Posted in Changing Seasons, Locally grown, Working the earth/harvesting its bounty on Feb 26th, 2010
You know what they say – “Good things comes in small packages.” I think tomato seeds are just about the best small package around -they contain the promise of wonderful meals to come.
I know our garden is going to be growing food for more than our nuclear family, and therefore we’ll be starting more tomato [...]
Posted in Books and Reading, Changing Seasons, Learning, Working the earth/harvesting its bounty on Feb 24th, 2010
The girls are listening to Daddy read The Mousehunter at bedtime, but our daytime book selection reflects the unusually sunny, warm weather that has us all thinking of anything except the tail-end of winter.
We just finished listening to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Which is why we’re starting an asparagus bed - Little Hen was fascinated by [...]
Posted in Building Community, Changing Seasons, Nature Table, Playing/ Free Exploration, Working the earth/harvesting its bounty on Feb 22nd, 2010
We’re working on a converting our front lawn into veggie beds, and the unseasonably warm and dry weather has helped us get a jump start on sheet mulching. Goodbye lawn, hello permaculture landscape! While Tum Tum and I spread cardboard, straw, manure and compost, Little Hen and her Daddy were busy building cold frames out [...]
Posted in Changing Seasons, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Uncategorized on Dec 3rd, 2009
My apologies on being absent for a bit – we’re once again struggling with sick kids, especially Firecracker, who has had multiple trips to the doctor and the ER in the past few weeks because the colds are wreaking havoc on her asthma.
That, plus my first time hosting Thanksgiving for extended family, and now scrambling [...]
Posted in Building Community, Changing Seasons, From my kitchen, Giving, Weaving, Working the earth/harvesting its bounty on Nov 21st, 2009
A morning spent baking a pecan pie thank-you.
An early afternoon spent planting hyacinths and digging earthworms with the girls.
A late afternoon of immense blessing – We have been given an enormous maple loom, made right here in Oregon. We spent about two hours getting it dissassembled, carried up our narrow stairway, and reassembled.
It will need [...]
Posted in Changing Seasons, Locally grown, Moderation and Economy, Outings, Working the earth/harvesting its bounty on Oct 30th, 2009
Some pictures from the cider pressing party last weekend. It was also my husband’s birthday – I’m so glad he had a great time! (We all did!)
Most folks brought apples from their own trees and also gleaned many from abandoned orchards along country roads.
Apples were washed, wormy parts and bruises removed, and then cut in [...]
Posted in Changing Seasons, Mothering tool kit, Nature Table on Oct 14th, 2009
The wind and rain have settled in, and the nights are getting pretty chilly. It is finally feeling like fall, so this morning the girls and I did some dusting, got out a few fall decorations, and put the autumn cover on the duvet. I hope to get the window hangings and more decorations out [...]
Posted in Changing Seasons, Crafting, Learning, Locally grown, Outings, Playing/ Free Exploration, Uncategorized on Oct 7th, 2009
The past month has left me feeling stretched pretty thin because of obligations and responsibilities to my family and others. Tackling domestic duties and “home schooling” the girls while my non-stop motion toddler “explores” the house into a distaster zone has also been a challenge. Crafting has been particularly tricky – Tum Tum either attempt [...]
Posted in Changing Seasons, Moderation and Economy, Mothering tool kit, Our home on Sep 28th, 2009
Some friends recently asked how we share sleep with our youngest while he’s in cloth diapers. Overnight leaks are a worry, even with doublers and the “good covers” saved for night time. To safeguard the mattress, we don’t use expensive wool mattress pads (which sound fabulous, but are way out of the budget) or those [...]
Posted in Changing Seasons, From my kitchen, Outings on Aug 9th, 2009
To make this refreshing, healthy summertime snack , you will first need 4 medium oranges. Give them to the kids and let them roll the oranges around on the counter and between their hands to prep them for juicing.
Juice the oranges (you should get about 1 cup of orange juice). If little hands are [...]
