Earthy Crafty Mommy

Getting Ready for the Big Day!

2010-11-17T11:43:00.002-05:00

Joshua's necktie turkey

Just wanted to pop in to say hello from under my "To Do Before Thanksgiving" list that includes little things like #12 Repaint Dining room, and #27 Finish making rag rug. I know, I have clearly lost any sense of reality on this!

We are sooo excited to be hosting the biggest dinner ever for us, with our favorite folks from 3 states & 2 countries. All preparations are being made more, um, interesting, with the help of our two year old:-)

I'll be quiet here and around your places till after the big day, but will most likely pop in on Friday this & next for "this moment" to help me remember all of the excitement:-)

Wishing you a wonderful, peaceful holiday!!
~Michelle

This Moment

2010-11-12T06:12:00.003-05:00

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." Soulemama

Thank you Veterans!!

Farmer Noah's Quilt Top!

2010-11-08T07:11:00.001-05:00

Our sweet Noah is just about ready to move into his "big boy bed" in Joshua's room. He's still with us most of the night, but I think once we get his bed set up, he'll be so excited that he'll sleep there. Maybe even for longer than 3 hours at a time...

To celebrate this soon to be event, I decided to make him a quilt. I've done some quilting in the past, all by hand, learning from my Memere in Canada. However, I've realized that if I want to make quilts for my children while they are still children, I'm going to have to use the machine -- at least for piecing the top.

So here it is, Noah's quilt top...

The machine piecing went pretty well, but since his bed is a small toddler bed, I decided to hand quilt it. It is taking a lot longer than I realized it would, not so much because of the actual quilting, but because of the pulling it out, putting it away that must come with a monkey who really likes to help;-)

Joshua has already ordered his, the "Lucky Lindy" airplane pattern. Since his will need to be much larger, I'm going to have to learn to machine quilt. I think I'll use that vintage White treadle machine. Many people have told me that using that would be much easier that my little electric one for this purpose. First things first though... back to the hoop:-)

This Moment

2010-11-05T06:55:00.001-04:00

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." Soulemama

Happy weekend friends!!

10 Things Making Me Smile Right Now

2010-11-04T08:50:00.002-04:00

1. Autumn in all her splendor

2. My chef in training (this is Joshua starting Saag Aloo for dinner :-)

3. A new recipe for roasted pumpkin soup to try this weekend

4. Role reversal

5. Leftover pie and a spoon

6. The end of a great soccer season

7. Mitten knitting

8. These boys practicing to be in Blue Man Group

9. Reading about my pumpkin love... in Danish ( I think it's Danish, so glad you liked it, Karina:-)

10. Naptime...

What's making you smile these days???

Very Special Stones

2010-11-03T08:56:00.001-04:00

Last year around this time, I, like so many of my fellow bloggers participated in the Wellness Tree project that was hosted by the lovely and inspiring Nicole (Gardenmama). We all got to know and love Kelly and follow her on her journey, while sending her handmade ornaments for her tree.

When I returned to this space last month, I was so very saddened to hear of Kelly's passing, and touched by the way others were responding with handmade gifts for her husband and young son. When Nicole announced that she was hosting an "artful stone swap" in honor of Kelly's birthday, I knew I wanted to participate.

Noah and I took to the beach one warm, gray autumn afternoon last week to find just the right stones. It was such a sweet time, just the two of us. I kept thinking of Kelly & Ari, and how lucky I was to share this time with Noah.

I wanted to take some photos to show my new friends where their stones came from.

At first, I wasn't sure what to do with them. It was important to me to do something special in Kelly's memory, and right around the time I received my list of swap partners, I remembered this tutorial that I saw not too long ago, and decided to give it a try.

For the first stone, I used pink, knowing that this is the color that represents breast cancer awareness. For the others, I was inspired by the colors at the shore the afternoon we found them. Margaret's instructions are very clear, and I'm so happy with how they came out.

They are on their way now to new homes with new and old friends, and I look forward to receiving their stones in the coming days. This is such a grounding, meaningful way to connect with others, and honor a beautiful mother who left us far too soon. Thank you Nicole for including me in this very special group.

Peace,

~Michelle

Encouraging Creativity

2010-11-01T08:52:00.002-04:00

When I was a little girl, I used to dream about having a place to get creative whenever the mood struck me. As an adult, especially since becoming a mother, I have realized how important this really is in a person's life... especially for a child.

Adam teaching Noah how to paint with water colors

As the boys have grown and their ability levels and interests have changed over the years, I have changed the space that they refer to as "the art corner" a few times. I'm always trying to think of new ways to keep it inspiring to all, accessible to the older boys, while safe for Noah. Keeping it neat and organized gets more important the more variety we add to their supplies.

Paint & water... messiness is good:-)

Recently, I re-vamped the art area in a very simple way. Rather than adding more, I purged about 1/3 of the supplies. We were at the point where no one could find anything, and creativity was turning to chaos which is usually not very fun for anyone.

The boys are able to find what they want easily now.

I found an old basket with sections in it for utensils and plates-- the type you'd use at a cook-out, and I realized that it was the perfect size to fit standard paper in the plate section, and markers, crayons, and colored pencils in the utensil sections. The old way was piles of paper (that always got spread out all over the place while one was looking for the right color) and boxes for the crayons, etc, that had similar problems. I've found that by thinking vertically rather than horizontally, in terms of storage, the supplies take up less space, and they are much more easily accessible to the boys.

Adding some yarn held up with 2 push pins, and some clothespins for hanging gives us a simple drying rack for water colors. The big hit, though, has been the box of fabric & yarn scraps, along with glue, and giving them carte blanche with it all.

The basket can be easily moved to the big table, or to the front porch, too

The results have been great so far -- spontaneous acts of creativity, and lots of smiles -- exactly what I has hoping for:-)

Adam's Elf

Joshua's "I Love Art" elf

How do you encourage creativity in your home? I'd love to hear about it!

Happy November!

~Michelle

This Moment

2010-10-29T06:32:00.003-04:00

"A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." Soulemama

Wishing you a Happy & Safe Halloween! I'll be back in this space on Monday.

Peace,
~Michelle

Pumpkin Love

2010-10-26T22:18:00.005-04:00

I love pumpkins. Really & Truly; I love the way they look, I love to grow them, I love to bake with them, I love to draw silly faces on them, I love to search for more of them with my boys, I love to photograph them...

This year, I am even more passionate than in years past because last year we had no pumpkins! The weeks and weeks of rain we had in the spring/early summer of 2009 ruined the pumpkin crops to the point that we couldn't even find the canned stuff!!

So now I will pay proper tribute to one of my favorite ingredients to work with in the kitchen. May I present the perfect pumpkin...

After you have taken in her beauty, it's time for business. This is what most folks around here call a pie pumpkin. It is small and round, and has more flesh than the type you would use for a jack-o-lantern.

Cut off the top, and then slice right down the center...

My favorite way to prepare the pulp is to bake it. First, scoop out the seeds & stringy bits (save those seeds for later!). Then, place the pumpkin halves in a baking dish, cut side down, and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. The skin should sink in a bit, as shown, and it should be fork tender.

**Edited to add: At this point, the skin should pull right off just using your fingers. If it doesn't come off easily, pop it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Remove all skin before proceeding.**

Now you are ready to puree. You can use a potato masher, regular blender, or my favorite, a hand blender...

This pureed goodness can be used immediately, or frozen for use in recipes all winter & spring. Our family's most favorite recipe is for pumpkin bread (or muffins) and was given to me by my friend Cathy, from her Grandma.

Cathy's Grandma's Pumpkin Bread

Cream together:

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 large eggs

Add:

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

2 cups canned pumpkin plus 2/3 cup water

Mix Together:

3 1/3 cup flour (all white or half white, half wheat)

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

optional

add 1 cup each chopped walnuts & dates

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir with wooden spoon.

Bake in 2 greased cake pans for 1 hour, check at 50 minutes if you have a hot oven.

Also make wonderful muffins, baking for about half the time.

yield

2 loaves or 24 muffins

**Please note, should you want to photograph your loaves in their entirety, best wait to bake them when you are home alone. Personally, I feel like I am in a National Geographic special when I put home-baked goodness on the table and all of those boys come charging in ;-)

Now for the seeds. I have tried many methods for toasting pumpkin seeds, and my hands down favorite is this one that I found on the internet after a friend suggested brining them first.

Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe??

Happy Baking!!

A New Decade

2010-10-25T22:24:00.003-04:00

Today, my wonderful husband had a birthday, and not just any old birthday, one of those big birthdays.

This sweet photo was taken of him before his very first birthday -- gee, do you think our boys look a little like their dad??

Steve did not want a big party, and we respected his wishes, but certainly couldn't let the day pass without celebration. After all, he is our most favorite man in the world!

I made birthday apple pie, like last year, and in this photo you can see it, along with the beautiful beeswax candle that Joshua hand-made for his daddy, so that he could use it as a, ahem, mustache. Adam made Steve an awesome comic book that is a "work in progress" and I'm sure he'll want me to share more on that later...

In this next photo, you can see three things:

The scarf that I knit for my love for this occasion (Montana scarf, he LOVES it, free pattern here)
Adam licking his pie plate clean
The photo collage that Noah & I made for Steve to hang in his office

And just for fun, here are a few of the photos that are in the frame...

Adam & Joshua December 2004

Adam & Daddy on "Dress Like Your Hero" Day April 2009

Joshua & Daddy sledding, January 2007

Steve's loves, Christmas 2009

DW the crazy chicken lays her first egg in Noah's stroller

Happy Birthday honey!! I feel so blessed to have shared the last decade with you, and I'm looking forward to many, many more.

This Moment

2010-10-22T06:38:00.000-04:00

"A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." Soulemama

Beach Blanket To Go from Handmade Home

2010-10-20T07:36:00.006-04:00

Last year, when I was fortunate enough to meet the lovely and inspiring Amanda (aka Soulemama) and take home her wonderful book, Handmade Home, I knew this was one of the projects that I would make.

The Beach Blanket to Go has been waiting for just the right vintage fabrics to appear, and finally they did, in the form of sheets & pillowcases for the top...

And this fantastic turquoise colored matelasse bedspread that I remembered having as a child (and finally found in my mother's basement being used as a drop cloth-- oh the shame!)

I rescued the blanket, and was inspired to finally cut into the lovely, buttery soft linens to make the top. On my thrifty adventures, along with the fabric, I ended up with a huge assortment of bias tapes, including this 8-yard-long canary yellow piece that I used for the binding & ties.

Noah was gracious enough to accompany me on an impromptu picnic in our back yard this beautiful fall day, to try it out & model it for me...

I tried to get a shot of us cuddled on the blanket by holding my camera above me. I didn't actually get much of the blanket ( if you look really close, you can see the tiniest bit of the yellow ties behind his sweet head, it still counts as a project picture, right;-) It's that face though, those eyes looking up at me the way he does just before he dozes off...I can't help but love this photo.

I'm looking forward to sharing many, many adventures, meals, snacks, and best of all cuddles with my favorite boys on this blanket!

A Little Something for this Mommy

2010-10-18T09:28:00.000-04:00

So, I've never knitted anything for myself before now. I realize this trend runs rampant among us knitters, and last summer I was ordered (by my wonderful husband) to do something about it!

For our wooliversary, Steve gave me a gift certificate to my LYS. He also instructed me to buy yarn to make myself something. Oh, the pressure! Initially, I planned to buy a little something for me to maybe make a hat, and use the rest of the certificate to get yarn for gift projects. Then, it happened. I fell in love...

This gorgeous yarn is Prism by Colinette, and the colourway is "popsicle." It's a wool/cotton twist, so it is soft and warm... oh, and so very yummy!

Since this project was for myself, I let it hang around on the rocker in my bedroom most of the time. I usually worked on it, one row at a time, while I was rocking Noah to sleep. Every time I wear it, I get that extra warm feeling of holding this little sleepy boy, (and keeping him warm with a WIP;-). The few times I brought outside, I had um, "help," so this took (embarrassingly) about a year to finish.

The pattern is the simple yet effective shawl by Laura Chau. It is both easy and interesting, and can be found for free on her blog here. (Thank you Laura:-)

But now it's finally finished, just as this season is starting to really feel like fall, and I just love it!

This Moment

2010-10-15T06:50:00.005-04:00

"A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." Soulemama

Happy Weekend!
We'll be back here on Monday...

10 (More) Thrifty Treasures

2010-10-14T08:59:00.002-04:00

This summer & early autumn have blessed our family with a large dose of happy thrifting karma. It's been a long time since my last 10 thrifty treasures post, and we are definitely due for one now!

This sweet desk, complete with built-in ink well...

2. My personal favorite, a SPINNING WHEEL!!! (Joshua was so into modeling, that he jumped right over from the desk to the wheel to help :-)

So... I'm driving past a yard sale a couple of weeks ago, when I see this. I do believe I screached my breaks when I turned around to pull over. Running over to the yard, holding Noah football style so I could get there quicker, I asked the first person I saw, trying to remain calm & cool, "so what's that, one of those, what d'ya call it, spinning wheels???" She said "yeah, but it's just a decoration, I think." Looking over my shoulder, to make sure no one was listening, and ready to scoop up my treasure from me, I asked "how much does one of those go for?"

"Oh, I dunno, how about 2 bucks."

I know! I know!!!

Working or not, I love it, and it makes me smile every time I walk past it. And if Mother Earth News can teach us how to make one out of a bicycle wheel, I'll bet Steve can get this to work someday:-)

3. Where were we, ah, yes, fabric. Vintage sheets and pillowcases specifically. All lovely, all super soft, and all meant for a special project coming soon...

4. This set of "Hand made in Italy" dishes, 6 in total (the lady at our thrift shop said, so you can break one:-) One of my boys doesn't like his food touching, ahem, so these are by far his favorite dishes. They are so much cuter than this photo (I've been experimenting with & without flash with my ancient camera )

4 - 7. This cute shelf (50 cents), the tea canister, the porcelain tea cups, and the sweet little vase (the silver sugar bowl that desperately needs to be polished is from my mother-in law :-)

8. This high chair, that I LOVE! From a yard sale, the woman who sold it to me said her children & grandchildren used it, and it is in perfect shape; $5!! I noticed that Sara has the same one in her beautiful Farm house :-)

Can be used with tray

Or without, and pushed up to the table with us:-)

9. This sweet vintage apron, again, in my current favorite color combo... makes a great curtain over my sink:-)

10. THE big one, from Tuesday this week, finally a new bike for Adam. He has been using his (girl) cousin's pink & purple one for years, we just never managed to find another that fit him till now. This beauty, which looks nearly new, had just been dropped off at the thrift before we got there. My most favorite lady there came outside to see it, and said how about $3!!! I know!! We just needed to lower the seat a couple of inches & teach Adam to use hand breaks and he's good to go:-)

We accumulated these things over the last few months at our local thrift shops (we have many near us) and yard sales, and love teaching the kids about re-using (rather than throwing away) in such a fun way.

How about you, any recent thrifty treasures? If you have a photo, leave a link, I'd love to take a peek!

Happy Thrifting!

~Michelle

Tea Towel Sewing Machine Cover

2010-10-13T09:01:00.006-04:00

I found this sweet tea towel at the thrift recently, for 10 cents! It's the color combo I'm really into right now, and it has several of my favorite things on it; butterflies, fresh herbs, mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, and a chicken...

I was looking around for something to make with this lovely, you know, because I couldn't just let it be a towel. I found this super easy tutorial at marthastewart.com.

I happened to also score a huge bag of notions that day, including oodles of vintage bias tape... just what I needed!

So I whipped this up in, well about 2 hours (let's just say I had help). I think the average beginner/novice sewist could tackle this in about 5 minutes (as long as they aren't working with a 2 year old, ahem).

I love how it brightens up my little sewing corner :-)

A Berry Good Harvest

2010-10-12T08:09:00.000-04:00

We had the BEST all around berry harvesting year this year that I can ever remember. We started with strawberries...

16 pounds of them-- the first week of June!

Which turned into strawberry-rhubarb pie, frozen whole strawberries, jars and jars of jam ...

...and of course shortcake. This is the first year that we had our own fresh strawberries and blueberries together on the fourth of July!

And the blueberries, oh my the blueberries, 8 weeks of picking!!

And right now, second week of October, we're still harvesting several cups of raspberries each day from our back yard...

Harvesting them, not necessarily getting any of them into the house;-)

How were the berries where you live this year?

At the Fair...

2010-10-11T08:30:00.007-04:00

We took our annual trip to the Topsfield fair and had a blast.

The drive there is plenty long, so I always look forward to getting some knitting done on the journey (I know I'm in good company with this tradition :-)

And the fair wouldn't be the fair without visiting the giant pumpkin winner...

Petting lots of goats (and sheep, and cows, and horses, and a llama :-)

Watching the Mounties...

Listening to live music...

Visiting the hall full of quilts; our family's favorite this year from "Goodnight Moon"

Sneaking off by myself to visit the knit/crochet corner...

Watching a magician, and learning a new magic trick...

And of course, eating cotton candy...

Steve & I both went to high school in that area, so we usually end up having mini reunions while we're there. This year, I bumped into an old friend that I hadn't seen since 8th grade-- 24 years ago! We both looked at each other, instantly recognized the other's face, and said at the same time, "you look exactly the same!" (Okay, well minus the 80's hair;-) Such a fun time, and Giselle, it was just lovely to run into you and meet your beautiful family!

And Happy Thanksgiving to my family & friends to the north!!!

A Basket Full of Color

2010-10-09T06:25:00.016-04:00

I had been trying to figure out a project that would both be a good stash-buster and be a great carry along project. As I searched around for inspiration, I found this and this (and lots of others over there at Flickr).

I went to my stash, wanting to use up all of the bits left over from Joshua's Rainbow, and the giant granny squares I made for the craft fair last fall.

And this is what I ended up with...

With a little help from my color consultant (he pulls out a new color and says, "This one!") I started one circle at a time...

And when I get 7 together that I like (and that Noah approves), I make a row. I've been using the lovely, inspiring Lucy's awesome joining squares as you go method and I love it.

I'm planning to make 10 rows of 7 each to make a good sized throw for the rocker in our family room. With 5 of us and these New England mornings and evenings getting chillier, we can't seem to get enough cozy blankets in that room.

If you asked me 10 years ago if I thought that entering a room, and seeing all of my loves cuddled up in blankets that I made for them with my hands, would make me feel ridiculously full of joy, I would have raised one eyebrow and said, um, huh? Now, this is the stuff of dreams for me, and I am so grateful for all of it; the handwork, and of course those boys!

This Moment

2010-10-08T09:22:00.002-04:00

"A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." Soulemama

Blogging as Therapy

2010-10-06T20:57:00.011-04:00

Well, now that I've updated you and recorded how well my three favorite littles are doing, I feel ready to share the reason for my prolonged absence.

In the last 8 years, I have been pregnant 7 times. When my morning sickness got to be around the clock in this most recent pregnancy (on top of the whole roof blowing off incident) is when I knew I had to turn my computer off. A couple of months later, I was healthy, well into my second trimester, getting to hear strong fetal heartbeats, and ready to make our big announcement here (I was so huge everyone I know in person already knew). Then something happened, again. I had been through this 3 times between Joshua and Noah, so I knew before they told me at the hospital. Our baby's heart stopped. It was a boy, we named him Jonah.

The same thing happened on Mother's Day in 2006, only it was a girl that time. We named her Norah. One year before, and one year after Norah, I had 1st trimester miscarriages which were also very sad, but the two second trimester losses were heartbreaking. Once we all heard their heartbeats and felt them kicking, they were such very real members of our family. The boys talk about them sometimes, and I try not to get too deep with them. Mostly I just tell them that they have special guardian angels watching over them in Heaven.

Sometimes people ask me how I can still have faith in God after something like this happens. I say how can I not? I have 3 beautiful, healthy boys who are growing up so fast. And I believe that someday, hopefully many years from now, after I hold my grandchildren and maybe great-grandchildren, it will be time for me to go. And when I do, I'll have my lap full of babies that I never got to hold while I was here.

Some days are easier than others to hold onto that thought. And when the dark clouds try to roll in over me, I count my blessings... and my goodness do I have many! There really are rays of light peeking out from behind those dark clouds, I just have to look harder for them sometimes. For me, having this place to record those rays, those moments, on a regular basis, is truly healing. So I'll wake up in the morning, breathe in and out, love my family like crazy, and be back here to record something I made, or something funny a boy (or hen) did, and when we're old and gray we can come back here and smile at all those precious memories as much as we want. And, if I can enjoy your friendship and be part of this community in the process, that is indeed the icing on the cake!

Peace & Love,

~Michelle

And Now We are Six!

2010-10-05T21:10:00.009-04:00

To complete our birthday trilogy update, Joshua turned six in June!!

A green Lego cake was in order...

Joshua grew so much this year. He is becoming quite the musician, making up songs on the piano (while accompanying himself on drum), learning his first guitar chords, and asking frequently for violin lessons-- one instrument none of us play...yet!

This summer he grew the tallest sunflower...

And the best best broccoli...

And finally became a Cub Scout. He is very serious about this, and has been practicing this face and this salute for a long time. He also plans a career in the Air Force, and hasn't changed his mind since he was 3! I pray we are in peace time by then (actually far sooner, please).

Joshua is fearless. We went to a park that happened to have this fire tower on the hill, and while I was deciding if we should climb, and to what level (I was alone with the 3 boys, and not feeling that brave myself) Joshua went ahead and climbed to the top by himself, and waved down to us!

Happy sixth year my sweet, wild, funny Joshua!! Thank you for making sure we are never bored:-) We love you so very much!!

Terrific Two!!

2010-10-04T21:55:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Noah turned 2!! This is a photo of him at 2:17PM that day, the same time he came into this world...

I finished knitting his "light blue blanket" just in the nick of time. His favorite color these days is not just blue, but light blue...

He had a blast blowing out his candle; enjoyed it so much that we had to re-light it about 25 times so he could keep blowing it out...

His big brothers officially passed along the red scooter (Noah really likes referring to everything by it's color... so stinkin cute;-)

And since he's 2, we got to have 2 cakes; the second was chocolate (with light blue frosting, of course) that we enjoyed when some family & friends joined us a couple of days later.

Oh Noah, I simply cannot believe how much you've grown this year. You really are showing us who you are, and we all love you so very much. Your energy, sweetness, and love bless us every day.

Eight!

2010-10-02T22:22:00.005-04:00

Eight years ago, this sweet little boy came into our lives, and our joyful adventures in parenting began...

What a year Adam has had; learning to kayak...

and skateboard...

and catching his first fish...

I can't believe how quickly my sweet baby has grown up into a thoughtful, responsible young man. Adam, I am so proud of you each and every day. You are such a wonderful son, brother, and friend.

We love you so very much. Thank you for the gifts of joy, laughter, and love you give us every day!

On the eve of my Mothering Anniversary...

2010-10-01T12:16:00.003-04:00

I have decided to give myself, and my family the gift of returning to blogging. I enjoyed my time here, especially the friends I made, and the archives of our family (and my crafty) adventures. The last several months have brought many challenges, as well as many happy moments to our family. I really miss recording those happier moments, for it is in them that life really happens. Sometimes we get caught up in the other "stuff," and miss what a gift each day truly is. This is what I am hoping to preserve here.

I've learned that eight years fly by once you become a mother. Our firstborn is now as tall as my shoulder, and his shoes are almost as big as mine. Yet when I look into his sweet face, I can see that baby I held in my arms on the night my life really began.

It's been a long several months, and I've missed you. Looking forward to beginning this adventure once more.

Peace,
~Michelle

Take 2

2010-03-04T09:30:00.009-05:00

I have a blog confession to make. I wrote my last post over a week ago and scheduled it to post when it did. In my imagination, the post would go up that morning, and I would spend my long awaited evening on the computer catching up with, and saying hello to all of you.

Then we had a hurricane. In the middle of the night. Unexpected. Unprepared. The third most damaging storm in our state's history. 1/2 of the population of our state lost power for at least 24 hours, most for several days. Our county was hit the hardest. We're okay.

We had to go to a hotel for a bit, and the only room we could find was down near Boston, and well, kind of sketchy. We're home now and will begin again to prepare our house for sale... this time the focus will be outside.

I took this funny photo of the girls poolside 2 days before the storm because I thought it was funny.

Here they are checking out the damage a couple of days later...

Our roof is all over our yard, and there is a tarp over the boys' bedroom. We are not alone. There are so many destroyed roofs in our town that the insurance companies had to fly in crews from around the country to inspect and take our claims. Ours was a nice couple from Colorado. We thank them for coming out, and thank you to all the crews in the trucks we saw from so many states and New Brunswick to help remove the hundreds if not thousands of downed trees, and eventually restore power. Thank you to the 125 firefighters from 3 states came to extinguish a wind-swept fire at the beach that destroyed an entire block.

As for our family, well, we'll be fine. No one is hurt, and we didn't lose any chickens, fruit trees, or Adam's tree. We're waiting on the insurance company before we get in line to fix the roof, and probably remove rather than replace the pool-- our realtor said some people may not like one, so I'm trying to look at the bright side.

In our yard, when picking up roof pieces, I found this...

It's funny, my maiden name begins with a "Mc," so I've been looking for a four leafed clover my entire life, and had never found one before. I'm looking at it as a good luck sign, and a reminder to focus on our future. Things may be even more challenging now, but I know we can handle it.

As for you friends, I'm so sorry I haven't been able to say hi. I have peeked though, and since time is extra short right now, I'll have to say hi to some here--

Happy Birthday Pennie! I 'm sure your maple syrup adventures will be successful (and wheat this year...can't wait to follow that!)
Elizabeth, I can't wait to catch up with all of your new adventures...the new blog looks beautiful
I saw a couple of my friend's names listed as contributors at Rhythm of the Home, and I so look forward to reading through your articles
Amber, what a special thing to have made it to the Olympics closing ceremony! And how wonderful your writing career is taking off-- you really deserve it...Lovely Councelor will be proud!
Sara, beautiful, beautiful sweater (and quilt, and rug, and everything!)

Stacey, I know you and your beautiful family will be settled and home soon too
Kyndale & Nicole wow, just wow...I need an evening just to catch up on your beautiful blogs

If I didn't mention you by name, I'm thinking of you, I just really have to run! Noah's Naptime is rare & even more precious these days, and I have to admit I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I don't want to complain, I know how lucky we are. It could have been a lot worse.

Okay, I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll be thinking of you all!!
Peace,
~Michelle

PS I'm going to come back & provide links above when I have a few minutes-- in the meantime, the above lovely ladies are all listed in the sidebar at right...

Since Last We Met...

2010-03-01T09:02:00.001-05:00

Since last we met, I...

Watched my youngest take his first steps right into my arms.

Sorted, purged, cleaned, packed, donated, and re-arranged more stuff than I knew we had (and I feel so much lighter!)
Cried and Prayed for the people of Haiti.
Stumbled my way through honestly answering the question, "Mommy, did you move when you were a kid?"
Went sledding with my monkeys.

A lot.
Painted, painted, and painted some more.
Took a break from the painting for some painting (and swirling colors around with my boys:-)

Thought about you all, and what this blog and community mean to me.
Was soooo tempted to plug the computer back in just to say hi about a bazillion times.
Decided that I can be disciplined enough to continue here without completely losing track of time...
Baked (and ate) a lot of muffins, bread, crackers, and any other comfort food I could think of:-)

Crafted and read in 5-15 minute increments in the most interesting places (ie hiding in the closet behind stacks of boxes ;-)
Explained to Adam, while hiding my tears, that I'm sure whomever buys this house will love and take care of his tree just like he did.

Dreamed about and planned our future homestead with my four loves.

I missed you, I missed this space. It feels good to be back, thanks for not giving up on me!!

Peace,
~Michelle

Happy New Year & Signing Off for a Bit

2010-01-05T21:39:00.003-05:00

Well Happy New year!! 2010, my goodness that sounds incredible, doesn't it! Well, I'm sorry I missed all the fun goings on around the blogosphere the last few weeks. I've taken a couple of little peeks, and wow, everyone has been busy!!

Our holidays were quite fun and full, and now we're in full swing with the business at hand for 2010-- selling our home and re-locating to a different region in the US. This is something that we've been planning for years, but now that we've turned the calendar, we know that we must be ready by April to sell, and we're excited and nervous about it!

I've been spending my evenings painting-- not fun painting, cabinet and trim painting;-) And I'm afraid I have to swear off the computer for a bit if we're going to meet any of our goals. Writing here, and following you along on your adventures has meant so much to me, and I'm sure I won't be gone forever. The thing is, I am one of those folks who gets sucked in to the blogosphere-- I read, and follow a link, and read, and follow a link, and look up at the clock and all of my "hands free" time for the day has disappeared. You are all so talented and inspiring that I have a hard time not reading everything that you write & recommend!

I've decided to take all your wonderful inspiration, and bottle it up for a bit. It will light me from within as I get ready for this adventure we're about to take, and I am so very grateful to you for it.

I'm going to stop making lists (another of my foibles) and just get to getting things done around here, so that we can really, truly put our roots down. That has been my dream my entire life-- to put roots down. I was raised in what some may call a "gypsy" family-- we moved 23 times before I was old enough to vote. This home that my boys and I share is my first home ever, and I am going to miss it. But I know that when we make this decision, we are going to be very careful, and very certain before we land. We'll be traveling all over the place, and I'm hoping to be back in this space to document it all. But until the house is ready to "show" (and my goodness, it so is not) I have to unplug here. I'm planning on taking some time tomorrow to stop by and say good-bye at your spaces, and I'm hoping to return here in a couple of months. If you'd like, you can leave me a note here or in the e-mail, and I'll let you know when I'm back.

Until then, thank you for visiting me here, for your kind words, and especially for all the inspiration you give so generously. I'm honored to have been a part of this community, and I look forward to returning with a clearer view of our future.

Wising you peace & joy,
~Michelle

A One Minute Smile Maker...

2009-12-22T10:52:00.004-05:00

From 1966

Finger-Knit Memory Garland

2009-12-15T21:48:00.007-05:00

During Thanksgiving weekend, I taught Adam and Joshua how to finger knit.

As each boy finished a piece, and wanted to try another, I found myself reaching into my small basket of leftover yarn from this year's finished projects. With each strand came a story, and a memory was shared by all of us. I thought about how each project conveyed a sense of love and warmth, and felt such joy that we could come together, spontaneously, and create a new bit of comfort to treasure.

I've been knitting for about 2 1/2 years, and learned to crochet this spring, and my goodness do I love to create for my family in this way.

From Noah's hat and vest to Joshua's Rainbow and Adam's big boy blanket; from Grandma Faith's birthday shawl to Danielle's Prayer shawl and the beautiful news that I think of when I look at it; Steve's wooliversary gift to mittens for a4A and more than I realized I had made, is represented.

As we began to tie and weave the finished strands together, we decided that it would make the perfect garland for our Christmas tree this year. I love looking at it, the memories that are conjured up with each color and texture are priceless, and I am so very grateful that I have these hands that can create for my family.

This holiday season, perhaps like no other, I am reminded that it truly is the simple things and unplanned moments that weave together the memories that we share. I know I'll never forget the days we spent with a basket of yarn "scraps" and the stories that went into this family project.

My First Craft Fair...Lessons Learned

2009-12-09T19:23:00.008-05:00

Wow, has it really been 2 1/2 weeks since the fair? My goodness things have gotten busy around here-- everywhere I suppose;-)

So the craft fair was interesting and fun. As it turned out, the club at our church that runs the fair didn't actually advertise it this year--at all. What is usually a huge and bustling event was small and virtually empty-- with the exception of parishioners who read about it in the bulletin. For me, this actually worked out well. I was able to talk to people I know a little, and get to know them better. I could ask them specific questions about my items, and get immediate feedback. I got everything from, "What the heck is that?" (about my crinkle-taggy toys) to "What a great idea!" (recycled sweater bags, hats, mittens). The most frequent comment I got all day was, "I love your colors!" This pleased me to no end. I've been thinking about and studying color theory for about a year now. It all started when I discovered Anna Maria Horner's beautiful blog, and decided that I simply needed much more color in my life! (If your looking for a fun place to try new color combinations, check out kuler-- easy to spend some time over there!)

Since the fair was so slow, I wasn't impacted too much by the (many) things I forgot, like...

Enough change
Water
A Snack
Gum/mints
A mailing list sign-up sheet
Price tags/signs
A sewing kit
Business cards
Bags to put sold items into for the nice people who bought them!

And one more thing I forgot, and recommend highly:

Take photos of everything you make before selling them!

Fortunately in my knitting bag I had some card stock and nice pens, so I made up some little price tags & hand-written "business cards" that someone called "charming."

Although my profit wasn't huge, I didn't loose money either. Many of the other crafters there, who don't go to our church, and traveled to rent space at the fair, lost money (and their patience when they realized what had happened with the non-advertising). I know I was lucky, and was grateful that so many veterans took time to talk to me and share stories and tricks of the trade.

Something I'll be sure to keep in mind if I do this again:

If you make something that takes a very long time and has many possible color/style choices (such as an afghan, banner, embroidery) make just one or two, and display them with a large sign that says something like: display only, available for special order. You can offer to hold the display until the end of the fair if someone wants that particular item.

I'm really not sure where I'm going to go from here. I've reserved my name over at Etsy, and am looking at other fairs, but I need a real plan before I decide. Mostly, I want to make sure that anything I try doesn't impact my family in a negative way. They really need me right now, and with the holidays and crafting for them, I just don't want to burn out. I'd hate to buy my kids' Christmas gifts because I was too busy filling an order for someone else, know what I mean? Gosh there are a lot of talented women out there who seem to balance all of it and I salute them (you!). As for me, I know where I want to get with this, I just don't know exactly how to get there yet...but I will:-)

And now, friends, I am going to put some finishing touches on a very special hand-made Christmas ornament for a beautiful, special mama named Kelly. Please go check out Gardenmama's Wellness Tree project and read a little bit about Kelly, and perhaps make an ornament for her too. Please let me know if you do!

Cheers!
~Michelle

A Shout Out to Two Talented Women

2009-12-04T09:41:00.005-05:00

Well, I've been trying to get here all week and tell you about the craft fair, and I will soon. I know some of you are thinking of trying one too, and I did keep a good long list as I went of things I learned that I want to share with you. Fortunately one of the big reasons I haven't gotten here is that I've been busy filling special orders that grew out of the fair...more on that too!

For today, I only have a few minutes, and wanted to give a show of support to two of my incredibly talented blogging friends who opened new shops this week.

Pennie, aka Leaning Apple Mama, is such an inspiration to me. She is a mama to boys also, farms with her family, spins her own yarn, crafts with and for her children, and on and on. I've enjoyed getting to know her so much because of this little world that I'm so grateful to be a part of. She and her talented husband have opened an Etsy shop that I am so looking forward to watching grow. Right now they have beautiful hand-crafted wooden chainsaw toys in their shop, and are giving one away on their blog. Be sure to visit their shop if you are looking for a natural toy for your child, & their blog to enter the giveaway, and for general amazement and inspiration:-). I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

Nicole, aka Gardenmama, is another inspiring mama whom I am also grateful for, both for her inspiration and friendship here in our happy blogophere. If you haven't discovered her blog, do go for a visit and be prepared for some absolutely beautiful photography, as well as truly inspirational writing. I've been hoping she would start selling some of her photographs and hand-made goodness, and she recently has. Her new shop milkweeds photography and art just opened up, and is filled with items to inspire and cherish. Go check it out:-)

Okay, monkeys are circling me...must run...

Pennie & Nicole I wish you all the best of luck with your new adventures!!!
~Michelle

An Earthy Crafty Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T23:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving here in the U.S. We had a wonderful day at our house, and really took the time to count our blessings for our family, wonderful harvest, and being able to be together.

Feeling so so grateful lately, and inspired by one of the projects in Amanda Soule's beautiful book, Handmade Home, I made a new banner using felt, and cutting the letters from some of the upholstery fabric remnants (from my gift in June)...

The morning started with the boys harvesting the last of our broccoli, and digging the last of our potatoes...

I covered the dining room table with easel paper, and set out all of the crayons, markers, colored pencils, stamps and pads I could find. This kept them pretty busy while I got to the cooking...

Always a willing assistant chef, Joshua mashed the potatoes when it was time (the very ones he dug up that morning :-)

The corn that we preserved in September was delicious...

Noah ate EVERYTHING and then some!

After dinner there was plenty of cuddling and we watched " A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." Adam borrowed Noah's birthday ball for a pillow...

This year was different and a little bittersweet for us. We usually host a big group of about 20, but this year it was just the five of us. For a little while I was kind of sad about this, especially since we've been hosting every year since we've been married, and since this is most likely our last holiday season living here in New England. But, the more I thought about it, the more I looked into the future, imagining the years in the not too distant future that one or more of my handsome boys may want to go to a girlfriend's house, or be a world traveler, or be off to college far away, and miss Thanksgiving. So as we sat around the table this year, and I was able to look around into the faces of the four most special people in the world to me, my heart was overflowing with gratitude.

Whatever season you may celebrate at this time of year, I hope that it is filled with joy, peace, and true thanksgiving!

2 Days Until My First Craft Fair...a Tour of My Home Studio

2009-11-19T20:37:00.006-05:00

Two days to go till the craft fair, and craft has taken over our home.

My cutting station -- read dining room table (photo taken during lunch, with one of my assistants who really likes to eat, fortunately :-)

My pressing and sorting station-- read ironing board in the middle of the living room...

My sewing center-- read closet that I have completely taken over and is mine, mine, mine...all 4 by 6 feet of it...

My cutting station at night-- it gets taken out & put away about 3 times a day right now.

My sorting the wool sweaters I found thrifting over the last few weeks table-- read folding table in the corner of the living room...

My staging area--read our loveseat that no one is allowed to go near or sit on until I leave the house Saturday...

I don't know why, but I felt the overwhelming urge to take a quick break tonight and document all this craziness, um, I mean busyness. Oh boy, I'm getting nervous & excited!

Okay friends, back to my closet, er sewing station;-)

Care for some pie?

2009-11-17T09:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we hit the thrift store looking for some inspiration (and a break from fair preparations) when this little lady called over to me and asked me to take her home...

If you've been here a while, you may know of my love for baking pies for my family. I also have a soft spot for vintage charm, especially from the 1940's & 1950's, when my Memere was homekeeping & raising her babies.

When I walked up to purchase this, the very sweet lady behind the register said "I knew she was going home with you."

I hung her up on the chimney next to my stove. It's the original chimney from nearly 200 years ago that hooked up to a wood stove. Perfect inspiration just in time for next weeks' flurry of pie baking for Thanksgiving!

10 Things I Really Meant to Blog About...

2009-11-12T19:46:00.011-05:00

Looking back over the last couple of months of posts, I realize that there are so many things I photographed and blogged about in my imagination, but they never seemed to make it to this space. Care to join me for a little time-travelling??

Blueberry Picking! We're going to have to travel all the way back to end of August/Beginning of September for this one!

Officially becoming a Soccer Mom (um, soccer ended 2 weeks ago...now I'm a den mother)

Caterpillars! We had our share of groovy caterpillars this summer & fall...all right outside our door!

Seeds! Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, healthy goodness enjoyed all autumn long around here!

Milkweed fun... really, is there anything more fun than blowing milkweed all over the yard then making boats out of the pods?

The gazillion or so Canadian geese that descended onto the area that was once occupied by corn...

Rosehips! Harvesting, drying, and preserving them for the first time. Big thank you to Jen's wonderful post at her lovely blog for the idea!

Apples; picking, apple pie, apple cider (visit Pennie's wonderful post for a true New England apple experience)

Halloween... Okay, first, my children have never seen any of the Star Wars movies (although I have seen, and own, the first three which are apparently the second three, but if Harrison Ford isn't in them, I'm not too interested in seeing the second three which are the first three...you with me?) Yet, they know the major characters & really wanted to be Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker this year. I jokingly told Adam that if we found a DV costume in his size for a dollar or two at the thrift store, okay...sure enough we did. Joshua's was easy enough to make, and I made the lightsabers out of foam pipe insulation and shiny fabric (nobody got hurt, and eventually Darth came back to the good side :-)

Any Soldier; Yesterday was Veteran's Day here in the US, and I meant to come here and write about our experiences with anysoldier.com. I watched the documentary "The Way We Get By" on PBS and it was too late by the time it finished, so here I am tonight. We first learned about anysoldier a few years ago through an article in our local paper about a drive collecting school supplies to send to US soldiers in Iraq to give to the schoolchildren there. What began as one simple act of dropping off some crayons turned into an opportunity to teach my boys about the people behind the headlines-- that a "troop" (as in 40,000 troops) is a human being who is sometimes representing our country somewhere very far away, often in harm's way, and is trying to help others there. No matter where you or I stand politically on the wars going on, I think most people would agree that our servicemen and women deserve our gratitude and respect. This website puts you in touch with service members abroad who are sometimes requesting personal items (we've sent a lot of baby wipes and deodorant) and often requesting school supplies or children's clothing. Most often though, they are writing on behalf of someone in their unit who doesn't get any mail, and hoping that someone over here will take the time to send them a little card or note. I can tell you personally that nothing you do is too small to make someone's day. Here's a thought... if you find yourself with a few extra Christmas cards this year, how about looking up a few names of these good folks and sending them some holiday cheer?! Yes, they even (especially) love to get cards with photos of cute kiddos whom they've never met!

Well this certainly was a long post! I think I finally feel mostly caught up, and now I must return to the blanket that I want to finish for the fair :-)

Some Very, Very Good News

2009-11-08T06:49:00.008-05:00

You may remember back in September I knitted a prayer shawl for my former teacher's daughter-in-law who had been diagnosed with breast cancer during her pregnancy. Some of you had asked for updates on her in your comments & e-mails. Well, I am happy to report that yesterday I received a photo of baby Sarah and a wonderful thank you letter filled with good news!

Sarah was born via c-section at 35 weeks so they could begin treatments as soon as possible. She was healthy and had no complications from being born early, and is at home, beautiful and thriving.

Here is an excerpt from the letter:

"I am happy to report that the prayers are helping tremendously. Just yesterday we learned the results of the body & bone scans and everything came back cancer free! Danielle's last chemo will be Christmas week so we are looking forward to an especially blessed Christmas and a new beginning in 2010."

Thank YOU for the prayers and good wishes that you sent Danielle's way, and please keep up the good work!!

Hope you are having a great Sunday!
~Michelle

My New Adventure!

2009-11-04T11:55:00.007-05:00

I've decided to try something that I've never done before...a craft fair. I'm going to have a table at our church's craft fair and try to sell things that I've made with my hands. There, I've said it, in writing...no turning back now!

Things have been tight around here this year. I know everyone is feeling the pinch, so I won't go into details about our personal situation. I've been trying to figure out a way to help contribute, in some way, to our family's income. Steve is the hardest working person I've ever known, and I appreciate all that he has done since we decided that we wanted me to be home full time with the boys. We don't have any family available for free childcare, and don't want to pay a babysitter so I can get a part time job. I had to figure out something that I could do here, in my spare moments during the day, and in the evening when all the boys are sleeping (with the exception of a certain monkey who has recently decided that sleeping for more than 90 minutes at any given time is entirely over-rated...)

So I started knitting children's scarves. I decided that I'd see what I could make in a week or two and figure out if I was really going to be able to do this.

The nice lady who runs the fair said that the little girls love the fun fur scarves especially, so I made a few of those too...

The urge to pull out the dpns and knit something for a baby girl pulled at me so I made this hat, and am working on matching mittens now. The mittens in this photo I made from felting and sewing a thrift store sweater (more on that adventure later...too much to fit in here)

And continuing with my crafting for girls theme, I made this giant granny baby/toddler blanket (using the same pattern and yarn type as Joshua's rainbow)

I'm working on a boy's version of the above blanket right now, and have much felting & sewing in the pipeline. These are the items I've finished (okay, not finished technically, since I have to weave in all the ends & block-- that will be a party night let me tell you;-)

The fair is on November 21st, and I am really nervous & excited. I have no idea how to price anything, and no idea how many of each item I should make. I'm just going to keep going till the fair, and I figure I'll either sell everything, or be all set for baby/child gifts for a few years ;-)

I'd love to hear any advice from you folks who've done anything like this before (and any words of encouragement from those of you who haven't would be much appreciated too:-)

Okay, back to the laundry!!

Scenes

2009-11-01T18:31:00.009-05:00

Phew!! October was fun and my goodness was it full! Here are some scenes from a few of our adventures...

A lost tooth at dinner...
A new tooth after a few long nights...

Plenty of goodness for our nature table...

A hand knit shawl for Grandma's birthday...

Harvest stew...

Crafting for Daddy's birthday...

Picking apples for Daddy's birthday pie...

Searching for the great pumpkin...

Fun in the trees...

Finally answering the age-old question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"

To escape the over-zealous toddler of course!!

Oh my, no wonder I'm tired;-) Actually, I've begun a new adventure that has been taking up my "hands-free" evening hours the last couple of weeks. I'm starting to feel a little more confident about it, so I'll be back soon to share...who knows maybe even tomorrow night?

Getting that tea ready for some good reading at your places now!!

I've missed you!
xoxo
~Michelle

October Is...

2009-10-17T19:56:00.004-04:00

Beautiful and BUSY!!!

We're in the middle of celebrating the 5 birthdays in 5 weeks that we have in these parts (including 3 of my favorite boys with whom I am fortunate enough to live, and 2 of the dear grandparents). We also had our first hard frost the other night, so the final harvest (excluding the hardier crops) is scattered in various forms throughout the kitchen, dining room, etc.

So much crafting, baking, preserving, hiking, Halloween costuming, apple picking going on...lots of things I'd love to share, yet not finding time right now...

I sort of blame you incredible folks, with all of your wonderful ideas and constant inspiration :-)

Will probably be away another week more-- at least till all the birthday crafting & harvest preserving is caught up-- then I'll sit back with cup of tea, share our adventures, and catch up with yours. Hope all is well with you, friends. Looking forward to catching up soon!!
~Michelle

SEVEN!!!!!!!

2009-10-07T09:19:00.012-04:00

Adam turned seven years old on Friday the 2nd. I fully intended to come to this space that night and recount the day's events, but I fell asleep with the monkeys. Let's just say a great time was had by all!!
His big request this year was a castle cake, and a party with all of his friends. He had both, and we all had a wonderful day. Almost every picture from his party includes his friends (boy do they love him!) so I don't feel comfortable sharing them here, but I will share our attempts at a family photo...

Someday I'll have a photo with everyone smiling, and I'll be longing for these goofy days, I'm sure :-)
Later on, Adam found a new friend, a caterpillar that he named Tiger...

Adam kept Tiger on his shoulder while riding his bike, and made a comfortable home for him on our nature table.

Adam is a sweet, funny, sensitive, loving child, and I can honestly say that I feel like my life really began the night he was born. I'll never forget holding him in my arms, gazing into his sweet face, feeling such complete joy and love, and saying to Steve, "I get it now...the meaning of life."

There's something about seven that sounds so old to me...not a baby anymore, but always my first baby. I feel like a mom now. Does that make sense? I've been "Mommy, mommy, mommy..." for seven years now (wow!) and the last few days, I've been feeling this undeniable, peaceful, grounded feeling. I get it now, time really does go by in a blink, and we can't afford to waste a single day with our children. They grow; whether we're having a bad day, or a good day, or a tired day, they grow. I'll have a really clean house, and all the projects finished someday, when the house is quiet. For now, I'll take the noise and the chaos and the hugs and the love.

Seven years of this beautiful life, thank you Adam, for sharing each day of it with us, and for turning us into a family. Happy birthday, again, and always remember that we love you so very much!

Backyard Snacking...the Taste Test

2009-09-28T20:22:00.008-04:00

One of my favorite things about living where we do, and how we do, is the ability to be out in our backyard playing, get hungry, and pick ourselves a snack.

Adam & Joshua can pretty much handle picking their own things, and know what they like and don't like. They know which compost to throw which things into, so they're pretty independent back there.

Noah still needs a little help. We started at the peach tree, and he was so excited, that he just grabbed a peach off the ground and started chomping...

But I wanted to figure out what was his favorite backyard snack, so the taste testing began. I gathered a few raspberries, a peach, and our one pear, and very scientifically, ahem, placed them before our test subject...

At first, he wouldn't let go of that peach, but then he grew curious. No doubt he'd heard us talking about the pear (the only one on our tree) and he decided to check it out...

Although he did enjoy the sweetness inside, the same was not true for the pear skin...

Next it was onto the raspberries. Would he love them as much in this situation as he does while gobbling them up in the sling when I'm harvesting? Oh the suspense...

In the end, our little subject decided that clearly the best option was to mush them all together into a mixture and fluctuate between eating the mixture, feeding it to his family, and rubbing his toes with it.

I do believe he is gifted in this area :-)

I'm Quite Sure I'll Laugh About This...Someday

2009-09-25T18:51:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful, cloudless 75 degree early autumn day. So, I brought the boys to the playground...

Adam & Joshua were running around playing with a couple of friends. Noah was having a great time crawling back & forth through a long tunnel, and I was running back & forth to catch him.

One time, I sat down, in my favorite yoga pants, on the pressure treated wood deck at the end of the tunnel & was playing with him at that end. Then he quickly turned & crawled the other way. I slid forward to hop off the deck and run over before he crawled out...

The rest is sort of slow motion and surreal in my memory...

I caught him, and as he was giggling in my arms, I realized that I was in pain. A lot of pain. On my tush. I reached back, and felt the big hole in my favorite yoga pants, then felt the 4 inch long piece of wood sticking out of my left cheek.

The 2 other parents who were there, came over to ask me if I was okay just as I realized I needed asking. With one monkey on my good side, and two embroiled in a sibling squabble of epic proportions, and embarrassed at my ripped pants, I reached around, and realized that there was indeed more wood, um, back there...

I Explained to my cherubs that mommy got hurt and we needed to leave right now. When I explained a little further, one shouted, "You mean you got a splinter in your tush?" Because, what I really needed at that moment, in pain, with ripped pants, a now crying baby, and 2 boys not exactly getting along, or listening to me very well, was more eyes on me. Good times, I tell you.

So, after about a 20 minute struggle into the van, and removing more wood splinters from my tush, we were headed home. A tearful call to my dear Steve, who responded with a muffled chuckle, and "what a pain in the a**" resulted in us all meeting up at home to survey the situation.

After he took a peek, since I couldn't exactly see very well, ahem, we decided I needed to go to the doctor. When I called they told me to go to the er, but I pleaded for, and was granted, an office visit. I love my doctor.

However (Notice, I didn't write but) they couldn't do anything about the 3 PIECES OF WOOD that broke off from the pieces I removed and remained stuck in my, um, gluteus maximus, which were now pushing on some nerves. Time to call in a surgeon.

Seriously? I asked. Yes. And the most interesting case we've had in a while. What a bummer though. Ha. Ha.

Today I got to have minor surgery. It was not fun. It now really hurts to sit.

We're canceling our kind of long drive to the fair this weekend :-(

I'm sure I'll laugh about this someday.

It really is a bum deal. I'm allowed to say that!

It's okay to laugh a little when you read this.

A little.

Really. I'm okay with that.

I am giggling -right now as I write it. Mostly because I am writing it. Because I didn't think I would, but Steve says it's blog-worthy. And since he was sooo helpful with the monkeys today, I'll oblige him.

Have a great weekend, and watch out for splintery pressure treated wood while wearing yoga pants!!

Early Autumn Garden Tour

2009-09-23T19:30:00.017-04:00

Summer may be over, but there's still plenty of garden goodness at our little homestead...

Sunflowers are in their glory...

We're having a terrific broccoli harvest...

Noah loves chewing on broccoli stalks and basil leaves while we pick...

Swiss chard and beets are doing great...

Lots and lots more basil for pesto production...

We're still getting corn every day, although it is petering out, we've managed to freeze quite a bit...

Plenty of cucumbers for salads, and pickles...

Even though we were hit hard by the tomato blight, we're still able to find several on a good day. Our San Marzanos did particularly well (and our brandywines...well, we won't talk about that)

Our fall crop of raspberries is in full bloom, and sometimes one or two even make it into the house ;-)

And after a long wait and much worry on my part, our peaches are being enjoyed for dessert nightly now...

Our pear harvest (really, this is it...one pear this year!!)

And we're on the brink of apple season...lots of goodness right there!!

We also have a couple of bumper crops that are starring in their very own posts, so stay tuned...

Happy Autumn!!!

Farewell Summer...

2009-09-21T23:46:00.002-04:00

Noah's first summer when by as quickly as any I remember. Like the rest of his family, he loves the ocean. We were sure to squeeze in one last beach day before the weather started to change.

Adam & Joshua aren't the only ones who run headlong into the waves as soon as we get to the beach now...

Most of my day was spent picking him up from the waves, carrying him back up to the blanket/sand-castle building area....

and watching him crawl straight back in!

On this day, there was considerable excitement out of the water too...

After a couple of lessons...

And some prodding from his brothers, Noah was ready to help build, too.

But he was happiest when the tide came in and the waves filled the moat:-)

Our jetty will be ready for one more boy to climb on it, and explore the tidepools, and count the barnacles next year...

I can hardly wait!!

One Year ago...

2009-09-18T19:15:00.001-04:00

We've been thinking so much the last couple of days about Noah's birth, time in the NICU in Boston, and wonderful homecoming. This is a Reader's Digest condensed version of the story...

One year ago, our beautiful, sweet Noah arrived--several weeks early. After a very difficult pregnancy that included 12 weeks of bedrest due to placenta previa and an abruption, he decided that he was quite ready to arrive. His lungs, however, weren't exactly ready yet. He was diagnosed with Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Right after he was born, the wonderful doctors at our hospital called for a neo-natal ambulance to come up and bring him to Children's Hospital in Boston. This is a photo of the team taking Noah in his incubator--with my arm reaching in, holding onto him to the last second.

A couple of hours later, I got my own ambulance ride down to recover from the emergency cesarean at Brigham & Women's hospital, which connects to Children's via a long tunnel. I did not spend much time in my room, however, as I was doing this (or pumping milk for them to put into his feeding tube) every second I could...

Steve was able to get down to visit a couple of times, but was sooo busy up north with the big brothers that it was a challenging time. (I actually blogged about Noah & this huge hat here .)

When he was in his "pod" ( while I'd get my own check-ups with my doctors) he had a photo of his sweet brothers, and a chicken (of course ;-) to keep him company...

When we finally came home, everyone was ecstatic. These photos are from our first night at home as a family of five...

This last year has been the fastest and most wonderful year of my life. It's been full of love, and joy, and noise, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the universe. Thank you Noah, for joining our family. We love you so very, very much.

ONE!

2009-09-17T20:34:00.008-04:00

Our youngest son, Noah Frederick, turned one year old today. There was much rejoicing throughout the land...

There were blueberry pancakes for dinner and dessert...

A birthday crown (inspired by this wonderful book) that never managed to stay on his sweet head for more than 1/100th of a second...

Lots of silliness with all the boys...

A new mommy-made ball that was a HUGE hit (I used the pattern for the patchwork ball from this wonderful book for anyone who is interested)

There were also lots and lots of hugs and kisses, a nap with mommy (heavenly :-), and some up close chicken time (Man, do I wish I had the video camera for that one) when Noah shared his rice cake with "DW"...then went ahead and ate the rest of it after the chicken had a bite!

All in all I'd say it was a wonderful first birthday. Looking forward to a small gathering this weekend to pick apples and have real birthday cake :-)

Happy birthday Noah...we love you!!!

The 11th Hour...Again

2009-09-14T21:59:00.010-04:00

Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your kind words and prayers that you sent out for Danielle the last couple of days. I really appreciate your taking the time to do that, and I am sure that your energy and love will find its way to her and her family.

As for me, I'm turning off the computer till probably Thursday night because this sweetie pie (photo from this past January of him wearing a hat as I was knitting it :-) is turning ONE in a couple of days...

and this is the status of the ball I'm making him...

and the blanket I'm knitting for him...

Oh, and I haven't even started his birthday crown or banner.

So I figure as long as no one requires that they be fed or wear clean clothes for the next couple of days, I may be able to pull it off ;-)

Wish me luck!!

Craftivism: A Prayer Shawl

2009-09-12T21:02:00.003-04:00

Have you ever been going about your day and you get some news that just stops you in your tracks? Something so unbelievably sad and scary that you can't process it right away. You're torn between sadness for this person, gratitude for your life, and the need to do something to help. That's how I felt when I heard about Danielle.

Danielle is a young mother, 32 years old. Happily married, with a 2 year old, and another baby due very soon. Early in this pregnancy, she was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer. They were able to perform a mastectomy safely, but need to wait until after delivery to begin the harsh chemotherapy treatments. The baby will be delivered at 35 weeks via c-section, and they will immediately begin treatments.

I've never met Danielle, but her mother-in-law is one of my very favorite people. She was my music teacher in high school, my confirmation sponsor, and we've stayed in touch these nearly 20 years since I graduated. I cannot properly express in a blog post how much she meant to me at a very difficult time in my life, but the gist of it is that I believe she saved my life. The thought of her family going through something like this hurts all of us who love her. The thought of a young family going through something like this scares us, and wakes us up to the blessings we have each day.

I'm bringing this shawl to church tomorrow morning, and our priest will bless it before I send it off. I've never made a prayer shawl before, and it was truly a spiritual experience for me. I prayed for Danielle with each stitch, saving my work on it for late at night while the house was quiet.

I'd like to ask a favor of you, if you are here reading this. Say a prayer for Danielle, please. Say a prayer for her body to heal, and for her heart to heal from the sadness that she will have missing out on so much of the joy of a newborn. Say a prayer for her husband to stay strong, and for her children to know how much their mother loves them. And, if you aren't a person who typically prays, please send good thoughts her way.

Thank you.

Preserving the Harvest: Corn

2009-09-08T09:51:00.006-04:00

We've been blessed with an abundance of corn with our first harvest. Since we're in New England, and we've already heard of the first frost hitting some parts of our state, time is of the essence right now regarding preserving. Over the years, we've preserved corn from our friend's farm in a couple of different ways before settling on our favorite method. Now with our own, we want to make sure to save each delicious piece that we can.

The first step, once the corn comes into the house is to cut off the tips. Since we're organic gardeners, our corn has little worms that burrow into the tops. It's really not a big deal if we catch them early; we just chop that part off and feed them to the chickens. It's their favorite snack :-)

Next, the boys do their shucking job...

I start heating the water pot to boiling early on, so it's ready as soon as the corn is shucked. I place the ears in the boiling water, and let them boil for 5 minutes...

Then, I plunge them into a waiting bowl of cold water. As soon as they're cooled of a little, I begin cutting the kernels off, from top to bottom, into a large pan. I only cut off the first half of the kernels since the bottoms are so tough. I then use the back of the knife to push out the remaining juices mixing them into the pan with the corn.

After our first night, we ended up with 2.6 pounds of fresh corn ready to be enjoyed later this year. We brought it straight down to our basement freezer, labeled, "Reserved for Thanksgiving dinner."

Blanching entire cobs works pretty well too, and we'll do a few of those for the thrill of having corn on the cob in January, but for taste, and freezer space, this method is my favorite. Hopefully we'll end up with several more batches before the frost gets us!

Off to pick chard...

I've Been Tagged!

2009-09-07T21:29:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago (yikes, that went by fast!) a lovely new blogger, Pink Dogwood Blossom tagged me...very exciting as this is my first time! I will now share 6 random facts about myself that I don't think I've yet shared on this here blog...

I have very, very flat feet and wear laced & tied running shoes from the moment I get up, till quitting time at night.

I am a card carrying blood donor and my blood type is the much sought after "A negative." If you've never given blood, and are physically able to do so, I highly recommend it. It's truly an incredible feeling. Click here to find a donation opportunity near you.

Outside of Steve and the boys, no one in my real life knows about this blog yet... after staying far away from computers for soooo long, I'll be teased for sure when I let them know (probably for my 100th post :-)

I donate my hair every 2 years to Locks of Love. So far I've donated 4 ponytails, and my fifth is going sometime this month. I'm guessing that this may be the last one they want as I am rapidly going gray...

I'm afraid of heights, but occasionally face this fear head-on. Most notably, I went to the top of the CN tower and looked down through the glass floor; and in college I completed a high ropes course. It took me 2 1/2 hours to do a 20 minute course, but I finished it, zipline and all!

I don't really like my blog's name sometimes because I feel like it's a name I don't always live up to. Meaning, I do my best to be earthy and crafty (and frugal and simple, etc, etc) but I often feel like I fall short of my goals. Does that make sense? I guess I should have called it, "Trying my best to be an earthy crafty mommy," but that would be too long ;-)

Now I get to tag six others. Play along if you'd like...it would be fun to find out random bits about you too :-)

Pennie, my blogging buddy who I am so looking forward to meeting later this month,who blogs at Leaning Apple Gardens
Iced Tea For Me who blogs here and has been visiting me here and leaving lovely notes since my early days.
Elizabeth at Bits of Sunshine who won my first giveaway
Amanda from Sevin Stitches, another crafty mom living here in New England
The Wool Fairy who lives on a beautiful seaside farm and blogs here
Tonya who said hello here recently, and I've been enjoying her new blog that can be found here

Thanks for the tag Dogwood, it was fun!!

Our Own Corn!!!

2009-09-06T19:14:00.000-04:00

After three years of trying, we finally had our first backyard corn harvest!! Everyone got in on the picking action...

And we were so excited that we held our "First Annual Corn Harvest Celebration Cook Out!"

Complete with parents' only beverages, salt rimmed glasses, and luscious tomatoes...

Ah, but the mosquitoes chased us inside before we were done. No matter though, we enjoyed that sweet corn just as much indoors!!!

Honestly, it was the best corn I've ever tasted. Oh, and those chubby fingers and cheeks!!

Wishing you many little miracles in your lives too!!

Diana's Baths

2009-09-05T19:37:00.006-04:00

Recently, while searching for the perfect trail for our young ones to hike, we discovered Diana's Baths. Nestled in the White Mountain National Forest, just past Cathedral Ledge, is this family friendly trail that leads to beautiful waterfalls that keep going up the mountain.

We love discovering new hiking trails that we can all enjoy together. The big boys get a real feeling of accomplishment when they can handle the terrain "all by myself."

Since there's also the consideration of hiking with a baby in the sling, sometimes our choices are limited. We certainly didn't feel like we were missing anything on this trail though! There was something new to discover around every bend!

When we were almost at the waterfalls, the boys hopped on rocks following the stream and watched the water bugs.

We stopped for a couple of photos at this spot as the falls began, then it was off to the top for Steve and the big boys.

When they came back to join us for a little snack, we all decided to get our feet wet. Noah, our water baby, loved it!

It was time for more exploring for the big guys, while Noah and I sneaked off for a little nursing & napping.
It was a wonderful way to spend our day together. We'll certainly return to that spot the next time we're in the White Mountains!

Technical Difficulties...

2009-09-04T11:44:00.003-04:00

Hello all!! We're still here, and after a lengthy time without internet access, back in the saddle! I actually only have a couple of minutes (snuck in here while the monkeys are eating lunch ;-) but I wanted to say a quick hello. Steve (my hero) has figured out and fixed the problems with my computer & internet and let me tell you we have not been bored in the interim! I have been taking tons of photos to share of our wonderfully abundant harvest, lots of birthday crafting, and a couple of day trips. First though, my United Nations Peace Keeping duties seem to be shouting for me at the table, so I must run. Please bear with me if you've e-mailed and not heard back in awhile...that's my first stop tonight...then lots of photo uploading and perhaps a real post :-)

I've missed you!!

Enjoying and Preserving the Harvest: Zucchini & Summer Squash

2009-08-26T20:12:00.014-04:00

We're in the early weeks of what looks to be a very bountiful harvest this year and I am savoring every moment of it! I really missed it last year...not complaining for a moment, it was all worth it for the best possible reason who is getting ready to turn one...but I digress (as usual ;-)

Zucchini & summer squash, ah...the garden treasures that can bring sheer delight in the early successes of gardening, and sometimes overwhelm even the most seasoned harvester late in the game. For me, they're pure pleasure! If you let them grow big, like those in lats night's photo, I've found that the best way to handle them (besides chasing the neighbors to their cars in the morning with your "gifts" of excess giants) is to shred 'em!

I like to go ahead & shred them together, and finally gave up my luddite ways on this and started using the food processor rather than my grater. Wow, 8 cups of shredded goodness in less than 5 minutes...and my knuckles didn't get scraped! I don't peel them at all; just chop off the ends, and scoop out the seeds of the yellow ones only (the green zukes, in my experience, have soft small seeds that are fine to leave in). You can freeze them in this state, and they keep quite well. I like to portion them into recipe sized balls (roughly 2 1/2 cups each) and keep to use in winter baking.

I also like to bake up several breads & muffins, which freeze really well too (when they don't get devoured right from the pan... I do live in a house full of boys ;-) My favorite zucchini bread recipe is from The Joy of Cooking. Simple, moist, yummy. My favorite zucchini cake recipe is from Gourmet magazine a few summers ago. Wowza...it's so good it gets birthday cake requests. Haven't made it this year yet, it is quite a bit more labor intensive than the bread, but I'm considering it for at least one of my fall boys b-days (3 out of 4 are between now & Halloween!)

If you're quick enough to harvest your zukes & squash before they get too large (say about 5 inches in length) one of my all time favorites is a summer harvest frittata...

**Pre-heat broiler first**

Step 1: Thinly slice your zukes & summer squash; saute them in olive oil on M-H heat till they start to caramelize, and remove from pan.
Step 2: Scramble your eggs (I usually use 6) and pour them into the same hot pan
Step 3: When the eggs start to set a bit, arrange your sauteed squash & zukes any way you'd like on top. For this one, I added tomatoes too.
Step 4: Top with cheese if you'd like (I almost always use fresh mozzarella for this)

Step 5: Watch carefully for the egg to look really set. (Don't disturb the eggs at all, it's not an omelet, or a scramble) I took a closeup to show what I mean by really set...

Step 6: Place pan under broiler for a few minutes till the cheese is just the way you like it...

Slice & enjoy! We love the way we can make these like a pizza with different sections topped according to each person's mood. I always like mine topped with a chiffonade of fresh basil...

We love to eat these all harvest long, and though this particular one is my favorite kind, the possible combinations are limitless.

Next up, I'm trying Pennie's zucchini pancake recipe...it sounds awesome!!

Happy Harvest!!

Why We Only Eat Outside in August...

2009-08-25T22:02:00.006-04:00

We can never find our table! Oh, what a beautiful mess...off to bake Zucchini bread :-)

Adventures in Mushroom Hunting

2009-08-24T23:14:00.002-04:00

It began with Barbara Kingsolver's delicious descriptions of morel hunting in her incredible book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Was re-sparked when I read Leaning Apple Mama's post about her brave husband finding, and eating, wild chantrelles. Then when Gardenmama shared her incredibly beautiful photos , I knew I had to start openning my eyes to the beautiful (fungal?) world of mushroom hunting!

During one of our recent hikes at the White Mountain National Forest, I gasped, squealed, and told everyone in earshot (including a lovely couple visiting from England, who also ended up taking photos :-) that I had found the elusive purple mushrooms...

Fortunately my wonderful husband is quite used to my complete inability to retain any sense of decorum when I am excited about something. Seriously though, imagine if you woke up one day, decided to start hunting for mushrooms, and within minutes of your hike that day, stumbled upon such beauties :-)

I have a tendency to always look up, and am constantly pointing things out to the boys, "Look an Eagle's nest," "Check out that vapor trail," "That cloud looks like an elephant to me, how about you?" You get the general idea. But now, looking at the world from a crawlers point of view again, I see what I've been missing!!

Joshua spotted these beauties, and shouted to everyone around (he is so my child) "Would you look at those...they look just like coral!"

We even found them growing out of trees. I think this may be where the Keebler elves hang out for their lunch break...

These looked the yummiest to me, but I am not so daring as to taste any (yet!)

And more purple babies, which I found out are called cortinarius iodes.

We called this the Adamshroom. His love of the color bright orange is legendary in these parts!

Someday (oh the eternally long someday list ;-) I'd love to learn more about wild mushrooms, specifically how to safely forage for, and eat some of them. Oh, and in case you're wondering, there is in fact a social network for mushroom enthusiasts. Because, you know, it's a small world after all!

Meeting SouleMama

2009-08-23T20:28:00.017-04:00

"Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Noah and I had the privilege today of meeting someone who inspires me, and many of you I'm sure, so very much.

Amanda Blake Soule, for anyone who may not be familiar with her, is an author, un-schooling mother of four, crafter, photographer, and blogger extraordinaire known as SouleMama. Her first book, The Creative Family is a beautiful and inspiring treasury of ideas and projects to help, just as the title suggests, your family become more creative.

Her newest book, Handmade Home, looks to be just as inspiring. She was reading from, and signing copies of this book today at a bookstore about an hour from where we live, so Noah and I had ourselves a little date.

I actually got a couple of e-mails & comments from folks who knew I was planning this little trip, asking me to share what she's like in person. Simply put, Amanda is SouleMama. She is as warm and friendly and down-to-earth and sweet in a bookstore full of people as she is on her blog & in her books.

Rather that having us stand in a line and walking through for 15 seconds and an autograph, we each got a chance to sit down for a chat with her. It was just lovely to get to spend this time with her, like sitting with an old friend. I had so many more things I wanted to say and ask her, but I was so excited (and kind of sleep deprived thanks to a certain someone who shall remain nameless, ahem, who decided to practice crawling from 2-4 am last night ;-) and when I get excited to meet someone, I often forget everything I imagined saying and asking, and just enjoy the moment.

Some fun details I can share with you: She was wearing the red sandals; I brought her some tomatoes and flowers from our gardens; She and her "knitting posse" (some friends of hers sitting behind her, and, well, knitting :-) laughed at my story about meeting Barack Obama (I promised Amber that I'd share that particular story here -- someday soon :-); All the other moms there were so wonderful to hang out with while we were waiting for our turn that it felt like a party; and Noah was one his very best, extra sweet behavior!!

I'm so grateful to Amanda, both because of the inspiration she brings, and the fact that I've met so many other inspiring mothers through the comments section of her blog. You wonderful, kind folks who visit me here, and who share your lives over in your spaces, bring me such a lift even on the gloomiest of days. Knowing that there are all of these amazing kindred spirits out there, helps me to soar during those times I may otherwise feel a little lonely on my quest to live a simpler life. Genny wrote beautifully about this topic recently, and I completely agree with what she had to say.

The house has finally become silent, so I have reserved this time to begin reading through the pages of my new book. Thank you again, Amanda, for your inspiration and grace. And many thanks to you lovely friends who take the time to visit me here in my little space. Becoming part of this community has meant more to me than I can say and I look forward to meeting some of you, too, someday!

Wishing you peace,

~Michelle

Storyland!!!

2009-08-21T10:19:00.010-04:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks when you got so busy with other wonderful, happy stuff that somehow time evaporated? I really thought I'd get on the computer this week, but after a few days away last week we came home to our favorite dilemma... Harvest time is truly upon us!! Now that I've (sort of) caught up with the house, laundry, and annual pre-harvest kitchen & freezer scrub down, I can document & share our trip :-)

On our first day in the White Mountains, we headed to Storyland!! This is a family friendly amusement park that's been around long enough for Steve & I to each have our own childhood memories there :-)

Noah had a blast on his first carousel ride...

Steve had roller coaster duty...

And the first shift at the wet rides...

We found a quiet, shady spot in the gazebo by the pond for a little nursing, napping, and knitting...

Joshua made some new friends while he waited for us...

Then it was my shift with the wet rides...

And we all took shelter in the Pixie Kitchen when the big storm rolled in...

When we were kids, there were no rides here, so the storybook & nursery rhyme section of the park was the big draw...

It's such a treat for us to bring our boys to the same spots we played on as kids. And they think it's pretty cool too...

Our favorite photo spot: 9, 10, a big fat hen...

If you're ever in the Glen, NH area (near North Conway) I highly recommend a day at Storyland. Even if you're not a big fan of traditional amusement parks, this place is really so much more than just rides.

Well, this was fun to document with the boys' helping;-) Now we must tackle the beautiful mountain of zukes & crooknecks we just picked!!

A Surprise Vacation

2009-08-15T21:32:00.006-04:00

Well hello lovelies! Sorry to take off without saying goodbye. In my imagination, I took a few minutes out of the frenzied last minute packing when Steve said, "I'm taking a few days off...let's go" to swing by here and say toodles for a bit. But, well, in my imagination we always wear clothing made by me, eat only our own homegrown food, don't own a television at all, never argue or raise our voices, ahem, I speak French fluently, the diapers don't stink, the chickens only poop in the appropriate area, and there is peace on Earth. But I digress...

We went away! And stayed in a hotel!! And had a blast :-) I don't know if I ever shared this here before, but getting away is a challenge for Steve. He runs a small company, which sounds glamorous, but it actually means that he's on call all the time. We've actually never gone away all together for a week since we've been parents (almost 7 years). So, when we get a chance for a few days with Daddy, we drop everything and go :-)

This time we headed to the North Conway, NH area. We LOVE this part of the state and haven't been there in the summer since 07. I'll be back very soon to share stories & photos, but first I need to find my way through the hurricane that we left behind in our less than graceful exit;-)

Looking forward to kicking back a little later and reading what y'all have been up to!!

Ravelry and Red

2009-08-09T21:58:00.008-04:00

I finally joined Ravelry, and wow is that place awesome!! I could easily get sucked into many happy hours of perusing over there, but I'm doing my best to go over for specific tasks at this point; enter in all my yarn, knitting needles, and crochet hooks, list FOs and WIPs, find patterns for Christmas, etc. Once I get that all settled, I imagine I'll do some general ooohing, and aaahing at all the awesomeness that abounds in that happy land! If you're reading this and you are a Raveler, let me know where to find you over there-- I'd love to say hi :-)

I fell behind with the "It Begins with a Colour" Flickr group the last few weeks, but am happily back this week for "I spy...red."

We found some ladybugs dancing on our corn this week...

Our neighbor's beautiful red barn...

And some gorgeous red flowers peeking out from behind this fountain on our date at the Botanical garden...

Oh boy, there sure is a lot of fun out there in Cyberspace... good thing I've learned to use my timer and (mostly) stick to it or else I'd never get anything else done ;-)

And the Winner is...

2009-08-08T20:26:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to Elizabeth at Bits of Sunshine!!! She has such a lovely blog, and has been a very busy bee lately, so please stop by and say hi:-)

Thank you to everyone for your kind birthday wishes & for participating in my first giveaway. I'm planning another one for my 100th post, so stay tuned. And, if you're looking for more great chances, Stacy at Goldenbirdknits is having a double giveaway (fabric and yarn :-) to celebrate her 100th post, and Amanda at Soulemama is giving away a copy of her new book Handmade Home, along with a "beach blanket to go" kit sometime tonight.

That's all for tonight folks...thanks again for playing along!!
~Michelle

Ten Thrifty Treasures

2009-08-06T21:31:00.010-04:00

For anyone out there who hasn't enjoyed the fruits of thrift store shopping and Freecycle, may I humbly offer these treasures for inspiration...

Working antique sewing machine circa 1911; local thrift store

I really don't think I'll ever top this one (and I can't wait to give her a good oil & try her out!)

Dishes that we keep on our seasonal table; (had to pour out the seashells & pine cones for the photo) Free through Freecycle...

Lovely dish that was made in France (my personal weakness) free at the thrift store because it was an orphan & had a tiny chip...

The best needlecraft book I have ever seen, and I've seen lots of them!

It's from 1947 and I have consulted it over & over as I've learned new crafts; up next...rug hooking!! (Oh, 50 cents, library discarded it!)

This entire shelf of children's books, and another boxful; free from a Freecycling teacher getting ready to retire!

My mama rocker, made in Massachusetts, local thrift store; new cushions are high on my to-do list, but the rocker itself, oh my, they don't make them like this anymore!

Hand painted, made in the USA canister set...

This year's flower & berry harvest basket...

My favorite new sundress...

My treadmill; not photogenic, but boy is it awesome! I really needed some help getting back into any kind of shape after 3 months of bedrest & an emergency c-section with Noah. This treasure allowed me to do that in baby steps, while at home with my sweet boys:-)

Have you any thrifty treasures in your life??

A Date

2009-08-05T20:58:00.014-04:00

After dropping our big boys off with some wonderful folks for a couple of hours, Steve and I were able to have our anniversary date this morning at a nearby botanical garden...with our sweet Noah joining us :-)

Some posts require few words, and LOTS of photos. This is one of those times!

First up was to stop and smell the roses...

And there were plenty of roses to smell...

Look at...

Study...

And drink in...

In every color and imaginable...

Including my favorite yellow, called the "Julia Child" rose...

These gorgeous gladiolus flowers welcomed us to a new section...

Even more explosions of color awaited around the bend...

Cheery Morning Glories beckoned us into the greenhouse...

Filled with exotic tropical plants...

Including this staghorn fern...

And more varieties of cactus than we new existed...

There were beautiful fountains along the way...

And a Koi pond inside the breathtaking Japanese garden...

Complete with a bamboo water fountain that had the boys enchanted by its rocking rhythm ...

And as we left we dicovered faerie chairs created by a lovely local artist who was so generous with her time and talent, that she told me how to make them. Can't wait to try!

I am so grateful for such a relaxing, peaceful, beautiful morning... truly magical!!

Our Wooliversary!!!

2009-08-04T20:51:00.019-04:00

Did you know that the 7th wedding anniversary is the Wool anniversary? Neither did I... until 4 days ago!!! I love the reason that I read, about how at seven years you are so comfortable with each other, it's like a cozy wool sweater :-)

So...some seriously quick knitting was in order for my sweetheart, and since Steve ended last winter requesting a "neck-up" (also called neck-warmer, or gaitor) I knew what to do, and headed straight for my LYS for some very chunky wool.

I used the incredibly yummy Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky (went for the soft stuff...no seven year itch for him ;-). Super simple free pattern found here but I made it holding holding 2 strands together, and seamed the entire edge. Went through 1 1/2 hanks, and I was ready to give my honey his gift. 'Cause nothing says "I love you, happy anniversary" quite like a thick wool neck warmer on a muggy 86 degree August day :-)

Behind his goofy grin (this man does not cooperate when the camera is out ;-) he can't stop touching the yarn... not still wearing it, of course, but he keeps going over to it to touch it. "Is this what you mean by yummy yarn?" he asked... Why yes it is!!

At present, my job for dinner is complete...pull out our champagne flutes and candle holders from our wedding, set the table, cue up our song on the stereo, and get out of his way in the kitchen while he finishes cooking :-)

Chapter 37 and a Giveaway

2009-08-02T22:06:00.007-04:00

So, it's my birthday. I am 37 years old. Wow, that sounds old, almost daring you to say late thirties; but I prefer to call it mid-thirties for at least another year, 'kay?

I always get a little introspective around this time. Did I accomplish enough this year, what are my goals for next year, etc, etc. On years like this that I've actually made another person, I usually give myself 2 thumbs up in the accomplishment department :-)

We're home from a lovely beach trip after what started out as a slightly wonky day that involved a few misadventures, but I digress... There are few things in life that a late afternoon trip to the beach (even in the fog & rain) can't fix!

I was away from my computer for a few days, and when I checked my e-mail today, was delighted to discover that I had won a lovely giveaway from another crafty mom blogger. Jill at Mindfully Simple makes beautiful glass bead necklaces and I was the lucky winner of one this weekend :-) I decided a while ago that if I ever won a giveaway from another blogger, I'd pay it forward and host my own giveaway. So I looked around tonight and here's what I've come up with...

A copy of Sewing for Dummies (not that anyone out there is a dummy ;-) it's a great resource for beginning sewers. And these three 12x26 inch pieces (plus a couple of surprise pieces) of fabric from the infamous fabric score . All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post (okay, it's kind of fun that my first giveaway win & giveaway give is happening on my birthday, so it seems to be turning into a shameless plug for b-day wishes ;-) I'll close the comments on Saturday the 8th at 8:00pm (Eastern Standard Time) and announce the winner by 10:00pm. Sound good?

Well, my awesome chef of a husband is in the kitchen making dinner, so I'm going to sign off for the night (I know, I am so spoiled ;-). I'll be back to catch up with all the wonderful reading over at your places tomorrow.

Cheers!
~Michelle

At the Fair...

2009-07-29T10:44:00.000-04:00

Joshua checking out our blue ribbon :-) I didn't realize first place came with a cash prize too...$4.00! Does this mean I'm officially an artisan?

If there are Legos anywhere in a 1/2 mile radius, Adam will find them. This display was robotic legos, done by a 4-H group. Adam has found his calling :-)

Noah's first fair :-)

And one more thing I love about fairs... No matter where or when, there's always the band made up of high school buddies, and the proud grandparents rocking out in the front row :-)

A good time was had by all!!

Joshua's Rainbow

2009-07-25T20:11:00.004-04:00

When Adam asked if he could have my first giant granny as a "big boy blanket," and I gave it to him, Joshua asked if he could have one too. Of course, I answered.

But Joshua wasn't finished with his request. "Could you make a rainbow one that's made of lots of rainbows?"

What a great idea, I told him. So we sketched, and picked yarn, and Joshua's rainbow was born.

Truthfully, it isn't finished, because he wants five rainbows since he's five now. There are only four at present because we had a deadline...

We entered it into the county fair!! Keep your fingers crossed; we're rooting for "honorable mention" because it's good to be honorable :-)

P.S. Thanks again Lucy...I used your Summer Garden Granny Square tutorial again (it's the only thing I know how to crochet...so far ;-)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

2009-07-24T20:26:00.004-04:00

There's nothing quite like coming home. Whether it be from a day trip or a few days away, the comforts that greet us are the sweetest in the summer.

The raspberries lining the driveway are in full bloom...

Naturally, one of the hens is always there to greet us (and see if there are any cheerios to spill out of the van ;-)

More flowers in bloom...

Including my favorite blue hydrangea on our walkway...

And, dinner is waiting to be harvested and eaten...

There's no place like home!

Ten Jobs...

2009-07-23T20:45:00.006-04:00

I had several jobs over the years that in retrospect were very good preparation for certain aspects of motherhood. While I never had a job that included little people preventing me from a full night's sleep for several years, ahem, I do feel like I was prepared for at least some of those motherhood moments ;-)

Paper Girl: In High School. Had to get up at the crack of dawn and carry around a big sack on one hip. All before I discovered coffee. Need I say more?

Waitress: Really, if you've ever done it, you know that if there's one thing that waiting tables teaches you is to smile in the face of adversity (specifically being stuck between the occasional rude & fussy eater, and occasional cranky chef!)

Nanny: Okay, so this one is obvious. I worked as a nanny part time in college, and during my gypsy-theater years, and have loved watching my girls grow up. That's right, girls. Ironically, after working for four families, and changing thousands of diapers, I had never changed a boy's diaper until Adam was born. It's a little different!

Lifeguard: at the beach (no wimpy pool gig for me ;-). This was my summer gig all through college. Quick reflexes, tip top shape, really cool whistle twirling tricks, and of course, scanning the waters while counting heads, yelling at kids to stop throwing rocks, and answering questions simultaneously. Excellent multi-tasking training.

EMT: I didn't work as one beyond my clinical training, and actually took the course and became certified so that I could become head lifeguard. It was during college and I was toying with the possibility of becoming a nurse. This course is a wonderful way to figure out if that is your calling, while learning some of the most valuable skills you could ever learn. I am still a mess if any of my boys so much as gets a bad knee scrape, but at least I know that in the back of my mind I know what to do. Although I pray I never have to do more than bandage a knee -- notice I did not become a nurse (really good nurses are my heroes :-)

Salesperson at WGBHLearningsmith: This store doesn't exist anymore, but it was a blast to work at part time. My job for months one spring, was to stand out front demonstrating "devil sticks." I am quite good. Really, no false modesty on this one, I rock at the devil sticks. All the kids in the neighborhood think I am super cool for this very reason :-)

Drama Camp Director: Seriously, the best job. Ever. Besides motherhood of course. Although I don't really consider motherhood a job as much as an adventure, but I digress... Drama Camp. Awesome kids, a stage, a lighting booth, a dance studio, an art studio, super cool high energy staff, crazy stage parents... when I retire from my present adventure, Drama Camp is where I'm planning to retire to :-)

Farm Hand: I did this for 2 weeks each summer at a friend's farm, the weeks between summer stock and school starting, and learned SO much about growing and harvesting food. Anyone who wants to homestead on any scale can learn quite a bit from working a real farm for a little while. I highly recommend it!

Special Education Tutor/Consultant: For several years full time, and part time during the theater years; I worked with children with Autism just before it became a household term. I loved my kids, still do, and those parents, seriously incredible people. I am truly blessed to have had this experience in my life. Every day I look at my beautiful boys who look me in the eye, hug me, talk to me, and I whisper a little prayer of thanks for those seemingly little things. I know they are not so little.

Actor/Director: Oh, my "glamorous" job. I loved it, I really did. It's actually difficult for me to write about briefly, simply because it was such an enormous part of my life for so many years, and I never imagined I wanted anything more! Doors were really opening, beyond Boston into NYC, then we started our family. And now I can't imagine what I was thinking before. There are many who have been able to keep both their acting or directing careers intact and raise a family, and I am in awe. I directed for one year after Adam was born, and decided that was quite enough for us. I still perform daily "shows," this time to much smaller audiences, ah but the accolades are far more satisfying than I ever dreamed!!

How about you? Did you have or do you currently have any jobs that in some way seem to have prepared you for some aspect of motherhood?

Bench Monday...Behind the Scenes!

2009-07-20T20:45:00.005-04:00

This week's photo for Bench Monday (for those of you not familiar, they really love chickens over there...and improvising on the bench is encouraged :-)

Our professional chick trainer, Joshua, sets up the shot...

Gives Bolt some final pointers...

And a little kiss (and some food) after a job well done :-)

Inland we go!!!

2009-07-18T22:06:00.010-04:00

There's so much more to New England than the coastline. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the ocean, there's just something about an area with a state park, great camping, miles of hiking, an enormous lake, and a nearby zoo that gets us pretty excited for a new adventure.

Joshua has a much easier time swimming in lakes than he does in the ocean. So I try to find a balance if I can and keep everyone happy (and boy was he happy-- nearly 4 hours in the lake in one afternoon :-) This park also has a pretty famous 3-mile hike and a fire tower at the top, but I was flying solo with the kids this day and not feeling that brave.

Charmingfare Farm is nearby, it's a zoo/working farm and a great way to spend a day. We actually went to a birthday party there, so there was the bonus of lots of sugar.

The big boys even got to ride a pony.

And we all enjoyed the hayride near the end of the day.

So, I'm looking over the post, realizing that I put the two days out of sequence, and figuring that's okay, no one will notice. Then I looked at Adam's hair & remember that he got his buzz cut after we left the zoo, so it's still long in the pony photo. (So, boys if you're reading this years in the future, we went to the zoo first, then the state park. Mommy goofed a little, but it's late, and I'm tired and sunburned and headed to bed, so there will be no editing tonight. And you're the greatest kiddos on the planet and I love you :-)

Ten Books That I Want to Read

2009-07-16T22:49:00.007-04:00

There are literally hundreds of books that I want to read, but these are the ten that have been on my mind for a while now (and will require me to really carve out some dedicated reading time to tackle them properly...gee when will that happen ;-)

**The book titles that are linked will take you to free on-line editions of them**

The Bible Cover to Cover, Old Testament & New Testament, preferably 2 editions simultaneously (so I can see the differences/similarities for myself). No matter how anyone may feel about this book religiously speaking, there's no denying that it's one of the most influential books ever written.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Somehow this one was never assigned to me. Feel like I'm missing something here!
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy. This is another of those classics that pop up frequently and I feel a general sense of embarrassment that I've never even attempted it.
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. I actually really enjoy Dickens, and this is one that I haven't read, but have wanted to for years (since I heard them talk about it in the film version of Little Women.)
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Sounds wonderful, love his style in his short stories.
Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust. I heard Garrison Keillor read from it once on The Writer's Almanac and it stopped me in my tracks.
Ulysses by James Joyce. This particular book I want to read in Ireland.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I've enjoyed her other books that I've read, and this sounds like such a good story.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. I just really, really want to read this. Since college, really, and I can't imagine why I haven't yet.
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. I respect dancers tremendously, Ms Tharp being at the top of my list. Every review I've read about this book sends me back to my library to bat my eyelashes for them to purchase it

How about you? What are you really itching to read? Have you read any of these...and if so, what did you think??

Edited Friday morning to Add: In the morning light, I realize that this list is rather daunting and I'm guessing that in about 10 or so years I may be able to have them all checked off ;-)

When in York...

2009-07-15T22:13:00.012-04:00

We've been hitting all the beaches this week, trying to get in all 3 states (Maine, NH, Mass) that we can easily get to right now. Since Steve had a business meeting today in York, Maine, well of course that meant we all had to go there!

Now, I'm something of a fish. And haven't quite figured out how to go diving, swimming, and general frolicking in the waves properly while simultaneously caring for my youngest. So when daddy joins us for a beach day, I, ahem, I mean the big boys, get to have most of the fun.

If you're in the area for a visit, I humbly suggest your beach adventure to take place at Long Sands beach rather than Short Sands (almost always an undertow there). However, when you're ready for dry land, you must head over to The Goldenrod at Short Sands, to watch them (through their enormous windows) make their famous salt water taffy. And under the eat local philosophy, naturally you must at least sample some.

And a day in York is not complete without a drive up to the Nubble lighthouse...

And some snacks on the rocks to fill up for the long drive...

The camera was full so I couldn't get a photo of all three boys sound asleep in the back, covered in sand, ketchup, and berry stains, but oh it was priceless! Adam woke up enough to sleepily say "this was a fun day." I must agree!

Finally!!!

2009-07-13T23:15:00.008-04:00

A quick hello to you lovelies who listened to my whining about the month (more like 2 actually!) of rain! The sun has made a triumphant return, and it looks like she means business!!

An extra long beach trip, some camping, and of course garden & chicken care mixed in will be taking up pretty much all of our time for a little while longer.

I'm sure I'll be dusting off the old computer soon though...and I promise not to complain about the heat (too much ;-) Looking forward to a lot of wonderful bloggy reading at your places when I return.

Happy summer...finally!!!

Ten Things That Are Making Me Smile Right Now

2009-07-09T22:47:00.011-04:00

Hearing Noah say "mama" for the first time yesterday (and saying it all day today :-); AND his hair these days...

Adam's excitement at discovering a new friend in the "tree house"...

Strawberry picking with the boys this morning...

Taking them out for an ice cream (or just a cone ;-) for the first time this "summer" after a long morning picking...

Noah & Bolt's blossoming friendship...

Cereal & strawberries for dinner (it's 3 food groups, that's okay right?)

A wild snapdragon bouquet on my kitchen windowsill

The afghan that Joshua "designed" and I am crocheting for him (and we've decided to enter it into the county fair :-)

Four jars of freshly made strawberry jam waiting for tomorrow's biscuits...

Did I mention the strawberries???

What's making you smile these days?

Homestead Happenings

2009-07-06T16:09:00.009-04:00

Lots & lots going on here at the homestead the last couple of days!

First, the sun has returned!!!! And, we have decided that every meal, including breakfast, must be eaten outside...

Our corn made it's "Knee High by the Fourth of July" goal...

But the biggest event happened today, with all of us watching (and proud "papa" Joshua videotaping ;-)

Our first chicken hatch!!!

When we got our flock, they were already a few days old. This is the first time we tried to grow our flock the old fashioned way.

May I present Bolt.

And since it's Monday, Bolt posed for my "Bench Monday" picture (at about 12 hours old...she only came out for about 30 seconds!)

I know I've said it before, but really, never a dull moment around here!!!

May your week bring lots of little miracles too :-)

Ten Things to Do...

2009-07-02T23:36:00.001-04:00

...on a Rainy Day (Betcha saw this one coming ;-)

1. Have a dance party.

Kenny Loggins & Olivia Newton John's Greatest Hits were our 2 favorite cds for this particular party (think Footloose, Danger Zone, and Grease :-)

2. Experiment with a new cuisine

Spanakopita anyone?

3. Make another pie...

Crush some graham crackers right into the crust...

Homemade whipped cream is a must...

Chocolate Cream was today's pie...

Another winner in Adam's book...

4. Take a bubble bath using all the bubbles...

5. Visit the library, and read, read, read!

6. Make a giant pot of tomato sauce to freeze, since eventually it will feel like summer and be too hot to cook (right?)

7.Finish a crafty project that makes you smile...

A blanket for my friend's baby boy who was born this week

8. Watch The Princess Bride

9. Make costumes, programs and props and give a live performance of The Princess Bride...

Joshua as The Man in Black preparing for the duel with Inigo Montoya (played by, ahem, Mommy--because I have the longest hair and, well, a killer Spanish accent...)

10. Recycle Art

Adam's Robot using everything from our recycling bucket...

If you have any more suggestions, I'd love to here them! I'm afraid at this rate I may completely run out of new ideas!!

For those of you who are keeping track, we still haven't seen the sun, even for 5 minutes, since that brief few hours last Saturday. Our meteorologist says that tomorrow "won't be as bad of a day as today," I think he's actually getting hate mail, poor guy! I'm sure we'll look back on this month of rain and laugh (right?!?). Oh, well...at least everyone is having fun asking Noah if he's working on his ark!

Happy Things (In Which I Do Not Mention the Weather)

2009-07-01T19:23:00.006-04:00

An unexpected bouquet of sunflowers from a neighborhood farm...

Learning the story behind a vintage embroidered child's apron that I inherited...

It was made by my Grand-Memere for my Memere. A delightful, surprise visit from my aunt solved that little mystery...

And we were able to snip just enough fresh parsley and basil to have with dinner tonight. At least it smells like summer...

Aren't you proud of me for not mentioning the rain?!?

PS Happy Canada Day, Memere!!!!!