Monday Morsels: Eat Them Up

When Wylie was a toddler he was what some would have labeled "a biter".  My shoulders were covered with black and blue baby mouth sized circles.  It would happen unexpectedly and he was just as likely to bite when he was happy, or excited as when he was angry.  I didn't understand it then.  But now I get it.
That overwhelming feeling of just wanting to latch tightly and not let go. The desire to cram it into your mouth and savor it for just another minute longer--even when you know it might hurt.

Sometimes my kids are so darn cute I just want to bite them.  (I promise I have never actually done it).

Some days I just want to grab time and smoosh it into my pocket, real good so it can't slip out.  Then maybe I can take them out years from now just to remember the way their voices sounded when they sing, or how their cheeks curved into their jaw lines--and that dimple!

Morsels:

*  Its starting to get dark so early already.  This evening we had a short playtime outside after dinner, but most nights its too dark and chilly for outside.  Last night after dinner the kids broke out a few board games.   A few of us have trouble with rules, so board games have not always been successful.  But I love when they actually take out a game and make it work for them.  By the end of the game they had made up a few of their own rules--even better I say!  This one is "Yoga Garden" a cooperative game.  Its really simple and fun, and totally random in its purpose, which makes it all the better somehow.

* Kale's "owd trator wid a guy on it" old tractor with a guy on it.  We picked this tractor/trailer up at Tractor Supply the other day when we were there for a homeschooling event (also random and fun).  Kale can attach the trailer and tractor and load it up with all kinds of tiny animals--which he does over and over again.  So much fun.  

* Cranberry apple pie, for dessert.  And breakfast, and lunch.

* We've been eating a lot of cranberry compote.  I read a few recipes online, here's what we've come up with for a favorite:  2 cups whole cranberries, two apples cored, one whole organic orange seeded (not peeled) 1/2 cup of honey.  Put everything in the food processor and chop until coarse but not mush.  The first recipe called for 1-2 cups of sugar.  I tried 1 cup and it was like dessert.  The 1/2 cup of honey is still sweet, but has a bite to it.  The kids preferred the first, but ate the other happily.  My sister thought red onion would be a good addition to make it more savory.  We'll have to try that too.  The recipes called this cranberry relish and  while we are relishing it (ha) my condiment aversion is keeping me from embracing the name.  I prefer compote. Whatever you choose to call it, its yummy.  This is so easy and beautiful not to mention tastey it will definitely be featured in some holiday gifts to come.

    Kale attempting to remove a splinter all by himself:  "Na Na do"

* I love that my kids love books.  Recently our homeschooling has been really free form.  This always happens, though not quite so early in the year typically.  But it feels good to everyone.  We're doing a lot of reading these days.  Story books, poetry, lots of science books (its what Wylie always chooses) and some beginning reader books too.  Kale will happily look at a book on his own for several minutes, or sit with the older kids while the "read" to him.

      My trash for the last two weeks.  Not including waste from previously purchased items.    

*  My ecochallenge is over, and while I wasn't 100% successful (I may have set the bar a little too high) most days we had little to no waste.  I realized that to be completely waste free we'd have to first go through all of the things we already own that are disposable.  So, that's my next goal--to not replace items that are disposable unless we can't find a better alternative.  This includes a lot of plastic toys that break, and then what?  We also just bought an annual pass to a local recycling facility that recycles so much more than our town does.  We went today to drop off all of the paper I'd been saving for months, along with some dis-assembled appliances.  We got to see how they sort all of the recyclables, and check out the baling machine.  I'll still try to avoid waste (even those things that can be recycled) but when I can't I'll be glad to visit the center again.  I never knew recycling centers could be so much fun.

* Loving the foliage this fall.

Happy Monday!

Monday Morsels: Colors of the Season

The leaves are just starting to change around here, mostly in the low, wet areas.  As we drive into town we see the shift from green to yellow in the distant hills.  I love watching these hills as the seasons change, from green to gold, to bare, and then that first hopeful new green in April.
The pumpkins are coming in (only three bitty ones from our own garden), mums, purple and yellow asters, apples, cranberries, and "bird berries".  And that sky!  Summer is so crushingly green-- its amazing in June, but by August it can feel almost suffocating.  The colors of Autumn have a distinctly different, feel.  Crisp, deep, and warming.

                    Red

                   

                     Purple

                   Orange

                

                    Gold

Morsels:

* The cranberries are just beginning to ripen.  Apparently a ripe cranberry will bounce like a rubber ball.  The ones I picked bounced a bit.  We'll try again in a week.  For my birthday Rob got me this cranberry rake.  It was made in Maine by a company that makes blueberry rakes primarily--but I guess they custom order.  I just saw an amazing looking recipe for cranberry relish--can't wait to try it.  

    almost ripe!

* The kids and I went apple picking last week at Mainly Apples in Dixmont.  They had a ton of apples.  Some of the trees were so burdened it would have looked painful if it hadn't been so spectacular.  The Galas were amazing, all pink and yellow.  We came home with Galas and and Macouns, and will likely go back soon for Ida reds and Goldens.  

Wylie was so not excited for picking that I contemplated not going.  When I mentioned there'd be no applesauce if we didn't pick he relented.  But, once we were there the kids all had a good time, pulling the wagon, sorting the apples (drops vs. picks) and tasting all the different varieties.  And despite all his initial fuss, and the 25 minutes it took to drive there, we had filled our 3 1/2 bushels in about 15 minutes.  The farm stand also had honey, in bitty little honey bears--how could we resist? and cider, yum.  

                    

                   Applesauce

    photo by Wylie, or Juniper?
* One of the kids took this picture, and even though I'd rather not display the disposable mini yogurts that I hate to buy (but occasionally get suckered into by my cuties) I love the light and the angle here.  When the sun is like this in the morning it can stop me in my tracks and I think, Man I love this place.  I feel so fortunate to have a bright, warm, efficient home.

* My zero waste ecochallenge started this weekend.  In preparation I moved out a pile of hard to recycle items (ie those damn mini yogurts) I'd been storing up (a friend recycles them for me) and made this handkerchief bag.  The front pocket holds rags for blowing your nose--cut from some soft scrap jersey, and the bigger part of the bag is for the used rags. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner.  I also stocked up on more glass jars from Goodwill for food storage.  I am slowly replacing all the plastic bags that I have washed and re-washed for months, but which eventually bite it in the end.  By switching to glass it'll last longer, and I think it will be easier to organize our food.

* Kale has been talking in three word sentences, and now refers to himself as "Na-na".  We're all getting such a kick out of this kid and all his talking.  "Mama, Na-na sipawata?"  Mama, can I have a sip of water?  "Where Juju? Na-na go Juju?"  Where is Juni, I want to go with Juni.   "Upa drivay?"  Up the driveway, "Bobo ruck!"  Big truck!   "Mama Tum!"  Mama come!   At which point he will take my hand and lead me to see whatever feat he is wanting to show off --the trains he has linked together, his latest drawing (hopefully on paper), his mad ball skills, anything really.  He is so proud--and so are we.

    photo by Rob
* How's this for a Jack O'Lantern smile! Yikes!  I think Kale has more teeth than him now, truly.

                        photo by Rob

* Rob took the big kids down to the Deerfield fair and Kale and I stayed at home for a quiet weekend.  Really quiet.  The near silence was amazing.  A few times throughout the day Kale would suddenly shriek, I think just to fill up the space a bit.  It was such a nice change, and I reveled in the calm and peacefulness of it--until the second night at dinner when it suddenly seemed much too quiet.  It brought me back to evenings alone with two little ones, when Rob was working late, and that sinking, alone feeling--a need to speak to someone who can speak back (in full sentences).  Fortunately it doesn't happen often anymore, so I was able to push through it, enjoy a nice quiet snuggle with my youngest then put him to bed. Followed of course by ice cream (homemade from a friend in town, YUM!), knitting, and a bit of Hulu on the couch.  Just right.  

Happy Monday to you.

Monday Morsels: Fair and EcoChallenge

This weekend was the Common Ground Fair.  The kids and I love the fair, but Rob grew up in Deerfield, NH (home of the largest fair in New England) and has some fair loyalty issues.  He's never truly appreciated Common Ground and all its goodness.  He usually opts out.  However, this year he was away at a conference the six days prior to the fair so Friday was a guaranteed family day.  

Which meant a trip to the fair all together!   

Some highlights:  

tractoring into and out of the fair

sweet smiles

                      "sledding"

all tuckered out

 
With a second adult around I was finally able to attend one of the many workshops offered at the fair.  I sat in on a bee keeping lecture, and am so glad I did.  I've been saying for years that I want to keep bees, and now I feel ready.  Since Rob seems to be allergic I'll have to keep the bees elsewhere, but a friend has offered space on their homestead for a hive, and I think my neighbor may allow a hive in their field.  I also just read that allergies can be "bee" specific, so he may be allergic to yellow jackets, or hornets, and not honey bees.

I used a birthday gift certificate (thanks Mom!) to get "The Backyard BeeKeeper:  a guide for absolute beginners".  This will be the third book I've read on bee keeping.  I'm also hoping to take a class soon, and plan on being ready for bees in the spring.
And maybe milk goats in another few years (did you see that face?)

Morsels:

* These days its not uncommon for the toilet paper to look like this:

* Kale and I picked and washed an entire sink full of kale (we have a deep sink).  It took about an hour to triple wash the kale, de-stem, blanch, cool, and bag it.  At toddler speed mind you.  In the end we had only 3 quart size freezer bags to show for our work.  Hmm.   As Americans we spend so much less on food than the rest of the world, doing it myself really reminds me what food is truly worth.

* Marley is sporting her short fall hair cut.

*  I finally got around to building this chicken hut to move from box to box in the garden.  Right now its in the bed that once held the onions.  The lucky ladies who get to stay at "chicken resort" will stay for two or three days until the bed is weed, bug, and hopefully larvae free.  Then we'll move it to another bed and send two different ladies on vacation.
I used some plastic netting for the sides, but it ended up being a bit short.  I improvised by stapling our old couch cover over the top of the whole thing, which also negated the need for hinges, and added some shade as well (yeah for resourcefulness).
 

* Rob's niece had her first birthday a few weeks ago.  We weren't able to make it down to NH for the party, but I made this sweet dress and mailed it to her.  Kale was a willing model along the way.  The finished dress has a pink ribbon hem along the bottom.  I can't wait to see pictures (hint hint).

* While Rob was away a few friends came by to knit and chat, and make the evening a little less lonely.  The new coffee table was perfect for our decadent spread.

* September is a different sort of harvest.  Leggy beans, huge cabbage, dark rainbow chard, and of course all that wood.  

* As well as bringing stuff in (from the garden) we're also sending it out.  Rob inspired a little fall de-cluttering by playing "12 things".  We each chose 12 things that we no longer wanted/needed and sent them off to Good Will--or the end of the driveway for a "Free" yard sale.  In the pile were:  an old sink from the backyard, the office chair, many articles of clothing, several books, 3 vases, a small table, some toys, a toaster and more.  It feels really good to get rid of things we aren't using.  And its really nice to have a little less clutter around the house.  

And it was a great intro to the eco-challenge I'm participating in beginning Saturday.  For two weeks members of our UU Church congregation are challenging themselves to be "greener" in one or more areas--you choose your own goal.  Some people have set their challenge to take showers shorter than 5 minutes.  Others have lowered their thermostats, planned to ride their bike when traveling less then 5 miles, and more.  My goal is to  produce no waste for the two week period.  I can already tell I won't make it to zero waste--I don't really have all systems in place yet (ie. I'm still receiving a lot of junk mail that is not recyclable) but I will do my best.  If you want to play along you can go to the EcoChallenge website http://www.ecochallenge.org/.

Or you can just play along on your own and share your successes here!  What will you do for the next two weeks (beginning Oct. 1) to help our planet?  

Please share! 

Monday Morsels

*   It finally got hot here.  Last week we had two days in the upper 80's and while we didn't make it to the beach we did break out the sprinkler and fill the outdoor tub with cold water.

 *  I made Juniper this sun hat to replace the toddler hat she's been borrowing from Kale.  Its still awaiting a ribbon to tie it tight against her head (and allow for size adjustment as she grows).

*  The flowers are truly in bloom now, irises, tea roses, rhododendrons (which I never thought I liked before now) and soon the cosmos as well.  We're bummed that all the zinnias were scratched up by the chickens, but I heard Village Farm has some zinnia flats for sale so we may have to get some replacements.

*  The chickens know its summer and are doing their part.  We have one lady sitting at the moment who is most unhappy about having her eggs snatched each day (we have no rooster, so no worries about possible chickies  growing in there, though the poor lady doesn't realize she's wasting her time).

*  Kale has always loved when I vacuum--good thing since I seem to do a lot of it.  But now, he insists on doing it himself.  Its a little slower but as long as I can put up with the sound for a while he does get a fair bit done for me.

*  I ordered this little book a while ago.  It is all hand written on the inside which might make you think it would be a pain to read, but its really not.  It has directions for making all kinds of household cleaning products as well as advice on gardening.  We made some face wash last week and are hoping to do some tooth powder this week.  If it comes out well we'll have no more tubes to throw out.

*  These are the perfect recipes for Wylie since one of his favorite activities is creating "experiments" that involve mixing all kinds of kitchen ingredients to see what happens.  Usually nothing (unless baking soda and vinegar are involved) but now we get face soap!  

*  The kids set up a terrarium weeks ago and have been in search of just the perfect inhabitant.  "Claude Hopper" (who we later learned was Claudia) was perfect for the job.  We gave her plenty of slugs and a few earth worms which our books said she would enjoy.  I never saw her attempt one, but when Wylie caught a huge housefly and dropped it in she didn't waste any time.  Toads may look lumpy, but their tongues are fast!
She has recently been returned to the great outdoors, well fed and unharmed.  We now have a resident frog.

*  Kale is sporting some new Mama made tractor pants salvaged from an old shirt of Uncle Casey's.  At first he didn't seem to care about the tractors on the hem, but recently has been picking them out himself to wear, shouting "trat-tor, trat-tor!"  Love that.

*  I started this sundress for Juni last summer as a birthday gift and just now got around to finishing it. This one is made from a pair of curtains found at Good Will.   Surprisingly it still fits, and while it didn't come out as well as I hoped she still loves it, which is really all I could ask. 

*  With all that rain this spring I'd forgotten what a nice place our front porch can be early on a sunny morning.  I've been having my coffee/tea out there along with a few furry friends and have decided it is one of the very best ways to start the day.

Happy Monday to you!