hello winter

Winter has arrived in our little mountain home. The kids are delighted and much of the weekend was spent out in the snow, building and sledding and getting good and wet and tired.

We still don't have proper winter gear for Ari, so the poor boy has been getting very wet indeed- though that doesn't seem to slow him down any. And Dorian thankfully loves wearing the snowsuit Ari wore last year. He even asked to wear the sweater I knit him under it one day! It was just the once, but it's progress!

There were also plenty of indoor projects this weekend- the boys did a lot of painting, which I didn't get any pictures of. And there was a farmers market and some house cleaning and purging (oh how I love getting rid of things! A whole box of my clothes went to the thrift store and it makes me so happy!) and, of course, plenty of culinary projects.

Almond flat bread has become a staple lately on days we are going to be away from the house. I don't miss the taste of grain bread much, but the ease of having a kid-friendly, filling, packable food is something to be missed. This bread pretty much  fills the bill.



Kimchi bubbling away on the top of the fridge. I followed a recipe from a Korean cookbook I ordered recently, and it definitely seems more like what I remember eating in Korea. I had Perry's parents bring me some Korean hot pepper too, which helps (thanks Nana and Grandpa!)  I hope it tastes as good as I remember!

I switched up our Enki circle for this week with some winter snowy verses to match the new world outside. I think tonight I'll pull the winter books out too- it looks like this snow is here to stay!

happy Monday friends.



apples and kites and things

 I've been having a hard time getting here the last little while, but when I looked at the camera I found it full of pictures of all the things we've been up to, so a quick tour through the last little while up here on the small wonders ranch:

flying kites

going for walks

visiting the river

saying goodbye to the sandhill cranes

picking the last of the raspberries

drying apples

building a hospital in the livingroom

blessing a dear friend who will be welcoming a baby soon (the wine was as an offering, not to feed to the mama!)

and the internet is so very slow I am just going to post this while I seem to have a quick chance. Goodnight!

back again

Hello! Our Internet has been down now for nearly two weeks, but we are finally connected again. These pictures are from a camping trip a little while ago, and this is as close as I'm going to get to trying to catch up here with all we've been up to!

Not having the internet all this time has actually turned out to be quite an unexpected gift. After the first day or so I hardly missed it, and I got so much more done. And then I realized that without it I was doing a lot more for myself when I needed down time, rather than using the computer to escape when I was feeling overwhelmed. It really was perfect timing too, as I have been working on homeschool planning and planning out our rhythm/routine for the year, and realizing I need to structure my own computer-free time. I am thinking of 2 or 3 days a week where I don't turn it on at all.

I also have been struggling with how to keep this blog up the way I want to, while balancing computer time and the frustrations of our slow rural internet connection. I am thinking of more frequent, less photo heavy posts that I can put together quickly (photos take sooo long to upload!) and maybe posting certain "themed" posts during the week, like a homeschooling post (on the same day I have to do my homeschool reporting anyway!) and maybe a craft themed one, or a  day-in-the-life type. I don't have it all figured out yet, but I am looking forward to being here a little more often, but not spending as much time struggling with photos and uploading issues.

As the summer draws to a close, and the weather is returning to the cold wet weather that seems to be the norm for this year, I am starting to feel that familiar desire to take stock of everything, to preserve food for winter, to make sure we have all the warm clothes we will need, and to organize, sort, clean, and ready our little home for the long hours we will be spending inside its walls. Knitting, canning, harvesting, sewing. It is good. And though the weather has been challenging this summer, we have spent our days exactly as we had hoped- without a lot of busy-ness or external obligations, just time spent together as a family, enjoying each others company. We are blessed indeed.

this and that

The days have been flying by over here. We've just said goodbye to Perry's parents after a lovely visit, and got lots done with their help- the garden is in (hurrah!) the greenhouses are fixed up and ready to plant, a picnic table has been built and stained, some sewing done, and lots of playing and adventuring for the boys. It has been busy and good. We had some sun- enough to get out some laundry and get all that garden work done, and then it started raining yesterday afternoon and we are having some much needed quiet home days. A few photos to share before I head off to bed- how does it get so late? ::cooking with rhubarb- some for now, and some for the freezer:: ::playing in the dandelions::
::reading with Grandpa::

::eating Nana's chocolate mousse!::

And now that the rain has started, casting on for some knitting- these are some scrappy wool socks for Dorian. I've been waiting for some wool to arrive to finish a project, so this is a good little project to have on hand.
And lots and lots of drawing. They were given these books from their grandparents- they just have simple prompts for drawing ideas and they have been poured over. I don't think I've ever seen either of them- but Ari especially- so focused on a single creative project for such an extended period of time- both of them have nearly finished the books. This little robot, being drawn by Dorian, is just the cutest. I'm glad I caught this picture when I did, as the page has since been filled entirely with colour, and that little robot can hardly be seen under there. I love watching my kids so engrossed in their creating.

And now, bed!

Goodnight friends.

inside and out

outside :planting peas

The last few days have been full of sun and thunderstorms. Today we were out in the garden for most of the day, and yesterday we were out until the storms came. There were storms on and off all day, and we just followed the weather.

::lunch at the picnic tables::
::inside- making humpty dumpty hard boiled eggs for breakfast::
::inside: building and building and building::

::outside working in the garden- readying the beds::
::planting perennials from the local plant sale (where you have to stand behind a rope and when the bell rings, run in and grab what you can!::

::inside for some storm watching::




::Dorian pretended he was sleeping. He wanted me to sing him lullabies. I squeezed a little knitting in::
::and back out again for some gardening and mud play- working in a "mud factory"::
:: and making "stone soup"::

It is bliss, this warm weather- we just can't get enough after all the rain and cold. It is finally dry enough to dig and plant, so we are working hard to get the beds ready and planted. I am amazed by how much I can get done with the kids now, they are so happy to help or to go off and play. Today I double dug one big bed (and have the sore back and blisters to prove it!) and planted peas, lettuce, pac choi, and spinach, transplanted flowers and strawberries, and weeded lots. There is so much more to do out there, it is hard to do anything but garden right now. We've been eating such simple quick meals, not wanting to spend much time cooking. Our new favorite snack is homemade creamsicles- blended fruit and kefir or yogurt and cultured cream. These have enough fuel to last the kiddos a while so I can keep on digging!

I hope this lovely weather has reached you all. Happy Tuesday!

ps is anyone else having trouble leaving comments on blogger blogs? I guess you can't tell me in the comments if you are :) I can't leave any right now- not sure why...

raining

It has been raining. Things are greening up and we head outside to the garden whenever there is a break in the weather. Out in the garden, digging and weeding and getting ready for planting. Rescuing worms and placing them ever-so-lovingly into the compost.

Feeding the chickens "chicken treats" - clover and dandelions.

Picking nettles (and eating nettles- soup and omelets and nettle pesto! yum.)

Getting out in the rain too- fun with friends at a local park.

And lots of inside time too. We've been making stuff- this is a "monster campsite" complete with a monster who can go in his sleeping bag and his tent, and can go fishing in his monster boat and roast his supper over the wood on his monster campfire. Playing with friends- "riding on a train."
Playing with the new castle set- this is the second time around with this pattern and it was Ari's birthday gift from me- the only thing he asked for. There is a horse too, but it is in the repair basket awaiting help with a lost tail.

And I've been knitting amongst all that too-much-inside-time chaos. It has been a good week. I hope your week has been good as well friends.