Tiny Bouquet

First child-gifted bouquet of the spring.

On Compost

Mostly, it's a sanity saver. Particular child or children driving you batty? Send them out with a full (or not so full) bowl and collect your wits while they're gone. Need a break? Run it out yourself. I chose to go myself today.

And enjoyed the first bit of open water the pond has had in over 5 months.

Then sat on the edge of the porch with me feet in the herb garden and enjoyed the sun while I finished my coffee.

Auld Lang Syne

these darn peat pots never work for me, and I still keep trying

Passover

So glad we didn't buy the property next to us. They brush hogged it and it's even wetter than we realized.

A very warm March meant I got my raised bed planted, then covered with a garden blanket. 

Worked a treat!

Garden jewels.

Dandelion salve, plantain salve, and jewel weed salve (which was a saving grace when A. got poison sumac. this was the only thing that gave her any relief.)

a walk along a nearby(ish) river

the farm children

All of my siblings and my parents at my sisters wedding  Memorial day weekend. My brother on the far right leaves at the end of the month for Marine boot camp. Still not used to that idea.

My black holly hocks bloomed this year! They were *stunning*.

Nearly all home grown frittata

farm harvest

I had another Little House Day, that will be a post of it's own.

A. went to State Fair with her sewing project!

new apron. I'm trying to find the perfect apron pattern. this is nice, but not it.

I froze the tomatoes as they ripened, then pulled them all out of the freezer and canned them as sauce and soup in November.

homemade sausage

Kale bouquet

the farm children in their natural state

A few picture snippets from our year. 

I've been quiet in general, not even reading my favorite blogs. I was getting overwhelmed by life, feeling like I had to keep up with every single blog I read, planning wedding showers and helping plan weddings, and and and. So I quit all the extra fluff- even when I didn't want to- cold turkey. That was awful and the best thing all rolled into one. And now I'm slowly adding back what I truly missed, which wasn't nearly as much as I expected. I'm hoping to be back here, I miss blogging.

The kiddo's are getting big. Oh my are they getting big.

I naively thought that once I didn't have a baby anymore, I would find more time to do things. Wrong.

But that's alright. I'm learning to reprioritize, and to plan out, and rearrange, and change how "Ive always done it" to "how I need to do it now". 

A season to everything.

It's the Sugar Creek Gang...

Every week day at 4:15, myself and my brothers, and our best friends who lived around the corner, would come running from whatever corner of the house or yard or woods we were in. We'd huddle around the radio, hit record if we had a tape player that worked and a tape to tape on, and listen to the Sugar Creek Gang. How frustrating it was when Prairie Princess or the Parsonage Family was on instead. In vain I have searched for the Sugar Creek stories we used to listen to. The version with a guy just reading doesn't hold a candle to the radio drama versions we listened to. No one has them. Anywhere. Moody Radio "does not currently have these titles available for sale or plans to do so in the future." Bah. But then one day, inspiration struck and I though to check the Archive site that has Ranger Bill episodes (another childhood favorite)- Bingo! Only 3 stories, but finally my kiddos could listen to the same Sugar Creek Gang stories I did, and listen we have. And even though I was more interested in the adventure part as a kid, the mini sermon in each one is phenomenal. The importance placed on praying always, honesty and integrity and obedience to your parents and to God. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! (clicking on these should take you to the link, also for the Thief in Town, episode one is actually the second one down. Episode 10 is listed first)

The Thief In Town

Bag Lady of Town Hall

The Pearshell Legend

Ain't No April Fools Joke

Nope, this really is a post from me. And there is a good reason I never posted from the rest of January straight through to now. Every post would have said "Today it snowed." and had this photo accompanying it. And since most of you could look out your own windows and see the same thing, what would make my snow any more exciting?

I suppose there would have been a few interesting things mixed in, like seed catalogs, orders and first plantings...

And these two little monkeys who think wrestling on my lap while I try to drink coffee is just the best thing ever.

And the snow *finally* melting (hallelujah thank-you Jesus)

And the tomatoes the kiddos and I planted last week finally coming up.

Not to mention birthdays (I didn't make a thing by the way. Store-bought birthday presents all around. Also, I'm not sewing dresses for the girls for Easter. I'm not even sure who I am anymore.), a trip to the ER (again) for Sprout not two days after my last post. For those interested, he swallowed a penny. And kept saying "Penny stuck fwoat. Hurht." Fortunately it was *not* stuck fwoat, and made it's appearance a few days later.

Then just 10 days ago, the 70 lb. "puppy" decided to buck the rules and try to jump into bed with Biscuit. Which resulted in a humdinger of a scratched cornea.

Best of all though, is one of my sisters got engaged right after Christmas (to her best friends older brother- they've known each other nearly their entire lives, but had only been dating about three and half months), and so every spare minute or two has been spent planning and working on her wedding shower, which at present has a guest list of well over a hundred and before thinking it through, I decided a tea party would be good. And it will be, but I am a HORRIBLE delegator and feel guilty asking people to do things. But it will be fine. And lovely. And there you are.

Bon

Merry Christmas!

     From the Crazy Family at Half-Pint Farm

Snow Day

We got our first sticking snow last night, and I know better than to keep 5 snow-crazy children cooped up inside doing lessons when they would rather be out playing. And since today is going to be pretty much the only day this week warm enough to go out, I was happy to accommodate.

Checking out the bird feeder

Oldest and youngest

My MIL wanted to see some pictures of the new puppy on here, so here he is.

(we had to have B.'s 13 year old dog put down the end of September, and about 3 1/2 weeks later, B. brought this one home.)

Backyard "mayhem"

Tomorrow's high is 19. It's not even Thanksgiving.

Shiver.

If You Were In Suspense...

Honey is going to State Fair Competition with her canning project!

For her sewing project, she made this darling skirt, which she modeled at the county fashion show Monday  evening.

She placed 4th overall in her class

And took a blue for the actual project!

And now, if you'll excuse me, it's back to weeding. First bean harvest and freezing tomorrow! ('cuz I have to go grocery shopping this afternoon and we have no freezer bags. Or coffee.)

4-H -in

We have been working on 4-H stuff like crazy this week. Letters to send out to buyers for the auction, poultry skillathon, canning projects finished up and then we just found out that the sewing judging has been moved up a week. To this coming Monday. So we have today and tomorrow to do that. And I have to pick up my order of sour cherries and blueberries today. Oh boy.

Picture for buyers letter

Posters for canning judging today, and also to be displayed at the fair.

I think I'm going to tell B. we're ordering Chinese for supper tonight. There's too much left to do.

Up To Date (ish)

So, almost as soon as I hit publish on the last post, B. called to let me know that the guys were coming to dig up various parts of our backyard to fix our water issues. Enter yet another week of crazy.

This week is proving to be busy too, but a *manageable* busy. Knock on wood.

And I am DESPERATE to get out to the garden. It needs weeding. And then I'll post pictures.

So here are the pictures that happened between water softeners and washers fritzing, speed basement cleaning, wedding showers and weddings, an abominably long trip to the launder mat, taking parents out for birthdays and Mothers/Fathers Day, gardening like crazy, getting a camper, a living-room full of new to us furniture, an unexpected funeral, family reunions, and canning, and all of the other little things that have eaten up our days.

Whew.

My garlic scaped and they were delicious. 

My sister Anna and I were in a friends wedding

My other 3 sisters sang. I wish I had a recording of it- they NAILED all of the songs!

It was a looonnnggg day for the kiddos, especially Sprout.

Hot hot temps warranted a pool I was planning on hopping in to, but it hasn't happened. Yet.

B. has been saving and working over and selling things to buy me (all of us) this:

An amazing gift of love and sacrifices to be enjoyed in the years to come (pretty much only at the fair)
I don't deserve such a thing. But I love it.

It can double as a "guest house". Hint hint.

This is the only picture I took July 4th weekend

These were out back for the last week. My kiddos haven't played outside since last Saturday, too many large machines and holes/pits/trenches. And today it's rainy. Hopefully tomorrow.

A bunch of things didn't happen (like my fruit plans and the herb bed expansion (which I had to dig up thanks to the water work) ), but as it turns out that was good since they would have been ruined thanks to the water stuff. And I *finally* conquered crock-pot yogurt! 

Honey's first 4-H project judging is Friday, so I'm off now to help her can applesauce. Yes, the final project they have her doing is apple sauce.

I'm going to try to post at least every other day, even if its' just a picture. Try being the key word.