Music in the farmhouse

Inspiration in a stairwell...

I saw this picture/quote in a stairwell in a hospital I visited last week.  This quote made me think of Farmer J, Miss Mary, Mr. Jim, my mom... and all the other wonderful tree lovers I know! ** And just picture me taking this picture while busy people are trying to get up and down the stairs!

Making cookies...

I went to make cookies this afternoon and thought I would do a side by side comparison of a store bought "organic brown egg" and the eggs were get from our own hens.  Here are the visual results:

It's hard to tell the difference between a store bought egg and farm fresh egg from the outside...

 but it's pretty obvious once you crack them open!  Which one would you rather eat and/or bake with? I'm so thankful for our hens! We give them a happy, free range life and they give us healthy, yummy eggs.  It's a win-win.  Even if you don't live on a farm, you can often buy farm fresh eggs straight from a farmer or at a local co-op store.  And check into your own city/town/village rules to see if you could have "backyard chickens".  You will never regret your decision to raise hens.  (Just refer to our first year blog posts about roosters, if you decide to go that route!!!)

 

Two eggs ready for baking (I dumped the store egg down the drain!)

Thanks hens!

Here is a picture of JJ's breakfast plate (after he ate up his food).  We have eggs once again.  And are so thankful to have our rich, orange, tasty and thick yolks back in our bellies! There truly is nothing like a farm fresh egg. Come over and we'll share with you!

'Tis a Gift to Be Simple...

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come downs
where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained
to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
to turn, turn, will be our delight
till by turning, turning we come round right.

I've always loved the above hymn and enjoy singing it in church.  It turns out this song was originally written as a religious (Shaker) dance song for use in their worship. The words --"To turn, turn will be our delight" and "Till by turning, turning" -- are dance instructions.

Many of you know that one of our main goals in moving to the farm was to live a more "simple" life.  So when I found this book, I was excited to read it from cover to cover.

 

There are many good "nuggets" of information in this book.  And I recommend reading it.  A good portion of the book discusses simplifying the amount and overall selection of your children's toys.  Those of you who know us well, and have been to our house often, see the boys toy room looking like this...

 

 



Just looking at this picture stresses me out (and is a little embarrassing)!  And how can a young child's imagination flourish in this pit of plastic, chaos and visual over-stimulation.

So... we cleaned up.  And four, large garbage bags later (3 to Goodwill and one to a landfill)...

 
Now we still have a lot of toys, maybe too many.  But we are making forward progress.  I foresee doing this process again after school is out. 

Thank you to Mimi for making the boys these Lego bags!  I hope they will keep more of the Legos together and less on the floor (because we all know how nasty it feels to accidently step on a Lego!)

I really recommend, to any parent (or grandparent), to downsize (and simplify) their kiddo's toy room and bedroom.  We now have a toy room with at least a quarter less toys.  And our new rule is only books and stuffed animals are to be kept in their bedroom.  This downsize process was not fun... and quite painful (sometimes literally when I was tripping over toys and stepping on random plastic items) but it was worth it in the end.  And do you know who had a harder time getting rid of toys? Me!  The boys had no problem at all giving away their "little boy" toys.  It was me, the mama, that was holding on to the toys (and the toddler/little boy memories that went with them). 

I love...

coming home to find my living room has magically turned into a children's fortress of imaginative proportions.  Thank you Miss Elsie for allowing Pickle the freedom to be a little boy and play!

Shivering goats...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjkV5ylZJe8

Ditch the plastic

I got Corelle and Corningware plates and cups for the boys! Better than eating on plastic, purchased inexpensively at a thrift shop and pretty kid proof!

You are what you eat...

Remember when I tried to eat whole foods... and totally failed.  Well, I'm trying again.  But this time, I'm going to ease into this new eating lifestyle. 

I found this 13 week guide to eating healthier on Pinterest and feel inspired to give it a try!

https://colombod2.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/steps-to-cut-out-processed-foods/

Week one: Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.

This sounds easy but it will be quite hard for me.  I'm a vegetarian who really doesn't like vegetables.  Actually, I now refer to myself as a "recovering vegetarian".  I'm trying to eat more free range chicken, fish and seafood.   Eating more fruits will be easier (as I always tend to the sweet vs. savory side of food).  Wish me luck!  Please join in, if you too want to eat a less processed/more whole food diet.  Should be an interesting three months!

Farmer J's Sunday morning reading...

Intro to Curling!

Beer, pizza, curling and laughs with friends...not a bad way to spend a Sunday night! Because doesn't it make sense to be in a room that is a balmy 40 degrees inside when it's an arctic 5 degrees outside! 

Snow on the Farm

Chicken tracks in the snow...

Three things

you need on a winter's night...

A warm quilt, a good book and children ready to listen (or read) a story!

Another Use For A Minivan