Snippets from around here

It's back to school as of today and this mama is a little blue missing her two older babies.  (They will always be my babies, as I tell them frequently!)  To welcome them back, S and I cleaned up the house and made strawberry banana popsicles.  It is HOT out there today!  I also have a sink full of dishes for M to do up when he arrives.  Believe it or not, that calms him down and brings him back to himself here at home.  (Sounds crazy, right!?)  That photo below is a list of words (in french) that he spelled the other day.  He thought he should get ready for school.  Hilarious!

As for J, well, I think she and I will have to cuddle a little and go over everything she wants to talk about.  (That is, after she has her favourite snack - a smoothie from the leftover popsicles.)  And then she can trade places with her big brother if she wants while I wrestle him onto my lap for cuddle session round II.  Sweet little ones, how I miss them when they are gone. 

By the way, I finished the lunch bags in time for the first day of school.  Hurrah!  One project crossed off the list.  M and J each chose their own fabric and it was a joy to make them with this pattern.  And they loved them.  So do I.  They are lined with thermal insulation between the inner and outer fabrics, so that should help with keeping things cool (or hot).  M has the pirate animals and J has the princess one.  I think though for any future ones, I will look for a heavier fabric for the exterior.  Something tells me it's a wise idea.  :)  

We managed to put aside a decent amount of peaches on Thursday - about 1/2 a bushel.  I, for one, cannot wait to enjoy them in the winter!  The kids were just darlings helping out.  M washed the peaches and then washed the dishes.  J helped put the lids on and screw the bands tight.  I peeled and cut.  And we all talked and talked as we worked together.  We still have a drawer of peaches that little hands reach into at least twice a day.  :)  That is also part of the fun to be sure!  I plan on putting a bit aside in the freezer for when I have time to make peach ice cream.  

Can't forget the tomatoes.  This was my goal for this year - to put aside a big batch of tomato paste.  We have a pot of almost-tomato-paste waiting to be finished boiling down.  (It needs another hour or so, but I haven't found the time yet to sit beside the stove as is needed when it gets this thick.)  That's M helping to stir above.  He and D were my big helpers with that bushel.  Between them, they washed, and cut up the whole box.  And M helped run them through the food mill after to get rid of the seeds and skins.  Once it's finished, I'll put it into some freezer jars I have and freeze them.  I learned that trick from my mother-in-law.  She keeps her tomato paste (home-made of course) in her freezer.  Whenever she needs some, she just scoops it out with a spoon.  :)  Clever woman.

On Saturday, we watched a soccer tournament.  It was a great time for the kids running from match to match, kicking a ball around between games with other kids, and just having a ball.  (No pun intended...)  M is especially fervent about soccer.  He just loves it.  I think he takes after dad to a T.   

And because they just came into season, we went apple picking yesterday.  I have to say that it was such a great day.  Sweltering hot, mind you.  Not ideal for trekking around.  Luckily grandma and grandpa have a sprinkler.  And so naturally we showed up with a bag of apples on their doorstep.  They kindly fed us lunch and sent us on our way much cooler.  :)  

By the way, it's remarkable how observant little children are.  They found so many ladybird beetles, wasps and other tiny insects crawling on leaves or out of apple crevices, to all of which I was rather oblivious until summoned.  M was especially keen on catching said ladybugs.  He kept saying they were eating all the "bad" aphids on the apple trees, and telling J to leave them alone.  J was happiest sitting with S munching on an juicy apple.  

These are the moments I treasure.  These are memories that bring me so much joy.  I love storing them up and coming back to them.  It's like finding a $20 bill in your old winter coat!

Wishing you more such sunshine in both rain and shine.  

A little fishy

On Saturday, D took the two older kids fishing with M's Godfather at Heart Lake Conservation.  (Oh how they loved it!)  They got filthy playing in the mud and with the bait.  J wanted to bring home some worms as pets.  And M caught two fish.  Tiny fish.  But that didn't matter to him.  He kept telling me that he could help find food for us to cook and eat now.  (What a sweet little monkey!)

Anyhow, I got a chance to put my feet up, and then S and I made salsa.  First time.  Also, we made tomato paste.  Another first.  They are both just delicious.  I can't tell you how something as simple as tomato paste can be so delicious, but it is.  You can taste the sunshine and the earth.  (Not literally... that would probably taste terrible... the earth part especially.)  But I had no idea that you needed a bazillion tomatoes for one measly jar!  Oh well.  I used this recipe for the salsa, but omitted the peppers.  Our kids have milder tastes, but I did add fresh ground black pepper.  It did the trick.  A mild salsa just bursting with flavour.

By the way, that photo is some of M's math.  He is trying to memorize the multiplication facts.  It is a bit of a long process, I think, but he just loves it.  He brought this chart out by himself and started filling it in for fun.  That's how I can tell he's into math - it's fun work for him!

So this past weekend was all about tomatoes.  And cleaning.  And fish.  :)  And perhaps a little cookery on the side.

Looking forward some apple picking with the whole family this weekend!  Cheers!

Summer adventures

Last week we took a hike along the Riverwood Conservation trail nearby.  It was lovely.  The day was so warm, but hiking in the forest is cool enough to be enjoyable despite the heat.  The children saw all sorts of animals and birds - chickadees, bluejays, cardinals, sparrows, chipmunks, squirrels, bees - but no deer.  They had so wanted to find a deer, but with all the noise they made tramping along and investigating, I'm not really surprised.   I have to say that it was quite interesting hiking back up the hills on the way back.  Needless to say, I'm not in the best shape.  :(

On a whole different front, I have some terrible news.  Catastrophic really.  My fermented cucumbers did not turn out!  Oh how sad I was after all the excitement and success of the past.  I have no idea why either.  All I know is that they smelled off when I opened the jars and they had grown mold.  What a huge disappointment.  The only thing that remains is to try again.  And my fingers will be crossed the entire time!  (Along with some prayers sent heavenwards that I don't waste another batch of those delectable cucumbers!)

 I promised to help someone with chemistry, but it's been many years since university.  So, I have been spending most of my free time studying and refreshing my tired old brain.  Except when this cutie pie climbs onto my lap.  (What a monkey she is!)  She is our new pigtails - finally convinced her to let me put that mop of hers into some order! 

I am going through an interesting phase in the kitchen these days.  Everything to do with housework has become a chore, including cooking.  The bare minimum gets done in the kitchen.  Lentils and rice with salad.  Roasted potatoes and carrots.  It doesn't sound too bad maybe, but the joy has gone out of it for the time being.  Right now, it is a chore and I feel like rolling my eyes when I think of what needs to be done around the house.

Thank God for these darling helpers of mine.  They are little motivators.  Here is M making some dough for spinach pies since we need to harvest some of our spinach.  Honestly, they are so nice to have on hand when we want to head outdoors.  They're portable and delicious - perfect food for little hands to hold while running around.  And J is making a cheese sauce.  (With mama supervising stove-time.)  And little S.  Well, she's hunting around for a spoon to stir the pasta.  :)  

Everyone helps mama.  And mama is so grateful for the support that even little hands can give.  Bless their little hearts!  Now if only I could find a volume button for them...

:)

In a pickle

Rain-washed air smells so fresh, so clean, so wholesome.  You can't help but take extra deep breaths as you inhale its scent.  I love being outside right after a storm, especially in the quiet of evening.  When nature itself rests, absorbs, and covers the earth with a tranquil garment of peace.  The stars twinkle, the crickets chirp, a few fireflies glow softly.  Everything is soft, everything is peaceful, ready for its nightly rest and renewal.  

My soul is somehow renewed, strengthened by these moments,  And in a way I cannot completely understand.  As if the soul is able to assimilate an unearthly peace, a glimpse of God Himself through His handiwork.  What beauty, what richness, what blessing!

Amid these thoughts, it seems a little odd to reminisce on the past week.  We were supposed to head to Quebec this weekend, but our plans had to be cancelled due to an unfortunate last minute occurance.  However, it ended up working out beautifully for this tired mama.  We had a lovely Sunday, though it wasn't as flashy as some.  We finally got a couple bags of cucumbers from the  farmer's market.  (Along with tomatoes and fresh eggs of course!)  Last night we finished preparing them and getting them into jars.  I use this recipe in a general way and we add our own seasoning to taste.  I always have fresh grape leaves in my freezer (usually for stuffing) and we've used them with lots of success in the past.  The pickles really do stay crunchy, even over many months.  That's my little helper in the picture above posing with our jars of pickles.  He is eagerly waiting for fermentation, and plans on helping to burp the jars as needed.  :)  What a darling that little man is.

On Monday we went blueberry and corn picking at Andrew's.  The kids had the time of their lives playing in the bushes and on the climbing structures afterwards.  The berries weren't as ripe as we wanted, but that didn't stop the little ones.  Oh no.  Look at that little munchkin in the bushes stuffing her face with berries.  That makes me happy - watching them wading through bushes checking under leaves, finding a ladybug, chasing a butterfly, purple smears on their hands and mouths.  It just feels so right.  Children need to be connected to nature, to the outdoors, to life.  It's so easy nowadays to plunk them in front of the screen and leave it at that.  But this?  This is what they thrive on!

A simply beautiful day.  Wishing for many more days like these...

In the studio and around the home

Lately, we have been eating lots of greens.  Not just salad, I mean.  Spinach with meat and rice (that spinach is from our balcony garden), Mlukheye (wild leaves that we boil with chicken to make a soupy dish that the kids love with rice too), stuffed zucchini, okra with onions and tomato sauce... I love looking into my fridge and seeing all those vivid greens and reds and yellows. 

Last night D went on a bike ride with the little ones.  All three of them.  Doesn't sound like a big deal until you've tried to corral three energetic monkeys on bikes going helter-skelter up hills and around streets.  Nerve-wracking for a parent.  D is as cool as a cucumber.  He offers to take them all so I can have a breather.  Do the dishes in peace.  Finish freezing some extra herbs or berries.  Maybe sit down for a minute and play a tune on the new piano.

We got a new keyboard.  It's not a true piano, but I have a hunch that isn't far behind.  There's only so much you can do with a keyboard, and pedalling is not one.  :)  However, space is an issue here, so keyboard it is for now.  The kids love it and have been begging for "lessons".  Oh yes, little ones, you shall indeed have those!

We went to the petting zoo this past weekend.  The kids love animals, so of course they loved walking around.  Favourites were the deer, the ponies and the bunny rabbits.  And the ducks.  Can't forget the ducks.

There is something about summer work that is pleasant.  Perhaps I am finding it so because D is there to help out in the evenings often, which leaves me a bit of space to plan or execute tricky details.  Or perhaps it's just that time of year and it feels right for this kind of work.  Can't wait till we get in some cucumbers for the pickles!  Perhaps next week...

There are lots of projects happening around here.  Yarn, fabric, wood, food, and music.  Everything that makes life beautiful!  The quilt is almost done.  I stayed up late sewing last night and now I only have the binding left.  I love this simple, rustic style.  It's just a mishmash of old fabrics sewn together in strips - not particularly neatly either.  It just works though.  The kids keep begging me to finish it so they can use it.  I am not sure if I shall leave it for the kids, or keep it as a Christmas gift for a certain special someone, who shall remain nameless.  Perhaps I'll just have to do another one.  And that, my friends, is a happy thought to be sure.  :)

This is a photo of that pink baby sweater.  As you can see, it is now close to completion.  I picked out some sweet wooden buttons with carved flowers on them.  And I have some simple white ones also.  I will probably keep the wooden ones for the grey sweater and use the white for this pink one.  I think.  We'll see when all is said and done.  By the way, most of the progress on this sweater came during morning swimming lessons!  Despite having all the kids with me, even little S, I managed to get at least a couple of rows per day.  Not too shabby.  Now that lessons are finished for the summer, knitting progress may slow.  Especially with all the other projects.  

I am hoping to get back into some iconography before baby arrives, so I have been preparing a few boards these past couple of weeks.  Two of them didn't turn out so well being older, and the gesso wasn't sanding smoothly.  So when the kids asked for their own boards, I was only too happy to oblige.  And they were thrilled!  As you can see, they have their own artistic style.  :)  I am hoping they will agree to a project where we can write a beautiful quote on their boards together, maybe with stencils or something like that.  Then they can give them as gifts, or keep them should they be so inclined.  (Usually I find they like to give away the things they make.  Bless their little hearts!)  

Anyhow.  That's quite an update for me.  Life hasn't been all rosy and gay.  We all have struggles alongside the joys.  In fact, these past two weeks have been particularly trying for some reason.  I find though, that even just a little handiwork is the best medicine for the blues.  Truly.  So, I've been taking as much of that pill as possible.  As you can see!  Hopefully next week there will be some kitchen updates - I do love sharing what's happening in the kitchen!

Happy weekending to you!

The first of many...

Between chores, daily swimming lessons and obligatory meals, I have snuck in the time to start work on my very first patchwork quilt.  What an experience!  It's not very neat, to be sure.  I didn't measure very much while I was cutting.  I was in a hurry to finish cutting and start sewing.  (I don't have a lot of time during the day to focus without little hands and little questions taking over.)  A lot of leftover fabric needed to be used up, so it was the perfect project!  I just need to pick out a nice fabric for the backing and another for the binding.

More updates as this unfolds, but can I just say that I have fallen in love with quilting.  I love it.  I want to make quilts all day.  For now anyway.  (And if someone offered to do the measuring and cutting, well I'd be as happy as can be to sew all day!)  I have two other quilts planned out already and just waiting for a trip to Fabricland.  :)

My 6-year-old learned to whistle a couple weeks ago.  It is now rare NOT to find him whistling.  He whistles when he's breathing, when he wakes up from sleeping, while he's working, building lego, playing chess, walking...  It would be hilarious if it also didn't get slightly annoying!  I am trying to work on my annoyance threshold, so I tolerate it for the most part.  Whistling in church is a no-no, however, as well as during nap time.  There are times though where I can't hold it in and I have to ask him to stop.  He complies directly, but 30 seconds later, he's at it again.  Not because he's being defiant.  He is just that absentminded.  At least about whistling.  Oh well.  More opportunities for me, I suppose.

We snuck in time to make some raspberry jam this week.  We were picking peas and the raspberry patch was right beside us.  The kids and I were practically face-first in the bushes stuffing our mouths with those delicious berries!  I still have one more batch to do and then we'll work on some blueberry jam.  Lots of blueberries around.  Those are our three favourite kinds of jams.  The kids do love peach jam too mind you.  I'm just a little bit paranoid of preserving enough peaches first in jars before we look at any peaches for jam.  (In my books, sliced sunny peaches in the winter beat jam...)

Last weekend we went up to visit some family at their cottage near Lake Simcoe.  They are right on the lake.  Such a beautiful place, and lots of wonderful memories for the kids too.  How they loved being outdoors all day, swimming and playing and boating and being surrounded by love and attention.  God bless family.  We had a long drive on the way home and the kids were out cold in the backseat, leaving D and I a chance to talk peacefully together without interruptions.  Heaven.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend too...

A berry good time

Jam making is always fun.  Especially with tasty berries up for nibbling.  Then there are smears of cooled jam for tasting, of course.  Always have to taste the final product.  This time we added less sugar than usual, which resulted in a more tart jam.  Surprisingly, the kids haven't seemed to notice.  There have been requests for jam at breakfast, lunch and evening snack.  Funny how that works. 

We are hoping to get in some blueberry jam too when they are ripe to harvest.  Then, I think our jam making days will be over.  But not preserving, oh no.  There are peaches, my friends!  Nothing beats a jar of bright summery peaches on a cold January day.  Just the thing to chase away the winter blues!

Also pickles will be made, and hopefully this year sauerkraut.  I would like to get some beets pickled too.  We tried fermenting our pickles last year alongside using vinegar and it was like night and day.  I'll stick to the old fermenting ways thank you!  There really was no comparison, and they are easy as pie to make.

Here's to summer's bounty!

What a girl!

My little baby turned two!  She is our Canada day baby.  What a sweet little one with her sparkling eyes and wide smile.  She loves to help, though she can get a little difficult when she has other ideas, and her constant stream of babbling is the soundtrack of my life.  (Alongside all the other noise that is 3 kids...)

For her birthday, we went strawberry picking at the Organics Farm.  It was our first time at this particular place, but it won't be our last.  The kids loved it.  Especially little miss.  She could be found at all times in a strawberry bush eating whatever her little hands could find.  Messy mouth, messy hands and a mama who didn't mind.  Her kind of day!

To top things off, we went to another nearby farm for sweet peas.  That was M's idea - or at least he wanted it the most.  D loves that boy, so we squeezed in a side trip.  Sweet peas are a big deal in our house.  We sit around and eat them together in the evenings while we talk away, or play chess.

M is really into chess as of last weekend.  We went to the Dormition monastery and some old friends were visiting at the same time.  Lots of kids running around, to say the least.  It was wonderful!  But since it rained non-stop on Saturday, most of their activities were indoors.  The older boys were wrapped up in chess for a large part, so M picked up the basics there.  Now, all he wants to do is play chess.  I don't mind in the least!  When I'm not available to play against him, J plays for a bit.  Failing that, he plays both sides himself.  Hilarious to watch.  ("Mom, I won the game."  "Really, honey?  Which one of you?"  "My white side.")  Of course, there was a beautiful sunny day on Sunday while we were still in Michigan, so a proper trip to the pond was of the order.  Frog catching was the jeu de jour.  :)

J was just in seventh heaven with all the girls too.  She was the youngest besides the babies, but they played pretend to her heart's content.  She was so sad when we had to leave.  She still keeps asking for her new friends to come and visit - all the way from Wisconsin!  I love seeing these babies of mine find such wholesome, sweet and true friends.  This place is such a haven of love for our family.

I have started another baby sweater just in time for July swimming lessons.  (The two older ones have lessons everyday for a couple of weeks.)  It's the same pattern, but in a different colour - a pretty pastel pink.  I'm trying to cover my bases!  :)  Knitting in a new colour is fun, it feels like a whole new project without being overwhelming.  I still have that lovely gray sweater waiting to be finished.  It's not done yet, but I'd say it's close to 70%.  If we have a boy, the sweater will be the perfect gift to another friend expecting a girl.  If we have a girl, well, a little baby boy who has yet to debut will profit from my knitting zeal.  I do love the milo that Kim has been working on, so I might just have my next project queued up. Not to shabby!

I know it's summer time and most people aren't thinking about books and school, but I thought I'd share some of our favourite reading choices for those interested in such things.  Despite being the time for outdoors, there are plenty of times we curl up together on the sofa with a book.  Usually during afternoon nap/quiet times or on rainy days.  These are a few stories I've noticed get reached for quickly with Paddington and all the Beatrix Potter stories, of course.    

Well, I wish you a happy weekend, full of outdoors and adventures.  I'm off to finish shoe shopping for the boy.  (He happens to SHRED his shoes faster than I could have anticipated...)  And then it's jam time.  I hope.

Toodles!