Oh, so busy...

Happy Friday to you all! I am just quickly checking in to say, "hello", and let you know I have not forgotten you all.  I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up with posting. It's not for lack of wanting to; life has just kept me so very busy...a good busy, though.

Beans, squash, zucchini, red potatoes, garlic, kale, chard, lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, and lots of herbs are being harvested, almost daily, from the gardens.  Looking forward to tomatoes soon,

Dilly beans and pickles are filling the pantry shelves.  Kale, broccoli and beans are going into the freezer.  Parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, and sage are drying and filling the herb jars.

A mama and daddy Rose-breasted grosbeak have brought their family of little ones to our feeders. What a joy it has been watching them each day!

Our eldest daughter celebrated her 19th birthday...19th!!!  Where does the time go?

Work on the addition continues...cedar shingles and trim going up this coming week.

A clutch of keets (baby guinea fowl) were warmly welcomed to the farm a few weeks ago.

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Little #2 and #5 brought home a stray kitten they found while on a bike ride.  The poor little thing had been hit by a car.  She is currently at the vet, and we are all praying for a small miracle for her.

Wildflowers are being brought in daily and placed all around the house.

I have been trying to stay updated on Instagram, with lots of garden related posts, so feel free to come by and visit me there from time to time.  I'd love to see you.

Hello, July!

Good morning!  It feels like it has been forever since I last posted, and, wow, have I missed you all.  I hope you are all enjoying a lovely start to your summer...hard to believe June is already behind us. All is well at Front Forty Farm; it has just been a super busy place these past few weeks.  When I sat down to write this morning, I was overwhelmed with the thought of where to begin.  There is so much to catch up on.  I decided to simplify the task, and make a list of the goings on here on the farm.

1.  The garden is growing, growing, growing with fresh greens on the table almost every night...chard, kale, lettuce, arugula, and radishes with fresh herb dressing.  I'm looking forward to taking photos and posting a more in depth garden post for July very soon (I can't believe I missed posting the whole month of June).

2.  The apple trees, elderberry bushes, and raspberries that we planted a month ago are thriving. Some of the plants were a bit shocked and took some time settling in, and we were afraid that a few would not survive the transplant, but all is good now.  Every single plant is green and flourishing. One of our established apple trees, however, has taken an unfortunate hit.  It blossomed beautifully this spring (the first time for this apple tree), but shortly after blossoming the leaves stopped growing and started turning brown and dry.  We aren't sure exactly what happened...still trying to investigate and keeping our eyes out for signs of new life.

3.  Work continues on the new addition, and with summer here, the work moves from the inside to the outside.  Siding and trim are in order, and the porch wall is the first to get a fresh layer of cedar shingles...and, oh, it is beginning to look so nice.

4.  Little #6 underwent a cardiac catheterization a few weeks ago, and we are now in the process of making decisions regarding treatment for confirmed for pulmonary hypertension. We are thankful that the procedure went well, as it was quite concerning to all since our little fighter is more fragile than she would ever let on.

5.  Summer soccer and camps have begun.  

6. The school books have been laid aside for the next few months, and we are all enjoying a much needed break (I think Mama is enjoying it as much as the Littles).  A summer reading program has begun, however, and it is such a joy to walk to the porch and see three little boys engrossed in their mysteries, 

7.  Trips to the coast, visits with a childhood friend, sipping iced tea and coffee on the porch, eating watermelon....it has begun!  Summer is here!

A New Floor

Hubby and I celebrated our anniversary a few weeks ago, and we were in a bit of a quandary on what to do.  It's a rare treat for the two of us to get away alone, so we usually try to take advantage of our anniversary and steal that day for ourselves.  With growing kids, however, and a busy schedule of events this fall, we knew leaving home would not be possible. We were torn on what to do.  We wanted to spend our time together, and Hubby had planned to take the day off, but we knew if we didn't plan something, the day would get eaten up with our everyday routine.  One would think that we might have chosen to take it easy, spending our day doing nothing, (in between meal planning, soccer runs, and toddler tending), sipping tea and discussing our goals and dreams, but, oh, no, we chose to rip out the carpet in our bedroom and lay a new floor.  We both enjoy home improvement projects, and we decided that our anniversary was as good a time as any to treat ourselves to a new floor. When we first built our home, we laid pine floors throughout the house, but to save time and money, we installed carpet in the upstairs bedrooms (something I wish we had not done). Our bedroom was the only one still holding on to its ugly, old carpet, but it was never a priority to change it.  What a perfect time to rip that ugly thing out and treat ourselves to the luxury of a new floor!
It was a long day, and we worked hard (well, Hubby did most of the work, but I was there to cheer him on).  We did take breaks and drink tea together and discuss our plans for the farm, and that night when we fell into bed, we both agreed that it was well worth the effort.  We spent our day doing what one may not think to be celebratory, but we were together the entire day, working side by side, enjoying each other's company, a perfect anniversay if you ask me.

(Sorry about the poor before photos.  The battery on my camera inconveniently needed charging, so I had to use my phone.)

Summer Solstice

After a long winter and a wet, chilly spring, we gladly celebrated the Summer Solstice, soaking in every minute of our longest day of the year.  Annie commented on one of my recent posts saying, "You seem to have jumped almost overnight from snow to midsummer..." and that really does seem to be what happened.   We are ever so thankful for the changing seasons, and even though it seems impossible at times, summer does eventually come to our corner. The garden is planted; the flowers are blooming; the Littles are running barefoot, and the sun is setting even after the youngest ones have fallen asleep.  Summer is here, and  we welcomed its arrival by...

...finding a guinea hen nesting spot in the flower garden.  Little #8 filled two buckets full of eggs.  Someone will now have the fun job of "floating" the eggs making sure we only keep the fresh ones.

...painting our new porch.

...roasting marshmallows over a camp fire two nights in a row, even Jacob and Isaac, our Jersey oxen, were taken in by the mesmerizing crackling of the fire.

...reading books on the porch.

...puttering in the flower beds and trimming limbs on a tree near our flowering crab apple.

...picking wild flower bouquets.

...sipping iced tea and enjoying the last few days of my sister's visit.

...riding bikes.

...eating grilled chicken and ice cream.

How did you celebrate the Summer Solstice?

Joining Pumpkin Sunrise. 

Five Simple Pleasures

The past few weeks have been rather hectic here on the farm, and my blog hasn't gotten the time or attention that I would like to give it.  I'd say it almost feels neglected.  I've come to really enjoy my blog, and the lovely friends I have made through blogging, and  I look forward to slower days next week and hopefully getting back to spending a bit more time writing and catching up. 

With a late spring, many of the farm and garden chores that would have been done weeks ago have piled up, and Hubby and I are scurrying to get them done.  We finally finished planting the garden this week, with the potatoes going in just yesterday.  I'm not sure how well they will do going in so late, but we shall see.  I am praying for a late fall with an even later frost.

Although we have set aside our text books for the summer, it seems that the "free" time I was anticipating has been filled up with many other things, and after a long (but healthy) winter, the Littles have come down with and are passing around an unpleasant bout of fever, aches and a sore throat. Being sick in the summer just doesn't seem right.

Soccer camp started up this week, and two of  my sisters, one traveling half-way around the world with her three children and the other from across the country, have come home to visit. With the constant buzz of activity during the day, I literally fall into bed at night (sometimes before three or four of my children), but the tiny no-see-ums that make it through the window screen are intent at keeping me awake.  I am tired.

With my head spinning in so many directions, I decided it would be a great time to focus on five simple pleasures this beautiful month of June has offered me.

     ~ a lovely new porch for sipping morning coffee

     ~ the discovery of baby grapes on our vines

     ~ Clematis blossoms on a plant that I thought had perished

     ~ bouquets of flowers brought to me by little, chubby hands

     ~  healthy Fortex pole bean plants -- This is the first time in five years that I have ordered my seeds early enough to actually purchase the seeds for my all-time-favorite pole bean...they are always sold out by the time I order. I had a few seeds that a friend gave to me last year, but our guinea hens made a meal of the seeds shortly after I planted them.  I'm looking forward to many meal of these savoury beans.

Please, do share some of the simple pleaures that may be putting a smile on your face these days.

                                                                                                                                 

Welcome, June!

Captured by my daughter.

Captured by my daughter.

The sun shone all weekend, and I am happy, happy, happy!  We spent as much time as we could outside, soaking up all that sunny goodness, and we woke to warm sunshine again today.  I enjoyed my morning coffee outside with the birds for the first time this year.  Hubby was home with us all last week, and he started work on our new porch, something he and I have been dreaming about since first building our home. The deck is complete, and the ceiling rafters are up. Hubby is hoping to put the roof on this week.  What a perfect place to sit peacefully in the morning before the hustle-bustle of the day begins.  I look forward to many more mornings on our new porch.

Work in the vegetable gardens began this weekend.  I tilled the soil in the main garden and planted the snap peas while Hubby and the older boys worked in the squash garden, tilling and picking rocks (and a boulder or two), preparing it for our new garden plan.  We are making semi-permanent beds with pathways lined with some type of mulching material. Because we use manure in our squash garden, the weeds quickly take over, especially when the squash plants start vining out and weeding becomes more difficult. I hope that by making separate beds and permanent walkways, the smaller planting areas will be simpler to maintain, easier to weed, and only the planting areas will be fertilized.  I'm excited about the new plan and am looking forward to seeing how it works.  Now that the girls' track season is complete, I will have the luxury of more time in the gardens.  My plan is to have the main vegetable garden planted by the end of the week and spend next week planting the squash and cucumbers in the new garden beds.

A quick trip to the nursery to pick up a few seedlings (Brussels sprouts, peppers, cabbage and tomatoes) ended in a pot of sweet, yellow and purple Violas and a pack of Salvia in the loveliest shades of purple, lavender, and coral being added to the wagon.  I just can't help myself when it comes to flowers.

The crab apple trees are in full bloom; the grapes are starting to bud; the blueberries have blossomed; the cliff swallow mamas are now sitting on their little clutches of eggs, and the first lightening bug was spotted. All around us new life is springing up.  My favorite time of year has finally arrived, and I must remind myself to take deep breaths, exhale, and enjoy every moment of this lovely time of year.

Return to the Red Room

 "The red-room was a square chamber, very seldom slept in...yet it was one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion...This room was chill, because it seldom had a fire; it was silent, because remote from the nursery and kitchen; solemn, because it was known to be so seldom entered...Mrs. Reed herself, at far intervals, visited it to review the contents of a certain secret drawer in the wardrobe, where were stored divers parchments, her jewel-casket, and a miniature of her deceased husband; and in those last words lies the secret of the red-room--the spell which kept it so lonely in spite of its grandeur...All looked colder and darker in that visionary hollow than in reality..."  Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, (my favorite novel)


So we are returning to my red room, and, as you can see, I have not painted it yet.  I loved reading all of your comments in response to my post about wanting to change the color, but one comment, in particular, stood out to me and made me pause and ponder whether or not I really wanted to delete the red.  Annie from Knitsofacto wrote...

"I rather like your red piano room ... there is so much pale painted wood or whatever in there that it balances the red, which in turn adds to the richness of all those books and your lovely piano. This is possibly going to sound daft and presumptive, but maybe wait until all the snow has gone and your eyes adjust from living in a sea of white before you make any decisions?"

Annie has a lovely blog in which her artistic beauty shines through in her photography and yarn dyeing. She also posts a lovely Color Collaborative post each month, and I especially like the one she did for March. Her experience with color made her comment even more thought-provoking. I asked Hubby to hold off on buying the paint, and I decided to take Annie's advice and wait a bit before making the change. I spring cleaned the room by washing the windows, vacuuming the cobwebs, wiping down the walls and trim, dusting the bookshelves and sorting through the books, donating the ones we no longer wanted to keep.  I removed the storage boxes from the top of the shelves and decluttered the top of the piano, replacing the dusty, old, dried hydrangeas with a few fresh twigs from the yard.  I hung a pair of sheer curtains that I already had in one window to see if I liked them in the room before purchasing new ones. I was afraid they might make the room feel heavier, but they do just the opposite.  The curtains seem to tone down the red and give the room a much lighter, airier feeling, and they diffuse the light perfectly, giving the room a softer more soothing effect. (By the way, did you notice the open window?  Saturday was a pleasantly warm, almost spring-like day. Now if we could just get rid of some snow.)  I think I would prefer the curtains to be a bit less "fluffy", and am leaning towards cotton gauze, maybe in tab top, like these.  What do you think?

I would LOVE your input!  Should I paint?  Should I leave the red?  Curtains?  No curtains? Should I slip-cover the chair?  If so, what color would you choose? I would love to know what YOU would do.  Did cleaning and decluttering the room make a difference or does it really need a color make-over?  

A New Color

Captured by my daughter.

Captured by my daughter.

Captured by my daughter.

Captured by my daughter.

Captured by my daughter.

Happy Monday to you all.  I hope you enjoyed your weekend.  I am noticing on several of my favorite blogs that spring has sprung for many, but, unfortunately, no signs of spring are evident here at Front Forty Farm. The sun is shining, though, and its warmth is causing the snow on the roof to melt and drip...a tiny step, at least, in the right direction.  I'm trying to stay positive when I look out my windows and see eight foot snow banks lining our driveway and the thick white blanket that has covered everything.  "It will melt...it's excellent fertilizer for my gardens...it will melt...spring will come...it will melt..."I must keep telling myself this and remembering the fact, a blogger friend so kindly reminded me of a few days ago, that the extended winter is simply allowing me more time for those inside projects. So...I am trying to make the best of being cooped up and get some things done that I have wanted to do for quite some time.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I am recovering from an overload of red in our home, and the next spot I want to fix is our piano room.  At one time this was my favorite room in the house with its bright red walls and white trim, but now, I believe, it is my least favorite.  It is cluttered and heavy and anything but soothing. I want to give it a fresh makeover, painting the walls a calming shade of bluish-gray. Just the names of the colors I'm leaning towards usher in a sense of calm...Breezy, Dockside Blue, Comfort Gray, and Silvermist. Don't you agree?  A fresh coat of white paint for the bookshelves and trim, white gauze curtains for the windows, and a slip cover and new cushion for the chairs will give this room the airy, spring-like feel that I am craving.   I'm also planning to de-clutter.  I plan on lightening the load on the bookshelves...enough so that the top shelves are open, allowing for the pretty new paint color to show above them; displaying only our favorite photos on the piano, and getting rid of the heavy decorations (i.e...the vase of dried hydrangeas).  I can't wait to get started. It's a big project, I know, but it will keep me occupied for at least a couple of weeks; and hopefully when it's complete, I will be able to step outside my door in my garden clogs with pea seeds in hand ready to dive into my favorite time of year.