Monday, April 24, 2017

waiting on spring

















I am definitely beginning to see the change, but it is coming slowly this year.
It is very hard to be patient. Here and there we get ONE dry/warm day and then it's back to rain.
Occasionally on dry days we will eat outside in warm jackets. Talking about how we like the way the picnic tables are now turning dark and gray, and what we hope to accomplish when the weather finally gets nice.

The kids are starting to play outside as though the weather were warm anyway. Over the weekend many of them played in the marsh until dusk, and then came back shivering.

Soccer has began again. We have four kids playing on four different teams again. I am coaching the youngest's team, and Matt is helping with the other three teams. Matt also helps out as a referee. We are getting into this sport pretty deep now, but it is really uniting digging deep together. Often Layla and Eislee come and help me with Ollie's practices. Matt takes Layla to Maiko's practices. We all watch each other's games and cheer. Last Saturday we were all out in the pouring rain together from 9am (the first game) until 2:30pm (when the last game ended). Next weekend everyone will miss their games. Maiko has a competition with his ROV club, and the girls and I are off to seaside for a little getaway with the grandparents. I am so excited for this little vacation.

I feel like I am getting the hang of kombucha making!
My favorite recipe for the second fermentation is lemon ginger honey. I juice the ginger and lemon. Then I whisk together 1 tbsp ginger juice with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp honey. I have actually started using that little combo with whiskey and hot water to make toddys... so good. The girls and I also made a strawberry lemonade kombucha a few days ago and it has been quite a hit. We juiced strawberries and lemon. Then mixed 5 tbsp strawberry juice with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp honey.
I am beginning to read up on sourdough now. That is going to be my next fermentation adventure.

*The purple desk was a craigslist find for Eislee. She has wanted a desk of her own for many years and that one was screaming her name.
*The last two pictures are of a little sensory bin I put together for my youngest two (although I notice the older two running their hands through it often. "It feels so relaxing!" my daughter says). Split peas, silver little espresso pitchers and serving spoons, little lambs and bunnies. Sweet spring.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Big News about the Big Dog










Ezra, the Great Pyrenees, is back at home with his original owner.
Looking through these old photos almost made me cry, but I do honestly think this is for the best.
We had Ezra for eight months, and although we enjoyed our time with him, a few things came to light that made me question if this was truly the right long term home for him. 
His original owner has been back at home for some time now (all alone) and seems to have recovered very well from his surgery. When i called to talk to him about my thoughts he said "Jenny, It's not a problem. I can come pick him up today." 
I was not expecting that. I was a bit shocked to have it all happen so fast. I had merely questioned if he should stay here, and then suddenly he was leaving. BUT, I felt this enormous weight lift off my shoulders after he left. A weight I didn't even fully realize I was holding. A weight I have been carrying for eight months.  That weightless feeling, combined with the owners eagerness to take him back, and Ezra's eagerness to go with him, AND the kids were completely okay with it all (that shocked me)... anyway... all combined... it really feels like the right thing. 

And we are still his top dog sitters.