Tractor Learning

It's that time of year...Spring!  Adrian had a chance to do some tractor work with Farmer Rick.  Ask that kid if he'd rather go to Disney or do some farming on the tractor with Farmer Rick, he'd pick the latter.

 And how it goes when you have a big brother, you hear all about tractors, cows and farming whether you're interested or not.  "Mama, I'm going to teach my baby sister everything I know about cows and tractors because I love her so much!"  Good thing Anna-Kate is most patient. This will take a while.

Changing station

We've lived here in this old Maine farmhouse since late 2012. We moved when Audra was only 4 months old.  We had a whole changing station set up that worked for us then. Since then, I've rearranged our room and our house approximately 100 times.  What worked for us before isn't a good fit now for a changing station.  After having little Miss Anna-Kate for a week, I thought of a baby changing set up that would work for us.  And so, there I go again, moving things around, hauling furniture from other rooms, making my husband lift things, driving him crazy.  But now, we have a perfect set up for our cloth diapering stuff.

 And so, this shall be our set up...until the next time I get the urge to rearrange again.  And so it goes...

Handmade Sweater AND Buttons

Look at this adorable knit sweater, made by my good friend Cricket.  Even the buttons are homemade from wood in their yard! It's so warm, so soft, so cozy. I sort of wish it was in my size!


 Thank you, Cricket!  I love it!

Garden 2017: Update 1

Gardens, oh gardens.  How I have abandoned you.

For good reason.  I have an infant.

I have seriously done next to nothing. Quantity of seedlings started are slim. Plans haven't been made. Not even peas have been started. Compost is a heaping mess and needs to be turned.

And you know what?  I am just fine with the nothingness out there.  I'm in no hurry to change it.

What will I do?  Buy seedlings. From the greenhouse.  Plant oodles of sprouted seed potatoes that are filling my basement because it's easy.  Do what I can. Cover the rest of the garden with a cover crop.  Good enough.

Plus, I have every intention of enjoying those things that I have already done the work for.  The things that are already established.  Fruit trees, raspberries, garlic, onions, rhubarb, herbs and greens. Plus perennials.

This year my garden won't be immense...but it's okay. I'd much rather be holding an tiny squishy baby. There's always next year for an elaborate garden.

Do the best I can. No guilt.  That's my plan.

Fun Mail!

Of course we'd have to be UPS's just about last stop with my exciting mail.  A new ring sling, partly because I cannot find my other ring sling (it HAS to be somewhere in this house...but where?!) and as a prize for birthing a human, so my husband says.

Little Miss Anna-Kate has already claimed her love for the ring sling, as evidenced by napping so deeply that she totally skipped a feeding.

Never wake a peaceful, sleeping baby and enjoy having that tiny warm body close.  Those are my rules.

Handmades and my Littles

I have such a big love of handmades, but have done little crafting as of late.  But, I have amazing friends and family who have made our sweet girl some gorgeous handmades.  I figured I really ought to show off some of these handmades! This week I've already posted a blanket and hat made by Mary and a blanket by Sharon (thank you!).  Here's a blanket made by Claudia (thank you!).  It's flannel and fringed....cute and warm. I love it.

May "Chicken Soup with Rice"

Another month, another verse and another bowl of soup!  We're making a "Maine" version of "Chicken Soup with Rice", inspired by the "Chicken Soup with Rice" by by Maurice Sendak (1962).  Kids are really enjoying memorizing the poem of the month and I'm taking their picture with their soup in the same spot. 

It's neat to see how the seasons change month to month on this old Maine farm. 

November here.  
December here.
January here.
February here.

March here.

April here. 

I cannot commit to making the same soup 12 times this year, so I vary it. This month's soup was beef, barley, veggies...including fresh collards from our garden. 

May
"In May I truly think it best
To be a robin lightly dressed
Concocting soup inside my nest
Mix it once, mix it twice
Mix that chicken soup with rice"