The 3 common seed starting mistakes
The 3 common seed starting mistakes

the 3 common seed starting mistakes. So we’re all starting seeds, some of us have been starting seeds. And the questions are starting to come in. What’s going on with my seedlings? What did I do wrong? And so we put together this podcast of the three common mistakes we’re…

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I Still Believe In Natural Medicine
I Still Believe In Natural Medicine

We’re excited about the topic today. I still believe in natural medicine. I’ve just been compelled to start talking more about natural medicine and nature’s tools. How we should, really, put more stock in what they have to offer. I keep seeing the word, science, flying around…

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Composting 101
Composting 101

How to start composting the easy way! How to start your compost pile, bin, or worm bin! Welcome to this schoolhouse life episode on composting! how do I start? what do I use? where do I put it? How to start composting the easy way. Let’s get started! Just wanted to let you know real

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Top 10 priorities for homesteading
Top 10 priorities for homesteading

Hey friends, we are diving into The Top 10 Priorities for your homestead and how to make it all work. In this one, Lacey and I had a ton of fun with, we’d love for you to join us, listen to some of these. Try and guess what Lacey’s top one priority is in this

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Easy Homemade Bird Feeders To Make with kids
Easy Homemade Bird Feeders To Make with kids

These easy homemade bird feeders to make with kids are such a fun and easy project that will get them outside and seeing birdies!  Making easy homemade bird feeders with kids out of home waste is a good way to help the environment and the animals! Feeding the birds, and reducing…

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Nurture your kids outside your own skillset
Nurture your kids outside your own skillset

Do you know how to nurture your kids? Are you stuck in old ways? Afraid of starting in the wrong place? Not sure how to make sure your kids are getting the foundation for the learning they need? Listen in as Elle Cole and I talk about nurturing kids outside of our own skillset. Elle

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Your most burning questions about curriculum, ANSWERED!
Your most burning questions about curriculum, ANSWERED!

Do you have so many questions about curriculum? Like, ‘What curriculum is a good fit for your family?’ With SO MANY options it can be completely overwhelming finding the right fit. Where do you even start? Listen and Serena and I talk about this issue. Learn as we delve deeper into…

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What are you desperate for?
What are you desperate for?

Someone just e-mailed us, and they are dealing with pain. They said that they are desperate for relief. She’s young, active, and struggling with arthritis. Her doctors don’t have any more ideas, and she’s tried everything. She wants to try something different. Her email got me thinking&#8230…

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What are you desperate for?
What are you desperate for?

Someone just e-mailed us, and they are dealing with pain. They said that they are desperate for relief. She’s young, active, and struggling with arthritis. Her doctors don’t have any more ideas, and she’s tried everything. She wants to try something different. Her email got me thinking&#8230…

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Regenerative Agriculture: Kiss The Ground, a story
Regenerative Agriculture: Kiss The Ground, a story

We are going to have our first event on Schoolhouse and its about regenerative agriculture! A short recap about the Schoolhouse, it is an awesome old farmhouse that we fixed up to hold events, classes on oils, self-sufficiency, and lots of other things we are super passionate about! We are going…

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Regenerative Agriculture with Hannah Eisloeffel
Regenerative Agriculture with Hannah Eisloeffel

Let’s dive deep into regenerative agriculture, and talk about it with Hannah Eisloeffel in this podcast episode. Hannah has what most farmers would call a small-scale farm at around 2 acres but she and her partner are making a huge impact with that acreage! Their land actually has a…

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Child’s development: What to expect
Child’s development: What to expect

Are you fully aware about what your child’s development should be like? Do you know anything about your child’s psychology? Or consciousness?Do you know the milestones of brain development? Or how to find a curriculum that best supports that? As parents we all worry so much about all of…

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Are you putting too much pressure on your homeschool experience?

Homeschooling is not an easy thing, and some of us homeschool parents wants it to be perfect that we put too much pressure on us and our kids. So here is another homeschooling episode where we talk with Nicki Truesdell about her homeschool experience. Learn what it is like being homeschooled and…

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Homeschooling Co-op
Homeschooling Co-op

Homeschool mays sound daunting… more so the thought of picking a curriculum. Then what about homeschooling co-op, ever heard about it? When you are new to homeschool you may feel like you are not doing enough. But the thing is almost every homeschool family I know struggled with that…

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Being a Homeschool Dad
Being a Homeschool Dad

Want to know how to be a homeschool dad? Then tune in and listen as Rob James and I chatted about what homeschooling looks like as a dad. A lot of dads are now staying home or looking into staying at home more, and this poses a lot of questions. You can check out more

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Do you reduce and reuse?
Do you reduce and reuse?

Do you also reduce your trash and reuse some of your things? Because, us, on the homestead practice reusing and we hope that by listening on this podcasts you’ll find ways to do the same and more! So listen on as we give you tips! Don’t forget to subscribe so you can learn and hear…

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Regenerative Agriculture Meats
Regenerative Agriculture Meats

“Let your food be your medicine” is a phrase we always hear. But the thing is meat is making us sicker than ever. Good thing we have Regenerative Agriculture. This is where the meats produced are surely healthy and has omegas 3s, FOR REAL!!!! That and a lot more. Listen to our…

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COVID-19: An Interview With Someone Who Recovered

Here is a podcast episode that is very timely and very helpful for everyone anywhere in the world. These are things you should know about COVID-19 straight from a person who has recovered from it. The fear of COVID is real. Fear of getting it, and fear of not recovering. That fear can be…

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Compost Tea For The Garden
Compost Tea For The Garden

Year of the Garden Is it me or does this year seem like an amazing garden year? I hope yours is doing really well too. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that our lives have slowed down a lot. And I get my therapy by being in the garden,

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How to Stay Healthy at Work
How to Stay Healthy at Work

During this pandemic, a lot of people are now working from home, but some are still working from the office. If that is the case they are risking their health and wondering how they can stay healthy then we might just be able to help you. In our podcasts, you’ll learn effective and easy…

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Homeschooling: The idea of de-schooling

Have you ever thought about homeschooling your kids? Have you ever thought about teaching them? Can you? It may be a little heavy, to do such a thing but we are willing to help you lighten that load. Afterall, as mothers or parents, we will always be our children’s first teacher. Along…

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Why NOT to keep a distance
Why NOT to keep a distance

DON’T keep a distance Feeling aggressive? Short-tempered? Straight angry? You probably need to touch someone, and that can be REAL tricky right now. Being able to touch which is the thing we’re avoiding most right now may have a major role to play in our overall health. As luck would…

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Why You Should Care About Permaculture
Why You Should Care About Permaculture

Permaculture is so much more than being one with nature as others say, it is so much more. It is a way of life that can help us with our health and community. We all have a health issue we want to deal with–anxiety, weight management, sleeplessness, bad hair, bad skin–it…

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Make Your Home A Permaculture Oasis with Brandy Hall
Make Your Home A Permaculture Oasis with Brandy Hall

Have you ever had that surreal feeling of, “This is the life!”? Well, you would feel that when first thing you see out your door are ready to eat juicy ripe berries. That is life. It is life! And you can totally have it! Listen as Brandy Hall and I talk about that life, the

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Make Summer Homeschool Work For You!
Make Summer Homeschool Work For You!

Have been wondering what to do with the kids this summer? How to make it work with everyone at home? Then tune in and listen as we discuss the ins and outs of a summer homeschool. Get tips on what to do when you want to homeschool, what to look for and how you can

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Harvest Season: Produce and Preserves
Harvest Season: Produce and Preserves

What parts of this harvest season do you want to save? It is harvest season and we really want to know what part of this season’s harvest you want to save… and I’m not talking in metaphors. We hosted a live webinar on canning and preserving foods of all kinds. I invited two of…

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Hey friend, it’s me.
Hey friend, it’s me.

To be a bridge in between current issues I am not sure what to say, but I’m called to say that we want to be a part of the solution–on all fronts. More so with the current issues bombarding our society that is already and practically on life support. Do the best you can until

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Garden Tower: Why you should get one NOW
Garden Tower: Why you should get one NOW

Have a small area to garden? Or a deep desire to NEVER WEED AGAIN?! Then the garden tower is your solution. How it all began While we live on plenty of lands to have a large garden, what we found is by late July our motivation was lacking, the heat rising and our love of

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Are we near the end?
Are we near the end?

Are we really near the end?  …And I am not talking about the end of the world. I am talking about the end of the pandemic. Because I really feel like the fog is lifting.  Do you? Let’s just focus on that feeling. What we’ve been up to… so far in this pandemic We…

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The Truth About Beekeeping
The Truth About Beekeeping

Today we’re talking about beekeeping. People ask us about beekeeping all the time and we have had varied experience with beekeeping and we’re gonna be brutally honest with you. We hope you’re excited about beekeeping and what it might look like. How we started beekeeping Lacey…

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Top 3 Benefits of Beekeeping
Top 3 Benefits of Beekeeping

We are going to talk about some of the benefits of beekeeping. These are just the top three practical benefits, so if you know more let us know in the comments or tell us by joining our community. Also, we suggest you read our blog about starting beekeeping if these benefits sparks your passion…

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Making easy, cheap, and non-toxic laundry soap
Making easy, cheap, and non-toxic laundry soap

In this blog, we are going to share how we make our skin-friendly, environment-friendly, and non-toxic laundry soap. As we are all about natural health and wellness we make sure that our soap making and the resulting soap are not only easy and cheap to make but non-toxic to use. It works really…

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How to get rid of a bad smell in your house?
How to get rid of a bad smell in your house?

This is a story about stinky things. We are going to talk about how to get rid of bad smell in your house. We live on a far where it is hot outside and things get really smelly around here often. Whether its something rotting, decaying, or an animal doing something stinky, we have a

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The Self-Reliant Myth
The Self-Reliant Myth

Every Man for Himself True self-reliance is very self-centered. It’s kind of a revelation if you think about it… For years we have been learning and trying to implement more self-sufficient ways. Farming, gardening, planting fruiting perennials, learning about livestock care, and…

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Beekeeping: FAQs, and tips.
Beekeeping: FAQs, and tips.

If you are just getting started with beekeeping or doing it already, and you want to know more about bees then you have come to the right place. Here are some the frequently asked beekeeping from our community. We have answered them in our podcast but we also wanted to share it with you on

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How to start beekeeping, things you should know
How to start beekeeping, things you should know

Where to get bees? How much does it cost to start beekeeping? If you’re like most people these are the main questions you have about beekeeping. For us, we get bees from a variety of different places. We have caught swarms before, we have even tried to extract bees from houses. But…

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Garden: Solution to Quarantine Blues
Garden: Solution to Quarantine Blues

How has your week been? I don’t know about you, but I spent the last week hoping that April 1st would come with a global APRIL FOOLS announcement and we’d be over the hump of this mysterious time and into the next phase. We’ll be fine, I know that’s true. So, what are we…

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My Trade Coffee Subscription Experience
My Trade Coffee Subscription Experience

Have you found what type of coffee lover you are? Then subscribe now and get in the wonderful world of hassle-free coffee with your first free bag! So, what is a Trade Coffee Subscription? Trade Coffee Subscription is an online retailer of coffee that matches people with over 50 roasters and…

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Stinging Nettles and why they are good for you
Stinging Nettles and why they are good for you

On this blog we are going to talk about stinging nettles and its health uses. Nettles are super good for this time of year for allergies, for all kinds of inflammation and it makes a really good tea. The tricky bit about it though is that they are stinging. If you touch them without gloves

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Permaculture: An insight, a lifestyle, a lesson
Permaculture: An insight, a lifestyle, a lesson

Hey everybody! So we wanted to talk to you about a movie we recently watched about permaculture. It’s called Inhabit. It was a really well-done movie and it was posted for free for a week and we took advantage of that. So we gathered the family and made it a movie night. We also did

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‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle, Part 4
‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle, Part 4

Welcome to the last part of the series of blogs called, ‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing Business struggle. If you haven’t read the previous ones, here they are! Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Just click which ones you haven’t read yet. For this last part, we…

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‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle, Part 3
‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle, Part 3

Here we are at the third installment of ‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle series. If you haven’t read the second part you can read it here. Nevertheless, we will reveal the third C here in this blog post, which will help you achieve success in the…

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‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle, Part 2
‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle, Part 2

So this is the second part of the blog post ‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle. But this time we’ll talk about what the C4 understanding really is. We’ll talk about commitment and capability which is very important in engaging with a Network…

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‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle
‘What am I doing wrong?’, A Network Marketing business struggle

Self-Care, Vision, Mentoring, Planning, Mindset, Creativity… these are words you’ll often hear in the modern network marketing business industry. If you want to be successful in network marketing you have to have the words mentioned. But what you maybe don’t know about is that…

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Collecting Eggs from Backyard Chickens
Collecting Eggs from Backyard Chickens

In this blog, I’ll take you to our backyard where I’ll be checking on the chickens and their eggs… and hopefully, we’ll be collecting some eggs! So a little background, we’ve had chickens for seven years now, and the current one is our third batch for this year. A…

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How To Create a Mini Water Garden On a Budget.
How To Create a Mini Water Garden On a Budget.

Creating a mini water garden To create a mini water garden we made a little pond. All we did was take a whiskey barrel use half of it to make a cheap mini water garden. It’s been really fun to watch it evolve over the years. We started it six years ago. We plug up

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What it means to have a homestead
What it means to have a homestead

The beginning of homesteading Years ago, we moved to a city in North Carolina called Asheville. If you’ve never been, it’s a city with a reputation of being populated mostly by hippies. People are definitely more in tune with natural health and good, clean eating. For us, it was a…

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Gardening with Essential Oils: The Best Way
Gardening with Essential Oils: The Best Way

What’s your biggest gardening challenge right now? Let’s explore some great ideas on how you and your garden can be healthy and alive with essential oils. With this you’ll find out that gardening with essential oils is the best way. Make sure to get our EO gardening guide here…

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Essential Oils: The Secret on Which One to Use
Essential Oils: The Secret on Which One to Use

In this post, we cover how to find answers for ailments you’re dealing with using essential oils. We look at what resources are out there and how to get the most out of them. Plus what do you look at when everything you have tried so far hasn’t worked… What essential oils should we use

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Stop Recycling NOW!
Stop Recycling NOW!

…and there was recycling About seven years ago, we moved out to the country, and for the first time in our lives, we had to start paying for trash pick up. And we start recycling… For a while, we would just bag up our trash for a week or two and then deposit it in

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Schoolhouse Update: We are down to the studs!
Schoolhouse Update: We are down to the studs!

We’ve been working hard on the schoolhouse project since March and a lot of progress was made since the last blog post. It’s really cool to see the space be transformed and get closer to what we want it to become. We are aiming to have all the renovations done by the end of summer

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Walmart No More
Walmart No More

When bad habits are formed… Over time, we all start developing patterns in life that we follow simply because they feel comfortable. We follow these patterns even though we don’t always remember why we made the choices that led to them in the first place. We did the research, we made the…

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Are essential oils safe to use with medications?
Are essential oils safe to use with medications?

This is part three of our three-part series about safety with essential oils. If you didn’t read the first one please go back and read the first part that addresses what makes an essential oil safe to use. 3. Can you take essential oils with medications? You sure can! Here’s the thing…

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Essential Oils Safety with Kids.
Essential Oils Safety with Kids.

We continue our 3-part series of essential oils use. If you didn’t read the first one please go back HERE and read about what makes an essential oil safe to use. Check out our Ebook on Essential oils and Children at the end of this blog, as well! Are essential oils safe for kids? This

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Are essential oils safe to use daily?
Are essential oils safe to use daily?

Not equally created Simple answer: YES!! But let’s talk for a little bit. We need to start with the fact that not all essential oils are created equally. Not all ‘oils’ are even essential oils! MOST of them are NOT. Most are at minimum contaminated with synthetics &amp…

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Chag Samaech!
Chag Samaech!

Or in English “Happy festival!” Do you know the story of passover? We had some new friends over yesterday and they didn’t know what Passover was. They had some ideas but for the most part, didn’t know the whole story. I was already writing this post but it made me think…

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How to relieve allergies fast and naturally
How to relieve allergies fast and naturally

How I managed my allergies back then… For a lot of years, I thought our only options for allergy relief was to take over the counter medication. I remember standing in the drug store aisle trying to think of what I would take next because the other ones I was taking made me so sleepy!

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The honey bees are swarming!
The honey bees are swarming!

TURN ON YOUR SOUND FOR THIS ONE! Have you ever been in a swarm of honey bees? It’s an amazing feeling. There is this large vibration in the air. Tons of bees talking, buzzing, Running into you, and your veil! There is a smell of warm honey in the air mixed with spring and pollen!

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It’s time for some spring cleaning in our lives
It’s time for some spring cleaning in our lives

Did you see the update on our next big step? If you’d like to catch up, click this link: If you don’t want to read all of that at the moment: Short version– our goal is to help everyone to LEARN BETTER, to DO BETTER, to LIVE BETTER & to BE BETTER–TOGETHER. This is…

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Schoolhouse: The Next Big Step
Schoolhouse: The Next Big Step

We introduce to you the schoolhouse We have a vision of a place where people can come and find out more about themselves. They can discover the magic of making something with their own hands. The joy of sitting down at the table and breaking bread with strangers and then leaving the meal with…

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Our Essential Oils Business Has Grown
Our Essential Oils Business Has Grown

New Career Path Developments on the Homestead! Are You Looking for a New Career? We want you to join us! About 3 months ago my husband sold his day job–the home theater business he had built over the last 9 years. It was an unceremonious transition that we likely should have made a bigger…

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Top 5 Essential Oils for HairCare + Recipe
Top 5 Essential Oils for HairCare + Recipe

Have thinning hair? Greasy hair? Hair loss? Dull & thin? Flaky? Good news!! as with most things, there are essential oils that can promote a more luxurious locks, today I share my top 5 essential oils for haircare and a recipe. As simple as they are, essential oils can be an easy way to…

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Oil Pulling with Essential Oils
Oil Pulling with Essential Oils

When something gross turns pleasurable: Oil Pulling with Essential Oils If you’ve been on the internet lately, and you’re looking for something weird to do to help with any number of different ailments, oil-pulling may have been mentioned.  It’s a craze of sorts, fits…

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Supercharging the Immune System during a pandemic
Supercharging the Immune System during a pandemic

A pandemic is happening are you equipped? Need some ideas for supercharging that immune system?  Did you know that just because you’re exposed to a germ doesn’t mean you have to get sick? Not if we SuperCharge our immune system! Having a flu always puts a pit in ones&#8217…

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Get into Free-Range Crafting Now!
Get into Free-Range Crafting Now!

Free-range Crafting is a time without cause Sometimes we do crafts and there’s an expected outcome. That is what happens with free-range crafting. We make masks, paint pots, put googly eyes on paper plates, and smile with our kids as these creations come to life. And sometimes, we…

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Tea time! Compost tea in drip irrigation!
Tea time! Compost tea in drip irrigation!

Compost Tea in Drip Irrigation A year ago we installed drip irrigation into our garden rows. After years of watering by hand, or just plain not watering, we knew we needed something better. Our goal is to eventually build up enough topsoil that we can wait out the dry months without the need for…

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Sleep: Slumber Like Lumber!
Sleep: Slumber Like Lumber!

If you can’t sleep well at night, or have a hard time getting that right spot or position to rest then this essential oil combination will help you sleep safe and sound. Even give you the greatest slumber of your life! How important is sleep? Sleeping is a vital part of a person’s…

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Homesteading: The Fence Part 2
Homesteading: The Fence Part 2

So like 2 years ago… We told you more on fencing was to come with this post. And it turns out we had more to learn. And do… I sit here and write about it while Drew is in trenches getting the fence done. And the girls–the girls are master-fencers now too! It couldn’t have…

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How to Homeschool on a Farm
How to Homeschool on a Farm

Homeschool from the non-expert People often tell me, or ask me, or mention to me something about homeschool or homeschooling and I’m pretty nearly clueless. Sure, I’ve heard the terms and can sometimes even understand when the long-timers start talking about their homeschool lingo…

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Life Cycle: Apple Trees and Goats
Life Cycle: Apple Trees and Goats

How apple trees and goats are connected We always bury our goats under the apple trees. The tree gets nourished by the goat body. The grass always grows really well there. Then the goats get to eat the apples and the grass. Then the goats make more goats. On and on it goes. This year

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What is a working farm?
What is a working farm?

Working farm, our almost dream farm It has come to our attention that we may never actually have a farm that is our major source of income. It’s a bit of a drag really, and based on our experience, it has more to do with sustainability than anything else. So we look into what kind

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The woodstove, a short story
The woodstove, a short story

“Firewood warms you twice, once when you cut it and again when you burn it.” some lumberjack The start of our woodstove At the end of this summer, we got a wood stove for heating the house. It has been a learning adventure. There is a famous permaculture guru Geoff Lawton that says…

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Winter is leaving, what is it like in the Schoolhouse?
Winter is leaving, what is it like in the Schoolhouse?

Winter is a busy season Winter is leaving. This is the time of year that I look forward to. Some would say we are deep in winter. But all I can think is that Spring is near. We have been busy making new shelters. Putting up more fences, building a woodshed, planning, and preparing the

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Poultry Day
Poultry Day

The Sunday before thanksgiving is our last processing day. Its the day that officially ends our poultry growing season. Here is how we do it. We gather all the birds the night before. We go into the coup with a red light and catch everyone and then put them in cages. Make sure to keep

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Basket Love
Basket Love

Baskets of Baskets A Haiku Ode to Baskets: You hold my treasures You invent new collections, One by one by one Like an ark for nature for yarn and blocks and produce When ere there’s a need. A creativity nest. Simple, ancient craft. One by one by one, I gather baskets. by Lacey

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the Flip Side
the Flip Side

Death on the Homestead New life is so much more fun to post about, but in reality all things aren’t just joy. There has to be sorrow, and we’ve experienced an eye-opening amount of that as well since we’ve been on this homestead. In the last week we lost this brand new duckling…

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L’Chaim! (to life)
L’Chaim! (to life)

We’ve had AMAZING weeks here. Truly amazing. The weeks that really make it all exactly what we expected and all that we want to do! Babies. Babies. Babies. Everywhere. Leviah said it best ‘It’s like it’s baby season around here!’ meet Craig (front) &amp…

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Out of the dark & into the Garden
Out of the dark & into the Garden

The weather here as of late has been less than my favorite. Wintry, cold, grey…occasionally a 70degree day tossed in just to remind us how much we love to be outside and having the windows open. the oppressive grey. Blah. And, even though it is so cold and icy and miserable we must plan…

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Presents for a Braniac
Presents for a Braniac

Birthdays Can Be Treacherous We’re mid-birthday-month right now. Naomi and I have birthdays at the beginning of October, which involved nearly a week’s worth of festivities this year, and Leviah’s is at the end of the month. Birthdays can mean an onslaught of plastic nonsense…

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Child Labor
Child Labor

We work them around here. They don’t earn their keep, and they’re not always cheery, but they work. They are paid in food and shelter and really great birthdays. And when other kids visit their faces light up and they squeal at the opportunity to help reminding us all how great we…

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1 Year Reflection.
1 Year Reflection.

Some months later… This blog has not become what I’d expected since we moved to our new homestead. It has been a little desolate these last few months. As I’ve confessed before, it’s such a daunting thing to wrap my head around what we’ve done here, and what is yet…

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Easy as Cherry Jam
Easy as Cherry Jam

Our Cherries and Essential Oils are ‘in a Jam’ We picked and pitted 50lbs of cherries in the last 3 days. I’m glad to say our counters are cherry free for the moment – unless they’re in jars becoming wine, in the pie, in bags as leathers, or canned as ‘Tango…

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Homeschooling on the Homestead
Homeschooling on the Homestead

 I’ll likely never feel like we have homeschooling all figured out. People sometimes ask me for advice, or what we do, or how we make it work…well, I’m always intimidated by these questions. Someday, when everyone has grown and I no longer feel responsible for what my kids…

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Timbering Doos-n-Donts
Timbering Doos-n-Donts

Timbering on the Homestead Since we moved into our new place we’ve known that taking down trees to make way for the sunlight in the garden is necessary. Hence the timbering. Based on accessibility and Permaculture zone systems we also knew that we wanted the gardens close to the house. The…

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Bees: Discover and learn from the bees
Bees: Discover and learn from the bees

Our First Behind the Scenes Bees Hive Tour Even with 7 years as beekeepers we still feel like ‘new-bees’. When it comes to understanding all the dynamics of the bees or honeybee it is really hard. But, we’re thrilled to answer questions when we can. We’re even more…

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Getting Parenting Right-ish
Getting Parenting Right-ish

A quick tip for keeping cool with your kids Parenting, it is a hard thing… Before I had kids I was magnificent with them. I adored them, joked with them, spoiled them, and encouraged their cantankerous ways. I’m not like that much with my own children… which recently struck me…

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hugelkultur (hoogle culture)
hugelkultur (hoogle culture)

Permaculture’s hugelkultur We’re making an effort to embrace and learn permaculture systems by incorporating them in our homestead as much as possible. Permaculture embraces ways that work with nature, not against–utilizes the natural tendencies to get the most out of things…

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Homesteading: the Fence
Homesteading: the Fence

Putting up Goat Fence on Hilly Wooded Terrain. In the last few weeks it’s been all about the fence. We’re about ready for some goats, and for their sake the fence has to be just right–from what we’ve read they think like escape artists. It would seem that over thousands…

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Easy Queen Esther Dresses
Easy Queen Esther Dresses

The easy Esther Dress for little girls. These dresses couldn’t be simpler! I can’t believe we hadn’t tried them before. The girls have been prancing around in them as much as possible all week, and are anxious to show them off along with our Sweet & Savory Hamantaschen on…

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Planting the Spring Garden
Planting the Spring Garden

Our Spring Planting and Planning is well underway. Well it’s about as cold as it ever is in our region, some nights in the 20s, and a little snow too. But, thanks to our little greenhouse and child labor we’ve got our spring garden started. It’s going to be a major experiment…

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‘Round These Parts
‘Round These Parts

I suppose ‘getting settled’ time is over. Though, it’s hard for me to imagine a time in which our lives will calm back down. We’re getting used to our new home, but there is SO much to do, SO many possibilities, it’s as though we’re riding an endless wave…

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Classes at the Farm School
Classes at the Farm School

One of our farm goals is to teach and host a variety of classes. Right now I’m learning and sharing as much as I can about Essential Oils, but we hope to have a facility more conducive to having large groups of folks come and learn in a hands-on type of way, a schoolhouse maybe?

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Around the Farm
Around the Farm

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase.  Just take the first step.” –Martin Luther King, Jr. We are slowly plugging away at all the to-dos on the property; readying homes for goats, chickens, ducks, bees, fish and even worms. The list of animals is long and…

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Our Math Methods
Our Math Methods

As an update I wanted to share some images from our Math by Hand experiences. We have LOVED using these math resources. It is a great fit for our family. making pipe cleaner numbers–Leviah (age 4) following along in the background Admittedly, Naomi is behind her age group in math, we have…

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Circular Perpetual Calendar
Circular Perpetual Calendar

So this is a Circular Perpetual Calendar. It was a project that the girls made. And might I say, it is super fun! The girls haven’t quite finished it yet ’cause admittedly it was too difficult for Leviah (4-year-old). Though she enjoyed cutting out portions. Lessons from the calendar…

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An Ode to the Blackboard
An Ode to the Blackboard

School. Can I simply say that a school without a black board just isn’t a school? That may be an exaggeration, but sharing ideas with my ‘students’ has much simpler with a piece of chalk and a large empty black board. Visually demonstrating my instructions, writing out math…

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4 down, 4 to go.
4 down, 4 to go.

We’re smack dab in the middle of Hanukkah right now. And, as Naomi pointed out last night as we lit the candles–the days go too fast. I suppose that’s what happens when you fill them to the brim with fun little activities. balloon man at the downtown lighting of the…

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A Picture Hung.
A Picture Hung.

We moved in around the 2nd week of August and I literally hung our first pictures yesterday. There are still many boxes in the garage, and it’s likely there will be an unopened box or 7 until our 10th anniversary. I hear this is normal? Anyway, it’s amazing how some familiar images…

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the Not So Guilty Candy
the Not So Guilty Candy

A diversion from the house/farm/homeschooling: Imagine it’s the hottest day of July and it is muggy and a bit underwhelming. The laundry is piled high,  you’re just returning home and the fridge is empty; the ‘what’s for dinner’ question awaits your answer…

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A Cheapskate Goat and Chicken House
A Cheapskate Goat and Chicken House

In an effort to ‘live off the land’ Drew and I have informally committed to using/reusing the materials we have at hand without purchasing brand new everything. This only works because both he and I are willing to have a less than perfect outcome. Sometimes I see people cringe…

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On Becoming Four & Being Full of Fun
On Becoming Four & Being Full of Fun

We had a birthday yesterday. Leviah is 4. Un. Believeable. She’s been a little short changed with the last two birthdays, for her #2 I was sick as a dog being pregnant with Eliza. For #3 Drew and I left for a little trip to Boston and while we celebrated together a bit, I felt

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Busy as the Bees
Busy as the Bees

someone turned 8 since the last post. When  I take long breaks from the blog I get nervous about what to say next. Like, it’d better be important, meaty and enthralling or the people of the e-verse will wonder why I’d bothered. But, it’s time to throw caution to the wind…

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{these moments} a week in pictures
{these moments} a week in pictures

our traditional Rosh Hoshanah trip was monday it was wet and really foggy. we hiked anyway. this is about 200 feet from where Drew proposed–on a similar day in winter 2002. i accepted–of course–and this is where it got us. down the road just a bit, with a few extra…

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New House Schoolhouse
New House Schoolhouse

Learning is on–full speed. There was no official ‘first day’ or open house or ribbon cutting ceremony or what-have-you. Just back to focusing on helping each other embrace the unknown and explore the bounty. Out in the woods, by the pond, at the dining room table…life is…

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Winner! & Our Appliance Search is Done
Winner! & Our Appliance Search is Done

Winner of the book giveaway, comment #34:  MamaWestWind said… Awesome! We love these books and have a couple more to collect yet. Thanks so much! Thanks everyone for entering! I encourage you all to run off and read some of Reg Down’s collection of children’s books…

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More than Just a House
More than Just a House

It’s easy to get caught up in the house right now. So much to do–the list keeps growing, and our wallet keeps thinning…anyway, I need a little break from that. So, I’ll share a bit about the outside–which is what charmed us into this ‘ranger station’ in…

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A Tiptoes Giveaway Break
A Tiptoes Giveaway Break

You may or may not have noticed the link in the sidebar to The Wonderful World of Tiptoes Lightly and her gang. Well, in the Spring we discovered a new love for a collection of stories that revolve around her and her friends. The books are great fun. They are full of nature, innocence and

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Clear Eyes, Clean Heart…
Clear Eyes, Clean Heart…

If you haven’t watched every season of Friday Night Lights I suggest you do. Now. I’m not sure why a drama about a high school football team hit so close to home for me, but you just can’t help but root for the team, for the coach, for his family… Anyway. That has NOTHING…

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Head spinning right round, right round
Head spinning right round, right round

Thanks for all the supportive comments on the last post, and the emails and messages and hugs. It means so much to us. We took a short long trip. In other words, we drove far and didn’t stay long enough. My family comes from NW Pennsylvania and a cousin was married. Naomi was in the

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Not My Promised Land
Not My Promised Land

We closed on a ‘new’ home Friday evening. Here’s a cross section of the months that have lead to this, and how I feel about it all. Early this spring we began looking for a home, there hasn’t been much on the market that met our criteria–the older the better. Then…

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Presently Absent
Presently Absent

Oh. My. There is so much to say; so much moving and changing. Miracle babies, new old dirty houses, adventures in beekeeping, the garden, growing girls, summer in general. I haven’t been here because I don’t know where to start–which theme to add to this space. So, for the sake…

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Baking with Sprouted Grains, A follow up
Baking with Sprouted Grains, A follow up

Yes, we are still on this band-wagon. And, while I can’t say I know for sure that in health we’re a whole lot better off, we have completely replaced sandwich bread with homemade sourdough, and slowly I’ve begun using our sprouted flour in all of my baking. Sadly, the effect…

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Butterflying
Butterflying

We had a great field trip to the local butterfly farm. It was a wonderful homeschooling adventure, lots of learning and exploring. The information part was nearly as good as the learning, plus we picnicked and enjoyed field games. We highly recommend it! before we went we made this pretty…

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Life is a Bucket Full of Cherries
Life is a Bucket Full of Cherries

Cherry picking was a great success! We went to Ayer’s in Cana, Va. It’s about an hour and a half from here, but so beautiful. They were sweet enough to let us in to pick a day early, so we had the orchard nearly to ourselves. Eliza enjoyed herself, especially riding high the…

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a year gone by
a year gone by

Eliza is already a year old. This is ridiculous. She’s walking, signing, exploring, laughing, being stubborn and thriving in every way. She is truly fun and the snuggliest of all three. For no reason she’ll lay her head down on your shoulder, or offer hugs just because you’re…

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Shavuot Strand Craft
Shavuot Strand Craft

It’s traditional to ‘count the omer’ from the end of Passover to the beginning of Shavuot (the feast of weeks). The omer are grains of barley, and it’s neat to have that connection to the harvest and nature once again at the forefront of this feast, it’s another…

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Public Service Announcement: Schoolhouse Farm and the South Elm Urban Market
Public Service Announcement: Schoolhouse Farm and the South Elm Urban Market

We participated in our first Farmer’s Market, the South Elm Urban Market, this past Sunday. It was fantastic, and only encouraged us to try more. Naomi and Leviah loved it, as did Drew and I. Honey was a huge hit, we offered a sampling to visitors, and sold through most of our…

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Kinda buggy
Kinda buggy

Today I was sitting on the floor playing with Eliza, the big girls were outside and all was relatively quite, except this pesky tapping. It sounded a bit like dripping, which made me think it needed further investigation. Then, several visions of a plague like the one Laura Ingalls Wilder…

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Dessert Brilliance
Dessert Brilliance

So, to experiment with the versatility of sprouted whole wheat flour I made peanut butter cookies. (by using whole ingredients like these I convince myself the cookies are in some way good for me). Anyway, the cookies are great, but every great cookie deserves whipped cream, in my opinion…

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homeschoolin’
homeschoolin’

We’ve found a very cozy groove with our homeschool. We have fun, we relax, we color, draw, craft and play. Having a second kid helps so much, now that she’s 3. (note: babies don’t really help. Babies are demanding of both time and energy, but they can teach a great deal about…

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chag semeach! (passover)
chag semeach! (passover)

the girls and I remembered all the plagues without looking!   found this fun sticker book at Barnes & Noble the other night.  Eliza did a little research.  hunting for the last of the chametz! we have a full day ahead of us, full of friends, fun, reverance, celebrating…

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Sourdough Starter–time to toss.
Sourdough Starter–time to toss.

We’ve had one great success and one great failure. Well, not really a failure–it was an experiment. There’s no way to know for sure how long to proof your sourdough until you jump in and give it a go. So, we did that, and I apparently over-proofed (gave it too long–14…

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Well Written Words

sometimes I pick up this book when I have a spare minute. I snatched it from a friend’s to-be-thrifted pile and am always glad i did. I don’t believe in heavily structured, teacher-directed activities at any age, but i think such activities are most damaging when forced on tiny…

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Sprouting Grains: Breaking Down the Learning.
Sprouting Grains: Breaking Down the Learning.

I’m in the process of learning a TON. Some of the stuff had been festering in my brain for some time, but it’s finally off the shelf and into reality. The class I’m taking is making me break down the barriers of confusion very quickly…very grateful! *the 3 simple things…

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getting our garden on
getting our garden on

We’ve been busy in the garden these past few weeks, and 80degree weather is confusing us all into believing summer is here–forget the end of winter, or even the entire spring! here are a few of the sq-wormies thriving in our biodynamic compost. it is rich, black soil, the perfect…

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Paper Chain Crowns
Paper Chain Crowns

Sometimes the simplest crafts provide the most joy. This is a great thing for me to embrace. Though I always have grand ideas and notions of what we can accomplish in a single day, sometimes the cranky baby that can’t seem to be calmed throws us for a loop. Today was one of those days,

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LEARNING: How to Soak and Sprout Grains
LEARNING: How to Soak and Sprout Grains

Last week a friend and I are started a class on soaking and sprouting and cooking with grains. I am so excited. The diet in which grains are non existent is NOT for me, but I am willing to accept that our modern processing techniques are depleting the nutritional value–perhaps omitting it…

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movin’ shakin’ and tryin’ to sit too.
movin’ shakin’ and tryin’ to sit too.

Things are moving all around here. We’re keeping things cleaner, I’m moving much of my vintage goods into a warehouse space, Drew is working steadily, the girls are changing and growing rapidly–particularly the babe, if I stop to think a minute I become completely overwhelmed…

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Routineishness
Routineishness

Nothing specific to say… no matter how romantic it may seem–there is some amount of–ahem, poop that goes along with chicken keeping…but, at least they’re laying! from Martha Stewart, lemon-cornmeal sheet cookie a little celebrating (the actual Tu B’Shevat…

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Birthday for the Trees
Birthday for the Trees

Tonight starts Shevat 15 according to the Hebrew Calendar, thereby making it Tu B’shevat. “Legally, the “New Year for Trees” relates to the various tithes that are separated from produce grown in the Holy Land. These tithes differ from year to year in the…

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Math by Hand

Several months ago I stumbled across a math curriculum called ‘Math by Hand’–I honestly don’t remember where. However, I was intrigued. What caught my eye were the handmade manipulatives in the pictures–but then, I’m a very visual person. So. I found their…

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My Essentials
My Essentials

I recently got an email offering potentially free products should I blog about ‘What’s Essential‘. Well,  I love the products already (Nordic Naturals), and I really liked that theme. So, I’ll take inspiration wherever I find it!  As a homeschooler, person of…

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Planning the Plot
Planning the Plot

There are 2 types of gardeners, perhaps even more. In the two I know there’s the folks that look at a piece of land, want to tear it up, get their fingers as dirty as possible and plant again, and again. Some plants not doing exactly what these folks hoped, or as quickly as they’d…

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Winter Beach Trip
Winter Beach Trip

Thanks to one of Drew’s customers we had to make a relatively impromptu trip to the coast. As of last Thursday there was no plan, but we threw something together and had a really great ‘journey’–as Naomi and Leviah kept calling it. A few days in Eastern NC with nothing to…

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January?
January?

Today is sort of a nasty day. Still, the high is 50. Not what one would expect mid-January. Naomi wakes up every morning with a glimmer of hope in her eye–in fact, Friday of last week, before she looked out the window she convinced herself, and Leviah of course, to dress for snow. Well, it…

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Hello Twenty Twelve! And, A Vintage High Chair
Hello Twenty Twelve! And, A Vintage High Chair

So, there’s always potential that the fresh, clean, new year is full of promise. It is, as was last year. I don’t want to forget or think that it’s time to start over–last year was great. We had a baby, who is amazing. We, well…we had a baby. Really, anything else…

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Gingerbread Temples and Beeswax Crayons
Gingerbread Temples and Beeswax Crayons

Naomi loves to make gingerbread houses, and this year it occurred to me that we could really make it part of our Hanukkah celebration by modifying a kit to make a Temple with some Macabbean soldiers. It was pretty fun to play with candy, and a great way to deplete a stockpile of candy we

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Judah Maccabee and other Stamped Cookies
Judah Maccabee and other Stamped Cookies

I saw these via pinterest and actually used the idea! this is my plate of favorites, but we made all kinds. It was a great way to decorate shortbread cookies, especially for little hands. The end result is a bit like old-timey shortbread molds which can be difficult to make work. It was very…

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Are Your Candles Rolled?
Are Your Candles Rolled?

We took one morning last week to work as a candle factory. (we used this kit) We are ready to burn-em-up! on the to-do list (among other daily necessities): make some cookies like these. (we should be so talented) tell the story. keep reciting this poem. maybe make some of these for…

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The Treasured Library
The Treasured Library

note the cute little air drying penguins the girls made. We’ll paint them when they’re dry. I love the library–particularly the ‘juvenile’ section, but all of it. First, you’ve got the books and the knowledge that if your fines are paid down (which is not an…

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Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Hope everyone enjoys seconds, pie, and loosened belts. these are some of our holiday decorations. Felted acorns and paper Pilgrims and Native Americans from the Toymaker.

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To Eat and Play
To Eat and Play

Play for me:: I’m excited to try and make these for myself when I get a spare minute. I’d actually played with trying to make a similar pattern a few years ago and gave up frustrated. Thanks M.S. for making it easier for me… Play for the girls:: This was Leviah’s b-day…

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Closure Found in Ginger Pumpkin Bread
Closure Found in Ginger Pumpkin Bread

the girls with the pumpkin we used for the bread & more. There are about 1.7b’zillion things I want to share here, but I’m going to focus on rounding out the ‘conclusion’ of the last post–especially since I’ve had it up for so long as the latest entry…

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The Birthday Cake Incident of 2011

What started as a fun plan to make Leviah’s 3rd birthday cake together ended in steam mopping and baseboard polishing. Needless to say, this isn’t want I wanted to do today. I wanted to get something done. I wanted to include Naomi. I wanted to work together at making something…

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Homes for Crickets and Toads.
Homes for Crickets and Toads.

There are many things to share from our week long Sukkot camping adventure, but to delve into it all is a little overwhelming. So, I will pick one thing that actually calms me just thinking about… We built a village. The little ones napped and Drew, Naomi & I sat in the shade…

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Holiday Reminiscing
Holiday Reminiscing

Tonight is the first night of Sukkot (feast of tabernacles). So, amid the rush of getting everything packed and ready to go for a week of camping and fellowship, I’m stopping in to share a few photos of years past. 2004: Went into labor the next day. (this is proof to those who don’t…

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The ‘Yes’ List *
The ‘Yes’ List *

We’re reevaluating our food eating. We’re always reevaluating it, it’s under constant scrutiny. Recently, however, it seems everyone we know is turning their attention to one major thing: Gluten/Carbs (granted, they’re not exactly the same, but part of the same family)…

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A Week of Celebration
A Week of Celebration

We are full swing in our craziest time of year. Yesterday was Rosh Hashanah and we spent the day in the mountains, per our tradition. (We visit the creek there every year in part to perform the ritual of Tashlich that Margaret speaks of here.) It was great, and friends/family joined us this year…

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A Counting Board and a Toy
A Counting Board and a Toy

our curriculum instructed us to make one of these, and I’m excited we did. It’s a really neat tool. I’m pretty certain I don’t understand all the ins-and-outs, but this is what you make when you count by 3’s. and this is the process of counting by 4’s. Naomi…

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Cooling Off Where You Are?
Cooling Off Where You Are?

It’s cold (squeal of delight) and Eliza is now wearing the hat I knit while she was in-utero. It’s cuter on & all the flaws are much less noticeable when her sweet laughing eyes are peaking out from underneath. Here’s more on the pattern. Is there anyone who doesn’t…

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The Girl Can’t Read–words.
The Girl Can’t Read–words.

Naomi started Violin lessons over the summer. There’s a notion that most public schools don’t embrace and that is that when a child is ready for something, they’ll do it. A year ago an hour of time spent trying to teach Naomi how to tie her shoes was fruitless and frustrating…

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Too Much To Say
Too Much To Say

So much going on around here I can’t pick a topic to stick to. So, I’ll summarize in pictures. first there was the beach. great time with sweet friends. then there’s the booth downtown where I’m now selling some of gremlina’s vintage wares. then we had the indie…

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On Our Homeschooling Style
On Our Homeschooling Style

I’ve been doing a lot of mental organization–lining things up, taking stock of my vision for our homeschooling this year. Drew has been helping a lot, and both of us have been reading and researching. Thank goodness for the internet! While Drew ordered this book and is really…

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The Homebirth Story: A Family Affair
The Homebirth Story: A Family Affair

3 months later…sorry for the delay. I’m not sure what excuse there is beyond me just putting it off. I think in one way I’m sort of embarrassed for not having had the triumphant experience I did with Leviah. That’s not true, on any level. The difference is how much help I…

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Fall Signs and Smells
Fall Signs and Smells

we found some of these on our tree, so we picked. and peeled. and peeled some more. and put them in a pot to make sauce. and smelled (sorry, no picture for that) looking forward to more cool mornings, crisp evenings, fall holidays and another birthday season! is fall your favorite time of…

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Learning More about Waldorf
Learning More about Waldorf

Another promotion?! Well, I guess it’s just that time of year… I’m excited to participate in this E-course. Drew and I have learned so much since we discovered Rudolf Steiner a few years ago. His writings are extensive and his philosophy has been easily transferred into our…

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Winner!

The winner of the Cedar Ring Circle is #17 (chosen at random): My Barefoot Angel said… I’m starting our homeschooling this Fall using Earthschooling and am rather nervous about it. Wish that I have known about the co-op as I’ve already bought a few items before learning…

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Busy as Bees
Busy as Bees

these are now ready for consumption through the winter. Not having a lot in the way of spare moments to sit and type and share…summer is far from lazy! If we’re not cooking up something to put in jars, we’re visiting friends at the pool or traveling for celebrations, popping up…

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Homeschooling is Cheap and Cedar Ring Circle
Homeschooling is Cheap and Cedar Ring Circle

Why homeschooling? In thinking about our upcoming school year we had a lot to consider. We enjoyed Oak Meadow and while I think what they offer is great, I wasn’t thrilled about paying for all their curriculum and still needing to buy all the supplies and crafting materials. I guess…

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What are You Making From Your Garden?
What are You Making From Your Garden?

Here’s hoping more of you will share here. I love peeking through internet windows into other people’s gardens…it’s easier if you tell me where to look. Anyway, this month has been the busiest garden month & it’s the one where the garden spills into the kitchen…

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Tomato Paper Craft
Tomato Paper Craft

As we harvest, eat, and process the endless supply of tomatoes from our garden, Drew thought of a fun activity making use of tomato peels. The girls loved it, and the outcome is like stained glass… Many recipes for canning tomatoes call for peeling them, which makes for much smoother…

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Who’s Baby is This?!
Who’s Baby is This?!

We’ve been doing a lot of staring. There have been a few milk man jokes…but, really, I think we’re all excited and awestruck by the creativity of Creation. I mean, the same gene pool has turned out a very different baby. Our first 2 girls looked so much like their dad that I…

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Sunday Garden
Sunday Garden

Summer has swept us away, and the garden. Things are growing–nearly out of control. It’s a delicate balance, one minute everything looks great, the next sunflowers are falling over under the weight of their own blooms and the paths are unpassable thanks to giant tomatillo plants and…

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Pennsylvania Dreamin’ on Such a Summer’s Day
Pennsylvania Dreamin’ on Such a Summer’s Day

the Brown barn in the sunset Here are some pictures from our time in PA. We had such a great time reuniting with family, and the farm.  It’s a family farm, to be sure; my mom grew up with dairy cows, but the pastures are full of wildflowers now. Some hay will be harvested by

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Around the Honey House
Around the Honey House

So, we’ve harvested and will be bottling soon. When keeping bees you quickly realize the need for a honey house. What we have is a sticky mess in this ‘honey’ house. It’s mostly clean now, but that’s 4 mops later… we had about 5.5 supers and 1 hive body…

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Broccoli Fireworks
Broccoli Fireworks

Supplies: Paper, tempera paints, and broccoli. Naomi and I have been doing a lot of paper exploring. Mainly Naomi. It’s hot outside, somewhat dreadfully hot & if you can manage to beat the heat it’s still hard to ignore the blood sucking mosquitoes that swarm human…

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{this moment} Swingin’ sisters (again)
{this moment} Swingin’ sisters (again)

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along ps. Happy Birthday Drew. love you…

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Las Mariposas Senoritas Pinturadas
Las Mariposas Senoritas Pinturadas

Because I have a minute while everyone is resting… We just released butterflies from our butterfly observation kit. Painted Ladies. Here are some of the last one we released, it took a bit to fly away and it was bittersweet. Naomi wanted to keep it and let it go all at the same time. But…

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Back in the Garden
Back in the Garden

While I haven’t had much time to post, we’ve been enjoying a lot of time with friends and simply, together as a family. I anticipated a certain amount of down-time, but I’ll confess I haven’t felt much like sitting around. Perhaps it’s the time of year, but…

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Shavuot
Shavuot

In years past we haven’t put much effort into the exploration of this Biblical holiday. I’m not sure why, something just seemed so foreign. Growing up in a Christian home, the holidays have become a reflection of what I’ve always known, that God is with us and wants to…

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Slow Moe & ROTH for Summer
Slow Moe & ROTH for Summer

baby admiring. Things are slow around here. There’s a baby, it’s hot, all the classes and lessons and scheduled weekly events are on hiatus. We’ve been blessed with meals from friends, bounty in the garden, and general good health. Recovery from labor has been relatively quick…

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Numero 3
Numero 3

Littlest baby Grim was born on Monday morning. She’s a girl–despite all the predictions based on the way I carried So, we’re more like the Ingalls than ever! And ‘Pa’ seems just fine with that 😉 Birth Time: Monday, May 23 at 9:42am Name: Eliza Liri  Eliza means…

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{this moment} – midwife in training
{this moment} – midwife in training

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along.

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The Final Countdown: Expiration Date Approaches
The Final Countdown: Expiration Date Approaches

You may have heard. I’m pregnant. REALLY pregnant. 39 weeks and counting. In these final hours I’ve decided to start a mission, a mission to eradicate due dates. The fact is due dates are like expiration dates–some folks adhere to them as mere suggestions, others toss the milk…

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Over All the Garden
Over All the Garden

note the happy garden cat. We stopped by the Farmer’s market this evening and it was packed full–but almost no produce. Several hot-house tomatoes, but there were plants EVERYWHERE! We should have known, as this is the story ’round our place. There’s lots of new…

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Homeschooling Together
Homeschooling Together

One major thing I’ve learned about homeschooling this–our first real–year of doing it, is that support is essential.  There’s more support now than there ever has been, it’s abundant on the internet, in the library and fewer and fewer folks look at us…

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On Mother’s Day
On Mother’s Day

What a terrific day! Naomi was so excited about it going to bed last night she could hardly sleep–nice to know she enjoys pampering me… She made me a lovely card in which Drew helped her list all the ways she knows I love her. I had to hold back a few tears. The girls

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The Beekeeper’s Daughter
The Beekeeper’s Daughter

Naomi often accompanies Drew out to check the hives. The other day they came home with some ‘school’ work; more like ‘fascinating natural observation material’–or f’nom for short 😉 Anyway, Drew thought to grab some comb with drone larvae in it and they sat at…

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Share Your Garden Post Sunday
Share Your Garden Post Sunday

When your seedlings fail there is an air of disappointment that makes you feel like giving up, forgetting about this season’s garden and moving onto a different passion. Usually, you eventually give into the irresistible seedlings available at local farmer’s markets or hardware…

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Drying in the Wind
Drying in the Wind

pretty daikon flowers  The other day I came home to a sweet surprise. Jewelry? Flowers? Chocolate? nope. my truly romantic husband bought me a clothesline. I’ve been pestering him for some time about getting one of the ‘square’ ones. We’ve had lines strung from the…

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Just a Note to Let You Know That I Have
Just a Note to Let You Know That I Have

Just a note to let you know that I have been honored by an interview over at Still Parenting with Arianne! Hope you’ll stop by there and see…thanks again Arianne–it was enlightening thinking on your great questions!

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Garden Growing and Making Unleavened Bread
Garden Growing and Making Unleavened Bread

everything is getting greener…  daikon, new tomato seedlings, repotted plants, lettuces… happenings in our garden? well, we’ve planted some of our awesome–and I can say that knowing how we’ve struggled to figure it out–tomato seedlings in actual beds and…

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Pesach Semeach
Pesach Semeach

I won’t go into a lot of detail about our Passover meal this year, it wasn’t traditional at all, but it was magnificent! Friends and new experiences and LOTS of learning. I think we all are feeling like we walked away a little more in tune with the original Passover experience, a…

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the Renewal of Every Spring & our winner!
the Renewal of Every Spring & our winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the little garden giveaway! Sonja said… I just found your blog this morning and love it. I look forward to reading more in the future. Thanks Sonja! I hope you do continue to visit! & make sure I get your address so we can ship off your…

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A Virtual Greenhouse Tour
A Virtual Greenhouse Tour

Don’t forget the How Does Your Garden Grow giveaway–ends Tuesday! Nasturtiums, Sunflowers and other organic wildflowers to attract the bees to your garden… But for today, a first! We spontaneously decided to film a little tour of the greenhouse, so take a second to watch, if…

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Nomes Gnomes. Handmade Bead People
Nomes Gnomes. Handmade Bead People

 We bought some polymer clay and I had a plan to make beads. I’ve never done it before and it was probably wrong of me to assume it’d be as easy as I’d thought. Well, it wasn’t hard, but as with most crafts, it led us in its own direction… First we rolled out…

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Making Art Because
Making Art Because

So, I took the last session of an 8 week pottery course I took at the local Cultural arts center. I highly recommend it, making pots that is. I’ve always known about my love of clay manipulation, but it’s been over 8 years since I last did it and what a reminder I had…turns out…

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How Does Your Garden Grow Giveaway
How Does Your Garden Grow Giveaway

Inspired by Spring and our excitement about the bustling that is happening in our own garden, I wanted to do a little giveaway. So, I put together an egg carton filled with organically planted seeds just waiting for you.  The seeds included are wildflowers and edibles; they only need your…

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Not so-well Knit & And Ode To Treasuring.
Not so-well Knit & And Ode To Treasuring.

I knit this aviator cap a few weeks ago for the new one and while I enjoyed (throat clearing) it, I think it was for all the wrong reasons. The pattern, for me, seemed off. Again, I am a novice knitter and everything I do know I learned here or via the internet at large.

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Notes from Before.
Notes from Before.

Before I’m done, that is. I’m 31 weeks pregnant which leaves me with a few thoughts, things I knew about pregnancy from before, things I know about having children, and the other side–the things I don’t know. the way I see ‘it’. What I don’t know: If…

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Tomatoes: a gardener’s pride.
Tomatoes: a gardener’s pride.

This post was written by Drew, per my request for him to document the garden happenings. Add your recent garden update link, please. This is the first year so far that we have ever been able to have seedlings grow well. Particularly Tomato seedlings, and like all gardener’s, they are…

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HOMEBIRTH: My sister had her baby
HOMEBIRTH: My sister had her baby

The plan wasn’t for me to be at the birth. Either way, I was just excited to have a nephew and that my sister was going to be able to have a birth experience that didn’t leave her feeling inept, hurt, and angry at the things she was denied control of. But, I was there

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Needle Felted Queen Esther Crowns and the Beautiful Day.
Needle Felted Queen Esther Crowns and the Beautiful Day.

It’s traditional to dress like Queen Esther, or one of the characters from the story, so we had to finish up our crowns… I cut a simple pattern out of paper (folding in half again, then using a straight edge to draw the ‘peaks’) then, I cut some simple…

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Purim! And This Week’s Puddles
Purim! And This Week’s Puddles

It’s been an up and down kind of week. Naomi was sick at the beginning and we couldn’t identify why. I had a really bad Monday and am still working on letting go and moving on…meanwhile, financially we’re in a bit of a tight spot thanks to a booming economy (sarcasm)…

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and me.
and me.

One last rainbow week post. This is a fun experiment that’s simple and fun. You’ll need: Small tub/container for water (we used a clear tupperware)  A small submergeable mirror  A flashlight White paper Something to prop the mirror at a 45degree angle (rock)  Dark…

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The Dreamers…
The Dreamers…

We switched out our coffee filter snowflakes, inspired by Dawn, to rainbow coffee filters. The kids love this little bit of magic–drawing first with markers and then watching the colors spread when spritzed with water. The same method we used to make this butterfly mobile. I think they…

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The Lovers…
The Lovers…

This activity helped really solidify the order of rainbow colors. I just cut 6 (as finding indigo colored paper is tricky) pieces of construction paper in descending size, starting with purple. Naomi had to glue them together so you could see each one. We wrote the names of the colors after, and…

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Our Rainbow Connection
Our Rainbow Connection

It seems once we pick up a topic we have a hard time leaving it behind. We move on to new things, but we’re continually curious about it and constantly adding new projects, ideas and learning. I like this, Naomi is particularly excited when she associates new things with what she already…

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Weekend Fun.

We have had a traumatizing morning. My ears are literally ringing from all the excitement. Somehow–we cannot figure out the logistics, and it happened in my peripheral sights–Leviah fell, holding a bongo and cut straight through her fingernail. The nail fell off completely and she…

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HOMEBIRTH: Rally in Raleigh
HOMEBIRTH: Rally in Raleigh

Raleigh yesterday: It was great to be there, and I think it was even a good homeschooling lesson! We talked with Naomi a lot about ‘government’ and how in the US we are free to say what we don’t like and try to get things changed (however sometimes our freeness seems just a bit…

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Simple Sewing and Rhythm of the Home
Simple Sewing and Rhythm of the Home

Today marks the release of the Rhythm of the Home Spring edition! Great news for those looking for inspiration. Again, I’m pleased to say I got to participate! To go along with the Sewing Box–inspired by Naomi, of course, I thought I’d post an idea that’s simple and fun…

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GARDEN: Biodynam-what?!
GARDEN: Biodynam-what?!

We’re starting to get the bees ready for Spring. Pollen patties and sugar water have been added to the hives, the new hives have been ordered while the old ones have been cleaned up. It’s weird to think that in February Spring is here, but nature knows best. The bees are always…

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HOMEBIRTH: Petition HOMESCHOOL: Incorporating a Toddler
HOMEBIRTH: Petition HOMESCHOOL: Incorporating a Toddler

On the homebirth front: The topic hasn’t left my mind for more than a 20minute period, but things are happening. There’s a new petition (note in right sidebar–please sign!), and, there’s a march next Wednesday in Raleigh. Please spread the word if you’re a local! On…

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Less Intense
Less Intense

While the topic of which direction will take in terms of this upcoming birth is still hot around here, I want to switch back to a less depressing topic… Silly Leviah. She wants to be like Naomi on sooo any levels…this one is particularly endearing. And Drew turned these blocks into…

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HOMEBIRTH: a Fugitive’s Quest
HOMEBIRTH: a Fugitive’s Quest

artwork by Chrissy Butler available here. If you know me in person, one of the advocacy roles I play is for Homebirth. Many women live in places where homebirth midwives and the services they provide are readily and legally available. NC is not one of those places. It’s a complicated…

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GARDEN: Ingenuity on the Home Front
GARDEN: Ingenuity on the Home Front

first of all: we spent a LOT of moments outside over the weekend. Not all work–lots of play (& bicycle riding). but we accomplished a great feat. at least it feels nice to have come up with an idea, put it into action, and it seems to be working… We created these…

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{this moment}: Impromptu Jam Session
{this moment}: Impromptu Jam Session

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along this was all Naomi’s idea 😉

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A Table House for Little Folk
A Table House for Little Folk

a cozy place for a rest. they pack it full of blankets, pillows, and an assortment of toy kitchen supplies…  When I was 5 my best friend had a house that fit over a card table. I thought it the greatest. thing. ever. There aren’t a terribly many toys that stick out in my mind…

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Hedgehog Rolls Are the Cutest Snack Ever.
Hedgehog Rolls Are the Cutest Snack Ever.

We did play a little with heart related things today. (naomi loves copy work and I NEED to point out what a wonderful day I had with her. perhaps she’s beginning to turn the corner and return to comfort). We even found these coloring pages to tie in our main focus with love &amp…

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Sheep Shorn, Slippers Felted, Fellowship
Sheep Shorn, Slippers Felted, Fellowship

The sheep are always fun to visit and it was a much warmer day than last year! Still, there was a chilly breeze that apparently brought us the beautiful weather of today. Even babies are being born already, which serves as a reminder of what’s to come in our lives. Not that looking down…

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Difficulties
Difficulties

i’ve been looking through old photos-they help me reconnect. I love Naomi with all my heart–obviously. I’m sharing here what is difficult to admit–that we struggle. Our days are not filled with moving from one task to the next in a way that is calm and beautiful. Often…

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Anticipation Gardening
Anticipation Gardening

The plan is made.  The seeds are in. (from here) The pots are filled. (make your own with this) More sprouts are sprouted. Let the gardening begin. In February. Have you started your garden yet? enter to win this sweet book before you navigate away…

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For No Good Reason: A Giveaway
For No Good Reason: A Giveaway

Only reason? We received a second copy from this awesome new thing we discovered. (I say ‘thing’ because there’s really no other way to describe it). Anyway, we love this story & can’t think why anyone wouldn’t! And there’s a song to boot. Joseph had a…

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Building Creatively
Building Creatively

Naomi is on a building kick. She built with these. Just touch one end to a damp cloth and stick them together to form whatever you’d like. Even this crown got MUCH bigger. Drew made her some sweet cedar branch blocks–such a simple and fun toy! The girls both love them. And, she…

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Books, Moments, Growing-ons…
Books, Moments, Growing-ons…

we brought home a truck load of vintage delights last Friday. They are making themselves right at home. The girls found a big box in the living room–left from a co-op order from Frontier. (If you’re not already in one, you should get one started in your area–great prices!)…

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She Knits?
She Knits?

It’s true, I’ve handled the needles a time or two, but I’d never call myself a knitter. Why? well, i’m too distractable. Can you believe that’s not a word? (case and point). Anyway, on my list of accomplishments: Scarf Socks (thanks to the persuasion and patience of…

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Tree Birthday Dinner
Tree Birthday Dinner

Walnut shells Tonight enjoyed a little remembrance, even some looking forward with a holiday we generally overlook. As the kids get older we find ourselves more interested in understanding. Naomi has a bug, and due to her request for nothing but fruit, it was all pretty well timed. Anyway, Tu…

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A Small Gathering
A Small Gathering

A few days ago we had folks over to swap diapers. Exciting, no?! It actually was pretty enlightening. There is a whole cloth-diaper lingo that one can’t possibly understand or even hope to, in one day. Pockets, AIO’s, OS’s, prefolds, cotton, hemp, microfiber, woolies, longies…

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Re-Post
Re-Post

Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech (Dec 1964) I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land. Most of these people will never make the headlines and their…

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Shabbat Shira is for the Birds
Shabbat Shira is for the Birds

Although we’ve put up bird feeders before, this year we’re doing it in time with the tradition of Shabbat Shira–the Sabbath of song. It’s called such due to the portion of scripture that is traditionally read this week, the Hebrews have just crossed the Red Sea and…

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Pretzels and More on the Mantle Dismantle
Pretzels and More on the Mantle Dismantle

We made pretzels and they are perfect. We’ve made them before, but we stuck to the recipe (no whole wheat flour this time) & they’re golden and yum. Also, our mantle is coming back together. Here’s where we’re at: I’d love some input. We have a piece of trim to…

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Babies are a Treasure…
Babies are a Treasure…

To celebrate hitting the half way mark (that means I’m 20 weeks) I created a treasury including some of the many delightful things Etsy handcrafters are offering for sweet little ones. Please click here to view them all. Here are a few teasers: from lovefibres shop from Canadianwoodcrafts…

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Delayed Creative
Delayed Creative

Just wanted to share these little dollhouse dolls I needle felted months ago. They’re meant to look like Ma & Pa Ingalls. I gave them to the girls yesterday, and probably should have given to them at birthdays, or holidays, or for some occasion but I never thought they were finished…

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Monday’s Rhythm and New Eating
Monday’s Rhythm and New Eating

Here I’ll attempt to give you an outline of our days until I get through the week (not all today, or even this week, probably). Monday’s are actually such a smooth transition from the weekend now that we have this pattern & Naomi has it memorized already–it’s amazing…

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Homemade Carmel Corn to Welcome Us Home
Homemade Carmel Corn to Welcome Us Home

We were in Asheville. It was treacherous, icy, relatively miserable and absolutely fun. Magic happens when couples embark on adventures together & that’s what the past couple of days were. Layers of clothing, our sturdiest tromping boots, the good fortune of owning a Subaru & a…

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Making things over
Making things over

Drew calls it nesting, but I think when we took our house off the market, for a myriad of reasons, my mindset changed. We’ve been in this home for 5 years and what excitement it was when we moved in! We’ve remodeled every room with the hopes of selling it for some profit. The market…

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Cookies, Squares and the Number 4
Cookies, Squares and the Number 4

Naomi surprises me with her enthusiasm and downright ingenuity. And, on my part I’m happy that I rediscovered a way to get her psyched about looking–something she generally abhors. We’ve been looking at the number 4, so we made these cute little pictures with scrap squares…

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Renewal Homeschooling
Renewal Homeschooling

We have rebooted homeschooling. With Hanukkah & the worst of the morning sickness behind us, we are moving on. Though we had a rhythm earlier in the year, we have decided to rearrange and I’m SO glad. Thanks to one of the Waldorf communities I’ve joined I found a great resource…

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Hanukkah Complete
Hanukkah Complete

A few days late, but we’ve been recuperating from our 8 day string of non stop adventures! Here is the final tally of notable events and creations. We finished off some salt dough ornaments, visited the local library to enjoy some more crafting and finished up with these vintage donuts…

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Why? & Free Crafts
Why? & Free Crafts

Some of you know the unlabel-able ins and outs of our faith & while it is really only important to those in my ‘real’ life, I do want to explain something about why it is we celebrate Hanukkah. As with most things in our lives, we try to be aware of the way we’re effecting…

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Crazy Nights: #3 and #4
Crazy Nights: #3 and #4

the weather outside was frightful but the Latkes were so delightful. dreidel, dreidel, dreidel… i made you out of clay. and when you’re dry and ready… then dreidel I shall play. We had a big Hanukkah bash last night with lots of crafting, dreidel spinning and fun. & 3…

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Crazy Nights: #2
Crazy Nights: #2

Oh our second day of Hanukkah. Well, first we went downtown to the Menorah lighting last night, ate latkes, cookies, heard music and shivered. It was a chilly night, but it was a nice crowd & there was more huddling than usual amongst strangers. & there was cider… We came home to…

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Crazy Nights: #1
Crazy Nights: #1

Our first few Hanukkah crafts:  1. This sweet advent style menorah craft a friend of mine found in Family Fun magazine. Although we were a little rushed in putting them together, they turned out really cute & I look forward to using it, or something similar for years to come. I know the…

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A Festival of Lights

Feeling better it’s becoming easier and easier to get excited about things that 2 weeks ago wore me out just thinking about. My make-up to do list is growing. First, it’s Hanukkah time. We don’t generally make a huge deal out of it, but this year we’re planning lots of…

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Thankful Anyway
Thankful Anyway

The strength of my pains are lessening, giving me hope that I’ll be able to delight in the delights of Thanksgiving in just a few days. While schoolwork has been put on the back burner these past few weeks as a result of my inability, we did manage to study up on the history of

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Expectations
Expectations

taken with** Having waited long enough for some clever address to come to mind, it’s time to share with those who visit this space the news we have recently confirmed, without afore mentioned address. We’re having a baby, again. It’s number 3 and this mighty announcement is the…

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Back with a Crock Giveaway!

Wow. That was quite a break. & not undeserved–but I’ll explain more about that later. Today I’m going to share the opportunity of a lifetime. Well, a good one anyway. It’s not a crock. Wait, yes it is…it’s a Butter Bell® crock by L. Tremain. If…

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here!
here!

just because i’m not here, doesn’t mean i’m not around. but, sometimes breaks are smart and so–i break. picture by: Sir John Lavery

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Whew & lots of loot.
Whew & lots of loot.

It’s been awhile…this last weekend was birthday weekend and though no HUGE fiesta was planned, we’re still trying to recuperate. Naomi turned six and is proud to announce it to anyone who looks at her and i turned –. For Naomi we had a night of bowling, per her request…

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From the Camp-out
From the Camp-out

sunset on the Nomad. We spent the majority of last week out at the land enjoying the heat and celebrating Sukkot. We sweltered, on account of it being September (insert sarcastic tone here). Regardless, we had fun. We did some leaf pounding, outhouse building, nature walking, hammock napping…

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Back to the grindstone
Back to the grindstone

We officially started ‘school’ about 2 weeks ago & we’re having a really great time. First, we started with the letter ‘A’ and the story of Peter Rabbit. We drew pictures (trying not to draw outlines) and Naomi’s letter ‘A’ actually has MANY…

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Birthday Girl Coming
Birthday Girl Coming

Naomi & I almost share a birthday (a day apart), but I find myself spending more time thinking about how much fun HER wishlist would be than mine. A new pair of boots is exciting, a pretty necklace momentarily thrilling, a totally unnecessary mac book–over the top (as if i wasn’t…

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Scores
Scores

I’ve had some fortune when it comes to finding awesomeness in my daily searching. Not all is pictured, I don’t want you to hate me! First, & most exciting: a Vintage RCA Radio that I think can work again. It even has a chord tucked away inside & could use a…

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Rocking Chickens
Rocking Chickens

Naomi has taken to catching the chickens that escape they’re coop & cradling them as if they like it. I don’t know much about the thought processes of a chicken, but something about these eyes say, “no thanks”. Regardless, the thrill of catching and cuddling can…

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Highland Blessings
Highland Blessings

While the title is a joke for a friend, we did have a great time in the mountains on Thursday, as is our annual tradition, we went for Rosh Hoshanah. the sky was beautifully clear and perfect, the air blew softly with a refreshing breeze, and the water gently rustled over the smoothly worn…

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Life as a Schoolhouse
Life as a Schoolhouse

How the schoolhouse came to be I finally came up with the perfect name for this blog. It suits us so well. This is the realization and beginning of our dreams. This is the materialization of our schoolhouse. Learning isn’t just in the classroom We’re of that persuasion, that the…

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After
After

big reveal: I was tempted to wait because i’m enjoying the guesses! I went in to the Leon’s School for my yearly haircut ($10 can’t be beat & they are so entertaining). I took this picture & they did great. It was a team effort & a crowd had gathered at my station…

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This is a before shot…
This is a before shot…

i made a little change today. here’s the before: . 

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A New Season
A New Season

Autumn is upon us. At least that’s what I keep dreaming; the weather does not yet reflect this change. But, the fall issue of Rhythm of the Home magazine is published today and it gives me hope that those activities dedicated to the cooling weather, altering leaves and blustery breezes…

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toddler toy
toddler toy

This is quick, easy, & entertaining for the littler ones. Leviah gets 2 uses: 1. rolling to a new destination & 2. opening the top, dumping, and refilling the can. (if the second use isn’t one you approve of, just tape or adhere the lid on so it’s not an option for your…

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{this moment} – swingin’ sisters
{this moment} – swingin’ sisters

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along.

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Moosewood Cookbook Challenge: Stuffed Squash
Moosewood Cookbook Challenge: Stuffed Squash

Just when you thought I’d forgot this challenge…lo n’ behold. So, the cookbook likes to stuff things into squashes. Or maybe I’m just drawn to these recipes…or maybe stuffing squash is more common than I’d known. Either way, we stuffed some butternut squash…

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Tea Party Today (unaffiliated)
Tea Party Today (unaffiliated)

We had a little party. We had a little fun. & of course, did a little show-tune dancing. To eat? Egg salad, pb&j, pb&mallow cream & pb&nutella sandwiches cut into shapes, blueberry lemon scones for authenticity, raspberry tea with mango puree and seltzer, veggies, fruit salad…

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Prairie Style Sourdough Starter
Prairie Style Sourdough Starter

Making a Sourdough Starter is so simple! We have this great book that breaks down many of the prairie activities throughout the Little House series. I love it and can’t wait to try lots of them with the girls over the years. Today I decided to give the Sourdough Starter a try. It’s…

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Vintage Swap
Vintage Swap

Things are much less grim feeling. Refocused… Yesterday, in particular, was a good day. We had some extra kids over for some extra craziness and we had a really fun time crafting paper bag puppets. What a simple & fun craft. what can’t you use to add a little character? Plus…

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re-boot me please.
re-boot me please.

I’m having a difficult time being motivated to ‘start’ this week. I did actually accomplish some things, like made a loaf of bread yesterday, with some dough for later still in the fridge. This recipe is so simple & really the perfect answer to what I’m going to do…

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{this moment} – a hard day’s ride home
{this moment} – a hard day’s ride home

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along.

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Vintage Homesteading
Vintage Homesteading

While we’re not living out there yet, we have made steps to make such a notion somewhat comfortable…I’ve even started ‘nesting’, so to speak. My sewing machine is glad, as it’s been well loved, the end of which is not soon to come (note the curtains). Sorry I…

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The Great Pattern-less Skirt
The Great Pattern-less Skirt

I’ve been stockpiling fabric for some time, but specifically intended for skirt making for a couple months. I have a few staple skirts that I wear all the time through the summer–some of them quite simple & so comfortable. When I’m at a store with a discount fabric section…

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Included: I’ll take coffee and cake for $200.00, Alex
Included: I’ll take coffee and cake for $200.00, Alex

such a sweet collection! inspires me to get into the kitchen… Vintage Kitchen Set Can… gremlina $135.00 USD Vintage Set of 2 Sun Ye… BootsNGus $6.00 USD Pewter Coffee Measure….. VintageStarrB… $9.95 USD Super Streusel Top Coff… JustBakin…

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Because it’s soooo hot.
Because it’s soooo hot.

here’s hoping that imagery can cool you down…

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Hands on Color Wheel and Stuffed Zucchini
Hands on Color Wheel and Stuffed Zucchini

Inspired by this post to retry making playdough (we’ve done it before but with less than perfect consistency), I  had a revelation. When it came time to mix colors I thought it’d be a good opportunity to present Naomi with the Color Wheel. So, I divided the dough into 6 pieces…

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So. Busy.
So. Busy.

Oh me, oh my. We’ve been keeping busy, but it seems I have nothing to report! For the blog sake, I always feel like there needs to be SOME progress with little exultation to simply surviving another day–sense of humor intact. That’s what we’re doing. So, I’ll just…

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Another Way to Make Venison Taste Good (sorry Moosewood).
Another Way to Make Venison Taste Good (sorry Moosewood).

Last night we had a delicious Moosewood recipe, Cauliflower Cheese Pie**. This recipe appealed to me for its’ inclusion of cheese & cauliflower–the latter of which I don’t use enough in my cooking. Well, even if we hadn’t thrown in a pound of ground venison, this dish…

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How to Make a Daily Rhythm Chart
How to Make a Daily Rhythm Chart

Today’s the first day with our new chart. I’m excited about it & so is Naomi. She has really been responsive to knowing what is coming next–no more excuses as to what’s expected of her. These are the key elements to our regular days, a few off the list are not…

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Fourth of July Fatigue
Fourth of July Fatigue

First: Happy Fourth! Hope you’re all having fun watching parades (no matter how stingy on candy throwing they might be) & fireworks (even if you’re struggling to figure out which night the show is like we are). The following pictures have everything to do with the 4th and little…

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A Winner, Dinner & Pine Knolls Shore
A Winner, Dinner & Pine Knolls Shore

We’re home for the beach & settling back down. We were at Pine Knoll Shores in NC & it was delightful. The aquarium is right there, the beach is quiet & the Hampton Inn was actually terrific! At Pine Knoll Shores we recommend: Amos Mosquito’s Restaurant, a little more…

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We Snuck Away…
We Snuck Away…

Can you guess? It’s a spur of the moment trip that is being thoroughly enjoyed… AND PLEASE DON’T FORGET!! (click)

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Zucchini Feta Pancakes–Moosewood Challenge #2
Zucchini Feta Pancakes–Moosewood Challenge #2

Seems like I’m only blogging about food recently! My first savory recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook was quite simple. I’m trying to use the recipes that require locally ready crops, so here’s a plan for that excess Zucchini you probably all have! Plus, if you shred &amp…

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A 31st Birthday.
A 31st Birthday.

Drew is 31 as of yesterday. We spent the day doing things he likes & enjoying a laid-back day. I have a tendency to go overboard but this year I decided to try his request for a simple celebration–I think he really did have fun, I know I did. First we had a breakfast of

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Affiliate Shop Giveaway: Gracey May Embroidery
Affiliate Shop Giveaway: Gracey May Embroidery

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! I’m so excited to have this giveaway! Penny from Gracey May (note her ad on the right) has the sweetest shop on Etsy & has offered to give away an amazing surprise. Read her ‘interview’ & enter with some comments! Where are you from & how did you…

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A Use for Stale Bread
A Use for Stale Bread

I love pudding. It’s something I’ve always known I like, but it’s more of a love. All sorts, chocolate especially, but from tapioca to banana to flan and creme brulee. Just, yum. I maybe like it more than–get this: ice cream. I also love great (simple) recipes. & more…

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Easy as Cake!
Easy as Cake!

Yesterday Naomi & I made a cape together. We’re working on several ‘sewing’ projects together, which generally means she takes scraps & cuts/taps/pins/explains to herself what they are while I get the grunt of the actual project done. I LOVE it. It’s a true…

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{this moment} – chocolate monster
{this moment} – chocolate monster

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along. I actually have a post for today, but I’m…

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I treasure…
I treasure…

Well, I’ve always wanted to make a treasury via Etsy & it’s SO much easier these days…no count down. Here is my very first, & of course I thought footwear would be an appropriate place to start, as I’m a fan. Take a peek! Have you ever made a treasury? &amp…

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The Weekend in Pictures
The Weekend in Pictures

Although we did fit in some extra nice napping, it’s been a CRAZY weekend. There’ll be more about what we accomplished at the land here, but we’re a tid-bit sunburned & ready for a slower day tomorrow. note: There’s a great new local blog, up & coming. Follow it…

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How to make a Heat Buster
How to make a Heat Buster

whew. it’s a hot one & only getting hotter. humid mainly, nothing dry about it, in fact, from one minute to the next we’re not real sure if there will be enough moisture to actually create rain. But, after spending far too much on store bought (but delicious) chocolate covered…

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Marriage brings people together.
Marriage brings people together.

Weddings do anyway. I had the distinct pleasure of being in an old friend’s wedding this weekend. A true honor, as has been our friendship. I’m so happy for her (& him), happy to have made new friendships, & am also happy to be finished making her present, which has been…

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At it & feeling a smidge rejected.
At it & feeling a smidge rejected.

furrowed & sweaty brow. post-tick removal. We were at the land all day on Sunday & had family there to help us remove some underbrush & really just introduce them to what is our future! There were chain saws, machetes, laupers & gloves. There were also ticks. Ticks galore. These…

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{this moment}-watching big sister
{this moment}-watching big sister

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along.

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we HAVE it!
we HAVE it!

For those of you on the edge of your seat with regards to our future…we’ve got land! With the help of my inlaws, we are the proud caretakers of 24 acres just south of Homeland Creamery in Liberty, NC. What a real secret I have kept. This little parcel has been in the works for

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What do YOU do with rainy days?
What do YOU do with rainy days?

I’ve actually accomplished things today! Hannah at A Handmade Childhood talked about a shelf she has that she stores ‘things to do’ on–like her handmade soap. I ALSO have that shelf, things that I want to try, I’m going to get done, I plan to accomplish. It’s…

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A Day of Rest
A Day of Rest

The Grims (us) like to mix things up. Most of the folks in our neck of the woods (the south) keep a Sunday rest day. That’s the common day around these parts, to stop & celebrate, to worship & fellowship, to honor & remember. While Drew & I grew up in a Sunday-sabbath…

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Giveaway:: ‘Recycled’ play time
Giveaway:: ‘Recycled’ play time

it’s not summer yet, but it’s on its way! Here is a treasure trove of vintage & upcycled handmade goodies to entertain your little ones on hot afternoons or a rainy day. From Memory to Peter Rabbit & back to Gremlina. And a boo-boo bunny, and some wooden geometric shapes, and…

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Happy Mother’s Day…
Happy Mother’s Day…

not a ‘normal’ leviah. I hope all you madres out there have a terrific day. Although we have one pitiful Leviah on our hands & had a rough night in the sleep department, my family made me waffles, chicken sausage & coffee for breakfast. she looks a little more like her…

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How to make a Tie Dyed Butterfly Mobile
How to make a Tie Dyed Butterfly Mobile

Last week at the Charlotte Mason homeschool group we attend I saw the preschoolers making these simple butterflies to go along with what the big kids were studying. Anyway, I couldn’t help but want to do it with Naomi, and I’ve been wanting to make a mobile with her, so here we are…

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Meeting People & selling things…
Meeting People & selling things…

she was spunky. What a beautiful (yet hot & windy) day it was yesterday! Those of you we bumped into, hope you had a great time at the Shindig–it seemed to be a huge success, I know we walked away having had a great time. It’s so refreshing to meet new people & learn more

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Eating local…
Eating local…

You may see a few changes here–visually speaking. I hope you’re okay with them. Feel free to offer any suggestions you might have, Drew prefers the old, but I was in need of a change. We went out to lunch the other day. It was hands down the best & most fulfilling meal out…

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Work and progress…
Work and progress…

remember this? probably not…they say it takes 3 times, in the marketing world, for folks to actually act on what they’ve seen. Initial inspiration came here. Then again here. & I was reminded of to pick it up again here. Thanks to you all! I’m now inspired by the formation…

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Making a Spinning Snake Spiral…
Making a Spinning Snake Spiral…

Just wanted to share a fun & easy letter S project for little hands from our curriculum. We had a great time & can’t wait for little sister to wake up so we can hang it in their room. Naomi chose the type of snake (diamond back rattler), although it took on many characteristics…

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Inoculating sheep…
Inoculating sheep…

A few weeks back when we last visited Rising Meadow, we mentioned that we’d be happy to volunteer should they need a hand. Anne emailed Drew last week &, of course, we were excited to get our hands dirty. We helped get new lambs their vaccinations (one shot, garlic & a quick hoof…

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Exploring Waldorf-y materials…
Exploring Waldorf-y materials…

First. YAY! I won an adorable give away (which if you’ll notice via the right sidebar I share the ones I’ve entered & you should as well. The list is pretty long right now! feel free to let me know about yours, I’d be thrilled to add them–I do try to keep them…

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Wednesday WIP: Sewing Projects…
Wednesday WIP: Sewing Projects…

I don’t often participate in WIP, but I wanted to actually show some things underway & show this little matryoshka (that I talked started back here) that has taken much longer than expected, due mainly to unplanned illness, travel, & Spring. I’m making my first dress &amp…

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In Search of…
In Search of…

recipe below. What a few weeks we’ve had. I haven’t shared much on the day to day & I’ll get back in that habit soon. But, for now I’ll make a short list. 1. we met some friends at the Zoo for a great day. Even at 18months Leviah seemed to really enjoy seeing all

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Capturing Memories…
Capturing Memories…

We took some ‘portraits’ this week & while we had minimal success, we did have a little fun. Of course there were moments of true frustration, but I did get this shot, which I feel is a great representation of how the girls interact–moments of shocking serendipity. So…

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Selling on Etsy…
Selling on Etsy…

lemon meringue I have really enjoyed Etsy in so many ways. First–the shopping. Second–the inspiration. Third–the community of great people I’ve come to know on account of it. Fourth–the ‘shop‘ I’m able to keep to meet that craving for a…

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Finding Shops…
Finding Shops…

(this is EASY for me to do with wonder & zeal!) I recently decided to try an ‘affiliate’ program. A you scratch my back & vice versa set-up. To start I was worried that I wouldn’t find participants that I was excited about. Well, that’s just so silly… Thus…

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A Fortress out of a Sandbox…
A Fortress out of a Sandbox…

We turned the sandbox into a cathedral fort this weekend. It works great & was simple–a $4 project. Last birthday we dyed a bunch of play silks & through the winter used them in the girls’ room, but outside they just seem to catch the light more whimsically. Plus, the breeze…

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Exploring…
Exploring…

chicken mischief. apple blossoms. old homesteads. baby hikes.

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Leaving Egypt…
Leaving Egypt…

‘upcycled’ Moses (more great Passover & other crafts here) Leaven Free Desserts Cleaning up Headless Felt People from this pattern. It’s Passover this week & we came to Drew’s parents for the celebration. We’ll be here until Thursday & are playing with…

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We made pudding…with wonder & zeal.
We made pudding…with wonder & zeal.

chocolate pudding a-lah my dear friend Ang who finally started her family blogging! We watch the Office. We laugh hard & we hope there’s never a final season. One recurring joke is the ‘…that’s what she said’ catch phrase at chance moments by Michael, the office…

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“Guys don’t make passes”–so they say…
“Guys don’t make passes”–so they say…

After a recent visit to the opthamologist we realized Naomi was in dire need of some spectacles. We had to wait a few weeks for them to arrive from this discount glasses site, but it was worth it. She’s cute as a button. Now I expect she’ll be more interested in her studies… 😉…

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Lambing Unexpected.
Lambing Unexpected.

What a day to forget the camera at home. I recycle pics from our last trip. Today we had to run ‘country’ errands. What does that mean? Well, first, visiting the home of a co-worker that is willing to baby-sit the bee hives while our house is on the market. More on that later. Then…

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How to make curls with rags: like the Ingalls
How to make curls with rags: like the Ingalls

For months (since this post), we’ve been planning to see Little House on the Prairie the musical. Prepping for the big night! Finally on Saturday night the big day was here. To prepare for it, Naomi took a quick bath and a little nap (which she couldn’t get out of on account of the…

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Picture Day
Picture Day

finger or no finger, that’s a pretty girl. Irish Soda Bread tastes like orange rind, don’t ever make this, seems like a great idea, cake. our 2nd year with asparagus. it couldn’t stay in on a day like today either… wormies (note: older sister STRONGLY advising against the…

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Recycled Paper Weaving
Recycled Paper Weaving

::A Simple Afternoon Project: So you can’t keep EVERY painting, coloring page & scrap doodle, but you can re-use some of them! We’re all about printing on the back of old copies, painting on trash-mail, recycling unwanted solicitations & today we did just that. fold a piece…

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Counting & Bagging Beans
Counting & Bagging Beans

Back to the old grindstone… I’ve been out for the count when it comes to child-rearing. They’re alive & fed, but these past few weeks have been slow going when it comes to brain food & entertainment. I’m fully recovered from the ills of weeks past & everyone…

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Vintage Swap Results
Vintage Swap Results

You may have noticed the Vintage Swap button in the left sidebar. Heather of Shivaya Naturals started this fantastic activity & this was my first go-round participating, what fun! First I met a sweet lady, & then I slowly gathered a mixture of items to send her: Then, a few days after…

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Babushka or Matryoshka?
Babushka or Matryoshka?

We keep bumping into these adorable traditional Russian nesting dolls. First we got this great book from the library. It’s really cute, with great pictures. Naomi loves it. The Littlest Matryoshka Then I found this great pattern that I’m going to try this week–consider that a…

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Hoot Hoot! Baby it’s adorable…

I just acquired the trunk for the weekend & I have to drop a note here on how cute it is. The line as a whole is a throw-back to an era of simplicity; a time when less was more & details weren’t overlooked on account of abundance. Truly nostalgic prints, but wait–it also…

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Living Without Plastic
Living Without Plastic

Our Attempts to Taper down our Plastic use It’s report-card time. I’m giving myself a mark on the no-bag month of February. C+. We were about 50/50 which would normally be an F-, but we learned a lot (& my opinion is that should I take an exam NOW we’d get a C+). I will

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Blog: as an Adjective
Blog: as an Adjective

I’ve never liked the word blog as a noun. It’s everywhere & I have learned to embrace what it stands for, but I can never tell someone I keep a blog without feeling like I’m admitting something dreadfully embarrassing. Not to mention how it sounds; the word falls out of my…

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Rhythm of the Home
Rhythm of the Home

What excitement, first off that there’s a new issue, second off that I got to participate! What a fantastic e-magazine that will keep us busy for months with SO many great projects & articles–I can’t WAIT to get started. First up: kick this sinusitis! But second, how do I…

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Giveaway:: by Super Snazzy Serwa Chic
Giveaway:: by Super Snazzy Serwa Chic

I’m so stoked to share with you! For several months I’ve been wanting a long sleeved bib to protect the shirts of Leviah while she massacres her dinners. I love giving her the freedom to ‘explore’ her food while learning how to feed herself, but we were having many…

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Finger Weaving Continued
Finger Weaving Continued

We’ve loomed a few hot pads on a metal loom from the craft store, but it was frustrating for Naomi & required a lot of input. The other day there was a feature of CraftSanity on Etsy & I look forward to buying one of these as a gift down the road. I hope she

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Playing with Paint
Playing with Paint

Yesterday we were back inside, as mentioned before. Leviah has been a little on edge–not sure if it’s a lack of sleep, this oh-so-mean & teasy weather, or if she’s fighting some bug, but in an effort to distract her we made finger ‘paint’ yesterday. Simple…

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Sun Days, Glum Days & the like.
Sun Days, Glum Days & the like.

We’ve had a few sunny days & I feel like a new person. Inspiration comes with Vitamin D exposure. —I wrote this yesterday & am now actually doing some posting. Today I have stumbled back into the pit of gloom, again the weather has betrayed me… I’ll share a few…

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Upcycling: Little Dancer Leg Warmers
Upcycling: Little Dancer Leg Warmers

Having purchased this sweater for another purpose, it occurred to me that there is more than 1…I’ll share my original intentions when I get to them. For now: a quick & easy leg-warmer out of an old sweater how-to is born. Naomi’s been needing some for a while…

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:Rabbit Trail:1:
:Rabbit Trail:1:

There is this vortex called the internet. On this vortex is a circle of sites & sounds that I get lost in, regularly. In an effort to make these ventures less than forgotten & perhaps just a smidge productive I am going to share the trails I’ve followed, starting of course at the…

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Ewe Should Go Next Time!
Ewe Should Go Next Time!

We visited a local farm yesterday for their sheep shearing. It was so great–i’m glad we braved the weather! The sunshine made the cold bearable… Anyway, here’s a picture or 2. While we didn’t get any roving, we plan on stopping back by. I read that Dorset is a great…

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resistance is futile; a few things I love
resistance is futile; a few things I love

When I was a kid we didn’t own a VCR. No, I’m not that old, we just lived very un-extravagantly. This characteristic of my childhood always seemed like a misfortune when I was there, but looking back the memories of it all are a blessing. Unlike anyone else I’ve ever met, we…

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Finger Weaving
Finger Weaving

The addictive art of Finger Weaving This simple way of using yarn seems like a great means of introducing Naomi to the great world of Fiber Arts. It was in our curriculum and I’m so glad. I’ve been wanting to buy her this, but the local yarn store hasn’t had them…

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A Tiny Gnome and What’s for Dinner
A Tiny Gnome and What’s for Dinner

he’s approx. 1″ tall. I enjoyed some more needle felting this weekend. Even Drew picked up a needle & made an abstract whoozit. It’s difficult to resist playing with the cuddly soft roving on a cold winter evening! a carrot And there has been some bird watching going on…

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Making the Old New
Making the Old New

I love Friday posts. At random intervals throughout the weekend I love dropping in on blogs to see how folks wrap up their weeks. Here’s how I’ll wrap up ours with things I haven’t already mentioned. We spent a lot of time in the house which was relaxing even though I’ve…

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Circle Day and How to Build an Indoor Snow Village
Circle Day and How to Build an Indoor Snow Village

We had a great day yesterday. Although I’m still recovering from a cough & sinus issues, Drew picked up on homeschooling & went above and beyond. It all started with the letter ‘O’. First Naomi was challenged to find o shaped items throughout the house that she could…

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One (very) Small Change

Having taken such a large bite last month–we’re still digesting. We’re committed to making a real change; a permanent change; new habits. SO. The plan is to allot a certain amount of cash to each of us as ‘spending’ money for whatever we choose. This should keep us…

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naughty list
naughty list

sourdough french toast for another snowy day I’ve been hounded by my husband to divulge every last discretion when it comes to our Do-Without Month of January. & we’re also contemplating what commitment we will make for our One Small Change in February. Ideas? So, here is a list…

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snow in the south?
snow in the south?

‘go’ If you follow blogs of people in the South East, particularly NC, I’m sure you’ve found, or will, that it’s especially white right now. Fortunately, for most businesses, this snow fell on the weekend & there is a potential of it being cleaned off the roads…

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Feeling like Bird Brains
Feeling like Bird Brains

We don’t choose themes–they choose us. Several things have come together this week leaving us with a flock of handmade birds.First, we have started going to a Charlotte Mason homeschool group that is a terrific addition to our laid back waldorf-y style education; (very liberal arts…

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Vintage Find
Vintage Find

I recently found this book at a local thrift store. I’ve really been enjoying it, not only aesthetically, but informationally speaking. Nice job Ms. Dana Newmann! Although published in 1973, some things just don’t go out of date. The dust cover is torn nearly to shreds, but as with…

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the lure of asheville grows stronger
the lure of asheville grows stronger

Back from a weekend of memories & discoveries. We’ll soon update the farm blog with more information on why we went & what the seminar was all about; here I will share our extra-curricular explorations. First, Drew found this amazing place in the latest edition of Our State…

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black beans and chocolate tradition
black beans and chocolate tradition

I deem it to be a new habit. They were a little more effort than I generally agree to, but sooo worth it. my initial reaction wasn’t so great–but these things cold are dreamy. & what a great way to feel sinless (ignoring, of course, the egg & butter content). Thanks dear…

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MLK day
MLK day

Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech (Dec 1964) I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land. Most of these people will never make the headlines and their…

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