March.

{Rafe ringing the dinner bell at camp}

{back from a fun and very rainy weekend}

{Snow in March}

{These funny ladies love a good dust bath}

Well, March flew right by, didn't it!
We had a little snow last week. Weather here is so weird.
I took 3 of my kiddos on a little weekend retreat. It was fun, but so rainy.
We are now knee deep in baseball and softball. The garden is just about ready for planting, and the chickens are laying in full force again.
We have a new driver in the house. Ugh, wasn't he just 5 years old? That's all I can say about that.......
We had a beautiful Easter celebration yesterday. The weather was perfect, a sunny 70 degree day. The first really nice day of the Spring for us here in the PNW.

Have a wonderful April 1st.
God Bless.
Tami

the short winter.

{rhubarb coming up}

 

...as opposed to a long one.
Which some parts of our fine country have. A long winter that is.

As February ends and March rolls in, the chances of snow pretty much disappear her in the PNW. We had 5 minutes of snowfall this winter. It melted the moment it hit the ground.
Heck, we really didn't have a winter at all.

No major storms, no cold snaps, no power outages. Strange, but nice I suppose.
I prefer to experience the seasons a little more fully though.

Last Sunday, Eric turned the soil in our raised beds. Is it really that time already?
Early Spring is upon us for sure. I can see my rhubarb bursting out of the ground. My fruit trees and berries are budding. There are flower bulbs emerging everywhere. My chickens are amping up their production. There are days when a nice wooly sweater do nicely instead of my parka.

I really should not complain. I know there are areas that are buried under snowfall for months.
We never have that here.

I am sure that an early Spring means rain. Always the rain.

Have a blessed day, Tami

weekend work.

 

 

Early Saturday, the fun task of ripping out a ton of English ivy that was threatening fences and trees.
I always have 2 very willing participants.......the same every time.
(Gage was so willing, he came out in his jammie pants, God bless him.)
The other two children ?
Tucked away somewhere Minecraft(ing), reading, listening, thinking.

Gage and Anya (and Daddy of course) you did a great job!

Have a blessed day, Tami

weekend.

 

 

 

Major cabin fever going on around here. Last weekend presented us with a forecast of no rain and mild temperatures. Eric found this little walking park a few weeks go. We took the little kids and the Poms, big teenager guy had to stay home and study. It was just what we needed. It feels like we won't get the chance again until April or so. Straight rain until then. Smile.

Have a blessed day, Tami

around here.

There has been a much appreciated break in the rainfall,
and we have had many beautiful, but very chilly days.
Everything looks so crisp and bright, in contrast to the usual grayness of winter in the Pacific Northwest. I don't mind winter like this. I love walking in this cold dryness, it is shocking and refreshing all at once.
The furnace is humming nearly all day, offset by the warmth of our gas fireplace. I like keeping the lights low on days like this, maybe a few candles burning. So very cozy.
Today, I have some knitting in mind, mingled with loads of laundry and baking. Homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner with steamed carrots.
A perfectly contented day at home.

Have a blessed day, Tami

field trip

 

I am the mom that always signs up to chaperone field trips. I figure that's it a great way to spend one-on-one time with my kiddos. And also, when would I actually get to these cool places on my own accord??? I have been on some great field trips.

The Burke Museum is fascinating. It is located on the University of Washington campus. We had a 30 minute bus ride, not too bad. The bus ride in itself is a treat. Being driven there, meant that I could stare at the beautiful Seattle neighborhoods and sights. A bonus was being able to sit next to a dear mom-friend and have 30 minutes of uninterrupted talk time.

Our focus was the rocks and minerals exhibition. We also studied how the land has changed in Washington State. We had Rhinoceros here at one point. Crazy.

As my kids grow, the field trips will diminish. I am so glad I've been able to join them.

 

Have a blessed Monday, Tami



a tomato year

Oh my goodness.
The tomatoes are rolling in nonstop.
We have had precisely 2 half days of rain in the last 2 months. With the lack of rain our tomato season has been really extended . It has also been in the 70's, also good for the tomatoes for sure. The rain is supposed to start in 10 days or so. It is my goal to get most of the harvesting done before then.

I have stopped watering altogether in hopes of getting them to ripen faster. It looks like, for the first time, I might actually put up enough tomato sauce for the year. This is a great savings to my family. To avoid BPA, I had been buying organic tomato puree in glass bottles that came from Italy. Ouch. $3.29 for 24oz. Ouch. And then there's the organic tomato soup in the cartons, expensive also.

I am going the easy route. I am roughly cutting up the whole tomatoes and tossing them into an 8 quart stock pot with onion, garlic, olive oil, and seasonings. I cook that down for several hours. After it cools, I use my stick blender to puree, and run the sauce through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds.

So easy.

I will freeze most of the sauce because I have space in my freezer, and can the rest.

I also have 4 big beautiful heirloom tomatoes (Old German), and more to come.
These beauties are destined for lacto-fermented salsa. Yum.

The rest of the garden is slowing down.
I found a ripe strawberry yesterday. Weird.
The raspberries are still going strong. The pole beans were a bust. Zucchini was so-so. Rhubarb excellent. Potatoes okay.

This is a tomato year.

Have a blessed day, Tami

summer's last

 

It's just about done.
The last of the blossoms make way for the glorious colors of the leaves as they begin to turn. Soon the trees will be on fire with color.
I can't decide which I love more.
Truly. Autumn is my favorite season.

Have a blessed day, Tami

random junk

I am having internet problems this week. My personal IT guy (hubby) is in Hawaii. He is there slaving away on the family home for 10 days.
Poor guy. :~)
I am here, holding down the fort.
And...I still have no Photoshop, so no pics ready of the chicken garden. Sounds like I need a little blog break.
Our mission for the next 2 weeks until school starts.........beaches, parks, and lots of ice cream.
Tonight, we head up to the elementary school for a back-to-school fair. On Saturday, we have a family reunion a few hours away. What a busy week.
Have a wonderful week, and I will check in soon!
Blessings, Tami

beach = good

Just what we (I) needed.
A family trip to the beach. (with lots of friends of course!)
We finished the day off with fish & chips near the shore.
A truly wonderful and carefree day.

Have a blessed Monday, Tami

messy monday

This morning I spent a good bit of time exercising my "mend and make-do" mantra. I woke up to tiny clumps of down feathers all over the place. When I took the duvet cover off the down comforter, it was just like in the movies, when the end of a pillow fight is a mass of feathers floating everywhere. What a mess. A great opportunity though to spend some time with thread and needle mending about 50 (thousand) little holes AND ONE BIG ONE.
All is well now, and I have freshly laundered bedding and a vacuumed carpet in the bedroom. Love that.

What a way to start the week.

The weather is gray and cold. I appreciate the rain, it means I don't have to water the garden, and I like that. My plants are exploding. They like the rain followed by a few days of heat and sun.

Kane gets home tomorrow night from New Orleans. I have missed that boy so much. I hear that he has been existing solely on Po'Boy sandwiches and Snowballs. Nice.
It has been really hot for them, but it sounds like he is having a great time.

My chickens are taking turns being broody. It's Henny's turn this time. Every time I open the nesting box door, she screams at me. Oh, she is a fun one.

I am almost finished knitting a sweater I started last week. The design is a simple raglan sleeve, top-down, v-neck cardigan. I used a bulky yarn in a beautiful peacock blue color. I am sure hoping that the yarn softens up when I wash it. It is pretty itchy right now. I will wear it anyway, the color is just too wonderful not to.

That's about all for today. We are taking it slow and easy. We have been doing too much running lately. I need a day at home to relax. Today would be a great baking day. Yes.

Have a blessed Monday, Tami

chickadees

This little bird house was hung haphazardly in our plum tree, oh, about 10 years ago. Not a single bird has paid any attention to it until this year.
This year, we have baby chickadees.
As soon as the babies leave the nest, I need to take it down, repair the bottom, and put it up more securely. Hopefully they will come back again.

I really wanted a look at those babies. I stood on a ladder and held my camera up over my head in front of the house to get a photo. I managed to catch one of the babies just as it popped it's head up. I am lucky the photo is even in focus. I must have looked pretty funny taking the picture. I am sure that the mama bird was quite perturbed at me.

We do love little birds. Maybe we will put up a few more birdhouses, and in about 10 years, a mama birdie will nest in it. :~)

Have a blessed day, Tami

Flowing Lake

 

We had never been to Flowing Lake before. It's about 30 minutes from home and straight into the country. I loved the drive so much. Winding country roads, little farms, weathered barns, deer signs, all matter of grazing animals.
We stayed (squeezed into) a sweet little cabin and slept on bunks. We ate camp food, and swam, and wandered. I relaxed and knitted. We were there with our best neighbor friends, and my 2 nephews came up for the day. The kids had a great time and fell into bed each night, totally exhausted.
What a beautiful place. We will go back for sure.

Have a blessed day, Tami