Picture of the Week

Do you know how many heartfelt pictures are presented to me in any given day? I must be the luckiest person.  The only problem is there are too many pictures to keep on display and so as to not "play favorites" we have begun a special program called "picture of the week".  We've decided the picture of the week will be presented during family home evening and will remain on prominent display in the living room above the fireplace for one whole week.  

This week we are featuring Clara's drawing called "Mommy and Daddy".  All the faces are saying "yeah"! because we are getting married and we are standing in front of the earth and there are lights all around it.  I love this happy drawing!

In addition to the many daily drawings the kids recently finished their summer paintings.  This is Clara's "Flower House" painting.

Henry's Train

Peter's Elephant

William's Horse

Maryanna's Butterfly

And George's "Painting".  (James is not featured because he was busy working on a surprise for Nanny and I'm not ready to bust the surprise)

I love kid art, it makes me so happy, it feeds me the same way looking into their eyes feeds me.  

I'd like to add that there is another notable picture that has been floating around and "feeding" the family this week.  My mom sent a small package of old photos and in it there were a couple of wallet sized senior pictures from high school.  George clipped it onto a clothes pin and has been carrying it around all week and even sleeping with it, smiling and saying "I see happy Mommy".  And when George smiles I can't help but smile too.

So the cycle of giving and receiving joy has continued in many ways in our home this week, through drawings, paintings, photographs and even a smile.

How to can

I don't really know how to can, or even grow tomatoes, but my generous neighbors do.  From the 30 tomato plants I planted we've probably only picked 30 tomatoes.  So we helped our neighbors pick theirs and also visited a u-pick farm where the tomatoes were plentiful but expensive.  We got just enough to experience canning.  

It was a muggy 90 degree Michigan day so I set up in the garage with a portable stove, I borrowed a few needed supplies and jumped right into it.

I even borrowed the recipe, which actually isn't a recipe but a handful of ingredients followed by "to taste" as passed down through a line of my neighbor's Italian ancestors.  Basically I used about a bushel  of mixed tomatoes smashed through a strainer, 5 onions, 2 bulbs of garlic, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 T of salt and 1 T of pepper.  I let it simmer down for at least 4 hours until it reached desired taste and consistency.  The key ingredient of the sauce though was reserved for the very last step, a whole bunch of freshly picked basil leaves, like a whole plant's worth, tossed in (whole leaves) and then it is immediately ready to process.  The other secret to this sauce is regular stirring, to prevent burning it required my attention at least every 15 minutes.  But being outside I was able to move between projects and boy did we enjoy the smell!   

It was important though to keep the little ones away.  George still not feeling well rested in the tee pee.  That was fine until a chicken decided to join him.
 

The girls spent the day in the sandbox but I was unable to capture Henry. He had picked out some running shoes from a garage sale just that morning and did not seem to stop running from the moment we tied the laces, and I believe Peter was probably chasing him.

All the while James cared for Charlie and William kept the chickens out of the garage and out of the tee pee.

Everybody took turns "testing" the sauce and by the time we got it to our taste I had just about scorched my tongue.  We ended up with 17 quarts but consumed 3 in the following 2 days.

Perhaps our tomatoes will decide to ripen before the first frost, maybe I'll get lucky and find my own supplies on craiglist, I hoping because I realize canning tomatoes is something I now "can" do and I really hope to do again soon.  

Little helps for healing

The younger half of our family has not been feeling well.  Fevers, coughs and congestion have caused for demanding days and sleepless nights.

As one friend observed, "there is much giving and receiving in your home". And Clara takes to the giving naturally, especially when one is not feeling well.  In her own gentle way she whispers, sings and places her arms around who ever is in need.  In this case she collected her favorite rocks and placed them along George's body as he was suffering with a high fever.  This moment was too sweet not to capture, she was so intent and George shortly fell asleep.

Meanwhile in the kitchen I began brewing up some "potions" as my kids like to call them.  I consulted with the wise woman behind Indigo Forest and she suggested adding elderberries and rose hips to our regular red raspberry and nettle tea, that is the dark one and actually tastes good I'm told.

The other jar is a remedy made from a pound of garlic that was soaked in apple cider vinegar for four days, I strained it and then added some water and honey.  I got the recipe from here  and I have to say it is strong, even for me.  I swallowed the test dose in too much haste and honestly almost instantly threw up.  I went down to my knees and had to breath slowly for a few minutes before I could get back to normal motion.  But after the initial shock of the test dose I felt great, and have since taken a few spoonfuls to support my immune system as I'm caring for those who are sick.

Henry and Maryanna actually really like the garlic solution, I suppose they really need it the most.  Charles is still too young for honey so I'm just giving him sips of the herbal tea and spoon feeding him warm chicken broth.

George on the other is refusing both the herbal tea and garlic solution.  Instead he got into the cabinet with herbs and on his own took two dropperfuls of burdock blend and on another occasion chewed up a capsule of golden seal.  In both cases he said "yummy"...........and anyone who has ever tried those knows there is nothing yummy about them.  Perhaps he was in tune with what he really needed, I don't know, but I do believe if we are in tune we can know.

The tastier healing tools are pictured below.  We went through almost $30 of cough drops this week probably because everyone loves cough drops, even those who are not sick.  I told them anyone could have a cough drop after two spoonfuls of garlic juice and everyone but Paul and James fell for it.  They are tall enough to simply sneak a cough drop whenever they want.  But I have urged them to open the wrappers very slowly because even after the tiniest "crinkle" many little bodies come running with open hands.

Additional healing tools have included homeopathic remedies, essential oils, saying lots of prayers and practicing Jin Shin Jyutsu.  I believe in the Eastern philosophy that healing is 70 percent in nurturing and care and only 30 percent medicine, so that is what I practice with my family.    

And lastly, here's to the kind neighbor who not even knowing what I've been struggling with dropped off a fresh cut bouquet from her garden.  My spirit was revived by her visit and I'm happy to say all the little ones are slowly mending. 

  

Coming up for air

There is much to catch up on here,  kind of like catching my breath after a constant stream of summer activities.  The kids cracked open their journals a few Sundays ago and discovered it had been more than six months that they had last written.  For that purpose I have a renewed interest in keeping up on this blog simply as a record for our family.  I've taken to facebook lately because it is a quick place to store a thought and photo but sometimes there is more to say...........

My parents visited us, the last time they were in Michigan was over a year ago, that was the week we signed the contract to buy the farm.  We have grown in many ways since then and it was a joy for us all to share it with my parents.  

One of the highlights from their visit was a trip to the nearby farm, garden and ice cream shop.  While the kids were licking their cones and my dad and I were inspecting pickling crocks my mom got comfortable in a rocker next to one of the owners.  They sat and chatted like old friends......we actually had to alert her when all the kids were buckled in the van and ready to go.   Now whenever we make ice cream stops the first thing I am asked from the owners is, "how is your mom?"   

My dad having spent some time on a farm in New York while he was young was thrilled to see what we are trying to do.  He kept snapping away on his Leica, shaking his head laughing......"I would never have guessed, Al".  I showed off the bees, milking, eggs and whatever vegetables we could find. And my dad confided in James that when he was young he was not too happy to be living on a farm either, he said he regretted not helping his dad more and encouraged James to be more positive about the experience.

There was much to feast on together.  For a few days it felt like the summer we got to live with them.  My mom and I had long talks and many laughs while my dad fed the kids licorice and had them goofing off beyond that which us adults could control.  I miss those days of us living just a corner away.

Soon after we also got to enjoy a visit with Paul's aunt, uncle and cousin from Wisconsin.  We gave them a 2 hour farm tour in the mid morning sun, treated them to a kale smoothie and Maryanna performed an old country song for them.  Paul's aunt gifted us with a beautiful gathering basket which we put to use immediately as there has been many gatherings, and much to be gathered.

Then cousins Julius and Zander stayed a few days with us.  They jumped right into the farm chores and Julius helped me finally master a soft and delicious goat cheese.  He laughed really hard when I told him my last attempted was spit up into by baby Charles.  Julius suggested we add basil, chives, garlic and a little more salt - we made it two times together and was gobbled up with great reviews.   

Rob and Eva also made it to Michigan this summer.  I enjoyed a full day of sewing talk and Japanese pattern instruction with Eva and her mom and sister.  Between us there were 12 children to be cared for and we still managed to make progress on a few new sewing projects (just haven't managed to finish them yet - stay tuned!).

Getting together with cousins is an instant party!  Henry especially bonded to Luke while we were in UT for the reunion so seeing him again in Michigan was another reunion.

But just like the weeds, children don't stop growing on account of a busy Summer.  Maryanna's 7th birthday snuck up on us.  In haste I ordered a pair of red clogs for her on ebay not noticing they were embroidered with the original owners initials.  There was just enough time to drop them off at a shoe repair shop to stitch a piece of leather over the initials, but there was not time for a new felt birthday crown. Instead I unpicked the six from last year and sewed on a seven.  I also sewed her a chicken gathering apron with two big pockets for eggs.

In celebration we had an impromptu gathering with neighbors.  All of her best friends around here are at least 60 and they were here hiding behind couches to shout "surprise" after she walked in the door from a trip to The Toy House with Daddy.  Maryanna was so excited about the Calico Critter set she picked out and seeing all her favorite friends and cupcakes that she peed her pants at the surprise.  But with total confidence she announced to all her guests, "I'll be right back, I just have to change".  And so she did and continues to daily with losing teeth and stepping over the gap between the "big kids" and "little kids".

And still no break in the fun, we visited to the community fair, had a tent sleep over with friends and cousins David and Kate spent the weekend with us.  The boys kept the tent up all the while and after sleeping in it for a week now James has suggested the tent could be his new bedroom, this he insists even after a soaking rainfall.



Through it all Paul has kept up with a busy travel schedule. It seems he has been gone mid week every week since the beginning of July.  Upon his last return Maryanna was near by playing with my camera and I called out "quick Maryanna, take a picture of me kissing Daddy because I'm about to get really mad at him".  Well, not so much mad at him but simply exhausted from playing the part of a one man band.

And so I made it clear that I needed a breather.

And so he made it possible for me to take off  in his truck to a girl's night out with some neighboring farm ladies.  

I also spent a whole day in bed reading, pondering and making plans for the up coming homeschool year.  I believe I swallowed enough air to jump into it.  

Men's shirt to apron

An old men's shirt was passed into my hands last week and I instantly knew what was to become of it, a new apron.  I like aprons because they are useful in collecting spills, and the pockets are handy for storing my cell phone, pocket knife and even a few small squash or cucumbers from the garden.  

The transition from shirt to apron was simple, using mainly the back half of the shirt I kept the hem intact, removed the chest pocket and sewed it back down in a new location.  I added a few tucks on each side of the waist and then cut the ties and waist band from the extra long shirt sleeves.  And for a finishing touch and to remind myself not to work too hard with this apron on I freehand stitched the phrase "Vivir bien".

Here is the before:

And here it is in action in the kitchen.  Kind of love the crooked-out of focused-action mom shots my kids catch of me.   Also kind of love that a few days of rain gave me an excuse to squeeze in some much needed sewing time (finally!).

Early Christmas

It's been a couple weeks that Paul has been teasing me about a surprise he ordered for me, "it's an early Christmas present and you're going to love it"!, he'd say.  I couldn't be sure of what it'd be but I kept making guesses, begged for clues and continually kept an eye out for the friendly delivery truck.  

At one point I thought Paul may have checked my browser history and discovered I spent some idle moments browsing through the jewelry on the Sundance catalog site, maybe he got me that necklace I kept going back to, I thought. But I had to guess again when he clued me in that the surprise was something the whole family was going to share, a cream separator?  I really want one of those.

But when the small square zazzle box showed up I knew in an instant what the surprise was going to be............a Nubian goat trucker hat!  That was also on my browser history from several weeks back.  And so it was and I'm now an official "goat lady".  

      

 I love these lady goats and I believe the feeling is mutual.

I also love that I can wear whatever the heck I feel like here on the farm, it seems I've been taking fashion cues from my 5 year old daughter and it is liberating.

Paul was right when he said it was a gift that the whole family was going to want to share.  Out of all the children Maryanna and William love the goats the  most so they were first in line to borrow the hat.

George loves the goats too, he rarely misses a milking, but it was hard to keep the hat on him long enough for a photo.  

Here's what I caught instead, him independently milking the rocking horse.  Really this should be videoed because he has the process down just right, he cleaned the pretend teats, put the first few squirts in a tiny cup and offered it to some tiny animals. Then he proceeded to milk alternating both hands and making a squirting noise with his mouth.  When he was finished he brought it over to the little wooden play kitchen and strained the milk into a little container.  

This boy is so funny he may deserve his very own youth sized Nubian goat trucker hat or T-shirt, maybe for Christmas.......or an early Christmas.

Catching up

I'm not sure it is a good idea to plant a huge garden and leave it for over two weeks mid summer.  I thought I'd get caught up on it as soon as we returned from our trip but there was a lot of laundry to catch up on and then the stomach flu hit and moved through us one person and one day at a time.  So the laundry grew faster than I could tackle it, as did the weeds (which were already plentiful and very high).

My sister Mary suggested a little weeding party so we geared up for it in boots, overalls, tractor supply shirts and gloves.  We use to run together in high school and college and in those days we'd gear up in baggy t-shirts and old running shoes, it felt like old times there in the garden sweating along side each other, talking, pacing each other, laughing and at times almost crying.  I was the one who was almost crying because I was overwhelmed, not too long into it the weeding party turned more into a pity party.  But again, just like old times Mary was by my side encouraging me, "come on Al, just 1/2 mile more", "come on Al, just finish the row of beets". I was cursing those weeds all the while and Mary admitted to feeling the same way about neglected dirty dishes and paper work, that made me feel better.    

Here is only a tiny portion of our work.



Mary is a natural in the garden, she combed through all the cabbages till it looked tidier than a flower bed.  That was enough to keep me going, maybe not as focused as Mary but I kept going.  And it was a sweaty muscle aching workout that us sisters shared.

After our wedding workout we feasted on a berry/beet/kale/carrot smoothie and prepared the rest of the vegetables for roasting.  So I can't complain, the garden is certainly producing more than just weeds!

Not all my visitors are as encouraging as Mary though, my mom simply said, "oh you don't have time for this."  And there is one neighbor who knows just the wrong thing to say at the height of noon day sun, but I don't need to mention that here.

As for Paul and the kids, they have a lot more enthusiasm now that we are bringing in daily harvests.  Still, it takes a lot of energy to keep children going in an overgrown garden.  The goat kids on the other hand take to it like trick or treating.  Here they are barely fenced in to the area that was suppose to be our strawberry patch, I love that they love those weeds!

This is Yagi assisting in some really tall lambs quarter.

And since Maryanna likes to be in charge the job of garden goat herder serves us all, at least those little kids know who's boss.  

Here's what was suppose to be the sunflower house.  The back and sides are barely in reach of the sprinklers so they are not growing evenly, and I think some birds got to the corners. Clara said "that's okay the sunflower house did not work, we can just make a weed house this year because we already have so many tall weeds everywhere."  Peter is still very impressed with the height that some of the sunflowers are gaining, "they are even way taller than Daddy!" he observed.  And I answered "yes, we are all in over our heads in this garden".

Not sure we'll ever "catch up" on this year's garden, but I cannot doubt we are making huge strides along the learning curve.