Happy Bunny Bloggings

Taking the New Year and running with it.

2012-01-12T14:35:00.001-05:00

Phew! Since the last post (almost a month ago) we survived the holidays, prepared for a 2.5 month school for my husband, had an amazing singing party, and generally had a grand ol' time.

I have a backlog of posts to write and share (now that they won't spoil any holiday surprises) and intend to post a little more regularly now that there's time to breathe.

My big news (one that I'm a little nervous to share) is that I'm going to run a 5k!

My husband's military career requires him to pass their fitness test, which always includes a run. As he has never found pleasure in running, it has often turned into a chore. In an attempt to be a more supportive partner, I decided that I would surprise him by doing the Couch to 5k program (C25k) and registered us for a 5k race close to his course for Valentines day.

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Egg and Rutabaga update

2011-12-15T13:17:00.000-05:00

It's been almost three weeks since we found our first egg. It was a few days before we found any more. When we did, we discovered that they had made a nest under the coop in the sheltered part of their yard and had been laying a couple of eggs each day!

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a topper for our tree

2011-12-08T15:56:00.000-05:00

I love traditions, and I love celebrating. A loved tradition that my husband and I have been able to bring along and make our own is our Christmas Tree. As we continue to purge and downsize our physical belongings and the entourage of stuff we possess, our tradition of a little tree has been able to stay with us. While it was originally a necessity because of the size of our apartment (and budget) it has become a matter of pride.

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Happiest Rutabaga

2011-12-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

Since the end of our farmshare we have been gathering vegetables from farmer's markets, my step-father, and our own stores and gardens.

From the Coventry winter Farmer's Market we got some rutabagas a couple of weeks ago as I'd wanted to make a better Upper Peninsula (of Michigan) pasty. I made some improved ones a few weeks ago and while they were fantastically delicious, I knew I could do better.

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We got an egg!

2011-11-27T16:10:00.000-05:00

We moved the chicken coop to their winter spot. There's not enough left growing on the ground to be able to leave them in one place for more than a day or so. We've moved their pen to a spot in our back yard where it will stay until spring. We will spread dried leaves and other bedding materials in their yard and they will poop, scratch, and peck it to lovely compost throughout the winter.

As Joe went to move the coop he found an egg! Our very first pullet egg!

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Our House in the Storm

2011-11-22T20:19:00.000-05:00

I've just about gotten everything ready for our mini-Thanksgiving break and so have time to come up for air and make a post.

Just about three weeks ago our area of the country was hit by an extra early snow storm - before leaves were even off the trees which caused a fair amount of trees to break and caused quite the rukus. Our street was out of power for a full week with our house just a little bit longer.

Both my husband and I were out of town (in different directions) for the storm itself but our dearest cousin Ben was able to snap the following picture:

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Garden Bed Cleanup and Planting Garlic

2011-11-14T20:37:00.002-05:00

Due to a week without power (almost two without internet) following a freak pre-haloween snowstorm I'm a bit behind on posting. I've had a couple saved up and here we go!

The week before the storm I finally got around to cleaning up the garden beds - with a little help from the girls!

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New Windows!

2011-10-17T13:29:00.000-04:00

Work trips, being sick, school deadlines, our newest addition to the team, as well as the work that goes with the change of seasons would be enough but on top of that we got all of our windows replaced!

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New Addition to our Homestead

2011-09-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

With a house that is more than 75 years old, there are lots of places where the darned varmints can easily come in to escape the cold. In a place like this mouse-catching is a very valuable skill. While we've caught a few with traditional traps and even found one of the less-than-intelligent ones in a water jug one morning, it was time to bring in an expert.

Meet Thelma our new "barn" cat.

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Three Amazing Years.

2011-09-28T21:02:00.000-04:00

Last week my husband and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Complete with a brand new pantry (for me -below the white beam to the right of the stairs), wild grape jelly (post to follow) and whiskey (for him), brunch at O'Rourke's in Middletown and just a grand day together overall.

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Family Traditions - Franklin County Fair

2011-09-13T13:39:00.001-04:00

While there were several yearly fairs within an easy driving distance of most my childhood homes, the Franklin County Fair has always been a favorite. While it has its share of carnival rides and games like the rest, my favorite parts of the Franklin County Fair have always been the produce and craft competitions.

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Modern Foraging and Sumac Lemonade

2011-09-10T17:45:00.001-04:00

One of the many things I love about having access to wild land is the ability to forage.

On a walk the other day, I came home with blackberries, a few raspberries (the last of the season), wild grapes, and a big pile of staghorn sumac drupes

(not to be confused with poison sumac).

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Where I've been these last few weeks:

2011-09-06T17:43:00.000-04:00

In the kitchen!

Between the beginning of fall harvest and the abundance of our farm-share, we have been keeping busy putting food by.

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Homemade Laundry Detergent

2011-08-18T13:49:00.001-04:00

I've come across many recipes for homemade laundry detergent and have always kept them in the back of my mind to try. I even got all the ingredients and had them around for months. Finally our detergent ran out. We went to the store to get more and managed to walk out with everything we needed but not the detergent.

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Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

2011-08-14T09:10:00.000-04:00

"Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out"

-From Mending Wall by Robert Frost

We are happily back home with our dog and our girls. I'm getting excited about putting up the harvest and looking forward to trying out some new recipes. I start school again in a couple of weeks and am interested to see how that fits in with our other adventures this fall!

Quick Cucumber Salad - CSA Veggie Challenge

2011-07-25T10:59:00.000-04:00

Between our veggie CSA and our own garden we have lots of cucumbers! We've been enjoying blueberry cucumber smoothies, cucumber and dip, and of course, cucumber salad!

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Kitchen Blackboard

2011-07-20T18:48:00.001-04:00

It's been quite a while since I discovered the existence of blackboard paint - paint that creates a blackboard surface. While I enjoy the idea of a blackboard wall (how I originally saw the paint used), our kitchen has no feasible walls for this purpose. After one of the last kitchen-reorganizations we ended up with a big empty space on one wall.

(taken at night)

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Homemade Hard Cider - made with wild yeast

2011-07-14T20:32:00.001-04:00

Hard cider is not only delicious and easy to make, it is a traditional and historic New England beverage. While I only find some of the commercial ciders worth drinking, they hardly compare to the crisp, slightly sweet and bubbly beverage one can make for oneself.

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Cilantro Chutney - CSA Veggie Challenge

2011-07-12T19:12:00.000-04:00

If you're one of those people who doesn't like cilantro, I apologize and suggest you skip the rest of this post.

For the rest of you, read on!

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Painting the Livingroom - Another pre-party project

2011-07-09T20:22:00.000-04:00

One of my big goals for the summer break from school was to paint my living room.

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A coop for the girls

2011-07-07T10:13:00.002-04:00

These last few weeks have been a little crazy. On this past Saturday we had about 30 people over for a graduation/promotion/celebration party for my husband. One of the big projects we wanted to get done before the party was to get the chickens out of the house (more pre-party projects in subsequent posts). As tempted as we were to open the door and toss them out (they were getting kind of loud!), we figured it would be better to give them a house of their own.

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Quirky Lamp - my favorite piece from Ceramics II

2011-06-22T21:53:00.002-04:00

I finally got around to finishing the wiring on one of my pieces from my ceramics class last semester. Thanks to my mum for the nudge and some of the parts!

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Worms! (or: More fun things you can get in the mail!)

2011-06-18T21:44:00.000-04:00

We got worms! In the mail! Vermiculture, or worm-farming (for compost or bait) has piqued my interest for some time. We had an electric indoor composter for the first year or so we lived here in our house and slowly killed it as it was not the right composting method for our family. Since learning about worm composting I am excited to be able to harness these blessings for our gardens and plants.

Worm poop, or "castings" are a natural fertilizer that will not burn plants, even when applied directly, unlike most commercial fertilizers. Also, they don't smell! The more I learn, the more I am excited about all the benefits! Plus it's kind of cool to have a big bin of worms.

eSCAPES!

2011-06-16T16:12:00.001-04:00

Garlic scapes are one of my favorite things. One of the delights of growing ones own garlic is getting to walk out into the yard and pick scapes yourself!

Here they are escaping! (haha! get it? didja? didja?)

I love how wild they are! And how delicious!

Earl Grey Ice Cream - mmmm!

2011-06-14T21:20:00.003-04:00

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A few years ago I had Earl Grey ice cream and have been in deep smit ever since. It has also been a few years since I've seen it again. Then I had a brilliant idea: I make things. I could make my own!

Ingredients:

1qt half and half (4c, use whole milk if you don't want it as rich)
4 egg yolks (egg whites are excellent for making meringues)
1/3c sugar (I used an unrefined but use what you have)
2t vanilla extract (I used my homemade)
4 Earl Grey Teabags

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Twig Trellises and a Chick Field Trip

2011-06-11T09:32:00.001-04:00

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My mother's gardens have always inspired me and she has always encouraged me in my own experiences with gardening. Before I even started kindergarten I had a little circle garden at the side of the house. This led to my first prize petunias at the county fair. My luck with annuals coming back continues to this day!

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Hortopita - Spanikopita's delicious cousin

2011-06-05T08:03:00.000-04:00

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Many people have heard of Spanikopita or spinach pie, which is a Greek dish mainly made with phyllo dough, spinach, and feta cheese. Fewer have heard of the much more common hortopita or greens pie. The Greek word "horta" literally translates as "grass" but means any number of edible wild greens such as kale, chard, dandelion greens, etc.

Having gotten a splendid brick of feta on a recent grocery trip, I was excited to try. I headed out to the lawn and picked a couple cups of dandelion greens to add to chopped chard and leeks and a layer of butter puff pastry.

The end was a scrumptious and nutritious mealtime treat. My dear husband gave it a twenty out of ten.

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We got chicks!

2011-06-02T09:36:00.001-04:00

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After months of waiting, our chicks finally arrived! We missed the call at 4:50 but heard the call at 7am.

We quickly set up the homemade tub brooder (inspired by this post) with food, water, and the heat lamp. We plugged in the light to "pre-heat" and off I went!

Here is a video taken by Jesse Stanley of their first few moments in the house:

Thanks Jesse!

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Bit by Bit

2011-05-31T16:05:00.000-04:00

Inspired by a recent trip to visit my mother, I decided to make a crate to house all of our jar and container lids rather than purchasing something similar. Using scrap wood and some lath, I pieced together this little number.

It's a good reminder that not everything has to be complicated or requires a lot of planning. Sometimes things just fall into place.

A Grand Day In

2011-05-30T18:22:00.000-04:00

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Last week we celebrated my birthday and I cannot remember a better birthday. Much of it was spent gardening with my mum. We then went to see my pieces in the student show, and had a lovely lunch before she headed home.

After a little bit of knitting, my dearest husband arrived with flowers from some dear friends and a feast! He shucked raw clams and oysters, made bacon wrapped scallops with garlic broccolini on the side and even brought a piece of my favorite cheese-free veggie-loaded pizza for me to eat right away.

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful birthday wishes and love from near and far. Thank you for helping to make it such a lovely day. I'm still enjoying the beautiful flowers, made-for-me cards, inspiring book, big-girl trike, and even the sheets to use when I'm Away!

I feel so loved!

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Raised Beds: making my own

2011-05-26T12:52:00.001-04:00

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When we started our gardens here a couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to trade some work for some beautiful cedar raised beds. Our dear friends over at The Farmstead, in Leverett, Massachusetts make gorgeous raised bed kits based upon a 17th century design and also make other garden gems like trellises and benches for local sale.

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Geeking out with my new capsule machine!

2011-05-17T21:30:00.001-04:00

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I've been eying a capsule machine ever since reading a post by Progressive Pioneer, last fall. Yesterday, while waiting for my car to have its emissions tested, I wandered over to our little local health food store. Lo and behold they had them in stock!

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My work is in the show! Again! (part deux)

2011-05-10T08:12:00.001-04:00

As many of you know, I've been taking ceramics courses at a local community college.

I am pleased to announce (again) that several of my pieces will be in the student art show.

The opening is this Friday at 6pm and the show will run until June 24th.

Not sure when I'll be going, but let me know if you're interested in meeting up at any point in the duration of the exhibit.

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HappyBunny Pincushion

2011-05-01T07:12:00.000-04:00

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Over the past few weeks I've starting doing a bit more sewing again and found myself frustrated with my pincushion. I'd been coveting a wonderful little number I found on etsy but couldn't justify the expense to replace something I already have. Then it dawned on me. I could sew my own! (Gasp!)

Among the plethora of different patterns I quickly found online was a lovely tutorial for the exact same kind of pincushion I had been eying! A few quick minutes later and I was all set!

I used fabric from my stash, stuffed it with wool from my stepfather's flock, and held together with two vintage buttons that were a present from my brother and his lovely lady.

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Kitchen Curtains - something worth a blog post

2011-04-26T22:53:00.000-04:00

A month and a half? Really? Time sure does slip by when you've got no time to breathe or think or do much of anything fun.

This past weekend I not only got a bit of a breather, I had wonderful incentive to jump-start a few projects - we had a bunch of family over for an eastery/spring celebration.

Amidst the rearranging and cleaning, I managed to reorganize our kitchen shelves and remove some rather large unused things - the purging continues! To hide some of the less beautiful kitchen necessities, I turned a fat quarter of earthy polka-dot fabric and some leftover muslin into these curtains.

With each new touch our home and life feel more and more happily-ever-after and I feel more and more at home.

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Homemade Crock-pot Yogurt

2011-03-12T09:14:00.001-05:00

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I got several responses from my last post from people interested in my experiences with crock-pot yogurt. Super easy, definitely cheaper than store-bought yogurt, and so delicious!

Supplies:
1.) A crock pot!
2.) A half gallon of milk (preferably NOT ultra-pasturized)
3.) At least 1/2cup of live culture yogurt - after you've made your first batch you can just save some to use for the next batch.
4.) optional: foodsafe thermometer. This isn't strictly necessary but definitely helpful.

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Few week wrap up

2011-03-07T09:50:00.001-05:00

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It's been quite a busy few weeks! Mid-terms are coming up with all the little projects I've had going, I thought I'd do a wrap up. If there's anything you would like me to expand upon just let me know!

Some recipes I follow call for whey to soak grains and make them more easily digestible, the nutrients more readily available, and cut down the various inhibitory components. I tried making crock-pot yogurt. SO easy! Straining yogurt provides us with whey for cooking and fermenting, greek-style (strained) yogurt, and the best cream cheese!

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What a wonderful day!

2011-02-18T13:27:00.000-05:00

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Windows and doors wide open, sunshine and a lovely breeze blowing through, what a wonderful day! Fresh air clearing away the smell of freshly primed cabinet and table is such a treat.

Add to that an amazing blueberry-mint smoothie, an unexpected afternoon with my man, grilling on the back porch and getting out of class early. Thank goodness for hints of spring and celebrations of ordinary life.

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Usefullness of scraps - making things from remnants

2011-02-16T11:04:00.002-05:00

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There is something so satisfying about making something useful out of the leftovers from another project. I love making solutions to our needs out of materials we already have at hand.

I am so grateful to have the tools and space to make these things for our home.

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Getting to class - 3-ring binder cover

2011-02-11T10:25:00.000-05:00

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I have a professor that likes printouts. We get four to six printed sheets most every class. After only a few weeks of the semester, I was already tired of shuffling papers around.

Enter the 3-ring binder. The problem is that they're plastic.

Fabric on the other hand?

Fabric, I like. Fabric, I have. A bunch of quick, straight steams and voila!

Instead of a jumble in a bag I have my re-vamped binder!

Night classes are a little easier when you've got butterflies and polka dots on your side.

Handsome Visitor

2011-02-10T16:09:00.000-05:00

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One of the latest delights of our home is a red bellied woodpecker!

I managed to sneak a few photos before he noticed me.

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Bringing ceramics home - ceramic lantern

2011-02-02T19:21:00.000-05:00

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Between the weather and my fall, it's taken me a few extra weeks to get the last of my ceramics home after the close of the student show.

One of our first assignments turned into my favorite piece of the semester. We had to coil-build a sphere at least the size of a large cantaloupe. Beyond the basic spherical shape we were free to use our imaginations.

I have always loved lanterns and some of my favorite pictures from my international trip last year were of similar shaped lanterns in various states of creation. I even got to watch some ladies making some pretty spectacular silk ones.

Here is my interpretation in stoneware. It's over a 12" in all directions and used over twenty-five pounds of clay.

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Happy in the kitchen - rolling pin rack

2011-01-17T09:56:00.001-05:00

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Ages ago I saw an old timey spice rack with curved wood hooks at the bottom to hold a rolling pin. I loved the idea and was determined to make my own. As I have both a marble and a wooden french pastry rolling pin, I decided a flat shelf on the top would best suit my needs.

Now I can keep my counters clear, use up harder to reach space in the corner and enjoy the beauty of these tools while keeping them close at hand.

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Fixing up my studio - fun with power tools

2011-01-14T17:01:00.000-05:00

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So we all know I like to make things with hand tools. More recently, I have challenged myself to use some bigger and scarier things - like my dear husband's new table saw.

Since we moved in, I have VERY slowly been turning my upstairs studio space into something usable. Paint went on the walls quickly but it took me a long time to get through the mountains of junk and general detritus from past lives. More recently, with my uber-purge skills still fresh, I tackled my studio.

I've daydreamed about putting built-in cubbys into one of the unused walls under the eaves. And that may still happen someday.

I was so excited when I saw these vegetable bins, because I knew that I could make them myself!

Of course, I didn't actually follow the recipe, ehem, I mean plans, and added my own touches.

My yarn stash is now happily tucked under my newly revamped desk, instead of hidden away out of sight in boxes and bags.

I'm so proud of my first major building project and other than a table-saw lesson, built entirely by yours truly.

Above my desk my dear husband put up a beautiful shelf.

I've had these small apple crates for years. While sorting and organizing (and downsizing) my craft supplies, these boxes were a life saver. Rope handles, fabric lining, and photo corners with new labels make these bins a joy to use.

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Meringues - what to do with all those egg whites

2011-01-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

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So, you've made eggnog or custard or flan or any other of the delicious egg-yolk heavy recipes I'll hopefully get around to posting this sometime this year.

You now have a bunch of egg whites.

Meringues are a simple, easy, and taste like the most-delicious-air-that-just-melts-in-your mouth treat!

The basic recipe is very simple. Beat egg whites with a teeny bit of vanilla, a little (dry) sweetener and an optional tiny bit of cream of tartar which helps the egg white bubbles from dissolving back to liquid.

I used six egg whites,
1/4tsp of vanilla,
4Tbsps of powdered maple sugar and
1/4Tbsp of cream of tartar.

I have a copper round-bottom bowl that is wonderful for beating eggs and cream and as I'd just purged my hand-held electric mixer (I hadn't used it in well over three years and have a stand-mixer) I chose to whisk the whites by hand. It took far less time and effort than I'd imagined and I will, with pleasure, make these by hand in the future.

When peaks form (even if the droop over) in the egg whites, spoon them in generous amounts onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at a low temperature (I set our oven to 200, although I know it's not accurate) until the outside of the meringues are golden and hard. Try tapping on them with a knuckle and if they give they're not ready. I baked mine for about an hour and a half.

When firm, turn the oven off and leave them in there with the door shut for another hour (or two).

My grandmother used to make a similar meringue cookie that she called "Nighty-nights" where you bake them, turn the oven off and go to bed. In the morning you pull out perfectly crisp and airily delicious meringue cookies.

A NOTE about fresh eggs: Egg shells are porous and moisture naturally evaporates over time. Store-bought eggs are normally, at the very least, a couple of weeks old. Fresh eggs whites still have too much moisture to properly stiffen. You can experiment with the age of the eggs but I would recommend waiting at least a few weeks from the chicken to meringues.

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Lighting the darkness

2011-01-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

Shorter days and longer nights make me long for sunshine. On precious sunny days I find myself rotating with the sunny spots to take advantage of the warmth and light.

In the evenings we have candle-lit suppers and softly-lit quiet evenings, when we are blessed to have time at home. We are finding our own rhythm and it is wonderful to get to be together.

Many cultures have solstice celebrations and festivals of light, mirroring the internal light I can feel brightening within myself. I want to insulate myself from the world, curl up within and prepare for new beginnings to come.

Inspired by another blogger, on Christmas eve-eve we made our own ice lanterns.

These simple creations were a joy to make and were overwhelmingly beautiful. This year I have been craving traditions of our own. I hope that these will become a yearly source of joy and beauty to help us light our way through the darkness.

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The pleasures of purging

2010-12-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

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Over the years, my husband and I have slowly been moving toward a simpler, calmer, slower, less cluttered life. In the past few months these goals have begun to truly take hold.

As someone who had always had a junk pile in a corner or closet and thrown in tubs and boxes still packed from previous moves, sorting had always been an emotional challenge for me. Each item brings up all of its unfinished business, unmet expectations, and guilt. When my husband deployed the year before last, I found myself overwhelmed in all areas of my life. There's nothing like having a loved one in theater to shine light on what is truly important. I found, after his return, I didn't want to give up that simpler, smaller, slower, more centered life. Even now I find myself digging in my heels when too much tries to make its way back in.

It has been almost two years since we bought our house. We brought with us all the items from our shared life together in apartments and from our separate lives before. Somehow, this two year mark seems to be a statute of limitations. If we have not used an item since we moved here, it's time to let it go. No shoulds, no buts. Its time in our life is through and it is time for it to go.

Yesterday we drove a load to the dump, and an even bigger load to Sally's. Our little house feels bigger and more sacred with each item we move toward its next life.

Another criteria to help us decide whether or not an item has a place in our life is Do we love it? This one, for me, eases the challenge of dealing with the negativity associated with the unfinished business of things. If it brings up more negative emotion than positive, it has no place here. There is little more satisfying than living on purpose, in line with our principles and with integrity.

While we still have a way to go, we both have space to breathe, to relax, and to connect. It is such a pleasure to know that we are making room in our life for wonderful things to come by purging and simplifying.

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Why Yes! I DID do that all by myself!

2010-12-16T10:17:00.001-05:00

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As fans of good-tasting and especially of clean water, we've used a pitcher water filter for some time. I know it's time to change the filter when I figure out I'm not drinking water because it tastes bad even after filtering.

After doing some math, we discovered that in the long run, it's actually cheaper (not to mention healthier) to have one of the big-daddy under-sink filters where all you have to do is turn on a faucet and voila! Clean, delicious water! I ordered one from a trusted company and waited patiently. Well... sort of patiently.

The day it arrived my dear husband wasn't due to return until well after I am tucked in to sleep. I figured I'd at least open the box and take a look. One thing led to another and I had the pliers, the vice grips, the scissors, and some rags out and tada! We have an under-sink water filter with its own faucet for drinking water!

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My work is in the show!

2010-12-13T13:59:00.000-05:00

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As many of you know, I've been taking a ceramics course at a local community college.

I am pleased to be able to announce that several of my pieces will be in the student art show.

The opening is this Friday at 6pm and the show will run until mid-January.

I'll be at the opening for a bit and would love to see any and all of you!

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Seasonal Treats - (non-dairy) Eggnog

2010-12-11T16:41:00.000-05:00

I do love me some 'nog. Even better when I can still breathe after.

After a slightly less amazing test batch last week, I triumphed last night:

Non-dairy Eggnog
1can coconut milk
4 raw egg yolks (we get our eggs from a local farm)
2 whole raw eggs
2Tbsp maple syrup

blend or mix ingredients thoroughly - make sure to pierce yolks otherwise they may happily shake around but not incorporate themselves into the mix.

Add ground nutmeg to taste and enjoy!

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Happy Bunny Home Theater - Peanut Butter Cups

2010-12-09T10:26:00.000-05:00

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For the second edition of Happy Bunny Home Theater we have peanut butter cups!

While there used to be many more of them, we may or may not have eaten all of them.

To make your own you will need:
Peanut Butter
Blanched Almond Flour (or crumbled graham cracker)
Powdered Maple Sugar (or any granular sugar really)
Chocolate

Optional: mini baking paper cups and mini muffin tin

Directions: Start chocolate melting in a double boiler or heat-safe glass jar in a shallow pan of water. Make sure to keep the heat pretty low to keep the chocolate from seizing.

Mix peanut butter filling: add a small amount of sugar and crumbly stuff to the peanut butter until the filling is stiffer and sweetened to your taste.

Roll peanut butter mix into teaspoon size balls. Place them on a plate and flatten slightly. Put the peanut filling nuggets into the fridge to stiffen.

If using paper cups spoon a small layer of chocolate into the bottom of each of the paper cups and put in freezer to set. Once the cups each have a disk of hardened chocolate in the base put a peanut butter nugget into each cup and spoon melted chocolate to cover.

If you're not using papers, you can simply dip each cooled peanut butter nugget into the melted chocolate. A good method for this is to lay the nugget on a fork and submerge it in the chocolate. Place the peanut butter cup on parchment paper and carefully slide the fork out from underneath.

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Transition To Winter - Tucking Ourselves In

2010-12-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

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Fall is a busy season for me - I always find myself more productive than ever and often get the bug to continue my formal education. This year is no exception. From canning to batch cooking, painting walls to classes at the local community college, this has been a busy fall.

As the weather cools and we spend more time indoors, I find my thoughts turning inward as well. Winter is a season of reflection and inward renewal and I am thankful for it.

While I have always made many of the holiday gifts we give, this year I am making more of them than ever before. It is such a blessing to align our life with our values in this way. While busily knitting, sewing, gluing, or cooking, I find my thoughts turning to gratitude.

I am so fortunate to have such wonderful families, such amazing friends, and most of all, my husband.

Even though I am no less busy or industrious than earlier in the year, I find more quiet places. Sitting under the blanket on the couch, leisurely preparing a meal, or even folding warm laundry straight from the dryer.

Perhaps it is merely growing up, but I marvel at the comfort I find in routine activities - our rituals and traditions as well as the pleasure of work and a job well done. It is a blessing to watch as my roots stretch down in ways they never have before and a delight to test my wings and daydream about the seasons to come.

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We got a BIG turkey.

2010-11-23T17:09:00.000-05:00

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We've been enjoying our meat share from Chestnut Farms and leaped at the chance to get one of their heirloom turkeys. As we will have many Thanksgiving celebrations that are NOT at our house, we just got turkey. A LOT of turkey.

There is a GALLON jug of maple syrup for size reference. :) Tonight we will cut and freeze this baby in piece and I expect it to meet our turkey needs for quite some time.

In other news, we've been busy Building an amazing cabinet (and been busy priming and painting it since) keeping up with schoolwork (as best we can) and getting ready for the upcoming festivities.

I'm looking forward to catching up with you all the next time I have a moment to breathe.

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Fun with Coping Saws :D

2010-11-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

There's a lot to be said for coping saws. :) They have been a favorite of mine for ages because of their versatility and lightness.

From trimming dowels for mitten holders, to cutting notches and shaping boards, here are a few of the projects I've done in the past six months using only a coping saw and some wood glue.

Our own Pot of Gold

2010-11-08T07:41:00.000-05:00

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It has been almost two years since we bought our home. It has been such a pleasure to turn it into our own oasis, our own refuge. We truly have found our own pot of gold.

There are many exciting things in the works and even more in the plan - built in cabinets, storage benches, reworking cupboards, adding shelves and cubbies, and so much more!

It is so satisfying to put our hands to work making the best use of this space and daydreaming of how our family will put it to use someday.
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Cosmetic Circles - Organic, reusable, machine washable

2010-10-26T17:27:00.000-04:00

Phew. It's good to be back in the blog-o-sphere. After some trouble with our card reader for the big-daddy camera, I've switched back to using my little point-and-click. There are some pretty delicious posts stored up in that big card, but for those you will have to wait.

In the mean time, I give you: Circles! lots and lots of them!

I'm not a fan of disposable items. We have cloth shopping bags, napkins, lunch cooler bags, and use glass jars for most food storage. It felt a little disingenuous to use a fresh bleached cotton circle or ball every time I went to clean my face at night. The solution?

Reusable, machine-washable, organic cotton cosmetic circles and a lovely wash bag to keep them on their best behavior in the washer and dryer.

The edges are hand stitched with cotton floss and the wash bag is knitted with a drawstring.

Happy Bunny Home Theater - Peppermint Patties

2010-10-17T19:55:00.000-04:00

Popcorn with all kinds of fixings is one of our favorite treats. About once a week we put in a movie, make a big bowl of popcorn and snuggle 'til it's all done and gone.

We also have a standing tradition of date-nights, and to make this past Friday evening special, we had the first edition of the Happy Bunny Home Theater.

Our living room is complete with two wired-in wall lights to which I added red paper complete with bunny-shaped cutouts.

I pulled out the couch and rounded up all the pillows in the house for a family-style lounge home theater experience.

To recreate the movie theater consumables, I made peppermint patties to go with our popcorn, lamb-kielbasa, spiced pecans and punch.

I mixed creamed honey with coconut oil and added peppermint oil. Once the mix had cooled I spooned it into little portions.

When the portions have solidified even more (I put them in the fridge to speed the process) they can be formed into patty shapes.

Using a fork I carefully dipped them in melted chocolate (mix of bittersweet and unsweetened to balance the honey) and slipped them onto parchment.

Not a single one survived the evening.

Belated deliciousness

2010-10-14T16:00:00.000-04:00

Between my class and Joe's new commute there seems to be ever less time for things like taking and editing photos, never mind actually actually doing the things to photograph.

Here is a belated nectarine tart.

Before:

And After:

It didn't last long.

A bit of seriousness - an update

2010-10-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

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On Tuesday I had my appointment to go over the results of my blood work.

Thank you all for your concern and support. I'm still figuring out what the results actually mean but will try to give you the big picture.

The interesting news:

My allergy profile came out clean - makes me wonder if some of my negative reactions to certain foods have more to do with the rest of what's going on and may clear up once my system recovers.

The mediocre news:

I'm slightly hypoglycemic - this was my assumption so there's no surprise there.

I have a sub-clinical hypothyroid disorder - my thyroid isn't doing well but also isn't doing horribly.

My progesterone levels are still too low, even with the cream I've been using for the last decade or so, although some of this should clear up when my iodine levels return to normal.

The scary news:

My Vitamin D and B12 levels are dangerously low, and I have a severe adrenal deficiency. My levels are well below the levels known to cause "neuropsychiatric and hematologic abnormalities", severe depression, memory loss, etc.

In the Doctor's own words "I don't even know how you're functioning."

What's next?

I'm on a regimen of supplements, vitamins, and other things. Some of these help support my organs, some give some of them a break so they can recover, and some replace what my body isn't making or absorbing.

We have an appointment in six weeks to check in and will do blood work again in three months.

I am trying to stay positive and look on the bright side - that there is much we can do to get my system back in order and running smoothly on it's own. All of what we're doing is temporary and will only be part of my regimen until I'm back to full strength.

I'm having a hard time with the possibility of not feeling well for some time and trying to focus on what I can do now. At the moment I've got all of the same things I've been dealing with as well as my stomach adjusting to all the new things it has to process and taking its frustrations out on me.

I'm doing my best and that is enough. Joe has been a superhero throughout all of this and I cannot even imagine what this would be like without his support and strength. I'll continue to take things slowly, do what I can and remain hopeful.

m
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Two years! (and two weeks)

2010-10-04T13:19:00.001-04:00

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Two years (and two weeks ago) my husband and I got married.

I could not have asked for a better day, or a more incredible man.

To my dearest Joe, you are my life and my love.

Thank you for all that you do and all that you are.

"All that I am I give to you. I offer you my strength and my weaknesses. I promise to love you and cherish you. To honor and respect you. I promise to listen deeply when you speak. And whatever the future may hold, I commit myself to loving you, as long as we both shall live."

September 20th, 2008

Homemade Vanilla Extract: Day 30

2010-09-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

Thank goodness for calendars. Had I not written the thirty day mark on the calendar, I would not have had the delightful experience of discovering that yesterday was 30 days from the beginning of our homemade vanilla extract!

It is a beautiful deep amber in color and definitely has a strong vanilla aroma.

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A bit of seriousness with lots of hope

2010-09-25T15:52:00.000-04:00

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I've been avoiding writing this post as I have very little actual information.

My health has been slowly but steadily declining over the past seven or eight years. There were always "reasons" for it, and as long as I took things slowly, I never had TOO much of a problem. Over the course of my husband's deployment things steadily got worse but were easily overlooked because of the stress of deployment.

With Joe's return and encouragement, we finally found a doctor that we like and made an appointment. That appointment finally came this past week. It was both scary and exciting to start on a journey to figure out what's going on and have the possibility of feeling well and healthy soon.

What he was able to tell us at the appointment is that I have LOW blood pressure. The scary thing is that when I get up (from sitting or laying) instead of my blood pressure going up, it plummets. It is a relief to know that there's something going on and it's not just lake of personal conviction or strength of character.

He's pretty sure I have an adrenal deficiency, vitamin a deficiency, a definite iodine deficiency, and quite possibly am hypothyroid. Many of these things are easily correctable over time through tweaking my diet and adding some supplements.

I was rather surprised at the basic diet handout that he sent with me and how little was different from how I already eat. We'll find out what we need to change when the blood work comes back in a couple of weeks.

For now, I remain hopeful.

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Gigantic Green Caterpillars on my tomatoes- Tobacco Hornworms

2010-09-19T13:26:00.000-04:00

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When going out to pick the latest batch of golden cherry tomatoes and water my thirsty plants, I discovered some HUGE caterpillars!

After some research we discovered that they are Tobacco Hornworms. If we left them there, they would continue eating all of the leaves off the tomato plants.

One particularly interesting fact about them - they only eat the unripened fruits (they like the nightshade family) and will not touch fruits once they start to ripen. You can see it happily chomping away at what was left of a green tomato in the photo above.

In general, I figure that a certain amount of what I grow should be intended for the other living beings around us - the bugs and chipmunks and bunnies etc. This seemed a little excessive though as each caterpillar had eaten ALL of the leaves above them on the plants down to stubs. There were plenty of poop piles on the newspaper below.

Thanks Tobacco Hornworms for being interesting and teaching me something new. And thanks to Joe for taking care of them.

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Nectarine Heaven!

2010-09-18T13:50:00.000-04:00

Oh what a pleasure it has been to "have" to deal with an entire grocery bag of nectarines.

I am in nectarine heaven.

Over the past five days we have (left to right below) canned nectarine butter, canned nectarine slices, dried five dehydrator trays of slices (seen dried in the jar) and froze two full cookie sheet trays of slices to use in smoothies (still in bowl below).

It has been such a delight to get to make such wonderful food for us to enjoy throughout the winter season, as well as wonderful things for now.

I must say that roast chicken with roasted onions and nectarines was amazing both for dinner and reheated for lunches the following day.

One of the 1/2 pints of canned peaches didn't seal, so we had to taste them. I must say I didn't mind having to try them. While canned peaches have long been a personal favorite, these are even better!

Even after a weeks worth of preserving, we still have about ten nectarines and half again as many peaches. I'm dreaming of canning peach salsa and brandied nectarines. But first we'll have to get some brandy.

Why Yes! That IS a grocery bag of nectarines.

2010-09-13T07:04:00.000-04:00

If a girl who loves canning could have a guy who was AMAZING at finding large quantities of great produce, she would have nothing on me.

In addition to the two large boxes of canner tomatoes for $5 a few weeks ago, my husband managed to score us half a grocery bag of bosc pears for $6 and 7/8ths of a grocery bag of nectarines for $8, in addition to peaches, concord grapes, and cider and cider donuts. I love fall!

It turns out, to our delight, nectarines are merely a cultivar of peaches and not a separate fruit altogether. The smooth-skin gene merely is recessive and so they're treated as special because they're more rare.

Turning to my favorite canning book at home, the index merely says "see peaches." One minor difference is that because the skin is smooth and so much thinner (which does make them bruise more easily) they don't have to be removed before canning! I discovered this delightful tidbit and am so very excited to get canning. After class.

Makes going to class kind of annoying this morning. ;)

m

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Spanish Cauliflower "Rice"

2010-09-11T16:49:00.002-04:00

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On my list of things to try has been cauliflower "rice." It's been on my list for a while. I do like cooked cauliflower, and rarely ate rice when I did eat rice.

I have made an amazing discovery: cauliflower "rice" is more amazing than rice rice.

I kid you not.

Spanish Cauliflower "Rice" is incredible!

In the words of my husband, "I like it even better than real rice." It's more flavorful, more betterer for you, and easy! Instead of cooking rice at the beginning (or happening to have leftover rice) you merely grate up a head of cauliflower.

For this recipe, I chopped up farmer's market onion and garlic and sauteed them. I used clarified bacon grease although any frying oil would work.

Once the onions started to clear I added approximately two large tomatoes worth of chopped tomato left from the bruisers of our tomato sauce project (a post on that once I get good pictures) and left them to simmahdown.

I then grated the cauliflower and chopped up a farmers market green/red bell pepper.

To the pan I added cumin, coriander, basil, oregano, cayenne, and a teeny bit of turmeric.

As cauliflower does not absorb as much liquid as rice, I waited for the tomato to cook mostly to a sauce before adding in the grated cauliflower. I'm not much of one for mushy peppers so I added the chopped peppers near the end.

This is sure to return soon to our dinner rotation and I can't wait to try asian-inspired fried cauliflower "rice"!

New England Views - Grist Mill

2010-09-10T08:16:00.000-04:00

In our adventures last week we came across this grist mill in Vermont. I wasn't fully able to capture the intense red of the wheel in the broad shots but the closeup gives a better idea.

The day was gorgeous, the clouds spectacular and finding such beautiful building perched on the hill was a definite treasure.

Fantastic week and a promise of catching up

2010-09-07T09:53:00.002-04:00

Phew! It's great to go away and it's great to come back home.

Joe and I went away for a few days and had many great adventures - three out of four of my favorite coops between here and Canada, the Vermont Country Store (including the kissing bridge), great walks, fantastic swimming, amazing food, lots of naps and so much more!

We came back Sunday and hit the ground running.

Yesterday was a busy day of making and putting food by. We made fifteen pints of homemade tomato sauce (almost two gallons!) froze two gallon bags of delicata squash quarters, made potato leek soup for lunch and leftovers, grilled chicken from our meat share, have the tomato water/juice in the crock pot (reducing the almost two gallons of liquid skimmed from the tomato sauce tomatoes for tomato paste) and the squash seeds are in the dehydrator after soaking in salt and spice water over night.

Many of these deserve their own post so I hopefully have whet your appetite and you'll want to hear more soon.

m

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Raspberry Peach Jam

2010-08-31T15:44:00.002-04:00

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Canning Adventures Continue!

Our latest tremendous success was a batch of Raspberry Peach Jam.

This is the first year that I've really ventured out into the world of canning without the watchful eye of my mum. It's such a pleasure to have a house and gardens and have the space and time to put food by.

These are a peach jam with raspberries and sweetened with honey. I don't like jam real sweet so they're on the tart side. As we have already discovered, they are perfect on toast, crepes, or just a little on a spoon!

One of these days (when we finish the coconut-milk mocha icecream or the homemade orange-creamsicle push-pops in the freezer) I'll have to try making some really great vanilla icecream and spoon a bit of this jam on top!

Boston Cream Pie Cake

2010-08-30T13:48:00.000-04:00

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Before you pie-advocates (in the cake vs. pie debate) get all uppity, let me explain:

This is a CAKE.

Now that we have that settled... On with the story!

One of Joe's favorite desserts is Chocolate Cream Pie. Last year I saved his birthday by express shipping him homemade vanilla cupcakes, snakpaks of vanilla pudding, and a jar of chocolate sauce for him to be able to have his birthday treat at his pre-deployment mob station.

This year, I decided to do even better. Instead of only one layer of delicious homemade pudding, I decided to make a boston cream pie layer cake and do three layers of pudding between four layers of cake with a dark chocolate ganache topping. And NO, this was not "safe" for me to eat in ANY way. But it was not for my birthday.

It came out brilliantly, and tastes even better than it looks!

Several days later there is still a very little piece left as it is so rich and delicious that it must be eaten in small portions! Not sure how I'll top it next year, but you better believe I'll find a way.

Happy Birthday my Dearest Husband!

Almond Crusted Poached Eggs

2010-08-29T08:21:00.001-04:00

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Let me introduce you to something amazing:

Almond Crusted Poached Eggs.

They are AMAZING.

Especially if you can't just fall back on a piece of toast to catch all the goodness from your poached eggs.

Recipe taken from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook (a fantastic cookbook with nothing in it I can't eat!) and pictured here in the back of the photo.

The basic process: poach an egg, sprinkle one side with an almond flour and herb mix, brush with raw egg and add another layer of almond flour mix.

Flop over onto a well greased pan and cook until crispy and brown.

Turn over onto pan and then do your best to not die from how delicious it is.

(Pictured here in a photo by Joe with yellow zukenoodles and homemade tomato sauce)

Homemade Vanilla Extract: Day 1

2010-08-28T11:50:00.000-04:00

There's "vanilla" that means boring, average or normal.

Then there's "vanilla" that means oh-my-goodness-this-is-one-of-the-best-most-comforting-homelike-things-EVER.

I'm making the second kind.

Turns out it's pretty simple too... Mainly involves waiting.

A lot of waiting.

But it'll be worth it.

Perfect Cuppa

2010-08-26T11:29:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite hot beverages is a combination of Mayan Cocoa Spice tea from Yogi and Roastaroma from Celestial Seasonings. It makes a delicious non-dairy, sugar free and wonderfully full of flavor mocha-like concoction.

I found a way to make it even better.

Inspired by a coconut-milk chocolate pudding recipe, I decided to make some cocoa "syrup" to have on hand. In a saucepan I combined coconut milk, cocoa powder and maple syrup.

Mixed all together, I have found my perfect hot drink for chilly mornings.

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Zukenoodles and pesto

2010-08-25T07:54:00.000-04:00

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I have been daydreaming about a (hand-held) julienne slicer for some time now.

As many of you know, there are many things I don't eat - I have (almost entirely) been off dairy for over ten years, eat little to no refined sugar, soy, pork, etc and have been mostly off grains for over a year.

The answer to the missing pasta gap?

Zucchini pasta!

I give you zukenoodles!

Here they are raw on the counter, fresh from the julienne slicer peeler thingy. :)

In a pan, I sauteed some scallions in oil and tossed the zucchini right in. (Photo by Joe)

(photo also by Joe) After adding a good healthy portion of pesto (from my last little tub from Garlic and Arts last fall!) and simmering down the liquid we ate most delicious piles of zukenoodles with pesto!

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Four color tomato salad

2010-08-24T13:31:00.000-04:00

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I love tomatoes, especially heirloom. I love the colors, flavors, and patterns.

At our local farmer's market we picked up four different colors of tomatoes and made a delicious salad. I dressed them with a little bit of raw cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a tiny bit of maple to soften the vinegar.

Absolutely delicious!

This once again supports my position that delicious food tastes better when it's beautiful.

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Drinks for the hot days

2010-08-22T16:19:00.000-04:00

Sparkling lemonade, with a splash of a summery white wine, lots of little ice cubeys, and a delicious garnish are a definite highlight of sweltering days.

Busy Summer

2010-08-19T06:40:00.000-04:00

Wow. It's been almost two weeks since my last post.

Things here have been a crazy mix of good and bad and everything in between.

But don't worry lovelies. There are still plenty of good things to share!

We've been to farmers markets, farmstands, canned eight and a half quarts of tomatoes (funny story for another time) some tomato juice,

made tomato paste, froze some cantaloupe, and so much more!

For now I'll leave you with a little taste of summer.

A hat that fits

2010-08-07T11:17:00.000-04:00

I've got a big head.

No, seriously. I've got a big head.

"one size fits most" means my big head is going to have a big headache from being squeezed into a hat that's too small.

The answer? find a great shop on etsy and have custom big hat made.

Cream colored linen cloche, vintage cotton ribbon and wooden buckle.

Perhaps someday I'll have to get into making hats out of something other than yarn.

He's home! he'shomehe'shomehe'shome!!!

2010-08-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

For real! I got to pinch him and hug him and not let go for a really long time (to the point where much of his family jumped in on the hug to get a piece of him)

Yay!

View from the road

2010-08-05T18:49:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I usually spend a couple of weeks in Maine with my family each summer. This year I left early in order to be home when my husband returns. (eeeee!)

I'm not someone who travels fast, even though I travel often. Driving the winding roads of mountainous New Hampshire I couldn't help but pull over to see if my little camera could handle the beautiful view.

Even though I have quit jobs in order to still be able to go on this vacation with my family, it is delightful to have found something worth leaving camp to see.

Trellis Wristwarmers

2010-08-04T07:21:00.000-04:00

I had been waiting to post about these until I finished the matching (yarn) cowl that I knitted last week, but for some reason, sewing on the button and making a button-loop is too much to ask for at present. ;)

So lovelies, here are wristwarmers and the best photo I could take with my chin.

The patterns is the Garden Trellis Mitts pattern on ravelry, although because I have pretty small hands I ended up editing the pattern down to fit more snugly.

sometimes it's the simplest things...

2010-07-27T21:36:00.000-04:00

It's been yet another week of finishing and doing small things - like making a bottle brush out of strips of a rag and some galvanized steel wire, cleaning out our water jugs, sorting through some stuff in my studio and dealing with all the different categories of stuff I've sorted.

I also made a pretty and simple new to-do list to put up on the fridge - two rectangles tied with some floss.

I love how basic little ideas can be so pretty, and how the simplest things can lend such a sense of accomplishment.

2nd, 3rd, and 4th tomatoes.

2010-07-26T10:15:00.000-04:00

And they're delicious!

Bunny hangin' with the backyard gargoyle

2010-07-25T22:54:00.000-04:00

I've been spending lots of time on the back porch in the lovely shade and enjoying the breezes blowing through.

It also means I've been getting to see our bunny friend a lot more often. :D

Earring Holder

2010-07-23T16:30:00.000-04:00

When browsing for patterns for something or other, I cam across this lovely idea for an earring holder.

This frame has been hanging in the bedroom for months with plastic cross stitch grid to hold my earrings.

I was waiting for a sunny day to be able to take a clear picture of it in the room upstairs, but decided to just take the photo anyway. :)

heap of gifts

2010-07-17T12:17:00.000-04:00

When the inspiration visits, I run with it.

Over the past few weeks, with mostly leftover yarn, I had the itch to make some presents. :D Because who doesn't love presents, and I mean the GOOD kind of presents.

Delicious Bunnies

2010-07-15T12:08:00.000-04:00

(as promised)

I got bunny shaped cookie cutters and thought I'd try making some gingersnap bunnies.

Yep, they're amazing.

Best package instructions/warning ever. :)

2010-07-14T12:24:00.000-04:00

Many little things

2010-07-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

At the end of some days, I try to recall what it is that I've done.

Some of the days I can't remember anything big.

Then I come up with a big list of many little things

that have added up to a big day. There are often many things like these.

Scrap Bag - Handsewn

2010-07-12T15:43:00.000-04:00

I'm not someone who is any good at putting things in the trash. Not that I can't get rid of things that have no use left in them, but have a hard time sending something to sit in a pile in someone else's backyard for however long they may take to decompose.

As anyone who has been to my house may remember, there are often spare ends of thread or tiny scraps of fabric and various project detritus laying about.

I have solved the "problem":

Using some leftover fabric from another project, I hand-sewed a scrap bag. I'm so happy with how it came out!

I will have no problem keeping this near me when finishing up projects to tuck away all the loose ends.

What will I do with them you ask? They will, on some future date, become stuffing for something delightful.

Star Wash Cloths

2010-07-07T13:56:00.000-04:00

In the midst of revamping the bathroom, I decided to make myself some new washcloths.
:D I'm so happy with how they turned out, and it's always more fun to use things that make us smile.

The awesomeness of Ben continues:

2010-07-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

What's so awesome about this picture you say?

Get this: The washer and the dryer are RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER.

No more "bowling technique" for me.

And the freezer? It's not in the farthest possible corner from the stairs - where you have to walk 7/8ths of the way around the basement to get to it. It's NEXT to the other appliances and out of the way!

Thank you Ben!

Car Organizer - fun with fabric

2010-07-02T11:18:00.000-04:00

Inspired by one of the blogs
that I follow, I decided to
make myselfan organizer for
my car. I have always loved
fabric and it filled me with
delight to pick out fabric for
something so practical and
turn it into a joyous useful
piece of art.

Vintage Typewriter Fridge Manets :D

2010-07-01T06:55:00.000-04:00

Combining my love for letters,

classic styles, and fun

hearth-and-home solutions,

I put these together:

Vintage Typewriter Key

Refrigerator Alphabet Magnets :D

Skellyphant

2010-06-30T14:08:00.000-04:00

My dear friend Joanna

is expecting their first child.

To help them celebrate

welcoming a new being

I made them an elephant.

News from Away.

2010-06-26T20:51:00.000-04:00

I have Run Away, and I must admit, Away is AWESOME.

In the past two days I have:

walked about ten miles (Jaker has trotted about twice that ;) )

seen fifteen different wildflowers that I know by name (and at least that number that I don't)

seen three herons, a white tail deer, a beaver, fish (minnows and trout), countless ducks and sparrows and crows and lots of other lovely little birds,

seen not-quite-ripe wild blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and black raspberries, and hope that next week when I return (on a previously scheduled trip) there may be some for eating :D

gone wading on purpose AND by accident, went swimming with all my clothes on

and collected more stepping stones for my front path.

And those are just SOME of the highlights!

Summer isn't nearly as great before you realize that it's summer and you get to do all the great summery things. :D

Simple pleasures.

2010-06-18T17:57:00.000-04:00

If the way to enlightenment is to chop wood and carry water, the meditation of every day tasks can only be made more lovely by a bit of beauty.

can I have one?

2010-06-14T06:40:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, one of Jaker's jobs is to clean off plates before we put them in the dishwasher. It's very ecological of him to save the water use that would be required to rinse them off.

This morning after Ben and I finished breakfast I sat down to work on a gift for a friend and he went about figuring out what he was going to do.

Doing a little nose-recon he discovered that I was eating something - cherries! I let him sniff one and he gingerly reached out to grab it. He then spent the next fifteen minutes playing with the cherry - tossing it up, carrying it around by the stem, rolling over onto his back with the cherry gingerly between his teeth. :) Oh how I love thee, silly dog of mine.

What a whirlwind

2010-06-09T20:49:00.000-04:00

It has been a crazy few weeks with quite the tornado of activity. I've had a backlog of intended blog postings but don't like to do more than a couple in a day. By the time I remember to post again so many other things have happened that I fear many happy thoughts have gone without proper documentation.

From fantastic visitors (both human and puppy), great food, picking up the first meat csa share, serious progress on the front path (rocks and dirt and grass seed!), planting my veggie gardens, seeing the inside of a house down the road that (fingers SERIOUSLY crossed) Ben is looking into purchasing, homemade coconut milk ice creams, more good food, and definite progress indoors as well.

It's now just about two months until Joe returns (hopefully) and the pressure/excitement/energy to get a lot done is in full swing. It is so great to work hard and see such beauty appear in my world. It is such a pleasure to have a house, to know I'll be living here in a while, and to be able to make it a better place knowing that I will be one of the ones to reap the benefits. :)

m

Round 38. NAP.

2010-06-09T20:39:00.000-04:00

One of our recent visitors was the fantastic Fort (the dog.) there were SERIOUS amounts of playing, running and napping.

Great fun was had by all.