our growing garden

Last night we had a salad from our garden. There are few things as satisfying as eating the food you planted yourself (or that your husband plants himself...) It is such a great feeling. And looks at that swiss chard! The stems are hot pink, bright yellow, red and orange. It's stunning.

While we were taking these pictures Rory commented how even if we never did anything with this cabbage, we should always plant a lot of it because it just looks so cool. We love our cabbage. And actually, I just saw a pinterest tutorial on making cement print stepping stones for a garden, using the imprint of large leaves... Those look pretty perfect in this picture!

The whole garden is really coming along. It's  beautiful out there. And so far not too many critters. Rory bought a plastic owl on amazon and has not had a bird come near his strawberries every since. Which is pretty awesome.

Some of our alfalfa wasn't cut and that stuff has flowered purple. I have a dream to not get it cut every time, and to let the whole field turn to purple.

And our sunflowers are in bloom! We thought these guys would get six feet tall, but clearly didn't read the package! They are beautiful though. I love having them against the old barn wood.

Have a great weekend everybody!

hard work

Living on this little farm is a whole lot of joy. Our conversations lately have revolved around animals. Do we want to get pigs next year? Maybe goats? Maybe a cow. When should we order our fryer chicks? How soon will we need that mobile coop for the chicks? Where will we process our honey?

These are all really fun conversations. It's the dreaming stuff. It's exciting. And we're excitable.

But there has been a little pace shift this spring that I am just now starting to put words to. And it has to do with the fact that Rory already works a full time job. So every other project has to happen in the afternoon and evening.

It means that often, I lose my husband to the outdoors until the sun goes down.

And this is fine. I signed up for this. And everything he is doing, I want done too. I want the apple trees watered. I want the blueberries mulched and the sweet peas trellised. I want the law mowed and the flower boxes weeded. I want the rocks picked out of the field.

I'm fully on board. But I'm just here to mention that there are some harder adjustments to this life out in the country.

I helped on Sunday night with the rocks in the field. I actually was out there for quite a while, proud of myself, thinking about that scene in Sweetland where the husband and wife harvest all of their crops by hand. We weren't quite that couple, but since rocks seem to be one crop our field grows super well, it did feel applicable.

But then I remembered that the kids had hopped out of the cab of the truck, and that I hadn't seen them in a while. So I went looking and when I found them I had a diaper to change, supper to make, baths to give and kids to put to bed. Rory worked the whole time out in the field and I was very aware of our new routine. It's a good life, but there are just a whole lot of plates in the air.

And don't get me wrong. I have enough large scale farmers in my life to know that I know nothing about long hours during planting and harvest and never even seeing my spouse during those times. But I'm just saying, for a hobby farm, there is a whole lot of time and hard work that goes into all of these hobbies!

I love my bees

I came back from checking on my bees on Friday morning so, so happy. Bee keeping is a really calming, quiet and almost meditative practice. I am aware of my breathing, aware of my posture and where I am walking. The sound is calming to me...and maybe it helps that I'm inhaling a bit of that smoke too. Who knows.

At any rate, when I go to uncover the bees there is a special adrenaline that comes when you see that they are thriving. It's exciting. And it's so amazing. They've been working so hard since in the seven days since I saw them last. This picture below is the board directly under the white lid. There are always bees on this board, building comb.

This month has been so rainy, that my greatest challenge in bee keeping, has been finding dry kindling to light in the smoker. We had so many rainy days that Rory finally suggested I dry some pine needles in the oven at 250 for 20 minutes. I flipped it over half way through and the whole kitchen filled with a smell that was something of a cross between Christmastime and mud pies. But it totally worked. This stuff smoked like crazy.

In one of the books I read, way in the beginning, it recommended always starting with at least two hives, so you would have something to compare each hive against. The picture above is one hive and the picture below is my second hive. From the start the hive above seemed healthier. And we added a second box a whole week earlier than the bottom hive. And actually, I would admit that I probably should have waited even another week or so before I added the second box to the bottom hive.

It is as if this hive pictured below can't keep up. I think I overwhelmed those bees with too many frames, too soon. I'll be interested to see how they're doing in another week. This was also the hive that I found big ants swarming under the lid. It was so gross. Hopefully another week will show a healthier hive. But again, having the two hives to compare has been really helpful and quickened my own education.

And I'm learning fast. And mostly I am learning that I really, really love bee keeping.

Today I'll leave you with this fun fact:

When worker bees return to the hive, they tell the other bees where the flowers are by doing a little dance:

• The Round Dance: If the bee walks in a circle, and then turns around and walks in a circle the other direction it means the food source is close by. The other bees go outside and fly in a circular pattern near the hive until they find the flowers. 
• The Waggle Dance: This dance tells bees that a food source is far away. It also tells which way to fly. The dancing bee makes a figure eight. She waggles her body in the middle of the figure eight. If she waggles straight up, the other bees fly toward the sun. If she waggles to the left, the other bees fly to the left of the sun. If she waggles to the right, the other bees fly to the right of the sun.

AMAZING!

the week in review

Some highlights from the last seven days:
-Last Friday I took Elsie to the dentist where he confirmed that her front tooth his dead (she hit it on a table at ecfe when she slid out of her chair...) It is beginning to darken and may go black. Which means we very well may have a redheaded farm girl with a black front tooth. Too cliche?

-Saturday was Honeyfest and it was a blast. When everyone left we lit Ivar's little bees wax candle and had honey toast in the living room watching the rain come down. It was a very cozy moment.

-Sunday was Father's Day and we got to celebrate with both families. First we went to the church where my dad is serving as an interim pastor. It felt so good to hear him preach again! He was born to preach and to hear him speak the truth of the gospel again was a joy. Annika's girls and Ivar and Elsie all went forward to help hold signs up during the reading of the creation story. Elsie would wave and say, "Hi Mommy!" every so often. And Ivar told the lady leading the children's sermon, "Oh! We have an orchard with apple trees in it!" We went for lunch and then to a park where all of these pictures were taken. Then we were off to the Groves for fried chicken. It was a beautiful afternoon and I did not even bring out my camera. I suppose I regret that now, but it also means I was soaking up the lovely day and good conversations.

-Monday I went to my sister-in-law Lisa's to make pennants for the Stepping Stones walk. It was a kick. Lisa is so fun and my equal in excitability. And we may have gotten a bit excited while buying our fabric. The walk is only one mile, but I think we have enough pennants for a 5K. It was a fantastic day of shopping, making friends with the workers at JoAnns, and then cutting all the fabric into triangles talking all the while. Wait until you see the final product!

-Tuesday I attended the last Celebrate Dundas planning meeting. The day is going to be awesome (June 28th!). Have I mentioned that there will be Scottish highland calves there? Do a google search of that one...they're like teddy bear cows mixed with a little ewok.

-Wedneday I went golfing with two friends for my first time in five years. As it turns out, my lack of golfiing for five years was quite evident. That first hole made me wonder just how awkward this game was going to be. But I got better as we kept playing and we laughed so much. Even when I'm lousy, I love golfing. I love being outside like that and obviously after a five year break, I don't take it too seriously. It was an awesome night out. We've got six more dates on the calendar this summer and I'm gunning for "Most Improved" at the year end Girls Golf Banquet.

-Thursday was a rainy day (it has been a rainy week...month...spring) when we watched our town sandbag and take on a whole lot of water. We have experienced the rainiest June on record in Minnesota. The sun today is so welcome.

-And today we're getting ready to bring our kids to my parents (thanks mom and dad!) so Rory and I can go to a wedding. This weekend we're helping cousins move into a new house and celebrating the beginning of summer at a big party at Annika and Jedd's. Have a Happy Weekend, everyone!

garage sales

Tonight I took the kids to see our flooded river, to kwik trip to get bananas and milk and then decided to stop at a garage sale on the way home. Before we got out of the car I tried to explain a garage sale to Ivar.

Becca: "Ivar, we're going to stop at this house here that has balloons out front because this is a garage sale."
Ivar: "Oh, what are we going to get there?"
Becca: "That's just the thing. You never know what you are going to get. You don't know what you need until you see it."
Ivar: (half a pause) "I need trains!"

And the super lucky boy found exactly what he was looking for. Stuffed into a ziplock bag for $3 were a whole lot of Thomas, Percy and James trains. He was thrilled.

And then he came home and matched them to his bed sheets. Neither Rory or I were around, but he called us into his room very proudly to show us what he had done. This kid is starting to preschool himself...

honeyfest at the grovestead

There have been many moments since moving onto this little hobby farm when Rory and I look at each other and say, "everyone should experience this!" Tapping our maple trees for the first time was like this. So the next year we had a tree tapping party. And then last summer we got honey bees and every time Adam, our beekeeper, showed up we were in awe of what he did and what he said. So we decided to host a day where Adam could pass on all the fascinating things he tells us each time he shows up.

These days are a joy to host. I love having so many people out to our place. We invited friends and family we thought would be interested and the turn out was awesome. And it's fun to work with Rory on these events. He's an interesting fella to be married to. He always has these big ideas and then he actually sees that they happen. I'm afraid I fall more in the "let's talk about doing it for the next couple of years..." category. Rory just does it.

So here's a fun fact: In a honeybee colony there are three types of bees: 1) the queen: her job is to lay eggs, eggs, eggs. 2) the worker bees (all worker bees are females who do not lay eggs): their job is to guard the hive, pollinate flowers, make royal jelly, build honey comb, feed larvae, collect nectar to make honey. They will live only 30-40 days and will literally work themselves to death. 3) the male drones: their only job is to be ready to mate with a queen. And when they have done so, they will immediately drop from the sky and die. Bring that up at your next trivia night!

Another amazing fact: bees wax is made inside of the worker bees bodies around the 10th day of their life. The wax comes out through openings in the bees abdomens and then they use their back and middle legs to pass the wax to their front legs at which point they will chew the wax and shape it into wax cells, making the honey comb shape. Did you catch that?!! It comes out of openings in her abdomen! CRAZY!

We had a station set up for kids to get to roll their own bees wax candle to take home. My mom graciously helped each kid at this station. Thanks Mom!

And then we walked down to the hives. Somehow the rain kept holding off. It would sprinkle every once in a while, and then it was as if the rain was having mercy on our little honeyfest and it would stop. 

Adam held up frames for everyone to see crawling with bees.

And then it really did start to rain...at least enough that the adults went to the garage and the kids stayed out to play. Adam's wife and my friend, Christina was there with her parents to sell their incredible honey and gorgeous candles. Christina's mom, Jan, is the one who makes the candles and they are stunning. She was telling me how finicky they are to make...the room as to be at the right temperature and humidity level, the pots and molds have to be preheated. It sounds amazing and I begged her to invite me the next time she's making them. And she makes this body bar that is incredible. It is like lotion in a bar of soap and it's great for hydrating dry hands. I loved it.

Elsie was our mascot all day long. I had meant for other kids to get to try this costume on with their parents in the bee keeping gear, but I couldn't get Elsie to take it off once she put it on. So she walked around all morning, our sweet little busy bee happily feeding the chickens.

It was a super fun morning. Adam and Christina, Tom and Jan are awesome, awesome people. You can follow their bee keeping adventures at Honey Patch Apiaries.

The Stepping Stones Community Walk: Please Come!

Rory and I have become involved in our local pregnancy center, The Northfield Women's Center. Rory serves on the board, and recently I signed up to help lead a community walk for one of the many programs the center runs.

Here's what I love most about this center: they are fighting for the mama just as hard as they are fighting for the baby. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, there isn't much you could disagree with at this center. They are a life-affirming center that respects the unique situation of every woman. They help her see the value of her own life, and the value of the life of the baby she is carrying. 

They don't only want the baby to survive, they want the young mother to thrive.

So they work tirelessly to provide resources, programming, childcare and empowering education to help these moms find their footing once again.

I think the reason I adore Stepping Stones so much is because I get it. Stepping Stones is for young moms who need some help and support to get back on their feet. Hello. As a mom who is in the thick of it, and struggles herself, I can think of no more important work. I think I have been honest enough on the blog that it’s no surprise that motherhood has been hard for me. And I even have a supportive husband, an awesome mom, family in the area and friends who have all helped me. Stepping Stones is the safety net for the mama's who don't have such a broad support system.

Stepping Stones connects a young mom with an older woman in a one-on-one mentoring program. Together, they walk through a curriculum that helps the young mom see her future as one that is filled with hope, with a plan to not only get through the day at hand, but to dream about what her future might look like with an empowered heart.

And this is why I'm so excited about this walk. And why I really, really would love for moms and their families to walk it. Because moms fully know how hard the hard days can be and that a woman has to have help and support to keep things sane.

Frankly, I don't just want moms and dads and families to walk it. I want everyone who is able to come out and walk it.

The walk is one mile, paved and takes about 15 minutes to walk. It's a great little trek that ends at Mill Park in Dundas (where all of these pictures were taken). The walk begins at 10 am on (the date has changed to:) Saturday, August 16th at Rejoice Church in Dundas, right next to the Menards on Highway 3. It promises to be a fun morning, with the Stepping Stones Community Walk concluding in the heart of Celebrate Dundas the small town's big summer fair with food concessions, a kid’s carnival, a car show, musicians and a magician.

The cost is $30 a family for the walk, $15 for an individual. This is how we are raising money for Stepping Stones. We decided not to have people gather pledges and instead charge for the walk. The charge is basically a donation given to support the Stepping Stones mentoring program at The Northfield Women’s Center.

I really hope you will join us for this fun summer morning, supporting a program that is transforming lives, supporting moms as they get back on their feet and celebrating the community that we share.

And all are welcome. Whether you live in the area or are looking for a fun summer outing and want to support a program that supports and empowers young moms, I would love to have you join us.

Register at: http://www.steppingstonescommunitywalk.eventsbot.com/

Happy Father's Day Rory!

Becca: "Ivar, what do you love about daddy?"

Ivar: "I love playing colors and shapes!"

Becca: "Elsie, what do you love about daddy?"

Elsie: "Nah nah. Daddy-hoo? Mama Dada Mama Dada!

the brown and orange mcdonalds

We have lots of different McDonalds in our life. Sometimes we go to "the blue McDonalds" which other people might call Culvers. Sometimes we go to the red and yellow McDonalds, which other people might just simply call McDonalds.

Well last night I took the kids to the brown and orange McDonalds. The new favorite of all the McDonalds. Here they bring out the kids size(!!!) float just after you order. By the time the burger and fries show up, they're old news, and may not be touched. But those floats...they are amazing and messy and sticky and so, so worth it. While Ivar looked at his mug he said, "I see the letter A and the letter W!"

We'll be back brown and orange McDonalds.

Clever Child Care

I'm starting to get smart about child care. Or at least I have friends who are smart, and it's starting to rub off on me. It's a funny thing to "get a sitter" when you're a stay-at-home-mom. It's hard to justify spending money on a sitter when your primary job is to be home with your kids.

But it is also super easy to justify spending money on a sitter when your primary job is to be home with your kids. Because you can never leave your job. Ever. Unless you have a sitter.

So here are three creative sitter ideas I want to pass along:

1. Hour for Hour: The most obvious of the babysitter swaps. My friend Ali and I try for this once a month. We set the dates on the calendar. One day a month I'll drop my kids off at her house from 9-1. And then later that month she'll drop her kids off at my house from 9-1. It means when my kids are at her house, I can be at my own house, without kids. Which is one crazy, amazing feeling. I've also noticed how much easier my own kids are when Ali's kids are over. Everyone seems a bit more self-sufficient because they have playmates. I still have to help with toy disputes and sharing from time to time, but I love having her kids here. And I love having my own time too. And when my kids go to her house, she feeds them her food. When her kids are at my house, I feed them our food. No packing lunches...that just makes more work for the mama who is getting the morning off!

2. Parent Date Night: My friend Allyson thought this one up and it's brilliant. At the beginning of each month she emails me dates they are available for the next month. Any nights of the week are game. Then I reply with the dates that work for us. We narrow down to two different nights. One night Rory and I will bring both cars and our kids to her house, while she and her husband go out on a date. When bedtime comes, Rory loads our kids in one car and takes them home for bedtime. I put Allyson's kids to bed and then cozy up on their couch with a good book because the deal with this swap is that it usually allows for late night dates. The couple on the date isn't paying for a sitter, which means this date can be longer than normal. And when they return, I get in my own car and drive myself home. It eliminates paying a sitter AND driving to pick up and drop off the sitter! The babysitting itself is a family affair...I love having Rory babysitting with me and it's easy peasy because our kids adore each other and entertain themselves nicely.

3. Monday Morning Babysitter: This one costs money. At some point it dawned on me that dollar for dollar, I would rather pay for a babysitter for four hours on a Monday morning than for four hours on a weekend night. So I have a girl from church come for just four hours each week. I pay a little more because she's married and this is her income. But it's worth every dime. The bonus is that when I wake up on a Monday morning around 7, I have this two hour high productivity window that amazes me. I know my reward is coming at 9:00 in the form of a babysitter, so I get the house in shape, clean the kitchen, do some laundry, get myself ready and at 9:00 I fly out the door to a coffee shop or whatever. And sometimes Rory and I will arrange to meet for lunch, which makes this a legit date with my husband, as well.

And finally, I can't number this one because I haven't done it myself, I have a friend who used to live in South Dakota and swapped with two other friends. One loved to watch kids, one loved to make soup and another loved to make homemade cleaning products. So once a month they swapped these services. How clever is that?!!

So these are my latest discoveries in the world of Mama Self Care. Anyone else have any clever babysitting ideas?

Honey Bee School 101

So Bee Keepers are passionate people. There is a whole movement out there to save the honey bees and this week I have jumped on the bandwagon. Each night we've been watching another movie or youtube video and trying to educate ourselves as quickly as possible. And it's true. All that is happening to our honey bees is a really big deal. During one movie I turned to Rory told him that I'm really proud to be keeping our own bees.

Today I wanted to pass along a few of the movies and videos and sites that I have discovered. Two movies were recommended right in the comments of this blog. Brad (are you high school Brad?) recommended a great video called Portrait of an Urban Bee Keeper. It's 20 minutes long and really well done. Enjoyable to watch and worth your time. Also really cool to think of keeping bees in the city!

Then I found beverlybees.com and the resource page on that site is fantastic. This TED Talk she has on her site is an incredible overview of what is happening to our world's bees and why we should care.


We watched every other video on the Beverly Bees Resource page. Really fascinating stuff there about verroa mites and foul brood and colony collapse.

Rory's brother Kyle told us about the movie More Than Honey and we ordered that on Netflix. I enjoyed this movie a lot and was amazed at the up close footage they had of the bees doing their thing, even the birth of a queen. Really fascinating. The transportation of bees to big monocrop operations is pretty terrifying. The whole time we watched I kept shaking my head, "this is all against God's created order. God never designed the world to work this way..." It's sobering to watch.

And my greatest resource is our teacher, Adam. He came out again this week and was so excited to see our bees thriving. We even added a box so that one hive can spread out and make more comb! That's a great sign of a healthy hive and I was so excited.

And finally, there is Oma Zina. Oma Zina is my sister-in-law Lisa's mom who came out for her 77th birthday. She loves it out here and really loves our bees. She and her husband used to keep bees and she has a lot of great lessons to pass on about swarming, drones and even has her son sending her late husband's bee suit so she can get in on the action. What a joy!