Around the Honey House

So, we've harvested and will be bottling soon. When keeping bees you quickly realize the need for a honey house. What we have is a sticky mess in this 'honey' house. It's mostly clean now, but that's 4 mops later...

we had about 5.5 supers and 1 hive body full of frames.

isn't he cute with his bee-man hat? Naomi went to help bring them home...she looked like E.T. in my bee suit.

first we had to de-cap all the frames, which is not easy, even with a hot-knife. All hands were on deck for this chore. 

And then you spin...thank goodness for folks willing to lend their bee equipment and Drew's ingenuity--he made it possible to spin the hive with a power drill instead of a hand crank. MUCH faster!

Feel free to email if you'd like to reserve a pint or quart.

We're off to North Eastern Pennsylvania tomorrow morning to reunite and enjoy the 4th. Look forward to pics from that journey soon...

Broccoli Fireworks

Supplies: Paper, tempera paints, and broccoli.

Naomi and I have been doing a lot of paper exploring. Mainly Naomi. It's hot outside, somewhat dreadfully hot & if you can manage to beat the heat it's still hard to ignore the blood sucking mosquitoes that swarm human flesh...so, inside we have paper. Origami, collage, drawing, painting, stamping...we've been doing a little of everything.  

on black or dark paper might be a cool effect--more like the night sky.

The other day we discovered a fun Fourth of July activity--firework paper. While using a few stray pieces of broccoli that were lying around to stamp(doesn't everyone leave broccoli lying around?) we found that holding them upright made a stamp that resembled fireworks! So, we covered white paper with red and blue fireworks & are prepared to use that paper for anything related to the 4th. We'll be in PA for a family reunion--maybe name tags would be sweet? Ideas?

So, next time you DO have broccoli lying around pick it up and make some fireworks!

{this moment} Swingin' sisters (again)

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along


ps. Happy Birthday Drew. love you...

Las Mariposas Senoritas Pinturadas

Because I have a minute while everyone is resting...

We just released butterflies from our butterfly observation kit. Painted Ladies.

Here are some of the last one we released, it took a bit to fly away and it was bittersweet. Naomi wanted to keep it and let it go all at the same time. But, she is comforted knowing they may return...

*if you click on the photos you should be able to see more detail.

Back in the Garden

While I haven't had much time to post, we've been enjoying a lot of time with friends and simply, together as a family. I anticipated a certain amount of down-time, but I'll confess I haven't felt much like sitting around. Perhaps it's the time of year, but surprisingly quickly I feel I'm coming out of the baby fog. Not to say things are all making sense to me...

But, much of our time as a family is spent in the garden. Everyone enjoys it, particularly if we can make it out there in the morning. The heat so far this summer has been outrageous!

 we planted some sunflowers, but others popped up and are useful for bean-climbing.

But, hopefully I'll be back to more regular posts soon. Speaking of which, here is a delayed peek into our garden. It's been a while and things are a little jungle-esque now. I'm also hoping that some of you will share your gardening links below!

bee balm 

blackberries 

a random head of broccoli or 2 are still popping up. 

to control the bermuda grass, which isn't really possible, we put down weed cloth & Drew topped it with mulch today--it was STILL thriving under the cloth. the devil weed... 

the lemon trees have lemons! never before... 

this is our first harvest of onions, should be more later. Any suggestions on keeping them? We plan to braid, but we've never done onions before... 

tomatillos are also new for us--but this recipe (using chicken thighs) made us want to try. 

and the most exciting summer crop? tomatoes are almost ready. We can't wait...

Shavuot

In years past we haven't put much effort into the exploration of this Biblical holiday. I'm not sure why, something just seemed so foreign. Growing up in a Christian home, the holidays have become a reflection of what I've always known, that God is with us and wants to participate in our lives. The holidays are not just a frivolous good time, but they are specifically designed to provide regular times of meeting--specific times to convene with the Creator in a way that helps us understand Him and the world around us.

So, we are trying harder this year to get-it. Tonight we had a little potluck with friends to learn and 'convoke' (one of the commandments). Shavuot marks the end of the Passover season, which for us has been very eventful! It feels a little like the unwinding--the resolution. It's the end of one harvest, the beginning of another; it also marks the giving of the Law to the Israelites, a people floundering in the desert, a people without direction.

For me, there's been a revelation. The Hebrew people were freed from bondage, freed from enslavement. A lot of folks look at the commandments as a new bondage, but the truth is it only gave them more freedom. They wandered meaninglessly in the desert, repeatedly doing the same silly things and forgetting the bondage they escaped--or worse, remembering it fondly, some wanting to return. Without the gift of the law we'd all still be in the desert--it's the Torah that maps a path straight to the Promised Land, even though we don't deserve it...

the kiddos lined up for learning...

Anyway, these little nuances of our faith add such depth. So, tonight and tomorrow we think about the giving of the Commandments. One fun way to do this? Making Blintzes--of course! and piling them high to represent Mt. Sinai. Oh, and reading this book.

Blintz Recipe We Followed from this book

Blintz Recipe and Great Visual Directions

Hope that wasn't too much reflection for everyone!

Slow Moe & ROTH for Summer

baby admiring.

Things are slow around here. There's a baby, it's hot, all the classes and lessons and scheduled weekly events are on hiatus. We've been blessed with meals from friends, bounty in the garden, and general good health. Recovery from labor has been relatively quick, and I'm beginning to see a light at the end of the breastfeeding-sore nipple-wet all the time-trial period that has been going on for a week now. A process that is so natural and beneficial for mom & baby sometimes seems more than a little difficult. It's all worth it--of course, but I welcome the relief I can feel coming...

Here are a few pics from our week.

there's been some shelling of peas. 

I'm proud to hold the title for fastest sheller, however I didn't shell the most! The girls LOVE doing this.

some dada/big sister time with the bikes & a memorial day picnic with my family.

rediscovering and remastering old toys.

did I mention baby admiring?

Check out the new edition of Rhythm of the Home for some sweet summer activities and articles. I'm excited to have an article about our progress and suggestions on organization--I'm still really proud of how far we've come and how it's helping, even in this time of transition.