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?  

How to dress for chilly weather

It was cold outside today but we knew that even before we checked the outside rooster.  The trouble is most our outerwear is still in the barn.  I've been waiting, begging and mostly nagging Paul to finish the basement here so I can have a convenient spot to organize and store it all.  

When I called for everyone to bundle up they got really creative, they headed straight for the dress-up box.

I've said it so many times before, I love the way children dress themselves.  It makes me laugh and reminds me of what really matters.  It reminds me that we can be anything we want.

Under this hoodie is a Wonder Woman-Sacagawea combination.  

Henry is Buzz Lightyear, Batman and a hunter.

And Clara makes the cutest little farmer astronaut.

George is still subject to my preferences, but he wears it as his own.

And then there's me, I'm still getting some wear out of some really old maternity clothes.  But the truth is here on the farm and  among our surrounding community there's no one to look you up and down, no one to impress and no one who would even cares about fashion.  I find it somewhat refreshing and have found a more practical and authentic me in the way I now dress.  

And as the weather continues to cool I may have to sew up a few more hoodies because this one is so warm and comfortable.  Or maybe I should finally make myself a maternity sized costume and join in the fun of the little kids.

A New Truck

It's been a long week with Paul out of town.  We took him to the airport early (6am) Monday morning and as we loaded half sleeping kids in the dark I declared this was the last airport run I was doing and it was time for him to finally buy another car.  Before we moved out to the farm Paul sold his Acura.  He said the country was no place for a foreign make.  I didn't care either way but was only irritated by the inconvenience of frequent airport runs with all the kids.

As we were gearing up Friday afternoon to pick Paul back up from the airport I got a call from him announcing: "I have some good news and some bad news".  The good news was he bought a car but the bad news was he'd have to drive it 750 miles home and we wouldn't see him until late Saturday afternoon.  I didn't get any more details  except it was an old Ford green and white pick up truck with a newly built engine that should be reliable enough to get him home.  And I'm so glad it did!  Here he is honking the horn up the driveway upon his return. 

After a big hug I chuckled out, "you bought a Matchbox Car".  Paul was beaming.  All the kids were invited up into the bed were Paul presented caramel apples from the local cider mill and random college T-shirts and hats from his trip.

I don't know all the specifics on the car except it is a 1973 Ford F-100 purchased from the original owner in North Carolina.  Here is the original interior:

Paul handed me the keys to give it a try and I'll say it's a nice little beast, not as tough to drive as the CJ-7  Jeep my Dad got us to drive in college but not as smooth and quiet as the van (which is not saying much).  As long as my belly can fit behind the wheel this may be a nice "drive into town" car when I'm down to just a few passengers.

Good work Paul!  I'm so glad you made it safely home and can't wait for you to take me out on a date in this truck.

New ducks

We picked up some ducks from a local CSA, The Bending Sickle Farm.  The boys brought their own cash, picked out their ducks and helped chase them down.  These are Runner ducks and very quick.  I bought the remaining three for the younger children to enjoy as well.

We transported them in some rubbermaid bins with the lids cracked for air and I have to admit not 15 miles into the ride home I was questioning whether George had a dirty diaper, the response was negative.  I asked again and again and even questioned Henry if he'd had a little accident, again no, it was the ducks!  They really stunk up our van, that's saying a lot since our van is prone to some rather stinky smells. 

We had originally planned for them to be secured in an empty horse stall for the night and left to free range during the day.  These girls (they are all active layers) however, would not be contained.  My boys learned the real meaning of a "wild goose chase" trying to corral them back to their intended shelter.  It was as if they were in a real life video game.  At one point, James assigned Peter to defense and William was on offense as they strategically went in on the ducks.

William has a way with birds, actually it's all animals, and he was successful in gently carrying them into the fenced-in chicken pasture.  With the threat of coyotes they actually got three into the coop with the hens, though I don't think the hens were too happy with that.  In the morning William found one duck egg in the coop and the three boys split is sunny side down.

Today they led three of them out to the pond but there was no recovering the others from the thick weeds.  Either way, none of our ducks are properly secure from possible predators so there'll be many prayers on the ducks behalf tonight.    

James' duck is a gray one named "Quackers", William's is a black one with pretty blue feathers beneath its wings, as soon as we got in the car he had named his "Daffy".  Peter's is the khaki one and named "Roundtree" after a football player.

I don't know what is more comical, watching the ducks run or the kids chase after them.

Thank you ladies!

Look what Peter found!  This is our very first egg and we have gotten at least one a day since then.  It was really good timing because I've been short on eggs since last week when a child dropped a whole dozen of our purchased eggs.

Not only did they give us eggs, but Judi was right, they've cleared a huge portion of our weeds as well!

We have since let them out into the over grown garden area and they are now busy at work on those weed (though it would probably require the work of 100 hens to get the job done there).

But more than anything else they have provided hours of entertainment for the kids.  I find them out there all hours of the day running with them, holding them, stroking them and even singing to them.  My favorite is when Maryanna claps her hands to "cupcake" (the latest name for the darker barred) and calls "come here girl" and as soon as the hen approaches Maryanna freaks out and runs away.  I also need to get Clara on video singing "Chiquitita".

I offered to catch a grasshopper for William to feed the chickens but he said that made him feel really uncomfortable.  He suggested we let nature takes its course, if a chicken wanted to eat a grasshopper they could catch it themselves (which I'm told they often do).  William asked me "how would like to be caught only to be hand fed to a larger creature"?  William spends the most time out there with them, he observes them for hours and could give a full report of their expected behaviors.  

Here's Peter in full costume enjoying the company of one of the hens.  

And even George finds his way into the mix.