I love Craigslist

I do. I really do. What did the world do before Craigslist?! What did I do before Craigslist?
I need to make room in the garage. We are done having kids (so far as we know). So it makes sense to get rid of all the baby clothes. Up to 18 month size that is. Since we kinda need that size. Anyway...
I dragged out all organized bins of clothes. The newborn, 3-6 month, 6-9 month, the small diapers, the carseat, the small blankets. All of it. Then I pulled out a couple of meaningful things. Handknit sweaters. Coming home outfits. Blessing outfits. The really nice diaper stuff I'm not replacing if a miracle occurs.
I listed them one by one on Craigslist. See, otherwise I would have had to either a) give it all away or b) hold a garage sale or c) cull out the really nice stuff and drive to consignment stores or d) list it on e-bay and hope someone wants it and then mail it to them or pay to re-list or, ick.
I like this better. I have someone coming at 4 to take all the newborn and 3-6 month stuff. That's $40!
Cross your fingers that the rest of it sells too.
Because then I'll have room for my new freezer. The one that is going to hold my beef. My $2.20 per pound beef, raised in a pasture eating grass and cut and wrapped the way I want it. Yeah, that one.

The 5 of us again

My parents brought M back in time for 4th of July. He was excited to be home, and his brothers gave him a very warm welcome.
Since my dad loves berries and picking berries, we took advantage of the berry festival being held at Smith Berry Barn on the 4th. We picked lots of berries, ate lots of berries, sampled treats from their gift shop, and enjoyed the festival. There were 2 bands who took turns playing. G loved getting out on the lawn and dancing it up. A couple had brought 2 of their Alpaca's and yarn from them. I resisted the urge to buy any. *Round of Applause!* But it did make me want to live in the country even more. Alpaca's are amazing and sweet animals!
That night, we sat out with our neighbors and enjoyed a wonderful fireworks display put on by C and J, our neighbor. C and G had a lot of fun buying lots of fireworks. I can't remember just how many we had, but it was lots! I'll post a picture as soon as I get it off the camera.
Mom and dad headed home Saturday night. We had fun with them. I bet it's a bit quiet at their house now! M is adjusting to being home. G is adjusting to not being the #1 kid around too. It's hard all around, let's face it.
The meat market called today, too. I ordered a side of beef awhile ago, and it seems my name has made it to the top of the list. I guess I need to have some people out for dinner in an attempt to clear enough space in the deep freeze for roughly 220# of meat! Sign up below? I'm excited though, it should work out to just around $2.50/lb for local, grass fed beef, cut and wrapped to order. How cool is that? It should save me a small fortune, really.
I also am heading out next week, I think, to pick berries. I'll dry and jam most of it. Probably won't freeze a whole lot. LOL And, I'm intending to spend some time preserving veggies this year. I want to can green beans, salsa, lots of pickles, ketchup, and all kinds of dried stuff. I got the dehydrator re-screened, and I'm excited to use it. The kids like dried stuff, it takes up almost no space, and I don't have to watch it like a hawk while it's drying. Perfect.
Oh, and the Hogwarts stuff. So, we were rather surprised. M really didn't catch on the fact that it was pretend. But he was really excited about it. But C felt we needed to tell him, so this morning we did. I told him he still needed to do the work, and he was even more impressed that mom had gone to all this work. But by this afternoon, when I finally got him to sit down and do the first 2 assignments, he threw a fit. Only over the writing one though. So he pitched a fit on the couch about how it was pointless, and boring, and stupid, and not even real. I am proud of myself for keeping my temper. After he was done ranting, he headed over and wrote down one more word combination, cleaned up the mess from planting ginger, and went outside to play. Crazy kid. Or could that be crazy mom too?

Bear with my ramblings, or Where do I want to live?

I'm sure I'm not the only one. I can't be. Right?
I don't know where I want to live, and it's kinda tearing me apart. Not like, what state or country or anything. I love Oregon and have no desire to leave. It's just a matter of city vs country.
Currently we live in suburbia. It's what we could swing for a first house. And really, it's been pretty good so far. We have a great neighborhood with fabulous neighbors. It's quiet. We have a nice house, even though I can find faults. Heck, there's no perfect house, right? We have a good sized yard with room for the kids to play. We live in a nice, small town with lots and lots of really, truly friendly people.
But....
Yeah, there's always buts, huh.
We live about 40 minutes away from our homeschool group. With gas prices what they are--Ugh. It's also a ways to, well, everything. After all, we live in a small town. Of course, we do have lots of farms nearby which is heavenly. If only I would do better at utilizing them. We are getting our fresh milk now. And I try to take advantage of a few u-picks. I'm vowing to do better this year. (Food preserving with a baby should be interesting.) Also, our house is getting a little too small. With three boys and a mom and a dad it's getting a little tight.
So, we've talked about moving in the near future. But where???!!
I like the idea of moving closer in to the city so we can be close to everything and not have to drive very much. There are lots of neat neighborhoods that we might be able to swing $$ wise--assuming we can sell our house in the current market--or in a year. Living close in means we can take public transportation which would save a lot of money of fuel of course. We would have more opportunities to go to the places we love to hang out. The zoo, our favorite parks, museums, those kinds of things. There would potentially be more kids to play with as well as more moms to hang out with. Currently it is kind of a drag to get together with people since there is always the 30-60 minute drive to get there. There's no guarantee we would actually live close to people we like I guess. But being near more people does increase the odds.
On the other hand, we could live in the country. I have a desire to have land. To grow and produce more of our own food. It would be awesome to have tons of space for the boys to run and play in. To live somewhere where chores weren't so abstract. I mean really, vacuum? Why? Anyone with an ounce of sense knows what will happen to the floor by tomorrow. But on a farm, chores have meaning. You plant/tend/harvest crops because they will feed and nourish you. You preserve food because it will spoil otherwise. You feed and care for the animals because they are living beings. The natural consequences are in place. I'd love for the boys to learn the natural cycles of the earth. To experience the seasons, the ebb and flow. To see the whole life cycle. In the city, in our culture, we hide so much. I think that is very unhealthy.
There is security in producing your own food. Fuel prices are going up. It will be more and more difficult to acquire the foods we are used to. Being able to provide for our needs on our own would be very empowering to me.
But, what a heck of a lot of work. I don't think we could do it on our own. I have talked to friends about living in a commune. I don't think anyone has truly been serious about it. I'm not sure my husband could handle it! But I've been thinking about it more and more. Living with others is how I think we were meant to live. A group of people working together towards common goals is powerful. By ourselves, we would be almost trapped on a small farm. You can't just up and leave the animals. During the summer and fall, there is food to harvest and preserve. Spring is planting time, as well as birthing time. But in a group, you could rotate duties, or at least share. Those who are really good at planting can be in charge of that. Baking, cooking, building, teaching, healing, everything. It's not all on the shoulders of 2 adults.
There are so many pros and cons to each scenario. I go around and around them in my mind. I feel like saying, "okay, Lord. Tell me what to do." But I know He doesn't work that way by experience. I have to pick something, start down that path and ask for confirmation that it is the right one for me and my family.

Busy kids

Every kid has to learn to wave with their own style. E has his. He cocks his head, pulls up his shoulder, grins from ear to ear and bends at the wrist. Down, and maybe up. When up , he splays all his pudgy fingers out in the cutest wave every displayed. See? Cute!
Kids copy mom. Mom is always wearing E, so G has to do it too. It took him awhile to decide to babywear. A couple of days ago, he brought his doll to me and said it was sad. He said, "he just needs me." Aww. Then he asked if he could wrap the baby. I happened to have a wrap I had made back when E was born, for G. It was a little small, but we managed to tie it in a good sling-tie, and that seemed to be just what his baby wanted. It was so cute to watch him pat his baby while going about his tasks.

He has 2 teeth so far, and goes off and on displaying signs of getting more. I have seen lots of people using the amber necklaces, but wasn't sure if it was worth it. So I asked another mom at our parkdays and she said she just loves it. So I bought one from Three Sisters Toys. It came really fast. I was worried that E would pull at it, but he doesn't seem to notice it's presence. And he looks good in it! Of course, this should increase the number of "cute girl" comments I get now. Ah well. He is a pretty baby.

M will be heading home on Thursday. It will go fast I'm sure. I haven't been very productive, but I haven't had the M entertainment factor either. Check out PapaCoyote's blog for updates on the adventures of M.
(If you're reading this to M, PapaCoyote, please stop now--Spoiler ahead!) I'm a little worried about him coming home with not nearly as much excitement as he's grown accustomed to in Idaho, but I have a plan. I read a comment, an aside in a comment really, about the Hogwarts Summer Correspondence School. Its a summer course for kids that looks like a lot of fun. Don't tell M! It's a surprise. But he should have his invitation letter from Dumbledore by the time he gets home on Thursday. That will give us two weeks. I guess if he really likes it, we could continue it. I think I have the really hard work done. I'll post pictures of my efforts in a week or so. Maybe sooner.

Oh, and I'm reading the book, The Revolution Will Not be Microwaved by Sandor Katz. It's good. I'm enjoying it. Yup, another book about food. This one has a bit of different slant. Good read all in all. I want to read his Wild Fermentation book too. Hopefully this year I can get pickles to turn out. I made saurkraut awhile ago and it turned out well. Need to make more of that too. Brother, are you interested in some fresh, real 'kraut?

It's kinda quiet

M has flown the coop for a week again this summer. PapaCoyote gets a victim for his tricks. Lucky him! MamaCoyote gets to spoil someone (besides Papa) for a week.
We get a change up in the environment. Without M we have switched to a younger focus. G gets to be the big kid around and is mostly loving it. He is rather offended that M left. I don't think it is so much that M left, but where he went. Although I do think he misses his playmate. He has spent a lot of time with the neighbor kids. He also seems a bit more aware of E.
It does seem a lot different around. The dynamic has changed. This should be a good break for all of us.
Yesterday, we rented Happy Feet and got Burgerville french fries. G's favorites. Today we'll be going to the homeschool park days to hang out with lots of friends. Not sure about tomorrow. Friday, C has the day off work, so we'll surely find something fun to do then. I'm hoping to get some knitting in. I took on my usual plethora of summer projects. A sweater for me, socks for me, 2 skeins of sock yarn to dye for TBD recipients, and a new wool soaker for E.
Yeah, I shouldn't get too bored.

Time to head to the park!

Fresh Milk

I'll just begin by saying oops. I forgot to take the camera. I forgot to ask the farm owners if I could talk about them. This will be general until next time.

So, last time we were at M's dr appt, I mentioned that I couldn't find a place that had goat milk and was accepting new customers. He gave me the number of a place just a few miles away. I called and, yes, I could go and pick up fresh milk that very day. Hooray!!
So we drove out to get our yummy fresh milk. The people were so nice and friendly--as people who produce food lovingly for others tend to be. And, they let the boys come into the barn and meet the goats, chickens and cats. What a fun afternoon!
Being late spring/heading into summer, the kids are old enough to start weaning. They were very friendly and playful. The mama goats were also very friendly. The kids (mine) spent a lot of time getting to know the goats, and the people who work so hard to raise them in a humane and respectful way. They even offered to let M help milk if we get there at the right time sometime. Wow. Talk about transparency in your food supply!
This farm is not certified organic. It's better. I don't need to have a certification when I can go to the farm, see what the animals are fed, see how they are treated, where they live and see how the milk is collected.
When we got home, we sampled the milk. I had heard that goat milk when fresh is just as good as cow milk. I totally thought people were joking. All the milk, cheese and yogurt I've tasted tasts goaty. Not this. It is so yummy!
I am sooooooooooo happy we have a source now for fresh, real goat milk.

Backlog

I have gotten so very far behind on the blog. Apologies. I shall try to update you on our happenings.

First, Father's Day. The Primary (children's organization at church) had this great idea of making ties for the dads. The kids glued and glittered themselves silly a few Sundays before Dad's day. They even decorated some old ties! Dutifully, they kept the secret. On Father's day, a few of their teachers handed out ziploc bags with ties inside to each dad. They even had lots of extras so some special men at church didn't get left out. The men were asked to change out the tie they put on that morning for the new improved one. Here is C wearing his creation. You can't see too well from the picture, but it has lots of sequins, rhinestones and pom poms. Buttons too I believe. Whaddya think?

Thanks to fuel prices, we are joining hoardes of fellow Americans in selling our pickup. It was nice to have (Thanks PaR!!), but it just doesn't make sense anymore to have 3 vehicles. Especially when one of them would cost over $100 to fill up. So. if you know of someone who needs a pickup in pretty good shape for a good price, let me know!


Baby news. My things go fast. First off, wherever we go, the first thing we hear is some derivative of "Look at that Hair!!" E has great 'fro and he wears it well. But what is under there? Cute eh?
So, the skills are blooming. Last post was about E trying to learn to stand. Here he is giving his adorable wave. He's got the wrist thing down! And really, would you even want to follow through on a goodbye to that face? Only the stoniest of hearts would I tell you.


Wednesday, I heard a noise upstairs and figured G was playing in the upstairs hall. I called out to see what he was into. He replied, but his voice came from the living room. Hmmm. I called to M. His voice also came from the living room. Double Hmmm. I run upstairs. There is E, all the way at the top, extremely proud of his accomplishment. I was cautious because I didn't want him to lunge toward me (more on that in a minute). but he calmly turned around and started climbing down the stairs. Wow. Seems all the time playing on the floor pillow has taught him how to get down off a ledge. Phew. I still put up the gate.

When M was learning to walk, he was very cautious. He spent months holding anyone's fingers while he walked around. He didn't actually let go and walk until 15 months. When he did, it was a pretty good walk and he rarely if ever fell down. He is still a very cautious child.
When G was learning to walk, he practiced standing and pulling up. He cruised. He cautiously let go and walked. He took little trips, falling gently. He is still amazingly good at risk assesment. Some people look at him and think he is a daredevil. Not so. He is very talented physically, and very good at deciding how much damage he is willing to sustain.
E is now in the learning to walk stage. I told my mom I think he has decided walking is for chumps and he'd rather fly. He has been practicing letting go and falling back down on the pillow. He pulls up and cruises. When he decides he doesn't want to cruise there, he turns away from his support, spreads his arms out and lunges. Really, just like a giant belly flop. He flies onto the floor and starts his funky crawl. I don't know how he doesn't hurt himself. I think he is going to be one of those kids who dives into things head first.

I will post more later. Currently I need to help a very obnoxious 9 year old. He didn't want to unload the dishwasher this morning. I am a cruel and unfair mom. I haven't been fair since the time I was born (direct quote from 9yo). So he pulled the drawer face off one of my cabinets. Yeah, no shopping trip for me today. We'll be staying home doing chores out the wazzoo to work off the drawer. Oh Joy! Maybe I should list him with the truck. Twofer.