Our Homegrown Tribe: daily life

Showing posts with label daily life. Show all posts

:: I'm thinking ::

...about putting music back on my blog

...I might not get the corn planted in time

...our mama Lucy is going to have kittens soon

...about making kidney bean mash for lunch

...we should paint our house red

...we should have bought a king bed

...I really miss my best friend

...it's funny the most popular search on my blog, recently, has been "big twin belly"

...I really hope our apple trees are filled with apples this year

...it's crazy my 11 year old is learning to drive a semi-truck

...about what kind of dreamy salad I'm going to make with our first salad greens

...we should plant more carrots

...about trying to get our family to come here for Thanksgiving

...how amazing our God is

...about what I should do with the sprouted chickpeas in our fridge

...I think about food a lot

...I hope it rains, on our garden at least, while we are gone this week

...I am going to cut my hair short finally

...about how much mommy blogging has changed since I started years ago

...about how I used to get 10k+ views a day and multiple hateful comments

...about how I didn't sell-out and stayed genuine and true to me

...the {Boat Song} by JJ Heller is my new favorite song

...I should have cut out sugar years and years ago, I feel so much better

...about giving the girls our bed and buying a king bed finally

...our travels this winter

...I must secretly catch the girls singing and dancing while playing their ukes on camera

...I should have painted the floor mud color instead of white

...why is Ozzie wearing his church clothes today, did he really sleep in them?

...about what a blessing it was to talk with another large family mama yesterday

...I really need to update my photography blog

...I like my new header and blog layout, what do you think?

...I have a lot on my mind {grin}

what are you thinking?

what my house looks like :: right now

After a week of vacation Bible school

{up early. packing lunches. being the vbs photographer. getting home at 2pm}

our house is a bit messy.

I did manage to keep up on laundry, cooking & keeping everyone clean. {grin}

...chores though, are a completely different story.

I don't have a picture of every room,

but you can just imagine that it all looks like this...

The big boys are out in the shop with dad, working on something....

while I finish making breakfast.

:: chocolate chip banana muffins, sweet potato & spinach quiche & fruit salad ::

And then it's time to get this house in order and pack up into the RV.

I'm looking forward to being back in the camper, for many reasons, but the big one...

it is so much easier to keep clean!

{Happy Sunday my friends}

late night talking

Life has been busy this week...
but really, when isn't it busy?
I guess it's just been a different kind of busy.

It's freezing cold and windy and foggy.
The sky was white today and the ground is partially white.
The trees are covered in frost.
The boys said "it looks like the earth is losing all it's color,
but it's a good thing we have lots of color inside!"
I agree.

{this picture was before the sky turned white and the fog settled in}

We've been learning a lot about St. Nick lately.
It's been incredibly fascinating for me, my husband and the kids!
We watched a beautiful fiction movie about St Nick as a child.
It was called Joulutarina - Christmas Story. You can find it on Netflix.

The boys have been big time into science experiments of all kinds lately.
I love watching them dive into learning all on their own...
watching them discover passions and interests...
and having fun doing it!

I caught the girls dressing up in Ozzie pajamas today.

They were pretending something, I'm sure.
I love their imaginations, such a gift.

Later in the day I saw Eliza looking at herself in her reflection on the window.

It was sweet and innocent and left me thinking....

I hope they always see themselves as beautifully and wonderfully made.
I guess I should make sure I'm lead by a good example shouldn't I.

We went to town yesterday just for fun,

although we did still manage to go grocery shopping.

That was, after nearly 3 hours of swimming and then the library.

By the time we made it home I ended up making dinner at 9pm.
The kids said it was an awesome day!
That makes it all worth it.

On our way to town we passed a delivery truck.

We usually joke "I hope they aren't coming to our house"

When we got home we saw that they did indeed come to our house.

It was addressed to Ozzie.

He read his name, and was so proud....

and he has been carrying it around with him all day.

Only a few more days until his birthday. eeeek!

I started this post last night, finally, hopefully finishing it tonight!
continuing now...

I just realized this evening, when I finally got around to washing our swim stuff
...that I forgot my swimsuit at the Y. sigh.
I called, they have it, it's in the lost and found box, with my name on it.
Anyone else think it's weird they wouldn't hold it behind the desk?
Hope it still there when we get back to town.

As we left the library the other day, I heard the train coming.
We headed straight home and the train beat us.
We saw it multiple times on the drive, and wondered who would come through town first.
At least it's fun to watch the train go by. {grin}

I still haven't started my Christmas shopping. sigh. I know.
I have ideas, I just need to get it done.
The kids however have been on a gift making craze
...and honestly some of their gifts are incredibly awesome.
I love seeing their creative side shine through.

We've been making cookies and cookies and cookies and chocolate candies.

oh, I love Christmas baking!

We made candy cane sugar cookies for our homeschool cookie exchange.

Well, actually the BOYS made the cookies

...I think I am raising a house full of chefs. yummy!

I made a Christmas tree decorating video.

Hopefully I can put it together and share it tomorrow.

it's not the best thing ever, but it's beautiful all the same.

My best friend wrote something on her blog recently that really stuck with me.

"I'm finally feeling like I've got a pretty good handle on the routine of our life at this moment...but I know that won't last long! God has a habit of shaking up my snow globe the moment the flakes settle!!"

My flakes settled and God has been shaking them up lately. I said I don't like monotony {grin}

I have more to say, but it's late, and I must sleep
...before it's time to get up and do it all again {grin}

goodnight friends.

late night talking

It feels like it's been a while since I've sat down to blog.
I miss it, I do...
but it's also easy to forget when you're busy living life.

An article was published on She Knows called Most inspiring mom blogs
...and I was on it. gasp.
It seems weird to read someone else writing about you
... definitely made my heart dance and put a smile on my face.
I feel so honored, grateful & humbled to be considered inspiring.

My little triplets make my heart so happy.

They are so full of joy and love and imagination.

I peeked into the dining room this evening to find them

dancing and singing to Friend by Ziggy Marley.

They were singing out

"because you are my friend"

over and over and over.

{you can hear the song on you-tube here}

Today was full of sweet things

...you know those days that are just filled with little gifts of love

that you could so easily look over.

but your eyes and heart are open

and you catch each beautiful little sweet thing.

Today was one of those days.

I bought 4 bags of apples, 2 bags of pears & 2 bags of oranges yesterday.

I think we ate 2 whole bags today.

Not to mention a pomegranate, bananas, 3 red pepper & bag of snow peas.

And those were just snacks!

Can teenagers really eat more??!!! OY!

I drove the road to town 4 times yesterday.

Yes, that would be 2 round trips.

1 1/2 hours on the gravel

and a little over 1 1/2 hours on the pavement.

I made it all the way to town and realized that I had taken my card out of my wallet. sigh.

So home we went to get my card

and then back to town.

At least I was able to see the sunset coming and going. {grin}

While I was laying with Ozzie tonight at bedtime,
I asked him something that made him happy today.
and.... he.... said........
"telling you you're the most beautiful mama ever"
{with a big hug and kiss}

This is Marley.
He was named after Bob Marley.
His tail looks like a baseball bat.
He is really fluffy, even though the picture doesn't look like it
and he has a new friend.
Wiley the wild cat, who is now officially ours.
The boys still can not believe we tamed a wild cat.
I can't either!

Friday is our super clean day.

All the big kids have jurisdictions, that change monthly.

We were sort of lax the last few weeks

and the house needed a good cleaning today.

Everyone helped and no one complained

...but they were for the most part

S.L.O.W.

One of the most enjoyed chores is burning the trash.
Grayson is usually the one in charge of that
and he loves it.
Really, what boy wouldn't?
They get to drive the gator, dump and throw stuff, light it on fire
and watch it {from a distance}.

We still don't have snow!
I love snow, the kids love snow, it's December,
and we live in the frozen prairies of North Dakota!
Where is the snow?
sigh. I guess I'll just have to have some patience. {grin}

I have so many things I'd like to share with you guys.
I'd love to talk about food, nutrition, photography, homeschool
and many other things.
I just don't take the time very often.
But if there is something you'd really like me to share I'd love to know
and I'll try to fit it in sometime soon.

Saturday words & photos

It was so warm on Thanksgiving
it is not warm today.
The boys are anxiously waiting for snow,
and lots of it.

I've been plagued with headaches this week,
today was no exception. sigh.

The house is littered with card games, dominoes, baby dolls,
blankets, puzzles, books & nerf bullets

{19mm 1/4000s f/2.8 ISO250}

I've been in a funk lately.

Maybe it's the headaches or missing my family
or just the ebb and flow of life.
Whatever it is, I'm ready to move on.

It was nice to have a week off school

...but I am SO ready to get back to it.

The routine, the one on one time with each child,

I love it.

{24mm 1/320s f/3.5 ISO250}

We ran out of dish soap.

Do you know what happens when you run out of dish soap

AND don't have a dishwasher?

We still see and hear the snow geese in the sky.

They travel East, West, South & North.

I think they're confused.

{20mm 1/8000 f/2.8 ISO200}

With the cold weather settling in,

and all 8 of us being in the house,

it's starting to feel very small.

We blew a fuse again

but this time it was to the big yard light.

Do you know how very very dark it is out in the middle of no where

with no lights to be seen anywhere?

PITCH BLACK.

{85mm 1/320s f/2.5 ISO200}

The leftovers are all gone,
which is a bummer because leftovers
...make really easy meals.

We're going to watch a family movie tonight,
probably Little House on The Prairie
and eat sticky popcorn.

oh, I almost forgot to add camera numbers.
I'd love to know if sharing my camera settings
is even beneficial for anyone.
Since that's why I started doing it. {grin}

Happy Saturday!

dear journal

We awoke to gorgeous falling snow, with no wind.
It wasn't the snow we're used to.
Once the sun came out the snow was gone.

The field work is officially done.
All that is left is preparing the farm for winter,
and hauling some gravel.

We had already winterized our RV.
So this weekends trip we had pink tinted water. ack.
My husband said it was non-toxic,
but I still tried not to use it.

Ozzie cried for Grandma & Grandpa last night.
It made me teary too.
And made me think how hard it's going to be on the kids
...when we really lose them.

We fed the wildcats outside on our patio, instead of next door.
5 of us huddled together to watch them out the bathroom window.
We only counted 5.

The girls are becoming quite enamored with babywearing again.
I love it. I've missed it.
Although there is no way I'm wearing them both,
like I used to.

...Eliza is holding onto her sister standing on the bed. LOVE...

I didn't take any pictures on our trip this weekend.

It was fast and furious and fun.

We went straight from our trip to a barn party,

hosted by some friends from church.

We all went on an old fashion horse draw wagon ride

...through the dark, quiet, middle of nowhere.

It was beautiful.

I tried a new kombucha drink.

It was weak.

I am determined to start making my own, soon!!

I read through my 2011 bucket list.

We've done a lot, but still have a lot to do.

I might have to move some over to the 2012 list.

We ran out of coconut oil.

Coconut oil is a staple around here.

I have a hard time functioning in the kitchen without it.

We have to drive 2 hours to the store to buy it.

I have tons of onions from the garden

...and now I'm dreaming of homemade onion rings.

Healthy real food style of course. {grin}

Gavin and dad played some baseball today
...on our road.
Which works well considering we have zero traffic.

Grandma dropped off a box of magazines before they left.
I looked through 4 of them last night.
I was slightly appalled, disgusted & discouraged.

Lucy is still nursing her babies
...although less and less every week.
It's been interested to watch her try to wean them.

I've sort of vanished from facebook and twitter.

Not sure how long it will last.

I just didn't feel it was a wise use of my time,

and it was so easy to step away from.

I've been contacted by a couple companies lately,

wanting me to do a giveaway on my blog.

I'm going to do it, you'll be happy I did.

The girls asked to walk over to Grandma & Grandpas today,

just to check to see if they were really gone.

They came back declaring...

"they're gone, they're really gone, oh no!"

I tend to write these type of journal posts often.
They're important to me,
I never want to forget even the little things.
Not sure if the name dear journal will stick though.
I don't like monotony {grin}

It's time to start planning our winter RV trip.

I'm sooooo excited!

I'll be posting about it soon,

and you'll have a chance to help us decide where we go.

dear journal

I wore pink socks with flowers on them today
...Eliza told me all day "I love your beautiful socks mama"

We woke up to frost again this morning
and the littles said it was snow again
and again I told them it was just frost.

The wind has been howling all day
and the leaves and clouds move past our window
like a slide show.

We burned off the last of the garden today.
All that is left is garlic and leeks that will over-winter.
it's a beautiful clean slate.

There are still lots of farmers out in the field harvesting their corn.
I'm glad we don't have corn, for lots of reasons.
But I do love the way this picture looks.

It's deer hunting season and I don't like it.
enough said.

Grayson and Vance have claimed their spot in the basement
and have finally decided to do their school together.
Vance needed the encouragement and Grayson needed someone to encourage.

Do you ever feel completely misunderstood and judged?
but trying to share or explain won't do any good.
sigh.

Ozzie said the dirt is getting "so hard to work" in the garden

where he digs with tractors every single day.

We've tried beans in a plastic bin last year, but it just didn't cut it.

I think we're going to try instant oats this year.

Grandpa & Grandma left today

and I don't think the littles really understand

how long it's going to be before we see them again.

The girls curls are beautiful,
that is if I spend the time doing their hair every 5 hours.
Their curls can be perfect one minute and then a knotted mess the next.
I can't not wait until they can do their own hair!

I am convinced that my children, namely the littles,

will not wear shoes until it snows.

It's not like I'm still wearing flip-flops or anything. {grin}

We're thinking hard about having a CSA garden next year.
It's a lot of work and would have to be a family thing for sure.
We still have a little while to decide.

We saw and heard thousands of snow geese
over the farm today.
It was beautiful!

I really do not like the pictures from the last post.
The lighting was TERRIBLE and the color is off.
but it was too funny to not post.
{if you're curious what he was doing with hot wax, you can check out my answer in that post comments}

We're going on another spontaneous weekend trip in the RV.
We might leave tonight or most likely tomorrow.
We might even venture one state over.

{10:30 PM}

It's 10:30pm and the kids are all asleep.
The kitchen is clean,
the house is picked up
and I am not even attempting to finish the laundry.
I have oats soaking for breakfast tomorrow
and beans soaking for a veggie chili dinner.
Now I can journal.

We had pesto pizza for dinner tonight,
the girls were chanting "we love pesto".
I finally had to tell them to hush and eat their pesto!

The boys played house golf {as they call it} this evening.
They made a ball with legos and used sticks they found in the woods.
I took a picture, but it's still on my camera.

We've been working in the garden...
harvesting the last of the carrots and beets,
and the dreaded cleaning of the rubbish.
it's bittersweet.

It's official, I have FILLED my computer with pictures.
I can not put anymore on my computer.
Oh, wonderful husband, I need your help! {grin}

We went to town yesterday...
and came home with 3 25lb. pumpkins
chocolate for smores
4 bags of library books
and 2 boxes of give-away that I forgot to drop off.

The story of our beloved home,
that we left when we moved to the farm,
has been on my heart a lot lately.
I think I'm ready to share the story.

We made peanut butter chocolate rice crispies tonight.
I ate 3, they were really good.

Our kittens have befriended one of the wild kittens
...it's an orange tabby manx.
It came semi-close to us,
but not close enough to touch.
which was fine by me...
we don't need another cat that is dependent on us!

I was up late last night, so late that I got hungry.
I made the most delicious nut salad for a almost-midnight snack.
Then I was too full to fall asleep. Ooops.

My mom shared a favorite quote of hers with me...

"Be yourself, everyone else is already taken"

My mom must have taught me that from a young age,

because that is me all the way.

The boys have been taking turns out in the field,

rock picking.

It's not a favorite job....

except, maybe when Grandma packs you a bag of treats.

We saw a glorious full rainbow on the way to town.

I couldn't stop saying "oh my, it's so beautiful"

then I heard my littles in the back seat repeating me.

glass house.... glass house!

I've been going through all our winter wear,

you know, since the snow is coming, like this weekend!

The girls need snowboots, but I'd like them to have a pair of everyday boots too

...ideas anyone? I'm not an uggs fan.

My hardworking husband is ready for bed now,

which means I am too!

goodnight friends.

today I am...

...planning school for the week
...printing off the boys weekly chore charts
...planning our meals for the week
...washing laundry
...reading & talking about the crisis in Egypt
...editing my project 365 photos

...making crispy peanut butter cookies with the boys
...watching dad give the boys hair cuts
...putting puzzles together
...making sprouted lentil tacos for dinner

...listening to the boys talk about how it's "only -6 today"
...soaking another granola recipe

...listening to Gavin praying for more snow
...watching the girls sing "ring around the rosie with {insert object in hand here}"
...filling up more thrift store boxes
...playing with homemade playdough that smells like chocolate
...bummed we were drifted in and couldn't go to church again

...planning a giveaway for all of you this week

...helping set up forts & hideouts
...watching the boys build legos

...nursing the girls
...making necklaces for Ozzie, Vance & the girls
...realizing that our new everyday cook pot is now a huge 16 qt. stockpot
...eating leftover chili from above pot