Update 2
Garden update #3
Update 4
“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” ― Laura Ingalls Wilder
Garden 2020: Update
Update 1
Update 2
Garden update #3
Update 4
Always learning. Always growing. I think this year is the best yet. Four pictures, one from each corner of my garden.
Thankful.
Update 2
Garden update #3
Update 4
Making it through
The hardest day of my year is always the day before.
Let me go back four years. I was visiting my dad and was wishing I didn't have to return after a week. I thought about my vacation bank from work. It was plenty full. I ended up deciding to use that time and stay another week. The next year, I saved my vacation time from work the entire year and stayed two weeks. After that, I had an opportunity at my job to forfeit any benefits to have the flexibility to take even more time at camp. Last year we stayed three weeks at camp. This year we're staying a solid month. (We being the kids and me. My husband stays back and works, thank you, Justin).
While we are there, it's a good, good thing. It's just my littles and me the majority of the time. We go for a morning walk. We swim. We read. We paint and draw. We go for boat rides. We keep nature journals. We see family. We relax. There is no internet, no phone. No distractions. I keep meals so incredibly simple. It's the most peaceful time out of the whole year. The kids cannot wait. It's the highlight of their year.
But the day before all this? SO hard. To pack what we need for school, recreation and necessities for a month, PLUS to get the barn, yard, house, animals, gardens in 'good to go' status, WHILE managing kids who are SO excited that they cannot find anything functional to do and they are either fighting or trying to help in a way that is not very helpful at all, AND deal with my emotions (I always cry leaving my beloved gardens and farmhouse). The day before was today. And it was hard.
I just put the kids in bed and I was thinking, did I even smile today? Did I enjoy any of it? Did I just bark orders and referee? I am certain I was not at my best.
Just as I was finding myself spiraling down 'I'm a failure' lane, I spotted drawings my kids left for me.
The first is Adrian's. He drew me (in my glasses) with my wheelbarrow. I had the dog following me and my shovel. I was out to mulch the gardens, he said. He drew me smiling.
The next is Audra's. She drew me laying in my hammock under the maple tree. I was reading to the big kids, who were in their lawn chairs drawing. THere's a cat on the porch. She drew me smiling.
Anna-Kate keeps drawing me boyfriends. I know I smile at those.
Noticing their drawings brought me right to tears. Even though my day was not the easiest, when they go to think about the day, they think of the times I was smiling. My view of myself is that I'm never measuring up. Their view of me is the opposite.
My mind may be going at a speed that is too rapid for my liking, my to do list is way too long, the hours I have been sleeping have been way too few, but it will be worth it. This time tomorrow night, I shall be exhaling here, and I cannot wait.
Let me go back four years. I was visiting my dad and was wishing I didn't have to return after a week. I thought about my vacation bank from work. It was plenty full. I ended up deciding to use that time and stay another week. The next year, I saved my vacation time from work the entire year and stayed two weeks. After that, I had an opportunity at my job to forfeit any benefits to have the flexibility to take even more time at camp. Last year we stayed three weeks at camp. This year we're staying a solid month. (We being the kids and me. My husband stays back and works, thank you, Justin).
While we are there, it's a good, good thing. It's just my littles and me the majority of the time. We go for a morning walk. We swim. We read. We paint and draw. We go for boat rides. We keep nature journals. We see family. We relax. There is no internet, no phone. No distractions. I keep meals so incredibly simple. It's the most peaceful time out of the whole year. The kids cannot wait. It's the highlight of their year.
But the day before all this? SO hard. To pack what we need for school, recreation and necessities for a month, PLUS to get the barn, yard, house, animals, gardens in 'good to go' status, WHILE managing kids who are SO excited that they cannot find anything functional to do and they are either fighting or trying to help in a way that is not very helpful at all, AND deal with my emotions (I always cry leaving my beloved gardens and farmhouse). The day before was today. And it was hard.
I just put the kids in bed and I was thinking, did I even smile today? Did I enjoy any of it? Did I just bark orders and referee? I am certain I was not at my best.
Just as I was finding myself spiraling down 'I'm a failure' lane, I spotted drawings my kids left for me.
The first is Adrian's. He drew me (in my glasses) with my wheelbarrow. I had the dog following me and my shovel. I was out to mulch the gardens, he said. He drew me smiling.
The next is Audra's. She drew me laying in my hammock under the maple tree. I was reading to the big kids, who were in their lawn chairs drawing. THere's a cat on the porch. She drew me smiling.
My mind may be going at a speed that is too rapid for my liking, my to do list is way too long, the hours I have been sleeping have been way too few, but it will be worth it. This time tomorrow night, I shall be exhaling here, and I cannot wait.
Body by Congdons!
This post is thanks to my good friend, Cricket, who helped make this happen! (Check out her awesome masks at https://www.etsy.com/shop/FunkyMasksOfMaine ).
It all stems from a story. My husband saw this man exercising who is maybe a decade older and ripped. Clearly this man survives off of protein only and does nothing but exercise. My husband said "I'm going to look like that someday", which we all burst out laughing. Then, as we were driving by Congdons Doughnuts (which are the best homemade doughnuts in the world), he said "Who am I kidding, I'm not giving up food! I have 'Body by Congdons'". We all laughed and said that would be such a funny shirt.
Fast forward to Cricket. She made it happen. (Thank you!!!) We laughed a lot today! And he got doughnuts!
Here's his one of a kind shirt:
It all stems from a story. My husband saw this man exercising who is maybe a decade older and ripped. Clearly this man survives off of protein only and does nothing but exercise. My husband said "I'm going to look like that someday", which we all burst out laughing. Then, as we were driving by Congdons Doughnuts (which are the best homemade doughnuts in the world), he said "Who am I kidding, I'm not giving up food! I have 'Body by Congdons'". We all laughed and said that would be such a funny shirt.
Fast forward to Cricket. She made it happen. (Thank you!!!) We laughed a lot today! And he got doughnuts!
Here's his one of a kind shirt:
Our day...
But a rundown...
Last of the homemade pumpkin muffins for first breakfast and shooed them outside.
In the garden before 7am...
Pulled weeds
Watered trouble spots
Fenced my succession planting of broccoli
Pulled the peas and replanted some more for fall
Heard a hollering from afar 'TWENTY EGGS THIS MORNING, MAMA!'
Spread 3 wheelbarrows of mulch
Picked a big bowl of green beans
Shooed little feet from stepping on plants (they all like to be 2 cm. from me, always)
Picked a fresh bouquet
Celebrated a peck of peppers Peter would proclaim were perfect.
Okay, maybe not a peck, but still a lot.
Back in for a proper breakfast of homemade toast, our own peaches and fresh eggs.
Plus homemade popsicles.
Three loads of laundry line dried, folded AND put away.
Jarred parsley for winter.
Basil dehydrating now for winter.
Family lunch, with homegrowns.
Reshelved a pile of borrowed books that were returned.
Kids took a virtual archaeology class.
Big box of their Aquaponics project supplies arrived.
A new book arrived in the mail ("Tree for Peter", have you read it?).
More homemade popsicles.
KIDS FINISHED CLEANING THEIR ROOMS (Hallelujah)!
Too hot and too tired to put forth the effort for an ocean swim (which we do just about everyday), so let them have a summer movie to celebrate their cleaned rooms (they were thrilled!).
I picked and packaged collard green and kale seeds to store for next year.
Fed my kids the last of the fresh raspberries with oatmeal (still have a freezer full!).
Homemade vanilla ice cream.
Read to them our latest biography (Betsy Ross).
Kissed them goodnight.
Watered the garden.
Chased this one pullet the kids named "Hawk" around, for he doesn't go in the coop at night.
Slipped a red tomato in my pocket and grabbed a ready zucchini.
More kitchen cleaning.
And now I abandon the kitchen cleaning (which isn't done) to blog and read because this day is 10x more exhausting done in the summer heat.
Hot. Tired. Accomplished. I go to bed feeling thankful that I am able to provide all I can for this family with my own two hands.
Virtual Fair
No in person fair this year, but we're participating in the virtual fair. Here are their entries:
Audra:
Adrian:
Garlic
Story Hour
Storytime at the library looks very different compared to what we are used to. Anna-Kate still joins her favorite librarians and does all the moves they do. Can't help but smile watching her.
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