Their Mother

The Wild Children outside, hair flying, untied and unkempt, too long even.
Climbing the tree with the ivy hanging down.  Little one yelling and now crying.
Neighbors wondering -- then sighing. A yell of frustration and then muffled whining.
Isn't there school today? Yes, but this crew is feeling free and loose. Mother is
biding her time til the next door flung open-wide ends her quiet space inside.
Boys scheming, sister longing, wishing and resigning. Not big enough to stay
and play, moping whimpering - sent away.
Whose are these? the wild children belong to ease.

A Walk on a Wintry Day

The morning was bright and crisp, but I stayed inside with a feverish child.  My early workout beckoned ~ I could not come.  And I was off to such a great new years start too!  Redemption for the lost plans came mercifully, through a friends invitation for a walk in the country.  It was very cold but also dreamy.  We walked briskly, enjoying the most picturesque views of fields, hills, mountains and sunset in all directions, chatting all the way!  It was pure grace for my winter weary soul!

How do you embrace winter in all it holds?

The Duldrums

Well January is here!

He came in with all the clarity & beauty a clear morning can muster (appropriate to begin a new year) and switched over quickly to the drizzly drippy grey.  (January is a he in my mind, in case anyone was wondering;)

He is not beautiful, but matter of fact, no nonsense & every bit down to earth.  I do need this...  along with all the pretty stuff of those lighter seasons.  I need the balance to all that's sweetness and bright.

But, my oh my, does it make my bed look like a comforting retreat to smooth out the rough edges.

The poor chickens in the pasture - nobody wants to go down to them.

And the hungry wood stove?  We are all hard-pressed to keep it filled.

It's just soooo cold...

Oh summer where art thou?

Top 5 Favorites of a Country Christmas

There is nothing better than spending Christmas in the country.   Here are a few reasons it's the best!

1.  The neighbor down the street who decorates his house to look just like a real gingerbread house!

2.  The Christmas parade down the middle of the main street with familiar faces and so much festivity!

3.  A show in the big city is such a magical treat, yet as we drive back into the country, the fields open and we heave a sigh of relief to be nearly home and tucked away from all the hustle and bustle (mainly traffic!).

4.  It's a simple affair without too much pretense, simply homey!

5.  Our neighbors are still so neighborly!  A sweet great grandmother who lives next door brings Monkey Bread for our Christmas morning, such a treat!

What sort of Christmas do you prefer?  Whatever it may be ~
Wishing you a Merry & Bright One!
Olivia

Ah, Country Life

The view is different out my windows lately.  The leaves are gone from the trees expanding the deep horizon so I can now see the Olympics way off in the distance.  The garden sits exposed with bare earth since I haven't finished mulching.  Already I miss my fingers in the soil.  Everything is earthy damp and decaying.  My eyes search over the landscape for subtle changes, something new to look at.

I imagine myself going out and lying down, joining the earth in this deep long pause.

Our home is preparing for holiday but my heart is preparing for winter.  Days indoors, cozy fires in the hearth, hobbies for our hands, books for our thoughts.  Little trips into town but mostly simple at home life, quiet, slow and real.  A little too slow for some of us even.  It may not always be so but for now it's the gist of our country life.

Life on a Budget

I have definetly caught the budgeting bug!

I swear to you for the first time in my life I actually look forward to getting our bills each month.  Can you believe it?  I know, me either.

We have been working hard to keep our heat turned down, our wood stove cranked up, lights off and spending to a minimum.  Our children are adjusting as they at first couldn't understand why we just don't run out for ice cream or a new sweater or .... "fill in the blank" like we used to.  I have reduced my drive thru coffee habit - down to about once every two months.  Scott has trimmed his eating out budget to a fraction of what it used to be.

Here are the top reasons I am so thankful for our new budget:
1.  I feel like a grown up.
2.  It has caused me to be more organized with paperwork than ever before.  I even know what we paid for utilities for the past 2 years so I can have an idea what to actually budget for each month!
3.  We can be more purposeful in our giving!!!
4.  Choosing where to spend our money is empowering!
5.  We can make our dollars stretch farther when we respect them more!
6.   Prioritizing our personal expenses means nothing truly important gets left out at the expense of something less important!
7.  I am more thankful for the conveniences and goods we exchange our money for - heat, services rendered, internet and more.

For our family being thrifty and purposeful during the winter months is absolutely essential as our business slows way down from the full and bustling summer and fall.  While we have more time together we have much less money to spend, it's feast or famine!  I will take the family time and enjoy it more when I realize we  have prepared well!

How about your family - do you budget?  What are your tips and tricks to staying on track?


I use Dave Ramsey's online budget worksheets printed right off of his website for free in order to make a monthly budget.  

Impromptu Harvest Party

An at home day, with no soccer for the first Saturday in months, we weren't sure quite what to do with ourselves!  Inspired by Kelle Hampton, I had the idea to throw a midday harvest party with our friends.  It's actually the ONLY way I am willing to host parties!  There is no pressure ahead of time which always takes away the fun (for me).

So we bundled up - it's quite cold here!  And headed down to our favorite produce stand for some treats to share.  Tracy's produce stand is one of our family's favorite outings because it's so festive and seasonal.

We grabbed a bag of kettle corn, tortilla chips, apples, mandarins, fall flavored taffies, caramel dip, chocolate covered pretzels, fresh cider and an apple cider scented candle.  Yum!  We already had the pumpkins for decor at home so nothing needed there!  The kids gathered and strung some leaves for a kind of banner over the window!  So cute, so simple.

We just needed friends!  Our neighbor friends came and my friend Noelle with her little girls! We had just the right amount of children and grown ups for a simple gathering!  With the frosty chill the little ones played outside in the leaves and yard just for a short time but inside was warm with our woodstove crackling!  What a lovely cozy day after all!

Pumpkin Harvest Fall 2012

We planted our first pumpkin patch this year!  It was both a success and a, hmmm... learning experience?  This garden was primarily weeds until we smothered it in used chicken bedding and black plastic long enough to kill the weeds.  Then we removed the plastic and added nice new soil and compost.  After that I planted corn, beans and pumpkin seeds.   Like a Three Sisters Garden only there is a timing catch to that kind of plan I think.  Either that or the squash shouldn't be pumpkin vines which grew quickly and expansively and took over the whole patch.  There was no delicious corn to savor and no beans either.  But, we did harvest about 40 pumpkins in all sizes and several colors from our 16x16' space.  Having the patch was also fun for the children who spent time picking out their favorites and divvying up the bounty.

Potager & making old weed patches useful again

Here is a little corner of the potager with zucchini, potatoes, asparagus, beans & peas growing.  The large flowering plant in the back is celery from last year that has gone to seed - I'm going to try collecting and saving them even though they may be sterile.  They were from nursery starts last spring.  Even if they don't grow it was lovely to enjoy their seedheads in the garden while they lasted. I also have carrot seeds to save this year from last years remaining carrots - those will be good as they were from heirloom seeds to begin with.
Out of all my hobbies, potager gardening is by far my favorite!  I love the process of creating a beautiful garden that produces fresh delicious and nutritious produce to feed our family & friends.  It's so incredibly rewarding to eat what we have grown - even though I know I cannot take full credit.  It's up to the sun and the rain and the cycle of life that our creator so graciously lavishes upon the earth to sustain us and it! 
I also just planted a corn, bean & pumpkin patch in another garden area down by the pasture.  The corn was from starts (we got a late start) as we just finished preparing the ground - it used to be a weed patch after years of going to seed.  In order to make it useful again we cut the weeds down, layered old newspapers over the top, next I layered used chicken bedding and covered with black plastic.  We left the garden this way for about 3-4 months and then covered it with new top soil mixed with compost.  I have one more garden area that I am starting this same treatment on so that in the fall I can plant a cover crop and have it ready next spring hopefully. 
One of my goals with gardening is not spending much money on it.  We have chickens who provide fertilizer and straw to amend garden beds.  We also have lots of ashes from our wood stove, fireplace, barbecue & fire pit.  Another free amendment is used coffee grounds and tea leaves (I supplement by taking bags from Starbucks of their used coffee grounds since ours isn't enough).  Some of the neighbors save their newspapers for me too.  I'm learning to save seeds and I usually start most of the plants from seed directly into the garden.  It just doesn't make much sense to me to spend a lot of money on the garden since it doesn't take long before you could have bought all that produce much more cheaply!
My absolute favorite time of day is in the evening when the sun is starting to go down.  I wander down to the chicken coop to gather eggs, take food scraps & fill waters.  Then I make my way back up watering the gardens and checking to see how they grow.  It's quiet and peaceful and I feel alive and present in the moment.  I know, some garden experts say to water in the morning and sometimes I do but it's such a good way to wind down the day I can't stop myself! 
How does your garden grow?
Blessings,
Olivia

Thinking Local

Hi there!  Since spring has only started in the way that makes March weather completely unpredictable (including snow, hail, rain wind & sun in the same day) - I have done some more winter reading instead of the gardening I am dying to do!  I recently read two books about eating locally and living with less Year of Plenty and Plenty.  They have me pondering just how ridiculously complex our system is for the process of securing food for our family and farm animals such as chickens. 

Today I looked into making chicken feed from scratch to supplement our mostly free-ranging chickens diet.  They are full of ingredients that I don't even know how to get and many are certainly not local.  The whole idea of eating locally requires that we eat more whole foods, know where they come from and live without many modern conveniences (such as premixed, ground and bagged feed).  It would also require eating seasonally which is very uncommon and not so easily done!

I ran into a similar problem with making soap.  While it can be made with tallow from the local butcher and lye (you still have to order lye from somewhere else unless you want to get REALLY adventurous) and the end product is considered inferior by some and offensive to others (because it isn't vegetarian).   So many handmade soaps by local artisans are made with items shipped all over the place before they meet up and are made to saponify into a lovely soap product.  This is where the romantic in me idealizes that thoughts of going back to the olden days!  So in many ways simplifying isn't so.... simple. 

The reasons I am contemplating all of these ideas are many.  I desire to spend less money, live more simply, become a better steward of the resources we have, support local farms so they don't disappear, care lovingly for the creation all around me and become more self-sufficient.  Another big reason is I want to eat and feed my family real food.  Most of the food in the stores and even in our own cupboard has a long list of ingredients that I don't know and don't believe to be real food.  Then we attempt to eat more healthfully and have chickens that then require bags of food with ingredients I again don't recognize.... so it is a process of learning how far to go with these ideas.  We actually began eating many organic, whole grain and homegrown food years ago so it has been a process we've been at for awhile.  Still,there is much more to consider! 

Any thoughts on this subject would be welcomed! 

Blessings,

Olivia

Suddenly schooling

Well, let's just say there has been a bit of a mid-course direction change around here lately.  It started with all the missed school around the holidays and then during our recent winter storms really.  Then we had a boy on our hands who just couldn't seem to transition back into the school day.  A few tearful mornings on top of a few phone calls home from teacher gave us the clue that finally our son has had enough of the traditional classroom.

It has been 3 1/2 long years in coming to be honest.  Failure to thrive.  But not on the part of anyone in particular (and especially not our son) but more along the lines of the current popular method of schooling.  It just doesn't suit everyone.  In fact, I think there are many of us it doesn't suit very well.  Don't get me wrong, our daughter loves her school, is thriving and learning and is social as a bug.  But as wonderful as school is for some it is simply painful for others. 

And so I have a new job it seems!  I am a part time teacher now and we started just this week!   Don't I seem enthusiastic?  Well...

Truthfully, this is not the plan I would have chosen for myself.  This year I thought I would have 3 older children in school and one tiny darling little helper home with me.  I thought that my husbands untraditional work schedule would mean that I would have time to work on soap & candle making, time to volunteer, and a little time to myself.  Actually, he has worked more than ever and now I have a new role I didn't expect. 

It's not what I pictured...it's taken a few days to get used to the idea...reframe my expectations.  Realize I am still much needed by the little people in our home. 

And of course then I remember this is absolutely part of the dreams I have for our family.  The hobby farming, the gardening and soap making and children raising and homeschooling are a beautiful fit in this country lifestyle we have chosen.  Most of all, it's the children who are the blessings that make everything else worthwhile.  So we will do whatever it takes to see them healthy, happy and thriving and we will in return be blessed beyond measure. 

Old House Love

On nooks and crannies... I think the English have got this right.  In our old country cottage which was built in 1927 we have many interesting features.  Some may say they are drawbacks or quirks one deals with and tries to remedy.  While I happily feel they make our little house a home.  A list of my favorite old house quirks...

* an old brick chimney in our kitchen

* a miniature linen closet built into the hallway with a small cabinet door
* a tall thin built-in bookcase on the landing on the upper floor
* a pixie sized attic door leading from the girls room into the south attic disguised with little shelving for special little girl displays
* another door in the boys room leading to the north attic (note: large attics with easy accessibility is definately another old house charm)
* a vanity in the master bedrooms closet (okay this one isn't my favorite, for one the vanity isn't pretty and for two even I would prefer a seperate bathroom from my closet)  or we could just pretend it's a dreamy "ladies dressing room" and then maybe it will seem more desirable
* a secret reading nook in the basement under the stairs

These are just a few of the little details that offer up the charm that drew me in the first place.  It's funny though sometimes I see new houses with all their gleaming shiny and convenient features and think I must be crazy.  It just takes a little while to settle back in at home and then I remember it's the imperfections that enable me to relax, cozy up with my family and not sweat all the living we do here. I don't worry about wear and tear because use and age is what makes it more beautiful!

What about you?  Old house love or all new?
Blessings,
Olivia

Apothecary

For a very long time I've been drawn to anything having to do with herbs... growing, cooking and creating with them.  Since I became interested in gardening as a young wife (with our first home) and started growing things from seeds (because it was what I could afford) I have always had herbs in my garden.  Even before that while I took some massage therapy courses I also dabbled in arometherapy. 

So as I began soul searching for a new sense of direction recently, I wanted to use what has already been established in my life.  My gardens and love for all things creamy and herbal.  And so soap! 

I have been dabbling and trying out recipes and combinations.  I have done oodles of research on packaging ideas, labels, ingredients, formulas, suppliers and such.  And finally, now it is time for

a place to be, my own studio.

In the place our office now resides there is the potential for a new place to create! Tucked conveniently between our kitchen and potager is a room that has struggled to find her best purpose until now! 

Here are some of the items I plan to use:

2 lovely stainless steel tables in the middle with caster wheels, shelves below &

mismatched stools all around

(I wish I had a photo but they aren't set up yet)

a chandelier from pottery barn glowing prettily overhead

simple open shelving above with mixing utensils, jars & the like

(no toaster but the rest can stay!)

And voila! 

Not only are soaps pretty but they are oh so practical too!  I am looking forward to getting set up so that I have more space to work in.  Just another month or two and we should be able to move some things around and create the space I'm dreaming of!  Not only do I plan on working in the studio but I also look forward to the day when I can pass on what I have learned in some workshops.  I would love to teach young women just starting out in life not only the practical skill of soap making but also some of the concepts of entreprenuership too.  I love being part of our community which is a small farming town.

Memories with my girls

There's a funny thing about having two precious girls who bookend rambuctious boys in one family.  Time spent with each one is amazingly fulfilling and beautiful but in completely different ways.  This momma is feeling pretty blessed right now to say the least. 

Last night Anna & I had the most memorable evening together at a Taylor Swift concert.  Out on the town enjoying the lights, glitter and glamour of it all with my eleven year old girl.  (Well, first we stopped off for a burger ~ you know, kid food)

The show was impressive from the elaborate sets and special effects to the dancing and instrumental aspects.  It almost had a broadway theme.  Taylor made a point to come out into the middle and perform up close and personal to the crowd!  Anna was able to shake her hand as she came by in front of us! 

We both dressed up in our country best with cowgirl boots and such!  (She is even wearing a Taylor Swift dress!)

And then there is another kind of sweet, a kind of memory made of pure goodness and joy with all the simplicities of home.  A quiet morning after a dazzling night.   A gentle breeze and pretty light shimmering through falling leaves.  AND... a lovely angel adorned with curls and a pretty smile softly swaying on a swing, to and fro.

Goodness in the evening and goodness in the morn.

Blessed.

The Farmers Market

We spent the morning at a local Farmers Market, just the four kiddos and I.  Before you go thinking "Oh how lovely for a Saturday morning..." let me just say it didn't last long.  I think I forgot to give the "if you aren't listening and having good attitudes we wont stay" chat!  Anyway before we made it out of there I managed to grab a delicious farm fresh breakfast burrito, a lovely bouqet of dahlias and a handmade soap to try.  And the best part of course ~ the inspiration!

I came back wanting to get to work making over the front porch ~ the window boxes and general arrangement of everything!  Here is the finished look until the pumpkins start coming out and then those will have to be worked in also!

Chrysanthemum's and Kale, Chickens and Pumpkins and little violets!  Delight!

Welcome friends, welcome fall!

How does your garden grow?

Late in the spring I posted about the beginnings of this gardens first season.  And now, here is my lovely potager, in full bloom!

The past few weeks have been so pleasantly full with warm and bright mornings as we open our eyes.  I've really enjoyed the quiet moments puttering in the garden morning and evening, watering and looking for abundant offerings.  It's really been so easy with these raised beds with out weeds!

In my "garden bed" you can find artichokes, cabbages, walla walla onions, corn and even baby pumpkins.

In another bed we enjoyed the peas (none of which actually made it into the kitchen) and then the beets, carrots, lettuce, turnips and zucchini started to abound. 

There is also an herb bed with an espaliered pear tree and strawberries, blueberries and raspberries in there own patches (these don't make it inside either!).  The last bed on the end holds the beans, potatoes, asparagus & cucumbers.    (after putting in the potatoes I found out they don't make good bedfellows with the cuc's but that will have to be remedied next season using the companion planting method) 
Not to be forgotten on the deck we also have a cherry tomato & she just finally offered up her first fruits! 
I'm loving these last peaceful summer days, I mean really deeply wholeheartedly loving them!  This summer feels like the end of a season for us.  The children are growing up, this is our last year with grade school aged children only (next year we'll have a middle schooler).  Some of the family fun we've had seems to have held it's luster but I just have this sense "it wont be like this for long."
Blessings to you as you wrap up your summer fun!
Olivia

Searching for new inspiration

Right now I'm inspired by searching for inspiration.  I'm reading up, asking questions, taking one step forward every day in search of what is next for me! 

Already life is pretty full with our business and our family.  The thing is, the business is based on the talent and passions of my husband, it's his gift!  Our children too have interests and school and things going on in their lives and I know I keep the heart of the home.  Yet, for their sakes and mine too I want to have my own passion!  I could easily make my life about them.  When someone asks "What's new?' I could say Anna is doing camps all summer, the boys are finishing up with baseball and starting soccer soon...... the list goes on.  But for some reason I want to be able to answer that question about me.  I mean, they are asking me right?! 

I also don't want to be the mom that wont let her children have some freedom.  They are already who they are meant to be.  I feel like my role as a mom is to stay nearby to offer guidence as they figure it out for themselves.  We all have purpose in this world.  Theirs has nothing to do with my ideas for them and everything to do with what God created them to be.  So, as I use my instincts to follow my passion I hope they will also learn to use their own insticts and hear their calling(s).

For this mama, already, I know I love farm life, at least dabbling in it!  I love being a farmgirl, with country music playing in the air whilst I garden or care for our home.  I love cuddling up with my toddler to read, laying in bed at night with my 10 year old chatting about all her ideas and giggling like a school girl.  I love play fighting with my boys and scrubbing their faces clean several times a day!  I love summering at the beach with our family making memories together to last a lifetime!  I love partnering with my husband in everything - even when it's a little crazy around here! 
Life is good, so full of opportunities, so abundant. 
Please do share with me how you found your own passion in life and how you work in all the things that make your heart sing!
Blessings,
Olivia

Beautiful Weather

We have had some beautiful weather for about 3 days!  It's been so long I started to lose faith in summer and gardens and warmth altogether (not in God though).  I've been working outside and the gardens are looking great!  Now I have to get inspired to make the inside match the outside!
Still haven't figured out my camera situation.  I would love to post new photos, sorry!  One day I'll have things back to normal around here!  (hopefully before my children are grown!)
Blessings,
Olivia

All things country living... english style

A few of my favorite things....

1.  Country Living Magazine British Edition!  Expensive - yes!  It's the only magazine subscription I still have though!  It is full of inspiration for style, gardening decorating.  It totally brings out the romantic in me!

2.    Little white churches....

3.  Boots & that includes all kinds!

4.  Old Rustic Barns

5.  Eating, cooking, baking (finding new inspiration) food in general, yes there is a reason I married a chef!  (although thats not the only reason!)

6.  Babies, need I say more?

7.  Pretty comfy sweaters...

8.  Chicks, the little fuzzy kind



9.  seedlings in the windowsill

10.  that leads me into the potager which is finally in place!  (below photo is sadly misleading as I am still having camera loading challanges...)  real photos soon to come!  I am very happy with the way it's turning out!

Just a little sampling of what's on my mind lately!  Hope you find a little inspiration here!

Blessings,

Olivia

 

Going "All In"

The idea I'm pondering today is about being "all in" about who I am.  Today I got up and dressed in a  farmgirl chic sort of outfit.  Occasionally I've got the guts to go for it, despite where I am going or who I'm gonna see.  I put on a darling cream sundress with vintage rose print, grey leggings & boots and a cream sweater with a brown hat.  (I would love to show you a photo of me but.... having some technial issues.)

What starts going thru my mind is "Am I meeting up with one of my super stylish always dressed to the hilt friends?  Should I temper my down home girl comfy wrinkled usual style?"  Am I confident enough to show who I really am to everyone all the time?  What I realized today is this...  Some people may not get that there are different kinds of beautiful and may not understand my style.  (or maybe they do and I'm not giving them the chance)  BUT, isn't it SO MUCH more interesting to be with someone who is "ALL IN" showing you who they really are?  Yes absolutely!

However, this goes deeper than the way I chose to dress today.  Beyond that it goes to being real, opening the door to welcome guests....all the time (this includes showing off the wrinkles again), to working hard to bring more depth into each experience.  To fighting for the creme de la creme in life every moment of every day, (or at least every day).  And looking for ways to add value to everything and everyone I can touch by being real and being honest and offering comfort, joy & warmth!

I think that about sums it up!