A week in review

This week has been wonderfully full, so full that there's been no time to blog the highlights.  But here's a quick review.

Kitty playtime.

Chicken playtime.

Ped (William's aracauna, "Pedius Viridis") starting laying.

The girls built a primitive shelter.  

Set my sewing machine up outside and Peter helped sew another scrap quilt top.

School work distraction.

Visited a dairy goat farm and was unsuccessful in persuading Paul to bring one home (only because the one available doe is due the same week as I am).

Went to Tillers and purchased three ewes (all due to lamb this winter).  The fiber snob in me chose the merino, but my more practical side simply put down a few tarps, a pile of straw and loaded them right in the back of the van.  This gave all our more experienced neighbors a good laugh. 

Paul was laughing the whole hour+ drive home.

Got them comfortable in their new home.  Then aired out the van for two days.

DIY Swing

Maryanna approached James yesterday with a hand sketched diagram of how to make a rope swing.  She had tried one out at a friend's house and has been begging to set one up just like it ever since.

  

So we picked up the simple supplies, rope and a garden hose segment, then begged James to climb up to secure it.  Here he is reviewing how to tie a bowline knot from the Dangerous Book for Boys, I think this project was exciting for him because it did feel just a little dangerous.  

 

But is James an expert tree climber and has much experience reading books way up high, and actually this branch was not too high.  

This swing is as simple as a loop around the branch tied with a bowline knot and covered with a bit of garden hose to protect the branch.  The bottom foot loop is also tied with a bowline knot and covered with a bit of garden hose to make it comfortable on the foot.  Here it is in action, and it saw much action on this beautiful autumn day.  I think we're going to have to make a few more.

Thanks Maryanna for sharing your idea and not letting this season pass us by without swinging.

Now we've got to come up with a design that is easier for the little ones to use.

The kids and their kittens

This week we brought home two adorable kittens.  The kids are raising them with lots of excitement and attention while Paul and I observe at arm's length (since we both have cat allergies).  We hope these little cuties will aid in mouse control around both the house and barn.

Maryanna's been nesting all week for their arrival.  With a little assistance from me she was able to sew them a soft little bed.  I think she's got the sewing bug.

The kitties do love their bed but they are so much fun to hold.  Even I couldn't resist but ended up sneezing for hours.

It's a good thing we brought home two because everyone wants to love them.

Their names are Andromeda and Luna, as selected and insisted upon by James.  Since he's the one cleaning out the litter box I gave him final say on the names.  And boy do they love this boy.  Luna likes to climb up his leg all the way up to his shoulders then nap alongside him as he does his school work.

And here is Andromeda all tucked in bed by Maryanna.   

I have to say I had some reservations about bringing these kittens home.  At first I wasn't sure how it'd work with our allergies and whether we could responsibly care for a few new animals.  But I am reminded of the magical bond between children and pets and glad these two kitties have joined us.  

And here's Pickles, he's already been established in the barn for weeks.  He's an excellent hunter but a bit aloof, except for when William is in site.  William is the only one he'll allow hold him.  Which brings me back to the magic between children and animals, and why we now how 3 furry cats.

    

2010 quilt finished!

Remember when I was feeling crazy?  Somewhere between last Christmas and planning for a move these squares got tucked away in a box.  But last week's chilly weather was enough motivation to pull it out and finish.

Originally I had planned for 10" squares but because some of the scraps were cut on the bias there was enough distortion that I had to cut them down to 8".   There are 48 in total with my favorite being the ones personally designed, cut and sewn by members of our family.  Those who know my children well will be able to see the individual personalities in each block.  They each signed their names and I embroidered over them as a piece of family history.

The scraps are from all the sewing projects I've done in the last couple of years (mainly for the girls and their dolls).  Besides searching for their names they like to point out the little pieces of their favorite dresses.  

Here is Peter's, it is bold in its color and lines.   

And Maryanna's, she really put me to work with a 3/8" square in there, do you see it?  She enjoys cutting.

James' is clean and radiating.

Henry's resembles train tracks.

William's was one of the most interesting, very abstract.

Clara's is a collection of all her favorite dress scraps.

Paul's was practical and efficient and yes he did cut and sew a portion of it (the distortion there is only because of the wind).

This was picked out for George and sewn with him on my lap.

The rest were designed by me but I left my signature on this one. "Made with love for the warmth and comfort of those I love".

Since this was a group project everyone cheered me on in the finishing.  I had to consult Marie' a few times on the finishing.  The best tip she gave me was to blue tape the backing to the floor before pinning it all together.  I machine stitched around each square because a simple bar tac was not enough.  Maryanna was by my side cutting each thread and when I hand stitched down the binding during General Conference Peter stood there ready with the thread as I needed it.

The kids were actually dragging the quilt around the house and using it before it was even finished.  It seems to be always in use and I wonder if I have it in me to make another quilt for 2011 (even if I don't finish it until 2012).   

Besides the quilt can you tell we are also enjoying some very beautiful weather.  These little girls know just how to soak it in!

Buckwheat Crepes

I am posting this here not because it was so good but because it worked.  Nothing beats regular white flour crepe but a few in our family are very sensitive to wheat and it is unfair for us to sit on the side lines watching the others gobble down fruit and chocolate loaded crepes.  

Crepes were the special treat requested for this recent General Conference and I agreed to make a nice pile (almost 50!) if I could make half of them wheat free.  Here is what I came up with:

   

1 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
2 1/4 cup kefir (or milk or buttermilk)
4 eggs
2 Tbs honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

I soaked the flour mixture in kefir over night to aid in digestibility.  In the morning I found it too thick and pasty so I added an additional 1/2 cup of milk along with the eggs.  Next time I may add 2 additional  eggs.  It was still too pasty so I added 1/2 a cup of water and finally got the consistency for thin crepes.

The first couple crumbled upon flipping.  I determined the skillet needed a little more butter and needed to be extra hot.  I took extra care in flipping and ended up with a nice pile of almost 20 to serve.

These are slightly thicker than regular crepes and on their own have a strong flavor.  But with a little smear of chocolate hazelnut spread, strawberries, bananas and whip cream they were a sure treat with request for seconds, thirds and fourths!  I had to remind everyone that crepes were a treat and not to be expected weekly for breakfast.  But I do think I'll be making these more frequently as birthday season approaches.

In other cooking news one of our neighbors cleaned out his freezer in preparation for deer hunting.  We were handed over a nice box of frozen venison.  So along with crepes this weekend I made my favorite black bean millet chili but added ground venison instead of turkey.  It was delicious!  This time I did 2 cups beans, 2 cups millet, 2 lbs meat (only because we have so much to use up), 2 cans crushed tomatoes, 6 garlic, 2 onions, 1 green pepper, 2 tbsp chili, 2 tsp cumin, salt & pepper, and 2 spoonfuls of honey.  I cooked it all separately then mixed it in the slow cooker for several hours on low.  It was delicious topped with sour cream and tortilla chips so I'm hoping to recreate it again in a couple of weeks.  Any other ides for venison?