, but is drying out and we are spending more time outside. With the sun comes the reminders of why I love this place. It is so thrilling to me to be able to see a piece of earth through the seasons having moved soooo many times in my life (I lost count at 25...) I love watching the red winged blackbirds come back and knowing where the best nettle patches are (soup recipe to come!) and watching the kids reclaim their forts in the trees. This is a good place to bring up our babe(s).

I didn't get any shots of the forts but I should do a post sometime just on the kid-created spots around here. They love to haul things out of our "dump-store" pile to use in their play. Yesterday I found a circle of old seat-less chairs placed around a tire rim filled up with dried dandelions that made me smile.

So here are a few shots from around the place. The chickens which entertain both Ari and I and are a regular stop on our daily walk, the eggs which I took several pictures of and then forgot to collect, Ari practicing his running in the front field and a llama looking out for bears.

And this is what walking back up the driveway looks like. We can only get a few feet before Ari has to stop and play in the gravel. He is a good reminder to slow down and notice the small stuff.

visit from the birthday pup

So here he is, the birthday sockpup. He's made from two socks that had worn out in the heel (and the shirt made from a knee sock I bought in Korea years ago which lost its mate,) and wool felt bits. I stuffed him with wool from a local farm that we visited last week. Ari is really liking softies and dolls these days and gave this fellow one of his famous snuggles when he first saw him which warmed my heart. He will, of course, snuggle just about anything, whether mama made or factory sewn as I saw today as he gave hugs in the store to a toy bear, a life sized rag doll and a squishy fabric ball. He isn't choosy with his snuggle partners yet. We'll work on that.
As you can see sockpup is a bit of a ham - he posed all over the house after his sweater was sewn. He doesn't get to sleep on the sewing machine all the time though. He's in the basket with the other softies now, hoping to score some baby snuggles.

Happy Birthday Baby

Dear Ari,

Oh, my dear sweet little love. It is incredible that a whole year has passed, that you have grown from that tiny little bundle asleep in the crook of my arm to a little boy who can toddle about on your own and wave good-bye and feed yourself dinner. I have been thinking back to this time one year ago, the looong labour, the feeling of elation that you had come into our lives, that I had brought you healthy and whole into this world. I stayed awake all night just to watch your incredible tiny face asleep.

Today when I laid you down for your nap I watched you sleep again, feeling so blessed to have you here, feeling so filled up with love for you. I feel so lucky to be your mama.You have been learning so much lately, it is a wonder to watch. You decided the day before your birthday that you would choose to walk, after spending the last month taking a few steps between your papa and I and crawling the rest of the time. You just took off and walked around the lawn and fire pit on those ridiculous squeaky shoes with such determination. How we cheered and celebrated!

You are also just observing so much and understanding more and more what is going on. You like to make us laugh and have an array of goofy tactics like raspberries or lip smacking or wild head shaking to accomplish this. You can also throw a ball, do a freestanding wiggle-dance to music, scribble with a pencil crayon, and point at whatever catches your attention. You have a mouth full of teeth (you are working on your 3rd and 4th molars) and enjoy brushing your own teeth. You don't like it much when mama helps your though. As your Nana would say, you clearly have a mind of your own- our little taurus.

We had a lovely party for you, and had a wonderful time. It was the first campfire of the season and you thought it was pretty great to eat outside and watch the dogs and people and the fire. I made you a yummy organic, fruit sweetened cake, but you mostly wanted to smear it about, not actually eat it. After dinner you showed off your new walking abilities by visiting everyone at the party one by one, and giving them each snuggles. You are the best darn snuggler around and melt hearts everywhere you go.
My baby. My heart. How I love you, how blessed I am to have you in my life. Thank you for being you, for being here with us, for being my sweet baby boy.

happy shirts

Having my in laws here is amazing. They insist on cooking our meals, doing our dishes and just generally being an incredible help. When Ari goes down for his nap (which has been a wonderful 2-3 hours lately,) there is nothing whatsoever to do but to head to the craft room. It's like going on a holiday at home.

I had been planning on fancy-ing up some of Ari's shirts (read: cover ugly stains on second hand tops,) but I didn't have a definitive plan until I saw angrychicken's post and then I hopped right into action. And oh, what fun! This bird one is my favorite, the fabric makes me even more giddy now that it is on my little one, and he loves birds these days, so he thinks its pretty sweet himself. The drum comes in close second, with a family full of drummers and Ari's love of drumming on just about any flat surface, it seems appropriate. I'll be making more with the squares of fabric as I got a stack of pre-cut quilt squares from a woman cleaning out her stash, so I don't even have to cut first.

I think I'll make some teeny ones next (maybe on some onsies that are not full of ugly stains) for the upcoming baby boom around here. Maybe with matching linen pants if I'm feeling very brave. I found the softest loveliest linen today and I know it needs to get turned into baby pants, but I'm not sure I trust my sewing ability enough to make them as gifts just yet. I'm having troubles with the seams giving way on the ones I made my boy. Sometimes I feel like there must be some secret society of people who sew that I never got to join where all the great wisdom on how to sew buttonholes and keep the bums of pants from giving way is bestowed upon the fortunate. Maybe my invitation is in the mail. In the meantime I'll happily keep sewing pre-cut fabric squares onto pre-made clothing for every baby in sight.