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.

around here:

spring books are out:

maple syrup on waffles; and look at that grin! 

We've been slowly going off GAPS over the past couple months, and every new food we introduce back in has been cause for celebration. These are grain-free waffles (Perry has become the waffle-making expert around here-) but the addition of maple syrup was a thrill. We are eating a few grains now, quinoa, rice and corn (had to get that corn under our belts before the trip to Mexico!) all soaked or fermented- or mostly anyway. I admit, having rice pasta around has been a treat, and some rice crackers crossed our lips on our trip, but I have been trying my best to stay on top of the soaking to keep digestion easy. So far everyone is doing great with the new foods, and it is so satisfying to have foods that were causing reactions pre-GAPS, to be totally fine now. It makes me feel that all that work was worthwhile!

Successful pussywillow hunt

Dori the lumberjack carried this little tree for quite awhile,

The chickens are happy to get out in any little snow-free space they can find.

Already their eggs are noticeably richer and darker in colour though it doesn't look like there is much growing yet out there. They must be finding every little green shoot and spring bug that the snow uncovers and snapping them up. Happy chickens.

family music night

We started doing these music nights this winter now and then, and they are such fun. The boys play their little ukuleles or shakers or Ari uses his makeshift drum kit (he's really good!) and Perry keeps the singing rolling while I'm plunking away on this pretty little baritone ukulele I treated myself to this year. The chording is the same as guitar, minus a string, and though I am still a total hack, I can limp us through basic 3 chord songs for a singalong, which was too difficult with the guitar and my small hands and total lack of practice. I'm sure we sound pretty terrible, but we are having fun!

welcoming back the birds

Such a delightful cacophony in the back willow tree, and the boys are so thrilled with each returning bird friend we see. Spring, we love you!

Hello Autumn,
I do believe you have arrived. We can see you in the piles of squash and the garden going to seed, in the little boys in wool hats on the swing set and the leaves just beginning to turn. Your scent always takes us by surprise-  high bush cranberries and the first wafts of wood stove smoke.

I am always glad to see you, though there is always a little melancholy, a little apprehension. Did we do enough out there? How much more can we squeeze in before the cold really takes hold? When do we let go and settle back, and just let it come?

And how long do we have, Autumn, before the cold is truly here to stay? Should I bring in these heaps of green tomatoes, for instance, and hope they will ripen inside? Or will you give us just a little more time? 

We felt you coming this weekend, and packed the boys and the swimsuits into the car after supper for one last warm(ish) swim in the lake. It felt like we were bidding farewell to a beautiful summer, a last splashy hurrah to this glorious season. But it was a welcoming too- a welcoming to the cool winds and quieter days, to apples and pumpkins and wool on the needles and books by the fire and good autumn meals.

Come in autumn, and stay awhile, if you may. We are glad you have come.

We celebrated the return of the sun with glittery suns, gold wrapped coconut candy, a bonfire (with homemade honey marshmallows to roast!) stories by the fire, lanterns and candle light. We opened the gifts we made for each other (more on that later!) and camped by the wood stove through the longest night. 

Today we are getting ready to host friends and family in the big house- and we are enjoying our time together. Happy holidays friends!

O little tree out in the dark cold night,
we bring you in by our warm firelight,
dress you in tinsel and garlands bright,
and thank you for filling our home with light.


Our trip into our back woods to get out tree has become a well loved annual tradition. We have learned the best spots for trees, and we choose a tree that is crowded in with a bunch of others, or that is on a path or fence line.
  

This year headed out as the sun was beginning to set (about 3:30 these days,) and trudged through the deep snow to find just the right tree to bring home with us.

(Dori needed to wear his sweater on top of his snowsuit. He has his very own ideas about fashion and what he will wear!)

We have gotten in the habit of packing a little picnic to have beside out tree before we cut it down. This year it was oranges and nuts and hot apple cider.

We dragged our new tree home and let it sleep in the pump house to melt the snow from its branches.

The boys loved decorating it, and are in love with it. We don't put presents under it until Christmas Eve which seems to keep the focus on the tree and not the presents!

I hope it is festive and warm where you are friends!

I am going to try and keep posting through the holidays, but between our slow internet and all the busy-ness of the season, it is not always easy to get here. I'll pop in when I can, but send out some holiday hugs now, in case I don't get here as often ans I'd like. Happy holidays!

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.



harvest bounty

Holy moly it has been busy around here. There has been lots to invest time and energy into not the least of which is the harvesting and processing of our garden bounty. We have been having wonderful visits with family and friends visiting and there is just so much on the go. There is also a little boy who is going to be 3 in a few days and a mama who has a whole lot of sewing to do to be ready! Though I still aspire to be a good blogger who posts regularly, including my plan to do themed posts on certain days of the week, I am really needing this little blog break as we run about readying ourselves for winter. So for now a quick peek in at our harvest and then I'll get back to it. I expect I'll be back again sometime next week as things start to slow down a little.

:: Ari's apple tree has been boutniful this year with many bright red fruits. Applesauce is bubbling on the stove full of apples from several local trees.

:: Most of our tomatoes did not ripen on the vine, but we've had good luck wrapping them in newspaper to get them to ripen up. We'll get these ones wrapped up soon.

::the dehydrator (our big investment last year,) is humming away in the porch.

:: more cucs for pickles. Most of these we got from the farmers market as we were eating ours as fast as they were coming out of the greenhouse. We are also digging into the big batch of pickles I made earlier and are going to need more for the winter. This will be an experiment to see how long the lacto-fermented ones will last. So far, adding in horseradish leaves to the jars is making for some very yummy crunchy pickle goodness. 

:: and endless supply of zucs. We are eating a lot, and I will freeze some in chunks and grated, and I am trying drying some for soup.
:: dried tomatoes are heaven. Ari eats them like candy. They are so very good.

:: apples apples everywhere. I think I will freeze a bunch of peeled slices for later cooking and keep going with the applesauce. I also dried a bunch and they are dissapearing fast. There are also unphotographed piles of potatoes, carrots, turnips and onions stored in the root cellar (thanks Nana and Grandpa!). Oh, and peas and calendula in the freezer (thanks Annie!) Nice to have visitors who dig in with the garden tasks. Pun intended, of course. Happy Tuesday friends, I'll see you again soon when the harvest frenzy lets up a little!