The 4 younger kids went to my sister’s house in Charlotte until Thursday so that I could get a lot of work done writing lesson plans to sell, working on my blog, and figuring out other ways to earn money. They stayed at Lori’s after helping her move last Thursday and at first it was just going to be until Sunday, then Monday, then Tuesday… They were having a good time and not too homesick and Lori wanted me to be able to get a lot done, which I did. I feel like if I work really hard from now through the summer, by fall I won’t have to work so hard. And I won’t have to have so much family and government help. We’ll see though.
Just Thomas and Kaitlyn
So I only had Thomas and Kaitlyn Monday-Wednesday. They were good to do their school by themselves in the morning so I could write. After lunch we did farm chores together (milk the cow, feed and water the animals, collect eggs.) Then I worked some more. Then we did some yard work like prune the blackberries or work in the garden. After that we came in and had dinner together and I usually worked the rest of the night while talking to them, listening to them play the guitar or piano, etc.
Tuesday night Thomas went to rehearsal for the play only he is in, Grease Jr. Kaitlyn and I went for a hike through our woods in the rain. It was fun to see the fog from the hills and also just to be out hiking together after a rainy day mostly indoors. When we got home we made dark chocolate brownies, a recipe I made up that is my new favorite. And we watched some youtube videos about raising chickens –Kaitlyn’s choice. 🙂 I forgot to take a picture of us and our little party night, but here’s a picture of the brownies. They are made with whole wheat flour, our eggs, and other healthy ingredients. Not completely healthy because they probably have too much sugar and dark chocolate chips in them, haha. But they’re delicious.
Wednesday: Kaitlyn playing with her favorite chicken, Moon Marie.
Crocus Time!
I love going outside and seeing our crocuses. And also looking at them while I wash dishes. They’re so beautiful.
Thursday: Kids are back
Thursday Kaitlyn and I went to pick up the kids from Lori and we got home just in time to tuck in the chickens, which we do around 6:30 right now. Even though they have an automatic door, Kaitlyn likes to make sure we’re home to make sure they’re all in. We have a couple of dawdlers who like to stay out until after the door closes sometimes. And one who likes to hide in the woods until dark. Every night we have to go find her. Sigh.
Friday: Another rainy day
I enjoyed going for a walk in the rain with Talea. We all tried to play in the rain as much as possible to get a couple of hours outside time in.
Then we came in for a hot meat loaf, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, broccoli, and fresh bread dinner. Some days feel like spring here so it’s fun to still have some winter-feeling days and those winter comfort foods while we can. Summer will be here before we know it and our house gets so hot I don’t use the oven much. So I’m enjoying it the last days of winter while I can.
Saturday: A spring-y day
Saturday was warm and sunny. The 3 little kids enjoyed a picnic of scrambled eggs, crackers, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and raspberries. They picnicked for several hours actually, reading the Sweet Pickles books, which I enjoyed as a kid.
Then Anderson and I planted the peas while Samuel and Talea planted lettuce, spinach, and kale. So fun to be out gardening again! This winter went by so fast. Seems like we were just barely pulling it all out. We had our first killing frost on Halloween, so it was a few days after that that we dug up the last of the potatoes and harvested the last of the herbs. And a week after that we pulled out everything that died to have our garden look clean and neat for winter. Now it’s time to start all over!
The weeping willow tree I planted last year has tiny green leaves growing. Yay! I kept it alive one year! On the right is the rose bush leaves coming on. It’s always fun to see the first signs of spring. I love all the seasons here on our little farm. They are all a joy to watch come and go. Have a great week!