The busyness has not yet stopped, but we are still enjoying ourselves greatly. We attended the beautiful wedding on one of Perry's students this weekend and the boys were very excited to be asked to play some gentle strums on their guitars while the bride walked in. Dori got shy, but Ari took the job very seriously. So seriously, that after all my instruction to not play too loudly (by which I meant "this is not a rock show,") he strummed so quiet it was a little hard to hear him. But he was cute and there was some music-like sounds and everyone was happy.
I made the boys some summer pants to wear to the wedding. I've never dressed them matchy before, but the temptation was too much to resist when I discovered I could make two pairs of pants from the same metre of lightweight plaid fabric I had. Plus, it is just cute. And they thought it was fun.
The sun has been shining on and off and even when it is raining it is not so cold, so I am starting to believe it might really be summer. We are outside a lot. Rain or shine, really. The boys have been bringing out their umbrellas when it rains. I was looking for Ari and Perry during one rain storm and I found them under the llama shelter watching the rain pour down.
fruit season- hurrah!
And I'm realizing I've not been keeping up with the news lately. I never mentioned that Ari lost two teeth! I had a little panicked mama moment when he showed me that one was loose (before he'd even turned 5!) feeling not quite ready for this new sign of growth in my biggest boy. I stayed up late that evening sewing a little tooth pouch for him and processing the change. It took awhile for the tooth to actually fall out, and it was quickly followed by the 2nd one. The tooth fairy, knowing that Ari is not particularly excited by money, left him a special fairy charm and a crystal bead to accompany his coins. He was ever so thrilled. It all just happens so fast- how can my baby be loosing teeth already?
~and other news- Dori is out of diapers! It happened so quickly and easily. He is doing so well with it, hardly ever having an accident and it is so nice to be done with (daytime) diapers- hurrah!
~ And my friend just sent me some pictures from the run the boys were in (we forgot our camera and I borrowed hers to take a couple,) it was adorably cute to see all these tiny people- most under 4- taking off down the track. Or jumping, or spinning, or just jogging beside the others looking confused. Both boys finished the loop, though Dori was a little tired. Ari ran hard, grinning the whole time. And the cookie medals were pretty great!
~Perry and Ari have started a radio show on our local community station. They have been talking about it for awhile, but did their first show today, and he named the show himself-"Lightning Guitar Monsters." You've gotta love that! I was taking care of my friend's daughter and Dorian at home so we listened to it from there and Ari did so well- making me laugh so many times. He is so passionate about music and loves chatting about it and and is happy chatting about just about anything else as well. He introduced Dan Zanes as the guy who has "hair that is so crazy it is hard to believe he is a real person," He has very wide taste in music, so it will be fun to see what he comes up with every week. This week he chose Bob Marley, Dan Zanes, Youssou N'dour, Arcade Fire, Great Lake Swimmers, Deep Dark Woods, Juluka and the Beatles. He has big plans for next week. So fun.
~ that feta cheese I wrote about earlier turned out so well. We have been going through it pretty quickly. I used
this recipe mostly, using goat milk and taking a little less time with some of the steps. I'm going to need to make another batch soon. We seem to eat a lot of feta cheese around here.
and I said I would post our recipe for Kale Chips. We eat these a lot. Both boys love them, and it is such a great way to use kale, which we now have lots of in the garden. Here is how we do it:
Kale Chips
1 bunch kale washed
olive oil (a couple glugs- maybe 2 tbs-ish?)
salt
rip kale up into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add oil and mix with hands. Sprinkle with salt and mix again. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes until kale is dark green and crispy. (I fiddle with them a bit at the end, turning the ones that are not cooking as fast and removing the ones that are done.) Place them in a serving bowl and try not to munch them all before you've finished making the rest of your dinner!
happy kale eating, friends!
I've joined the 40 Friday Photos group, started by Jennifer at the beautiful blog Familiar Light. I am excited to post a photo a week and to use this forum to keep learning more about taking photos. Come on over and join in! I'll post my Friday picture here every week too. This is from the raspberry patch, which is abuzz with polinating friends to sit and watch and photograph. Happy weekend friends!
And forgive me while I putter around with my blog settings, and try to readjust some things. I may be loading and reloading a bit, and things are looking a little shabby while I sort it out, but hopefully it will be better in the end.
Oh what a chilly summer we are having! There has been a little bit of sun, but mostly lots and lots of rain and cold. But still, there are signs of summer all around us, reminding us of the season even as we stay bundled in wool sweaters and long pants.
There have been some volunteer potato plants growing in our pathways and the boys have been enjoying digging them up for supper.
Little by little our garden is growing. It is slow, but I am still holding out hope that things might grow quick once we get a bit of heat.
The hay in the front field is quite long now and the boys have discovered a "secret passage" into it, just past our potato patch. The grass houses and expanses of long grass to run and hide in have become their most favorite place to play when it is warm and dry enough to be in the garden.
Despite the lack of sun, the flowers are blooming and we are enjoying bringing them indoors, to our nature table and our kitchen table. Ari decided the picture of the daisies would be better if he was in it. It is, of course.
Sitting in the first warm sun we've had in weeks and winding wool with the kids playing happily in the sandbox. Bliss. Summer, we love you. Please come and stay with us for awhile.
I have more photos to download, but our Internet is sooo slow tonight, so I'll try again later. I hope you all had magical weekends, dear friends.
There has been some very adorable play with this set up- the boys both busily acting out the buying and selling of various tiny wares. So sweet.
And today we are:
:: Making tea for my poor biggest boy who is really suffering from seasonal allergies this year. Nighttime is hardest for him, so I made him this bedtime tea: chamomile for its calming properties, nettle to help with the allergic reactions, rosehips for immune boosting, and fenugreek seeds for congestion. I hope it helps him feel better.
I also had my first attempt at goat feta today. It looks good so far, it is being pressed under a weighted plate right now. It would be great if we could make more of our own cheese. We've had good luck with paneer, and I made mozzarella a couple times last year, but this feta recipe was easier than the mozza. Fingers crossed that it is good!
:: and watching the rain fall. I think we will be dressing in our woollies for our outside time this weekend!
