Life With The Crew

Beautiful Books for the Little Babe

My little babe loves to read.  We spend at least 30 minutes every day reading and a lot of days it is more than that.  I have bought several lately that I really enjoy reading to her, both for the story and the beautiful illustrations.

I was surprised to find a good book in the grocery store check-out aisle.  They normally have flashy cartoon based books, but this simple, heart warming book was a great find.  Little Cub by Olivier Dunrea is about two bears - a little lonely bear cub and a big old lonely bear.  They go about their own lives, each wishing for and needing someone else, and eventually they find each other.  I love the simple, soft illustrations.  Falling leaves, birch trees, a whiskery face, and a steaming mug of tea - the book just makes me feel good!

The most popular book in our house, for several weeks now, is Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle.  It is a fun book to read - bright colors, farm animals, trucks, and lots of sounds to make.  The little babe knows the book by heart, knowing when to make the "beep, beep, beep" sound.  Again, I really love the warm, detailed illustrations.  You can just feel the Autumn weather!

The story is really nice also, with a happy ending of course.  However, there is one phrase in the book that my husband and I don't read.  When the big rude truck gets stuck in the mud and calls for help, "nobody heard or nobody cared".  We omit the "nobody cared part" because it just seems a bit too callous to read to a 2 year old.  We love this book so much that we bought the second book about Little Blue - Little Blue Leads the Way, but I don't enjoy it as much as the original.

The last book I'd like to share is called Hardscrabble Harvest by Dahlov Ipcar.  It is not your typical toddler book.  Dahlov Ipcar was born in Vermont, but summered in and then moved to Maine in the 1930's.  What I love about her books is how well they depict life on a New England farm.  We have both this book and her Maine Farm Alphabet book.  For this suburban girl dreaming of life on a Maine farm, reading Hardscrabble Harvest is a real treat.  Ipcar describes the entire growing season - sowing, weeding, harvesting, preserving, and eating - with fun rhymes.  And she throws in lots of animals along the way, which is a requirement for a book in our home!

I want a cellar that looks like this!

Any books you'd like to share?

Reconnecting With Nature - Fall Feathers

I am joining Chrisy at Living A Good North Coast Life for her "Reconnecting With Nature" series.  As we bloggers sit around connected to our computers, it is a great way to force us to step outside and maybe notice something new in the natural world or just appreciate something that we see every day.  Read more about the Reconnect with Nature - one photograph at a time idea here.

My chickens have just finished their Fall molt.  The coop has a ton of feathers in it, but that doesn't make for very pretty pictures (think lots of chicken poop), so I captured some that were in the chicken yard.

Molting is a natural process of shedding and regrowing feathers.  All chickens go through it, but some look a lot worse than others when it happens!  Check out this link for pictures of chickens in various stages of molt.  My ladies didn't look too bad - just some bare backends.  They did stop laying eggs during the time period (not that mine were in high production mode anyway) and mine ate a lot less food.  It is apparently painful, so if your chickens don't have their normal spunk during this period, it isn't just because they are embarrassed by the way they look!  This link describes the process well (I am not supporting Nutrena, they just happened to have a good description of molting.)

Thankful Tuesday - 11.11.14

Today I am thankful for...

-two good legs for walking in the woods, two good eyes for seeing the beauty around me, two good ears for hearing the sounds of birds and the peacefulness of the woods, two hands to hold my little babe when she needs a helping hand, and a heart that swells with love when my little babe wants her Mamma to sit beside her on a bench with her nature finds and just look out at the lake.

 

What are you thankful for today?

I invite other bloggers to share a link to their Thankful Tuesday post and I encourage everyone to share what they are thankful for.

 

Only Five

As of last Thursday evening, we are down to only five dogs now (and the 4 cats, 1 rabbit, and 5 chickens).  Our oldest dog, Callie, who has been slowly getting slower, finally didn't seem to have the energy to eat, drink, or hold herself up anymore, so I made the decision to put her to sleep.  I hate that it is "my decision" to end a life; I don't like the idea of it at all.  But I do believe in quality of life and Callie's rapidly decreased to next to nothing.

Of course, as these things seem to go in our house, everything always happens at once.  My husband left town on Wednesday midday and was gone until early Sunday morning.  Callie stopped eating and drinking on Wednesday night and couldn't stand, so I was spending more time with her trying to entice her to eat, help her outside, etc.  I was also preparing baked goods (3 kinds of whoopie pies!) and getting things ready for a holiday artist showcase event at a local distillery.  My brother makes wooden cutting boards and this was his first event.  Since I have some experience with selling at craft shows (my husband and I used to sell beeswax candles), I took over as his marketing assistant.  The only appointment I could get at the veterinarian was an hour before the event started.  Throw some heavy rain in and a two year old busy babe and I was quite the stressed out lady.  

Everything turned out well though.  I feel that I made the right decision for Callie, my brother's new side hobby got some exposure, and our parents came up to support him and I got a much needed hug from my Mom and Dad.

When one of our pets dies, we bury them in the backyard on the other side of the fence.  Callie will make the third Corgi; there are also two rabbits and I believe one chicken back there.  We'll bring Callie home this week (currently in the freezer at the vet) and my husband will have to do the duty himself.  I had planned on having it be a family affair, but was unsure how I was going to explain it to the little babe.  When we left the vet on Wednesday, I simply told her that Callie was sick and we were leaving her at the vet - that she was staying there.  She has not asked about her since.  My wise Mother said that in the mind of the little babe, that is what happened - we left Callie at the vet, end of story.  If we would try to explain that Callie had died and that we were burying her in the back yard (and the fact that she was cold, stiff, etc) it would be way too complicated for a two year old.  So that is what we will do.  My husband will have to bury her under cover of darkness or while I take the little babe to the park.

If you have any experience explaining death (pet or people) to your child, I would love to hear about it.  With all of the animals in our home, we will have plenty more experiences with it in the future.  If you don't want to leave a comment below, you could email me at [email protected].

And so we don't end this post on too sad a note for a Monday morning, here are some Corgi and little babe pictures.

Apple eating for all on a sunny Sunday morning.  We still have plenty to smile about.

 

 

Look What I Found!

As the little babe and I were driving to the park the other day, we passed a house that was having a "mega moving sale".  I wouldn't have stopped because we don't need more stuff in our house and I am already feeling overwhelmed at the moment, but it was a house that my husband and I have always thought was interesting.  It is a wooden shingled house with dark red window trim.  It is a very wooded double lot in the middle of a suburban neighborhood filled with more traditional (aka boring) houses.  The yard is enclosed with a fence made of collected sticks and chicken wire - it is really cool and almost disappears into the bushes.  Since it is a wooded lot, the people started gardening on the sunny strip between the sidewalk and street.  I know that it probably raised a few eyebrows because no one else does that.  They have been expanding it for the past several years and it is made up of several raised beds filled with veggies and flowers.  They even have a compost area.  

Last week I noticed a Sale Pending sign out front, which was odd because there was never a For Sale sign.  I wondered what the situation was and my nosiness convinced me to stop.  I gathered from the conversation inside that the husband had died and the wife was moving to central Texas.  I was a bit disappointed at the house though; it wasn't as interesting as I expected inside, but I did find a couple things to buy.  The wife had a huge textile collection - embroidered handkerchiefs, cloth napkins, tablecloths, blankets, runners.  She also had a big cardboard box full of yarn, mostly wool.  I was well behaved and only bought three skeins.  I bought a pretty pink tablecloth with tulips embroidered on it and a pillow sham that is very girly pink, but was too perfect for the little babe's room to pass up.  It is too big for any of my bed pillows, so I think I will have to repurpose it into something.  I also got a pretty linen tea towel and three adorable handmade dinner plates.  They have farm animals on them and once I found out that they were handmade, I couldn't pass them up!  

Oh, and I almost forgot about the sweater!  There was an amazingly thick cabled sweater, handmade by the woman.  It was a smidge too small for me, but I knew that I could turn it into something.  I have several large throw pillows on my very bland sofa.  I have been wanting to make pillow covers for them, but just haven't got around to it.  Well, now was the time.  I pulled the sweater over the pillow and it fit perfectly.  I sewed 5 buttons along the bottom ribbing and sewed the neck hole closed.  Then I cut off the arms and sewed those holes.  All done!  The color is the same, but at least now there is texure.  One pillow down, two to go, plus two more on the loveseat.  I'll have to look for more large sweaters.  

 All for just $15!  Have you had any thrifty finds lately?

Shared on The Self Sufficient HomeAcre for the HomeAcre Hop.

Reconnecting With Nature - Monarchs and Milkweed

I am joining Chrisy at Living A Good North Coast Life for her "Reconnecting With Nature" series.  As we bloggers sit around connected to our computers, it is a great way to force us to step outside and maybe notice something new in the natural world or just appreciate something that we see every day.  Read more about the Reconnect with Nature - one photograph at a time idea here.

Earlier in the Fall I shared several photos of monarch butterfly caterpillars feeding on milkweed.  There are several species of milkweed, some have bright orange and yellow flowers; the more Common Milkweed has a spherical pale pink flower head.  Now that it is November here in Pennsylvania, the monarchs have flown South for the winter, all the way to Mexico and Southern California!  Most people know that fact, but did you also know that it is the 4th generation of monarchs for that year that make the journey?  These lucky monarchs will live 6-8 months, whereas the three previous generations only lived 2-6 WEEKS!  This website provides a really good, simple explanation about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.

At one of the local parks last week, I took these photos of the dried Common Milkweed seedpods.  They are really interesting and have great texture!

 Any interesting nature finds where you live?

Thankful Tuesday - 11.4.14

Today I am thankful for...

-a bouquet of flowers given to me by my husband.  The little babe was also thankful for the single flower left in a vase on her new kitchen set.

-all of our family and friends that contributed to buy the little babe a beautiful wooden kitchen set.  My husband has had his hands full with the MBA program and our bedroom remodel, so the play kitchen did not get setup in time for the little babe's birthday, though she was none the wiser.  He finally had time last Friday and so she had a surprise waiting when we got back from the park.  She loves it and went right to work cooking for us.  (Yes, those are electrical and bathroom drain pipes running through our living room.  We don't host dinner parties very often.)

- the above mentioned little babe, who insisted on wearing her snow pants to the arboretum today, even though it was well above freezing with not a snowflake in sight.  They worked well at repelling the water from the wading stream in the children's garden.  She almost had a major meltdown because I told her she had to keep her shoes on.  We compromised and she did not wear gloves and she could play in the water with the boats as long as she did not get her feet wet.

What are you thankful for today?

I invite other bloggers to leave a link to their Thankful Tuesday post and I encourage everyone to share what they are thankful for.

A Bit More Brown and A Bit More Brave

Now that it is November, the glorious colors of Autumn have faded.  Most of the leaves left on the trees are brown, with several maples and oaks still sprucing things up.  On a recent walk in the park, there were still some bright spots of color, but the color palette is definitely changing.  The huge swaths of yellow goldenrod are now big patches of dry brown that rustle in the wind.  I do enjoy seeing all of the different types of seedpods.

Some color holding on.

And color just starting.  These bittersweet vines are so pretty and will provide color throughout the coming months.

The little babe is getting braver with the horses.  She stood right up at the fence and there were more laughs than whimpers.

I spotted this nest in the tangle of grapevine.  I wish I could have stood above it to see inside.

And there were squirrels, squirrels everywhere eating black walnuts and acorns.

I'd like to give a little Happy Birthday shout out to my Dad today.  The appreciation I have for nature was probably started way back when I was a child, so I have him to thank for some of that. I remember my brother and I being annoyed because my Dad would make us watch Marty Stouffer's Wild America instead of what WE wanted to watch.  I also oh so fondly remember hikes (I seem to only remember the uphill vertical parts) when my Dad would say, numerous times, that we were so close to the top "we could spit on it".  I guess a little fibbing never hurt a child - I turned out okay.

 

Cheese Made By Me - October - Paneer

This has been a busy month, so I am squeaking in one day late with October's Cheese Made By Me post.  Since I have not graduated to making hard cheese yet, except for the slightly hard ricotta salata that I made last month, I have a super easy cheese to share with you.  Paneer (or panir) is an Indian cheese that is very mild and takes on the flavors of the spices it is cooked with.  I am familiar with paneer because my favorite Indian dish is Saag Paneer, which is a wonderfully unappetizing looking green puree made with spinach.  It is SO good though!

I followed Ricki Carroll's recipe for paneer in her book Home Cheese Making.  The recipe was easy to follow and the cheese was a success!

Paneer

1.  In a large stainless steel pot, directly heat 1/2 gallon of whole milk to a rolling boil.  Make sure to stir it frequently, especially as it gets close to boiling.  I was multi-tasking as usual and didn't think the milk was ready yet, when all of a sudden the little babe pointed and I saw mounds of milk foam boiling up over the rim of the pot and pouring down into two of my burners.  She then mimicked the noise and gestures I made as I tried to get things under control.  So stir it!

2.  When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and drizzle 4 tablespoons of lemon juice onto the foam.  Cook for 10-15 more seconds.

3.  Remove from the heat and stir gently until large curds form.  This happened immediately after I put in the lemon juice.  If the whey is still pretty milky, return it to the heat for a bit more or add a little more lemon juice.

4.  Once the curds and whey have clearly separated, let it set for 10 minutes.  When the curds have settled below the whey, they are ready to drain.  Set a colander lined with butter muslin over a bowl that is big enough to hold all of the whey.  Gently ladle the curds and pour the whey into the colander.  

5.  Gather the corners of the cheesecloth together and gently rinse the curds under lukewarm water for 10 seconds to remove the lemon juice.  Gently twist the top of the muslin to squeeze out the extra whey.  This recipe yielded one full quart jar plus one cup of whey.

6.  You can now either hang the bag of curds to drain for 2-3 hours or return the curds (still wrapped in the muslin) to the colander and press with a 5 pound weight for 2 hours.  I chose the latter option.  Luckily, my maple syrup container happened to weigh almost exactly 5 pounds!

7.  After two hours, the cheese will be firm and pretty dry.  I then cut it into small cubes.  Use right away in your favorite Indian recipe, eat as a finger food, or it can be stored for up to 2 weeks.  

I made naan and my version of saag paneer to eat with the cheese.  The naan turned out well, the saag was so-so.  I didn't have all of the necessary spices and was working very quickly with a bunch of other things going on in the kitchen, so I just kind of threw things together.  I actually used kale instead of spinach, which worked just as well and was totally healthy.  The paneer held up great in the dish and was the best part!

 

Shared on The Self Sufficient HomeAcre for the HomeAcre Hop.