Hello

Every time I think, "I should post something on the old blog," I get totally bogged down with the amount of catch up that needs to be done. Then I think to myself, "Who says it 'needs' to be done?" To which I reply, well, your grandmother would probably like to see some pictures of what you've done this summer. And then I realize I could just email her. And then I snap out of it and stop talking to myself.

So I think I will just say hello, tell you that I do still occasionally read blogs at night, but I've paired way down to just friends and a few of my favorite food/home blogs that don't make me feel too guilty about my diet/house.

Here's what's going on today:

• School- Cooper and Adeline are both in 2nd grade (although we will finish up around Christmastime) and Thomas just started kindergarten. He will be 5 in November, but he is loving his Saxon 1 math and the Phonics Museum. I'm loving a little face-to-face time with my loner 3rd born. We are all doing Tapestry together for history again, and it's a perfect fit for us, with lots of crafts and read-alouds. My sister-in-law is teaching the older two about the birds and the bees (not literally) with Apologia Science this year, and they love having a "class" to go to. Thomas goes to art during the same hours down the road at my mother-in-law's house. It's a cousin party every week with the 11 of them.

Making a bug board for science class

•  Kitchen- I'm currently smoking two slabs of homemade bacon, straining some raw milk yogurt, and getting ready to make tacos for dinner so I can head out for an evening grocery trip. In order for school and chores (and naptime) to run smoothly I have to go at night, although I'm usually pretty wiped out by 7pm. 

The kids decided homemade marshmallows were better than store-bought. Big win! Especially since they were honey-sweetened!

Homemade peanut butter cups were a favorite

Bacon has cured, ready to cook...greek yogurt straining in the background

•  The boys are outside in full army get-up, playing in their "fort." Adeline is reading, and the baby is napping. "The baby" is a name she will soon give up to the next baby girl, due in about 10 weeks. Amelia is kicking away, doing her usual thing. I'm slowing down (just from sheer size!!) and while I'm not ready to have a baby as far as getting life in order goes, I will be happy when she makes her entrance. The sleep deprivation is hard, but I really do love those newborn days and the triumph of not being pregnant anymore.

I seriously don't remember the toddler years providing us with such mischief. But this one gives us plenty. At 19 months, she JUST started walking, and now I know it was a mercy to keep her a little slower for my sake. She climbs, she explores, she destroys. Each day.

• The house- We are 5 weeks into a basement renovation project that is almost complete. Warren took 1100 square feet of mostly unfinished basement and turned it into a small apartment, a school room and nook, a laundry room, pantry, extra bathroom, and storage area. I have a new-and-improved school area and shelving to my heart's content. I think most of the renovation money was spent on shelving. The apartment is for our old friend (son of one of my elders from Florida) and new tenant, Gabe. He's getting his PhD here and was very interested in living on some land and getting the opportunity to have animals and a garden. We've loved having him here, and he tolerates the kids and all the noise (we did try to warn him!) and farm life very well. He eats with us many weeknight and on the weekends, so that has helped me to be a little more on top of menu planning and food prep. That may change some after the baby comes!
• The garden- This was not our year for gardening. Not that we didn't try, but with all the rain, it was a tough year, and being pregnant (and having a toddler) led to less motivation than ever. We currently have about 20 pepper plants full of peppers I need to harvest, some pumpkins and butternut squash, and a little lettuce. We gave the kids each a 3x3' garden and theirs were very productive, including zinnias in Adeline's garden that graced our table all summer long. We also enjoyed months and months of sugar snap peas, which was a treat!
• The farm- This Saturday is our final chicken processing day of the year, and we have over 200 chickens to "dress" and sell. We only did pre-sales this year, which really took the pressure off and eliminated the need to market. It did not diminish the workload (!) but with the baby coming and a bigger vehicle to purchase, and government furloughs affecting paychecks, it is a blessing to have this extra source of income. We also have 11 pigs that will soon go to the butcher, and hopefully after that, things will slow down around here, just in time for Amelia's arrival. Warren still milks twice daily, and with that brings milk for cheese, yogurt, and butter.

  

  Know anyone who needs a sweet six-passenger Honda? We are sad to see it go!

  
  

  

  Nevermind that it's before 8am and those of us who are staying home look like we just rolled out of bed. This is our new 12-passenger van, purchased from my parents (they are downsizing). I'll have to post a cuter picture of my family (and my hair) at some point.

• I am about to make myself a chocolate frappaccino, Trim Healthy Mama style. I highly recommend the book, and before I got pregnant it helped me learn a few lifestyle tricks to lose about 10 lbs. I'm not too concerned about weight gain during pregnancy, but it continues to help keep it in check as my belly grows. Not related to the THM book, I am off all grains once again for these last few weeks of pregnancy in order to alleviate my heartburn and the subsequent throwing up that comes from it. If I eat a bite of pasta or bread (even GF!) I am burning up, but without it, nothing. It's really amazing, and only spending night after night puking would convince me to give up such a large food group. But it's temporary.

It's tea time, here, so the kids are asking for a snack and we need to keep this day moving. With my current rate of posting, I should have a baby to show off next time I post! :)