Lovely Day!

The boys and I went back to the farm today and picked more berries. My friend brought her triplet girls, age four, and we all scoured the fields for the last of the berries. Yum!! We enjoyed our picnic lunch under the cottonwoods watching the chickens chase one another and listened to the birds sing. Delightful!

I bought a Kohlrabi to finally try and some English Peas and some Northern Lights Swiss Chard. I've never had Kohlrabi, so we'll see what that's like. The boys and I love the peas. (Dumpling, "Balls!" Pumpkin, "Just like Peter Rabbit!" Yes, Peter's were French Beans, but I go with it because Pumpkin's eating them!)

Afterward, they came over to play for a bit. The girls are simply darling and so sweet! Kim and I sat with our iced tea and visited while the kids played together.

When they left I found my new MaryJane's magazine in the mailbox and read for a few minutes before I headed out to plant. We are making such progress on our yard in spite of the crazy weather. It's been a long time in coming, but I just ordered the sod to be delivered on Friday. I am so stinking excited about this!

Between last week and this week I've planted: grapes, berries, two kinds of radishes, four kinds of carrots, beets, broccoli, lettuces, dill, parsley, savory, chives, cilantro, peppers, Swiss chard, okra, pole beans, bush beans, soybeans, snow peas, regular peas, corn, tomatoes, onions, and spinach. Already growing were garlic, hops, arugula, more herbs, tons of flowers, strawberries and raspberries and weeds. Lots of weeds.
Tonight when it's cooler I've got more to still plant: melons, squash, gourds, luffahs and more I can't remember off the top of my head.
So, come on over in a few weeks and bring your salad bowls! We'll have tea on the porch and pick our dinner.

Summer Days

***Thank you everyone for your kind words on the last post. They mean a lot. Thank you for all your prayers as well. It is such a huge burden lifted.***

Last Tuesday, I helped host a party at Janna's house for our friend, Joanne. She is the one that introduced Janna and I about a year ago. Now she's off on a new adventure moving to Phoenix for one year. They both did posts on the party here and here and included links to other blogging buddies we know. Blogging has been a wonderful introduction to some wonderful ladies I wouldn't have otherwise met. I fact, I met Joanne through blogging, too!

It is hard to even think of saying good-bye to Joanne. I will miss her so much. SO MUCH!!! She has added such richness to my life. I am glad the move is to only be for a year. I think I'd have to go after her if she stayed longer! She really is wonderful.

This Tuesday Janna and I took the kids to Berry Patch Farms, our home away from home each summer and autumn. Seriously, if you are anywhere remotely close to Denver you should go there. It's so fun to pick the strawberries and raspberries, but they also have a ton of other organic produce. I tried so many new fruits and veggies since I first started going there years ago. I've learned so much, too!

We had such a fun day with our kiddos hauling wagons of berries and boys. Pumpkin and Anne are just a few weeks apart in age and I'm planning to marry them off when they are of age. Jack and Dumpling are a few months apart and they all play really well together. The wagons were a perfect height for Jack and Dumpling's All-You-Can-Eat Buffet.We even made a new friend that Anne christened Strawberry the Frog. Quick catching, Janna! After our hours of picking everyone came back here to our home for lunch.

After we ate the kids played while Janna and I put together a batch of Healing Balm. Since I'd already steeped the herbs and oils before we just melted the beeswax and adding the rest of the oils. She picked what extra essential oils she wanted for more fragrance to each jar and it all went together in a flash. (BTW-Janna~How was it once it set?)

I absolutely love this recipe!!! I've been putting it on scratches, bumps, bruises, and bites. It totally takes the itch out of bug bites for me. I'll steeped some more of the herb oil in the next few days to have some on hand for more batches. The directions are here for you. I took a jar myself for my gift at Bunco that night. They are getting used to my lotions and potions.

One of the gals asked me what else I'd been making that was new. I told her I had made deodorant that day. I had the ingredients in the kitchen. It took just a few minutes to mix up and seems to work great. I wasn't too sure about trying it, but I'm glad I did. Directions are here if you are interested. I mixed equal parts cornstarch and baking soda in a half-pint wide mouth jar. I stirred in about 5 tablespoons of coconut oil and some lavender essential oil. I'll experiment more next time with more or less oil, but it really works well so far! I guess there are women who just glow, I'm just not one of them. After gardening in the afternoon sun for over an hour yesterday and two workouts later, I'm happy with this stuff.

Yesterday I started my canning. This became this:
After being inspired by this recipe I added part of a vanilla bean to the first batch of jam using the jam recipe I had. Yum! I made the second batch just the plain way and look forward to tasting the difference. I'm thinking a fresh batch of scones are in order this weekend!

Oh, remember Bacon Bits? This was her picture last year with Pumpkin:

This year:
Yep. It's bad. And no, she's not pregnant! Guess she likes the food, too.

(Janna seems to be the only one remembering her camera lately, so most of these pictures are credited to her. She does a nice job, doesn't she?)

"There are crumbs on my toes."

Thank you, Dumpling. He just announced this to me as I walked into the room. Hey, for not being two until September, I think his language skills are great. Just wish they reflected a bit better on my housekeeping this week!

I have created our weekly routine and after a few weeks of using it, I find it really helpful. When I follow it. I'd love to believe I could/should/ought to follow it 100% and being a kinda of all or nothing gal, I really like to. BUT, since I live in a little place called Reality and other people live here as well, not everything can go according to my plan.

As I reviewed the week, I'm barely above 50% for the weekly routine things. Not good. Not planning meals has really caused problems and I didn't do my big cleaning things. It's been a combination of things outside of my control and a total lack of motivation a few days. Here's where I'd usually stop thinking and start mentally flogging myself.

HOWEVER, while I am really trying to be more disciplined I am also seeking balance. This is where the good part of the week appears: my daily routines. Looking back over the daily routine things, I'm above 90% for the week. (100% on exercising!!) Wow. That's a good feeling.

****break****

I'm back after having run the little brush sweeper thingy on the carpet. :) *ahem* And, since Dumpling creates most of the crumbs, I passed the sweeper onto him to use when I was done.

Really looking at the week as a whole is a good thing and even right now is helping me to combat the feelings that "I didn't accomplish anything!" and "There's more I should have done!" When I step back, I can see that I have accomplished things. No, it's not 100% of what I wanted, but will it ever be? Doubt it! Plus, I need to remember that there were extra things that I did this week, but that aren't on a list to check off.

Well, I feel better now. Now it's time to put together the salad and get out the leftovers for dinner. It's Friday Night and that's Movie Night around these parts. Woo Hoo! Let's celebrate!

Still Here

I'm still here. Just don't have much to say. We've still not heard anything.

But there are summer berries and chubby hands that love to grab them.

Life is good.

I've been reading more than writing and trying to just enjoy the every day wonderful moments of life. And the berries.

Remembering- 20 Years Later

Photo by Jeff Widener

New Things & Special Places

Well, I've wrapped up quite a few projects lately and am working on more! I've been busy reading and gleaning new ideas from all sorts of places. I thought I'd share a bunch of links to some places you all might enjoy as well. The boys are napping and I've got my cup of Earl Grey right beside me. My mind is racing with all sorts of things, but I'm not sure where to start.

I'm making a renewed effort to better order my days. I've loved going with the flow lately, just taking each day as it comes and doing new things with the boys. This is good to some extent, but also leaves me feeling like I'm floundering a bit and not accomplishing as much as I'd like. I'm looking for a good balance as I seem to run to extremes. Anyone else?

I'm working on some new routines for myself and the boys. I find as the seasons change, my routines need to as well. I'm working on a list that I'll type up in a few days and post in the kitchen to help keep me on track. Tentatively, I'm planning on having Mondays as at home days. Working on cleaning and laundry need to have a set time again, or they seem to get lost in the shuffle of life.

Tuesdays will be days out. By this, I'm planning on spending our mornings doing new and favorite things with the boys. Maybe a trip to the zoo, or to a garden. We may meet up with friends somewhere, or just go exploring by ourselves. Tuesday afternoon during nap will become the time to plan the meals for the next week, clean the fridge and write the grocery list.

Our grocery store offers all the ending sales as well as the new weeks' sales on Wednesday, so it makes sense to shop that day. Since we don't grocery shop every week this also leaves a more flexible day to do something else, or have a friend come over. Wednesday afternoons will be dedicated to prepping all the groceries as needed like washing and slicing produce, breaking up bulk meats into meals.

Thursdays will be spent at home as we've got a little one planning to come over that morning each week. This will be the day to bake the breads as well as we'll be home for a long stretch. It was too much to try to do with the Monday chores. I'd either forget a load of laundry or a loaf rising! Since I make all our bread products including sandwich bread, pitas, tortillas, crackers, etc., it makes sense to do it all at once. Most of the ingredients are the same so it saves time and effort in the end. This will be done throughout the day as needed. I usually make and freeze big batches of each thing so I don't have to make everything each week.

I've marked Thursday afternoons to do desk duties as well. Whether it's writing a card, or dealing with insurance paperwork, I need a time set apart to work on these things. By Thursday there are usually one or two loads of laundry that need attention as well, so I'll squeeze those in as well since we'll be home. I was trying to do those on Friday, but it was getting all messed up and forgotten if we left the house.

Fridays are fun days. We'll play these by ear. I'm looking forward to it! Friday afternoons are set aside to touch up the house so it's fresh and clean for the weekend to enjoy.

This leaves my weekends open to enjoy. We'll see how it all goes!

Somewhere in the midst of the set things I'm trying to figure out things like making soaps and lotions and balms. I also want to make sure I'm keeping up with my sewing and crafting. These renew me and help keep me--me. Also gardening takes up more time this time of year as well.

I'm also revamping my daily routines. That's a whole other post I think!

**
I've been working on new routines for the boys, too. Pumpkin is three and a half now and wanting to learn everything. I found a really neat site that I'm looking forward to exploring more and using some of the ideas immediately! She's got some great ideas for teaching the little guys that look like they'd be perfect for Pumpkin and Dumpling.
**
This site is where I found the directions for an amazing new skin product. I had read the list of ingredients on the back of a Burt's Bees balm and noticed I had most of the ingredients on hand. I was looking for something to help with all the little bumps and scratches we get this time of year. Brambleberries' directions brought it all together.

The boys and I were out in Boulder to see the tulips a few weeks ago. As I was looking for a place to park we passed Rebecca's Apothecary. We went in immediately! I'd been wanting to find comfrey and calendula for a couple of recipes I wanted to try, including the balm. I found that and more! It was so nice to find a source for herbs and such without it being a really freaky place I don't want to walk in much less support. Ahem. Know what I mean?

I'm looking forward to going back soon and trying some new things. They even carried press-and-seal tea bags and sachets. I'd been looking for some for quite awhile. Perfect! They do nature hikes and show you the wild plants and herbs growing around here that you can use for all sorts of things. I'd like to go on one this summer.

When the boys napped, I filled a jar with the calendula, comfrey and a few handfuls of lavender filling the jar with olive oil. I let it steep in the sun for two weeks and then strained it. I added rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils to the olive oil then as well. Just a few drops of each, but I think I'll add more next time. Blending the oil with beeswax took hardly anytime and I filled several jars with my new concoction.

I LOVE it! I'll be making more and more. Maybe I'll even get my own etsy shoppe. :) This stuff is soooo wonderful. Seriously, the boys love it, too. It smells so clean and fresh and isn't at all sticky like others balms with beeswax that I've tried. I've even got a little jar in my purse. It is so soothing.

***
Let's see...Since I'm rambling on, I'll mention a few other things I've been putting together. I've been blending our laundry detergent for awhile now and just storing it in a bucket. It works great, but I've noticed it drying out at times and not staying quite as well gelled. Yesterday as I was doing laundry I ran out of detergent, so I just blended the dry ingredients and dumped some in the wash. I figured I'd make it gel later, but wanted to keep the laundry going. Directions are here.

Anyway, I was about to clean up and wash the grater when I realized I should just grate all the bars of soap I had left. This is my least favorite part and I'd rather just have it over with for a few months. That being done, I decided I'd like to get rid of the rest of the box of borax as well. So, I just added the correct ratios of soap, borax and washing soda. I dumped it all in a glass jar and stuck a ladle in for a scoop. (About two tablespoons powder is the same as the 1/2 cup gel.) I wasn't sure how well a powdered detergent would do as the ones I used to buy didn't seem to dissolve well in our water. It worked great!

I'll probably mix some with water to keep on hand since that's what I've been using for stain remover as well. Here's an amazing post listing all sorts of ideas for natural stain removers as well. I'm sure I'll be trying them soon, too! I've also begun to add the vinegar in the rinse cycle again. I think it helps. I'd just stopped because I kept forgetting to add it at the right time! Setting a timer really helps me a lot, so it was beeping all day yesterday.

Well, I just heard Dumpling wake up, so I need to sign off. I hope you're having a wonderful day wherever you are. It's been raining here steady since midnight. I think we've had more rain since March than we usually get all year. Thanks for stopping by!