Morning, Noon and Night

Morning, noon and night...three little peeks into my day yesterday.

Morning, 7am

 Noon, 12:30pm

 Evening, 7:30pm

***If you would like to play along leave your link in the comments section so I can stop by and visit.***

Our Weekend

As usual around here, the weekend started on Friday with a little fun in the kitchen making jam, black currant raspberry jam to be exact. And yes, it is delicious! The afternoon was spent in the yard, time in the garden for me, with my little man close by helping, or off playing in his playspace.

We hit the market Saturday morning, checking in with some of our favourite vendors, and then ran a few other errands before heading home. The afternoon was slow and quiet, hanging out in the backyard, and then moving inside once the rain started. We finished the evening with a family walk, in the rain, Reece running ahead trying to beat the raindrops.

I spent most of Sunday morning preparing for dinner guests, and the afternoon and evening were spent with our friends, celebrating Reece and his little friend, and the completion of their first year of homeschooling. 

How was your weekend?

Joining Karen

29/52

"A photo of my little man, once a week, every week, in 2014"

 

Reece, we enjoyed a slow and easy week, doing things we enjoy, with people we like spending time with. On this day I grabbed a cup of tea, and we walked to the children's pond where I sat watching you. My mind floated back, thinking about the years that have passed. It is going fast little man, but I am soaking up each and every minute, enjoying the journey you are on. I am happy to go along for the ride, with your hand in mine, learning and growing together.

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

{This Moment}

{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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

Life Lessons

There are many things Justin and I hope to pass on to Reece, in fact we have a very clean vision of the young man that will stand before us in the years to come based on the things we hope to pass on, and the life lessons we hope to share with him. We know, of course, that our vision may not be the actual end result, but by holding that vision it helps guide us in these early years. It helps us decide pretty easily the things we do, the places we go, the people we connect and share our lives with, and the way we choose to live.

One of the very important lessons we hope to share with Reece is about where our food comes from. We, as you know, grow a lot of our own food, so Reece knows that food does come from the backyard. But we also get food from other places. We visit the farmer's market regularly, offering Reece the opportunity to meet and get to know the people who grow some of the food we eat, and we also head out often throughout the summer season to pick berries and apples. We head to the same farms each year, farms that choose not to use chemicals, we chat with the farmers, who we get to know a little more each summer, and we share time together, picking the food that we will eat over the next few days, and also process to enjoy throughout the winter.

Reece knows the food we grow in the backyard starts as a little seed; a little seed that we plant, nurture, harvest, and then eat. He has, over the last few years, gained a very real understanding of the work that is required to grow the food on our plates. He has a deeper connection to the food he eats, he asks where foods come from and who grew it when they are served, and he shares his gratitude before each meal as we join hands to share a blessing.

Food is an important part of our lives, and by sharing with Reece the process of growing, and picking our food, he develops a deeper connection to the food he eats, to the farmer who grows it and in the end, to the earth he lives on.

Definitely a wonderful lesson I am happy to be passing on.

Around the Garden

A little rain, a little sun, a little rain, a little sun has been the story in the garden this last week, and that has been perfect, for both the garden, and for me. Everything is growing well, and we are beginning to see the foods we will be eating in the next week or two. Snow peas, green beans and zucchinis are just about ready, and the cucumbers are flowering and little cucumbers are growing.

Bugs are around, but like most of the summer so far, not too bad. The biggest issue is the lovely cabbage moth worm. I am picking them off the kale daily before they do too much damage. There is also a lovely shiny metallic beetle attacking my St. John's wort, but I have been catching them in action and putting an end to their fun.

This week we have been eating kale, Swiss chard, strawberries, raspberries, beet greens, salad greens and herbs. I have harvested and infused more yarrow, and calendula in oil for salve making, and I strained my dandelion oil this week, and made a lovely dandelion salve. Lavender and yarrow are drying, and my tinctures of motherwort and lemon balm are sitting in the dark, waiting to be strained in a few weeks. I moved the comfrey from the herbal garden to a spot in the butterfly and bee garden. It will have more room, and won't crowd out my other herbs.

I enjoy these days in the garden, walking around a few times a day, checking in on things, harvesting a bit here and there and just soaking up the goodness that comes from watching the seed to plant to plate cycle. That cycle amazes me every year, and the pleasure of watching it all happen never gets old.

How are things around your garden?

Morning, Noon and Night

Morning, noon and night...three little peeks into my day yesterday.

 Morning, 8am

Noon, 11:45am

Night, 8:30pm

***If you would like to play along leave your link in the comments section so I can stop by and visit.***