A Window Farm?

"WHAT?!" ....I know! That's what I thought too. But this is aMAZing! The folks at Re-Nest show you how to make a garden in your kitchen window (or whatever window you'd like). A window farm! With some piping, some water bottles and a few other materials. I think this is SO COOL! It looks like it'd be a little difficult to put together originally, but once you have it...it kind of sustains itself!
I'm thinking herbs! What do you think?

A Beautiful Fall Day

Today has been a fun day so far. We're actually staying home this weekend, which is quite refreshing and it's been beautiful outside! Last night we had a lovely "cookout" (the men and children cooked out while the women folk stayed inside) with Ev's coworkers and their families. It was really nice to get to know them a little better and meet all the kids and such.
Today, we slept in...a little, had breakfast and watched a few shows and then I went out to look at the state of my little plot of land that I used to call a garden. Despite the frost, the herbs are still looking great and I think I'll be able to pick some of the kale still. Then I'll have to hoe it and cover it for the winter I think.
Anyway, Evan finished up mowing the front yard while Elliot and I worked with the leaves in the back. He had a blast crawling through the woods and then when I had finally gotten a big pile together...we PLAYED! I completely forgot how great the smell of a pile of fall leaves is! Below are a few pictures from our adventures.

In the Hammock

In the Woods

In the Leaves

Our attempt at a family picture (Elliot and Rory weren't really interested)

My favorite boy...giving me kisses!

Then we went into the garage and helped Ev finish cleaning some of it out. Our goal was to be able to get our car into it by the end of the day, because neither of us are too keen on scraping our windshield if we don't have to.
I know...we've been living here for about four months and our garage is still not cleaned out...it's pathetic! But we're actually almost there. In fact, the car is presently sitting in the garage! Then we all came in to clean up and have some snacks and now Elliot is napping peacefully while we play on our computers. If we accomplish the goal of cleaning up the kitchen by the end of the day. I think we'll have been quite successful.
Anything you're trying to accomplish before it gets too cold? This might be just the weekend to try!

A Short Word on Tea

Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, 
Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round,
And, while the bubbling and loud hissing urn
Throws up a steamy column and the cups 
That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each,
So let us Welcome peaceful ev'ning in.
-William Cowper


As the air starts to chill and frost creeps across my windshield in the morning, I am beginning to open up my pantry on a more frequent basis to peruse my selection of teas and choose one that is just right for the day. If you haven't known me for long, you should know now that I LOVE tea! I love the smell, the warmth, the taste, the experience that it brings, the friendship and conversation it sparks. My husband got me a Tea day calendar in my stocking last Christmas and it has seriously brought me joy and relaxation almost every day at work. Here's a couple of fun facts about tea:

1) Did you know that the custom of tipping servers was created in England's tea gardens? Locked, wooden boxes were placed on tables inscribed with the letters "t.i.p.s." - to insure proper service. If a guest wished to guarantee that his tea arrived hot from the kitchen, he dropped a coin in the box when seated.

2) Did you know that if you've been handling fish and you can't get the smell of your hands that washing your hands with a strong tea gets rid of the odor?

3) AND...since it's fall, head to the store and get some pumpkin spice seasoning while you still can. It blends great with black teas!

Come along inside...we'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place.
-Wind in the Willows

Psalm 104:30-34

When you send your Spirit, 

       they are created, 

       and you renew the face of the earth.

 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; 

       may the LORD rejoice in his works-

 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, 

       who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

 I will sing to the LORD all my life; 

       I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

 May my meditation be pleasing to him, 

       as I rejoice in the LORD.

Parenthood and French Fries

There are so many things that people don't tell you about becoming a parent. We're not even talking about pregnancy and childbirth (it's ridiculous what they don't tell you about that), but just basic life changes you have to make. For example, do you realize that once you become a parent, french fries are never the right temperature? (This isn't a shock to those of you that have been parents for any amount of time, however, to those of you that haven't, I thought I'd give you a heads up.)
So you go through the drive thru because your son/daughter has been a doll of a child that day and you didn't remember to thaw the chicken or beef sirloin or whatever it was that you were planning on having for dinner. Here's the thing. The fries smell great, and they are steaming hot...too hot for your child to hold in his/her little hands or put in his/her little mouth. So you blow on them, shake them, drive with the window down and the french fries flying in the wind. You do whatever you can do to cool them off as quickly as possible, because your child knows they are there and they want them. Does it occur to you to snag a couple bites of these steaming fries? Maybe, but you can't really prepare them the way that you prefer, whether it be with extra salt or ketchup or whatever. Plus, if you do dare take a bite, you better LEAN way over so your child cannot see you putting them into your mouth, and by all means don't make a noise as you chew! With all of these concerns, our first priority is usually the cooling of the fries. So we cool them off eventually and hand a few to our child(ren). Then we do at least three other things (pick up the spouse from work, bring stuff in from the car, let the dog out)........and reach for a french fry.....a cold one.
I would say, "Seriously now?!" But I know you're way ahead of me on that one! It just makes me think, "Why did I buy these gross things in the first place?" But then I look at my sweet son, gnawing happily on his cold french fries and which makes me smile and remember, "Oh yeah! That's why."

My Cool Dude!

This boy knows how to rock. He dances and sings and just last night learned the coolness that comes with a pair of great headphones.
Seriously now! Could he be any cuter?!

Meat!

A bit ago, Evan and I watched the movie, Food, Inc. It is a grrreat documentary about the food industry in America. With astonishing facts, that were sadly not that astonishing after reading about food and other products that we use on a regular basis. I have thoroughly enjoyed my community supported agriculture adventure through Victory Acres. So now that I have my produce supplier for about six months out of the year, I've been on a journey to find healthy local meat for my family.

I think I might have found one! Seven Sons Meat Company is a small beef and pork farm, run by a couple, their seven sons, and the sons' families. The cattle are born and raised as grass-fed cattle. They also have a partnership with a free-range poultry farm where you can get turkey and chicken. They have their own free-range eggs, and a partnership with a dairy farm that offers shares in raw milk. 

On their website, they mention that they have a store that's open pretty much all the time, so I thought, "Wow! What an operation!" Then we went grocery shopping on Sunday....our first stop was Seven Sons Meat Company Store.

I was not expecting this! It was a little shack in the middle of this farm, with no attendant. You went in, served yourself, and paid. Then went on your way. However, it was delightful! Very clean, exactly what we were looking for. So we signed up for half a cow! Wow! Actually, we're going in on it with our parents, so we get about an eighth of a cow, which is plenty for us.

(I love Elliot's face here)

I also love this way of life, because honestly, where can you go grocery shopping, get amazing, nutritious food and your son gets to play by pumpkins outside while you do? At Victory Acres, he watches the chickens and plays with the dog and picks green beans. I just get so much joy from discovering these places and watching my family enjoy them too!