Homesteading

“Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: "Love. They must do it for love." Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to work outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is making them miserable. They love to live where they work and to work where they live. If the scale of their farming is small enough, they like to work in the company of their children and with the help of their children. They love the measure of independence that farm life can still provide. I have an idea that a lot of farmers have gone to a lot of trouble merely to be self-employed to live at least a part of their lives without a boss.” 

~Wendell Berry, Bringing it to the Table: Writings on Farming and Food

Our little homestead is growing by leaps and bounds. Living in community we have the great gift of living among many farm animals; we care for them and in turn they provide for us. It has been our greatest dream to contribute to the provisions by having our own little team on our plot of land and this weekend, we began to see our dream to reality.

We welcomed six chicks into our family this weekend (along with the newcomers you'll meet below). Kiki adores them and has spent every waking moment tending to them, singing to them, holding them. For just three years old she has given us a glimpse into what amazing care she is capable of. Her tenderness, quiet, gentle devotion. It's almost like she goes to a meditative place while she is with these chicks.

We were also gifted this beautiful Lionhead bunny. While he won't necessarily produce anything akin to food or materials he has already produced a softening of heart, a smile within us all, a gentleness that we all needed after this long, long winter. His name is Little Lionheart.

This beautiful Black Sexlink is Beatrice. She is a wise old gal and happily and immediately made herself at home. She is gentle, sweet, and so far, has enjoyed begin carried about by various little hands. She also have us our first egg!

We have a Red Sexlink as well (her name is Ruby). It has been of utmost importance to her to figure out her new digs as she's feeling pretty broody. I found her nestled into the coop working on laying her first egg so I didn't want to disturb her with a photo op.

This is Max, our Rooster, and his lady love, Gwendolyn. She follows him everywhere. They are both still a bit nervous but have warmed up to us and have let us help them into the coop at night. Our coop is our old outdoor rabbit hutch, modified with nesting boxes and roosts to accommodate our brood. It will require a bit of assistance on our part to get them in and out of the coop, just until they're comfortable with the process on their own.

Our landscape is a beautiful one. The sheep add an element of olden days and when living off the land was how you survived. We're getting closer and closer to that place of self reliance. Our dream is not to live as if it were the 1800's but to embrace and accept our gifts and primal calling to be connected to  the land, to keep our children connected and focused on the sanctity of caring for and working the land, working with our hands, and allowing the realness of providing for ourselves to be at the forefront of how we build our home.

"The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.” 
~ Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture

  

Being a Waldorf inspired home we are fortunate to live where we do. The daily tasks of tending to the animals, preparing the garden for the season, integrating the childrens daily play and rhythms into the ebb and flow of the natural world around them is so beautiful and unique. 

"As child, one has the magical capacity to move among the many eras of the earth; to see the land as an animal does; to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; to know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unselfconsciously to the soughing of the trees." ~ Valerie Andrews, A Passion for this Earth

For Little Hands :: Encouraging Spring

I'm trying to figure out how to work For Little Hands back into my weekly posts, I know consistancy is key and I'm not sure quite yet what the rhythm will look like. My thought this time around is to have it on Fridays as a way to kick of the weekend. I'll add more to it as the idea comes to fruition.

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We love the birds that come and visit our bird feeders; their sweet songs and round little bellies. It's a real joy to sit back and watch them and even when we don't, we know they're there and that brings a smile to our faces.

Here is an older post for you to enjoy(with wee hands in mind) about a simple way to interact with your neighborhood birds while  providing much needed nourishment.....at least where it's really wintry this time of year!

Look at my little Charlotte! She sure has grown! Oh my xoxo

Snow Magic

 

Look into the garden

Where the grass was green,

Covered by the snowflakes,

Not a blade is seen.

Look outside the window,

All looks still and white;

Under snowy blankets,

What a pretty sight!

~ J.D. Macey

We're buzzing with excitement in our little hobbit home today! According to our local weather reports we're to expect quite a bit of snow throughout the day and overnight into tomorrow. We haven't had a good bit of snow in quite some time. The last real snow  we can remember (the kind of snow that slows and bring everyday life to a halt, the kind of snow that brings a rumble or two of thunder, the kind of snow that requires constant shoveling to keep walkways clear) was back in 2007. We had back to back snow storms, one of Valentine's Day and one of St. Patrick's Day. We've had a few good storms here since, but truly, nothing like those. We're anticipating good sledding, lots of baking so the oven can help keep our home extra warm, snuggling in to a movie or two, working on some Valentine treats, and really, just hunkering down and being together.

 

 

The littles woke up with so much energy (maybe they're feeling the energy from these two storm that have converged around us). They could barely contain their joy and excitement. After a little stroll around Pinterest I found this really fun idea for homemade snow at The Imagination Tree.

 

Using ingredients that I had on hand, cornstarch and vegetable oil (and glitter), I brought out a plastic storage tub, had Charlotte and Kiki pour the cornstarch into the bin, I poured the oil over the top of the cornstarch, and as they littles mixed and sifted the cornstarch I sprinkled glitter all over their little hands.

This simple sensory activity provided lots of fun (and mess, so be prepared!!) According to the post at The Imagination Tree children exploring with this sensory activity are learning::

Sensory: exploring through sensory investigation, learning new descriptive language
Literacy: story telling, vocabulary development
Science/ Knowledge & Understanding of the World:

combining materials, recipes, geography and habitats
Creativity: imaginative play, forming sculptures
Maths: counting out measurements

They made snowmen, piles of snow, sprinkled snow all over each other and all around them :) We didn't have any moulds of any kind, that might have made the play a bit more exciting but it was still magical and they thought it was a ton of fun to have some snow in the house.

 

Snowflakes falling soft and light,

Snowflakes falling in the night,

Soft and light, pure and white.

When the sun shines out so bright

All the earth is dressed in white.

Wild One

 

We had a lovely mid-week visit from out of town family members and decided that a good way to spend a rainy, blustery winter day would be to take in the sights at the State Museum. Charlotte and her Papa had been there for a father/daughter date a few weeks ago so she already had some insight on exhibits she really wanted to show everyone. Kiki, however, hadn't been as a young lass so she was quite eager to explore this new and oh so interesting place all on her own. Divide and conquer :)

Charlotte gave the tour to the others while Kiki and I had an a bit of discovery all on our own.

 

Seeing the museum through your toddler's eyes is like seeing it for the first time yourself. I was awe inspired by her gasps and shrieks of delight when she spied a new animal, the birds (oh she just loved the hall of birds), the mammoths. She was a bit apprehensive when we walked through the Long house exhibit and listened to a story by a Native American Grandmother (the lighting is quite dim so I'm sure her imagination was running wild!). We found a little nook just for kiddos and she aimlessly walked around focusing her attention of little bugs, turtles shells, beaver hides, and pretending to dig for dinosaur bones.

 

 

 

 

Kiki is proving to be our unadventurous one. She doesn't like rides of any kind, carnival, park, even escalators! There is an old Carousel that runs on the top floor of the museum; it is lovely. Kiki thought so too, so long as she didn't have to go on :)

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Charlotte's favorite spot is the waterfall with the deer leaping from the stream. It is a very serene setting, I have to admit.

 

The one thing Kiki keeps talking about is how she "fixed" the elephant. It was a skeleton puzzle that she worked on for quite some time. Each piece she carefully examined and needed very little assistance to find the correct spot for each piece. She lovingly place every piece of the puzzle and when she was finished, she stepped back, sighed and smiled and patted the "fixed" elephant and assured him that he was OK, he was fixed now. She picked up her little basket (her little friends accompany her everywhere these days) and was ready to be on her way.

 

 

So, to say the littles have been a bit over excitable these past few days is an understatement. Company always makes them a bit wilder than usual. Last night they had become quite unruly and had a real hard time settling in after our long day out and late evening of games and ice cream. After many attempts to bring them to bed I finally came to my senses and brought in the magic serum. I gently massaged some oil onto their chest and asked them to breathe deeply and nice and slow (I put some on me, too!!) Within moments they were out like lights!

 

The power of Moor Lavender oil is amazing!!! Have you tried it? What are some of your favorite ways to soothe the savage beast in your littles?

Morning Blessings

It has been a long standing dream of mine to work a morning walk into our daily rhythm. Some days we succeed and others, well.......not so much! It's so soothing for me and the littles to begin our day out of doors visiting the sheep, feeding the birds, seeing the world outside waking up to the bright day ahead. Today, we succeeded! We triumphed over sleepy eyes and rainy weather. The morning started out with a lovely rise of the sun, a blushed orange glow touched every tree top but then clouds took over and covered us some overcast.  Here are a few photos from our lovely morning meander.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Bit of Magic : A Pumpkin Painting Story

We've heard many stories to support a particular painting project but none really resonated with me or my kids enough to create a well rounded experience. To honor that, I chose to write my own story to follow along with a somewhat traditional pumpkin painting experience. The painting part doesn't begin right away so if you choose to share our story with your children, read it ahead so you can get a feel for where and when you can prompt your kids to begin to create their little pumpkins.

 

I felt Kiki was bit young for this project so I set up a pumpkin project similar to our

 Shamrock Window Transparency.
~ You will need some orange paper to cut into a pumpkin frame
~ some bits of tissue paper
~ a blue piece of paper to frame your pumpkin on

 

We used the wet on wet watercolor technique for the pumpkin painting. It's such a magical experience to watch and participate in. To see your littles' eyes light up when they see the colors change or the pumpkin face come shining through......it really is quite sweet.

 

~ You will need some wet watercolor paper

~ Blue, red, yellow watercolors

~ A cup of plain water

~ Brushes for the paint and water

Enjoy ~

 

Once upon a time a Little Seed lived in the earth. He was waiting and waiting until the time was just right for him to begin to grow. He waited until the soil was warm enough…….and on that day he burst open and a little green tendril began to uncurl from Little Seed’s body. With so much strength and persistence he pushed through the earth above and followed the trail to the ever glowing light.

As days came and went he kept growing his long green tendrils all along the garden floor. Leaves began to sprout along the curly vines and then little flower buds began to pop out between the leaves.  Now, our Little Seed friend knew that these flowers were very special because it was from the “Queen” flowers that a round, orange, pumpkin would grow. All day long, Little Seed would call for the bees, telling them that a feast would await them in just a short time. This would be a once in a lifetime day for everyone. It was on this one day that Little Seed would push his flowers open to welcome the bees for the afternoon feast. These blossoms would begin to unfold by early dawn and by late morning they would be in full bloom. They would be open and waiting for the bees to come and share their pollen with all the flowers along the vine but especially with the “Queen” flowers atop their globe shaped thrones.

That day had arrived and the bees were humming so loudly. They were happy and full of pollen, dropping little bits into each “Queen” as they sipped on the sweet nectar within the flower.  Little Seed could hear and see the symphony of miracles that was happening all around him. By dusk the bees had  gone off to their hives and all the flowers had begun their final bow. The flowers closed and the pollen within each “Queen” had begun to create magic within the round thrones below her. Little Seeds dream was coming true and the pumpkins he so anticipated were beginning to grow.

~ First, a golden ball began to appear. (Paint a yellow sphere on your paper)

~ Then, as the summer light began to shift these little yellow balls began to take on an orange hue. (Add some watery red to your yellow and watch as the color changes  from yellow to orange).

~ The magic and wonder was more than Little Seed could bear. He felt so much satisfaction for the birth of the pumpkins because he knew that they would bring such joy and happiness to many little children who would come one day to pick those pumpkins. The sky above them was so blue but could not match that of the bright burst of orange that shone from the pumpkins below. (Paint blue all around your pumpkin but be mindful not to mix the blue with the orange in an effort to keep the colors separate).

 

~ After the sweltering heat of summer had come and gone and the leaves started falling from their tree homes, Little Seed knew it was time. The pumpkins that had started from little green globes beneath the most beautiful flowers had finished growing. They were ready to be taken from their curly, green, vines and brought home to a loving and appreciative family that would use this pumpkin for a lovely celebration. Little Seed knew that these pumpkins would provide nourishment, fun, beauty, and then would return to the Earth and begin anew. (Combine a bit of the orange and blue to encourage a stem (greenish) somewhere along your pumpkin).

 

~ As the children danced along Little Seed’s long tendril and chose the perfect pumpkin to take home, Little Seed felt very proud. He had worked very hard for a very long time. He was sad to see his treasures go but knew their life would be so meaningful to so many. As the pumpkins were carried away Little Seed saw the smiling faces of each one glowing back at him; their eyes, their smiles, their teeth, their noses.  (Now paint faces on your pumpkins with some fresh water. The clean water will wash away any color that is there and a face will shine through. You can use a clean cloth to dab the paper with and help pull the color away. After it dries a bit paint your eyes, smile, nose with some yellow paint. This gives your pumpkin a nice glowing face).

 

It had been a busy time for Little Seed and he found he was ready to retire for the winter. He knew that he would be taken care of by the Winter Fairies and Gnomes and other woodland creatures. They would tuck him in for the long cold winter and prepare him for what lie ahead.

The winter winds began to blow, Little Seed could hear that he was being called away. He drifted gently from the cold, barren earth and danced among the snowflakes and ice to discover where it is he was to go next. Little Seed didn’t know where he would land  but trusted that it would be just as amazing as where he had been.

KiKi's finished pumpkin

 

Charlotte asked to make her painting our new Welcome sign on our front door (the screen comes through in the photo, kinda neat looking I thought!).

I think it's perfect, don't you? :)

 

 

 

* This post was shared on Frontier Dream ~ Keep Calm Craft On

and Seasons of Joy

 

Impressed by Leaves

Today was the quintessential Autumn day. Warm yet brisk. The sun shone such bright light but you can see and feel the difference from the sunshine of our summer days.......fragmented, shifted, indirect. The leaves tumbled passed us as the wind carried them across our yard. The littles chased them to and fro and came back to me with ones they thought were just so beautiful; their colors, their crunchiness, their shapes. We decided to place our favorites into a basket and bring them inside to examine them a little more closely.

Charlotte had really hoped to keep them all, forever!, and we would have if I had had enough beeswax (so we could preserve them in the melted wax) but alas! In the end we compromised on making a leaf impression and then finishing it with a little wax resist painting. It was a multi-stepped process (the littles love that) and took only about 30 minutes to complete. It was perfectly engaging for them and by the time we were finished, Charlotte felt that she had properly paid homage to the little leaves she considered such a gift.

 

First, we placed their leaves randomly all over a piece of paper that was

anchored down to our table with some tape.

 

 

 

Next, we rolled another piece of paper over our leaf collage.

 

 

Then, they rubbed some crayons all over the top piece of paper.

It was so beautiful to hear the girls "ooh" and "ahh" whilst seeing the leaves

pop out from under their crayons. They would rub harder and then lighter to see how different

the shapes and veins looked beneath them. It was really fun to watch.

 

 

Isn't it beautiful?

 

 

Charlotte wanted to continue on and began by applying some watered  down egg dye

to the leaf impressions. I kept our egg dye from Easter to use all year long for 

projects that call for water colors or dyes of some sort.

They do last for about that long before they get moldy or stale in color. 

 

 

Here is a detail shot of how the wax from the crayon resists the water color.

The crayon colors just pop right through and create such a beautiful prism of color.

 

 

We're lacking in wall space so I'm challenged to utilize other areas for displaying our works.

Here you can see I've used a bamboo shade as an easel for our leaves painting. The sunlight

coming through the window allows the impressions to really stand out.

 

 

"It's Autumn again,

Leaves whisper the sound of our past."

~ Andrea Rieck

 

 

What are you crafting this Autumn?

 

This post was shared on The Magic Onions
Friday's Nature Table



Changes

Autumn

by T.E. Hulme

 

A touch of cold in the Autumn night

I walked abroad,

And saw the ruddy moon lean over a hedge

Like a red-faced farmer.

I did not stop to speak, but nodded,

And round about were the wistful stars

With white faces like town children.

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn time is my favorite time of year. The air is more crisp, there is a silence that is unlike any other time of year. The early birds have quieted and are now sleeping later and the sun stays in bed a bit longer, too. It's the beginning of the breathing in, the coming back from the hot summer and the return to the hearth. The inner reflection that begins at this time of year, for me in particular, is so profound. I look forward to it every year because it feels a bit like New Years. I, for whatever reason, wipe the slate clean and make adjustments to my livelihood and get a clearer picture of where I am, where I'm headed and if I'm in line with where I'd hoped to be.

 

I may be jumping the gun a bit early on our recent Seasonal Table addition as our leaves haven't even begun to change just yet, they are falling however. Our mornings are quite chilly, we wear slippers and warm covers over our pajamas. Breakfast has become heavier and the morning light has shifted. All of these changes put me in the mood to add something autumnal to our table. Since the leaves aren't in their peak of autumn color we decided to make our own and suspend them over our seasonal table.

 

  

 

We used watercolored paper, some random bits of string, scissors, a grapevine wreath, and a hole punch.

 

 

Charlotte watercolored, wet on wet, two pieces of paper.

 

 

Oncw they dried we cut out many different style leaves; Aspen, Maple, Ash, Oak. I was planning on oiling the paper as well but I didn't have enough oil on hand. Feel free to, though, as it will give your leaves a transparency that allows light to flow through and will brighten your colors a bit.

 

 

Then, we simple punched a hole in the leaf and tied a string through the hole.

 

 

Lastly, we tied our leaves onto our wreath and suspended the wreath over our seasonal table just as if they were falling and making their way to the ground.

 

Here's a fun little poem with movements to get you and your littles in the mood!!!

Little leaves fall gently down

(Raise arms over head and twinkle your fingers like leaves dancing in a breeze)

Red and yellow, orange and brown.

(Flutter fingers and bring arms down in a swaying motion like leaves falling to the ground) 

Whirling, whirling round and round

(Whirl arms and hands around as if leaves are being blown around by wind)

Quietly, quietly without a sound;
Falling softly to the ground,

(Sway arms and rest of body, like dancing, and lower entire self to the ground)

Down and down and down and down!

Even though it's not technically Autumn yet.......I'm wishing you a lovely season of changes xoxo