The Inadvertent Farmer

Land of the Free...

 

Little Green Lady Jewel

 

Cosmos are just so lovely on their own, but when you add a tiny jewel of a bee you get something just enchanting!

This is a Virescent Green Metallic Bee...a little lady bee to be exact.

 

 

She lives in meadows and gardens drinking nectar.  She brings nectar and pollen back to her larva in the underground nest....

 

 

One bee usually guards the entrance to the nest by placing its head level with the soil surface acting as a plug...now doesn't that sound like a fun job to have???

I love bees...but I'm also glad I'm not one!

 

There is your entomology lesson for the day...

Now go out and see what kind of treasures you can find in your yard and garden!

My Foot...

 

I was going to post a picture of just our field in bloom...

Pretty flowers waving in the wind...

Blue sky full of puffy white clouds...

Sun warm on your face...

 

But this picture is more in keeping with the theme of my life...

 

Dork wearing socks with flip flops hiding in the tall grass as small children search for her...

"Mama...mama...where are you?  We're hungry...and somone has poopy diapers! 

Mama, mama!"

Yes this is a picture of my foot...trying to remain undiscovered!

Friday Funnies...Fly Boy

 

Fly Boy

 

I also have a post over at Not Dabbling in Normal about my plans for a a winter garden...yes it is time to start planning for a year round harvest!

Learning From What They Live...Eating Healthy For Kids

 Kids are amazing creatures...they can either get used to peanut butter with added fat and sugar, jelly with preservatives on white bread with who knows what in it or...

They can find that this is totally normal...

A basket full of veggies with a flower or two sprinkled in...freshly picked from the garden.

The garden that they helped plant and tend to...where they go to help gather lunch!

 

 

Kale is lightly sauteed with olive oil and garlic...

 

 

Then its drizzled with  Balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with Feta Cheese and walnuts...oh my!

 

Here is what Baby Boy's plate looked like...

 

Organic roasted garlic bread spread with homemade hummus, broccoli, lettuce, and peas straight from the garden and a few slices of organic white cheddar cheese...

Baby Boy is just 2 but has already developed a taste for everything we had...well except the kale and I'm working on that!!!

 

 

This was Sweet Girl's plate...salad with lettuce tomatoes nasturtiums, sauteed kale with feta cheese and walnuts, a handfull of almonds, some broccoli, a slice of roasted garlic bread and her favorite, sugar snap peas!

She ate everything but the bread, which she ate half of but decided she needed to save more room for peas...which she promptly went out to the garden and picked!

 

A few tips I've learned about getting kids to love veggies...

Introduce different veggies to them young and often, get kids used to variety...not just frozen corn!

When they are very young (under 3) prepare veggies simply...steam them, puree them, or just serve them raw cut into little pieces.  I have found that all the extra flavoring like vinegar, pepper, garlic, etc. seem to not sit as well with their sensitive taste buds.

All ages of kids enjoy pretending broccoli are little trees, finding peas in the pod is a treasure hunt, and carrots are the perfect opportunity to pretend to be a rabbit...

Kids are more likely to eat things that they have had a hand in growing.

Older kids enjoy more complex flavors and are much more likely to try things that they get to help cook.

 

Most of all kids will learn their eating habits from you...

So put up the chips and sugary snacks,  hide the soda...

and go pick some peas

or make some bread because...

 

They learn what they live!

 

Friday Funnies...Little Mister Smoothie!

The other day when Sweet Girl was down visiting grandma, Baby Boy and I shared a smoothie together...

 

As I sipped mine through a straw, Baby Boy guzzled his....

 

 

All the while telling my stories about 'neigh, neighs' (horses) and 'moo moos' (cows) while doing his best animal noises!

 

 

Yes fun was had by all...

then it was bath time...

after that laundry time!

 

Here is the smoothie recipe...the kids and I have it almost every afternoon.

1/3 of a small block of soft tofu

1 Cup organic vanilla yogurt

1 Cup frozen organic wild blueberries

7 or 8 large organic strawberries

1 banana...(best if prefrozen but sometimes I forget)

1 - 2 heaping Tablespoons flax seed meal

Enough water just to help the blender along

10 - 12 ice cubes

Blend everything but the ice cubes until smooth, then add the ice a few cubes at a time and process until ice is crushed into little tiny pieces.  Grab some glasses and straws and enjoy...it is really delicious!

Garden Beauty Just For Beauty's Sake...

Yes there are peas, lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes growing in my garden.

As wonderful, delicious, not to mention nutritious these are...

Sometimes a garden needs something special...

Something that is not necessarily practical,

But something beautiful planted just for beauty's sake...

 

You can't eat it...

But is sure is lovely!

 

 

 

 

 

  

My Sweet Girl uses these daisies to decide when it is time to quit for the evening...

 

 

"Look mama...the daisy is closing.  It must be time to go in!"

 

Flowers aren't the only impractical thing I grow in the garden...

 

There can also be found little farm kids in both the blond and the brunette variety...

Yes impractical but...

Sure a lot of fun!

 

A Small Rant...and follow up.

Those of you that read me over at 'not dabbling in normal' please excuse me for repeating myself, but I do have an update...

I'm not one to usually rant and complain here on my blog. No, I rather share pictures of ballerinas and camels...

But I have something I need to get off my chest...

So to speak...

Where did that expression come from anyway?  Does the size of your chest determine the how much you need to get off of it?  What if you are breast feeding, does that change the meaning altogether? What about men with hairy chests? This is why my husband is glad he cannot hear my thoughts directly but only when they have been condensed and filtered...thoroughly

 

So I was saying...

This all began when I needed a new nozzle for my hose last week.  I made my way over to Lowe's to search for the perfect nozzle, my dream nozzle, to use exclusively in the garden (in other words the men in my life are not allowed to use it for washing their cars...which by the way is how the last one got ran over and smooshed).  I had a couple of prerequisites about said nozzle...it had to be simple, cheap and it had to be made in the USA....no problem right?

Hah!  Do you know how many hose nozzles Lowe's has this time of year???  There are plastic and metal, extension, and swivel...there are some with so many setting that you would have to be a professional gardener to use them all...who uses a angled mist setting anyway???

After much searching (all the while my kids making very loud and rather disturbing car noises in the shopping cart equipped with a fake car on the front, vroommm, beep beep, honk...) I finally decided on the 'classic pistol grip' metal nozzle.  It had no fancy setting...no, you just squeezed the trigger and out came the water.  It was simple, less than $5 and most importantly made in the USA.

I made my purchase, put the kids in our real car and took off for home.  After lunch we wandered out to the garden to test our new nozzle, we were all very excited (we don't get out much...)

After connecting the nozzle I pulled its little tiny tag off and put it in my pocket.  We proceeded to water the garden with great abandon...we all came in soaked and smiling.  It worked just as it was supposed to.

After putting my wet, dirty shorts in the laundry I remembered I had put some things in my pocket that would not go through the washer very well....some pretty rocks that Sweet Girl had insisted I hold, a popcicle stick Baby Boy was trying to put up his nose, and the itty bitty tag from the nozzle.

I decided to read the tag, and here is what is said and the heart of this particular rant...

"Note:  The brass in this product contains lead.  !WARNING This product contains one or more chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.  Wash hands after handling."

OK...what the heck???

Lets me get this straight.  I am watering my vegetable garden with a nozzle that I have to wash the carcinogens off my hands when I am done touching it...

Are there now traces of lead in the water coming out of it?

What about the mystery chemicals that can cause cancer and birth defects in the state of California...I live in Washington, does that mean I'm immune???

My only explanation for all of this is that the world had gone completely stupid...

Seriously, what am I to do?  I can use my nozzle and decontaminate myself after each use or I can go and buy a nozzle made in China, certainly containing plastics and who knows what other secret ingredients.

Today...

After thinking it over I have decided that I am going to take the made in the USA, lead laden, California cancer causing nozzle back to Lowe's. Explain my dilemma and begin an exhaustive search for a safe, domestically made nozzle...

and I am throwing caution to the wind and saying I don't even care how much it costs...well to a point anyway!

 

Oh yeah the nozzle had one more dire warning...without a doubt caused by some dork trying it and then suing!

"DO NOT spray water into an electrical outlet.  Severe electrical shock and/or death could result"

 

Ya think?????????

 

 

The Very First Time!

I have 4 sons...I love my boys dearly.  I have spent many, many hours watching and cheering at baseball and football games, soccer matches, and martial arts tournaments.

This last weekend I got to do something that in my 23 years of parenting I have never done before with any of my children!

 

I had the privilege of attending my only daughter's very first ballet recital!

 

 

Sweet Girl had so much fun dressing up for this.  She very much enjoys the trapping of being a girl... the clothes that twirl, the matching shoes, her dolls, having tea parties, playing princess...she can be quite the girlie girl!

 

 

She could hardly wait for the recital...she just kept dancing and dancing on our stairs before we left!

 

She was all smiles...

 

 

Dancing for her adoring audience...

 

 

Yes it was a privilege and an honor to accompany this sweet girl and see her dance with all her heart...

 

 

Beyond that it is my deep thankfulness to God for brightening my life with such a lovely and lively creature as she!

Sweet Girl...you are indeed the princess!

 

 

What Have You Been Up To???

I am sooo very behind on my blog posts as I'm often reminded by by mom and sister...my two remaining readers!  So here is a peek at what we've been up to lately...

 

We've been observing nature hard at work...

Very hard in the case of the busy bee!

 

 

The deer have been hard at work eating my flowers and newly planted landscaping!

 

 

The resident geese are hard at work raising a family!

In the mean time...

 

 

We are busy baking with the bounty from the garden...

 

 

The lettuce and...

 

 

And Kale are in full swing!

 

 

We're eagerly awaiting the strawberries!

All the while...

 

 

We're eating watermelon and...

 

 

And our favorite salt and pepper chips!

All the time...

 

 

We're remembering to smell the flowers...

 

 

Every single...

 

 

Last one!

 

And of course some of us are just...

 

Chillin' out!

I hope your late spring is beautiful and bountiful!

 

Friday Funnies

 

My personal

Leaning Tower of...

Kids????

 

 

Got Rhubard? Rhubarb Apple Bake...

My family loves it when I make this yummy dessert.  It is a fine way to use up all that rhubarb we seem to have this time of year!

I posted this recipe of at Not Dabbling In Normal

Weed...Who Says???

I do not have a manicured lawn...

I barely have what would be considered a lawn.

It is actually pasture grass that we just happen to keep mown down right around the house.

So when I see one of these little beauties I don't freak out, no I just smile at its cheery yellow color and go and get my camera.

There is a lot to be said for not having a manicured lawn!

 

First Batch, Second Batch

Or first litter and second litter...

Big ones and little ones...

First family, second family...

I have heard our situation described in all of the above ways along with

Crazy,

Nuts,

"No Way, not me...ever!"

I have been asked the question so many times that I am at a loss for an original answer to...

"Why in the world would you want to start over just when your kids were about grown and you could have your lives back again???"

 

Well for all of those who doubt the sanity of having two batches of kids 13 years apart here is the best reasons I could give!

 

These two are 21 years apart!

When I was 21 I had my oldest son.

When my oldest son was 21 I had my last son.

I'll let you ponder that for a moment...

 

 

19 years apart and both loving soccer...and each other!

 

 

 

 

Always having a captive audience for your latest ballet moves!

 

 

Big goof...little goof!

 

 

Having an older cousin is just too cool!

 

 

"Knock knock..."

 

 

Yes I know all of the reasons why some think us nuts...

But when all is said and done

And our oldest ones go off to college, first jobs, and new lives, we will still have this...

 

 

And I thank God each and every day for the privilege of getting to be parents...

Again!

 

 

What could be lovelier than a Lilac?

 

What could be lovelier than lilacs in full spectacular bloom?  I cannot think of anything that just drips of spring's essence more that lilacs...

So what could be better than the intoxicating sight of lilacs?

 

How about a whole hedge of them with some garden ornamentation?

 

 

Or maybe lilacs with the hills behind them?

 

 

A lake in view... couldn't be any better could it?

 

No, nothing is better than the sight of lilacs in the spring...

Except...

 

Getting close enough to bury your nose in a handful...

Inhaling deeply...

and...

Heaven!

Now seriously nothing is better than that!!!

The Newest Member of the Funny Farm!

 

Hopalina Carrot

Yep...that is what my Sweet Girl named our newest member of the farm family!

This cute little bunny was an impluse buy at our local feed store.  Sweet Girl wanted the bunny with the white fur and pink eyes but I'm sorry pink eyes creep me out!  So we brought home home this mixed breed (Flemish Giant/California cross)

I have yet to build a proper cage so she/he (not sure which yet...) resides along the back wall of the garage for now.

 

Hopalina is enjoying checking out her/his new home...

 

 

And planning for future escapes!

 

 

The kids think having a new pet is so much fun,

Until...

 

 

Their empty growly stomachs get the best of them and it is off to have homemade granola under the cherry trees....

Even breakfast in bed can't beat breakfast outside on a beautiful spring day!

 

Now, I know you are all wondering

"What do the other animals think of your new addition?"

 

Well the llamas are rather unimpressed...

 

And the big guy?

 

He is shamelessly ignoring the new little guy...

I guess camels just can't be bothered with bunnies...go figure!

 

Guess This Bloom...

 

Any ideas as to what this is? Pretty isn't it?

Not your typical bloom...

Follow this link to find out what it is!

 

And don't forget... things are looking up!!!

Friday Funnies

 

Watering the Baby

We don't water the lawn around here...

But we do water the kids!!!

For the love of Camillias!

 

Ohhh how I love the blooms of a camellia bush.

First they remind me of a rose...then a water lilly, either way they are stunning!

It isn't only the flowers but the bush is beautiful with shiny dark leaves that are evergreen....yep year 'round beauty.

The bushes that these grow on are over 10 feet tall...

They are luscious!

 

 

 

And oh they come in white too!!!

These are blooming outside my dining room window...

Makes it hard to concentrate on my food!

 

Gotta love 'em!

 

 

The New Lake Garden!

At our lake cabin we have so many trees I have yet to find a spot that would be suitable for a garden. It makes it fun for having lots of swings, forts, and shade but the lack of direct sunlight is a huge handicap to my gardening!

 Luckily for me I have a wonderful neighbor at the lake that has plenty of room for gardening.  She lives on 'A Summer Place Farm' next door.  Last weekend we cleared out a spot that had been growing roses that were not earning their keep.  We pulled them up and they were replanted elsewhere.  When we were done we had a small square of land that is just the perfect size for a small easy to manage garden!

 

The soil was a wonderful loam with relatively few weeds (thanks to years of landscape fabric).  My only concern was the lack of worms.  Adding organic matter should take care of this.  Having been covered for years I'm sure was the reason for the absence of the little guys.

 

 

We planted 6 tomato plants and a small patch of kale.  Next we are going to put in a hill of potatoes, some bush beans and onions.

It took us a few hours of work but the companionship and conversation was wonderful.  My sweet neighbor is almost 80 and loves to share stories...and my sweet girl and I love to listen.  It was a perfect way to spend a lovely afternoon in a beautiful spot.  Yes life doesn't get much better than this!

 

Besides...

 

I got to get rid of a few of the tomatoes that have seemed to take over my patio table!

What was I thinking starting 70 tomato plants????????

 

Some Perfect Mother Moments...

As a mom of 5 children I have had the usual frustrating, hair-pulling, why did I have children moments, but...

I have had far more of the, ahhhh, isn't that adorable, I love my kids moments,

In fact I am going to share some of my favorite moments with you to remind us all why we became mothers in the first place...

 

The very first flutter of life I felt in my first pregnancy

The doctor laying my slimy red baby on my chest and telling you "Good job...he's perfect!"

The first time I knew that I was completely in love with my daughter.  It was in the hotel after our first night alone together, she was 3 days old...realizing that to love an adopted child feels exactly the same as loving one you gave birth to.

Seeing my babies drift to sleep, breast milk dripping out of the corner of their mouths.

The first time a toddler ran and hid behind my legs because he thought I could save him from any stranger no matter how big or scary they were.

The funny sounds newborns make in the crook of your neck.

The first "mama"

Having my 2 year old run and hug my legs and yell "mama" like he hadn't seen me for days...even though I had just left the room for a moment...this happened 5 minutes ago!

Knowing you are someone's whole world.

Having a grade schooler wave to me from the front of the church while mouthing "hi mom"

Watching a little league game

Waking up on the weekend with a bed full of kids.

Seeing mysons treat the young women around them with courtesy and respect.

Hugs when they come home from college.

Having a daughter to read Little House on the Prairie with.

Having a daughter that wants to be Laura Ingalls!

"Congratulation...its twins"

Knowing I have two more girls that I will one day get to spend eternity with.

Seeing my hubby dress up and take his sweet daughter to the father daughter dance.

Sewing with ribbon and lace

"Mama...I wuv you  t   h   i   s   much!"

Seeing my impossibly small newborn and having the faith to know he would be ok.

Getting to take my tiny son home from the NICU on Mother's Day.

A three year old building a house for his pet ant.

Mission accomplished...he's potty trained!

Hugs and Kisses in abundance!

 

 

Thanking God every day that I'm their mother...

 

 

Preparedness...am i ready?

I posted this morning on being prepared for the unforeseen.  As I planted beans the other day I considered all that being prepared means to me and my family.  I also came to the conclusion that I have a few things I need to attend to...

Come read the post and join in the discussion over at 'Not Dabbling In Normal'

 

And just because I'm hungry...

Hmmm I bet you're hungry now too!!!

Friday Funnies VIII

 

Flour Child

Come visit next week for the whole story behind this picture!

First Walk Together

As any of you that read my blog know my mom lives on the property right below ours.  Sweet Girl walks there almost daily...she has for years now.

She has decided that it is high time her baby brother learn to walk to Grandma's too...

So a few weeks ago at the tender age of not quite 2 Baby Boy walked with his sister for the very first time down the hill to visit his beloved 'Dama'

 

I of course being the kind of mom I am, followed behind them, trying to be unseen...

 

 

Because I have an overwhelming need to document every first with my camera!

 

 

On a side note...notice that funny looking bushy thing this side of the drive?  It used to be a noble little tree.  Because the elk ate the top off of it, it is now a little tree trying to decide if it will be a funny little bush or a deformed tree...sigh

 

 

As they walked Sweet Boy kept his eyes on the road as Sweet Girl...

 

 

Well she did what Sweet Girl does best...talk!

I know that more words have come out of her little girl mouth in 6 short years than any of my big boys spoke in their first 18...seriously, I'm not kidding!

Do all little girls talk so much?

Did I talk that much?

Did my sister talk that much?

Now I realize why my dad lost his hearing and didn't want to use hearing aids...his ears were just tired, they needed a rest...he had raised two girls, his ears needed some peace!

 

 

Sweet Girl is also a 'hand talker'...I think her hands and mouth are somehow cosmically connected!  If her mouth is moving so are her hands.  It makes her very animated and great fun to watch, even from a distance when I have no idea what she is saying!

 

 

Now Sweet Girl knew that I was following them but chose to ignore me...

Baby Boy was clueless as he was on a mission.

Boys are very task oriented...he had a job to do and he noticed nothing around him, certainly not his camera toting mother who was trying her best not to laugh out loud at their cuteness!

 

 

When they got to the end of Grandma's drive Sweet Girl started high-stepping it!

 

 

As the driveway is quite steep Sweet Girl gave her best sisterly encouragement...

 

 

"Come on little sweetie...you can do it!"

I heard her say...

She calls him sweetie a lot.

Its fine for now, but I'm bettin' he's gonna object to that by about grade school age!

 

 

Drat...I've been discovered!

"Hi Baby!"

I don't know if you can tell but Sweet Girl was giving me her best scrunched up, why are you following us look!

 

 

Notice that when Baby Boy discovered me behind him that he didn't yell 'mama' and rush into my arms...

No he flat out sprinted with his sister to see who could get to Grandma first. 

I know my place...

I am just the mama...

Never to be as cool and fun as the grandma!

The Problem With Wide Open Spaces...

We live on 10 acres of land...the land is a perfect square...it slopes south.

Our house in in the exact middle of this square.  All sides of the house are surrounded by fields.

There are some great advantages to our property...

There are some disadvantages too.

Seeing how this is Monday and I usually don't really love Mondays alot, (especially Mondays that start with doctors appointments for the kids in which they both get their shots...) I am going to cover one of my pet peeves about this place...

It is that everywhere you look is a wide open space.

There are no intimate little spots in which to sit, no rose covered arbor under which to read a book, no private corner surrounded by ivy covered brick walls besides which to sip tea...

Just wide open space...everywhere!

That is why I don't plant sweet little flowers like these...

Flowers like these would be engulfed by the openness of our place...

You would hardly notice them!

 

 

No I need big gawdy flowers like sunflowers and hollyhocks, dahlias, and giant alliums!

I need to do something about this...

I want a sweet little place in which to drink some lemonade, read a gardening magazine or just have some peace and quiet...somewhere private...somewhere hidden...somewhere secret!

I am going to have to think on this a bit, maybe draw up some plans...

hatch a scheme...

stear a course...

Somehow I am going to have to tame just a little of the wide open space to make it a little less wide and a lot less open.

Then I'm going to plant some flowers that are so sweet and so tiny that every time I sit next to them I am going to wonder how anything could be so impossible cute!

 

Yes this is what I'm going to do...I think somehow I am going to build myself a secret hideaway...a secret garden!

As soon as I know when and how I will let you in on the project.

For now I would love to hear from any of you that have such a place...

What makes your private places in your gardens special?

What are my 'must haves'?

What are my 'must not haves'?

 

Thanks...now I'm off to weed in my wide open space!