Goodbye Garden

  As Josh and I move ever closer to being self-sufficient in the city,
    ( he's researching household rainwater collection systems at his computer right now), I find myself being more in tune with the seasons and feeling the changes more intensely. Whereas before I would just be annoyed by a lack of sun, I now feel waves of emotion when the sun doesn't shine.  I was moved when my apple trees narrowly missed being pollinated and only began growing a handful of apples,  and also when my vegetable patch grew moss from the intense rain and I needed to replant until the sun was constant enough to coax the seeds to grow into plants. 
   
   
  My connection to the land has become visceral, and though it's not always pleasant, I'm still happy that I'm able to feel this the way. There's something deeply satisfying to be so literally grounded by this passion.

   And though I could be growing winter vegetables now, there's also something wonderful about saying goodbye to the garden for the winter and entering a phase of cosiness and hibernation. It's about feeling the weather get crisper and the leaves get more golden until you can't get away with wearing just a hoody anymore, but you're okay with it. Winter comes and there's finally time to read, catch up with friends and spend more time playing board games with the kids without feeling like you should be outside enjoying the warm weather.

I was so thrilled to grow food this year as I was almost about to give up as I looked at my super weedy plot early this year at nine months pregnant. But I somehow managed, usually with Isla by my side patiently sitting in her bouncy chair with an umbrella balanced on the bricks, as I weeded, laid out brick paths and edges, tenderly put in my seeds and hoped with all my heart that something would grow. And lots eventually did grow. It's amazing how forgiving a garden can be, even for an amateur like me!

  So here's a thank you to the garden for all the food it grew this year despite all odds, and goodbye until the ground is warm enough to start the cycle all over again.

Sorting

  In the age of high-tech-everything I find myself rebelling against the onslaught of the fast-paced, the loud and the overly-complicated.  This also extends to my children's toys and activities. Although I don't deny my oldest the occasional iPad game or computer reading program, I try to make or buy more natural and simple toys and remember that even a basic idea such as sorting can be wonderful for a child.

 My kids have detailed Schleich animals of all kinds and my two-and-a-half year old started sorting them in different ways. So I grabbed a couple of baskets and we found all kinds of ways of sorting such as land/marine, small/large, mommies/ babies and farm/wild.  I could see it stimulating his thinking in so many ways and was thankful for this simple but great little game.

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Open Shelving

 Giving a wall an open area breaks up the monotony and adds interest. 

 Our house is a 1950's rancher which hasn't been renovated since it was built,  save for the kitchen which was given those 1990s Ikea cabinets that so many houses seem to have. It has so little character and yet we barely have time to eat these days let alone renovate. So I dream up little things I can do in between feeding the baby, doing the dishes, etc.  This week after watching BBC2's Victorian Pharmacy I was inspired to add a little interest to the cupboard area. I removed a cabinet door, moved everything to another cupboard and moved all the most used baking items into the shelves.

  Aside from looks,  the open shelves can also be very practical since I now have my baking supplies within quick reach without going through an overly large pantry full of food. 

  

I used old looking jars and for those that were recycled like jam jars I printed antique labels to give them an apothecary look. 

Notice that this type of vanilla extract used to made by a pharmacist. Apparently many bottled foodstuffs got their start in Victorian pharmacies.  And many are still being made today by the same companies. One example is Lea and Perrins Worchestershire sauce. They were chemists who created the recipe in 1835. 

Getting Started

   As the days fly by and my three young children grow like weeds before my eyes, I feel the need to start recording some of the moments that make our lives special. My days with the family are full and I'm always looking for ways to simplify our lives while keeping them creative and beautiful. I'm very involved in doing things from scratch and finding easy ways to do them since I'm such a busy mother. I thought this blog might be a way to share these ideas with others who also like to lead the "good life".

CALENDULA FLOWERS

  I grew beautiful calendula flowers this summer. They are so simple to grow and so prolific! From two seeds I had at least a hundred blooms and they're still producing flower heads. They are also very therapeutic with dozens of uses but most notably for healing the skin. I stepped on a bumblebee in the garden and got stung twice. I had heard about rubbing the flower on stings and burns so I quickly chopped a flower finely and rubbed it on the sting. It took the pain ( which had been quite severe) away immediately! They are easy to dry just by clipping them to a line with a clothespin. Then you can make salves and teas with the dried flowers. Just google calendula and you'll find a myriad of recipes. It's my favorite new flower.