The summer is whizzing by. I don't quite have the heart to tell my kids that school is starting in less than a month. Our cousins that moved to Connecticut last year have been back "home" for much of the summer, so it has been great to play catch up with them.
Dude, look at those ribs.
This girl is now twelve, a big number in Mormon-dom. She's now officially a "Young Woman" and went to Girls Camp for the first time.
This little mutt reminds me of "Boo" on Monsters Inc. Sometimes I like to think of little people as reincarnated crazy elves.
Are you seeing it yet?
How about now?
I like this picture. It's fluid, ya?
It's no secret, 6th grade was tough for my daughter. This was partly because her two besties from school up and left. It was a rare and sweet reunion for them to play together this summer. We're hoping that one of them comes back for 7th grade.
Here's Holly and Aunt Sharleen....or is it Sharlene? Sharleen (I'm feeling the double-e version) brought her granddaughter for a week or so and we all had some good times cooking hotdogs. Here's Boo getting some attention from the Auntie. Have I mentioned I'm no one's favorite aunt? I get it, and I'm okay with it. There's way too many richer, funner, eager-beaver people I'm competing with so I've come to terms.
Me messing around with the zoom lens and playing around with the focus. If I was a real photographer I would have made sure the stupid plastic toys weren't in the background. Hollyhocks are everywhere around her and I have a love-hate thing going on with them.
These two are full-blooded brothers. The contrast blows my mind sometimes.
Our muscovy ducks are doing a great job eating mosquitoes from the pond. I wonder if he sees wonder in these two-legged beasts the same way I do.
Where's Ruby and Gideon? Maybe next time.
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Last Christmas my mom gave me a fun carrot peeler. She learned how to make veggie bouquets at Relief Society, then became veggie connoisseur to me and the granddaughters during our family Christmas party. She gave us a fun tutorial, then slipped in the secret peeler into our Christmas stash.
I think these pictures are quite self-explanatory.
The only tips I could give would be this:
- Buy this carrot curler
- Use the right-half of your brain
If I hadn't been in such a hurry, I would have tried to perfect the radish roses a little better. I also think having mini cookie cutouts to make cleaner shapes with the cucumber would have been nice.
The veggies I used:
- Big real carrots for peeler
- Romaine
- Long wooden Kabob Sticks
- Green Onions to slide over sticks to make flower stems
- Celery to make a support for the flowers
- Olives
- Radishes
- Cucumber
- Green Pepper to hold Ranch Dipping Sauce
- baby carrots for dipping
- cherry tomatoes
Picture tutorial begins now:
Too pretty to eat? I think not!
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This picture is telling. Isn't it pretty? This was taken on one of the very few cold crisp winter days that did not have a valley inversion. Of the roughly 60 days that make up January and February, over 50 had horrible horrible air quality, like pretend you smoke-a-pack-a-day air quality that makes national news.
But this day? This day was striking and beautiful. The twiggy arch was my summer therapy creative session, and it proved to be a pretty winter statement.
But notice the gate? It fell off its hinges in the snow and was stuck open for some time. Last week a mystery pooch/beast came in the night and killed 8 of our chickens.
See the bridge in the background? The siderails have been a scratching post for goats, to the point that they are detached and slowly inviting the decay of our cute bridge.
See the chicken coop? It is sturdy and well, perhaps just in need of some new paint.
By some measures, the farm has fallen into the "disrepair" category, what with the adjusting, mending, and painting that clearly is in order.
But the snow melted last week, and the grass is in plain sight! There are outbuildings to paint, weeds to pull, garden beds to till, flowers to plant.
I worry that I am lacking the drive I had a year ago. There was a freeing throwing-of-the-hands-in-the-air-gesture of "still got that baby fat but I'll just work it out in the garden" shrug. Well guess what? I just got fatter. Apparently working in your garden all day is quickly cancelled out when you eat ice cream late at night while watching Portlandia.
I suppose nothing great comes off without a detailed plan, but I feel like my body is contradicting my words of responsible agriculture, raw greens, and living off the earth.
We're still looking at these winterscapes as I whine about not being beautiful and twenty years old anymore.
Seriously, why is everyone running marathons? Why is success, drive, goal-setting, ambition, and success constantly compared to whether or not you go to the gym every day?
I think I feel judged, but mostly by myself. Going on a bratty introspective vanity rant seems perfect with a sole frosted pine tree, with lonely footsteps leading to it right?
Like the farm, I have fallen a little into the disrepair category. I'm hoping some good old fashioned sunshine and black dirt will invite some new life around here.
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I often feel like Easter doesn't get enough attention, so we are hitting it early this year. I was very excited when I saw this Easter Countdown. It is a full 30 days! We started it late and so will finish just after LDS General Conference, which seemed appropriate and a good prep for hearing the Prophets words.
My mother-in-law gave us a mitten tree for Christmas. Since mitten weather is nearly over (thank goodness) we used it to hang our Easter tags. Every day me and the kids take down a tag and learn about all the different titles of Jesus Christ. So far we have covered his birth, Jehovah, and Messiah. After our study, the tag goes into our HUGE Easter Basket exploding with life and springtime energy and life.
This is our new reading corner for the kids. Lots of times baby Giddy brings me the sheepskin rug to snuggle him up while I rock him in the big rocker. He is such a cuddly stinker and I love it!
This coat rack no longer accepts stinky shoes in the bottom. It is now dedicated to a rotation of library books. It has helped keep things manageable, in view, and USED. Here's Giddy reading the Easter book we just checked out from the library.
Our Nature Easter Basket was first used as a changing table for Chloe. Nowadays, it comes out for a combined Easter Basket for the family. This year, we are celebrating Nature and the return of Spring as we countdown to Easter. Our little turtle is bedecked with springtime jewels (with hot glue, which will easily pull off should we see fit) and is slowly marching his way to the basket of plenty.
Our Nature Basket is lined with moss and filled with eggs, seashells, and our favorite Butterfly in a Jar. The kids love to pick up the shells and listen for the ocean!
I'm starting to feel like my homey Bunny doesn't fit in around here. I wish you could see the butterfly in the jar better. When you tap the lid, he flutters around and amazes all my little friends at Church Primary.
My kids were slightly disappointed that the eggs had no treats. One day they may just be surprised to find something inside.
Tonight we are learning about Jesus as Creator and will be starting our Easter Hill with Wheat Grass. Thank you wizard mother at Chocolate on my Cranium!
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