Traditions

Last year I heard a speaker talk about traditions and how they keep a family joined together. It was an interesting topic and the more I thought about it the more I could see that it is true. I have great memories of one time events as a kid, but it's the things we did every year that keep me wanting to continue to connect with my family still. I miss those Thanksgivings that we all spent at my grandparents farm, the Christmas eve parties, and decorating gingerbread houses among others.

One of the points this speaker made was that kids will look for ways to connect with family as they grow up. If we give them those traditions then, as they develop into teenagers, there will still be a link back to their family. And, as parents we will covet those precious few connections we have with our kids. 

It's hard to believe now, when my kids are 9 and (almost) 4, that there will ever be a time that they don't want to talk my ear off. But, I hope when that day comes we will have instituted enough traditions to keep them still wanting to take part in family life.

So, this last year I put in an effort to restarting some old traditions and also to come up with some new ones too. 

Gingerbread houses are one of those old traditions that I chose to keep around. I have pictures of me as a small child (age 5 or so) decorating them. And now, I have pictures of my kids too.

I want to share our family's recipe that we use for gingerbread houses. This is the recipe that my mom used when I was little. I hope you can start some wonderful traditions too!

Taking a break from playing outside, my kids were excited for the gingerbread houses to come out of the oven.

Here you can see the pattern cut, but not out of the pan yet.

All set up to decorate!

The houses all done and ready to start munching on.

Yields two gingerbread houses

Ingredients

1 1/2 C butter at room temperature

1 1/2 C brown sugar

1 T ground cloves

1/2 C water

2 T cinnamon

4 t ginger

1 T baking soda

5 C flour

I use a KitchenAid mixer, it makes it so much easier. Cream butter and brown sugar add water. Mix dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture.

Divide into 2 equal portions. With a well floured rolling pin roll each portion evenly over a greased (or parchment paper lined) 12 x 15 baking sheet. 

Bake at 300 for 15 minutes. Remove and cut house pattern. Remove pattern and return sheet to the oven, continue baking for another 12 minutes. Cool in the pan to allow the pieces to harden. Remove to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

To build house: "glue" house together with Royal Icing

Ingredients

2 large egg whites

2 2/3 C powdered sugar

Whisk together egg whites and sugar. Beat on high until icing holds stiff peaks. *use quickly as it hardens to something akin to a diamond. You can store it covered with a wet towel or in a sealed ziplock bag. 

You can easily make a house pattern or find them on the web. The house pattern shown is our basic one that I grew up with. Over the years we have done several different ones. A castle, an airplane hanger, even a pub one year!

Here is a great site. They have free patterns or some that are a bit more detailed for a small cost.

http://www.ultimategingerbread.com

As a note, my son is highly sensitive to artificial color and flavor. So the candy we use is all natural. As is the icing. Though, we have never had a problem, if you are concerned about the raw egg in the icing you can use Wilton's Meringue Powder. Easily found at cake decorating stores and many craft stores as well.

I wish you luck in starting your own traditions!

Remembering

I am a mish-mash of many different people. I don't know if it is normal or if I am unusual in that. With a fractured family tree there are many many branches.

This last weekend I flew back to say goodbye to my grandmother, Mur.

I became part of her family through marriage. Not mine. My Dad's. When I was six I gained a step-family. Soon after the wedding in Texas I went with this new part of my family to Oklahoma to visit my step-mom's parents. I did not know at the time the impact they would have on me.

I'm not even sure I realized until very recently the truly full impact. Of course I saw it in my involvement with horses. As I visited the farm this last trip, I walked the paddock where I rode for the first time. I ran my hand along the welded pipe fencing that I climbed over and through so many times over the years. That impact on my life was easy to see. There were things that were deeper that are just now coming to the surface.

The paddock where I first learned to ride.

It wasn't until I sat there during the funeral service that I started counting the ways Mur has influenced my life. My recipe book is filled with "from Mur" recipes. My children watch (and will soon help!) me snap green beans. When we have beans and cornbread I always serve it with pear relish (a "from Mur" recipe) that I have canned myself (just as she did). Growing a garden...Snickerdoodles... Red Velvet Cake... Goulash... And the list goes on.

But, it's not just the physical actions in which I see my grandmother. The real impact from her was with the acceptance and inclusion. Whether or not you were family, you were family. I felt it in a very real way when I knew without a doubt that I would be welcome at their house always. Even after my dad and step-mom split.

During my first trip to the farm after the divorce of my dad and step-mom, Mur pulled me aside and reiterated that I was family, no matter what.

The pear tree where Mur would send me if I wanted pear cobbler. -which I always did!

I usually spent about a month in Oklahoma in the summer. There was always someone extra at the dinner table - and if you are from the south you know that by "dinner" I mean the middle of the day meal. Mur came from the generation that always extended an invitation to whomever was around after church.

I learned hospitality from Mur, and how to serve a big group.

If I were to ask my grandparents why they were the way they were, I know the answer I would get. They would look at me and say, "Because that is what God calls us to." They really believed that and lived what they believed every. single. day.

The "Back 80".  The best place ever for a girl and a horse. It has about 60 acres of open space. 

Mur and Pa might not have taught me the subtleties of theology, but they did teach me simple faith. That lesson has carried me through many hard times. Sometimes it doesn't matter whether I am a Calvinist or a Wesleyan; whether I believe in predestination or not. Sometimes it is just enough to know that Jesus loves me. That is what Mur taught me. Over and over at the funeral service I heard how Mur wanted everyone to know that Jesus loved them.

I will always be grateful for the wonderful memories and for the things that I learned in Oklahoma. This last weekend I walked through the 200+ acres that comprised the farm. As I walked I had so many sweet memories come back to me. Everywhere I looked I remembered being on horseback. I rode several different horses over the years and each had it's own season. One horse I rode up and down the creek and through most of the treed areas. Another horse was the first one I ever swam. That was a fun experience. There was the horse I jumped and the horse that dumped and drug me. I saw the pond that I learned to fish in.


Good memories!

The pond I first swam a horse. The water is super low this year.

  The creek bed that I used to ride up and down. Again, super low on water.

So, when birthdays come around I will continue to make red velvet cakes. I will add bread crumbs when I saute vegetables.

And, I will strive to show the hospitality that was modeled for me.

Oklahoma red dirt

When I think of dessert at the farm I think of Mur's scotch cake. I have no idea how it got its name, but it was always yummy.

Mur's Scotch Cake

2 C Flour

2 C Sugar

1 Stick Butter (1/2 C)

4 T cocoa powder

1 C water

1 t Cinnamon

1/2 C Buttermilk

1 t Vanilla

2 Eggs

1 t Soda

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and soda in a bowl. In a sauce pan mix butter, water and cocoa. Bring to a boil. Pour cocoa mixture into flour mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Icing

1 stick butter (1/2 C)

6 T milk

4 T cocoa

1 box powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

In a sauce pan bring butter, cocoa and milk to a boil. Add other ingredients. Mix well pour over warm cake.

Wordless Wednesday

Farm Blog

I will no longer be blogging about the farm here. Instead I will be blogging about our farm at http://washingtonfarmerchick.blogspot.com/ Come see the animals there!

Finley

Bella had her baby on Sunday evening. And, it's a girl!

Meet Finley! 

It was quite exciting. Sunday morning I got up and checked Bella and found that she had "lost" her ligaments. There are two ligaments that run diagonally from just above the tail. When those loosen enough that you can no longer feel them then delivery will be within 24 hours. So I got my kit and pulled up a chair. And waited, and waited, and waited. She was showing signs of early labor off and on all day until about 5pm when her stage 2 labor started and she was ready to deliver.

My concern was that Bella would only have one kid thus making for a larger baby for her first delivery. Unfortunately I was right. When a doe kids you want to see little hooves first followed quickly by a nose (or two back feet). We only saw a little nose. The baby's feet were tucked back. I gave her a few minutes to see if she was going to be able to deliver, but it appeared that the baby was stuck. I was able to go in and find one foot and gently pull that one forward, but I couldn't find the other front foot. The foot was straight back. A doe can deliver that way and Bella probably could have delivered if it had been twins (because chances are they would have been smaller), but with the baby being bigger her shoulder was caught on Bella's pelvic bone. I ended up sliding my hand along the top of Finley and down over her shoulder during a contraction and dislodging the shoulder and allowing her to slide on out.

There were a few tense moments, but it was wonderful to see a healthy baby doeling slide out and see Bella get right to work cleaning her up. Bella was a little bit of an overzealous mom. All she did was lick Finley and Finley couldn't get close enough to eat. We had to hold Bella to let Finley eat the first couple of times. They have now both settled in and are doing well now.

Here are some pictures of the delivery (*warning, they are a bit graphic)...






Here I am trying to find the feet

Here I've found one foot and the head is out. We couldn't get past this point until I dislodged the shoulder.

Here is Bella cleaning up Finley. I dried off the major goo and cleaned up around the nose and mouth, but let Bella do the rest. It was a nice warm sunny day, so I wasn't worried about Finley getting too cold in the process. 

First time up on her feet! It was hard to stand with that much licking from mom.

Holding Bella while Finley got her first drink.

My mom and her husband were over for the big event. The original plan was to let the kids watch, but when the birth didn't go as planned my Mom took the kids inside and kept them busy (Thanks, Mom!) until we were sure that everything was going to turn out ok. Here is my son meeting Finley for the first time.

Finley at 2 hours old.

The plan is to keep Finley and breed her when she gets close to 1 year old. After all that work I don't think I could sell her anyway. She is exactly what we wanted (and she has ears!)

The Goats

Meet our two goats, Penelope and Bellatrix.

Penelope (Penny) is full Nigerian Dwarf and Bellatrix (Bella) is a mix. She is 1/2 Nigerian Dwarf, 1/4 Nubian, and 1/4 Lamancha (from which she gets her lack of ears).

Side story on how Bella got her name. We tried a ton of different names for her but couldn't settle on one so she remained unnamed. My son and I are currently reading through the Harry Potter series. Those of you who have read it or seen the movies might recognize the name. Bella came to be known as she-who-has-not-been-named. Since we couldn't bring ourselves to name her Voldemort we decided on the next best one, Bellatrix.

The original plan was to get two Nigerian Dwarf does. Well, actually, the original plan was to get one doe, but it seems that goats do not like to be only children. I have been wanting a goat for awhile. Why? Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe it goes along with my personality trait that likes to say shocking things just to get a reaction from people. Goats are different and unique. And strange. Especially in the fact that we live in a neighborhood. We are the only farm on the block.

For my husband it was much more like boiling a frog in a pot. I had voiced my desire to get a goat but never thought it would happen. And, he was PERFECTLY FINE THANK YOU VERY MUCH that it would never happen. Until, one day at work, someone mentioned the fact that there were goats about to give birth and the kids would be needing homes. He made the mistake of showing a little interest and getting me the contact info. Those goats didn't work out for us, but they certainly broke the ice.

So, off to Craigslist I went. I found this super-cute 2 year old Nigerian Dwarf doe (Penny) for sale, and after purchasing her I left her at the farm to be bred. Penny hung around there for a couple of weeks, but no action was happening between her and the buck. I was going to leave her longer. Unfortunately the timing of bringing the two goats home didn't quite coincide.

With my inability to stay well and clear of all things goat on Craigslist, I found a bred 1 year old that caught my eye. So I drug my sister-in-law with me to take a look (thanks, Kim!). Bella is due to kid any day (more specifically, she was due yesterday). On a side note, it just might kill me. All this waiting and checking and waiting and checking and waiting.

Here is a pick of the very pregnant Bella taken on her due date (yesterday. Hear that Bella? Yesterday. Get with it girl!).

Bella came home Friday and by Sunday we decided that we NEEDED to have another goat with her. She was only quiet when someone was with her. For our sanity, and the need to have happy neighbors, we went to pick up a non-bred Penny.

The plan is to milk them. We will start a few weeks after Bella gives birth and hopefully she will milk for a solid 9 months. This is her first freshening (fancy goat term for giving birth), so we don't know how great a milker she will be yet. Nigerian Dwarf is a dwarf breed (duh), but Nubian and Lamancha are both full size goat breed that give more milk than a dwarf (because they are bigger. Rocket science isn't it). We are hoping to get 1/2 - 3/4 gallon of milk a day from Bella. Penny should give around  1/4 - 1/2 gallon a day. We will probably breed her for a baby early next year so that our milk supply is constant.

Bella has been bred to a Nigerian Dwarf buck. So the baby(s) will be 3/4 Nigerian Dwarf, 1/8 each Nubian and Lamancha. I admit, I'm hoping for ears on the kids. ;-) Here is a pic of the buck.

He's kinda cute, as far as bucks go.

Since we are doing this on a normal neighborhood lot we have had to get somewhat creative for housing. We picked the side yard directly out my kitchen window for the goat run. Here it is before any work. You can see my trash can compost bin. This is also the area where the bunny hutch is and the first of my raised garden beds and my potato bed (?) bin (?). Whatever. The thing I'm growing my potatoes in this year.

Here it is the day we brought Bella home. I found a huge dog house (again, thanks to Craigslist) that I painted up to match all the rest of our buildings. It works great for the two goats.

My wonderful husband has recently taught me how to use all our power tools, so between us we put in quite a usable gate.

Here is the front of the dog-house-turned-goat-house. I opened up the opening for the door (power tools - whoo hoo!) and added an extra hay area above for some rainy day munching.

There you have it. Our goat adventure begins. 

Soon to come, baby goat pictures (if she ever gets on the stick and delivers!)

Suburban Farming

Our little farm is really taking off. Our chickens are happy and healthy. They love running around the yard. We live on 1/3 acre so we have a good sized back yard. Now that the chickens have explored around they pretty much stay in the back half of the back yard. It took me about a week of chasing them off of my porch before they got the idea and now they rarely come up to the house. Unless the kids have some sort of treat and the chickens are looking for a hand out. We have really noticed that there are way fewer bugs this spring. We are pretty sure it is thanks to the chickens.

This last weekend we picked out a goat! Penelope (we will probably call her Penny) is a 2 year old Nigerian Dwarf doe. She is currently staying at the place that we bought her from to be bred. Hopefully she will go into heat soon and take on the first cycle and we can bring her home at the end of June. Otherwise they will keep her another month and try again. This will be her first time as a mama. If all works out as we are hoping that we will have kids around the first of November and we will be able to start milking her.

This last week I went by the natural foods store and picked up a small container of raw goats milk and did a blind taste test for my family. We couldn't tell the difference between our regular cows milk and the goat milk. That bodes well for getting my family to switch over to the goat milk. We are currently paying $9 (!) a gallon for local raw jersey cow milk. So, we should be able to break even with our goat. That's the hope anyway.

I've been told that we need to keep 2 goats for them to be happy. We are going to try the one and see how it goes. If she has a hard time adjusting then we will get her a friend sooner. Otherwise we will plan on keeping one of the kids next Fall.

I am finding that I am a farm girl at heart. I am loving the changes around the "homestead". I am also finding that while I am fairly natural with the animals and feel very confident with their care my thumb is not quite as green as I would like it to be. We are trying square foot gardening this year in our first raised bed. Our plan is to continue with the CSA through this summer and hope that next summer we can raise all our own veggies.

We are trying to stay with heirloom seeds that we can harvest the seeds and reuse them next year. Lofty ambitions! So in our backyard we have red and gold raspberries, potatoes (yukon gold, russet, red, and blue - planted in a round wire cylinder - see above photo), rainbow carrots, lettuce mix, herbs, cucumbers, and tomatoes (still inside until we get some more warmth). We may even get some grapes off our vines this year. We will see. My husband and my mom's husband (thanks Ray!) are in the process of building an arbor over our patio for the grapes. Our vines have taken a beating, so I'm not sure how well they will come back this year. But we do have a couple of buds, so we are hopeful.

Spring is here! And Summer is just around the corner. I am so excited about this season.

It's all about the timing

Over time I've realized that much of life can be summed up by horseback riding illustrations. Most recently, my son. Or more specifically, my actions toward my son.

I love him dearly, mostly. Early last week, after asking a few questions and watching my kids for 15 minutes,  my son's pediatrician offered me Ritalin (for my son, not for me - I get wine).

I've tried many parenting approaches that I've gotten from friends and/or books but nothing has really worked. We have taken him completely off of artificial color and flavor which has helped a lot. But not enough. We have seen glimpses of the amazing person our son can be (and let me tell you, he is amazing!), but nothing lasting longer than a few minutes here or there. It is so frustrating.

Since I have more of a tendency to try the natural approaches I started reading about options. One of the books I picked up was Ritalin Is Not The Answer. Love it. Surprisingly it has very little to do with Ritalin. He explains why we should not use this particular class of drugs on our children, but most of the book is a new look at parenting and discipline. Especially for those kids that tend to have the ADD/ADHD behavior patterns.

I've ridden horses for 30 years and my passion is dressage. One of the keys to getting a horse to do what you want is timing. If you squeeze your left leg when the horse's left hind leg is on the ground the horse will push off with more impulsion and you will have more power going forward. But, if you squeeze when the horse's leg is in the air, the horse will step further forward and you will get a longer stride, thus extending the gait. It's all about the timing.

Reading this book I'm realizing that, parenting is all about the timing. The first step in the process the book lays out is positive reinforcement. This is a key point and one that, if left out, will hinder (or completely ruin) the outcome. But, it must be done at the right time. We must reaffirm our children when they are acting in a pleasing manner. Shocking I know! But seriously how many times do I not actually do that. For example, when my child is falling apart and puddling (those times when they are a mess on the floor), I see it as a time when I need to let them know that I love them, but that their actions are not okay. When, in fact, I should not give them my attention. And, certainly not tell them that I love them. This is a good time for a time out.

On the other hand, any (and every!) time that they are doing anything positive I should comment and complement them. We started this pointed positive feedback with my son last week and within a couple of days we started to see quite a difference. My first fear was that we would create kids that believe that our love is conditional. Instead, what I'm finding is that my son is getting more confident and secure in our love. He is also becoming proud of what he can accomplish instead of believing that he will just naturally misbehave.

Now, lest you think that in the past we have never said anything nice to our children, let me clear this up. I have always been a believer in being positive with my kids. I am just finding out that I haven't been doing it at the right time. I have now become more immediate and more sensitive to their actions at the time of the positive reinforcement and I am getting different results. It's all about the timing.

The second step is the discipline piece. Basically this is a time out, but done in such a way as to use the child's boredom against them. It is working beautifully.

I found myself a little misty eyed this weekend as I realized that, for the first time in months (if not years!), I was really really enjoying my children. Not just making it through the day with them. In fact, I even pushed my son's bedtime back because I was enjoying having him around so much.

We have only been doing this for a few days (we started the time out phase on Saturday). So, we will see how this plays out long term and I'm sure there will be rough days and battles ahead. Yet, for the first time I feel like I have something that really works for my son.

If you catch it...

My son went fishing a couple of weeks ago. I told him, "If you catch it, I will cook it."

We had a wonderful trout dinner that night.

Pinterest

It has been crazy busy here. My children have seen every one of their grandparents within a six week time frame. And, with the amount of fractures in our family trees, that means lots of separate family visits. Plus we fit in a nasty flu for my son and a head cold for me. It was a scheduling miracle.

Realizing that I needed more time I went searching for ways to fit a few more minutes into my day.

So I had this great idea that if I gave up Facebook it would give me enough time to blog. What I failed to realize is that I am still the mom of small children that create a mountain of laundry every 15 minutes and need a five course meal every 30 minutes. Facebook fits nicely into the 5 minute time slots. Blogging, not so much. Then, when I got sick and had to take it easy I was introduced to Pinterest. Oh, dear. It filled those 5 minute slots nicely (and then some).

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. Hate it because it makes me feel like I should be working out all the time and eating amazing desserts while doing it. And, I feel like my decorating is insufficient. And my nail polish isn't creative enough. I love it because, well, um. Hmm, I'm not sure why. Oh, because it has redeemed itself with a few good project ideas.

Like the time I came across the rugs that people were painting. I realized that they were actually going out and BUYING! the ugly rugs that I had sitting in my garage (I bought them from IKEA because we needed a cheep rug at one time but I hated them and so they were relegated to the farthest reaches of our currently very messy garage).

So I excavated the rug and, look how nice it turned out! Thanks Pinterest (I hate you slightly less).

Spring continues to inch forward. We are trying a new idea for gardening this summer. Again, Pinterest inspired. We were going to try raised beds but couldn't agree on where to put them. Then I came across the idea of planting directly into straw. I'll keep you posted on how it works. We sign up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) we decided to start small with our home garden and only plant what we could not find easily. So we are planting 3 different types of heirloom tomatoes and 3 different types of rainbow carrots. Plus herbs and potatoes. Our potatoes are going into a round straw/dirt cylinder made out of wire fencing.

I think my extended family is starting a betting pool to see how many of my new projects actually produce anything edible.

Here is a photo of the bales of straw hanging out and mellowing to be ready to plant our seedlings in. I hope, if they ever sprout. I am trying to grow from seed in my kitchen window.

I have the bales on their sides (strings go around from top to bottom instead of around the sides) to retain moisture. The web sites I looked at had differing opinions on this. Some said to have them cut side up (the end that does not have the strings you can see distinct cut ends of the straw). But all agreed that if you have them cut side up you loose a lot of water. So, we will see how it works having them on their sides.

And, finally, a random kid photo. We did Easter photos, so here is a super cute one of my kids...

Adrenal Fatigue

Cold season is upon us. Unfortunately, I have been laid low with a doozy of a head/chest cold.

Several years ago my health had all my (many) doctors wondering what was wrong with me. The two main symptoms were fatigue and hives. I was treated for many different things. Between my Naturopaths and my regular western medicine doctors no one could figure out what was going on.

The conclusion  that was finally reached (after 9 months of one drug and/or natural cure after another) was that I suffer from Adrenal Fatigue and Epstein-Barr.

Adrenal fatigue is when the adrenal glands (just above the kidneys) start to get sluggish and don't react as quickly as they need to. Mainly the problem is wonky cortisol. Cortisol is what gets us out of bed in the morning. If the body doesn't produce it when it is supposed to then we don't have the energy to get going in the morning. But, the body often kicks into gear later and then the cortisol is high in the evening when we are supposed to be winding down. Cortisol also helps deal with stresses of everyday and is the body's natural antihistamine.

When the adrenal glands get stressed then their ability to produce cortisol is diminished and the body picks up the slack with adrenaline. It's like using a sledgehammer to drive a penny nail. The body needs more cortisol when under stress - emotional or physical (as in sickness). Eventually the adrenal glands give out and give up.

 Epstein-Barr is basically the virus that causes Mono. It can flair up again when under stress. That is a simplified version, but provides a good generalization.

There is some great information out there on the web about both Adrenal Fatigue and Epstein-Barr. The best Adrenal info I've found is at http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ .

The hives resolved after about a year, but the fatigue still continues. I notice it most when I get some sort of regular flu/cold. It just takes me much longer to recover.

My case was fairly advanced and will take at least a year more for my body to recover. I was able to find a doctor that would work with me (most western medicine doctors won't recognize adrenal fatigue as an actual problem).

Here are a few things that we have changed in response to my health:

1. Try to eat food that will spoil. It needs to grow from the ground or eat things that are grown from the ground (ex. grass raised beef). The less processing the better. Through this I have come to realize how crazy our food supply is. More specifically, how many foods we eat that are non-foods and that have non-food origins.

2. Raw milk. Controversial (even among my extended family), but we have been drinking it for well over a year now and are happy with the results.

3. Sleep. For me, more is better. I strive to be in bed at 9pm. Doesn't always happen. In fact, with small children it rarely happens, but it makes a huge difference in how I feel if I can get early sleep. The adrenal glands rebuild at night starting between 10pm and 11pm.

4. Finally being okay with letting people down. Or thinking I'm letting them down. I want to say "yes" to everyone and everything. I can't and still physically survive. It's a good lesson. I don't have an over abundance of energy to spare making decisions that will leach away energy. I must be very careful to what I commit.

5. Listen carefully for God's voice. (Among other things, it keeps me from over-committing)

Having a chronic illness changes life. Some thing for the better and some things for the worse. I hope that this will not be chronic for life, but only for a season. It feels like I have had a 2 year winter. I am ready for Spring. Oh, so ready!

Chicks

A few weeks ago we got baby chicks. They were about 24 hours old when we brought them home.

There will be more pictures coming as we start on this adventure. But, for today I wanted to share the cuteness.

Signs of Spring

I love those first few offerings of crushed Dandy Lions from precious little hands. That, to me, is the first sign of Spring.

This year I need Spring like I have never needed it before. Not just physical Spring either. I need emotional and spiritual Spring. It has been a long winter, especially in my soul.

I've thought long and hard on what to do with this blog. I miss writing, and it is the cheapest therapy I know of. So, I'm back to blogging. I've missed it here.

It's been over two years since I last posted. And, it has been a long and often times painful two years. So much has happened. So much has changed.

I got super sick and the doctors couldn't figure it out. Nine months into it we found out that I have adrenal fatigue and Epstein-Barr. I still struggle with them, but am slowly healing. I will share more in upcoming posts.

For now, as I look around and see the first hint of my tulips, the pink blooms on the cherry tree and the sweet, grubby hands of my kids filled with sunny yellow flowers I believe that Spring is coming and that my soul will be renewed and sing again.

I'm looking forward to blogging about our new adventures. We are becoming urban farmers! We are starting to plan on some garden beds and we currently have baby chickens in a rubbermaid tub in the garage. I'm not sure we really know what we are doing, but it should be fun to find out.

It's good to be back!