Family date night

Thursday is our "date night." It's been the evening we reserved for each other for many years now, but this last year, it's become "family date night," rather than a twosome. That's fine with us; just how we envisioned our family would grow. (We've been together nearly 20 years; we're ready to share our Thursdays.) This evening, we:

Took a short hike:

Took in the views:

Dallied along the way to collect treasures:

Stopped for a hug now and then:

...and to check out tracks both tiny:

and huge (bear):

Went out for some sushi:

complete with chopsticks:

And finished it off with a stroll in town:

Who could ask for a better date?

Homemade beads

I've been taking it slow and easy this week (as slowly as I can with 6 kids needing me all day long) while I fight off some bug I've caught. This morning's dreary weather called for something new and interesting enough to channel some of the kids' energy. There's been a lot of interest in stringing beads lately, and our supply is nearly depleted. So I pulled out my handy dandy recipe book and we made a batch of bead dough from a simple recipe of flour, salt, cornstarch, and water. Our dough came out a bit too wet, but it was still compelling for them to get their hands into the sticky dough and shape it however they wanted. "And we can paint them! All different colors. And we can leave some grey, and that can be a color!"

I'm glad the kids are still creating, because I haven't made much of anything lately. I'm hoping hoping hoping I'll find the time and energy to get started on my next crochet project tonight. Sometimes, I'm on a roll, making one thing after another. But (just like writing blog posts) I find that once I get out of the habit, due to busyness or chaotic house or sickness or whatever, it's really hard to get back in the groove. I find that, for me, diving into the children's work and documenting what they've been doing is my bit of creativity that helps me work my way back to my own stuff. What works for you?

Toddler-sized "zoo"

Lucy loves listening to books of sounds. (Is there any toddler who doesn't?) Recently, she's been loving a felt book of animals made for her by my cousin's wife--most especially, the fish page, where I say "bluub, bluub, bluub" to go with the bubbles coming from the fish's mouth. She wants to stay on that page for a long long time, touching each bubble and saying "bluub, bluub" herself.

So a simple trip to buy cat litter this weekend turned into an event: it felt like going to a toddler-sized zoo when we took a detour to the fish department. Here she is with our friend Tim, checking out all the fish:




Just right.

Independence Days: not very productive this week

Oh, dear. It seems I wasn't quite ready for regular posting yet. I'm sorry I've been so absent this week! But it's time again for Sharon's Independence Day's Challenge, and somehow I must post that, even when I've done very little. Let's hope it's the jumpstart I need to get back into the rhythm...


1. Plant something:


I went to my favorite annual plant sale this weekend in the pouring rain. Little plants, dug from local gardens, and so nearly guaranteed to thrive in mine. I love it! This year, I tried to show restraint, and focused on edible plants. I got licorice mint, lavender, "bloody sorrel," lemon balm, and horseradish, and planted them all as soon as the rain cleared.

I'm sad to report that the bushes I planted over the past two weeks aren't doing very well. I didn't care for them as well as I should (hard to water things so far from the house, especially with a broken hose nozzle...) and only about half of them are leafing out. Pooh.

2. Harvest something:
Eggs. Lettuce thinnings. Daily chive snacking in the garden for the kids.

6. Build community food systems:
Well, I supported local farmers by braving the farmer's market in the cold pouring rain. Does that count?

7. Eat the food:
Lots of rhubarb cuppa-cuppa-cuppa (Lucy can now say "rhubarb"--with a big smile; she loves it). Parsnip souffle. Not much else interesting.

Good ideas gleaned from blogland

A short post after yesterday's novel...

I've been inspired this week by some of the loveliness I see daily on other blogs.

I had to pull out bubbles after I saw gardenmama's photos of bubble wands made from branches. What a brilliant idea! So naturally beautiful, I couldn't wait to try. (Lucy's using a forscythia wand; Andi's using a rubber canning ring.) I did it again today with all the kids, and they loved it, too.


And today, when one of the 5-year-old boys picked up a Y-shaped branch, I was reminded of the wonderful natural weavings I'd seen on Child in Harmony. I described it to the kids, and they were eager to try. Two boys and I worked on them for a good part of the morning, and they were so thrilled with the results, they brought them over to the neighbor's house to show them off, (and to the mail carrier, and to the UPS driver). This boy decided to add a flower he drew and cut out to the things he found in nature. I love the mixed-media result.


What's inspiring you and your kids lately?

Life blessings

We've had a very full week (at times, it felt overly full). But it's been a good one. We needed some time to talk and heal and be with friends, and we've had all of that. And these blessings helped, too:

One night, we went shopping for a birthday present for a friend (he'd asked me how to crochet at the park one day, and sat there on a park bench, crocheting away, so I'd hoped to find a good men's crochet book and supplies). When we arrived at the yarn shop, we saw that they were having a book signing. Cool! I'd heard about the book online, and always love to meet an author. It hadn't started yet, so we went over to the crochet books (where the men's selections were horrible!) and I fell in love with a pattern in this beautiful book. It was for a sweet baby dress; just what I'd been wanting to make for Lucy. But the pattern was for 9-12 months, too small. I was so disappointed! But I kept picking up the book and admiring all the wonderful patterns. We have a friend who works in the store. She saw me admiring the book and said "wait a minute," and wandered up to the front. I wondered if she might be getting me some insider deal. But then she returned with both Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies and Handmade Marketplace in her hands and said "happy belated birthday!" (She also told me she'd help me size up the pattern.) Seriously? Wow. What a treat! So I met the author and she signed my book (and gave me a lovely little bonus gift of twine and clothespins for an inspiration line; what a nice touch!).

We spent Saturday afternoon with my sister's family. Her 5-year-old was in a daddy-daughter dance recital (so sweet I got all teary-eyed) and we went to watch and then hung out at their house for a while. Lucy had a great time playing with her cousins in the back yard, and it was lovely to see; she's getting to a point where she really plays with them (instead of simply being their plaything...). I think she's so lucky to grow up near her cousins, something my sisters and I didn't have as children.

Sunday, we took a trip with friends to the Garden in the Woods. Our friend Eric, an awesome gardener, goes there to celebrate his birthday. We walked through all their gardens, admiring and trying to identify the native plants, gathering ideas for our own gardens. We watched a snake swim through a pond and it was such a thrill to be able to show Lucy an animal she'd only seen in books (now, when we read about a snake and say "do you remember the snake we saw at Garden in the Woods?" and she lights up and says "yeah!") Here we are taking one of many breaks (it was hot hot hot and it was that time of the month that I'm just not really up to hiking, if you know what I mean!)


And then yesterday, I got a gift in the mail from a reader. Ruby often comments on my blog (thanks! I love love love comments!), and when she heard I was having a rough time, she asked for my address. Look what arrived in the mail yesterday:

a reusable snack bag, filled with...

an adorable embroidered panda bear. (Lucy adopted this immediately. She thinks it's a drum, but also loves to feel the textures. I plan to hang it in her room.)

I can't even begin to say how amazing it is to be pampered by someone you've never even met. Ruby, what an incredibly sweet thing to do. I feel so blessed.

And then, of course, there's this baby:

(Remember this sweater? It's all well and good to take pose-for-the-blog photos, but this is how it looks in real life.) As I write this, she's sleeping (for the very first time) alone on her mattress on the floor in her own room (she'll come to bed with us when she wakes to nurse). We're downstairs, missing her! My so-big, wonderful, joyful, brilliant baby. She brings joy to my every moment.

Well, now, that was wordy! Aren't you glad I don't normally disappear for a week? My posts would get unbearably long! I'll tell you later about all the great reading I did this week...

I'm back, with my Independence Days update

I'm back. Thank you for forgiving my absence for a bit; my family had a bit of a crisis, but we're pulling through. And thank you so much for your kind comments; I was amazed at how much it helped me to have sympathetic words from strangers. It's time again for Sharon's Independence Day's Challenge, and that seems like as good a time as any to start again...


(peas, surrounded by branches to keep the chickens from uprooting them; so far, so good)

1. Plant something:
I have been very busy in the garden; more edible-plants orders arrived this week, so I planted a meader persimmon tree, 10 salmonberry bushes, 10 thimbleberry bushes, 3 elderberry bushes, 2 huckleberry bushes, creeping oregon grape groundcover, bunchberry groundcover, more good king henry, roman chamomile, and stinging nettle. And from the farmer's market (open at last!), I added lemon balm and lemon thyme.

(one of the many sticks I planted this week; can't wait until they're more bushy!)

2. Harvest something:
Eggs. Good king henry, ramps, garlic mustard.

(my perennial garden, pretty much ignored since I began planting edibles; thankfully still looking beautiful!)

4. Waste not:
Cleared some food out of storage that we're not eating, for donation to the post office's food drive.

6. Build community food systems:
The farmer's market opened again--yay! We got parsnips, leeks, scallions, and--to my great delight--wheatberries (we've never had grains there before; I was so glad to see them!)

7. Eat the food:
It's asparagus season, and therefore we are eating asparagus as often as possible: we've had lots of roasted asparagus and some stir-fried tofu and asparagus. More rhubarb cuppa-cuppa, this time using local honey rather than sugar (mmm...and I think I could cut the sweetner down next time). Roasted parsnips and leeks, wheatberry salad with scallions and sorrel.