The Heidicoaster

a list

2012-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

The boys have been brainstorming what they want to do over this summer with much anticipation. Here is the list they have come up with:

1) play MineCraft
2) play outside
3) play on trampoline
4) build a tree house
5) go to the beach
6) take a train ride
7) go up in a hot air balloon
8) walk down Bunny Lane and look for rabbits
9) relax
10) go on a giant jelly bean search
11) go camping
12) go hiking
13) go on a Bigfoot search
14) go swimming
15) make crop circles
16) argue about spontaneous combustion
17) try out lots of different teas
18) sit with the bunnies
19) go fishing
20) make a sunflower fort
21) create a Hershey Kiss village
22) have friends over
23) pet Easter
24) camp out on the trampoline
25) take a trip to Uwajimaya
26) take a trip to the zoo
27) try a jalapeno
28) spend a weekend in Portland
29) buy a toothless lizard
30) go to the Portland museum

chocolate covered strawberries

2012-02-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

The boys made these chocolate covered strawberries themselves.

After breaking up the chocolate and melting it in the microwave, they simply dipped the berries and let them firm up. Such a simple, yet delectable treat.

little valentines

2012-02-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

This morning there was a knock on my door, followed by "Can I come in? Oh good - just a moment Mom." After a bit of rustling, Jamey came in bearing a tray full of delightful treats that he put together himself.

"I wanted to surprise you Mom, because you are my Valentine."

When Arthur woke up, he handed me a card he made himself, and with it came a great big hug and a "I love you.".

I am a very lucky, very spoiled mom. Especially so because I get to spend the entire day with these two sweet valentines.

Happy Valentines Day!

a day hike

2012-01-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

Recently, James discovered a hiking area about a mile down the road from us, and brought us along. It was incredibly scenic at the top, and the boys enjoyed scambling up the mountain. They looked for pretty rocks, chewed on fir needles, and attempted to scare James about bears. I liked there being a place to go so close to home, and spending a day exploring with the kids. I hope to do lots more hiking this year with the boys. It used to be that they were too small and struggled, but now, I'm the one who needs to keep up!

skirt for Natalya

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

This is a skirt I made using a great pattern from Indygo Junction. I loved how the skirt flares out at the bottom, and knew that I had to make it. I did have a hard time with hemming the bottom. I don't have a serger which would have made it a cakewalk. When folding the hem under, it kept bunching up due to the deep flare. So, after it sat for longer than I care to admit, I finally came up with the idea of finishing it off with bias tape. It turned out wonderfully, and was so simple to do.

I gave this skirt to Natalya, a friend's daughter, and she fell in love with it instantly. It is a perfect twirly skirt and makes one want to spin around just to watch the skirt float out like a flower.

This pattern is so cute, easy, and versatile, that I'm itching to sew some more, and try different fabric combinations. And, I like the idea of making a matching ponytail scarf. Wouldn't that be too cute?

evil genius in training

2012-01-23T06:12:00.000-08:00

A bit ago, we got the opportunity to watch Belle again. Arthur came up to me and said, "You know how the movies always show the evil genius stroking a cat while they plot? Well, I'm stroking a kitten instead of a cat, cause you know, I'm a kid."

snow fun

2012-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

Last week, we got snow, and a bunch of it! The boys had a great time playing outside during the week, and we were all rooting for it to get even deeper. I kept measurements and the highest I measured was 14 inches on Wednesday, which was super cool. Plenty deep for fort making, snowballs, and of course, sledding.

James took Wednesday off as it was impossible to drive out of here and he joined the boys in the revelry. Now, most of the snow has melted away, so that leaves us back to rooting for more snow! The little ones concur that it would be agreeable if the snow came up to our doorknobs. Jamey would like it even deeper, and finds the thought of having a ladder outside his window that he would use to get out of the house most pleasant.

visit with the greats, the grands, and other distinguished folk

2012-01-20T12:45:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas, we had the opportunity to visit the northern Zimmerman folks. Our first stop was seeing Great Grandma Elynor and Great Grandpa Ward. We had a wonderful time catching up and sharing stories together. I pulled out my usual, and by now quite boring escapades of life on the farm with chickens, gardening, and the dog as my main fodder. The greats told much more interesting stories of life in South Dakota during the winter, memorable Christmases, and caught us up on the family doings. It was very hard to break away from such great conversation, but we had another destination waiting for us - the grands.

Next stop was Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Jim's house. This was a visit filled with a whirlwind of activity including visiting the local shops, great meals, early Christmas present opening, the Clam Lights, and Uncle Jim's birthday party. We got to see Aunts and Uncles both great and soon to be great, nieces and cousins. Amongst all this revelry, I forgot the camera for the most part, but I did get this shot right before everyone set out to do some caroling.

It was a wonderful visit filled with lots of fun and memories, which made the season all the brighter.

eleven up

2012-01-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

Before Jamey turns 12, I figured I had better get his 11th birthday posted. It was celebrated in fine style, and per the usual, I have his birthday interview below. Unlike the usual, he had a lot to say. So, without further ado, here it is:

What did you like about your birthday?
I liked sharing it with people, going out for ice cream, having a gourmet dinner. I was very excited.

What was your favorite gift?
I was extra extra excited about getting a replacement Wii and Kirby's Return to Dreamland. That game was the one thing I really especially wanted.

What didn't you like?
Not really anything.

What have you learned in the past year?
Algebra - some at least.

Any words of wisdom?
Don't get Mom gardening unless you want her to never stop. She didn't feed us for 2 days (ha ha!).

I like swimming, and having friends over, and we did so many things that there are too many to count.

I like cooking and I made some cool stuff that's yummy. Like soft pretzels from scratch, scrambled eggs, Greek smashed potatoes, tacos, lime ice treats, and I also made Foon's Sizzling Hot Pebbles.

This last year I took and really enjoyed Tae Kwon Doe, Drama, Ice Skating, Baseball, Gymnastics, and tons and tons of camping. I am also in a writing class and I love having my stories printed and bound. We got to see shows like the Blue Man Group, Oklahoma, Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I was really sick the 4th of July which was not fun and made me sad.

This last year I also hatched chicks, raised a flock of Bantees, got a dog, and put on plays and shows.

Now that I am 11, I want to have a lot of new experiences, as well as more of some old ones. Like having lots of friends over, taking computer programming class for games, lots of sledding, glass class with Grandpa Jim, have Mom teach me more cooking, go on a fishing charter with Grandma Jill, go fishing with Dad, take piano lessons with Mom, take a hot air balloon ride, tons more camping, learn Swedish. I also want to continue taking lots of fun classes like Drama and History. I also want to finish my tree fort. I think I will have Mom help me to speed things up. And there is so much more I want to do that it is hard to wait for it all. It will be fun though!

And did you know that 2012 is the year of the dragon, and that is my year? That means it will be an extra lucky year for me. I already feel luckier too.

Halloween fun

2011-11-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

This year, we got our pumpkins from Coyote Ridge Ranch, and the boys each carved one as they saw fit. Arthur has been playing an online game called MineCraft which he loves with a passion, and was inspired by this game to carve his pumpkin. It is a man with one eye open and the other closed with a tear because he is smelling cut onions. It is done in all square shapes just like the MineCraft worlds.

Jamey decided that the holiday wouldn't be right without a traditional pumpkin, and he whipped this one up. We all agree that it is quintessentially Halloween.

Here they are lit up and glowing.

And here are the boos ready for the night. We have an IRS audtior, and an Enderman figure (from MineCraft, of course!). The IRS outfit got lots of laughs and comments, and Jamey really enjoyed all the fuss. I am still slightly amazed that he even came up with this as a costume. Arthur converted his outfit at the last minute to a regular ninja, as he didn't think enough people would know what an Enderman was. And in the dark, he really did look like a stealthy ninja (or a thug, or a robber - take your pick).

Lots of candy later, they came home tired and slap-happy. What a great night.

Apple Walnut Bread

2011-10-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

This bread is so very good, and is versatile using tart or sweet apples. I chose 2 tart green ones and one sweet-tart red one, and it turned out great. So great in fact, it was one of the only times that the loaf was gone before James came home and got to try it. Arthur was moaning in delight as he had it hot from the oven with his cup of tea. Jamey didn't say much about it, he just wolfed down three slices in a row. I was only going to have one slice, but couldn't say no to a second slice, and later on in the afternoon, (ahem) a third slice. We gave the second loaf away and it's a good thing we did, else we might have spent the entire day eating nothing but apple bread. Last night Arthur said he wanted me to make it again for today. Probably not today, little fella, but soon for sure.

Apple Walnut Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

3 cups flour (I used half unbleached, half whole wheat)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
2 tsp. apple pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil, or applesauce if cutting fat
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I use 3 medium apples - sometimes I get more, sometimes less than this amount - don't worry, it always turns out)
1 cup walnuts

Directions

1) Combine the first 7 ingredients
2) Add the remaining ingredients and mix well (this batter is very, very thick when done)
3) Pour into two greased loaf pans
4) Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
5) Enjoy

apple harvest

2011-10-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I picked apples from our trees, and look at what I got!!

The red apples are called Liberty and this tree was given to us by Kendra, after our Wolf River tree died (thanks Kendra!). These apples are sweet - tart, firm, and very juicy. They are quickly becoming my favorite apple of all time.

I don't know what variety these green ones are. We received this tree from Mary Ann, who wanted it removed from her property, so James dug it up and brought it home a few years ago. It is a very tart apple, and seems good for baking, which I will test out today. I plan on bringing some apples to Mary Ann tomorrow, as her fruit trees were limbed this spring and she didn't get any fruit. I think she'll be tickled to receive a bucket of apples from her old tree.

Blue Man Group plus

2011-10-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday was an event packed day for us!

Months ago, I was able to get some discount tickets to see the Blue Man Group in Portland. The boys love this group and still talk about seeing them live in Vegas two summers ago. So, this was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. And it was as fantastic as the first time we saw them. The boys were absolutely buzzed from the show and I am so glad that we were able to go. One thing that really tickled Jamey was a skit where they got the audience up to "Shake our Booty" along with the music, and they flashed about a bazillion synonyms for that booty on the screen. He cracked up so hard at all the names and has been studiously trying to remember as many as possible. Arthur really loved the giant balls they released into the audience to be tossed about, and would like one "just like that" at our home.

Things have a tendency to bunch up though, don't they? Turns out that Saturday was also the annual Harvest Dinner (or lunch, as we call it), so we trooped off to that before the show and enjoyed a yummy meal and good company.

Lest that be all for the day, our friend Georgia won free tickets to Fright Land which is located on a farm in La Center, and gave them to us. When we looked at the possible days, we realized that Saturday evening after the Blue Man Show was our only option - so off we went to have a good fright. They have a great outdoor movie screen that was playing when we showed up, and further along we found the Haunted Woods. The woods had a path to follow through a field of Christmas trees and all along the path monsters lurked. I was doing pretty well at first - James was in the front and most the monsters jumped out at him, while I was the caboose. But then a creepy gauze wrapped guy started walking behind me, and randomly would disappear and jump out at me behind some tree or another. Man, I screamed my fool head off. It was definitely great!

So much fun in one day. Arthur said that Saturdays should be called Partydays. I agree.

volunteering

2011-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

This week, Jamey and Arthur found out that Fargher Lake Grange was going to hand out dictionaries to the third graders at Green Mountain School, and asked if they could join in this activity. Of course we weren't about to turn down free help. The boys jumped right in and did a great job. I'd like to say that volunteering to help out the community was the main motivating factor, but in reality, it may have had something to do with getting out of a bit of school work. :)

patty pans galore

2011-10-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how one little squash plant (or, in my case, two) can produce so much produce! We have patty pans coming out of our ears. I have been using them as a substitute for zucchini in recipes to much success. We have had patty pan savory pancakes, soups and stews with patty pan added, patty pan sweet muffins, and just the other night I added it to my spaghetti sauce. I have also been giving them away to friends and neighbors, and I still haven't kept up with the harvest.

Luckily, they make darn cute decorations while I try to figure out another way to incorporate them into our meals. I have laid them out across the table, tucked them around the piano and TV tables, and right now they are snuggled up with a plethora of winter squash varieties on the coffee table.

We have had our first cold nights which have killed tomato and potato plants, but the squash plants in our raised bed are still hanging in there - and they have another half a dozen or so little patty pans growing!

a dahlia bloomed

2011-10-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier this spring, my aunt Connie shared a bunch of dahlia tubers that she received from a neighbor. I have been anxiously waiting to see what color and style they would end up being. My first dahlia has bloomed and it is gorgeous. It is putting on a whole show of these wonderful large purplish-pink blooms. My other plants have buds on them, but haven't bloomed yet. With the cold weather coming, they may not open this year, which isn't surprising considering how late I planted them. I guess I will just have to wait until next summer to see what they look like - unless I'm lucky and they somehow bloom before the frosts get them. If they do, I'll share pics with you guys.

Now, I am enjoying the extended feel of summer and am ignoring the dark, grey, and rainy day.

our soccer champ

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Arthur is loving soccer. I have been remiss on posting pictures of his games and wanted to get this documented before the season ends.

Here is my speed demon hamming it up for Mom.

He defended the goal for the first half of the game. In this photo, Arthur just threw the ball out towards a team member not in the picture.

During the second half, he played center, and then forward. I love how happy he looks in the photo below while playing!

I like how his hair is flipping upwards here.

The team won this game, and Arthur is already asking about Winter soccer. I was hoping for a break between Fall Soccer and Spring Baseball (and year round gymnastics), but if he really wants to, we probably will end up looking into it.

This was my first time editing photos to protect the identity of others on my blog. The pixel blurring was easy, but I am rather enjoying the masks and facial hair in the 3rd pic. I am going to have to play around with this more - just for the fun of it.

meet Belle

2011-10-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday when my mom was getting hay from a neighbor, she found a wee kitten among the bales. The neighbor told her that it had been abandoned by it's mother and would die. Mom couldn't let that happen and promptly adopted the sweet thing.

She has been bottle feeding it formula and taking it everywhere with her - even to work! The boys have fallen in love with the little fluff - especially Jamey - and are delighted to see it show up at soccer games, and at our house.

Isn't it tiny?! Belle sleeps a lot, but seems to be getting more active as the days go by.

Belle seems to love Jamey as much as he loves her and snuggles right up to him. When I hold her - she meows a lot, but is usually quiet when Jamey has her.

Argh!!! This much cuteness is really hard to take!

Oklahoma

2011-10-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday the boys and I took a field trip to Portland and watched the musical Oklahoma put on by Portland Center Stage and it was fantastic! The humor, music, songs and plot kept me enthralled all the way through. It was longer than I expected and I worried that the boys would grow restless, but they did great. They laughed a lot, enjoyed the dancing, and got mighty worried when the plot thickened.

During the intermission, we read some background that came in the booklet handed out at the play. We learned that after the civil war, African Americans tired of Jim Crow laws took up the government's offer of free land in Oklahoma and started all black communities where they didn't have to worry about oppression and fair trade. In fact, according to the article, there was a movement to make Oklahoma an all African American state.

The play took place in one of these historical towns and touched on the excitement of the territory being on the brink of statehood. I enjoyed learning all of this, and it prompted some really good conversations between the boys and I.

It's so wonderful to go to a show excited about it, and have it end up being so much more than you hoped for!

the working dog

2011-10-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

I have found out that Snow Bear is the type of dog that needs a job. If you don't give him one, he'll make up his own.

He's super great at guarding the chickens, and since he was about 6 or 7 months old, we haven't lost a single chicken. We have increased their free ranging time to about 5 days a week now and every one has been safely watched, and sometimes herded away from the wooded areas and back to the open field.

But, this job apparently isn't enough for our hard working dog. Whenever we are outside working, he watches us closely, and then seems to try to do what we are doing - no joke!

It started when he was a puppy. In the spring he watched as I gathered empty pots up to start up seedlings. He started bringing me every empty pot he could find - which I was tickled with and praised him for. Unfortunately, there was an unforeseen consequence. Whenever I had potted plants out of the green house to put in the beds, he would find them and dump the plant out - and bring me the empty pot. I had to learn to work very quickly and only bring out what I could do right away. I also would swipe the portable bunny fences to guard my plants from him.

In the summer to keep the flowers blooming prettily, I would take scissors out and dead head the spent blooms. To our amazement, James and I watched the dog start carefully biting off the flower heads and spitting them out on the ground. He can't really tell between a fresh flower and dying one, but he is vigorous in his efforts.

Later this summer, we built a raised bed for Jamey who is enthusiastic about raising medicinal herbs in it. Both he and Arthur have been weeding it diligently. One day after watching the boys, Snow Bear climbed into the raised bed and started digging right next to Jamey. Both boys were delighted with his "help" and petted him profusely for his work. (I do see this to be problematic once spring comes and Jamey will only want certain plants dug up!).

And just yesterday, James and I harvested our potato crop. We put the four varieties in different buckets, and I placed a bucket at the end of each row so I could remember what type of potatoes were which. We got two varieties stored, but didn't finish the other two. This morning when doing morning chores outside, I saw that Snow Bear brought up one of the buckets of potatoes, and it was standing upright on the lawn. Sure, he spilled some on his way up from the garden, but I thought he did a mighty fine job. When I headed down to collect the spilled potatoes, I found him carefully hauling the other bucket up.

He is a working dog, and very proud to be so.

popovers

2011-10-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

We love having popovers for breakfast. They are surprisingly fast to make too. We like using a spoon to make a hole in them and putting some jam inside. Yummmy!

Preheat oven to 400 F

Ingredients:
2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
2 c. soymilk (or regular)
3 eggs (sometimes we use 4 and it turns out great)
butter

To make:
Mix everything but the butter up.
Put a dab of butter (maybe 1/8-1/4th a tsp) in each popover cup, and melt in oven
Pour mixture into the popover cups until 2/3 - 3/4 full
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown

Serve hot with jam

Variation: For a savory popover, skip the jam and add 1/4 thyme and 1/4 sage to the batter. Also good is Italian seasoning, or rosemary.

October's bargain

2011-10-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the boys and I went to Walmart. For many various reasons, we rarely shop here. However, I had run out of flour sack towels and my neighbor told me I could save a bundle if I got them at Walmart instead of JoAnn, so I decided to go check it out.

After picking up the towels, which were indeed a much better price, we were meandering through the store and happened to hit a children's clearance section set right up in the middle of the aisle way. I continued walking by without thinking much about it, until I saw a section that said $1. This stopped me cold, and I started looking closer at what they had. To my surprise they had a large selection and in both my boys sizes as well. Jamey's closet in particular was looking bare and I let the boys start picking out what they liked. I still am having a hard time believing that I was able to get brand new clothes at these prices!

For a dollar each, I picked up 4 polo shirts, 2 tshirts, and 4 cotton shorts.

For two dollars each, I picked up 2 swim trunks and 1 baseball pants (in larger sizes for next spring/summer usage)

Total cost: $16 before tax. Can you believe it?! I feel like doing a little happy dance just writing this! :)

Here is a chunk of the receipt just so I know I'm not dreaming this:

And here is the loot I brought home:

bake day kitchen towel

2011-09-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

All my kitchen towels have been wearing out recently, and I love the old fashioned looking flour sack towels that are embroidered in the cutest designs, so I decided to make myself some. Using Aunt Martha's Hot Iron Transfers, I chose the pattern 4014 Baby Chicks (what else for me, right?!).

It has been a awhile since I sat down and done any embroidery work, and I was reminded of how satisfying it is to have something pretty for the house in a short time. Arthur chose the colors of the bowl and contents. Green is his favorite color, and he wanted the chicks to be drinking tomato soup.

I am continuing with the baby chicks, and hope to get the set of seven done between other projects.

three little pumpkins

2011-09-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I came across a cute idea on making paper pumkins for fall here, and decided that it would be a fun project for the boys and I. I also remembered Theresa showing us how to make Christmas ornaments from paper, so we deviated from the tutorial, and simply punched holes in the ends of the paper strips with a hole puncher, and fastened them together with brads.

I made my example in the very boring and traditional orange, while Jamey chose to make a blue pumpkin, and Arthur a green one. Arthur also decided his needed to be squished for character.

Here is our efforts in decorating for fall:

We are doing several fall/Halloween projects over the next few weeks, and I'll be sure to share with you!

dahlia delight

2011-09-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

My neighbor has an absolutely gorgeous dahlia garden. I was ever so lucky that she decided to pick a boquet of them for me to enjoy. This year, I also planted dahlias, but they have yet to bloom - probably due to getting them in the ground so late. I also don't know quite what I have, as they were given to me by my aunt, and she got them from another neighbor. So, while I'm expectantly waiting to see how mine turn out, I have been admiring this lovely bunch, and feeling spoiled through and through.

a very small egg

2011-09-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

When hens first start laying eggs, there can be some bumps on the way. Like any engine, it needs a bit to warm up. One of my young ladies recently laid this very tiny egg on the left. The one on the right is an average white egg from my leghorn. This bitty egg was so darling, that I had to take a picture and share.

a new school year

2011-09-06T15:24:00.001-07:00

We decided to go ahead and homeschool once again. This will be our third year, and we have some pretty exciting events planned. In celebration of our official first day of school, I took these photos of the boys.

Jamey: 10 years old and in 6th grade

Arthur: 9 years old and in 5th grade

It was super bright outside. I probably should have retaken the photos so they aren't so washed out, but laziness won out.

speaking of birthdays....

2011-08-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

the boys decided that they wanted to bake a cake for Grandma Jill's birthday. They baked it and decorated it themselves. It ended up being a four layer devil's food cake with coconut pecan frosting. I like having them bake as I end up trying new things (e.g. 4 layer cake), and they were pleased as punch at how it turned out.

9 good ones

2011-08-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Arthur is now 9, and I thought that I'd better get this blogged before too much more time passed. Here is the yearly interview:

How does it feel to be 9?

It was awfully confusing cause I was so used to having a year of 8. It's just hard to remember I'm 9. I feel really really good with all my presents and stuff though.

What was your favorite thing about your birthday?

I don't know if it was the cake or what. Everything was very good and equally good, probably.

What didn't you like about your birthday?

We didn't get to do the water balloon fight with Dave and Ryan and Logan and Dad and Jamey. At least we got to have it the next day.

What have you learned this past year?

Not much. Well, I know how to work a Nintendo DS better and I am fast with DS functions and stuff. I can carry a laptop without dropping it, and I didn't know that I could run as fast as I can - you know, cause of soccer practice? I love soccer, did you know?

Any words of wisdom that you would like to share?

Don't count the days until your birthday if you are within 20 days. Cause the days just seem longer and longer the closer you get, even though the wait is shorter and shorter. Also, Mine Craft is fun, and that's it.

a happy momma hen

2011-05-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

I have a hen that took it into her head that she wanted to be a momma. No matter what I did, she continued to brood - even on an empty box! Knowing that if I let her have some eggs that they wouldn't hatch due to sterility, I decided to give her some chicks to raise.

I went to the feed store and bought 4 chicks for her - only being particular about them being as young as possible. I ended up with two buff orpingtons and two javas and I settled them under her at night. At first she seemed surprised and somewhat confused. Then she started cooing to them and fluffed out her wings and got comfy with her new chicks. And the babies took to her like she was their mom the whole time.

In the ensuing days she has been very protective over her little brood and they are thriving under her care.

I adore how they hop in and out of her feathers like popcorn. Here I caught a chick making a dive for safety.

And here is one that loves nothing better than peeking out at the world from her mom's wing.

kick off of the camping season

2011-05-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our family joined up with the grange campers assos. to start the season off right. We headed up to Cougar and stayed at the Lone Fir campground. Arthur and I headed up a day before the James' and got everything set up.

But instead of waiting until nighttime to hop in the tent and cozy up in the sleeping bag, Arthur decided that this treat was too special to wait for, and joined the festivities already bagged up.

He even joined in card games (and puzzles) ready to go if a nap should strike.

Saturday, my mom James, and Jamey made it to the campground and we all left for a bit of snow shoeing. I love snow shoeing!

The boys love playing in snow - shoes optional.

At one point, James shucked off the snow shoes and climbed up an outcrop - he's the cute little red dot.

I really love this picture of Grandma Jill and Jamey together.

There was roasting of marshmallows and hot dogs, lots of games, laughter, and fun into the late night with plenty of tent chatter before everyone nodded off. All of us are anticipating our next camp out!

April's canning

2011-04-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

I have kicked off my canning year this month and this is what I've put up for April:

Dandelion jelly: sounds gross, I know, but it is absolutely fabulous - very delicate. And you can't beat the price - all the free dandelions that you can scrummage.

Kiwi Lime Jam: This is a great time to make it as the kiwis are a steal right now. Very zippy.

Smashed bananas: got an incredible bargain on bananas - and organic no less. These are great in smoothies, breads, and such.

Dried bananas - kids are crazy for these.

And not shown as I didn't take a picture is banana jam which is super yummy.

It's fun to try out new recipes, and I'm sure glad they turned out so great.

17 is the number to beat

2011-04-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago, I was saying that I was getting about a dozen eggs a day. Well, spring is on in full force and my daily average is now 17, with a twice weekly peak of 19! Lucky for me, I have the very best egg customers who have been great at taking them off my hands.

With all these eggs, it is ridiculous that every Easter I buy inferior tasting eggs at the store simply because they are all white and color up so pretty when we dye them. And yet, that's exactly what I do.

egg carton labels

2011-04-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

I have a stack of egg cartons that are completely blank and were just begging for some decoration. Which led me to the decision that I ought to have a label representing my little egg business. So, after tinkering around a bit and getting some good input from James, here is the end result. I'm so tickled to have my own personal label for the eggs I sell. Yippee!

Jamey's first game

2011-04-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Jamey had his first baseball game on Tuesday night. He was abuzz as only he can be, and it was fun cheering him on. His team was crushed with an end score of 0-7, but Jamey didn't care a lick about that. "Who cares who won - I just had fun getting to play."

At the end of the game, Arthur asked Jamey for his autograph, and Jamey spent the rest of the evening recapping all the great highlights of the night.

I can't imagine a better first game.

new chicks for Jamey

2011-04-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

Jamey loves Bantams and has a grand plan of raising himself a little flock of them. We picked up 3 hens and rooster - all bantams - for him this spring, and he incubated five eggs from the group. Out of these 2 sweet, very tiny chicks emerged.

Here, they are power napping.

And here they are enjoying the view from Jamey's shoulder.

They are the quietest batch we have ever hatched. We are theorizing with only two, the chaos ratio drops significantly allowing them to go about their day very peacefully. If this is the case, we are in for a noisy time when my batch of 45 hatch on the 18th.

no fooling

2011-04-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

Jamey and Arthur surprised me this morning with a wonderful breakfast in bed that they made themselves. They also composed a breakfast song to go along with it. It was absolutely adorable and I was quite touched by their thoughtfulness.

When I asked what prompted such a deed, Jamey replied "Well, it is April Fools Day, and since we have a lot of tricks planned, we thought this might help soften the day you are going to have."

Meet Snow Bear

2011-03-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

I have been talking about Great Pyrenees ever since I learned they made good chicken guardians. My mom took pity on me and got me one for my birthday. Meet Snow Bear:

He is about 2 1/2 months old, and already weighs between 20-30 pounds. He is so mellow and sweet! All of us are head over heels for him.

In the world of Chickens

2011-03-08T07:22:00.001-08:00

I have been doing a lot with chickens lately.

Last week, my aunt and I rescued 137 chickens living in a coop half the size of mine. When we arrived: 1) they had no food and were eating snow for water 2) some were soaked through and many were standing out in the snow because of overcrowding (note - during the snowy weather, not one of my ladies deigned to put a single foot outside in it - which shows how much chickens hate the snow and would avoid if possible) 3) almost all were missing tail feathers due to not enough space, food, and too much fighting between them. We moved them to my aunt's place who separated them into two groups. Each group got their own stable with heat lamps, perches, a laying room and a feeding room, plus a 1/2 acre or so of field. From these birds, I took 4 bantams for Jamey and 4 black sex links for Arthur. I'm happy to report all birds are doing well at both my aunt's and at my place. They have been eating like crazy and I'm shocked how fast my food is dropping. I'm sure that it will balance out again once the new birds are more stable.

From the 4 bantams, Jamey has 3 hens and a very small, white, frizzled rooster. He said he wants to incubate the eggs and I said - yes! I'm thinking of fencing in the 3 room dog house with a covered porch for his bantams. The building is about 12x6 which will be a great size for the birds.

Mom has given me eggs to incubate from her birds and is incubating eggs herself. Our plan is to keep some and sell some.

Connie will be giving me fertile Americana (Easter egg birds), eggs to incubate. Our plan is to keep some and sell some.

After rescuing so many birds, Uncle Pete has eggs coming out of his ears and has decided that he isn't interested in chicks this year and has offered my mom the chick order he put in. She said yes, and I agreed I'd take some too.

My over all plan is to increase my flock size by about 20 more birds. We have planned for a gentlemen to fence in more fields for my ladies so they will have plenty of room for grazing and peace amongst each other. This weekend I plan on putting in another roosting pole and more laying boxes. I should be getting about 7 dozen eggs this week - based on the recorded performance of my birds and the increased amount of light.

I am on cloud nine in chicken land. Oh yes indeedy.

an odd, but happy happening

2011-02-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Great Grandpa Ward, Grandpa Jim, and Uncle Lief came down to help us erect a canopy that will cover James' soon to arrive velomobile (thanks again guys!). On that weekend I let my ladies out of the coop for a good visit with everyone while we worked. They love it when we putter around outside because they know they get to putter around too - and for the most part this works in keeping them safe from predators.

Unfortunately, when I closed them up Saturday night, I realized that I was missing a bird. Being dark and not having a flash light, I figured I'd double check in the morning. Sure enough, I was down one the next morning - Pretty Feather was missing.

All the following week I kept my ladies in their enclosed yard as I wasn't home to keep an eye on them if I let them loose. But on Friday afternoon, I let them out again to graze where they would (really not sure if this has any bearing on the story or not). When I closed them up that night and did a head count, I came up with 19 birds! What?! Did another head count and got 19 again. Looking more closely I found that yes, Pretty Feather was indeed back with the flock. I don't know where she spent her vacation, but I'm delighted that she's home again.

the tree of all trees

2010-12-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

We were ever so lucky to win a free Christmas tree this year in a raffle from our good friends the Lynches. We showed up the Sunday before Christmas to hunt down the perfect tree. They had a huge selection of noble firs to pick from and the decision was hard to make - when each tree is gorgeous, how do you choose?

After much looking everyone settled on the tree that both boys picked first (sometimes, no matter how much looking you do, you won't find a tree you like as much as the tree that first catches your eyes). Big Jamey was concerned about how tall it was and agreed to getting it only if I would help carry it. Which, I happily complied to. It turned out that these trees had relatively slender bases and were lighter than expected.

After roping our tree to the car, we were off to bring it home for decorating.

To give the tree a bit of perspective, I had James stand by it for this picture.

We had a blast decorating it and I am still amused that all decor stops about 1/3 from the top - even James couldn't reach that high. We have so enjoyed this tree and I definitely plan on heading back to the Lynches next year for another wonderful tree.

A Decade

2010-12-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

With the winter break on us, and having considerably more free time, I thought I'd catch up on some blogging and capture a few events before I forget. Here is a recap of Jamey's birthday:

Jamey is now ten, and we celebrated his day doing things he wanted to do. First on the list - a day off of school, except for ice skating lessons. After that, we went to: 1) Jamba Juice, 2) Firstenburg Community Center, 3) book store 4) Sushi restaurant for dinner and 5) home for present unwrapping. After the fun day, I pestered him for an interview, which he kindly gave:

What is it like being 10?

It is a little weird. Another year has passed and I can never be 9 again. I am not sure what to think about that one.

What was your favorite part of your birthday?

Well, there were three things. Getting to be with everyone, receiving presents and going to Sushi Land.

What didn't you like about your birthday?

I didn't have enough ideas on how to spend the day.

Anything surprising about today?

Finding chocolate frogs in the Harry Potter section of the book store. They were good too.

Do you have any words of wisdom or thoughts you'd like to share?

No matter how old you become, your mind always stays the same. You are always you.

Also, it is kind of weird having this interview - it's always weird. I like it though.

Christmas at Fort Bale

2010-12-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

The day began magically with the tree lighting the darkness. We were woken up shortly after 7 by Arthur (who benevolently let us sleep in) letting us know Santa had come!

With all of us awake and convened in the living room, unwrapping began, picking up speed with the mounting excitement of the kids.

And at the end of it all, a wonderful kaleidescope of chaos.

Wishing you the best of holidays.

4 inches and rising

2010-11-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

It started snowing yesterday much to the delight of all of us. We went out for a walk in the snow and enjoyed all the usual snow antics. On our way home, we were surprised that our tracks were no longer visible. It continued snowing until late evening when it stopped.

This morning, it started up again and has been going steady. I declared a snow day for the boys (why should all the public school going children get all the fun?!) and they have been out having a merry time all morning.

I just measured the snow at 4.25 inches. I'm rooting for 6+ by the end of the day. James is working at home today and enjoying the view of snow from the window. Jamey is discussing his traditional roll in the snow au naturel. Arthur is tossing snow clumps for Biscuit to chase and attack. I'm cooking up a batch of biscotti which is making the house smell so yummy. All in all, it is shaping up to be a wonderful day.

busy busy

2010-10-29T09:21:00.001-07:00

Life at Fort Bale has been flying by. Homeschooling, Creative Classes - 6 for each kid, 4-H meetings, grange, comiss. meetings, quilt club, along with farm life, and trying to stay on top of personal goals has left little down time. Hence, I've been letting a lot of items slide (blog included). I can honestly say that I think I have found my limit on what I can handle, which is a new feeling for me. I keep thinking of what I can drop to free up more time, but every item I go over gives me or a family member such joy/satisfaction in the activity that the gain of free time doesn't outweigh the loss of the event. Right now, I am just enjoying the ride and feel grateful that we have so many opportunities which make our days so fun.

That said, I am really looking forward to the vacation our family is starting tomorrow, and all the r&r it will entail. We are leaving bright and early for Maui and will stay there for a week. With no plans beyond swimming, hiking, and lounging I'm sure we will all come back refreshed and ready for anything.

how do you cook breakfast?

2010-09-25T09:25:00.001-07:00

If you are Jamey, you use snorkel gear, of course. I walked into the kitchen to find Jamey as you see above -and had to capture the moment before anything else. When I asked about the addition of snorkel mask to the usual cooks attire, he calmly replied "I was cutting onions, and they would have hurt my eyes". Very practical solution.

a new year

2010-09-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Another year has started for us. We are homeschooling again and looking forward to a wide variety of classes that they are excited to participate in, along with learning at home. We began our year the day after Labor Day at the beach with another mom and son who are homeschooling this year as well. It was a great way to ease into school. Now, better late than never, are the first day of school pictures of the boys.

Here is Arthur, age 8. He is in 4th grade this year.

With a bit of a ham bone showing, here is Jamey, age 9. He is in fifth grade this year.

stocking up

2010-08-30T07:57:00.001-07:00

With fall looming ahead and all the craziness of a packed school year schedule, I have been trying to get as much canning done as possible. It is amazing at what a plethora of fresh produce is available right now and at such low prices. I have more to do, but this is what I've been stocking our pantry with so far:

Banana Strawberry Jam

Old Fashioned Ketchup

Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Corn Salsa

Green Beans

Blackberry Jam (low sugar)

Cinnamon Applesauce

Beets

Peaches

bubbles - mega style

2010-08-19T10:00:00.001-07:00

We decided to try our hand with making giant bubbles. We had read about them in books the boys had, and online as well. So, with minimal preparation, we were able to give it a go. What a success it turned out to be!

Jamey attempted it first and had an avid audience of humans and chickens alike.

This bubble was so amazing that Miss. Red had to come inspect it closer.

Arthur created a magnificent bubble tunnel.

This was such a blast! I can't wait to make more today!!

farmin' it

2010-08-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the boys and I took a spontaneous and most unexpected field trip to visit a local farm, which turned into two, than three, and ended in a fourth.

We started the day going to the Clark County fairgrounds to take down the display Jamey and Arthur had, only to find out somebody beat us to the punch. Now we were out and about with time on our hands and we spied a sign for "NW Organic Farms" which sells organic garlic and organic heirloom tomatoes. We headed for it and picked a sampling of heirloom varieties to taste test. While there, I placed an order of tomatoes for canning (I'm not having too much faith in mine and hence, I'm hedging my bets). The worker was very kind and gave us cucumbers to try and threw in the tomato at the top. I think it is called "Cherokee Purple".

Next, we swung by Barker's Dahlias. Mr. Barker is a retired German teacher from Battle Ground High School and taught while my mother was a student there. We went out into the dahlia field to choose and cut a boquet of dahlias. The sprinklers were on and the kids gleefully cooled down in them.

After the flower visit we decided to swing by Van Tol dairy which was en route to home. They are an organic farm that sells milk and had u pick blueberries. Checking this place out made us desire some ice cream and so we got some from the local View store.

Lastly was a visit to a dear friend who freely gives us apples, pears, grapes, cherries, and prunes every year. I swung by to give her some eggs and was surprised when she told me she had apples ready for picking. We picked a few for a pie and said we would be back later in the week to do some serious picking, and to take care of some broken limbs that she was contending with.

We had a great time and I think all of us were charmed by going wherever our fancy took us.

hydrangea happiness

2010-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

My mother has beautiful hydrangeas. They are in blues and purples, and I was very lucky to receive a start that she propagated from one of her bushes (oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!). I can't wait for it to grow so I can admire these flowers at my house. In the meantime, I picked a wonderful boquet from her flowers to enjoy.

flower bed spruce up

2010-08-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

While I love poppies and all the early summer splendor they bring, once they go to seed our place started appearing a bit Adams family. I wanted some color splashes to finish the season with and headed to the nursery. To my surprise, they were holding their annual end of the season clearance (is it really the end? feels like summer just began), and I was able to get a trunkload of plants for $15!! I could hardly wait to drive home and get to work. Here are photos of the makeover.

before: ugh...

after: yay!

peaches for my peaches

2010-08-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

Peach season has officially started down our way and we decided to do a bit of picking. When we showed up at the peach farm, the lady told the boys to go ahead and pick a peach to munch on while we worked. This kind gesture landed her smack into the heart of the boys who were soon covered in sticky juice and moaning with delight. There are few things better than a perfectly ripe peach on a hot summer day.

participating at the fair

2010-08-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

This year Jamey and Arthur got the opportunity to have a display in the grange section of the Clark Co. fair. They were very excited and chose to explain the stages the chick embryo goes through up to hatching. As this was a big spring project for us, they had plenty of information they learned, along with pictures.

It was a thrill to have their own area showing their hard work and that the general public would see it. Jamey pointed out that "loads of people go through the displays and they will see ours!".

The setting up of the display happened earlier in the week before the fair started, and when we came back during the fair, they found a ribbon on the display. This was an unexpected surprise, and made the boys' day.

While the next fair is almost a year away, Jamey and Arthur are already brainstorming what they might want to show in 2011. I'm glad they had so much fun and took such pride in their efforts.

eight for Arthur

2010-08-11T07:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Arthur officially turned 8! We kept this birthday low key, but his excitement had all of us buzzing.
After the tradition of spitting out, I mean blowing out the candles, it was finally present time.

Arthur was simply tickled with the day. We spent the day at a friend's house with the kids playing and the mom's catching up. This was followed by Arthur's dinner choice of Chinese food, and once the gifts were revealed, play with the new items was nonstop until dark. A very sleepy but happy boy snuggled down and fell quickly asleep after all the day's events.

Like last year, I managed to slow him down long enough to get his response to some questions:

How does it feel to be eight?
It doesn't really feel different, but I feel I might be happy about my birthday greater than a week.

What did you like getting?
I liked getting tools like the pick axe and the whittling knife.

What was most exciting about your birthday?
The pick axe. Once I'm done with the interview, I can start picking at our rock cliff.

What didn't you like about your birthday?
I had to wait 350 days for it to come.

What did you learn in the last year?
I learned more responsibility so I could get a knife, and I know about wearing safety glasses.

Any words of wisdom?
People may tease you about your birthday, but the mean teasers (side note: this is in reference to a neighbor teasing Arthur about getting birthday spankings) are not true. I feel bad for the young ones who don't know that yet.

fishy nibbles and bites

2010-08-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Arthur's birthday is fast upon us. When discussing what he wanted for his birthday he enthusiastically declared that he wanted to go fishing (like father, like son!). Since we had more time on Sunday, we decided to go then for some pre-birthday fishing.

It was decided that this had to be about as successful as possible for the birthday boy since this was his main desire for the year. After considering different options, we settled on a trout farm. Indian Springs trout farm had many positive reviews about how easy and plentiful the fish were for catching. With the farm providing fishing poles, bait, cleaning, and bagging with ice, we were sold.

First order of business upon arriving was the setting of bait on hooks. And naturally, this fell to James as I looked on and the kids waited expectantly.

With some great coaching from James, Jamey was able to land the first two fish of the day.

Arthur started feeling a little frustrated with not catching any while his big brother was doing so well. With Jamey having caught his limit, Arthur sidled over to the "sweet spot" Jamey had been working with great success. Arthur soon caught his first fish! And then a second fish about 5 minutes later. This one was a real fighter and Arthur could hardly pull it in. Near the end of the battle, he was expressing concern about the burning in his arms. But with grim determination, he brought it close enough to the edge to be netted. Here he stands with his trophy (turns out it was a 13 incher).

raspberry rhubarb jam (low sugar)

2010-08-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Isn't everything improved with rhubarb? With that premise in mind, I made this jam. I wasn't sure if one flavor would overpower the other, but they are surprisingly balanced. Being a rhubarb nut, I did think this was better than the plain raspberry jam I made earlier.

Day 5: Low Sugar Raspberry Rhubarb Jam: (I'm finding that a lot of these low sugar recipes still have more sugar than I'm interested in - I am going to tinker about and see if I can bring them down further, maybe even to no sugar).

You will need:
3 cups crushed raspberries
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 cup water
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 box Sure-Jell low sugar pectin

low sugar rhubarb compote

2010-08-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what a compote is, but I based this recipe off an old one called Rhubarb Compote. I had to tinker a while with it to get the flavor right, the sugar down, and it to set with the Sure-Jell low sugar pectin box. The jam was so worth the effort. It is definitely my favorite. Strong, tart, and clean. In fact, I like it so much I am planning to make a second batch of it. This is by the spoonful worthy.

Day 4: Low Sugar Rhubarb Compote:

You will need:
5 cups chopped Rhubarb
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 TBSP dried lemon peel
1 TBSP dried orange peel
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 box Sure-Jell low sugar pectin

Using these ingredients, follow the directions for cooked jam recipes included in the box and you are set.

low sugar raspberry jam

2010-08-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

Like yesterday, I was able to make this jam by following the Sure-Jell low pectin box recipe. Little Jamey seems particularly fond on this one. I was able to use some raspberries off the plants Grandpa Ward gave us. I hope that by next year I will be able to grow enough that I won't have to buy any raspberries at all.

Day 3: Low Sugar Raspberry Jam:

low sugar blueberry jam

2010-08-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

Today's jam in one of big Jamey's favorite - blueberry! This was made following the recipe in the Sure-Jell low sugar pectin box. It made about 9 jars, and one of them has already been dug into!

Day 2: Low Sugar Blueberry Jam: all blueberry monsters in your house will love it

low sugar blueberry raspberry jam

2010-08-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

With berry season in full swing, I've had my hands full keeping up and attempting to put away for the year. I love having a variety of jams on hand, and hence, I usually try to make a batch of everything! I end up with far more than we can use, but I can normally find homes for the extras.

This year, I wanted to experiment with only low sugar jam recipes. I made a batch of low sugar strawberry jam previously and found the flavor to be far superior than the regular sugar recipe. I have about a weeks worth of jam recipes to share with you, and all are low sugar. I'm sure you will be about as jammed out reading these as I am making them. But when I see the boys spreading the fresh jam on their toast in the morning and making "yum yum" sounds, it is all worth it.

Day 1: Low Sugar Blueberry Raspberry Jam: This is close to my favorite. Tart and sweet at the same time, it is a great combination.

You will need:
3 1/2 cups crushed blueberries
3 cups crushed raspberries
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
4 cups sugar
1 box Sure-Jell low sugar pectin

Now, simply follow the directions for cooked jam recipes included in the box and you are set.

I love the beach

2010-07-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

I always have. I've been coming here to this beach as long as I can remember, and no matter what age I was (am), or mood, there is always something that fits just right about this place. And, it is really wonderful to see the boys loving the place as much as me.

Yesterday we went out to the beach. It was a cloudy day and it was cool enough that they didn't feel like playing in the water. There they were, out on the beach with nothing but miles of sand and two buckets. No WII, computer games, TV, toys, etc. No problem, they had a blast as always. There was bull kelp to collect and their gas vacuoles to pop, worn logs to climb, sea shells to examine and stuff into pockets, races to be won, and lots of digging to be done.

After 3 1/2 hours of play, when I suggested we go in and have dinner, I had mutiny on my hands. They managed another half hour before I got them to head out. And, somehow they extracted a promise to get to stay longer next time from me. I'll have to remember snacks and water for today's visit.

beachin' it

2010-07-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a fun summer so far, and busy, especially for the boys. They both had camps - Jamey's was a computer game programming one, while Arthur took a Lego Robotics camp. Then, with Disneyland, fairs, bbqs, company, etc, we have had a lot going on.

So it is with a light heart we took off to the beach this week for some laid back fun. Only to have poor little Jamey develop a head cold on our way here, and have it in full bloom yesterday. He has been such a good sport about it though. Plenty of good books to read, games to play, and of course being sick at the beach house is preferable to any other place on Earth according to Jamey (although he did amend he hasn't been to Sweden or Hawaii yet, so he might change his mind).

I think another good day of rest today and he will be fit to tackle the beach. The weather here has been cool and a touch drizzly so Jamey timed his cold perfectly. When the sun comes, we will all be ready!

farm breakfast

2010-07-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

I enjoy rummaging through the gardens and love eating freshly picked produce. Here is my breakfast of the day : end of season strawberries and fresh farm eggs. Nothing beats the freshness of a farm breakfast.

loads of time

2010-06-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, Jamey and Arthur hopped on a plane with Grandma Jill and headed for Disneyland. They will be staying a total of five days, and from the sounds of it, they are having a jam packed vacation filled with lots of new exciting adventures. I'm so happy that they have this opportunity!

I'm also looking around me, and evaluating everything in a new light. With five days of no children, I'm intrigued with all the possible ways to allocate this windfall of free time. Such as: gardening, fencing, painting, staining, landscaping, canning, harvesting, visiting friends, celebrating birthdays, biking, going out for coffee, catching up on letters, organizing, rearranging, decluttering, and in general, doing whatever tickles my fancy.

As usual - so much that I want to do, but unlike usual - so much time to get it done!

arrival of the chicks!

2010-05-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

I know you guys are just as excited as can be to get an update on the hatching status! It all started Friday night with the first egg being chipped open. Once the chick pips, which is putting an air hole in the egg, it can take up to 24 hours longer for them to hatch. So, while I kept checking on them repeatedly, no one hatched before we had to leave Saturday morning for our bike ride.

I was most anxious to get back after the ride to check on the chicks. I found one had hatched while we were gone! It was wet and really tuckered out from its ordeal. Once dry, I moved it out of the incubator under the waiting heat lamp. Here is our first chick, with a bit of shell stuck to its back.

As time went one, this little fellow began to fluff out some.

Later that day, around 4 or so, a second one hatched! Again, once dry, I moved it where its sibling was.

After this point, they started hatching at such a rate that I really can't say who came in what order after the third chick. There just seemed to always be more in the incubator ready to be moved out.
As of this morning, we have 19 hatched chicks. To me, this is pretty amazing as 1) I had no clue how many besides the white ones were even fertile as I couldn't see through their shells, and 2) being our first time incubating, I expected a high failure rate. We have some more eggs still which I don't know whether they are viable or not, but time will tell.

This has been so exciting for me! I can't quit peeking at them.

on pins and needles

2010-05-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is the weekend that my incubating eggs should hatch! I can hardly stand waiting. I have 36 eggs in the incubator and we have been checking the temperature, humidity, and turning them religiously for the last few weeks. They even went to the beach with us for clamming! I packed them in egg cartons and James ran an extension cord from the incubator in the hatchback to the converter thingy (I don't know what you call it) that plugs into the lighter hole.

We have been candling them at night and have seen blood vessels, eyes, and movement. Now however, all we see is a solid darkness with the air bubble at the top. We are doing a Leukemia fundraiser bike ride tomorrow morning and I hope none hatch while we are gone. Besides this ride, I plan on sticking pretty close to the house this weekend to keep an eye on things.

James says that he hopes I have a plan on how to sell these chicks, or whatever I am going to do with them. Well, really! After all these years together you would think he wouldn't have to ask that. Of course I don't have a plan.

library bricks

2010-05-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

When the new Battle Ground Library was being built, they were offering bricks that could have your name on them as a fund raiser. Grandma Jill purchased bricks in our names and the boys never seem to tire of running over to check out the bricks on our library trips.

They were so cute checking out the bricks and as I actually had my camera with me, I decided to share them with you.

Brown Flower

2010-05-09T08:47:00.001-07:00

I have an iris that grows brown flowers. In the sun, they look coppery brown, and when you take them inside, they look brown-brown. This picture isn't really doing it justice in my opinion, but trust me, it's brown. From a distance, my flower bed looks like it is sporting a dead iris plant. When you get close, you see it is fresh and healthy as can be.

I'm not sure I like this plant. I certainly don't want to kill it; I do think though in the fall, I'll be dividing it up and giving it away.

Arthur and his posse

2010-05-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

The boys are always taking the chickens snacks, collecting eggs, or trying to pet them. Hence, when they are outside, the ladies get very excited.

Yesterday, Arthur brought them some scraps and seeing the birds following him up the hill like faithful companions, I cracked up and had to take a picture.

Then, our 3 month old chicks saw him go into the house to dispose of the snack bag and congregated around the partially open door.

The welcoming committee is all geared up to give a hearty greeting when Arthur steps back outside.

May Day Project

2010-05-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

When stumbling around the web looking for a fast and fun May Day project to do with the kids and I found this great project at Alpha-mom's site and decided to give it a try.

This is Jamey's:

And here is Arthur's:

It was lots of fun for the kids to make and give for May Day.

crop rotation experiement started

2010-04-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

You may have been cornered by me at one point or another and had to endure my enthusiastic monologue about using the chickens as part of my crop rotation plans. For those of you who haven't, or those that are gluttons for punishment, here is the latest and greatest!

It was time to start planting and the ladies did a great job clearing out their field, and were ready for a new field to scratch into dirt. The only problem with the first field was that while it was all dirt on top, there was a significant amount of roots underneath that the chickens weren't getting to. In time, I'm sure this will be eventually eradicated, but for now it makes planting almost as difficult as if I were to be breaking new ground. It was decided that a rototiller would be a useful tool to have after all.

Lucky for me, James gave me a certificate for a tiller on my birthday (I know, he's the greatest, huh?!), and we picked it up this weekend. I couldn't wait to use it! I had to shoo all the ladies out of the field and then I began chopping into the ground leaving soft piles of rich dirt behind me. Bliss! After liming the soil, I planted potatoes using Solomon's technique. I planted James' favorite - the Red Noland, along with a white potato variety and some fingerlings. With the planting complete, the only thing left to do was give the chickens another field to clear. And so, that's what we did.

James erected fencing around a second field for the girls, and completed it last night. They woke up and walked into their new area this morning and seemed very pleased with the size and abundance of greenery to peck at. I hope they have it mostly cleared by the end of May as I have summer crops I want to plant in the second field. If not, the tiller can help out.

By the end of the weekend, the first rotation of field/chicken/veggie crop is in motion for the year. I will keep you updated on how the grand plan turns out! In the meantime, I am keeping myself occupied with all my other garden goals, which as of yesterday, involve the tiller playing a significant part.

Arthur and his bunnies - part 2

2010-04-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all your information about dandelions being okay for rabbits to eat. Curious about the discrepancy, I asked Arthur to show me his rabbit care book and point out where it says dandelions are poisonous. He brought it out to me and pointed to a picture of a daffodil. Apparently, he got these and dandelions confused. I am quite relieved that our dandelions won't be a problem. Our yard does look nicer now though!

Tuesday evening, we pick up the two rabbits. Both are female. One is a Rex rabbit and the other is an angora rabbit. The lady talked with Arthur about caring for them, what they like, and how to handle them. At the end of the talk she asked if he still wanted them and he said yes he did. He then proceeded to hand her a wad of bills that he had saved to buy the rabbits. The lady kindly handed them back to Arthur and said that she decided just to give him the rabbits for free. That was really wonderful of her.

We loaded the hutches, alfalfa, and feed in the truck, and the bunnies in carriers, which both boys had to hold on their laps as their was no extra room inside the cab. This pleased them greatly and the ride home went fast for them as they had rabbits to stare at and talk about.

Once they were set up, I noticed that they didn't have salt licks. Wednesday is town day for us so I told the boys that we would stop at the feed store and pick some up. At the store, Arthur used his own money to purchase rabbit shampoo and a harness vest to take the rabbits for a walk. Both these items cracked me up, delighted Arthur, and caused Jamey to want to buy similar products for his chickens which the store was sadly lacking (guess no one thinks of putting a chicken on a leash!).

That afternoon, Arthur tried out the harness on both rabbits. The Rex, which Arthur has now named Rex, hopped all over with Arthur following happily behind. I'd say the rabbit took Arthur for a walk, instead of the other way around. After a while, he put Rex away and put the harness on the angora, which he calls Angel. Angel wasn't as keen out being on a leash as Rex, and promptly laid down and played dead. Arthur stood over her holding the leash for about 15 minutes while she put a opossum to shame, before giving up the ghost
and putting her back in the cage harness free, where she miraculously came back to life.

After walking the rabbits, Arthur decides it is time to bathe the bunny, which I said should wait another day. After all, Rex and Angel had enough torture, I mean excitement, for one day. He thought about it and agreed to put off bathing for now.

I wish I had some pictures to share, but the battery charger is still missing for my camera. I have been hunting high and low for it and am on the brink of purchasing another from Amazon. I didn't realize that I was a picture taking addict, until I can't take any. Needless to say, the boys are cute, the bunnies are cute, and everyone is in gaga land over Arthur's new pets.

rabbits for Arthur

2010-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

As you may know, Arthur is nutty for bunnies. You may also recall that past forays into bunny land have not gone well for us. Since our bunnies died, Arthur has been clamoring for another rabbit. I have been hesitant as I just don't want to have another rabbit die without understanding what the cause is.

Arthur took this into account and has been reading all about caring for rabbits and he found some information that surprised us. Did you know dandelions are poisonous to rabbits? And, did you know rabbits can't tell what is or isn't posionous to them? So, we are thinking with all the dandelions in our yard and having the movable yard hutch, this might have been one of the causes of death. We don't know for sure, but it is plausible.

We had a long talk, and decided that we really need to have off the ground rabbit hutches if we are getting a rabbit, and then we could put out the temporary pet fencing in the yard in dandelion free zones so it can hop about and play. And, I am in the process of pulling up what dandelions we have so one potential threat can be eradicated.

Now the exciting part - Aunt Connie surprised us by posting a "rabbits wanted" on Craigslist for Arthur and found us quite the deal. We have a lady who is willing to sell Arthur two rabbits, two outdoor hutches, and all the food/accessories that go with it for $25. The hutches alone that she has are being sold for $150. We talked this over and said yes, we would take it. Arthur is using his hard earned money to purchase the rabbits/hutches himself and is pleased as punch to be getting them. He plans on caring for them and showing them for 4-H.

So, after school is done today, we are off in Mom's truck to pick them up!

Spring Break

2010-03-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

We are on our spring break right now and have decided to spend it like we do every year - at the beach! The kids were so super excited to get here, and I think my level of excitement almost matched theirs.

Friday morning we packed the car to the gills, so once the boys were done with art class, we could zoom off, and with only a few pit stops, we made it around dinner time. Jamey and Arthur exploded from the car and didn't come inside until dark. After unpacking, I joined them outside where we had fun throwing the Frisbee, playing a strange game of keep away golf involving 7 balls (and, I found I intensely like this form of golf!), and just being nutty in general. Later that night, when we were all snug in our beds, Big Jamey and Grandma Jill drove in to join the fun.

Saturday we started the day off right and went biking. There is a great trail starting about 126th St. north of Long Beach and going on down past Illwaco. We started at the beginning and biked to Beards Hollow where Jamey was proud to show off the cave he discovered. While Grandma was oohing and ahhing properly, a man walked by and said there was an even bigger and better cave around the back of the giant slab of rock. So, we all trucked around the back and sure enough, there was a very cool looking cave! It has a small opening and appears to blossom out into a larger room and maybe go on. Not having flashlights, we decided we would have to come back another time to check it out further.

Jamey was exhausted by the time we biked back to the cars. It was a 12 or so mile trip (can't remember exactly what Mom's odometer said) and that is the farthest he has ever done. Add to it all the dune hills and his bike not having gears to shift, I'm positive Jamey worked much harder than any of the rest of us. We are thinking that we will get him a better bike so he can continue to enjoy all the biking we plan for this year.

After lunch, we geared up to go clamming! Big James decided he didn't want to clam and became our spotter of holes. Arthur ended up being most excellent at finding holes and he caught four clams on his own. He probably would have caught more, but he was wrestling a clam gun that was almost his height and trying to pull up the volume of sand needed was quite the challenge for him. He went at it with gusto though and not once did he complain. Between the group, we gathered 13 clams!

On the way back to the house, we stopped and asked a very successful clammer why he was stomping on the sand. He was kind of enough to oblige us with some answers. He said you stomp the sand and it scares the razor clams. They will pull in their neck and this causes a dimple hole to appear in the sand. This looks different from the donought shaped holes we were going after. He also said that when you find a hole, you should face the ocean and angle your clam gun slightly towards the water, and you will be less likely to cut into your clam, which makes cleaning them much easier. So, armed with his advice, I think we will have better luck at catching clams.

Sunday morning was a bit lazier. James and Jamey were learning a King Arthur role playing game, while Arthur and Grandma played a new game outside where you try to take down the Frisbee with a golf club. They had to leave at lunch time and we were sorry to see them go.

After an equally relaxed afternoon of more outside play, we gathered up our gear to tackle round 2 of clamming. We got their early to give us more time to clam, which is critical if you are bringing kids into the equation. There is a lot of running around and exploring that needs to be down to make it a successful adventure. It began to rain, but we thought it was fun. It began to hail, which didn't hurt through all our layers of clothing, and it was quite exciting to see hail on the beach! Then the wind kicked up. That wasn't quite the thrill that you might expect. It blew so hard that Arthur could hardly walk against it. So, we decided to let the clams stay free from harassment and head back to the beach house.

By the time we got back, we were soaked to the bone. A warm bath, followed by a bowl of homemade clam chowder soon had us fit as a fiddle again.

That evening we had quite the windstorm. The boys were most excited about it and were hoping to lose power. We did not, much to my relief, but we were able to hear it blowing like mad through the night.

Now it is Monday morning. The boys are still in bed looking so sweet all sleep softened. Not sure what today will bring, but I am sure it will be fun!

Sorry no photos - my camera battery is dead and I was unable to locate the charger.

Flowers and Smoothies

2010-03-26T10:33:00.001-07:00

We have been enjoying the onset of spring and I've been really pleased with the abundance of beautiful flowers coming up in my beds. Not being able to resist, I cut some to bring inside. They make me glad every time I glance at them, and the whole house smelled of hyacinth within the day.

Right after I arranged the flowers, the boys asked for a smoothie for breakfast. We are on a giant smoothie kick and have been having them once or twice daily. Lately, my confidence in enter the smoothie world has got me creating my own concoctions. I made up the smoothie below and the kids have named it Blue Moon. Here is the recipe if you wish to try it out.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup frozen o.j. concentrate (from a 16 oz. concentrate tube)
1 c. water
1 banana
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Directions:
Put it all in a blender and blend.

That's it! Making them is so easy and is one of the reasons I'm addicted to them. I've been even experimenting by adding tofu, peanut butter, rice milk, etc. and believe it or not, most have turned out dynamite. Tasty, nutritious (or can be), and fast.

While I was making the above for our breakfast, Arthur was eying the flowers I put on the table and decided to do a bit of work on my arrangements. He added beads to the vases, brought out our egg holders and a bunny statue. Once he had it just so, I had to agree with him - it looked much nicer with his touches.

St. Patty Cookies

2010-03-17T14:27:00.001-07:00

I love holidays. I like how they take an ordinary day, and make it more fun. St. Patrick's day could have easily slipped by unnoticed, so I had to do something to ensure that it got noticed. Hence, St. Patty cards for the boys left in Jamey's postal service, letting the kids pick out what they want for dinner, friends over for the afternoon, going for a family bike ride, and lastly - green cookies!

They are super easy to make and all the kids were charmed by the idea of eating them. I took my chocolate chip cookie recipe and simply added 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and the green food coloring to the color I wanted.

I had to snap this photo fast as the cookies keep disappearing from the cooling rack. I think I have a tricky leprechaun or four in the house!

the best looking sticky buns - ever

2010-03-14T12:58:00.001-07:00

For Christmas, James got me the Grand Central Baking cookbook that I had been coveting ever since it hit the bookstores. After thoroughly perusing its contents, I put it away for using at a later date. Now, three months later, I decided the time had come to try the book out, and proceeded to make the Pecan Sticky Buns recipe. I am not much of a cinnamon roll gal, and the mall ones, in my opinion, should be banned on grounds of gastronomical torture. But these looked very intriguing. They have a cinnamon roll base that includes ingredients such as eight grain cereal and molasses, which is then topped with toasted pecans and caramel.

Jamey and I got the sticky buns assembled and in the fridge Saturday night, leaving only the baking for Sunday morning. We agreed that this would be a wonderful treat to start the morning off with, and were looking forward to sampling them with much anticipation. As they cooked the next day, Little Jamey enjoyed the aroma emitting from the oven and readily obliged us as a taste tester. The sacrifices this boy will make in the pursuit of knowledge for mankind is staggering! Arthur didn't want any until he saw Jamey's and then quickly changed his mind.

The results - Big Jamey claimed they were fantastic, groaning and making facial expressions of pure delight, and the boys seemed pleased too. I, myself couldn't taste a thing - not a single flavor - due to being completely congested with a head cold. After the first few bites, I gave up altogether and left my sticky bun discarded on the plate. Visually, however, I got to enjoy it to my eyeballs' fill. And I have to say, they looked mighty good.

chicks for my chicks

2010-03-10T07:21:00.001-08:00

Earlier this year, my kids got on a kick of wanting to be farmers - taking it as far as asking for their own area of land to farm and spending hours digging and planning on that spot. They also asked for chicks - their own chicks, which they would be responsible for. After much debate - alright I admit it, no more debate than it took me to draw in a breath - I said yes! Of course they can have their own chicks. What a great way to learn about caring for other creatures, and being given responsibility, etc etc.

Trust me, I can justify buying chicks until the cows come home.

Immediately, Jamey started reading my book on chicken care and soaked it up like a just released Harry Potter book. He informed me that I wasn't doing some things as well as I could be, and has earnestly worked on rectifying the living conditions of the chickens. Taking his concerns to heart, I have now elevated their water off the ground and am giving them fresh water daily instead of replacing it when it gets low. I'm sure my ladies appreciate his earnestness.

So, armed with knowledge, both boys picked the breeds of chicks they wanted and we worked out a pick up date when both types would be at the store simultaneously so I wouldn't have to worry about integrating two batches of different aged chicks.

Jamey decided he wanted to Bantams based on two facts. 1) He read that Bantams make excellent mothers, and he has high hopes of raising his own little flock. 2) He learned that the Bantam chicks are sold as a straight run, thus increasing his chances to get a rooster which will help him with the first reason he chose Bantams.

Arthur decided on Golden Laced Wyandottes because: 1) they give eggs and 2) they sound pretty - golden and edged with a greenish black.

Off we went to the store on March 2nd to get 4 chicks - two for each boy. When we got their, much to Jamey's great disappointment, the Bantams weren't there. Apparently there had been an unknown delay in shipping, and we would have to come back for them. Arthur's were there so we decided to go ahead and purchase them as they seemed to be going fast. And, as I couldn't resist, I picked up some chicks too!

So, here are the chicks. Arthur's are in the front right hand corner. There are also two Barred Rocks and a Buff Orpington. One of the rocks is in the back asleep on it's side. Don't worry, this chick is hale and hearty - it just liked this position for the first few days.

Now, to get Jamey's chicks. We went back to the store every time we were in town only to find that the Bantams still hadn't come in. Well, yesterday our luck changed! The Bantams had arrived and Jamey had such a hard time deciding, but finally decided on the smallest and the largest that they had.

And, when I overheard the worker saying all chicks were 50 cents off, my last resistance faded, and I popped four more chicks in with Jamey's! Argghhhh! I didn't need them, I really didn't! But, I was already very weak from the kryptonite these chicks were emitting onto my will and when I heard the discount and thought to myself "Good deal - that's a good deal", well - what can I say - the dead is done.

Of course, this meant setting up another container, heat lamp etc for this second batch of chicks. I had planned on throwing them all together, but the worker advised against it and Jamey was panicked about anything happening to his chicks. When I brought them home, I was surprised how much smaller they were than my first batch chicks, and that pretty much sealed the deal. Here is the second batch. Jamey's two are in the bottom left corner. The others are two Golden Sex Links and two California Whites.

This makes a grand total of 11 chicks. I am going to have to avoid the feed store like a plague for the rest of spring so I don't succumb anymore.

We Gained a Visit

2010-03-08T07:45:00.001-08:00

This weekend, the Gaines family came to visit us. It was great catching up with everyone and watching the cousins all play together. I loved all the commotion caused by my boys and the three older children of John and Amy as they got to know each other. And while the children played and the adults talked, I got to snuggle their sweet baby boy. Little Ezekiel was pretty much monopolized by me during the visit. Here he is posing for his portrait while I am holding him.

Amos is relaxing from all the activity here.

As usual, whenever we have company, my boys get pretty amped up.

Sunday morning, Arthur and Malachi read together while sweet Ellie observed.
All in all, much fun was had, and we enjoyed ourselves very much.

Welcome Little Wyatt

2010-03-05T07:53:00.001-08:00

Our friends just had a baby boy named Wyatt. We went to visit them this week and see how everyone is doing. Jamey couldn't wait to hold the baby, who is four days old in this photo. He has always liked babies and is incredibly gentle and patient with them. Later after the visit Jamey was talking about how much he liked cuddling the baby and then stated "Babies are just like chicks - if you feed them and hold them, they'll follow you anywhere".

back in the saddle

2010-03-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went biking! We went on a very low key path in the Salmon Creek area with lots of wetlands and wildlife to look at. At the end of the ride, we came to a park where the boys played on the toys and roller-skated. Due to a knee injury, it has been about a year since I last biked (and an entire winter before that ride). But, faithfully following knee strengthening exercises, this bike ride was pain free.

I am now very excited to continue easing back into our biking regime. We want to start with three rides a week - two after Grandma Jill and James get off work during the week, and one longer one on the weekend. It feels terrific getting to do something that I really loved again!

Raspberry Delight

2010-02-25T15:34:00.001-08:00

This week, Grandpa Ward drove down to our place and delivered 12 (twelve!!!) large raspberry plants to us. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. We decided to plant them on the East side of my greenhouse in two rows - plenty of sun and easy water access.

We had to take into account the placement of rows in relation to the stumps left over from James cutting the trees last year. We plan on having a local stump grinder come out in March, but the raspberries couldn't wait until then. Luckily, where I wanted to put them and the space between the rows ended up being free of all but one Cascara trunk which Ward and James worked very hard on on removing. And double luckily, the stump grinder has an attachment that goes on his chainsaw so he can work in tight places. Phew - I won't loose any raspberries!

Now, to build trellises for the two rows! We will be doing that this weekend and I will show you the results.

Thank you Grandpa Ward for all your hard work helping us get a raspberry patch established!!!

Raspberry Row #1
Raspberry Row #2

keeping busy

2010-02-23T07:19:00.001-08:00

What have we been up to in the last month or so that I went on a blogging hiatus? Pretty much the same as always.

Jamey is really taking to sewing. He got the cutest animal fabric set and is busily working on a new quilt using all his new supplies in the sewing kit he got for Christmas.

Arthur continues to enjoy beading. A friend of mine recently gave him a giant bag of glass beads and you can see him here trying to make decisions on what to use.

Ever the entrepreneur, Jamey has set up an in-house mail system. We can all write each other notes and place them in this well designed mail box, and Jamey, who is the post master delivers them. I particularly like the tip jar that he set out.

Garden season is starting to unfold and I have many plans for this year. Big, hairy, wild, garden plans! I will be sharing them with you ad nauseum. Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!!

red velvet cake

2009-12-29T15:26:00.001-08:00

Mom made James a red velvet cake with coconut and cream cheese frosting for his birthday. This cake was fantastic! When James blew out the candles, we were all eager to try a piece.

And, it tasted even better than it looked.
Lemon cake has always been my favorite, but this one is definitely nudging its way close to the top. If you want to make this yourself (like I do), I found the recipe here.

Between James' pizza and Mom's cake, I think they could start a gourmet restaurant and have it a smashing success. And, I am willing to do the very hard task of sampling!

Space Humor

2009-12-28T12:38:00.001-08:00

The boys decided to make up jokes about outer space today. Here is what they came up with.

Arthur:
Why did Mercury sit in a hat? So he'd shine it up!...... See - there is the stuff called Mercury that people used to put in hats to shine them up that made them crazy - you know, like from tuna? And Mercury is a planet?!

Jamey:
Why did Pluto visit Disney Land? He wanted to be a movie star.

Arthur:
Why did Pluto go to Disney Land? Because he wanted to be a star. ............You know, like since he is so small, he could be considered a star. Cause he isn't considered a planet anymore. Did you know that, Mom?

Jamey: Why does the Sun's torso hurt so much? Because his asteroid belt didn't fit.

They had each other in stitches over the jokes, and me as well listening to them come up with them.

Arthur declared that space jokes are the funniest, followed by all other science jokes. Jamey concurred.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T08:48:00.001-08:00

Arthur woke us up this morning to let us know Santa came. We all assembled in the living room to open presents. Arthur and Jamey were extra good this year and Santa spoiled the pants off of them. Here they are excitedly ready to start unwrapping.

And, here is the aftermath of their excitement!

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas full of family, love, and joy.

Holiday Necklace

2009-12-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

Although I have made a number of jewelry pieces, I found that I didn't have what I was looking for to go with my holiday outfits. I wanted a piece that was darker and more understated. So, I came up with this black and silver piece.

fun apron

2009-12-22T20:12:00.001-08:00

I had some great fabric that I picked up three years ago simply because it was too cute to pass up. Maybe your shocked, thinking to yourself three years?! She's had fabric laying about for three whole years?! Or maybe you are thinking who on earth picks up fabric with no project planned for it?!.

Well, while it is true that I might have some slight hoarding tendencies, anyone with a fabric fetish understands me completely. I couldn't leave such great fabric behind because I just knew that when I finally figured out what to do with it, I'd never find it again. That's right - always be prepared.

Now here I am, three years later putting this fabric to great use as an apron! So simple, so cute, so fun!!!!
Here is a closer look at the fabric. The blocks have drink recipes! How cool is that?! I love it.

Yes, it's true - I'm feeling inordinately smug right now.

sleeping attire

2009-12-21T04:30:00.001-08:00

Everyone has a preference on how they dress for bedtime. Some like nightgowns and p.j.s. For some, it has to be cotton or fleece. Some even prefer Au natural.

Here is what Arthur chose to go to bed wearing:
1) bunny hat
2) penguin scarf
3) dragon tooth necklace
4) cow fuzz blanket
5) I didn't get it in the picture, but on his feet are super fuzzy royal blue and gold striped slippers.

He is now ready for a good nights sleep.

giving and getting

2009-12-20T12:19:00.001-08:00

Thursday night, James, the boys and I headed to the Kiwanis building in Battle Ground to help with the Food Bank's toy drive. The community donated toys at local businesses and they were then gathered up and brought to Kiwanis.

The goal: to match 57 needy families with children 14 and under with the donated toys. Every child was allowed one big gift, two small gifts, and a stuffed animal.

All the volunteers paired up in teams of two (Jamey G and I together, and Arthur with James) and the teams were given a sheet with the children in a family - their age, gender, favorite color, and a list of three items they would like for Christmas. Once fully equipped with a large bag, we commenced in trying to match each child with the right present.

We really enjoyed trying to get the perfect item for everyone. Arthur said it was better than playing computer games, and Jamey G was so excited picking out toys that he was emitting energy at his top level.

That night, we were able to participate in giving families a better Christmas. But, I felt we got much more out of it than we gave.

Several children were asking for shoes, coats, school supplies, etc, without even thinking of toys. This was surprising to me, as well as the boys. At our house, we are all asking for fun, nonessential stuff and seeing these wish lists of basics really got us thinking how fortunate we are.

Having the opportunity to share this experience with Jamey and Arthur was especially rewarding for us. They loved helping, and are already asking to do this again next Christmas. I loved seeing their enthusiasm and pure hearts shining through. I definitely think this will become a Christmas tradition for us!

Christmas Trees and Crumbles

2009-12-17T08:49:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we went on our annual hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. The weather report called for freezing rain and we almost canceled our plans, but since all looked stable, we decided to scoot on out quickly and off we went to Maxine Lester's house for a tree.

The hunting was fierce, but once we spotted our prey, it was no match for the three Zimmerman men who stealthily snuck upon the tree and surrounded it before it had a chance to drop a single needle in preparation for flight.

As we left with our tree, the rain began to fall, and we made it home safe and sound before the weather turned harsh (we did end up with both freezing rain and snow this weekend).

At home the tree was decorated with enthusiasm.

And after all was said and done, we enjoyed some cherry crumble that I made from the cherries that I picked and froze this summer. Yum schmum! Below is the recipe if you would like to try it out.

Cherry Crumble:

Ingredients:
4 cups sour pie cherries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking spice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup butter (smart balance vegan spread works great too)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C
2) In a pot, mix cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, almond extract, and baking spice and heat until the juices thicken a bit - about 5 minutes on medium
3) Transfer cherry mixtures into a baking dish
4) Mix the flour, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, and butter until nice and crumbly. Spread over the top of the cherries.
5) Dust the top with cinnamon
6) Bake 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.

How do you like your eggs?

2009-12-11T08:03:00.000-08:00

Do you like your eggs scrambled, fried, or poached? How about frozen?

It has been cold down here, very cold. I think the lowest temperature was Tuesday which according to my neighbor's outdoor thermometer was 7 degrees F at 7:00 am. And, it hasn't been warming up much even with beautiful sunny days.

Which leaves me with frozen eggs in the hen house. The ladies have been troopers about all this cold frozen weather and haven't slacked off in giving us plenty of eggs. The trouble is collecting these eggs before they freeze and split the shells. I have lost several eggs this week for not getting to them soon enough.

Now, we have been running watering cans down to them daily just to keep them in fresh water that they won't chip a beak on. The first one is brought down about 7:00 in the morning, and I take the second one down between 1:00 and 2:00. By this time, any stray eggs that are not laid in the main box are frozen solid. How long does it take for an egg to freeze? I'm not sure, but I upped my egg collecting from once a day to three or so times a day and I still have had anywhere from one egg up to three eggs frozen solid in a given day.

It has now become a bit of a game for me to try to time my runs down to the coop to save as many eggs as possible and not waste a trip coming up empty handed. And, I'm getting better at it!!! And yes, I realize that I must spend way too much time on the hill by myself to make egg collecting a sport of anticipation.

the 9th year has come

2009-12-04T07:43:00.001-08:00

Yep, it is official. Jamey is now nine! We celebrated in grand style last night with one of his favorite dinners followed by cake and ice-cream. Here he is blowing out his birthday candles on an angle food cake (the one and only cake he actually likes).

Jamey anxiously observed us eating, waiting for the last bit of dessert to be consumed so gift opening time could be started.

What words of wisdom does the now older and wiser boy have to say? We found out by asking him some questions which he shared his thoughts with us. They are as follows:

What did you like about your birthday?
Everyone caring for me and treating me special.

What was hard about your birthday?
All the birthday comments. It was embarrassing - it doesn't feel right to brag about oneself. Also, I couldn't play much before the present were opened.

What was your favorite gift?
The Dr. Slump books, and the Shonen Jump magazine subscription and the Connect 4x4 game, and oh I don't know - this is all so hard. I liked it all.

What did you learn?
Having a bunch of kids at the party doesn't help because they all shout at you to open their present first and it is a lot more fun just having your birthday with your own family.

Any words of wisdom to share?
Cake can be used as a candle holder. So, it is good to have it on your birthday. I prefer just ice-cream to eat though.

Also, look both ways when crossing a street.

What are you proud of doing/learning this past year?
I felt like I was being nicer to people.

While the big day is over, the fun isn't. Last night was the family only dinner, but on Sunday Jamey gets to take two friends out for swimming and pizza as the cherry on the birthday celebrations.

And as Jamey says "my birthday is the best - it is the start of all the holidays, and it is the start of winter, which means - SNOW!!!".

Grapefruit Curd

2009-11-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

I tried my hand at grapefruit curd. I wanted to see what it was like. Usually Little Jamey and I love grapefruit while Arthur and Big Jamey can't stand it. I thought that since we all are nuts for lemon curd, that there is a good chance that this might be a winner.

I used this recipe which uses up a lot of eggs. I'm in luck - I just happen to have a lot of eggs! But, for the most part it only needed the yolks. What to do with all those egg whites.....how about an angel food cake to test the curd out on.

The results? Mixed. Big Jamey loved it, Arthur thought it was okay, but prefers lemon curd. Little Jamey wouldn't try it as he is an angle cake purist. And me, I didn't care for it. I guess I will stick to fresh grapefruit and leave the curd for James to devour.

Pictures with Santa

2009-11-23T16:30:00.001-08:00

This weekend we went to get pictures with Santa taken. The boys were lucky duckies in having their very own dad as the photographer. And he did a great job capturing their cuteness!

Jamey asked Santa for farm supplies and Arthur asked for more Bakugan. Mrs. Claus gave them each a candy cane after their visit to complete the event.

living is a bit different here

2009-11-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

Ever since the rainy weather started it has been nearly impossible to convince the boys to play outside. On Thursday, much to my surprise, they got fired-up about farming. Suddenly they yearned to become one with the land. Jamey had spent some time reading up on permaculture and visions of utopic and bountiful harmony with the land filled his head. Soon he had infected Arthur with a fever for farming. So with warm clothes donned and shovels over shoulders they sallied forth to bust some sod.

They must have been out for an hour, just getting warmed up, when I received a call. A cougar was seen ambling along Cedar Ridge Road. The neighbors are providing car-rides to every child to and from the bus stops. Everyone is keeping their children inside today.

"Boys!! Time to come in!!"

Dutiful, but sullen, their momentum interrupted, they trudged up the hill.
"Why did you make us come in? We were having so much fun!"

Such are the cruel twists of fate. Just when the boys spontaneously engage in an activity near-and-dear to my heart, it is tragically I who must call an end to it.

If we had a Great Pyrenees this would not be a problem. Hmmmm.

BTW: A big thanks to James for helping me with this post.

simple winter decoration

2009-11-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love rose hips for decorating. I got a bunch of them from the Ladybug Bazaar this year and put them on our dining table. They start out fresh and plump and as the winter goes on they begin to dry and shrivel. Through this entire process they manage to still look beautiful. I find myself leaning more and more towards natural holiday decorations - a crisp evergreen wreath with holly, a bowl of pine cones, dried orange slices, colorful dried leaves, and such.

What winter decorations do you like to use?

daffodils en mass

2009-11-19T09:58:00.001-08:00

The annual fall sale at the grange occurred this past Saturday while James and I were away. Knowing that they always have the best prices on flowers, I asked my mom to pick me up daffodil bulbs. I have a plan on eventually looping our island with them and got started on this last year. Mom was able to get me some bulbs. Lots of bulbs, in fact! She got me 5 paper bags full of them.

I was very anxious to get these in the ground before it got even colder outside. With the enthusiastic help of the boys (bless their hearts), we cut through sod, mulched and planted every last bulb. We were wet, muddy, and very tired but also proud of our accomplishment.

With that task behind us we headed in for showers and a cup of hot tea for me and cocoa for the kids. I sit down and check my emails and find I have an email about - daffodil bulbs. Apparently there were left over bulbs from the sale and they saved them for me. A total of seven more bags.

Round two coming up!

On vacation

2009-11-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow James and I head to Las Vegas to see Leonard Cohen. It is our first vacation without the kids beyond a weekend. We are excited, the kids are excited, and I think we all need this break in routine to reset ourselves.

I won't be posting until next week when we settle back into our daily schedules. See you then!