hannah ran over with the beech tree branch and told me it had my name written all over it.
she was right.
Archives for September 2012
the other day the four of us were all sitting around the dinner table.
i asked “if you were living on a deserted island and could only have one thing to eat (and no matter what it was it would keep you healthy and alive) what would you prefer?
hannah- sushi
norah- tofu
papa- pizza
mama- couldn’t decide between garbanzo beans and french fries.
i love playing these sorts of games.
have you seen this?
we have had a bit of an emotional week.
we lost a little baby mouse that had lost it’s mama. we were trying to nurse him and give him a life. his name was pip.
and sadly we also lost our beloved rabbit harley.
although it is hard to lose little critters that we all have become so attached to and sometimes it’s hard to understand why, we are trying to focus on all of the beautiful life that does surround us every day.
our first apple harvest of the year.
golden delicious, jonathan and stamen.
there was crisp for dessert.
and we slow baked the peels sprinkled in cinnamon and sugar. a recipe from the latest martha.
there is a bushel of “seconds” to be turned into sauce.
norah has plans to make a pie tomorrow. and there will be galette on wednesday.
i think i’ll pick up a few hunks of cheese to eat with what’s left over.
and then we’ll go pick more.
p.s. today is the last day to vote! xo
we woke up to a chilly morning
with nothing but shorts and tee shirts in their drawers.
i went up to the attic to see what i might find.
i threw down some pants and long sleeves for norah that hannah once wore.
and the pants i found for hannah turned out to be floods.
their legs are longer and their feet are bigger.
i know this is what is supposed to happen.
but when i look at these photos i can’t help but stare.
are these really my babies?
sometimes i wished we had designed a little mailbox for the chicken coop
for all of the thank you notes i have wanted to send our hens.
dear gals,
the other day our neighbor stopped by to give us a basket of cherry tomatoes from her garden. i wanted to reciprocate and opened up your coop and filled a basket of your eggs to give to her. she was delighted.
today someone we met at the garage sale last weekend stopped by with a box of homemade baked goods. i asked her if she would like some eggs in exchange and her face lit up.
the other night i was too tired to think about dinner. i pulled some of your eggs from the fridge and mixed them with some swiss chard from the garden and a proper meal was born within minutes.
last week we pulled out all of the ingredients to bake cookies but quickly realized we were out of eggs. norah ran to the coop and there were two sitting there as if they were waiting to be turned into chocolate chip cookies.
and whenever i am in a pinch while packing lunches there are always eggs to be hard boiled.
your eggs are a gift.
and we thank you.
sincerely,
the lady with the dark hair who feeds you sunflower seeds each morning.
craft circle
tonight was “craft circle”.
it started out as a large circle of us gathered around all working on individual craft projects.
knitting, quilting, sewing, mending, embroidery etc.
some months the circle was so big it spilled into the next room.
over time though the circle has shrunk quite a bit.
and most of the time it is a craft triangle of myself and my two lovely neighbor friends.
the three of us have been crafting together for 13 years now and i can honestly say that it is rare that a month gets skipped.
there were a few years where i would just sit and nurse a baby and not craft at all.
it’s always fun to see what new projects get pulled out of everyone’s bag. (even though some of us lately seem to be working on the same project month after month)
along with clicking needles and cutting fabric there is always good conversation and lots of laughs.
tonight i pulled out the same fingerless mitts as last month.
but no one seemed to mind.
:: i woke up snuggled under the down comforter with the windows wide open.
:: i put on jeans and oxfords this morning.
:: i wished all day that i had worn socks.
:: i slow roasted some tomatoes and it felt good to heat up the kitchen.
:: the girls made dinner (mashed potatoes and greens and beans)
:: while they cooked we chatted and i sipped on beer and ate extra dark pretzels.
:: it’s 7:30 and dark outside. (i am one of those people who likes when it gets dark early)
:: water is boiling for tea.
:: i think a hot bath is in order.
:: i am ready to slip back under the comforter soon.
well we all made out like bandits today.
the girls sold out of cookies and lemonade.
and i pretty much cleaned up with just a few things left.
i didn’t find anything on my list (mainly because i was enjoying myself so much at our own sale) but i did score a vintage crepe maker as well as a few wooden bead necklaces.
the day was a lot of fun
selling with friends and neighbors
and chatting with people about backyard chickens and rabbits.
we even gave several tours of our garden.
some people were stopping by because they had heard about us from a sign promoting our website for the country living contest.
i was so moved when i went to visit a neighbor’s sale and saw her sign.
thanks chris b.!
i am blown away by the kindness of my friends and family.
so many of them have been spreading the word about the contest.
to be honest my blog has been some what of a secret.
i have not shared it with many people that i know until i was chosen as a finalist.
now it feels like the world knows.
and as much as i am a bit shy about it, it also feels really good.
we are now headed out to dinner with friends to spend some of the money we made today.
