Bartels Farm

For the last five years we have depended on the Bartels farm for our seasonal fix and fall pumpkin needs. We have gone when it has been hot, cold, rainy, and snowy. Every year it gets a little bigger and better and we always enjoy the best that a true farm has to offer. The pumpkins are actually in the field, still attached to prickly vines and often hidden by the other crops like milo and corn!! One year they had planted swan necked gourds in with the pumpkins and we had an all out treasure hunt to find the coveted squash. There is always much to do like the petting zoo and pumpkin launching. This was a great opportunity for us to unwind as a family from our busy lives. I took so many many great pictures but just wanted to share a few.

This year the petting zoo included Nick and Teilee (from the Emu's perspective).


Landis picked a pumpkin with a face already on it. The fields are large and we have found that if you take a wagon ride first you can spot the best locations for the best pumpkins.







I like mine a little leafy.









The farm is outside of town and the views are phenomenal.















Our lives have well.....continued to be pretty crazy. With a parent in school and working full time it has definitely changed our lives. And with me running our home business, working part time, fulfilling all kids school commitments, managing the home, and doing it alone almost every day of the week it will just continue to be challenging. I miss having friends, getting to plan and do things, and alone time (it has been about 2 months since I have had that) but I am finding a lot of joy in getting to experience my children and their new journeys in school. I don't believe that things will stop being crazy-busy for me for quite some time, but I have to say that I am finding the pleasure in the midst of the craze. I am learning to spot those moments of gratitude in between illnesses and schedules. I believe that there are some very specific things that we have to overcome as a family before life gets easier however, when it does we will be prepared to accept the gift because we have been practicing.



Nick captured this photo of me and I love it. It does not present an image, it is simply me. Quiet, thinking, tired, smiling. Oh.....and in a field of pumpkins.

Peace

Overwhelmed. I am always (always) working while mothering or mothering while working. I am managing the best I can but am feeling resentful that I can't do either/or. I would love to just homeschool and mother, or just work. Homeschooling, at home parent, part time secretary job, starting a business, creating two websites.....managing a home.....garden...... financial creativity........ managing.........creating.......working.....sigh. It would be lovely to vent, to try and write words that could touch on the immensity of my stress.
I deserve a vacation. A real vacation.

Instead.......I offer this.


I call it 'peace'. Though I can't jump on (fear of breaking the rope) I can exhilarate in her experience. When you are catching air, when you are swingin' the world vanishes and the experience is all that matters. Push...glide....splash.....land. Breathe.

No parents allowed

Teilee declared that her (and Landis') room was off limits to Mommy and Daddy. Humm......is her rebellion to our household chaos resulting in organizational tendencies? Notice the completely made beds, no toys on the floor, the PJs laid out on the bed. She is putting away all of their laundry, vacuuming herself, dusting, picking up, and putting away all on her own!! I couldn't be prouder that she took this on herself. She has said that she will allow us to come in to patch the wall and paint when the time comes. Her design will be centered around the seasons and she has left instructions as to which wall is Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. On one wall she would like to see a mural with the sky, a tree, and the underground roots, with worms in the dirt. You keep cleaning and maintaining your room Teilee, I will paint you a work of art!!

Snow White and Rose Red

Today


Yup Snow

Oh what a May

Once again it is snowing outside. My garden is suffering and I am thinking about switching entirely to a greenhouse next year. Although, each year I lament that we shall have to wait until next fall for snow and then mother nature surprises us with her final attempts at a winter storm. It is a surprise gift of beauty experiencing the white, stark, greyness of winter and the brilliant, blooming colors of spring at the same time. Picture taking is optimum and I am hoping to capture some beauties tomorrow. Here are some beauties from the first week of May.

Kite day at the park, hundreds of kites in the air and Teilee flying the airplane (you can barely see it in the center but it is there). Go Teilee go!








Landis flying his homemade kite. During the peak wind of the morning hundreds of kites were flown in the same area. And yes there were tangles, and downed kites resulting, but everyone shared a good laugh and each lent a hand to send the kite aloft.







Beltane is a beautiful festival we missed most of it but arrived during the maypole portion. With Landis asleep in the car, Nick brought Teilee down for the kids weaving of the ribbons. Then upon switching, I was able to participate in my first adult may pole weaving. What a beautiful and intimate tradition especially as the ribbons become shorter and shorter leaving you little space to weave in and out. After the weaving of the ribbon, Teilee and I joined in the ritual of jumping over the fire. A symbolic new beginning emerging from the flames (just make sure your pants are hiked up and you jump high enough). Teilee soared. (Teilee is in the green pants with the gray jacket.) The adult May Pole



What better creature to spy near our festival grounds than a curious fox.

















Already we have been hiking and enjoying our sunny days. Nick and the kids went out for a hike and we repeated the venture on Mother's Day. Poor Landis was ill and insisted he needed to be carried (not in the hiking backpack) by Mommy the whole way down. Wishing I had brought my sling we found Plan B using my jacket as a makeshift sling and we successfully made it down the mountain.
Landis slept for most of the day and in the evening his fever broke and he was much better.










The chicks are getting so big! We moved them out into the coop with the big girls. We will separate them until the chicks are big enough to fend off any hen pecking.


The kids bring the chicks and the chickens into the yard as often as possible. They keep to their separate spaces, but we are hoping that eventually they will commingle.




Toothless.....I mean Teilee has popped out her front tooth. Proudly she shows her space and her tooth and she is now the proud president of her Loose Tooth Club. Anyone between the ages of 4 and 30 may join. Although I am hoping to successfully stay out of this club. ;) Of course we had to run to the library for resources. There we found a book about what children around the world do with their lost teeth. There is much throwing of teeth onto roofs or feeding of teeth to female dogs. La Raton is a main character in the business, changing only in language. Apparently small rodents are overwhelmingly popular in the process of losing a tooth. Move over tooth fairy!!


We enjoy every contact we have with our lovely neighbor Sally. She was witness to the losing of the tooth as we were witnessing her brand new yellow kitchen. (Talk about an inspiration!) Smile for the camera Landis, close enough!









On a quick note (okay, nothing is every quick with me), we are pursuing some exciting business opportunities. Nick and I were gifted some guidance, by some wonderful friends, and some free tickets to a convention in Denver last week. Sans kids we wearily went and returned ever rejuvenated in our confidence to achieve a goal. Updates coming soon!

Spring has Sprung

It is Spring!! Okay I know it has been spring for a while but we are truly feeling the affects of the season now. Bike rides, gardening, hikes, backyard play, animal watching, and so much more fun to be had. The kids and daddy ventured out onto this platform over the lake offering them a birds eye view of the ducks, frog eggs, and red winged blackbirds.
Our chickens tend to attract mice with all of their left over scraps and we caught one and allowed the kiddos to examine it thoroughly. Of course from behind the safety of glass. Mice, bike rides, dinner in the backyard, and new chicks (pictures to come) all more fabulous signs of spring.


In home school we are still on the topic of spring and this week one of our stories was How Robin Saved Spring by Debbie Ouellet
In the story Sister Spring is finally awoken by Robin and she begins to spread spring all over. Our own 'Sister Spring' has been leaving signs all over the backyard that spring is here. Some, like our blooming crocus spiral, are natural and are only pointed out by 'Sister Spring' and some are simple representations of the green that will soon be on the trees.

'Sister Spring' has been almost living in her seasonal dress (despite it being Landis' size). She has also taken to sitting often in one tree in the back yard, even fashioning a pulley of sorts to bring aloft her books.


Daddy thought it was time to provide an easier sitting location and of course brother spring needed his own perch too.















Every year I become overjoyed to be back in the garden and every year we have a slow start for some reason or another. This year some illness slowed us down but we also have been busy making the garden a more permanent space complete with enclosed beds. We had a little money to spend on wood for a few beds. Our local building supply thrift store always helps to stretch our dollars. Then when we ran out of wood we looked around the yard to piece to together the remaining beds and structures. I always have big plans and a small wallet. I think it brings out the creative side of me and I can not wait to show you the completed garden with fence and plants when we are done. I am proud of my vine structure and can not wait to see my zucchini growing vertically. In the picture the smaller fence leaning up against our yard fence will be transplanted around the garden and of course we are going to have to build more. All the building has meant that we will most likely buy starts instead of planting seeds but next year our soil will be in, our beds made and ready to go for earlier planting. I do have one cold frame (just a window placed over the box) that is helping my kale and spinach grow.


We were able to borrow our neighbors truck and our other neighbors wheelbarrow to gather some new dirt to help fill out our beds. What is amazing is how much the kids love to do the work. I have such fond memories of gardening as a child and I hope my children will have the same. Following the rototiller to gather worms, picking fresh strawberries, canning green beans, shoveling, digging, planting, watering, sweeping, gathering, and then finally playing in the mud.

Of course Teilee, ever the spring fairy is muddin' it up in style. What could be better!! I can not wait to see the fruits.....nay, the vegetables of our labors.

Eggerific!

For egg dying this year we used beets, blueberries, tumeric, and spinach for the dyes. I never have good luck with spinach. The green eggs are from the blueberries, white is from the spinach (it has a tint of green), orange is from the turmeric, and the pink eggs are from the beets. We left the shredded pieces of beets in the jar and they speckled our eggs nicely. We tried a few color combination with less success than last year, but still a lot of fun!!
Our recipe: Take the food and smash, peel, scrape, mush into the jar. Add 2 Tbl of vinegar and boiling water until the jar is full. Let the jar cool. (You can strain the ingredient out or not) Now add the boiled egg and let sit for several hours (overnight if you can).

Last year we had blue, green, pink, yellow, orange, and purple. Unfortunately I don't remember and I didn't write down what I used. I will figure it out, hopefully in time for next year!


The equinox/Easter bunny or Ostara/Eostre paid us a visit today! The children and adults were gifted a bounty of food, toys, and games. Our celebration is such a mishmash of different traditions, and I love it! I have always been in love with spirituality and a deep connection to every ritual. Every year I expand on our traditions and now it has become necessary to keep a journal just for our family rituals and celebrations.

This year some rascally critters nearly spoiled the fun. We thought that the Easter bunny/Ostara hid the eggs around 1:00 am and between then and 6:30 am they were all gone. No eggshells, no pieces, but a few really well hidden eggs were still there. I wondered if raccoons were to blame. I told that rabbit to wait until the morning!! ;) We took the kids out, all primed and ready for the hunt and headed back in with mom and dad flustered. We decided with the kiddos that the bunny/Ostara must have been aware of some bad weather coming and wanted to wait until after nap time. It snowed a few hours later proving our theory true. The 5 min. of snow quickly turned into bright sunshine and heat. This must have given the bunny time to fix up a solution, or rather soak a solution out. After an early afternoon bike ride to our local coffee shop we came home to a hunt!!


The real fun occurs after the first hunt in all the subsequent egg hide and seek. Teilee is a pretty sharp egg hider and Landis is an observant egg finder. Hopefully next year Ostara will ensure a less dramatic egg hunt. May I suggest inside?! :)