Knitting Vests

Finished up the Plain Vest with my hand painted wool yarn and added some of our hemlock buttons.

Now I have started a Pebble Vest in some bartered yarn from Springtree Road.

Vests are my favorite article of clothing to knit - fairly quick and also very functional.  Really the perfect item to add to a young child's wardrobe during cool weather as it allows their arms to be free while a sweater can sometimes feel restrictive.

I haven't been reading a specific book lately because I have been working through getting our portfolios together for the state of Vermont as well as planning next year using  mostly a Waldorf inspired approach which I will write about more soon.  (I love the concept of unschooling and will certainly let much of that natural learning continue to flow through our days but I have to meet the state requirements and I think Waldorf is one of the more gentle approaches.)

Joining in with Ginny today.

Perfect Weather For....

firewood collecting!  

It has been just beautiful lately with an energizing temperature around 70 degrees or so and no humidity.

Animal Update

The meat bird that Sarah brought home is growing fast and has become almost a pet, we let it (we don't know if it's a girl or boy) free range all day and it likes to follow us about the yard.  The only thing I don't like about Polly is that it chases the ducks.

The duck that broke her leg is doing amazingly well.    We kept her in a cage for three days to let the break area heal so as not to bleed again (her bone was completely broken - a compound break).  She has adapted to life with just one leg and can swim and hop about.  She does usually lag behind the other three and sometimes has to stop and rest.     

Garlic!

Good thing I ran into my friend at the library the other day to answer my garlic questions.  I had bought a few pounds of garlic from her last fall and planted about 50 cloves.  After seeing the chickens digging around the area I had planted and wondering if the soil was any good, I really didn't have very high hopes.

But grow they did!  They added beautiful greenery to the garden in spring when it is still looking pretty brown and then in June we enjoyed the delicious garlic scapes we cut from each plant.

Lately I have noticing the bottom leaves dyeing off and started to wonder when it is time to pull.

I asked my friend how to tell when it is time and  she said when there are about 5 good green leaves left on the stem (the bottom ones start to die off - which mine were).

Today after I pulled the first one, I nearly cried - tears of joy, of course! 

A beautiful, good sized head of garlic!

So now they are drying on our porch and we will wash and peel the outer layer in a couple of days so that they will keep well.

We have about 50 heads and will use the largest cloves to plant in October.

We will be buying more garlic from my friend again this fall and plan on planting 200 cloves all together.

In addition to supplying our family's year-long needs, I think braided garlic would make great Christmas gifts.

Knitting and Reading

Still working on the same two knitting projects that I wrote about last Wednesday, but added one more project into the mix.  I hand painted some yarn last year and am not really sure if I like it, but don't want to waste it either.  But after rolling it into a ball and knitting it into a Plain Vest, it is growing on me.

Mike and I are reading The Resilient Farm and Homestead, An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach by Ben Falk.  It reads very much like a text book, but if you are interested in taking a hard look at what you have in terms of your homestead, and utilizing it in the most productive way while respecting the natural resources, then it is a great resource.  The authors's farm is in central Vermont so much of the information is very relevant for us, but truly much of it could be applied to any climate.  One of the points, though, is planning and doing for the long-term, the long-haul, the future.  That is one thing that because our homestead is just 3 acres, we haven't made up our mind if this is our family's long term home site.  We have pretty much maxed out the fire wood potential, for example.

There are some great things to learn from this book ( I can apply the food preservation ideas right away, for example) and even if we do end up on a new farm, we can feel good about leaving this little homestead more productive for the next family.

Joining in with Ginny.

Financial Considerations

Sometimes life can seem so overwhelming - right now it is financial for us.  Yes, we are paying our bills, yes we are eating healthy, yes we are getting Abby to rehearsal each night (45 minutes each way), yes we paid for Isaac to go to camp for a week - but we have absolutely nothing - no savings, and very little in 

our checking.

Yesterday, we were blessed to receive $300 in orders with our busiest month, historically, coming up in August but still, money can seem so hard to figure out.

Sometimes I have such a hard time figuring out how much to save (property taxes coming due, replace our ancient wood stove, car seats for the children, etc..), how frugal to be, how much to deny, how much to give away.  And all the while I am holding on to faith - the knowledge that God does provide.  

How do you prioritize?  Do you budget?  We spend so little on anything extra, but when it comes to our children, when do we say yes and when do we say no?  When it comes to extra trips - when can we afford to do it and when can we not?   I know having our business makes these questions harder to answer, but I would love to hear how others manage their money.

All Seven

This morning I felt such a peace having all seven children home, laughing and talking, getting ready for church, getting ready to return to camp counseling, and one getting ready for his last performance.

Realizing on this beautiful morning that I might have a chance to get a picture of all seven, I begged and pleaded.  None of the pictures came out with all of them looking at the camera, but that is ok.