Weeding:: 

Dandelions and impossible garden expectations. Composting the guilt and feeding the greens to the chickens. So far nothing has been planted in their places-  perhaps we'll get a few seeds in to remind us of all that is growing and flourishing in our lives right now. Let most of the space remain fallow, knowing that some time to rest will help it all grow better in the future.

Noticing::

The piles of projects and unfinished bits. Accepting it wont all get done. Not this year, but really, not ever. Feeling gratitude for such a full life.

Laughing::

At Perry and I both going on separate grocery shopping trips today- he with the farm truck, me with the boys and the car- both of us crossing the same items off our lists. We'll be good to eat from our bulging fridge for awhile now.

Loving:: 

my sweet boys and this hideout they discovered at the top of the old goat barn, already furnished by the last batch of children that roamed this farm. Their excitement as they climb up and down the ladder, adding their own special touches.

Watching::

Our chickens. They provide us with endless entertainment. I love the constant rotating list of names the boys have for them: Rocket, Red-a, Necklace, Itchy, Bravey-Brave. 

Welcoming::

The new leaves on the trees, the greening up of the world after all the rain, the bees our friend has brought to our property for the season.

  

Tasting:: 

Fresh farmers market greens, the first radish from my mom's greenhouse, fiddle heads.

Soaking up::

Love from my boys on Mother's Day, cards and pancakes in bed and then a lovely celebration at a friend's house later in the day. 

Happy Monday, friends.

Oh, what glorious weather we are having! It feels like summer, though the trees are just starting to bud, and the grass is just starting to grow. Such a treat to get a little early heat wave! We've been outside, around home or at the lake, enjoying every minute of it.

We celebrated our biggest boy's 7th birthday- Seven! It is hard to believe seven years have passed since he came into our lives. We had some family time together, and then our super social boy needed a party too, of course. 14 little friends running around in the sunshine- good fun!

 This was my solution to goody bags- Air really wanted a treasure hunt, but I wasn't organized enough to make or order anything special and couldn't bring myself to buy  dollar store toys, so I made these little craft bags and added a couple small, healthy (ish) treats and some bubbles and called it treasure. The kids seemed pleased.

Ari was spoiled up good this birthday, and he received this electric drum kit from my parents, which he is over-the-moon about. He plays constantly, and he is really learning so much from being able to play along with songs and pick up the sticks whenever he feels the urge. And the fact that it is quieter than the tin-can set he's been playing nearly everyday since he was two is an added bonus for this noise-sensitive mama!

And me, I am getting to that stage in later pregnancy where I am really feeling myself slowing down. I have a big list of things I want to get done before baby gets here, and I am slowly (very slowly) making my way through it, but really, sitting in the hammock and knitting is really all I want to be doing these days. I have a big pile of unfinished baby knit projects to work my way through. When we were trying for a baby, I started many, many little baby projects (there are several more around the house that didn't make their way into this picture,)  but during that time I often could not bring myself to finish them, so now I am working my way through the pile of toe-less teeny socks and half knit soakers and sweaters and hats and it is mighty satisfying to see the pile of baby knits grow. 

This weekend the rains are supposed to come, and the usual chilly spring weather with them. There may be less hammock knitting and more knitting by the wood stove again this weekend- we'll see.
Happy Friday, friends!

 

  We spent the weekend celebrating the birthday of this wonderful man of mine- with our little family and then with family and friends. Perry, we love you so. Happy Birthday my love.  

We are celebrating our sweet four year old this weekend. Four! How can it be? We love you so, precious boy, and are so blessed to have you as our child. You are such a joy to us, such a shining, beautiful, sweet, snugly  goofy, lovely little boy. Happy Birthday Dorian! 

(more on the pirate birthday party later- oh we did have fun!)

 We had a lovely busy farm weekend, working away on various projects, gardening and cleaning (thanks for tackling that icky root cellar, babe!) and making some home school manipulatives and getting the freezers sorted. We organized them into monthly bags like the wonderful Jules does- carefully divvying out all that good food- the strawberries and the fish and the peas and the beans and the meat and the nettles and the zucchini and the huckleberries and gooseberries and raspberries- into monthly sacks so we get to enjoy it all over the whole winter season. It is going to be so exciting to pull those bags out of the freezer at the beginning of every month! 

 We didn't get to many of the equinox celebrations we had thought to do, but we did manage a fancy supper and homemade honey marshmallows- roasted over a candle at the dinner table! We were uncertain about a campfire with all the dry weather and we haven't needed to light the woodstove, so we decided to give candle roasting a try- good fun. Although we have yet to settle on a sure celebration for autumn equinox, in many ways we are celebrating daily with the abundance around us at this time of year. We celebrated with good local food and sharing some sweetness together. 

Happy Autumn, friends.

 Summer Solstice Prayer to the Sun

Dear Sun, Thank you for turning all the yellow dandelions 

into white ones we can blow,

and thanks for being warmer and warmer everyday,

and I love you.

-Dorian age 3

The boy's spontaneous prayers to the sun worked wonders in calling her out yesterday, by the end of the day, after a long stretch of cold, rainy days, the sun was beaming down, warming us as we ate our celebration supper and cake in the back yard and read bedtime stories under the willow tree before bed. A glorious day.  The rain is back today, with a big booming thunderstorm, but we soaked in enough yesterday for last us for a bit.
Happy Solstice, friends!