Farming Mom

Snow pictures

2012-01-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

I keep forgetting to post some pictures on here, for those of you wondering, yes we had a lot of snow and cold this week. I measured 8" one day, but that was after some had melted/froze and compacted down quite a bit. I am not shure what the cumulative was for our area. We are just fine - very grateful for the wood stove though we did not loose power it is a great heat source.

I also keep forgetting to post the link for the dark days recap, here is the blog where it is written up what others in our area are making/sourcing that is local Not Dabbling in Normal.

I also like what another blogger has written about her struggle with sourcing local ingredients. If you get a chance, hop on over and read what Minnesota Locavore has to say about her shopping trip in a rural small town. I also want to try her recipe for sauerkraut and bratwurst pizza. What she wrote will get you thinking, how much of what you buy is really local? I too fall into the comfort zone of finding things, we grow alot of it, barter some and know many in the area who raise what we do not. If we did not find it through our local connections, I don't usually buy it for our dark days dinners, therefore there is usually no milk or cheese in our meals on dark days since the local dairy farmer I knew closed a year ago, I have not sought out another source. We try to grow/barter/glean as much as we can but we do buy at least 1/2 of our food from the grocery. Though I do not shop all local and organic, I imagine it would be quite a challenge on the pocketbook and a bit stressful to find all things local. For example the milk in our fridge right now - it came from Mountain Dairy, and was distributed by Inter American products, Cincinnati, OH. Tracing the milk from there to the farm is a lost cause. At $2.59 a gallon vs somewhere in the $5.00 gallon range for organic and local I have to draw the line somewhere. My conscience tells me to buy local, organic as much as possible, but the break even here - well that tells me to not be concerned with everything and plant a bigger garden next year so that we don't have to buy as many veggies and root crops. And to make friends with someone with a milk cow or goat.

I am hoping to find some more local sources next weekend at the WSU Winter school A few of the classes I really want to go to are already filled up, there are some by local people living a locavore lifestyle. Two of whom I really look up to in their journey to self sustainability can be found at Sustainable Eats and Songcroft Though I have met both women only briefly, I respect them and their desire to change the way we look at life and check in to their blogs often for resources and encouragement.

Ok, I did not mean to get going on a rant about all of that, so here as promised are some snow pictures. We still have some snow, but it has been raining for 2 days now. So it is a mushy mess. Not nearly as pretty.

Though it may be time to put away the Christmas ornaments on our outside tree, somehow I decided against it this week. Usually the branches on this tree are around 4.5' off of the ground - we have had a bit of snow and the tree is weighted down a bit. So far the branches are holding up - I did go out and shake it off a bit after snapping this photo.

Though we could have gotten out, the kids and I chose to stay home all week. The roads around our house were pretty slippery but the main roads in town were good. This was taken on day 2 of the snow. For those of you wondering, this is our new vehicle we bought in November. With #3 on the way, we wanted something big enough to haul three kids, a friend for each and still have the ability to tow, haul a few bales of hay and get farm stuff around. It is hard to tell with the snow but it is a GMC Yukon, basically a Suburban but made by GMC with a slightly different wheelbase and a half ton truck suspension.

The birds had a tough time staying warm, by the end of the snow, there was not any of this seed wreath left. We also put out some bread and cracked corn for our feathered friends. Marilyn made her chickens warm rice for breakfast to help them keep warm.

This was the inside looking out of the vine maple that became James' snow cave.

Wednesday and Thursday the truck stayed home (and Daddy did too). It was too snowy and icy out to risk going to work. The snow kept falling.

Thousands of tiny bird tracks found their way to the pan of food Marilyn put out for them. James had fun refilling it a few times with bread too. Madilyn then pulled the bread out of the pan and ate, but she left some for the birds.

Madilyn is not shure if she likes the snow or not. She wants to be out in it, but has a hard time walking and keeping up with brother. She also gets cold alot faster than he does.

Scott and Bo heading down the hill from the shop, I think Bo liked having some "boy time" when Scott stayed home from work.

Cheap Eats

2012-01-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

I found these facts on another blog I follow sometimes. Interesting little bit of information. Some people wonder why I choose to eat unprocessed unpackaged foods and cook it ourselves. This is a little snapshot of why we do what we do. For more, here is the link to the blog I "borrowed" this from http://dinnergarden.blogspot.com/

For example, tonight's dinner :
Acorn squash rings stuffed with meatloaf: Acorn squash was free from a friend's garden, the meat was from Softich Cattle Co., I figure I used under a pound to stuff the squash so approx $2.50
Green beans with sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese: Beans were from our garden, feta was on discount - 2lbs for 4.99 I used maybe .20 cents worth and the sun dried tomatoes - I was generous and probably used .30.
Fruit salad - 4 kiwi from a neighbor free, 1 apple .69 a pound the apples were 4:1 lb, so it was .18 and an orange at .49 a lb, so .25 of orange
3 cups milk - .75
All told, a dinner for a family of 4, plus 6 rings leftover for lunch/dinner tomorrow and about a cup of green beans to go with it was approximately a total of $4.18. There is no way we could have eaten out or bought pre-made for that price. The biggest bonus is that lunch and part of dinner is already made for tomorrow.

Dark Days and a bit of snow

2012-01-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

Last night's dark days dinner was a one pot meal. I made a fritatta. It was pretty good, I started with butter in the bottom of my cast iron skillet. I sliced some of the last potatoes from the garden and cooked them in the bottom of the pan. Once they were done, I added some potato sausage from Kelso Meats that was left over from the previous day (already cooked) and topped it with some bean sprouts we grew. Over this I poured about a dozen eggs (from our back yard). Baked it in the oven at 350 for approx 30 min until the center was set. Of course Madilyn had to get in on the picture. Just in case there were before dinner samples. Eggs are her favorite thing to eat.

When I flipped it out of the pan it was not very pretty - but it was very tasty. James dubbed it egg pizza and picked his slice up and ate it all. We also had applesauce, plums, pickles and pickled squash to go with the meal. The apples and plums were gleaned from friends/families yards, the pickles started as cucumbers at Stocker Farms and the squash came from our garden. The pickled squash is a good way to preserve summer squash for winter months - a blend of tumeric, cinnamon, onions in a sweet and sour brine. Very yummy! We also had strawberry smoothies to drink with dinner. We picked over 6 gallons of berries from a friend in Monroe this year - her patch had run over. Fortunately she shared her bounty with us. The kids are loving having so much fruit that is frozen this time of year.

Daddy stayed home from work today as we have some snow. Yesterday he went in but more snow is predicted for today and it is not worth having people slide into you just for a day's work.

He has been helping the kids build a snow fort, Madilyn just came in for round one of de-thawing. James and Scott have moved onto making snowmen.

I enjoyed the fact that I was able to take these pictures from inside, while soaking some beans and starting my dutch oven on the wood stove for dinner tonight - not local but a one pot homemade meal at least. The neighbors gave us a ham the other day so I am making black beans and ham for both families tonight.

The plants all have a good layer of snow on them. This is the Logan berry - I hope the bulbs that were peeking up through the dirt last week will be OK, I found garlic, tulips and chives starting to appear.

Keeping our head above water

2012-01-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

Things have been busy here, it seems that when I finally think we will be home for a day, something happens and we run out the door. Some days I feel as if I am slogging through mud. For a change of pace a few weeks ago we baked muffins and snacks and headed over to see Uncle Travis, Aunt Stephanie, Amelia and Clarissa. Madilyn was a big help in cleaning up the beater, brother cleaned up the bowl.

When we woke up in Moses Lake, there was snow! The kids played outside in the dusting of snow for almost an hour. It is very exciting if you don't see it all that often. We stayed in a townhouse/loft for less than motel and had a full kitchen, living room, loft bedroom and private yard. It was great.

Madilyn turned 2, we had a small party with Grandma, Papa, Bo, Maylo, May may and us. Thank you to Aunt Donna and Uncle Brian for the pony PJ's, we must wear them every night now. It has made for some creative washing times, but she loves them.

She got her own baby doll. It is a huge hit! She now pushes it in a stroller everywhere. May may made the doll a blanket, hat and scarf which has to be taken off and on at least 100x a day.

Though I have not been good with keeping up on posting, we still continue to have dark days diners. Last night was meatball soup, a very quick and easy "go to" dinner around here. It has 2 steps - make meatballs and cook them in the oven. Then open 3 cans of vegetables from the pantry - carrots, beans and tomatoes all from our garden. Boil, add some basil, chives, onions and garlic and serve with meatballs on top.

We ate cake, chocolate cake of course. Madilyn is totally a girl - she loves all things chocolate, ladybugs, pretties (hair clips), and ponies. She also does not mind making mud pies with brother and rolling in the dirt - but chocolate is the way to her heart.

James has become quite the dapper Dan, he has to dress up when we are going out - button up shirts, cowboy hat, corduroy suit jacket and cowboy boots are his favorite. He is going to break hearts soon. My friend Dawn took some photos of the kids awhile ago and posted them the other day to her blog. She did a good job, but they are good looking kids too (I may be a bit biased) Head on over to Dawn Bennett Images to see them.

Madilyn is two!

2012-01-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

Papa and Madilyn, Great Uncle Floyd in the background at Floyd's birthday party, Madilyn was about 2 months old.

All bundled up for chores, and she fell asleep before we even got out the door.

James is a very proud big brother

Great Uncle Floyd meets Madilyn

Dr. Carter introduces us to Madilyn - she has been our family doctor for all 3 children.

The smirk that greets us more often than not.

Two years ago today Madilyn Barbara announced her presence in the world. She is still quite a little wildflower, determined to march to the beat of her own drum. Always ready for an adventure (or puddle), a smile on her face and eager to keep up with big brother.
Today she is wishing everyone a "Haddy biday" and has been wearing her crown decorated with John Deere, Nemo and Cars stickers. Brother made her a sign and posted it in the front yard so that everyone will know that it is her special day. Dinner is baked macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and canned oranges. (I will be sneaking in some veggies somewhere).
Happy Birthday Madilyn!

Dark days catch-up

2011-12-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to Not Dabbling in Normal, the blog that is hosting all of the Dark Days recipes and recaps of the week all over the US. It is not only a good resource to find local sources for things, it is a bit addicting to read little snippets of others lives and their adventures. I have failed miserably at posting things here that we have been eating. So far almost every meal has something local if not most local in it. We have a well stocked pantry of canned goods from our garden, gleaned from neighbors and friends trees and produce from a local farm that we picked at. The freezers are both full (small chest freezers) of beef, frozen fruit 7 gallons of strawberries that a friend let us pick - she didn't want them! There are lots of vegetables and not many boxes of prepackaged food, something I have been trying to get away from in the past year (though there is still a box of Taquitos in the freezer, I need to use it up and have it be gone!) The kids and I have been enjoying smoothies every other day for a snack in the afternoon from the straw berries, plums, blackberries and blueberries. Dinner usually involves a protein and at least 2 vegetables. The other night we visited a friend at the farm where we used to live and came home with a grocery bag full of squash and new sprouting lids for my mason jars! What a find, now I can sprout 3-4 more jars at a time. James loves his "plants" so much I have to limit him to how many he can eat or there will be none for the rest of us. After I finish up the seeds I have I will try to find a more local source for sprouting seeds - the ones I have now are from Azure and Burpee seeds.
Dinner the other night was spaghetti with marinara sauce, the "noodles" were made out of spaghetti squash from my friend (4 miles away) and I opened a can of tomatoes that had been canned with onions, garlic and basil that we grew. I pureed the tomato mixture and added some more garlic and basil (one can never have too much of either). We had a salad with lots of mung bean sprouts on top and sliced apples and cheese as sides.
I am hoping to be better about posting and taking pictures of our local, sole meals here in the future. For now, click on the link above and pretend that I have been keeping up. Happy reading!

Christmas is here!

2011-12-25T01:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone. As I type this, little ones are NOT asleep (yes, it is 1am), Santa has celery, a turkey and cheese "pizza" on English muffin and water waiting for him and Dad is trying to explain to James for the 1,000 time tonight that it is Sunday, just not the part of Sunday where you get up and it is time to open presents. Tonight we went to Mom and Dad's then to midnight service - through which Madilyn kept letting us know very loudly that the lights were out. Tomorrow we get up and have breakfast with Bo and Marilyn, head off to Church and then to Mom and Dad's for Lunch and an afternoon of no nap and sugar crazed kids. Since it is Bo's birthday we also have dessert with the neighbors in the evening. Through all of this chaos, it is hard to sometimes see the true reason behind Christmas. Gifts, shiny wrapping and such distract us, especially if we are young.
This year we donated to ELCA's Good Gifts, a charity that gives people worldwide assistance to become more self sustainable. We selected things such as goats, clean water tablets and malaria pills in honor of our family members. We also adopted three women on an army boat. Today I received a letter from one of the service women, she received our care package, one with James' drawings, Madilyn's scribbles and our letters. Her note said that she was able to smile a bit today because of James' picture - and my translation of it. I was glad that we were able to brighten her day even if it was just for a bit.
Tomorrow the kids will be in a frenzy, re-opening some presents (Madilyn has a hard time waiting), lots of friends and family and a crazy schedule to get to see everyone at the appropriate time. Naps will be missed, tears will be shed but many, many memories will be made and above all family near and far, and love will dominate the day.
Remember this year, sometimes the greatest gifts are the ones you give, not receive.
Merry Christmas to Everyone from the Morrison's

Christmas Is Coming!

2011-12-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas has arrived as the angel Gabriel announces "For unto you this day a child is born in the city of David a savior and this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger!" Completely without script in hand or lines being fed to him. I am one proud - and impressed Momma. He also remembered three other lines.

The perfect perch for an angel after lines in the play, is on Dad's lap, covering his head with your sleeve.

Tonight we decorated the Christmas tree with some old ornaments, this one I made in Kindergarten.

Scott made this one in grade school

I see a future as a KISS cover band...

We finally decorated the top of the tree by lifting children as Scott and I were not decorating it properly and to their liking.

This is our finished product. A little lop sided on the left with the ornaments, but I have a feeling we will be redecorating on a daily basis.

This year James picked out the perfect tree, one that took 2 days, a new tree stand, and lots of shoving to get into the house. We had to remove a bird's nest, some grass and move our furniture around. It is a beautiful BIG tree and is very well filled out. It is also a local tree, less than a mile from our house lives Papa Glover, he is a local farmer who also sells some Christmas trees. James was very excited to pick out one on his own this year and did a good job (we just need a bigger house).

Dark Days Dinner Week 2

2011-12-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our local dinner of the week. Most of our dinners have something local in them as we grow quite a bit of our own vegetables and know some people who raise animals for meat. Tonight was a beef bone broth soup, roasted chicken, steamed carrots with honey mustard sauce and butternut squash puree.
The bone broth started cooking on the wood stove this morning, I added sage leaves, leftover vegetable tops and scraps and a few cups of water. I save the vegetable tips, tops and things in a Ziploc in the freezer. When the bag is full, I make soup. It adds some good flavors to broth and more vitamins and nutrients. After the meat fell off of the bones I strained out the broth and ladled it into soup bowls. Then we each make our own soup. James likes this a lot as it gives him the choice of what to add to the bowl. I had brussel sprouts that had been steamed, thin sliced carrots and apples, frozen tomato slices, frozen leeks hard boiled eggs and bean sprouts. The only real problem with this meal is that there are so many dishes to do after. I need to serve a little on everyone's plate instead of putting 6-7 serving bowls on the table. The apples and eggs were intended as a side to go with our dinner but James ate them in his soup and said it was good. Not shure I am going to try that, I think I will take his word on it.
For a protein I roasted a chicken from a friend. I received it in "payment" for helping her to learn to process her chickens and turkeys this year. Want to know the secret to a really juicy chicken - cook it upside down, back up and all the white meat will stay juicy you can do this with any poultry. I also steamed a butternut squash and a few apples peeled the skins and then pureed them. It was really good, cinnamon was optional.
Tomorrow the leftover meat from the chicken and veggies will be lunch and the leftover broth and meat from the beef bones will become a hearty soup when I add some canned beans, frozen cabbage and other things I find in the freezer. We have a busy day - Church in the morning and the Christmas play in the evening.
Also, when I steam vegetables or boil them, I save the broth and freeze it in ice cube trays. It is a quick and easy way to cool the soup for the kids or add a handful to a soup that needs more liquid.

Here is a list of where our things were found for tonight's meal
From our yard/garden
Sage, rosemary, garlic
Tomatoes, brussel sprouts, apples, leeks, onions

From Winter Creek Ranch - 12 miles
Soup bones
Apples (I listed them as ours too, they all went into a mutual bin)
From a friend - less than 5 miles
Chicken

From the store
Bean sprouts - grown in Washington
Eggs - grown in Washington
Honey - from a friend in Stanwood, 20 miles away

Non local things:
Cinnamon
Mustard

For some reason no matter how hard I try, there is always a little boy's hand in my pictures. He is showing what he is going to eat first. It is nice that they willingly eat their veggies. Madilyn had a coffee cup of "soup juice" she doesn't care for things in her soup - just broth.

I need to work on the quality of my photos and spend a bit more time on my writing. Not tonight though. Im a bit run down this week, hopefully the good bone broth will kick this cold!

What I should be doing...

2011-12-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

is not what I am doing.

There is a list a mile long:
Clean the house
Vaccuum
Rake Leaves
Mow the lawn
Weed and prepare the garden for winter
Organize the garage
Make Dinner
Make a Dark days Dinner and post it here
Stack firewood that has been split
Work on selling Bo's windows - anyone want over 100 windows, storm doors and sliding doors?
Write thank you's
Write letters to the soldiers we adopted for Christmas
Mail packages to above soldiers
Make Madilyn and the Biscuit Christmas stockings
Decorate for Christmas
Evict the spiders living in our house
Fold laundry...
I think you get the idea, I could go on and on...

Yesterday the tree trimmers came to our house and Bo and Marilyn's. See the roof line? That is my neighbor's house, a 2 story. Can you spot the 2 trimmers in our oak tree?

There is no way you would get me that high up in a tree.

The kids had a blast watching them trim, chip and chop the trees up. They took down 4 trees that were very close to our house and trimmed the dead branches out of the oak tree. James sat in the yard all morning.

Madilyn snacked, played, watched and went inside often to warm up. She did like it when branches crashed down though.

This came in the mail last night. It is a seed catalog like no other. This is what I am spending my time on, instead of my chore list for now.

I will be highlighting, reading, and turning pages dreaming of next spring. There will be subtle hints to Scott for Christmas (the top left book which I have ordered already and will wrap for him to give to me).

Can you imagine pink bananas? This book is AMAZING!! The company is family owned and operated. They are dedicated to preserving heirloom fruits, vegetables and flowers. Simply amazing. I wish we could do something like that ourselves though I would go broke because I would spend too much time playing in the dirt and dreaming. (My picture taking skills are quite limited though and do not do the catalog justice)

It reads like a magazine, glossy pages, large beautiful pictures and amazingly detailed descriptions of the seeds you will be buying. The prices are very competitive too! So, if you are bored or in need of some distraction from all that you should be doing, visit Baker Creek Seeds and request a free catalog.

PS The book was $29 and that included a year long subscription to their magazine as well. It was $33 with shipping :) Happy Dance! I think I may start reading it before Christmas and then wrap it

Dark Days Dinner

2011-12-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I participated in the Dark days Challenge, it made me more aware that our food was outsourced more than I knew. Like Mountain Dairy Milk sold in Snohomish was from Indiana!? So, I am a week or so late but I am going to try it again this year, eating within a 150 mile radius is more challenging than you would think. We have changed how we eat since then and are not using hardly any carbs, except for occasional indulgences. I have some food canned from the garden and gleaned from other sources as well.

Tonight's dinner is started on the wood stove, a shepherd's pie. The beef is from Winter Creek Ranch in Monroe where the Angus steers are happily raised antibiotic and hormone free on 25 acres. The potatoes and turnips came from the garden there as well (I have connections - my parents own the place) Our mixed vegetables to go in are frozen and canned from our garden. The onions were dried in August and the garlic is from our front yard. I have frozen herbs from our yard as well, I'm thinking some sage, oregano and chives my find their way into the pot. I am heading out to find some local milk, butter and cheese today. I think I kind of cheated for todays post since all of dinner except for the dairy is grown by us or our family, but Im easing into this and using what we have. Now if I can convince my landlords to let us put a dairy cow or two on the 3 acres in the back...then the milk products could be from us too!

Here is the link explaining the dark days challenge and why some of us choose to do these crazy things.

This is how tonight's dinner is starting, I have to have it ready by 3 since James has Taekwando tonight and we won't be home until 7. Since the stove is going today and James and Madilyn already did their chores of bringing in firewood, I figured we would cook on the wood stove as well.

Speaking of my little ones, I had to add these pictures. We unpacked some Christmas things today and found The Nutcracker. Madilyn naturally found her fairy wings, tutu and wand and put on a show.

James sat and watched the entire thing with a smile, leaving me time to sweep the kitchen, make muffins for the kids (sadly, not all local ingredients but at least 1/2 of them were), start dinner and play on my blog (two posts in one day!).

Changing your perspective

2011-12-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?'

'It was great, Dad.'

'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.

'Oh yeah,' said the son.

'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father.

The son answered:

'I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Pass this on to friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation.

'Life is too short and friends are too few.'
Author Tom Baker

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Thanksgiving Catch up

2011-11-27T15:38:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been crazy. James is doing Taekwando two nights a week and loving it. He has moved up from a white belt two levels to a white with green stripe. He has to learn maneuvers and Korean in order to advance in the class. This means I can now count to 10 in Korean, tell you the commands for bow, kick, horse riding stance and attention. I can also say thank you. Madilyn seems to like watching brother and tries to throw punches and kicks from the side lines.

For Thanksgiving we went to my cousin Allyson and Chris' house. James and Madilyn decided to make their own dish to bring - acorns. Madilyn is a sticker peeler, she peeled the labels off of the dishwasher, peels stickers off of toys and everything else. So we harnessed that energy and had her unwrap the Hershey's kisses. Then James glued a nutter butter bite cookie onto the top of it with frosting and a "stem" made of a chocolate chip. What was most amazing was at the end of the day when I asked him to leave a few for the others still at dinner, he wanted to leave them all for everyone else. Scott and I even asked him if he was shure that he didn't want to take any home. He left every one of them but did eat the two broken ones so no one else would have to.

Today is the first Sunday in Advent, meaning that there are only 4 weeks until Christmas. We hosted brunch at Church this morning. Scott has fun cooking biscuits and gravy for everyone. This afternoon is the Advent Faire and dinner. About 20 or so crafts for the holiday, we make a quilt or two for project Linus, Advent Swags and Logs. A short Service and then a Lasagna dinner. It is a good thing we live close to the Church, we are there all day today. I came home to get Madilyn a nap (and hem my new jeans that are a bit too long) and will go back down for craft clean up and service. Also, Scott has been working hard on the Church's website so if you want to come over for any event you are more than welcome to join us. Next event is Game Night this Friday.

Baby #3 is doing well, I am aobut 17 weeks now (40 weeks is when the little one will arrive). According to one website baby is the size of an apple - 4 inches long and about 2.5 ounces. It is funny how something so small can become a walking, talking person in so little time. I have an ultrasound scheduled the end of Dec, so hopefully will put up a good photo of the little Biscuit then, we have a photo but it is grainy and looks like a blob to me since it was done around the 6-8 week time frame. All is well with this one, my blood pressure is normal, still feeling a bit sick but that was how it was with both James and Madilyn and they turned out big, strong and healthy. Doctor Carter says I can continue on with my activities as normal, just no lifting. That is a hard one for me. I had to ask someone to go with me to get hay the other day as I am not supposed to lift the bales. Asking for help is so hard for me. It was fun though, we had time to visit on the way to the off site barn (out of the flood plain) that we usually don't have as we are running different circles. We have been having lots of rain recently and the rivers have been rising. I'm really hoping we can get by this year without a flood. We had to evacuate the horse farm at least 3 times last year. I would like not to have to do it at all this year. Our worst times for floods are usually in Feb/march when the snow pack goes back up. For now, I will keep an eye on the river and keep rubber boots and a change of clothes in the truck.

The Cooks showing off their dish for Thanksgiving.

My messy little wildflower, this is the hair and the smug look we wake up with every day.

James has been composing some music for us recently, when he is not composing he is writing a book.

Eddie Rabbit was nuts

2011-11-11T21:16:00.000-08:00

I love a rainy night

I love to hear the thunder
Watch the lightning
When it lights up the sky
You know it makes me feel good

Well I love a rainy night
It's such a beautiful sight
I love to feel the rain
On my face
To taste the rain on my lips
In the moonlight shadow

Showers washed
All my cares away
I'd wake up to a sunny day
'Cause I love a rainy night

The problem with a rainy night is that it is always preceded by a rainy day in Western Washington. After a day at the barn, I have put at least 8 large pieces of wood on the fire, have 2 sweatshirts on and am still feeling cold. I like the rain, just need a break now and then. Unfortunately we are just starting our rain/flood season here. By the way, tomorrow is not forecast to be a sunny day. Another day of layers of sweatshirts and flannel - the uniform of all Western Washingtonians. Rain gear is for tourists around here.

I think Eddie Rabbit must have grown up in the desert to enjoy the rain enough to write a song about it, or have been crazy.

Little details

2011-11-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the things the kids forget to tell you at the time they happen are pretty important. James often tells me more the day after something happens, often it is information that would be good to know the day of.

Today James decided to color while we were over at Bo and Maylo's house visiting. Not really paying attention to what he was coloring, he asked me what the staff's were for. We just watched The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and there were shepherds in it with staff's so I didn't think much of it. When he said "and this is the fire" I started to question him. Apparently today in Sunday School they learned about Moses. When I asked about how Sunday School was earlier he told me about snack and his friends who were there. Sometimes he really does get something out of it. James drew this picture of Moses - staff and all on top of Mt. Sinai and the fire. He is not quite shure why there was a fire on Mt. Sinai but it was pretty cool to him. He told me that Moses didn't see God, just heard his voice. I think it is cute that Moses has an O shaped mouth, I suppose if God talked to me through a burning bush I would probably have my mouth hanging open too. James then asked me to help him spell out "Moses heard God's Voice" Not too shabby for a 5 year old. I'm going to have to brush up on my bible stories from Sunday School in order to keep up with his conversations. (I had to look up how to spell Sinai too) For the record, Moses has a hat on not a bow, it was hot in the desert so he needed some shade. Still looks kind of like a bow to me.

A strange cold...

2011-11-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Things have been off here for awhile. I have felt pretty sick for a few months. I voluntarily gave up coffee in August, just couldn't stand the taste of it anymore and if I do try to drink it now, I lace it with milk. I had a sinus infection that started it all. I was exhausted after fair and it took a lot longer than normal to recover. I guess college hours don't work well anymore when you are 31. I have read more books in the past months than normal, I am taking time for me finally and trying to catch up on down time. The house is a mess - well that is normal, we have 2 very busy kids and a busy schedule.
I finally went to the Dr in September to get some antibiotics for my sinus infection. Apparently I did have one and they insisted I take a pregnancy test just to be safe since I was going to be taking steroids. I told them that I would before picking up the medications because they wanted $45 for me to take one there. Safeway had them for $8.
Soon after I was in Scott's office, asking if I was reading above mentioned pregnancy test(s) wrong. Yep, we are pregnant again. Baby Morrison #3 is due May 11. James is excited. He wants a boy or a girl or a puppy. I still don't know if he really wanted Madilyn to be a Hippo or not but that was his request when she was in the belly. Some days I really do feel like a zookeeper. Madilyn does not understand that not everyone has a baby in their belly but at least 3 times a day pulls up my shirt to pet my belly shouting "a baby" into my belly. She also does this to dad, herself, brother and Ruby the pony at our friends house.
James figured out that I was pregnant long before we planned to tell him. He is very subtle. He kept asking questions like "Mom, do you remember when Madilyn was in your tummy and you were sick all the time?" "Do you remember when I was in your tummy and when you ate I ate your food through my tummy chord?" Finally we did tell him because he was so dead on with his questions. I sometimes dislike the fact that he is so observant and smart. It was pretty neat though that he put it all together himself.
We are just finishing the first trimester. All is well with baby. I'm not shure how three will work, but in all honesty I was not shure how I would handle having one child five years ago.

Letting go

2011-10-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

I learned the hardest lesson of all so far on the journey of motherhood. I had to learn to let James do things himself. For years I have worked towards not holding his hand and not feeling the need to hover nearby so that I can help him up. I still was not ready for that day.
Today he told me "It's OK Mom. You taught me to be safe and do this. I can go by myself." I watched him walk out to the farthest field with a tractor nearby, horses and vehicles everywhere and work as one with the adults on the fences. He was very safe about the whole thing and actually did fix the fence correctly. Watching him walk away was the hardest. How come no one was around to hold my hand while he was walking away as an independent young man.

Somehow I don't think this is the last time he will walk away from me. I just hope he remembers to come back to hold my hand once in a while.

Birthay boy

2011-10-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is not the child I remember putting to bed last night. He is supposed to be tiny, still in diapers and in need of cuddles. Today he is a strong, independent young man. He knows most of his letters, has a vivid imagination and can talk up a storm. He is starting to try to put together words on pages of books and writes everything that he can. He loves all things boy - cars, fire trucks and trains. Today our son is five.

To celebrate his birthday we went to Stocker's corn maze last weekend, we started Taekwondo with Master Ahn in Mukilteo an adventure to Baringer farms with friends and we had a family dinner last night. There is a kids party Sunday after Church as we did not think Papa would make it through that. Carrot cake, salmon and potatoes were the birthday boy's request.

He got a new big boy bike. Shreck green of course.

Not to be outdone, Madilyn had to put on her tutu and show off during the party.

This is the little boy I remember tucking into bed at night. Somehow it seems like yesterday that he was this small.

You know you are a mom when...

2011-10-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

You go to put on your boots and you find an apple core and dirty little sock in your left boot.
A one legged man and a matchbox car in the right boot.
Looks like both kids were playing with my shoes again. At least Madilyn didn't hide a plum or more squishy fruit in the toe of my boot.

You find a half eaten apple put BACK in the refrigerator
You vacuum and it fills 1/2 the bag.
You spend over an hour cleaning up so you can vacuum and then the house looks the same as when you started cleaning.
Laundry includes checking pockets for worms, sticks and rocks. Change and Kleenex would be a welcome find!

I am shure those of you who are moms and dads could fill in many blanks of the odd things you find as a parent.

Pausing in the chaos

2011-09-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

We have been busy here. I still feel like I am moving slowly, fair has finished but my living room still houses record books, ribbons and the forgotten brushes. Though the show season is winding down we are in fast mode, planning a spring show, A few friends and I are taking a class this weekend from WSU so that we can better teach the kids in the beef program and the obligatory post fair meetings are starting up in October. Winter months are for education, teaching the volunteers and kids. Somehow it seems busier than the fair. In all this, I still find time to play with ponies, try to keep up with the yard and garden and I got a free day to take the kids on the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry.

It was an unexpected day off. Plans changed as they often do. It was nice to have a day to pause and let the kids explore the beach and ferry. Though it was cold and windy most of our time on the ferry was spent on the "sun deck" though I wonder why they call it that being that the ferry's are in Washington and probably don't see much sun.

The kids were glued to the window at the Edmonds dock, they were doing construction and there were lots of diggys on barges working. Once we pulled out of the dock they headed out side to the deck.

And of course after an adventure like that we had to have ice cream.

We found an old wooden boat and played in it for awhile. All told our adventure ran us up $15 for the walk on ticket on the ferry and the ice cream (we packed a lunch). Not bad for an all day adventure.

For Papa's birthday on Sept 9th we took a picnic dessert and went to the Swift night out in Monroe. Every year the swifts use the chimney in an old elementary school as a stopping point on their migration. The night we were there they counted 15,000 (there is a camera on the left of the chimney to count with). In a matter of minutes, they all swoop down the chimney. I am not shure how they do it without crashing into each other.

Of course Dad had lots of stories to tell and wore his best hat for his party.

Heat Wave

2011-09-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Everybody knows the perfect way to sneak into the chicken coop is naked with your pink cowboy boots on.

Buckets become hats on hot days (I know above 80 is nothing for some of you out there, but in WA we are still drying out our webbed feet from this "summer" so 80 is hot)

Sunflower plantings become forests where diggys to unearth treasure (rocks).

We ham it up for the camera

I got these sunflower seeds from Mr. Bob of Alien Sunflowers They are amazing!! All sorts of colors and sizes. It was also nice to support a local guy who is doing some fun cross pollinating with his flowers.

Hot days in Western Washington call for accessories like hats!

The cucumbers are loving this heat, now if I would remember to water them more often we would have tons.

A quick snapshot of the garden, a lot has been harvested and some more seeds have been added for a fall crop. This week we canned 5 quarts of Pickles, 7 pints of pickled Spaceship Squash, froze 2 gallons of Kohlrabi and 3 gallons of cubed Squash for stews and soups. Tomorrow I will be making Zucchini Salsa. We have also been eating our dinners out of the garden every night. Summer dinners are so easy.

Fair Photos

2011-09-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Roping is very serious business you know...

Our beef program kids this year.

The kids and cows all got cleaned up and put on a great show.

We worked hard to look our best

and concentrated very hard on the judge.

Cow olympics was fun, and tried the abilities of a cow to the max

Uncle Brian learned how to rope.

Our little cowboy slept with his new rope.

Fair

2011-08-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

I love the fair. I love everything about the fair. I love getting a chance to let others peek in on this lifestyle I have always been a part of. I love how incredibly friendly everyone is. I love how the kids have this great air of confidence and authority, resting their heads on the rumps of their tired cows, tugging on their stubborn goats, cuddling their bunnies and cats, wearing their fancy new Western shirts and pressed jeans. I love how totally nonchalant they are when they win a ribbon, but after the show they run through the barn to show it off to their friends (both two legged and four legged). I love how they sit around in the barn in camp chairs playing cards and eating elephant ears and gossiping. I love how serious and proud they are. I love all of my kids and their families. They are what makes all this possible this coming week.

For now the barn has a eerie hush, it smells of fresh sawdust and vinyl. Last night I sat in it quietly - soaking in the stillness. On Wednesday we haul in the animals and the fun begins. Our numbers are way down (half of what they were last year) but for the kids who are coming there will be an excellent show because of all of our wonderful volunteers that make this possible.

James is excited to show this year. He will be in the roping contest and cardboard cow showmanship. This year is extra special as Uncle Brian and Aunt Donna are flying here to watch him show. If you ask him, that is the whole reason for his visit. He has a lactating cow and somewhere between 1-4 calves to exhibit depending on the day and the butcher's schedule. Apparently we eat cardboard cows now too. I love his imagination and excitement to be involved in something that I loved so much as a kid.

Perfection is over rated

2011-08-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, this about sums up my life, I am always striving to be better
at things, but I need to focus on the positive among bad days.
I kind of like this one...it seems to fit my life.

A quick update from the farm

2011-08-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

The other day I traded 2 jars of pickles for six 8' tall tomato plants, got a zucchini in trade for one of the tomatoes and found some firewood for free. Gotta love the barter system some days!

This is a Kohlrabi growing in the garden, they look kind of alien like but taste pretty good. James loves to peel them, the skin is easy to peel when they are young and it comes off leaving bumps on the back side.

Auntie Shelly and Aslyn came to visit Washington, we had a WHOLE day of playing with them.

Even though Logan and James are raised miles and miles away, they still like the same things. Boxes, diggys, trains, mole hills and slides.

This is a quick snapshot of the garden. Not as much as usual thanks to the wet spring and the deer, but it is feeding us pretty well. Last night we had a rainbow stir fry, purple cabbage, yellow squash, kohlrabi, garlic scape's, onion and kale.

We have been visiting Auntie May May and playing in her wading pool a bit this summer.

Soon, in 14 days fair will start and we will have company. Aunt Donna and Uncle Brian are flying in to see James and Madilyn show their cardboard cows. If you ask James, that is the whole reason for their visit.

Things have been busy around here, I cant believe how fast the summer is going by. James is still in swim lessons (4 weeks this year), Madilyn is talking more and more every day and is getting really good at imitating people. James and Madilyn started going to school one day a week at Mrs. Diana's house in May. I have known the family for many years, I used to show cows with Mrs. Diana's kids. James loves that they get to see cows and pigs (as if he never sees them) and Madilyn loves Brynn, a little girl her age there. Both kids start hollering Diana, Diana as we pull in the drive and they run off to play as soon as I get them out of the car. Some days it is a struggle to bring them home, they like it so much.

Scott is taking vacation time for fair so that he can help out with the kids. He is an amazing dad and is always willing to help out with the kids whenever I need to go into work early. His newest project is fixing up an older lawn tractor so that we can use it to mow the yard, till the garden and other such chores. I am preparing for fair and trying to keep up with laundry, house cleaning and the farm. It has been a wet year and we have been searching for a good hay source here in Western Washington for the horse farm. Kim picked up some really nice hay yesterday - lets hope that they can bale some more soon!! Usually by now we are on second and third cutting for local hay, some fields still have not grown enough for first cutting yet. Somehow our wonderful kids adapt to our crazy schedule and don't seem to mind all of our running around. I guess if they were born into this crazy schedule it seems kind of normal for them.

Swim Lessons

2011-07-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

A girl has to accessorize - with mom's sunglasses of course. I have no idea why they are always covered in fingerprints!

Anxiously awaiting the beginning of swim lessons.

I'm not shure what he is doing here, but he was having fun!

James and his new friend Noah, they both love to splash each other and play when they should be listening.

This is Ms. Stephanie, telling the boys to wait. Yes, that is James jumping in the pool just behind her. She has her hands full with this class of boys.

Date Night?

2011-07-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

It is 11:30 on a Saturday Night, and what are we doing? Installing a new toilet! Boy do we know how to have fun. Since I decided to open up my hand (and have it stitched back together - a long story), I am a plumbers helper, fetching towels, praying that things don't drip on carpet and hoping by some miracle that the grass grows really fast by tomorrow so that everyone does not see a pink toilet in my front yard on their way to Church. We live just about half mile from Church.
The new toilet is white by the way. So far it seems to work well and not leak like the pink one.

A family Vacation

2011-07-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

We flew kites in the wind.

We ran on the SANDY beach for hours.

Brother ran after Uncle Kelly and Aunt Sue's dog Boogie but he never could catch him. Both Boogie and James napped well.

Uncle Kelly found my camera...

We made sand castles with cousins.

and lots of footprints on the beach.

We learned how Cranberries grow and are harvested - Did you know it takes up to four years to get the first crop?

A planned potty break in South Bend also was a visit to the county courthouse, my Uncle Kelly's grandfather made this dome window in the foyer, it is probably ten feet across.

Daddy and Madilyn walked many miles this weekend.

A recovered glass window in my family's cabin. The roundels (round things) are all hand blown glass balls, then the ball is transferred to another pipe and they are spun in the opposite direction to collapse them.

The kids ran on the beach some more...

Then we went to meet Papa and Uncle Kelly's charter boat. Both caught 2 salmon apiece. Papa is in the suspenders waving and Uncle Kelly is in the center of the boat with a tan baseball hat on.

Uncle Kelly's neighbors have a really cool fence and a tree with floats hanging on it too.

This is the outside of the courthouse in South Bend where we saw the glass window... there are many ornate carvings and paintings inside.

James spent hours looking through the binoculars with his tongue out.

The staircase is a huge library in my cousins' cabin...if only I had time to read, there were so many things to do in Long Beach.

The cabin was filled with newspaper articles, art and fun things. You could spend hours looking at all of the things there.

The bedrooms all had murals on the wall that Kelly's grandmother painted for a play this room is the "happy cat" room.

A head count at dinner Saturday was sixteen cousins, aunts and uncles. It was lots of fun, my first time to the family cabin and hopefully there will be many more trips to Long Beach. The sand was fun, food was good and time with cousins was even better. I really enjoyed the small community and the drive there was long but beautiful. Uncle Brian and Aunt Donna saved us (unknowingly) with their care packages that they send, I had stashed a few things they sent to pull out on the four hour drive. Car Bingo was a hit, a few new books and activity kits. The kids did great with such a long drive and only one stop each way!

The week in pictures - a few weeks late

2011-06-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

We went to Nana and Papa's for Nana's birthday party. I think Ben (the bear) is regretting us having children, Madilyn bounced on him for a good 15 min or so. Ben made it through many card games, make believe and dress up episodes with both Meghan and I. He is in pretty good shape for being over 20 years old!

James went fishing with Papa at Lost Lake. Yes, that is a trout at the top of the photo!! It was huge.

Scott and James worked hard on riding a bike with no training wheels.

It only took a day of following closely and now he is riding everywhere, up and down hills, across lawns, a few skinned knees and elbows...why did we teach him this again?

Madilyn has a new obsession with the sand pile. She LOVES to dig in there and throw it in her hair

The kids were excited to make red muffins - pureed beets in zucchini bread. An added bonus is that the beets added some sweetness so I only put in one cup of sugar for a double recipe! And the kids ate them all up quickly.

Our first Chard of the season got eaten tonight with the trout.

A mystery plant - I think Broccoli. It is going to seed, along with some carrots. I am experimenting a bit this year to see if I can save my own seeds. It is a two year process so we will see if it is worth it at the end of the summer.

Stay at home moms

2011-06-09T23:55:00.000-07:00

I found this online today - somehow this doesnt sound too far off from what goes on at our house.

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?' She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world do I do all day?' 'Yes,' was his incredulous reply. She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.

Blessings in odd places

2011-05-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

Where do you find your blessings? Today I am thankful for a busy, non rainy day. Being Western Washington, we were expecting rain. I am thankful for a loving family, friends and a home. Blessings can be big or small, the tulips still blooming in my yard or the safety of a family. Blessings are all around us, we just need to open our hearts and eyes to them. Even in the lousiest day there has to be some good.

Today we had a play date with James' future wife (one of them, there are several but don't tell her). Her younger sister and Madilyn. We spend most of the day outdoors, riding bikes, running up and down hills, adventuring beneath decks, playing in the sandbox, watching farm animals, picking up and lugging around cats and butchering chickens. Yes, you read that right, we butchered chickens on a play date - it is Snohomish remember. A friend who I have known for over half my life needed some help learning to butcher. We grew up in 4-H together and have so many fun memories of fair, showing cows, not showing some crazy British White cows and now our children get along so well it is almost scary. James talks about "his girls" for weeks after seeing them. Though we spent years learning about cattle, she never had meat birds before. Somehow she knew to call me and ask for help. She had two Cornish cross chickens given to her this spring. Cornish cross chickens are meat birds, they have a hard time walking and keeping up with flock as they get bigger. If it is hot they will actually die of heat exhaustion due to an abnormally small internal system that can not support their body. They have been modified for generations to feed us - we ended up with 8 pound carcasses. The really fun part of the day was when James' future wife wanted to learn what was inside the chicken. She has a human body parts book and was very interested in the inner workings of a bird. James has been very interested in Temple Grandin recently, she designed humane and low stress handling chutes for cattle and other livestock. I took this opportunity to teach some of those methods as well. We talked about respecting the animal for its gift to us, we caught them very gently - no chasing. Tonight at dinner, James said a chicken prayer, thanking God for the bird who helped us by giving us meat, and for the other chickens who's job it is to give us eggs. My friend and I talked about the turkeys she is raising for Thanksgiving, and the possibility of heritage birds that would be a bit hardier than the Cornish crosses for next year. She is working on knowing more of where her food sources are coming from as well as planting a giving garden at her Church in Everett. As we educate others, the ripples slowly spread out to more and more people. I'm not shure how her girls will feel about this event today later in life, but I feel it is important to know ones food source, and respect it, every last part of it. She very generously shared one of her birds with us. We had a big dinner, enough for lunches tomorrow, dinner tomorrow, lunch Sat and probably chicken soup on Sunday. What a blessing!!

Our meat bird, in my biggest cooking pan, all eight pounds of it. We rubbed it with Basil, Salt, Cayenne, pepper and garlic. The pan is 9X18!

Somehow I ended up with these chicken glasses, they are a little bigger than a shot glass. I'm not shure if they came from my Great Aunt Greta or my Grandmother. Both were grandmas to me, both taught me alot about canning, gardening, and respecting where we live. They did not actually teach me lessons, they just showed it. They were always ready to feed an extra mouth, planted a bit extra in the garden to help others out and always had advice on life and my misadventures. I miss them both so very much but find myself doing things that they did. I stopped the other day as I found myself packing an extra cup and snacks to go to the barn - for who I did not know but it is something my Aunt Greta always did too. When we got to the barn one of James friends was there, good thing I did take an extra cup. But back to the chicken glasses, I ramble a lot sometimes... the other night James was building a house in the back yard and I loaded up four of these with a bit of tapioca and we had a fun dessert in the back yard.

Mothers day we went to May May's house, where she lives now there is a green belt behind her house and in the middle of it is a playground. Dad spent quite a bit of time playing on the slides with the kids. He still is taking James fishing almost once a week and is promising to take Madilyn when she is potty trained and brother is in school. We are so fortunate to have Papa and Nana living close by.

Daddy and James spent some time doing puzzles, Scott is such a good caring dad as I type this, he is getting the kids off to bed, something that he does regularly every night.

Madilyn had to have one last slide, even though she was too tired to crawl up the stairs another time. Her new favorite thing is swinging and sliding. Today at our friends house she climbed their slide all by herself, we later blocked the ladder with a wagon to keep her off of it. FYI she is now in a big girl bed too, there was no more keeping her in a crib.

In a world where we seem to focus on the negative and are quick to criticize, take a moment and think on the blessings, big and small. Sometimes the smallest things are easy to over look but they bring you the most joy in the end. Now, I'm off to read with my kids, I am so blessed to have two little ones who love to read.

A Horse Virus

2011-05-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

Things have been a bit busy around here, this is more of an informative post for those who do read this blog, not so much about the kids or our personal farm at the moment.
There has been an outbreak of a horse virus in our area and many other states from New Mexico to the Northwest. It can be spread to camelids and horses, it does not spread to humans. It spreads quite rapidly (affected horse contact was between April 28-May 8) and there are 3 confirmed cases in Washington as of tonight, one of which is in Snohomish at the moment.
WSU released this information today
The State Vet sent out this letter two days ago,
The horse.com wrote up this, detailing the widespread area affected by this virus.

Today the 4-H program made the decision to halt all horse events in the state until this is under control.
The Paint Horse Assoc has cancelled shows.
Several barns I know of are under voluntary quarantine.
I bleached all of our shoes and am doing laundry before clothes comes into the house to prevent contamination. (our washer is in the garage)
I have hopes that this will not be as big as some predict it may be.

Hemp History Week

2011-05-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

My purchases today, hemp oil, half price crimini mushrooms, tomatoes and a recycled/recyclable toothbrush. All organic and sustainably farmed the produce normally goes for 3.99 a pound but since it was 1/2 off, it was actually cheaper than what you would find at a grocery.

This is the "mother" I bought today to make kombucha. A fermented tea drink that has many health benefits, it is semi sweet and has a light vinegar aroma to it. The mother was $15, so it was definitely a splurge but an 8 oz jar of prepared kombucha runs $4.99 in the stores. The website claims that at home you can make it for 50 cents a gallon, so lets hope it pays off soon!

My yogurt cup toothbrush, it is made from all recycled plastics and even comes in a pre-paid envelope so that you can recycle it when you are done in 3 months. They have all sorts of things that have been recycled, Tupperware, cooking gear, razors, toothpicks... it is a fun website.

Now on to the title of this post...
I was shopping for olive oil today and saw a flyer for Hemp History Week, naturally I thought of high school boys behind the gym, stupid old movies and a big maple leaf shaped plant.
Apparently hemp is grown for other purposes that are completely legal. This is what I found out about it - and I totally plagiarized off of the hemp website to bring you this information.

Hemp seeds are a nearly perfect food source. High in digestible protein, healthy Omega essential fatty acids (EFAs) and naturally occurring minerals, hemp seeds are also free of gluten and other common allergens such as those found in soy, dairy, peanuts and tree-nuts.

Nutrition and medical experts agree that including EFAs (the "good" fats) in your diet can have important health benefits, including improved heart health, brain function (especially in children), skin conditions such as eczema and immune function. However, as our bodies do not produce EFAs, we need to obtain them through our food.

Hemp seeds have a perfectly balanced 1:3 ratio of naturally occurring Omega-3 and Omega-6 EFAs for our body. And unlike other seeds and nutritional oils, such as flax and fish oil, hemp seeds also contain Super Omega-3 Stearidonic Acid (SDA) and Super Omega-6 Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) in nutritionally relevant amounts that help to reduce inflammation and improve mental functioning, as well as make up for potentially impaired fatty acid metabolism.

Additionally, hemp oil's Omega-3 EFAs and vitamin E content make it an ideal ingredient for body care products. The EFAs soothe and restore skin in salves and creams and give excellent emolliency and a smooth after-feel to lotions, lip balms, conditioners, shampoos and soaps.

Hemp fiber is one of the strongest natural fibers on Earth. Hemp also offers greater breath ability than cotton, which accounts for nearly 25% of pesticide use. Hemp can be grown without any pesticides or agricultural chemicals and is a non-toxic source of fiber for clothing that is gaining popularity among leading designers. The strength of hemp fiber makes it a favorite for specialty paper, popular in today's ecologically conscious marketplace. Paper pulp made from hemp hurds (the woody core fiber) is superior to short-fiber wood and is an ideal additive to strengthen recycled post-consumer waste (PCW) pulp, thus expanding PCW's use.

Today, millions of cars built by Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Lotus, Mercedes Benz and BMW contain hemp composites for door panels. Energy efficient homes are built with hemp concrete, which helps sequester carbon and retail stores are using hemp fiberboard displays. Imagine a future where hemp is just another useful material for all kinds of earth-friendly products.

Knowing where our food comes from and how it is processed has never been more important to consumers. Hemp can be grown organically and aids in weed suppression and soil building, making it a favored rotation crop for farmers where it's grown. With the U.S. hemp industry growing rapidly and sustainably, U.S. farmers want an opportunity to grow this once crop again, and American hemp manufacturers want a domestic supply of hemp seed.

Now you know more than you ever wanted to about about hemp, its uses and benefits other than to smoke it. I learned a lot today.
Trying some hemp oil over sweet potatoes tonight, Made a soup with mushrooms and tomatoes, then I will start my "mother" kombucha and brush my teeth with yogurt cups. Have I taken this green/organic thing too far?
...hope I don't get a random drug test at work tomorrow.

The beginnings of a harvest

2011-05-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Our first "harvest" this morning, chives and Kale, the bottom of the sink full. The kale will be turned into chips and another bunch is already in our quinoa and miso stew for lunch. I made my first attempt at sushi for tonight. The rolling is pretty tricky especially without a bamboo mat. I made it with carrots, chives, bell peppers and kale. We will see how it goes - chicken stir fry and leftover miso stew for dinner. Not all is local, but some is from our yard - I just wish it would quit raining so I can get to planting. It is MAY and I still have yet to till the garden due to all the rain. My sun room corner is full of cabbages, bock choy, leeks, tomatoes and many unidentified plants due to my helpers re-labeling the pots. I think I will use tape on the individual pots to identify the next batch - the sticks move around too much. My tomatoes look strangely like Endive.

The Snohomish Farmers Market starts up on Thursday - Yeah!!! Now we will have a family date night once a week, they have cooking demos, fun vendors, music and a kids tent. Summer has to be coming soon.

Fishing Day

2011-05-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Madilyn figured that if brother drinks his juice this way, then it is the best way to do it. Then she promptly soaked the front of her shirt.

James fishing to the left of Papa.

James fishing to the right of Papa

Third time is a charm, he finally got Papa all to himself.

Brother nervously watching from the other side of the "pond" as Madilyn fishes for the first time.

Learning how to reel in the line - she was a pro by the end of the fishing time.

Hey there guys, it will be quicker if I jump in and catch one.

Today was the spring expo at the fairgrounds in Monroe. We wandered around, looked at a bunch of things and ended up at the Les Schwab fishing pond. My Dad is a member of the local fisher mans club so he was there to help the kids catch fish. James had a blast, I packed ice and a small cooler so we could bring our fish home. Somehow James ended up fishing 3-4 times and we came home with seven trout! (you are supposed to go through once) Madilyn caught her first fish today too. Then we went to the heritage museum on the fairgrounds and spent over an hour there playing with the trains, grinding corn and experimenting with all sorts of old tools and tractors.

The Farming side of Farming Mom

2011-04-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

Today I re-potted many seedlings. Bock Choy, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Lettuces and some Leeks. I watched the kids play in the never ending septic dig that is my backyard. Last year we had our septic system redone in the front of the house and ever since James has been building his own septic in the back (don't worry, I didn't let him hook up any pipes). Soon, the kids are soaking wet thanks to a leaky gutter, covered in mud and having a great time. Within an hour or so of being outside, both are naked, running around in the yard, up to see the chickens and rolling in the dirt that should be planted as a garden. Thanks to a very wet spring, not much is planted yet.

While the kids were running around, I was able to reflect on a meeting I had this week. The Snohomish County Growers Alliance is making the movement of whole, sustainable and local food much easier in the county. In the next eighteen months, a year round farmers market with a commercial kitchen will be built in Everett (less than 8 miles away). It will provide local vendors a place to sell things seasonally as well as educate the customers in ways to prepare the food bought. Did you know that you can not cook grass fed beef the same as grain fed? If you do, the grass fed will be tough and taste like an old shoe.
There is also a trend towards agritourism - this is a new "hot" word, such as sustainable, local and whole foods.

Here is the description of the "new" words in agriculture
Sustainable:
Capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage sustainable development

Local/locavores
The locavore movement is a movement in the United States and elsewhere that spawned as interest in sustainability and Eco-consciousness become more prevalent. Those who are interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market, are called "locavores."

Relating to a city, town, or district rather than a larger area: state/country

Agritourism
Tourism in which tourists board at farms or in rural villages and experience farming at close hand.

Whole Foods
Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients

Isn't this what farmers have been doing all along? We welcome anyone to our table, try to find local sources for marketing our product and keep it as fresh as possible. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great trend in our society, especially with food contamination issues and pesticide practices in other countries. But really, isn't this what the farmer has been doing all along until the demand for "perfect" food came into play? Apples were only waxed and modified because the consumer wanted them that way, chemicals applied to crops because heaven forbid, there might be a bug in the cabbage. Maybe, just maybe this trend of locavores is a revolt of those who are tired of the perfect produce and just wanting to know that their food was raised honestly, ethically and by someone who cares for them as a consumer - something that is hard to do in mass farming. But without mass farming, food prices will go sky high. Mass farming allows us to be able to buy apples for under a dollar a pound, something I appreciate very much.

This is a constant battle in my brain, go with the bargain that is easier on the checkbook or the locally produced food which is generally a bit higher. As a rule of thumb, I try to buy somewhat local, and produced in the US. Some things just cant be grown in Washington. I am by no means a locavore, just someone who is aware of where our food comes from. We buy things from other countries, out of season fruits and veggies, but there is a point to sustaining our local economy first...

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

We got dressed up for Church in new clothes from Mr Bob and Mrs Melody.

We felt like a princess.

We took silly pictures - somehow he this pose makes him look cuter.

We had an Easter egg hunt on Saturday and learned that the proper way to hunt eggs is while being pulled in a wagon by Nana while throwing the eggs over the side.

Then pick them back up again.

Papa spent some time helping James put together a new race car.

We wished Bo and Maylo a happy Easter before Church where we hunted more eggs and ate brunch. After Church we went out to Nana and Papa's for a late lunch, playing and relaxing.

A quick update

2011-04-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach with Nana and May May for spring break.

James likes to "help" Madilyn walk. Madilyn likes to do it herself!

James loved looking at things with the binoculars, one day we saw an otter run across the yard in front of the cabin.

Madilyn really liked the water, especially when the wind died down one night, she was able to enjoy the beach.

I broke down and gave Madilyn pig tails, her hair is falling into her eyes so much the she is constantly blowing it out of her face.

James decided to ride his wagon down the hill from Bo's shop. I asked that he get a helmet first. He did pretty good, only tipped over twice.

We planted an apple tree today - or was it runaway broccoli? James kept changing what kind of plant he was. Regardless the kids had fun planting each other, snacking and running around naked today.

James had to taste test a carrot, this one was white and tasted like dirt, maybe because he didn't take the time to wash it off first?

The carrots are growing, the size of a number two pencil now!

You might be a redneck if...

2011-04-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

dueling banjos is your theme music.

Today my husband commented on my redneck side. I am off to help with a clinic with powder river panels strapped to the top of the cab and back end of the truck (truck bed is 8 ft, panels are slightly larger). The truck with a bent fender, rust and moss on it. The truck with a "Beef its what's for dinner" and "Hug a farmer if you have fed your kids" bumper stickers. The truck with more baling wire, bungees and tape holding things together than actual factory parts. The truck that I LOVE. The beast has been in my life since 1987, I learned how to drive in it, learned how to tow a trailer and work. More and more in my life I am becoming comfortable with who I am. Not worrying about labels, peeling paint and status so much as functionality, practicality and my happieness. So, just in case you were wondering, there is no minivan in my future. I will stick with my redneck beast of a truck.

Here are a few redneck jokes for you today, but somehow they seem kind of normal for me...
You might be a redneck if:
You wash your tires more than your boots.
Your barn is cleaner than your house.
You think four wheel drive is standard on all vehicles.
You have ever stolen toilet paper (it is a long story - trust me)
Someone says "Is it supposed to look like that" when looking at your truck
Every window in your home is covered in nose and kid hand prints
Your birthstone is 5/8 - gravel (hint, hint SCOTT this is what I would like for mothers day)
You don't notice power outages

Discussions with Madilyn II

2011-04-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

I hear that mud packs are good for your skin, it keeps the wrinkles away.

I was not playing in the compost, potting soil and seedlings, I promise. Brother's shirt made me do it.

I think these jumps are set a bit high for me, but this sand is amazing stuff to throw.

Mom tells me that these things are edible, that if I would quit dumping out the seedlings in the sun room, we would have more plants growing than this. The dirt is so much fun to play in.

Supposedly this pokey thing produces raspberries - one of my favorites.

Mom says I have to go now and take a bath, or two.

What we've been up to

2011-03-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

My Christmas Cactus decided to bloom, a little late. I have horrible luck with these and am amazed it has lived for 2 years now!

Scott helped by hauling compost to the pile, and picked up a hitchhiker.

Madilyn dug in the dirt (and ate some)

We helped Maylo dig rhubarb to sell - we gave up when we had 20 plants potted and boxed.

James dug a drainage ditch in the back yard. I have no idea why we don't have grass...

It has been a rare week in western Washington, it has been sunny and great, we have even gotten above 60 degrees. The kids "helped" me weed some carrots, chard and broccoli we overwintered in the garden the other day. Somehow it ended with a dirt war, some of the garden weeded, naked kids, a water bucket, chickens chasing us through the fence, lots of laundry and two very tired kids at nap time.

This weekend we are going to a benefit show for a local man who has cancer. There is a silent auction and classes for jumping horses. It is hosted by Capstone training, I worked for them a bit before Madilyn was born and they are such a good family. James was running the jumps with Bella (the dog) on Wednesday when we stopped by the barn for a visit. Lets hope for sunny weather Saturday. I will bring my new camera and get some good photos. Or at least get to play around with it and figure out some more settings and what they mean.

I hope it rains on Sunday though, I have a six hour class for CPR and First Aid and it will be much easier to sit through it if it is raining.

Nourishing oneself

2011-03-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

A while ago I began the process of re-doing our diet, while we still eat out at times, we eat more whole foods now than before. Less processed, less packaging (at times) and less sodium, fat, and more fiber, nutrients and taste. Tonight for dinner, I made lentil "burgers" cooked lentils with unsalted roasted peanuts, a few eggs, bran and an onion to hold it together, put it on a whole wheat pita bread and it was really good. On the side, homemade sauerkraut, pickles, blue cheese, and corn. For dessert (which is a rare thing for us)...leftover smoothie from this afternoon which I froze in to "ice cream".

Everyone knows you eat a hole in the middle of the cone, then dump it out.

"Ice cream" made with raspberries, oranges, milk and beets.

Yummy!

Really? There are beets in there?

Hmm, not bad! He even asked for seconds. I did not tell him at snack time that I had put beets in his smoothie. They were left over from last year and in the freezer, a sneaky way to add some extra nutrients and color in to snacks.

Speaking of sneaking in greens, my Kale in the sun room is over 4" tall, soon our garden will dry out and I can plant... I'm starting to get the itch to garden. Soon it will be added to smoothies, stir fry's, soups and stews. I can hardly wait. Store bought veggies are good, but there is no comparison for fresh from your own yard.

Rainy days

2011-03-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

What? Do you mean the boots are supposed to stay ON my feet?

But I had a lot of fun stomping in the mud.

When brother and I came in from playing, we needed a bath,

A snack (yes, the apple IS as big as her head)

and a story before nap time.

Living in Western Washington, you either have to accept the fact that you will get wet or stay inside. We went out to play for a bit this morning. The kids had fun, while they were eating lunch and napping I did laundry. Somehow the mud, rain and water keep them well entertained even though it is a bit cold. I took the kids coats off as they were going to get soaked anyhow, one less thing to wash.

I'm still trying to get used to my camera, I do much better at outdoor photos. I did start to read the directions but it is hard to find the time between playing with the kids.

I also am in the process of doing our taxes - I am not a math person, so I have decided to run away to a foreign country so that I don't have to file taxes. I'm not shure it will work, but it certainly sounds better than filing taxes with the help of a four and one year old.

I have alot to learn

2011-03-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

Madilyn our little wildflower, wild hair and wild personality.

When you have a big brother, you play with the big trucks, not girl toys. This is a favorite of both kids.

So, I think this is a cute smile? Right mom?

And more in character for James - clowning around.

I have been on a buying frenzy this last week - I bought 4 things for myself! Last week in a state of panic I ran out to buy jeans Saturday night and bought 3 pairs (one in Carhartt brown, black and blue) since my only pair of work jeans became no longer decent to wear and my "good" jeans were in the wash and I needed something to wear for Church in the morning. Down went $100, but the jeans will last a long time. Then this week while browsing Costco ads, a camera was on sale with $40 off. I have been looking for one for awhile. What I would like is running around $1200 and since I will probably never do anything professionally I got a mid-range camera. I got a Nikon camera for half of what it should have been based on Nikon web site prices. Judging by the above photos, I have alot to learn. I dont know why some photos are yellowed, and some are really bright. I have no idea what the little pictures on the menu screen mean and I certanly did not read the direction book - all 142 pages - before I started playing. I am so excited to have a camera again.

Maybe I should read a few pages...

College hours

2011-03-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Last night was wild and crazy, Scott and I stayed up late (11:00). Not an hour later, we were joined by two others in bed along with about 6 or so animals. Somehow I ended up on the loveseat in the living room and was back up by 5am. Chugged down 2 pots of coffee and was on my way for the day.

Now this sounds like quite a night, had it been ten years ago I probably have kept those hours in college. Truth be told, today I am dragging bad. I also took the kids to the doctor today. Both are not feeling well, and slept with us and a few stuffed animals (we need a bigger bed if this is to be repeated). Madilyn has another ear infection, James just has a cold. Lets hope the antibiotics kick in fast for Madilyn, she is very crabby. James has quite the cold, but should be getting better within the week. I really liked the dr we saw today at the clinic - he told me the best thing for the kids was to have them outside in the fresh air so that they wouldnt be reinfecting themselves by breathing stale air. Now if it would stop raining, we could go outside.

I got a dollar

2011-03-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

I got a dollar hey hey hey!
Last night I got my seed order from Baker Creek, and a dollar! Apparently my math was off by a dollar, so on my shipping invoice they stapled a dollar bill. I wish I had a camera to take a photo of it for you. It is so odd to see that, most companies give you a credit or something like that. Baker creek is family run and operated and it is so nice to be supporting such a business. The seeds are all non GMO, heirloom - some that I ordered traced back to the Jefferson plantation and the 1800's. Preserving seeds such as these is critical especially with the roundup ready beets and other such GMO crops that have come into the public light recently. The nutritional value and historical value of Baker Creek's seeds is such a cool thing for plant nerds like me.
When I am done drooling over my seeds (the savoy cabbage is supposed to hit 8 lb minimum), and replanting my garden in my head (again) we are heading to the library for story time today. I haven't been able to go for awhile since I was watching a few extra kids who needed to be at school at this time. I hope they do something fun today as it is Dr. Seuss' birthday. If not, we are reading some of his books at nap time for shure. He wrote 44 books - I think we have almost all of them! If he were still alive he would have been 104 today.

Name that book (answers hidden in the comment section - don't cheat)
1. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...
2. A person's a person, no matter how small.
3. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
4. From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere

Madilyn has also been "talking" alot recently - not actual words yet but a constant babble all day long. Scott swears she went to the fridg the other day and said "I'm hungry now" and I understand words like stinky, brother, car, Mama, and every time the garage door opens, she runs for the back door yelling Dada!

The little pictures

2011-02-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

Small things that matter to me right now:

It is sunny and I have clothes drying outside.
I have an Italian plum tree to plant thanks to a friend.

I just started my OWN pot of coffee.

The house is quiet. Almost too quiet.

I am going on an adventure to the bookstore and hardware store by myself today.

Dad took James yesterday and Mom and Dad took both kids today (I hardly know what to do with myself!)

The truck does not need as much repair as we feared.
I hope to re-dig the ditch today, weed and compost the front gardens.
There are not enough hours for what I want to accomplish today.
I'm starting to think it is time to start seeds in the sun room.
There is a new seed catalog on the table.
I mailed my seed order for my valentines day present, Scott bought parts for his diggy for valentines.
I have a good husband who never fails to see the humor in things, even when it drives me crazy.
James is such a great brother, he is SO excited to move into his new room with Madilyn.

I received a flat of primroses from Marilyn the other day - My entry to the house is so colorful now!

Dad brought me a bag of onion starts yesterday - they say free on them in his handwriting, but James said they came from the hardware store.

I am starting shopping for a new camera, ours broke months ago - any suggestions?
I need to mow the lawn soon (well, the lawn patches James hasn't dug up yet)
A friend sent us some pictures she took at Madilyn's Baptism last year, they were such a gift.
The bulbs are starting to come up - my miniature daffodils have bloom buds starting!
Herbs are growing - I don't know its name but the leaves taste like cucumber, think I will harvest a branch or two for dinner tonight. The Chives have started to peek through the soil too.

Sometimes I fear that I am loosing my mind, trying to keep up with it all but I am constantly reminded to slow down and appreciate the smaller things.

The big things somehow don't seem so big after looking at this list. Somehow the little moments that make up the big things seem very important. The little pictures of my life sometimes get swallowed up by the big picture. My house is in shambles right now - Madilyn and James moved into Scott's and My room last night and I'm shampooing the carpets for the first time in 2 1/2 years! It was weird to sleep and not be able to hear Madilyn snoring/breathing just a foot or two from my side of the bed. She only woke up once and went back to sleep within 20 min. James slept through it all. Think this is going to be a good change for us. Today, Mom and Dad have both kids so I can finish up the move and carpets. I thought I'd take some time to drink extra coffee and play on the computer while the carpet dries. If I go outside, I will never finish this project so I am going to appreciate the fact that the sun is shining through dirty windows, you can see dust in the air and my house is a mess and take a moment or two to just sit in the quiet.

You cant really see any ones faces, but if you look close, you can see by the squint of Scott's eyes that he is smiling and James was so attentive that day. Pastor tom takes every newly baptized member for a walk through the congregation to introduce them. Years ago, he also did this for my sister and I. We were not quite so little as Madilyn but the symbolism is great. It is hard to believe that this was almost a year ago now. James' baptism anniversary was the seventh of January (the Epiphany), Madilyn was baptized April 4th (Easter).

I'm the Mayor of Crazyville.

2011-02-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

I am never alone. Which to the lonely people of this world may seem quite nice. Just like I admire all your quiet time and opportunities read more than a page of a book a week and to shower without company. But there comes a point where the constant company of tiny humans that never cease to need, need, need you starts to mess with your mind.

Today I was looking for something missing (on behalf of a child of course) and as I walked around hunting for it I was talking to myself. I talk to myself a lot. Not because there is no one to hear me, it's just because no one listens. So I'm mumbling: "Maybe it's over here, nope." "Did it get left under the?....no" "Well, maybe if people would put things away...". As I'm searching I tell the kids to clean up James' room and look for it, while I look in the living room. I continue to mumble. "I swear we saw it when we were in here a minute ago. Why can't we remember...". Then I stop myself, "we" who?, you are talking to yourself.

I think I may be going mad. The continuous hum of little voices, lack of sleep, an occasional shriek and all the cold dinners are going to my head.

We're going crazy now aren't we? You have only lost your mind when the uiformed people come to take you away to find it... Right?

A housekeeper I am not...

2011-02-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know me, you know that my house is lived in. It has dust and cobwebs occasionally and a random child's toy in every nook and cranny. Last night I slept with a Madilyn sized shoe and a baby doll. I rolled onto baby around 12:30 and she was kicked out of bed. Today it was 32 degrees in the morning. I decided to clean the house this morning. Well, at least I tried... by 930 we were bundled up and outside making mud soup and yes, Madilyn was helping her brother. I hauled compost, dug some plants up and moved them around the yard and put some out for a friend to pick up tomorrow. It is so much more fun to be outside than in. My counters are clean, table is wiped down after every meal but the floor has dirt, the children are happy and Mommy got dirt time. It was a good day.
PS, the real reason for this post is to explain to my in-laws why their Christmas letters were found and mailed today. Hopefully they will understand that somewhere in the whirlwind that touched down on our extra table I lost their letters for a few months.

Compost, boys and humor

2011-02-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

I have been a bit busy recently and in my spare time I have been helping out a friend who has recently went back to work. She has two boys, one is almost four and the other is nine and eleven twelfths. The almost is VERY important to both boys since their birthdays are next month. So, as I am not accustomed to having three boys I am getting used to the thought of making five sandwiches for lunch, two pears and eight muffins for snack and the constant banter of having boys in the house. Not to mention the perpetual game of cops and robbers, hunting parties and army men. Today I was attacked by compost and ambushed while working in the yard. (It was leaf compost and well decomposed) Don't worry, I attacked back.
The thing that is the worst though is the fact that while driving down I-5 today I almost drove off the road from the stench in the truck. If you get all three in a vehicle, be shure to roll down a window. Those sweet boys, who roll on the floor with Madilyn, share their snacks with her and cuddle...they STINK!! I'm not shure what they all ate today but something was foul. Then came the fart humor, the songs and the crazy giggles which released more farts.
Ahh the joys of boys, somehow I see more of this in my future, I guess I will have to get used to it or constantly wear a gas mask.

Mayonnaise

2011-02-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

Have you ever ran out of something while making dinner? James asked for "debbiled eggs" and the mayonnaise jar is scraped clean as can be. So out comes my handy dandy cook books, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen is by far one of my most used. Since dinner last night came from it, it was still on the table. I found a very easy and basic recipe.

2 T cider vinegar
2 T lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c oil (I used 1/2 olive and 1/2 vegetable oils)

Combine first four ingredients in blender, turn on to a steady whir, drizzle in oil in a thin stream. That is it!!! It has a bit more bite and tang to it than I am used to, but it is good. There are also lots of variations out there, some include sugar to take the acid bite out of it. My solution was just not to add mustard to the deviled eggs. It made about 1 3/4 cups of mayonnaise.

Now, for comparison, here is the label of the store bought mayonnaise:
Soybean oil, egg yolks, water, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, spices, dehydrated onion, dehydrated garlic, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor (used to remove metals in chelation and to remove lime scale from things).
Hmmm, considering the above recipe was so quick and easy to make I'm going to say no thank you to store bought and make my own. Maybe next time I will add a bit of garlic and onion for more flavor.

2011-01-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

Last night I had a Cattlemen's Association meeting, we spent literally hours discussing legislation and hearings regarding agriculture and cattle in our county and state. From creating traceability systems to have in place in case of an outbreak of disease so that we would not run into the problems that Korea has had with the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, to the recent containment of two harvested animals in a Washington slaughter house that tested positive for TB (they were Canadian cattle) and how a tracking system could have eliminated the scare of loosing our status as a TB free state. New legislation could change how we are allowed to raise our animals, they must be clean, have adequate shelter and have covered feeding areas - as the proposal reads there is lots of room for interpretation of "adequate shelter". Now we have nothing to hide, we raise our animals well, but some of us do not have the overhead or ability (thanks to needing building permits) to build another barn on our facility to exclusively feed our animals. Sometimes though shelter is provided, our animals would rather stand in the rain and mud.

The new law is subject to lots of interpretation and does not apply to all of agriculture, mostly to companion animals but there is the fear that the public will misinterpret the law, causing grief and loss of wages/time while the farmer is defending himself for doing nothing wrong. The conservation district is also facing some cuts and could fall under another governing body soon as well. The problem with this is that dollars that could be spent in the field educating farmers and landowners will now be spent creating "office jobs". Meaning, the days of someone coming to your farm to help you with riparian areas, farm plans, etc will be non existent and that the farm plans would be public like a land use permit. Some have experienced trouble from this, when activists see a farm plan and only see that the farmer is disturbing existing water/plants/animals. They do not always see that by building a bunker for compost the farmer is keeping contaminants from leeching into the soil and traveling into the waterways.

It sometimes seems that no matter what we do, we are on loosing ground as people in agriculture. Even the backyard farmer such as ourselves is fearful of new legislation and misinterpretation of the law by others.

Tonight I have another meeting about the Country Living Expo. I am shure to hear about budget cuts there as well, we are governed by WSU and extension. The winterschool is on the 29th, as of last weeks count we had 800 attending. I am looking forward to it for shure, I enjoy working with the board, and being involved, but the meetings and lack of funding wear me down sometimes. Creative financing is alive and well with many things these days.

On top of my head spinning from all of this, I read the following article in the paper today: I am hoping that we can continue to have a show for the kids, and showcase how talented and dedicated these kids are.
Published: Thursday, January 20, 2011
By Gale Fiege, Herald Writer

MONROE -- The Evergreen State Fair stands to lose $82,000 in state funding for exhibitor prizes and programs if the Legislature agrees to Gov. Chris Gregoire's revised budget for this year.

More than that, say some fair organizers, the agricultural focus of Washington's traditional county fairs is threatened.

For years, the state Department of Agriculture has split a $2 million pot among 60 to 70 regional, county, community and youth fairs. Most of the state Agricultural Fair Fund is used to pay prize money to open class, 4-H and FFA young people who show their winning animals and farm projects at the fair.

The budget proposal intends to cut that down to $800,000 -- a $1.2 million loss -- this year and down to $500,000 next year.

Val Watson, president of the Washington State Fairs Association in Othello, believes the remaining $500,000 pot isn't enough to fund all fairs.

On top of the funding cut, the governor's office is proposing to support, at a reduced rate, all the youth and community fairs such as Silvana's before sending any remaining money to county and regional fairs such as Evergreen State, said Jason Kelly, spokesman for the agriculture department.

"This is another unfortunate story resulting from declining state revenues," Kelly said.

The premiums that are paid to fair exhibitors help cover their costs, Watson said.

"These kids raise their animals, transport them to the fair and stay all week to care for them," Watson said.

For high school students, it's a sacrifice, said Sherry Stovner, agricultural superintendent coordinator at the Monroe fair. The premium, which averages around $100 for large animals, is a way to encourage young people to stick with agriculture, she said. More than 2,100 children and teens participated in the Evergreen State Fair last year.

"I don't know a lot of high school kids who are going to work their buns off for a ribbon," Stovner said. "We might not even be able to buy the ribbons."

And what if the farm kids don't come to the fair? Will the public?

Run by Snohomish County, the $2.3 million Evergreen State Fair generates hundreds of seasonal jobs and many benefits to the county's economy, said Debbie Donk, a member of the fair association's legislative committee and a program specialist at the Monroe fair. Nonprofit organizations also raise money at the fair, and the fairgrounds are used for emergency housing for animals during floods or fires, she said.

"The fair is an important part of our community," she said.

Donk and others also expressed concern about the potential damage to the fair's agricultural focus if Snohomish County can't attract farmers and young people to show off the fruits of their farms.

While any loss of funding is difficult in the current economic climate, the county will do what it needs to protect the agricultural aspect of the Evergreen State Fair, said county parks director Tom Teigen.

"We don't want to lose that," he said.

In Silvana, where the one-day community fair receives about $4,250 from the state, organizers Roy and Darlene Strotz hope the community's auction fundraiser in March will cover potential funding cuts.

It takes about $18,000 to produce the Silvana Fair, which focuses on 4-H exhibits. The state fair fund money is paid to the winning exhibitors, mostly in the form of $10 bills, Darlene Strotz said.

"We're anticipating a loss in funding, so we're hoping people will come to the auction," she said.

Stanwood-Camano Community Fair manager Kimberly Burden said 4-H and Future Farmers of America exhibits are the backbone of her event.

The state fair fund provides to the Stanwood-based fair about $11,400, which is used to pay premiums that range on average from 50 cents to $25, Burden said.

"Where would we get the money to replace the state funding?" Burden said. "That's a good question, but as soon as the community hears about this, I think we can get creative."

At the Island County fairgrounds in Langley, fair manager Sandey Brandon is anxious about the potential loss of $37,000 from the state fair fund.

"We're a county fair, but the county doesn't provide any revenue, so the governor's budget proposal could sound the death knell for us," Brandon said. "Our budget is so tight, we squeak."

The state plans to get some funding for youth fairs, but far less for county fairs, Brandon said.

"In Island County, we don't have FFA and the county cut the 4-H budget. So we have a lot of young people who are not part of the organized groups that make up the youth fairs. What about our kids? What does it cost to keep one kid in juvenile detention?"

At a glance

Evergreen State Fair
When: Aug. 25-Sept. 5
Approximate 2010 attendance: 754,805
State fair fund help last year: $75,372

Silvana Fair
When: July 30
Approximate 2010 attendance: 3,000
State fair fund help last year: $4,250

Stanwood-Camano Community Fair
When: Aug. 5-7
Approximate 2010 attendance: 42,000
State fair fund help last year: $11,400

On the Web

Island County Fair: www.islandcountyfair.com
Evergreen State Fair: www.evergreenfair.org
Stanwood-Camano Community Fair: www.stanwoodcamanofair.org
Silvana Fair: www.silvanafair.com

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

On Being a Woman

2011-01-14T16:47:00.000-08:00

I had time to think today...that is never a good thing.

I had time to work today, dig in the compost while Madilyn slept and James played in a safe spot. I had time to laugh at myself and the predicament called life that I find myself in. For those of you just meeting me, I am not a traditional housewife, I was thinking on a tractor, working in a barn, leading and nuzzling twenty seven ponies while playing with my children today. I had time to reflect while working on a project. Time is precious as a mother and anytime you can multitask and accomplish something is definitely worth tallying on the log book of the day. I had time to wonder how things would be different if I were born a boy, how to raise my children, how my relationship with Scott works as a girl who is strong willed, independent and a tad on the determined side and time to reflect on what it means to be me.

I am a woman. A wife. Someones daughter. A sister. A mother. A friend. A best friend to some. A lady, a girl, woman, a female, chick, an insert girly adjective here. I join millions of double-X chromosome people in this place called womanhood. I have walked years on this Kotex-buying, leg-shaving, crying at hallmark ads, hand-holding, nail-painting (yes, I have painted my nails on occasion), hair-dyeing, falling in love, soul searching, pretending not to care when someone doesn't notice you, hormonal, being stronger than you are because you have to be path that we as women find ourselves on. It wasn't until recently that I truly thought about this whole being a girl thing and what it all means.

Recently meaning when I had a daughter a year ago.

It is a wonderful thing to find yourself, to know yourself, to love yourself and be a confident woman in a world that will gnaw away at your perceptions with expectations to be smarter, thinner, prettier, richer, funnier, faster, better, different from any thing you already are. To be able to be of the mindset that you can handle any poopy diaper, crisis of a four year old and still have dinner ready and be somewhat presentable when your husband walks through the door.

I remember sneaking make up onto the bus (I got it from a friend named Angela), and perfectly and carefully applying it as the bus bounced over country roads and sharp turns only to remove it as soon as I was on my way home so that my mom wouldn't know - just so that I could fit in with the "in crowd". Where are these so called friends now? Honestly, I haven't talked to any of them since I left high school for running start. So much for fitting in and being trendy. I remember Keds were THE thing in middle school - I just HAD to have a pair, not any knock off's. Somehow I had a real pair of them in the eighth grade, I thought I was the coolest, you know what, those shoes didn't make me cool, they gave me the confidence to be cool, the confidence to think that I was awesome.

Somehow I became cool, I became smart, admired, wanted, a friend to many, not because of hastily applied eyeliner and shoes, but because of who I am now. Because of being a mother, being loved by a wonderful man, being who I want to be in this life. Being confident when there is more shavings from the compost in your bra than there ever was meant to be there and no makeup on your face, but knowing that you are strong, independent and able to accomplish anything. Sometimes the definition of cool is not the label on a shoe or beauty that is external, but sometimes being cool is being who you are supposed to be this moment right here. Right now.

How will I raise my kids to know this? How will I teach Madilyn to believe that she is as amazing as I know that she already is regardless of the physical ideals set for her by society? How will I teach James to truly love a woman for who she is not how she looks in a pair of jeans, to appreciate her mind and determination?

You see? There is never any good that comes from time to think...now my brain is running on overdrive.
Oh the joys of being a mother and a woman...it never ends.

Madilyn's Birthday party.

2011-01-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Getting presents is really fun! Especially playing with the boxes and packaging.

Hey, there is a baby in that mirror!

Big brother was especially helpful with unwrapping and testing gifts to be shure that they were fun.

A group of ladybugs helped us to celebrate Madilyn's first birthday.

Hmm, these look kind of tasty... wait, they have chocolate AND frosting - they are yummy!

Presents and party's are pretty fun but now I am ready for a nap.

I can't believe that a whole year has gone by, somehow it is a blur of diapers, toys, teething (8 teeth and 2 molars are on the way!), walking and talking. Madilyn is saying Mama, Dada, Brother, James, hello and uh oh (I think this was actually her first word). It is still very much Madilyn speak so don't expect to understand it if you don't see her every day, but we are beginning to be able to translate for her. She is still not signing too much, she will occasionally sign milk, and eat. She is very clear when she needs a diaper - she walks us down the hall to Scott's and my room to change her or she sits on the floor and scoots on her bum until we change her. She is walking with a purpose now, is definitely not crawling anymore and is a very independent little girl.

Madilyn loves her brother, they cuddle and snuggle first thing in the morning - no more cuddling with mom and dad. If James is gone outside she circles the house calling for him and eventually ends up in his room. Soon when she sleeps through the night and is big enough for a twin bed they will be sharing our room (it is bigger) and we will move into James' room. James also is a kind and good brother. He loves to help with her all the time. He still likes to help change and dress her and he loves bath time with his sister. If we bathe them separate James is done with bath in under 5 min. Together, they play until the water gets cold. I hope that they continue to remain close as they grow up.

Today we celebrated Madilyn's birthday (it was actually January 3rd). We had lunch with Papa, Nana, May May, Maylo and Bo - for those of you who don't speak James, Mom and Dad, Meghan, Marilyn and Bo. Lunch was macaroni and cheese, salad, fruit salad, chips and dip and a baked vegetable bar. Both kids were extremely tired after the festivities, but it was lots of fun. I did not plan very well though, it looked as if someone had beaten Madilyn by the time she finished her cupcake. Maybe next year we will not use red frosting on our cake. We ate too much for lunch, so I think we will just snack on leftovers for dinner. Madilyn loved the Macaroni and cheese and pickled squash. She has such a good appetite - the other day I made a gumbo and she picked out the okra to eat it first. By the time I had to leave for feeding time at the farm, Madilyn was almost asleep, Nana got to spend some time with the kids for a bit while the big boys worked on the diggy (lawn tractor). I hear that there is a disc and wood chipper as well as a spike drag for it...gardening again fills my mind. Madilyn is happily playing with her new toys, I wonder how many pages I could read in my seed catalog...

Happy birthday to my little free spirited wildflower.

Obligatory New Years Post

2011-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has a great year, the new year is a time for setting lofty goals, rethinking things from years past and celebrating the year we just survived. I see these things as somewhat silly, after all, isn't life all about adapting to change and working through things (all year long)? Why set aside one day to determine what the whole year will be.

So, here are some works in progress for this year, by no means are these the only things that will change and or improve this year, I hope that many more things will change for us.

Buy non GMO and heirloom seeds, find a seed co-op locally if possible. Save seeds from plants I grow to cut costs year to year and preserve past years harvests. Keep a tally/notebook of things planted to show success in crops yearly so that I can see if it is something I want to continue to try to grow, or just a bad year.

Spend more time with the kids. I know I have them with me all the time, but I am not actually actively interacting with them a lot, there is always chores, dishes, laundry going on. I need to focus more on car tracks, forts and art projects.

Start having a "date night" with Scott once a month or so, even if it is just staying home watching a movie while the kids are sleeping. It seems that whenever we have time off together without kids we end up splitting firewood, working on trucks, or other projects around the house.

Work more on whole foods and non GMO foods. I'm not going totally overboard but I feel that a crop that cannot re-seed itself or has the potential to live through toxic spray (roundup) does not need to be on our dinner plate. Here is a link showing some pros and cons of GMO foods and why we need/don't need them.

Pictures

2010-12-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

Madilyn and James hamming it up for the camera.

Family photo at our friends Jeremy and Melissa's wedding in December.

"Do you think they will notice if I open this present while brother is playing?" Madilyn loved the paper best of all.

James was a ring bearer at Jeremy and Melissa's wedding, it was a LONG day

if you were four (or a four old's dad and mom)...

We bribed him to stand still at the wedding with peanuts, and yes, he ate almost the whole can!

James clowning around with Christmas ornaments.

Madilyn got a "Papa bench" I think she likes it - I shure do it makes hiding the toys alot easier.

Christmas is here!

2010-12-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

James is starting to be able to write his name though sometimes the J is backwards... he can also identify M, T, G, O and R very well too.

James and Madilyn got to hang out with Auntie May May (Meghan for those who don't speak James) a few times this week since she is a teacher she has some time off - and so do I! One benefit of visiting May May is that Cheese, Ms. Landa's cat lives there. Fortunately Cheese is kind of slow and likes kids... the other cats are terrified of Madilyn and James.

Hope that you all have a safe and wonderful holiday -
May you be blessed, you homes be warm and family and friends never far away. I wish for greener pastures in the year to come, sunny days and lots of laughter. May the rain fall be appreciated, without it there is no beauty in the sun, no flowers or grass to reach to the sky. I pray for safety, comfort and all of your needs to be met. Allow the trail ahead to be a grand adventure, an experience to treasure and appreciate all of the rocks in the path for some may contain gems.

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Morrison's

Finding balance during holidays

2010-12-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

Last year I dreamed of this, this year I have it! Last year I was wondering if Madilyn would be a boy or girl, if she would be born before or after Christmas. Last year I wondered how I would manage being a housewife with two kids, how would trips to the grocery happen with two? Now, it is so odd to have only one with me. Our family seemed off balance during the waiting for Madilyn, but now, we have settled into a rhythm, a rhythm that is a constant now. James and Madilyn feed off of each other, there is no more morning snuggles just with him. He has to find his sister for the first hug of the morning. If James is down for a nap, Madilyn keeps crawling (and walking) down the hall and patting his door, looking for him. Somehow having two children has become easier than having one.

James is understanding the Christmas story now, and retelling it in his own words (the angels swing from the star). He is excited for events that lead to the holiday. He loves snow globes, music and Christmas tree lights. The Cantata was today at the Church, he got to play the harpsichord after the service, and enjoyed the horns, two choirs and organ. He is a compassionate big brother, he is always helping with dinner, setting the table and he wants to be with Madilyn all the time. He sets the rhythm of our day, his energy encourages me to keep going. He helps me to see the little things, remember to dream and pause to appreciate a good couch cushion fort.

This year, this Christmas season, I am still exhausted, still behind on laundry and dishes but it will be a great first Christmas with Madilyn and fourth Christmas with James. Sometimes I forget to appreciate the family, I get too focused on the list of things that need to be done and we rush around. This year, I'm hoping to take it a little slower, worry about sweeping less and spend more time with the family. So if you cant find me, I'm probably under the table, camping, or in a cushion fort reading seed catalogs to the kids and eating cheerios. My house may be unkept but it is a home where children live and thrive.

Two posts in one day!

2010-12-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

No seed catalog in the mail :( but I had to share what James told me from the back seat of the car on the way to pick up dad from work driving past a farm:

James: Mom, I love those cows and pigs.
Mom: Ummm....Why do you love them James
James: Because they are yummy! I love to eat them.
Mom: ...Silence...
James: I love Chickens too, hey mom, do we eat horses? and Dogs?
Mom: No, they are helper animals, they are not for meat.
James: Oh, can we have pork for dinner? And a Chicken for snack?
Mom: I have split pea soup, how about we put some sausage in it.
James: Ok, When are we butchering again?

Somehow it is frightening and comforting that my son is so comfortable where he gets his food from. We also have these discussions about plants and which ones we can eat. I think that I am going to have some explaining to do when he gets to school...

My name is Beth and I have a problem...

2010-12-15T16:44:00.000-08:00

I can't stop myself, I have to look, I have to buy and I have to spend hours making lists of things I must have. Its not the Christmas wish list, it is the vegetable "porn" as my husband lovingly calls it. (though he never seems to mind when it comes time to eating my heirloom, non GMO, rare seeds that become dinner) Some I long for but never will be able to have due to our climate, wet soil and or the lack of patience on the part of the gardener. This time of year, when I am longing for fresh greens and fresh from the garden today veggies the catalogs start coming in the mail. Yesterday it was the Seed Savers Exchange, last week it was the territorial seed catalog, Burpee, and Baker Creek Seeds.

Baker Creek is by far one of my favorites, a young man had his first garden at 3 and since then has been gardening and saving heirloom seeds and made quite a business out of it. He has many rare and almost nonexistent seeds. I am ogling his yard long beans, Sikkim Cucumber and blue pumpkins for the coming year as well as the Asian winged bean and the Copia tomato.

Oh if I had a million dollars! I would have a huge garden and feed the world.

Last night I stayed up way too late circling seeds and planning gardens, now, I am drinking coffee to make it through the day but it was worth it. The garden I will grow in my head is not quite the actual garden I will plant, but it is so fun to plan it all out.

Maybe if I walk down to the mailbox, there will be another catalog today...

Kid update

2010-12-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

Our messy faced little girl, smiling as always. She is still walking in short bursts, but can now stand from a sit unassisted. How much you want to bet that the day we get the Christmas Tree is the day she starts walking for real?

And James, the artist.

(Thank you to Aunt Donna and Uncle Brian for the camping gear, the tarp works great as a drop cloth)

Boxes are the best, this box has been painted by James, and now is a garage, but it has also been a house, toy chest, space ship and who knows what else. Note to self: be shure to have boxes on hand during winter months, they help to pass the time on rainy days. Madilyn likes playing with boxes too, but it is a bit small for ALL of brothers toys and her so she opts for something a bit safer.

Anabelle's wish

2010-12-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

This is the title of the movie we watched tonight.

I should have let us watch Saw, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Blaire Witch or something R rated. (OK, maybe not but I didn't expect so many tears from the movie we picked out).

We unpacked a few Christmas decorations and found the Christmas movie stash. Since the kids and I have been fighting colds, I opted for dinner and a movie tonight (Scott was at game night at the church - we didn't want to get everyone sick). I read the back of the box - a cute movie about a calf born on Christmas eve, a boy who is mute and his best friend. Sounds pretty safe right? Well, James was in tears throughout the whole movie. He has such a big heart, in one scene the calf, boy(Billy) and his friend broke the neighbors fence, since the boy's grandpa couldn't pay for the fence, the owner of the property took the calf until the money could be raised.

James was so upset he was sobbing- how would the calf get milk without his mom? Would the boy be able to have another calf? Who would fix the fence? Does the other man know how to get to the feed store and get milk replacer?

The grandfather ended up selling a music box belonging to Billy's mom and got the calf back. The next Christmas when Santa visited the animals Anabelle asked for her voice to be given to Billy so that he could talk even though she dreamed of flying with the reindeer all year long. Billy married the girl and Anabelle the cow lived to a ripe old age. A classic kids movie, if you don't factor in the common sense logic of a farm kid.

I highly recommend you read the story or rent the movie. It brings back the true meaning of Christmas.

Anablelle's Wish

Some days I feel that we are raising them the right way, today is one of them where I feel blessed to have come so far with him. He teaches me more often than I teach him.

Snow days

2010-11-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

Snow days are fun for the kids, James has played outside all day off and on. The only problem with it is that our "high" today has hit a record of 25. So by the time he goes potty, bundles up and plays for 5-10 min he is freezing and has to go to the bathroom again. This makes for alot of in and out of the house which means puddles on the floor of melting snow.

I ventured out with Madilyn a few times though she doesn't particularly like the cold. She does however LOVE snow ice cream. (snow, milk, vanilla, sugar or honey and an egg) When my sister and I were kids the neighbor would make it for us in the winter and we thought it was SO good! It is not bad but since my taste buds have matured and explored real ice cream, snow ice cream lacks a bit but it was a fun project to make today. We added sprinkles and some fruit for fun too. It is waiting in the garage for daddy to come home for dessert tonight.

All this concentrated time in the house with Madilyn today and we have been cleaning - more like moving piles around and calling it cleaning. We have also played a bit. She is walking in short bursts 4 plus steps at a time, and is gaining confidence more and more as the day goes on. Look out world! We are in so much trouble.

Meetings, chickens, fall weather and kids

2010-11-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

I've been going to quite a few meetings recently. Tonight it was Snohomish County Cattlemen's association meeting. I always learn things there (tonight it was politics and PUD) but the topics all seem to be geared toward the "grown up" farmers - those who own land and cattle. Tonight a girl did a presentation on the Junior Red Angus assoc. and the many things it offers. It was nice to hear all about the things she and her family do. This led to a discussion about the Cattlemen's scholarship, and the lack of kids going into Agriculture fields. There is definitely a lack of communication in getting the word out about the scholarship, but I wonder, just how many kids will stay in agriculture. We need to figure out some way to keep the youth active and feeling important to the agriculture connections that we have in our area - If I feel disconnected at 30, how do the kids feel at 18? How can we market ourselves to the youth in the area to not only get the word out about our scholarships but also have them involved in our activities, events and meetings?

The hen who has been setting on a clutch of eggs hatched a few out yesterday and today. We will see how many come along. Fall is not the best time to be having baby chicks but I think Maylo will spoil them rotten. For those of you who don't know - our chickens get fresh rice and or pasta every morning. One day I was "helping" and let the hens out for Maylo and they stared at me like I was asking them to lay golden eggs when I opened the door to the outside with no warm breakfast for them. I think we have the happiest chickens on the planet living in our back yard.

The weather is changing here, lots and lots of rain instead of just rain. It makes for some long cold days, but at the end of the work day I let James play in the mud puddles. I can hardly keep him out of them. Today Madilyn also discovered mud. She has a scooter that she sits in and can "walk" the length of the barn freely while I am cleaning. She can somewhat navigate sawdust, mud and can newly navigate puddles in her walker. I guess it is time to pull out her rubber boots!

The Country Living Expo classes are online. Youth get in for $10 with scholarship, be sure to register early to take advantage of it. I'm hoping that I may be able to get one or two classes in this year. Scott really enjoyed it last year. There are some really great beef classes as well as pasture management, square foot gardening, canning, spinning, soap making and many more (155). Last year we had over 1,200 people attend, I can't wait to see what this year will hold for our event. The end of January seems so far away, but it is going to be here sooner than we think.

We have been dog sitting a puppy recently. His name is Scooter, he lives 1/4 mile from us. James, Madilyn and I go over and let him out to potty mid day sometime and then the three of them wear each other out. Madilyn crawls after James and Scooter while they play fetch, well James throws and fetches mostly. Scooter jumps around him. Our services are no longer needed as work schedules have changed and they can come home to walk him but I may ask if we can come visit sometime. Scooter is so incredibly cute and he wears out James - we have napped 3 days in a row! Usually I only get a nap every other day or so out of James.

Well, I'm off to put my boots on the boot dryer, start another load of laundry and finish reading my book tonight - I fell asleep on the 2nd to the last page last night. Hopefully I can stay awake long enough to finish it tonight.

Look out world!

2010-11-11T21:04:00.000-08:00

Here she comes...OK, well Madilyn is not totally mobile yet, but she is standing unassisted for about 30 seconds to a minute. She can get up on her tip toes but no steps yet. Somehow I think that a tornado is about to touch down on our house...

Where does time go?

2010-11-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

We have been busy the past few weeks, most days I have to ask Scott what day of the week it is. Somehow it all blends together for me. It is a crazy whirlwind but it is our life and we love it. Scott is working out of Everett now, so we get some extra time with him in the mornings which is fun, today we played go fish before he left for work. James cheated horribly, Scott and I lost all my cards to him, even my pairs. Madilyn ate the directions and part of the box so it is now pieced together with an index card and tape, but still totally functional.

Here are just a few things I have been doing:
Chasing children
Put garden to bed for winter
Planted strawberries and rhubarb
Cleaned the chicken pens
Cleaned the Church - and walked home from there in the rain today
Played with ponies - though some call it work
~~Cleaned the house~~ well at least I thought about it
Helped organize the Holiday Bazaar this Saturday at Good Shepherd Lutheran
I've been on a Suzy homemaker kick and have been making bread and stuff from scratch recently
Re-Dug a ditch in the back field that had filled in over the summer
Worked on finishing my 4-H stuff from fair
The WSU Country Living Expo is fast approaching on January 29th

To do in the near future:
Chase children (it never ends)
The leaves need to be raked to mulch the gardens
Clean the house though I know I will find a way to procrastinate on this one
Give Scott and James haircuts
Work harder at teaching Madilyn sign language since she is now imitating us
James and I are painting a "garage" (box) tomorrow which can house ALL of his cars and himself too!
Work on the Christmas play, and James' lines - he is an angel, what a stretch of the imagination that will be!
The pumpkins are waiting to be roasted and processed for winter
Laundry
Grease all of our boots for winter waterproofing

That's about it for this week, think Im going to call it a night and get some book time in, both kids are asleep. I'm reading The Earth Knows My Name, an interesting book about gardens and the importance of them to different immigrant families and how connected to the land we become if we can plant it.

Dirty, Dirty Kids

2010-11-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today we pulled up the old strawberry patch in Bo and Maylo's back yard. Both kids helped. Madilyn supervised from her stroller, and James helped by digging with dump trucks and back hoes. Some of the strawberries have now been transplanted into the "vegetable" garden behind the chickens. (There are lots more if anyone wants them). James had fun driving his John Deere around, Madilyn got tired of watching from her throne so I let her wander around, both kids were already dirty and the tub needed scrubbing so I figured what is a bit more dirt in our life. Madilyn and James were soon making dirt angels, poking grass through the fence for the chickens and rolling the ball back and forth. Bo and Marilyn heard all the commotion up at the chicken house and came up to see what was going on. Marilyn ran back to the house to get her camera - they didn't believe that I let the kids roll in the dirt, by this time James was barefoot. Yes, laundry is going to soak overnight, the kids were filthy, Madilyn had a muddy face and James had black feet but they had so much fun! (and I did too)
Sometimes I like not being a neat freak.

James' birthday party

2010-10-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

There were presents,

and more presents

and lots of friends with noisemakers

and chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles and strawberries

and food, lots of food.

We made Mentos and Diet Coke fountains which the kids tried to "catch".

The volcanoes were fun to build - we went through a gallon of vinegar and 2 boxes of baking soda.

Madilyn wanted to help dig in the dirt bucket for construction of the volcanoes.

The quicksand (cornstarch and water) was a BIG hit with everyone.

Testing out the quicksand, if you hit it, it was solid but if you set your hand in it it was liquid.

We had lots of fun, this year we had James' party at the Church - they have a large fellowship hall and a great yard. Parking wasn't an issue and there was plenty of room for everyone to sit and eat. The kids had a blast and the parents got some time to visit. We did a potluck dinner and had some "experiments" for the kids to do. I think we may repeat this again for next year.

Birthday Boy

2010-10-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

October 14, 2006
1:38pm
9 lbs 2 oz
21 1/2 "

October 14, 2010
4:45am, sleeping
44 lbs
(I dont know how tall he is, but I'm not waking him to find out)

Four years ago today I couldn't sleep, I was busy becoming a mom. It was about this time that I woke Scott up to tell him to go feed horses, he was going to be a Dad TODAY. Somehow in the past four years there is still a feeling of anticipation - what will be next for us. James always seems to surprise us, he came into the world earlier than scheduled by 2 days, he remembers everything, and he has the wonderful ability to captivate all around him. He loves all things "boy" but has a very gentle way about him at times and he is very comfortable being himself (he wore his superman outfit with cowboy boots and sunglasses to the dentist yesterday). I have a feeling he has many more things to teach us in the coming years.

Happy fourth birthday James!

Last week Flew by!

2010-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 7th anniversary, Madilyn has 2 more teeth (4 total now) with another on the way, James took up baseball as his new favorite sport. James will be 4 this month and Madilyn is talking and moving more and more each day.
Here are a few pictures of the kids:

Madilyn is "creeping" along furniture now, and getting into everything. She will be walking before her first birthday I think.

James at Bob's Corn on a tractor ride.

We got our Halloween costumes - Madilyn is going to be a ladybug, WITHOUT the hood on. She does not like to wear hats of any sort!

James dresses himself now, complete with his sisters hair bows.

James is going to be super man, I think that by the time he actually gets to go trick or treating, he will wear out the costume.

We went to a corn maze, this is all we saw of James, he had a blast! A friend hosted an open house at Bob's Corn so we got to go through the maze for free. He slept really well that night with all of the running he did.

Food Geek

2010-09-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

So, those who know me well, you know that I like to cook, especially if it is our own food or stuff I have gleaned. I am super excited for dinner tonight and James' reaction was "Can I have a yogurt now?" Madilyn is sleeping so I dont know what her reaction will be to the news. Scott is working and I dont think he would appreciate the call about dinner quite as much as I would enjoy telling him about it.

So you all get to hear about my dinner. We are having zucchini, kohlrabi and beet green "noodles" with a crab and garlic (and a bit of butter) over the top! I made the "noodles" out of squash because we have been trying to keep carbs out a bit since I had gestational diabetes, so I figured it would be a good way to use some squash in place of a starch. Last night I made "Potato cakes" out of Zucchini, cheese and onion - they were very good - and quite healthy until we had the bright idea of dipping it in ranch.

For tonight I also made a "salad" of carrots, cucumber and radish from the garden which is marinading in tomato, brown rice syrup, pepperochini pepper juice, fresh chives and parsley and a splash of garlic olive oil. Since I had my slicer out for the kitchen aid from making "noodles", it was a breeze to thin slice the salad and an added bonus, it will be great on sandwiches this week too if there is any left.

The best part of it is that it all was free other than the few spices and oil in it. We grew all the veggies and the crab was traded for a jar of tumeric squash and some green tomato chutney.

It shure beats what I had planned for dinner, guess we will have that tomorrow.

ps, there is green onions and kale/kohlrabi leaves drying in the dehydrator now for soup this fall too - I think my new deyhdrator is earning its keep. (The old one was smoking a few weeks ago so we bought a brand new one for $45)

Weekly update

2010-09-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a late dinner, we got to finally sit down after 8:30 as we had an "emergency run" out to Dad and Moms, they had too much meat so they filled our freezer. This was a planned thing though, it is a gift for our anniversary/birthday We picked up a lot of meat, not to mention the beets, beans and corn that Dad brought over earlier this morning when he took James for boy time this morning. Today was a good day in our world, lots of goodies and the freezer is almost full for the next few months I wont have to buy meat at the store. It is nice knowing your farmer, that the animal was raised humanely and without hormones, pesticides and chemicals. Mom and Dad sell meat by the way if you are looking for some - It will be ready the first of November. The canning closet is slowly filling up too, lots of carrots, green tomato chutney and pickled squash this year. Not much else though, the fruit set was poor for most in our area so there wasn't much for us to glean off of the usual trees. I am listening for the timer on some sauerkraut as I type this.

James loves his boy time with Papa, today they went to run errands and do chores which included a visit to the feed store to visit with the parrot. He says hello and goodbye a lot and he knows "I've been working on the railroad" I have heard that song all afternoon today, as well as a random Hello! or Goodbye! James was super excited to sing all afternoon. Papa got a new rooster with a long neck who rode home from the feed store in a box - which is very exciting when you are three. Papa has also taught James about the finer things in life, chocolate milk, fishing buddies, time alone with your best friend and a lot of fish stories. It is nice that I get a break for a few hours a week, but much nicer that James has such a good time hanging out with Papa.

James had to have his picture taken at dinner tonight, this was the only one with him in the frame, the rest were a blur, an elbow or the top of his head. He is constantly moving!

A very happy, tired girl tonight (the red cheeks are a giveaway in my family), she loves corn on the cob -

or rather just the cob.

"Sauerkraut man" helping pack jars with shredded cabbage the other day. We have 8 quarts now, hopefully the purple cabbage will grow quickly and we can have some purple sauerkraut too not only was it good but it was fun to have some color variation in an otherwise bland looking dinners in the winter.

2010-09-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

Harvest is still going strong, today I canned green tomato sweet and sour chutney - it sounds like it will be good on pork/chicken or on grilled meat. It is a combination of green tomatoes, raisins, bell peppers, onion and cider vinegar. I also got a 30# box of oddball cukes for $10 so I made a big batch of pickles for pickle girl to munch on. James also requests that he now be called sauerkraut man as he helped me pack and prep the jars for sauerkraut this year. So far 2 heads of cabbage made 8 jars. Last year I made purple kraut, it was really good. Hopefully we will have some purple cabbage soon.

Today is Scott's birthday so we are off to mom and dads in a few hours to celebrate. Nothing too fancy just some good times with the family. Tomorrow after Church I am hoping we can go for a walk or to one of the nearby farms, the pumpkin festival is starting in Snohomish. http://www.festivalofpumpkins.org/ The pumpkin hurl was today, but there are some other really cool farms that have open houses (and I can scope out some squash that may be left over after Halloween at a discount).

The grasshopper and the ants

2010-09-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I was definitely a grasshopper, I lazed around in the sun, heat and did nothing other than relax and visit with family. I let someone else (my sister in law) worry about dinners, dishes and all things domestic. Housekeeping at the hotel was a great gift! Clean towels just appeared and the beds made themselves.
This week I am the ant, gathering things from the yard and garden for winter. In the last two days I have canned 7 pints, 21 quarts of carrots sliced up for soups and stews. I made fig preserves for the first time - and they are quite yummy, very sweet though, but I think they would go great on crackers with a strong goat cheese or such. We dehydrated 2 gallons of plums with another gallon in the dehydrator now - the plums were a gift from a friend who couldn't use them all. Today I made pickled squash, a new one for me - turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and squash and onion in a vinegar/sugar brine. It looks and smells great! I also had one failure - green tomato dill pickles. I cold packed them when they should have been hot packed, since tomatoes are not something to mess around with, I attempted to re do them and burned them to the pan. Tomorrow - green tomato sweet and spicy chutney and maybe another attempt at the tomato pickles. We have tons of green tomatoes that wont be ripening any time soon with the oncoming rain. James, Madilyn and I pulled all the onions on Tuesday and they are awaiting a spot on the garage floor to dry out for storage, we harvested about 15 space ship squash and some zucchini that I canned some today and the rest will be living in the shop until it is time to eat them. I'm not so sure that we will have as many pumpkins as we did last year, but we do have one butternut squash plant with about 6 "nuts" on it and 2 acorn squash that will be ready to harvest soon.
Our winter crops are doing well, The broccoli, radish, chard and kale are coming up nicely. The onions, leeks and carrots are just starting to show above the dirt. Hopefully we will have something to show for it as the days get shorter.

Vacation Pictures

2010-09-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Uncle Brian and James - Brian was a good sport and allowed us all to descend on his house this past week, I don't know that he was truly prepared for the energy of a three year old though.

Madilyn in her crib at home, just a cute picture I took today - not much to do with vacation though.

We didn't have much time with Madilyn and James this week - Andre's four kids kept them both very busy while we were visiting and catching up. When we got up to South Carolina their Aunts and Uncle kept them pretty busy too.

Madilyn learned to pull herself up this week, it is a good thing that Daddy lowered the mattress all the way the day we got home. She also started to crawl while in South Carolina. Today she really has mastered crawling - I HAVE to baby proof the house tomorrow.

Madilyn won't eat baby food, but she loves gnawing on a pickle, after half an hour or so, we took away what was left of this pickle spear and she cried!

Andre Jr. taught James all about gun safety. Later the big boys showed the kids how to shoot too. The dads also built a zip line "for the kids", by using a tree tied off to the bumper of the mini van. I think they were reliving their childhood zip line that they had in New Orleans.

James and Madilyn shared snacks in the hotel, both really like apples.

Though James had never met Grandma Dottie before, he loved her at first sight.

Uncle Brian is his favorite uncle now, James got to ride in the Miata and Brian played soccer with him. James didn't get to meet his other two uncles as they were not able to make it. Maybe next time they can come.

Aunt Sandy, Grandma Dottie and Aunt Donna holding Madilyn in Augusta, GA along the river for a walk during the "cool" part of the day. We spent alot of time at Aunt Donna and Uncle Brian's house. It was fun to go through pictures, learn some new stories about the family and relax with everyone. I saw my first firefly on their back porch too. James and Madilyn enjoyed the pool at the hotel and it was great to catch up with everyone.

Andre and Rachel's house. It was almost as if we lived next door and were over all the time - very relaxing start to the vacation.

We must be crazy

2010-09-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Ive not yet finished laundry from fair, unpacking tubs of paperwork and stuff and we are repacking to go on a trip already. Every time (well, almost) we go to visit Scott's family there is a little hurricane coming for the area where we are landing. We are going to come in on the tail wind so all is good, but I kind of wonder if someone is trying to tell me something :) The kids are looking forward to a big plane trip, so far they both did good on the flight to New Mexico earlier this year, but this is a bit longer flight... enter NEW matchbox cars, crazins, and granola bars to keep us busy on the flight and a few emergency toys James doesn't know about yet. James helped pick out some new things knowing that he can't play with them until we hit cruising altitude. I'm hoping that this bit of bribery will help keep the other passengers safe from our life story. He told the gal at the grocery yesterday that we were flying into Atlanta, GA and then driving to Aiken after spending a few days with Uncle Andre. Then he asked if she would come with us. I worry about his vocabulary, it seems that he speaks better than I do sometimes.

We are looking forward to seeing ALL of Scott's brothers and sisters in one location - something that hasn't happened since before James was born. One of Scott's brothers has not yet met James. Madilyn has not met anyone from the family yet. Everyone is in for a big surprise, James talks a mile a minute and Madilyn is almost crawling. She does this one legged scoot thing, but she can turn to follow someone as if she is on a lazy susan. It wont be long till she is cruising everywhere. James has been asking a lot about James Kinloch, his grandfather who he is named after and Barbara, his grandmother who Madilyn is named for. I'm hoping that the family can answer some questions about them, or at least share a few good stories for him. Music is very important in Scott's family, his dad composed and a cousin is a very well known bagpiper, uncle Paul plays guitar. I think this is something that has been passed down to James, every time there is music, he is dancing and singing. I am hoping that some of the stories will foster his love for music and help him to understand how important his family is.

Well, James is off with Papa today so I have to run to clean the church with Madilyn before they come back from "boy time". It is so nice that Dad is comfortable with him.

I really love these kids!

2010-08-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

James receiving his prize for his cardboard cow in showmanship at the fair.

James and his girlfriends in the arena, Zoe, Ava and Lia all showed cows today.

Fair is over. Kids were great. Cows were well behaved. I kinda miss it already. I'm so very proud of all of our kids who exhibited this year. I'm going to sleep, we are all a bit tired.

Leaving the house

2010-08-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

Today I'm loading up the truck and moving out, I'm taking all of my stuff Ive acquired and leaving for the metropolis of Monroe. Literally, moving a truck load of things - I would have to make 2-3 trips with my car and the kids. No worries, I'm not leaving Scott I'm moving to the fairgrounds for a few days. It will be a fun, busy and exhausting week. I have pages and pages of notes, kids schedules and reminders. Thankfully I have a husband that understands how much I enjoy this and that I feel it is important to me. Scott is such a trooper, dinners this week will be self serve, kids will be randomly in and out, his wife will be tired and cranky.

The kids who are coming to fair this week have done a good job, all were asked to have a record book of time in the project, financial records, etc. The kids did a great job! We have fewer showing than normal, we have heard a bit about the economy making it harder to load, haul and leave the farm. But all in all it should be a great show! The primaries are super excited for their show, I think I have 11 showing their cardboard cows this year.

Thank you to all who are helping this week with the kids, especially Mom and Dad, Mrs Thoreson, Dawn and Amy, the cows are a bit too big for the kids to safely stay with me in the barn all the time. I am trying to have James and Madilyn with us as much as possible, but especially on haul in and show days it is just not safe. I sure am going to miss them these next few days.

Scott is happy because on Friday he and James get to go to the monster truck show and he gets to wander the fair in search of free treasure. Sometimes he is so much like my dad, he scares me!

So, if you get some time, stop on by the beef barn this week, I will be there until Sunday around 6. Then I get to move back home.

Hot Summer Nights

2010-08-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

We have been experiencing quite a heat wave around here, as I type this at 8pm, it is still at eighty degrees. Scott says that it is preparing us for South Carolina weather (we are going to visit in September), but I'm not entirely convinced that I like this heat. I even wore shorts today - something that rarely happens. Fair is fast approaching and I am finishing up the final things that need to be done. I did find some new sponsors, have a bunch of record books from the kids to go through. We decorate a week from today and in a week and a half will have animals in the barn. At home we have been busy weeding the garden, it seems that all we can grow is weeds, squash, onions and broccoli this year. I planted some cabbage starts last week and when I get time to rototill I will try to plant a winter crop of carrots, chard, kale and green onions.

We pruned one of the trees in the yard yesterday, James' John Deere came in quite handy - he hauled all the branches away with it.

Madilyn supervised unloading from the a safe distance. After we decided to play in the wading pool to cool off.

PS - at the heat of the day I decided to process a few Zucchini - 4 grated and pre measured for Zucchini bread, 3 grated stuffed full for soups/stews, 2 gallon Ziploc bags full of cubed and sliced summer squash mixes and two batches of Zucchini orange lemon lime jam. The jam was a made up recipe - it called for 4 oranges and I had 2 oranges, 2 limes and a lemon - it ended up really citrusey (I know its not really a word but you get the picture). We are going to need to buy a bigger freezer soon, lots of raspberries, squash, chickens, and soon some beef!

Weekend update

2010-08-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Madilyn is fast approaching 7 months! She is scooting all over and I have started to baby proof the house, no crawling yet - but it is close.
Her new favorite toy is her exersaucer. My arms are thankful, she would bounce all day if it were up to her.

James put out fires in the yard,

and daddy weeded, redneck style.

Swim lessons

2010-07-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ms Natalia and James working on the back float.
Yes, that is my child, playing while all the others are listening quietly with their arms at their sides.

By day 4, they are diving for rings in 2-3'water!

On the first day we were a bit shy and cold, but all that changed when he got in the water.

We are doing a crash course in swimming this month. James loves it! It is 5 nights a week for 2 weeks. We also signed up for preshcoolII which will teach him to bob 3 yards, float and do the crawlstroke by himself. Preschool I is teaching water basics and familiarity as well as floats with assistance. We start the second session the first week in August and that will be in the mornings, which I think will be much easier for all of us. We did a night class this time so Dad can come watch James' first lessons. James is excited for sure. Im not sure that we will be able to keep him out of the water now. The good news is that he sleeps REALLY well after lessons, the bad news is that sometimes he gets so tired he is crabby. Well we are off to the pool again!

Teeth, hives and water oh my!

2010-07-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

We started swimming lessons this week. James LOVES them, they are every day for 2 weeks, and in the first two days, the kids have already learned how to bob, jump from the edge of the pool and walk with "monkey arms" to practice the crawl stroke. I am very impressed with James' teacher Ms Natalia. She is very sweet and knows just how to speak to little boys. There are 4 in the class, and she has them make "pizza arms" to practice for diving, monkey arms for the crawl stroke, show her all of their food by pushing up their bellies to practice for the back float. We signed James up for another session, so that he has a good grip on swimming as the hotel we will be staying at in South Carolina has a pool which I think we will be using quite a bit. It will be lots of fun for him. We also got Madilyn her first swimsuit yesterday too. Did you know they make 2 piece suits for babies? Somehow the rolls and chub are cute when you are little, but they aren't when you are 30? But I just couldn't go with a 2 piece for her, I'm a bit conservative.

We also found out that James is allergic to the Amoxicillin they gave him for his ear infection last week. He broke out in lots of hives Sunday night, there are still some but they have tamed down considerably. Guess Penicillin allergies are genetically linked. We tried it, knowing that I have allergies to it and hoping that James could take it. Now we know not to try it for Madilyn.

Speaking of the little Diva, she is now almost 15 lbs and growing like a weed. She had a checkup yesterday and has moved into the 15% mark, meaning she is still small but growing, she was in the 10% at four months. She is finally starting to outgrow clothes which is good and bad, we have been able to make clothes last longer as we are just out of newborn and 0-3months. She has two bottom teeth and is fully on the bottle now thanks to them. We have tried offering her food, but she does not like it. She flat out refuses the baby cereal, but she does at least try a bite or two of peas. We are going to try carrots tonight. At first she just fought us a bit then gave in and ate, but now she flat out refuses the cereal. Dr. Carter said it is ok, as long as she is eating foods by a year old it is nothing to worry about the milk will supply her with all of her nutritional needs for now.

I'm of to go make some Raspberry jelly and wash some lettuice before swim lessons. I think I may try to get James to playgroup tomorrow. I joined a mom's group recently and havent taken the kids to one event yet. Tomorrows is at a park and there will be live music there. Should be fun.

Seriously?!

2010-07-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

So to many of you it is no surprise that I work with the 4-H kids at the fair. I grew up in 4-H, it taught me much more than public schools ever could have about life. I also got into lots of trouble at fairs, but had good friends to bail me out when needed, some of those friends are still very close to us. I still remember my first cow I showed, Storm, I started in 4-h in 1988 and have been active ever since. I bred and owned my first calf when I was 14 - her name was Lady Scotch Rain or Fuzzy for short. It was a good learning experience for me, I learned about the commitment to the animal, the value of your word and work as well as how to balance a checkbook, keep good records, leadership, vet science and public speaking skills. I continue to work with the kids as a volunteer as it is a program I believe strongly in.

Scott and I manage the beef barn at the Evergreen State fair. I am on the board of directors for the Cattlemen's winter school/Country Living Expo (we had over 1000 people attend this year!) and am about to sit in on the board for a new Ag promotion expo involving the 4-H youth. It is a time consuming commitment, one that requires year long involvement and some financial donations. Before fair is even thought of for most, we buy all the belt buckles and trophy's for the kids, then contact our sponsors for each class. Fortunately I have a wonderful husband who understands my commitment to these things and is willing to watch James and Madilyn while I run all over the neighboring counties for meetings, and meet and greet type things. Scott is amazingly helpful with events, coming up with ideas for things, and moral support. I swear I would give up some days if he wasn't helping me in this crazy adventure we are on.

I know that the economy is tough, and that agriculture is declining in our area rapidly. According to American Farmland Trust, we are loosing an acre of farmland a minute to development. Farmland is first developed as it is well drained, mostly flat and affordable. How do you tell a 9 year old that their sponsor doesn't think the work they did all year long is worth the $89 sponsorship for a belt buckle. I am bit frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm our community has for the kids this year. I keep hearing from businesses over the past 4 years that the economy is bad, and when it gets better maybe they can help out more. The kids work hard all year, some know much more about the animals than most adults. Some of the classes they get no premiums paid out for, that is why we seek sponsorship. Our primaries show cardboard cows, and many of them take their show very seriously, studying cow terminology and current events before a show. The kids involved in the show are going to be the future of agriculture, the leaders and business people of the next generation. Unfortunately they will statistically end up in a non-agriculture job. We ask for the support of businesses and community leaders so that the kids can see that there is a lot out there to be involved with within agriculture. Belt buckles are one way of seeing the community involvement - I know that I still remember who sponsored my first belt buckle (and I still have it). Sponsorship can be something as simple as a bag of grain or a hat - seriously, do the owners of these companies think that I don't know it is a bad economy or that I enjoy asking for their help. If I had the money I would sponsor the whole thing myself.

On the other hand, I have a friend (hi Dawn) who I emailed last night asking if she could help with one of three things during fair - her response was fast, and a definite yes! To have someone so willing to help kids she has never even met makes me excited to have her helping with fair this year. I'm hoping her enthusiasm is contagious... Now does anyone know of a good beef judge?

OK, that is enough whining for one day. Now I'm going to go call some more people, and try to find a judge. Thanks for listening to me whoever does read this.

Catching up

2010-07-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

While James went fishing with Papa, Madilyn stole his pooh bear and rolled all over the floor with him squealing and laughing. I predict some sibling rivalry in the near future. James came back from Flowing lake with a catfish.

Madilyn started eating cereal recently. It is a two fisted, three spooned ordeal - the third spoon is mine, which actually contains the cereal, the other two are to divert her from grabbing everything. I have to coax her to open her mouth, but once the food is tasted, she gobbles it all up.

Since Madilyn is eating now, I am finally getting around to making a cushion for our highchair. It came without one, so James and I re-purposed an old bath towel, holes and all, and covered it with some ice cream cone flannel that I had laying around. We also made two "pillows" to help support Madilyn as she doesn't sit up all the way by herself for long periods of time yet. The material scraps became wings for his cars, a secret pillow that doubles as a garage for his cars and flag football flags.

We have been busy recently, James went to get his staples out last Friday and the Dr said that his scar will hardly be noticeable within the year. We went to a wedding on Saturday for a girl I have known for over 20 years, James and Zoe danced the night away...could this be the future bride? Or is it Ava, Lia or Markella.... Zoe left on Sunday, mom brought James a t-shirt that has been worn so many days that it will walk itself to the laundry tonight, she also brought coffee and cookies. On Sunday we took James to the walk in clinic as one of his eyes was a bit red, and getting worse. When I asked him what happened days earlier he told me he got dirt in it, being a farm kid, I believed this, rinsed the eye and sent him on his way to play. Apparently it was not dirt in his eye, it was pinkeye. Since we were in at the Doctor I asked them to look him over as he had been complaining of his head hurting. I thought this was just a way to get more Tylenol as he really likes the taste of the stuff (he figured this out when he got staples). The poor guy had two ear infections! I didn't know what to look for as we have never had them before. The Doctor told me that most kids get an average of 2-6 between birth and 3, so we are lucky. So we head home armed with eye drops, antibiotics, not to be outdone, Madilyn starts to get a bit of a rash, just a bit blotchy. She had been crabby all week and I attributed it to the heat and the chaos of the house. By Monday mid day she was much worse with the rash so we head off to the Dr again. I swear we need to set up camp there with as often as we have been in recently. Apparently Madilyn also had a virus during the heat and teething, and the rash was the after affect of a fever. By this morning the rash is pretty much gone. Both kids are feeling fine today, I am glad we are over that hurdle!

We ARE going to have venison very, very soon.

Not only have the deer been attacking the plants by the house, but they are also into the upper garden, the two rows of peas have only half a dozen plants left. The beans have all been nibbled on and there is deer poop in the garden. I spent some time in the garden this morning, weeding, watching James play on his tractor and Madilyn was parked under the trees talking to the wind chime. I didn't realize how much time I had spent until James told me he was hungry and out of snacks, even the garden is within sight of the house, we always take snacks. We were out for over 3 hours! A new record for me with 2 kids. On the way back to the house I gathered a stroller full of spinach and froze some for the winter. Broccoli will be processed tomorrow. I guess deer don't care for those two - but we do! I have also been picking raspberries at mom and dads over the past 2 weeks, so far I have 3 gallons frozen berries, 2 batches of Jam and one of Jelly. We need to invest in a bigger chest freezer by this fall, the little one is filling fast with the chickens we butchered a while ago (6lb birds!) that were raised at mom and dads, rhubarb, raspberries, herbs and the Zucchini season is just starting. Which reminds me I need to get to checking with the owners of the fruit trees that I gleaned off of last years, plums will be coming on soon with this heat...

The New Truck

2010-07-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is our "new" truck, it is not so new to me though. It was my parents truck for years. It is a 1987 F250 with a one ton rear end. It is older than the dodge but has four wheel drive and a lot more life left in it. It is especially nice as it has a back seat for the kids.

2+1=3 and lots of fun!

2010-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

I have been a fair weather blogger this week, it is nice weather, I have been picking raspberries at mom and dads, playing with kids, making jam, picking lots of lettuce and spinach, lamenting the loss of the strawberry patch, apparently deer really like their leaves and mowed it all in a matter of 2 nights. I think venison may be on the menu in the near future. We have been weeding a bit this week as the rains finally stopped and the sun is shining. A bald Eagle has been attacking/eating the chickens so we have helped a bit with the enclosure to secure our egg supply. And last but not least, Zoe is here for a week, her parents are on their honeymoon. She is lots of fun, and it reminds me how fast they grow. I have had to relearn 2 in a crash course in the last few days - the language is different, potty training, and the fascination of a girl who doesn't have chickens in her back yard is hilarious! I cant keep her away from the chicken yard. Well, I have to run, I will leave you with a few photos, raspberry jam is on the stove and almost ready to be jarred. I'm on my second batch today! I'm going to make jelly on Friday if I go up to mom and dads to pick more (hint hint mom - can I come pick?).

Zoe wasn't quite sure that you really could eat the lettuce we gathered in our bucket mere moments before dinner. She kept asking "I put it in my bucket?" and we encouraged her to try it - she decided that she DID like to eat salad. Today we were weeding the garden and she munched on a few plants, pulling one up roots and all!

Dinner is SO easy in the summer, salad on the left from the garden/yard with edible flowers in it, creamed spinach (James had 4 servings) crab from hat island waters, stir fry with broccoli, zucchini, frozen bell peppers (Sadly, the last) and snow peas and lastly a salad of quinoa, beans, tomato, lemon juice, cilantro and olive oil. And yes, that is James' finger pointing out what he is going to eat first. All was local (most from our property) with the exception of the beans and Quinoa

Keeping James Quiet...

2010-07-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

is not easy to do. I am exhausted!
James is doing well today, a little too well. How am I suppose to keep a three year old quiet? We watched a movie today and he made it half way through before flipping off of the couch (he was a frog), driving cars all over Madilyn and I and running all over the house. Around 1030 I gave up and went grocery shopping to break up the day and keep him from running all over. This afternoon was more of the same play dough, movie, books, coloring, and all broken up by a rowdy little one who just wanted to go outside and run - does anyone have any ideas how to keep a three year old still? I did let him out to go up to the garden to pick green onions and spinach, we had to try out our new salad spinner, my splurge of the day at the store ($2).
After dinner we went off to the farmers market tonight. Snohomish market is on Thursdays, so that is our "Date night" meaning we go out as a family. James made a flag at the kids table, we wandered around, he met Scarlett who just happened to have a grandpa who was a vendor and had some fun toys. The two of them pushed each other around on a wooden airplane and held hands while walking around. I need to carry a camera more often, there would have been some cute photos from tonight. We came home with a bag of kettle corn, picked up a new to us BBQ that was free just down the road from us and now are off to bed.
Today was much better. Tomorrow should be easier, we are planning to have lunch at Costco, no not just the samples, but Bo and Marilyn are meeting us there for pizza AND a hot dog -according to James he can eat both!

Working with Kids

2010-06-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

I've waited and waited for today not to come. James got hurt today, he is fine, but he needed staples instead of stitches, he split his scalp open. No concussion or anything - it was just too big for a band aid. The doctor cleaned his wound, stapled it and we were all set to go in an hours time. James was so brave, he didn't cry a bit, he just told the doctor about our new truck. (today's blog was supposed to be about it - not his head) and how Mommy accidentally lobbed a piece of firewood that missed the bed of the truck and hit him because he wanted to check on Madilyn. He also told the doctor that he was a fireman who drove race cars and Madilyn was going to be his pit crew. Fortunately the nursing staff and doctor believed him and I and there was no interrogation of how he got the gash on his head. We were all set to go and the Dr handed me a stack of 8 pages of things to watch for with head wounds. One of the first things to watch for is being lethargic - James was already planning on going to the park after being at the Dr, fortunately he vetoed that one so I wasn't the bad guy. The second was a loss of appetite, three granola bars, take out Chinese noodles, sweet and sour chicken, a sweet tea and cookies later he is down for a nap (all in a three hour period). I guess he is going to be just fine.
We had to stop at the store to get him some Tylenol and the above mentioned food. The first thing he did is tell a man that "mommy hit me in the head with firewood and I had to go to the doctor". Fortunately the man worked construction and was totally cool about it. He showed James his scar on his lip where he had 16 stitches when he was a kid and told James he was going to have an awesome story to tell girlfriends. I hurriedly grabbed the noodles and ran to find Tylenol, praying that James wouldn't tell anyone else how he got staples.
After we got home he went to bed, I made a pot of coffee and sat down and cried. I do good during the moment, but I was pretty darn worried. I often wonder if the farming life is the best for children. There are many risks involved with taking the kids with us everywhere we go. I have driven tractors with James and Zoe on my lap, mowed lawn with James and Madilyn watching nearby, and we have worked unruly horses while the kids play, watching the ponies and I work through the issues. I love having them with us all the time, I like that James has no fear of things, but today makes me question it a bit.
Tomorrow will be easier. I think firewood will wait until then and James will watch from the back yard or the cab of the truck so that he doesn't get the urge to check on Madilyn again. Though I think he learned not to walk in between the firewood pile and the truck today.

A lot on my mind....

2010-06-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

There are so many things bouncing around in my head to blog about today - 4-H has had some major budget cuts in our area recently, fair season is fast approaching, the decline of Agriculture in the county and US is a big topic at our house of recent, I may be on the board of another agriculture forum soon, Cattlemen's winter school is in January and I'm already thinking about future presenters and the TEARS walk. Since the TEARS walk is tomorrow, I'm going to write a bit about it.
TEARS is a foundation set up to help families who have lost a child to SIDS. We know a family who lost a baby boy last year in August. I have known them for over 3 years, Dawn, Adam and Zoe are great examples of the strength of a family. They are a shining example of how to hope, love and add some humor into every day. Tomorrow we are walking with them to honor Knox. Take some time to visit Dawn's blog and think about donating, even if it is not in time for the walk. It is a great organization that helped them fund a service for their son. It is also a part of the healing process, as they sponsor events such as this to honor the babies. Dawn and Adam are giving back to the organization that helped them, they are making a difference by helping others as they move forward with their lives.
I think about Knox often, he was such a cute little guy, I wish I had some of Adam and Dawn's strength. My favorite memory of him, is him laying in the tall grass at the barn watching and waiting for his mom and sister to go get Latte (Latte is a big sweetie). He just seemed at peace there, hanging out in the grass. Then this look of surprise as he saw me, and then a BIG gummy smile. Babies are so trusting and loving, they don't ever judge you - they are just happy you are here for the moment. I laid Madilyn down in the grass outside of the field the other day to take a halter off of a horse (It is VERY hard to do one handed), and this memory came flooding back. It's funny the little things that trigger the memories.
This is a small way for me to show that I love Knox and his family.
www.dawnsaddiction.blogspot.com/2010/06/walk-n-rock-at-safeco-field.html

"It's a good day for a harvest"

2010-06-24T16:43:00.001-07:00

The harvested things that actually made it to the house.
Every time I took a picture these chopsticks appeared and stole the raspberries. Daddy never did get any berries to eat - the strawberries didn't make it into the house.

This was a GIANT leaf of lettuce...

and this was broccoli - he devoured the whole thing.

These are the words from my son today, as we grazed through the garden (s) We have one large, traditional garden with rows, a backyard garden for James and veggies sporadically inter planted in our landscaping. Today we harvested lettuce, spinach, lambs quarters (a weed that you can eat!), chives, garlic chives, lemon balm, nasturtium flowers, chive flowers, kale, sugar snap peas, raspberries, parsley, broccoli, marjoram and thyme. Dinner is going to be good tonight, stir fry with kale, lambs ears, some veggies from the fridge. I am making a thyme/marjoram green sauce to go over a pork shoulder steak for dinner too. YUM! And to top it all off, it is date night - we are off to the farmers market. I took some photos, will post them soon.

PS We didn't make it to the market, maybe next week, we spent too much time outside tonight and missed the whole thing.

A few new pictures

2010-06-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Camping with James and Madilyn. I made a "tent" out of cedar stakes and some old scrap material. Camping has been especially popular since Aunt Donna and Uncle Brian sent a box of their old camping supplies.

Future rock stars James and Zoe posing for the camera. James had a blast this weekend, Zoe got to spend the night two nights in a row!

Look out future woodcutters of the world! Here comes Madilyn, she has all sorts of toys to play with and she grabs MY stihl hat.

A Slow Recovery

2010-06-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today was better, we got some dirt time in, played in the sun and watched the trees dance in the wind. Still feel a bit off, James got a cheerio stuck in his nose, got into some ink (I knew he was playing a bit TOO quietly) and the day has drug on very slowly.
PS, the first of the nasturtiums have bloomed, a red orange and crimson - happy dance!

Starting over

2010-06-14T21:02:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have those days that you wish you could just start all over again? The universe was sending me a strong message today - I'm not sure what message I was supposed to be receiving though. Almost everyone I talked to today (including the gal who sold me the pizza for dinner tonight) was having a bad day. I don't think that any amount of coffee, smiles and positive energy could have fixed this day. And to top it all off, we let Madilyn play sans diaper for an hour to clear up her rash and I got peed on three times! Off to take another shower I guess.

I'm not sure how to fix it, but I'm going to bed, praying and hoping for a better tomorrow.

Discussions with Madilyn

2010-06-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

I like my naptime, I need my beauty rest often. Gotta keep rested up for my public appearances - my fans expect me to be well rested and happy.

My favorite time is being naked, I love to wiggle everywhere without a diaper on. Wow, all that work has reminded me, I kinda want some milk.

This guy is pretty fun, but he totally has boundry issues, has he ever heard of my personal bubble? He is everywhere I am. I sometimes giggle at him, but really Im giggling thinking of the ways Im going to get him back when Im older.

These fingers are pretty good, but I really like MILK!

Hey, you are hogging my camera time! Just you wait until I can crawl, I'm going to get into ALL of your toys.

This interview was exhausting, I need some Milk. Mom, I NEED some milk, no really I would like some now

MILK, MILK, MILK!!! MIIIIIIIIIIIILK!!!

(to be continued after lunch)

Playing in the garden

2010-06-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

James watering HIS garden, in this picture, Jerusalem Artichokes, potatoes purple and fingerling, mystery squash, broccoli and spinach. We picked a gallon bucket of spinach off of James' garden last week. There are small squashes starting too. James' garden is in the back yard, where he plays often. He is doing very well with the plants, he is almost too caring. It was raining the other day (big surprise) and he wanted to go out to water his plants. I had to explain to him that in Western Washington you only have to worry about watering plants for 1-2 weeks out of the year.

Jerusalem artichokes (on the left) are actually a sunflower with an edible potato like tuber that is a good starch for diabetics. We are giving them a try this fall, I'm sure I will put something up about how they taste and how to cook them.

I'm wishing that the grapes would hurry up,

and the Marion berries too.

The slugs have been here.... I have become a crazy slug hunter, does anyone know why slugs were created? Other than to torment me?

Fortunately they missed this broccoli plant. They got about 12 others though. I wish it would dry out so that they don't eat my garden all the way up.

Landscaping

2010-06-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Zoe came over to play on Saturday,
The kids had snack time waiting for the diggy to show up

a whole bag of chips was eaten (some went to the ants and birds too)

We found a sure fire way to remove moss and buttercup from your lawn organically! Have the septic re-done. Now I'm off to rake, pick rocks and sticks and try my hand at growing grass.

Nap time project II

2010-06-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

So today's nap time project was locating and digging out the septic tank.... sorry no pictures of the woodpile to post. You can smell our yard from a mile away though. James is super excited for the "sucker truck" to come take care of it. I feel for the poor person who has that job, not only is it stinky but there will be a huge series of why, how come and an over excited three year old on the front porch watching the whole process. I have a feeling that I'm about to find out more about septic tanks than I ever wanted to know.

Memorial day weekend

2010-06-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

How do we spend a rainy three day weekend in Western Washington? We rented a log splitter and made a mountain of firewood. (At least we will be dry and warm this winter) Picture coming as soon as I find the camera...

Nap time projects

2010-05-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

I have small projects constantly going on all day long, laundry, changing diapers, feeding the never ending hunger that James has, keeping 2 kids entertained while it is raining outside, etc. I have decided recently (within the last week) that nap time is for me, not for catching up on laundry or picking up the house as it usually is. So in the last week I have almost finished a quilt top for my friends daughter to be born in August, I am working on a "baby" quilt for her son who is no longer a baby (hi Shelly) and I started Madilyn's quilt. I am making rhubarb pineapple jam today, I made James a teepe for the back yard out of sticks and fabric two days ago and I have even read a bit! I am also putting together a wedding gift for my friend getting married in June (I cant write about it though as it is a surprise!).

I am excited about my jam, it is an experiment, rhubarb pineapple - I like the idea of the citrusey flavor in it. I found a recipe for jam on another bloggers site on how to make jam without pectin (the thickening agent). Im trying it for the first time. Pectin is an extra expense, and another thing I don't totally love being in my food. Im not saying I will never use it again, but lets see how this Jam goes and I may be pectin free this summer!

I feel a bit guilty about taking time for myself, I dont generally take time for only "me" but I feel my sanity creeping back bit by bit with each sip of coffee from a freshly brewed pot. Somehow it feels really good to get to do some things that I really enjoy and have a hard time doing with the kids helping.

The picture has nothing to do with today - the kids were at Papa and Nana's this weekend and my sister took it - It kind of sums up Madilyn's life, James grinning, in Madilyns face, loud and all boy and Maddie shocked and surprised but always grinning shortly after.

The week in pictures

2010-05-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

Proper chicken feeding attire, snow boots, underware and a cowboy hat.

Madilyn all bundled up for chores, she always falls asleep as soon as I get her changed, dressed in layers and ready to head out the door.

Feeding the chickens weeds and vegetable scraps.

James planting seeds - I took these through the window, not good quality but it captured the moment perfectly.

Everyone knows that the proper way to plant seeds in a mole hill is to use power tools to drill the hole.

Madilyn goes for a ride.