good intentions

Well I had great intentions for blogging when I finally got my computer back…only to find out I’m pregnant and to follow that up with morning sickness. Yes, morning sickness is what I’m going to blame my lack of posting on. While posting is easy, photography isn’t when all I want to do is lay down and wallow in my own misery.

However, I have not been! …wallowing, that is.

I have been chasing around a very whiney, very constipated 13-month-old though, and napping when she naps (for as long as she will nap). The constipation is being fought with irish oatmeal, sweet potato, and prune juice. I think we are on our way to a more healthy bowel.

I just have a hard time blogging with no photos. I know that the blogs I follow don’t just have to do with great writing. In fact, if I’m honest, I really mostly read blogs to stalk other people(who I have no relationships with)s’ lives through their photos. If you have a blog without photos and I read it, you are either a friend/acquaintance of mine who’s life I care/am nosey about or…you are ridiculously funny. So the fact that I haven’t been able to post photos makes me feel like my blog won’t be read anyway, so why bother…right?

But I feel the need to type, and here I am typing. Without photos.

Blah.

Joe and I have both been frustrated homesteaders this week. Due to a storm, all our corn was rained on and fell over, not to be saved. Our tomatoes are plentiful, but blighted from a lot of rain early in the season. Hopefully our potatoes will fair better. Insects seem to be feeding on our other crops. However, our beans and summer squash are doing quite well.

I’ve been wanting to make lots of things from veggies either from our own garden or from things picked up at the farmer’s market, but I’ve been really useless in the kitchen these days. My mental ambition forgot to translate to the physical. Oh right…icky tummy.

On a happier note, we are hatching our own eggs, and they should be ready to break out at the beginning of September (in a little over a week). I’m hoping morning sickness will be over by then and I will be ready with my camera. I’m super excited for Piper to watch little chicks hatch.

Things I’m looking forward to getting to after the sickness passes are:

• every maternity tutorial from this blog
• baby/infant knitting
• canning & pickling
• pie baking (I’d love to get this book!)
• january pig butchery

Hope to be back soon!

a love of thrifting and antiquing

I have always loved the feel of things that are old-timey New England. I love cobblestone streets, brickwork, monuments, and even old New England farmhouses (even though my plans growing up were always to be a city girl). I also like 50s-70s housewares; everything from 50’s housewife dresses, to olive green leather upholstery, floral wallpaper, and colorful Pyrex. You might call my style retro rustic?

Joe and I are approaching our 2 year wedding anniversary this September, and looking back, I think planning my wedding was when I truly started honing my love for things old and antique. I thrifted ALL the plates and mugs for my place settings.

After the honeymoon, we lived with my grandfather for several months, and close to where he lives were a couple of antique stores that I fell in love with. I would pick things up here and there as I had need of them, or if i thought they would compliment my style for what I wanted our home to eventually look like. I really like the idea of reusing old things in this way. I feel like I have recycled something no longer in use, am using it instead of allowing it to collect dust and fall into disrepair, and I’m cherishing something from the past that has history and character.

One day I brought Joe along with me, and all of a sudden he was hooked too. On old-timey farm and hand tools! Now whenever we get a little money to spare, we go on dates to the antique store to see what we can find.

I hope to start sharing a little bit of my interior homesteading style which comes as a result of my thrifted and antiqued finds. I also hope you will share with me the little treasures you find as well. Share photo from your blog with me, and I will share the link! Now doesn’t that sound like fun for all? Also, I wonder if that would make a good blog hop? Would anyone be interested in that?

Photos by Kasey & Jessie Photography

thursday thanks

Taking time to reflect on God’s goodness, no matter the circumstances.

Thanking God this week for:

• our pigs being able to drink the milk when the goat gets her hoof in it (along with any milk that’s gone sour).
• morning sickness. Because it’s a sign that the baby is alive and well inside me.
• a book series that have grabbed me this summer – The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (next book out in March of ’13).
• antique store finds, and favor with the owner!
• farmers markets we hope to be a part of one of these days.
• as always, my truly amazing husband, and adorable daughter.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God concerning you

*ahem*…an announcement

We have some news on the homestead, and I’ve decided to let Piper share it with you : :

That’s right, folks! We’re expecting another little farm hand at the end of March! We couldn’t be happier.

Morning sickness this time around has been much more bearable, but it is the reason that my posts since being back have been scarce and I’ve been lacking the motivation to take photos. I’m currently 7 1/2 weeks along and I’m hoping things will get back to normal in a few weeks once I’m in my second trimester.

Goat News / /

Rosie May keeps kicking/getting her foot in the milk pail lately (which she wasn’t doing before), and so I’ve lost quite a bit of milk this week. Fortunately the ruined milk has been able to go to the pigs (I hear milk-fed pigs are very tasty).

Garden News / /

Joe was able to pick some early potatoes for us yesterday and a couple of more summer squash! It’s so lovely to have food in the yard. He is also digging more beds for our autumn crops (peas, lettuce, garlic, brussel sprouts, cover crops, and more that I can’t remember or don’t know about).

Piper News / /

We have been teaching Piper sign language for communicating to us while she’s still not using words. She has been saying “all done” for quite some time. She understands the signs for “down,” “eat,” and “more,” but won’t do them. She blows kisses when you ask her to say “thank you”. And her most recent favorite is “please,” and she will even say “pee pee” while signing it! However, she’s still not sure what the context for “please” is yet.