First Fruits

Its that time of year again, when the garden starts providing its first produce of the season. In the last week we've picked the first few bunches of red lettuce, the first few green onions (probably could've done this sooner), and the first peas. We've got green lettuce that'll be ready soon, and the garlic will come out within the next few weeks.

Currently our garden planting includes:

• peas (2 rows of snap peas, 2 rows of "cooking" peas)
• cucumbers (2 hills)
• green lettuce (1/3 row)
• red lettuce (1/3 row)
• cabbage (1/3 row)
• onions (2 rows)
• carrots (2 rows)
• tomatoes (1.5 rows)
• peppers (1 row)
• kidney beans (2.5 rows)
• lima beans (2 rows)
• hidatsa shield beans (1 row)
• garlic (1 row)
• misc. squash/mellons (1 row)
• hops (9 hills)
• oregano (1 clump)

I always enjoy this time...the first peas always taste so good, the lettuce is a little sweet, and everything is growing and looking good. I see a lot of salads in our near future.

Not crying over spilled what?

Last night after the children were tucked in bed, Steve went out to walk the dog and close up the chickens. He walked in to find me weeping, sobbing in the kitchen.

How do you quickly tell your life's mate through the sobbing that you need to cry on his shoulder for a few minutes, but really, "There's nothing wrong."

I'm more emotional than normal in general, right now. I was feeling a little stressed about some things I need to get done. I was feeling worried about keeping myself and my children together for my sister's wedding next weekend. I couldn't figure out what girlfriend to call so I could vent and avoid an emotional eruption. The straw that broke the camel's back was that I then spilled the grease can. (Also affectionately known as Sarah's Fat Can. Thanks, Grandpa.)

I keep an old peanut can beside the stove to siphon fat and grease into. I was adding something to it last night while cleaning the kitchen and fuming about something else, when I knocked the can on its side. As I later explained to Steve, "I saw that not all of the grease spilled out, so I grabbed it quickly to turn it right side up. But I was confused about how it was sitting, so instead I accidentally turned it upside down and dumped the rest of it on the stove."

Steve started laughing about that. Then he dipped up some ice cream for both of us, and let me tell him about what else was bothering me. He's a good man.

Conversations with 2 year old

I said, "Julia, those baby trees are cherry trees!"

Julia said, "I like cherries. They can grow chocolate [covered] cherries. I like chocolate cherries a lot!"

"Yes, chocolate covered cherries are very good." (I figure I have a few years to explain that they are tart cherry starts from my parent's yard. These cherries make awesome pies. It will be a couple of years before they produce fruit, but I'm excited that the saplings are doing so well.)

"Mr. Scott gave me a chocolate cherry. YUM!"

Mr. Scott will become Uncle Scott in a week. He's in good with my kids.

"Okay Julia, it's time to clean our hands. Do you want to use hand sanitizer or soap and water?" Some days trying to use soap and water is a battle with her.

Her answer was, "I want to use soap and water. I like soap and water."

Hand sanitizer makes me a little nervous. I think it is great when we are out and soap & water is not available, but I have become persuaded that non-antibacterial soap and water is healthier. So I was pleased with her answer.

Then she went on to say, "Some days I like soap and water and some days I don't."
That statement typifies a lot of life with Julia.

How's that, again?

Our dog is a miniature schnauzer. We were given a cute poster with two miniature schnauzer puppies on it. One puppy appears to be whispering into the other one's ear and the caption at the bottom is, "Jesus loves you. Pass it on."
One of my children has placed a Scooby Doo sticker on the P.

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I was supposed to provide a urine sample for a doctor's visit. I was partly into my morning routine when I exclaimed, "Rats!"
Steve asked what the matter was.
"Oh, I was supposed to collect the first urine sample of the morning, but I forgot. They will just have to accept one from later in the day."
Steve's solution? "Why don't you just go back to bed for a while?"

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Steve said, "Paul, I think your pet worm is dead."
Paul insisted, "He's NOT dead. He's just moving real slow."

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I asked Julia what the purpose of a belly button was. I can't remember her exact words, but it was something like, "So you know if your shirt is down."

Can you tell that she gets a lot of tickles and belly kisses if her belly button is showing?

Happy Birthday Mom!

Here's a great picture of Paul wishing his Grandma a happy birthday last night before eating birthday pie. The lovely headgear my Mom's displaying is a happy birthday hat that actually sings (repeatedly) the happy birthday song. Paul & Julia love this hat. Everyone else in this family hates this hat...which is why it only comes out every now and then, and the batteries are not kept in it.

Happy Birthday Mom!
We love you.

Juniper Fun

Just behind our 100+ year-old farm house grow two enormous old Juniper bushes. Both of these bushes are probably about as old as the house, and both encompass an area roughly 15-18' by 10-12'. They also both stand a good 8' or more high, which means that once I (Steve) duck under the outside limbs I can almost stand completely upright without touching my head on the canopy. Pretty cool, really. And this spring Paul finally discovered what fun they can be. So yesterday we all spent a good half-hour or more playing inside one of the juniper bushes, with the kids practicing some close-to-the-ground tree climbing. Here's some fun pictures:

Resolution list revisited

I thought it might be instructive to see how I'm doing with my list of resolutions from February.

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I resolve not to fold the laundry more than once before it gets put away.

Status: I typically fold laundry on my bed. The dog and children see this as an invitation to come and bounce on the bed. I have been more vigilant about keeping the dog and children OFF the bed while I'm folding, so that they don't knock down the stacks of clothing. So far I haven't been forced to cram Steve's undershirts into his drawer because I folded them once, and I won't fold them again.

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I resolve to water my houseplants once in a while.

Status: Ummm... nothing new has died yet.

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I resolve to make monthly meal plans.

Status: Did I mention I'm pregnant? Meal plans have gone to the wind. I really liked the meal plans for the two months I made them. But my appetite has been eratic. Currently there has been a lot of me deciding at 3:00p.m. that I really want clam chowder for dinner. Tonight. Steve can you get some of that on the way home from work?

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I resolve to look at my monthly plans.

Status: See above.

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I resolve to get groceries that match the monthly meal plans.

Status: Oooooh, mangoes are on sale this week. Mangoes sound good. Let's buy mangoes.

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I resolve not to go too crazy over finding coupons, because for now, cooking from scratch and using a meal plan is sufficient for our budget and my sanity.

Status: I have found a comfortable level of coupon clipping/printing. Sanity is being maintained.

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I resolve to be more intelligent about how I save money by doing smart things like PAYING MY CREDIT CARD BILL ON TIME. This has been an embarrassing bane to me. I pay it, but I keep remembering it late. It's time to turn it around.

Status: So far so good. I like avoiding late fees!

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I resolve not to drink more than 1/2 cup of caffeinated coffee at a time.

Status: I've been doing well with this. It has been good for my tummy and hopefully good for the little one too.

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I resolve to let myself buy curry powder rather than mixing my own, even though I have a glut of coriander seeds from potted cilantro plants that got away from me.

Status: I bought curry powder. Curry powder is now on my unhappy list. Blar. If anybody wants some curry powder, let me know. Otherwise, I'm going to have to wait for about a year before I can cook with it again.

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I resolve to keep one open jar of peanut butter in the refrigerator for Steve and one open jar of peanut butter in the cupboard so that the peanut butter will spread more easily on the bread, crackers, or tortillas. (Steve, please note that the refrigerator peanut butter may lose its place of prominence on the door.)

Status: I am loving peanut butter that spreads without shredding the bread. Steve's PB is still on the door. For now.

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I resolve not to go to more than one grocery store in one day for the sake of shopping different sales. I may visit more than one grocery store in a day if I'm looking for a very specific ingredient AND I don't have any children with me. Trader Joe's counts as entertainment and does not count against grocery store visits for a day.

Status: There have been days that I've been tempted. But I've held to my resolution, and you know what? It has been okay. Maybe I'm not getting the best price for juice, but it is worth it to me for the time that I saved.

Pig Roast Results

Thanks to everyone who came out to the farm on Saturday for another great Czech-team fundraiser pig roast! The weather was windy & a little chilly, but at least there was no rain, so praise God for that.

We cooked, debatably, our largest pig ever, estimated at 220 lbs. (still walking around). We got it on the fire around 11pm Friday night, and started processing it around 3pm, Saturday afternoon. Everyone was very pleased with how this pig turned out, as well as the chickens nestled within. Thanks to everyone who brought sides & desserts to share, all the food was wonderful. It looked like folks were enjoying the games as well.

And most importantly, the generosity of those who came brought in roughly enough money to support one full team member! Praise God! And thanks to everyone who came and contributed, helped, organized, brought food, and prayed in support of this event.

On behalf of this year's team, we are encouraged and humbled by everyone's loving support of us and this ministry.

(P.S. Please forward me any pictures if you have 'em, so I can get a few posted up here)

Czech Team Pig Roast

Our church is sending another team to the Czech Republic this summer to teach English. Though Sarah and I will not be joining them this year, we have been helping them prepare. And this Saturday, May 9, we'll be hosting, once again, the team fundraiser pig roast at the farm!

Festivities will start around 4pm and we'll plan to start eating around 5. The suggested donation is $10/person, or $25/family. There will be games for young & old, and week-old baby chicks to oooh & aahhh over. There forecasting low 70's and sunny for the afternoon & evening, so it looks like God will be blessing us with fine weather again.

We look forward to seeing a bunch of you then!

Bugs

If asked, Julia will identify this item



as a bee-swatter.

Yesterday, one of the children asked why daddy swats the bees.
"Because those are carpenter bees. Daddy swats them so that they do not make holes in our house. And because it amuses him."

The tennis racket is the most effective carpenter bee killing method Steve has found yet.
And it amuses him.

Paul has developed a sense of fear about bees. I'm trying to convince him that running away in a panic is not necessary. [And this from the woman who is moderately allergic to bee stings.]

We have confirmed that Julia is still afraid of spiders. Millipedes, worms, ants, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, and caterpillars are all okay. Spiders are not. We saw a big black one on one of my laundry baskets. It gave me the heebie-jeebies, but I squished it. It frightened my Little Miss Muffet away.

Wonderful Saturday

Last weekend Paul, Julia, and I went to visit my parents. We had a really great time.

Saturday morning we went to the church where Aunt Carrie will be married for a dress rehearsal. Paul will be the ring bearer. Julia will be the flower girl. While Paul has been really excited about wearing his vest and bow tie, Julia had been having fits about the white dress. Plain white is not her style. The one time I had tried the dress on her, she spent the whole time running away and wailing.
So this time, I pulled out a photo album from Steve's and my wedding. I showed her the pretty white dress I was wearing and how pretty our flower girl, Elise, looked in her dress. It made an impression. At the church, Julia put on her dress without any fuss at all. What a relief! She and Paul practiced walking up and down the aisle. YAY!

Afterward we went to a park on Lake Erie. We took a one mile walk on a boardwalk through a marsh. The children did pretty well. We saw a giant dragon fly, a birdhouse full of bees, and we discussed the fact that crocodiles don't like to live in this climate. They were bored and tired by the end of the walk, but they made it. We ate a picnic by the lake with Grandma and Grandpa. The children were disappointed that I didn't let them get into the cold cold lake water. Maybe next time.

We came home and all took naps. I slept two and a half hours. That never happens.

After supper, we went to a pond and Grandpa taught Paul to fish. They had bamboo fishing poles. The fish were small, but the were really biting! It was perfect for my little boy who has a small attention span and wasn't really interested in bringing any fish home. Even Julia got to pull up a fish, with some extra help from grandpa.

What an altogether fun day!

Enthusiasm

Every morning should start as cheerfully as when I said, "Paul, wake up. Get dressed. The baby chicks are here."

Paul had been looking forward to the arrival of the chicks since February.
He got up and ran to his dresser. He was dressed in record time, and kept exclaiming, "I knew the chicks would come after my nap! I KNEW it!"

I let him go outside by himself while I finished helping Julia with her clothing. Steve was just emerging from the barn when he saw Paul pounding down the driveway toward him at full speed.

What a joy to be able to share this happiness with my son.

Chicken Weekend

Despite the forecasts of rain & clouds, it ended up being a beautiful mostly sunny day on Saturday. I thank God for this, because it allowed us to be incredibly productive around the farm.

Saturday morning, with the help of Tim & Tessa and my folks, we processed 10 of our year-old hens and got the remaining 12 shifted from the large coop to the small coop. We were totally done, cleaned up, and had lunch by 1:30pm...that's amazing!

Saturday afternoon, Dad & I got the large coop cleaned out, sanitized, and mostly reassembled. Dad also got part of our grass mowed. And all this before 6pm. (Fun fact: we removed 16.5 wheelbarrows (8 cu. ft. each) of woodchips, etc., from the large coop)

Sunday afternoon, I picked up some more wood chips & some chick feed.

Sunday evening, Dad & I got the brooder cleaned up, the wood chips put down, and the brooder moved into the large coop. I also got the feeder troughs and watering cans cleaned & sanitized.

Monday morning @ 6:01 the post office calls to say the baby chicks have arrived! By 7am they are safely installed in their new home.

That is an amazing amount of work for one weekend. A couple years ago this would've taken me the better part of 2 weekends to accomplish, so we're definitely getting faster. Thanks to everyone that came out to give us a hand this weekend, and thank you Lord for giving us outstanding weather and good health to accomplish our tasks.

Petr & Ida

Congratulations again to Petr & Ida Kadlecovi! (Today they were married in the village of Mladkov, CZR.)

We wish you both the best as you start your new life together!
Love,
Steve, Sarah, Paul, & Julia