Peaches!

 

Maine 4-H Days

 Certainly a highlight of our summer!  I had a full day of teaching. Adrian took screen printing and bike repair.  Audra took rabbits, search & rescue and marine touch tank.  Anna-Kate took Underground creepy crawlies, storytellers and marine touch tank.  Highlight for me was leading some camp songs.  Such an awesome event for all. 

Leaf Mulcher

 We drove by something that looked interesting and I said "WHAT's THAT?"  Everyone said, "NO MOM and my husband kept driving.  But on the way back, I said, "Can you just let me look, please?" My husband begrudgingly stopped.  Then I saw the sign FREE LEAF MULCHER.  "This beast is coming home with us", I said.  They all rolled their eyes.  BUT it works marvelously!  These leaves were given to me and I had planned to use them as mulch.  But, you know, life. 

Adrian had a genius idea of set up. Shredded the leaves, soaked in water.  I pulled my garlic from this patch and did some succession planting. I definitely wanted it mulched before we went away on vacation.  DONE.  Well, that spot and a few others.  This is going to be a handy help around the homestead. 

Thrifted.

 I popped into two thrift stores yesterday, spent $15 and change total. And that money went to the food bank and cat rescue. This is likely hundreds of dollars of stuff if new.  

Dog dice (we love this game, having a 2nd means more than 4 people can play. 
Fridge organizer with lid.

Pie scooper. 
Story cubes x3 (SLP dream!)

Eddie Bauer flannel lined pants

Lee Jeans

Big glass pitcher (for lemonade!)

Another game of Headbandz (hoping for enough of the blue headbands for our whole 4H club)

Finger paint ink pad

Vase

Shelf (in background) for the pantry. 
BOGS for AK. 
Shoes for a buck a piece: BOGS, LL Bean, Nike, Under Armor, Reef, Rafters. All expensive shoes! 

Storm Catching

 My husband was not feeling stellar, but I insisted he go outside because a storm was brewing. He LOVES watching storms come in and we have the very best backyard to watch. 

Childhood of Books 2023-2024

For the last 5 years, I've been keeping track of our annual family chapter book read alouds.  Here are the last four years: 



2022-2023

 2021-22

2020-21

2019-20

2023-2024:

Adrian's Favorites were Moonshiner's Son, Grandpa's Mountain, The Haymeadow and The Home Ranch.

Audra's Favorites were: Incident at Hawk's Hill, Henry Reed series, Lad: A Dog and Our Own May Amelia. 

Anna-Kate loved Mr. Popper's Penguins, Blue Willow, Tumtum and Nutmeg and Andre.  She also had remorse that she didn't include Trumpet of the Swan, so we'll add that for honorable mention. 

My favorites were The Fastest Hound Dog in the State of Maine, Onion John, Fields of Home and Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children. 

Read to them even though they can read on their own, you won't regret it. I promise. 

Summer Afternoons

 

Summer afternoons for this girl: Books. Games. Snacks. AC.  She knows how to live life. 

Boat N Tote

Like a good Mainer, I just love LL Bean's Boat and Tote bags, particularly for grocery shopping. I wanted more, but am cheap. I used some thicker fabric to make some thicker bags, a set of 6. I tried to make them wide, short and sturdy for all the groceries. They're working great! Nice to make something for me.

Garden update July 2024

 One week ago, the garden looked like this: 

Tonight it looked like this: 

Here are a sampling of pics from the garden as of late.  Most frequent visitors are Zippy and Anna-Kate.  Adrian shows up to complain about my nonsense.  Audra avoids the garden lately, that way she doesn't get roped into helping!  Along with the growing bit is the putting away of the food for winter.  I've been working very hard at that. 

12th Birthday Recap

 
Audra requested a Mediterranean Feast for her birthday.  She got homemade pitas, Lebanese 7 spice chicken, tomato/cuke/feta salad and then tzatziki and hummus. And fruit salad. 

Plus sprite with raspberry sorbet fizzy drinks.

It was a good day for our firecracker! 

Audra's 12th Birthday!

 11.5, 11, 10 and a HALF, TEN, Nine and a HALF, Nine, Eight and a HALF,   Eight,Seven and a HALF, Seven ,Six and a half, Six ,Five, 4 1/2,  Here's 4 , 3 1/2, 3 years, 2 1/2 years, 2 years 18 months,  12 months,  9 months?  6 months?  3 months?  Just being born 

Happy 12th Birthday, Audra! 

You're my resident crafter.  I enjoy seeing the things you're making.  You pick something new to focus on every now and then, then mass produce, before leaving it for a bit to try something out.  Then you loop back around to an old activity when you decide.   Lately you're working on beading and knotting friendship bracelets.  Combining knots and beads, you've made some unique designs.  You stitched a beautiful dress that looks lovely on you. You've looped back to crochet.  You've done a lot of weaving, although it seems like you've taken a pause on that.  You've soared at rug hooking and dabbled in candle making.  Plus you enjoy drawing faces lately. 

You're always on the go, often upside down. Swimming is your favorite. You enjoy being upside down in the pool, ocean, on land and on the swings.  You run out to the livestock multiple times a day.  All the livestock have names (although do some of the names change?  or maybe I can't keep track).  You are most at home with animals. 

You love to be a friend to others and to serve others.  You delight in sharing flowers, food, homemade gifts.  You make treats for the shelter animals and your own.

Your appetite is hearty for your preferred foods and prefer to not see novel choices.  Literally, you don't want to see it.  If you close your eyes and try it anyway, 9/10 times you enjoy different foods. Eggs are definitely your favorites. 

You're improving on your sleep, you're doing more self care activities without reminders.  You hope you'll conquer keeping your room tidy.  You work harder than most, everyday you try.

Audiobooks and being read to are the most organizing activities you do.  You'd be thrilled to have some sort of audio blaring 24/7.  Silence is undesirable.  

You're learning and growing everyday and I am so proud of the leaps you've accomplished over the last year.  Here's to a new year!  

Love, Mama

Pressing flowers

 I didn't expect to host this month's Homemaker's meeting and considered canceling.  But then I thought of my lack of flower pressing the last couple of years. Decided that hosting a flower pressing workshop would guarantee many of us to get a few things pressed.  We had a lovely time. My presses (that my dad made me) are packed now! Thank you, friends! 

Cat Mats

 Our 4-H club, Audra and I worked together to make 45ish cat mats for one animal shelter last year.  These are measured to fit exactly the space needed.

We told the one we were fostering for that we did that and she said she'd take 25.  Audra and I provided that, plus more! Partial stack below.

Pantry Progress

 For 10 years, I've been meaning to get to this pantry.  I wish I took 'before' photos.  It was yellowed paint that was foxing and carpeted. I had plastic blue shelves and it was a big dumping ground. Fresh paint, red old floors, back to square one.  I am super thrilled with the progress thus far.  We still need to fix the light and I want to add shelves over the vintage hooks. I didn't purchase anything to other than the inexpensive shelves for this project.  Just shopped around my house. I may purchase something at some point, but I guess I'm going with eclectic vintage farmhouse.

So much more functional now though.

And while I'm add it, the last space I redid that is much more functional than it was.  

Someday I hope to have my vintage kitchen sink installed, new kitchen floors and new countertops.  Each year it is a bit more 'us' than it was the year prior. I love this home.