A New Normal

It's been a long while! A short walk down memory lane reminds me that my new normal is nothing like my old ebb and flow. Babies, babies, babies! Wow, we had a string of little people for so many years! I miss those chubby little hands but I'm not sure I would trade it for the joy of having a house full of bigger children. If you are still in the throes of babyland, take courage! It doesn't last forever, and the hardest times will be forgotten due to sleep deprivation. ;-) Just kidding- if you have one or more babies in your house, I honor you for the valuable work you do in the everyday sacrifice of your time, your body, and your energy.

From now on this blog will be the continued story of our efforts to make a beautiful life out of imperfection. Life with a house full of children and a farm is messy. We love creating and producing and exploring, but none of that is neat and tidy (until blessing hour, when we clean it all up at 5pm). I am learning and growing as my children are doing the same, and it's an adventure every day...like it or not. 😅

So glad you dropped by!

first snow

My sister, Molly, is here for a visit and this was just what she was hoping for! It is beautiful, but I am content to take pictures, make hot tea, keep the fire going, and hold the baby at the window so she can watch some of the fun.

I'm not sure Warren loves the thick, wet, snow, but he loves making his kids happy

Coming in for a warmer pair of gloves

Hey, remember me?

As you can see, I've taken a little (permanent) break from the Whole Foods posts. At first it was a "I'm moving and living in two houses and have no time to make anything creative for my own family let alone find new recipes to try" kind of break. I did still read a few blogs- many of them are food related- and I really think there's enough floating around the internet on food without adding my two cents. See my blogroll for the best finds (maybe one day I'll update it).

But really, you didn't come here to see recipes today. You came because I have a pulse! I'm alive and so is the rest of my family (which is growing...see announcement below).

I'd better make this "below" because I could say a million very important things and you would just skip to the end to hear about the family. First off- we are expecting... Eggs in a few months!

WH and Coop check on the chickens early this morning

We now have four chickens and a rooster, thanks to a friend who had too many and was happy to get them off his farm and away from his tomato plants. We had a chicken date last night (there are so many firsts I'm glad I saved to share with my husband!) and left our children with my sister, who is staying with us for a month. First stop: Tractor Supply. How romantic. In my summer skirt and chacos I was debating with WH over the best chicken feed. Next stop: the little gelato bar. It is nice to sit with one's spouse and talk without being interrupted (with gelato, no less). Then it was on to the farm to pick up the chickens and the chicken tractor in the dark of night so as to make the transition as easy as possible for the girls. It was an unusual date night, to say the least.

Their new outside world

Taking a break from blogs (and the computer in general) was just what I needed to realign my priorities. It wasn't a conscious decision; there was just too much to do and no energy at the end of the day. Since we moved three weeks ago, we've taken a trip to Charlotte to visit family (and IKEA), and a trip to visit my sister and her new baby in NC. Fortunately, my family (7+ people) will be here for 5 days starting next week, so we have a deadline to get things in shape around here. There will be plenty to do after they leave (and while they are here...I'm not hanging anything until my Mom comes) but some of them will be staying here so that's motivating me to at least get another guest bed set up.

In NC, visiting cousin Elijah and baby Sophia

She's in love- and almost every day she nags me, saying, "You and me NEED a sister." Since we're the only girls in the family, she thinks a new baby will be a sister to both of us.

Here are a few pictures (mostly to satisfy my mother) of the house...

The all grey/white dingy basement gets a splash of color (and a few questions of my sanity from the hubs)- here's the rest of the story...

Part of the basement playroom

My $10 PB Craigslist table gets a makeover

These ugly lamps were about $5 for both, and the wood and brass are a thing of the past.

More "after" pictures after my Mom comes. :)